For a moment, Lord Ezelkanta had suppressed the Dawn Gundam, and a smile of unprecedented excitement spread across his face.
Since Yang Hui had appeared, no one in VEGAN had been able to suppress him alone, even after depleting a significant amount of his stamina and energy.
But Lord Ezelkanta had done it, relying on the performance of the Gundam Legilis.
"Finally... finally! Hahaha! As expected! I am the chosen one! Today, I will bring you down..."
As he thought this, Lord Ezelkanta's expression gradually twisted, but in the next second, his flushed face turned pale. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a mouthful of blood gushed out, staining the visor of his helmet and obscuring his vision.
"Damn it... to happen... at this moment... I'm not done yet..." Lord Ezelkanta clutched his chest in agony.
Lord Ezelkanta was already older than Yang Hui, and the relentless work on the Eden Project, coupled with the illness caused by Martian radiation, had drained his body. The intense piloting and the severe impact had pushed his body past its breaking point.
"Hmm? An opportunity!"
Seeing the Gundam Legilis suddenly come to a complete halt, Yang Hui wouldn't let this chance slip by. The Dawn Gundam unleashed its full power, charging straight toward the Gundam Legilis, raising its blade high for a decisive strike.
"Lord Ezelkanta! Watch out!"
But at that moment, a Bacta-type MS pushed the Gundam Legilis aside, exposing itself to the Dawn Gundam's blade and was instantly cleaved in two.
"Tch! What a nuisance!"
Yang Hui cursed under his breath, frustrated that such a perfect opportunity had been ruined.
While the Gundam Legilis's performance was indeed exceptional, Yang Hui had already secured the EXA-DB, rendering the Gundam Legilis useless to him.
If he could destroy the Gundam Legilis here and kill Lord Ezelkanta, the blow to VEGAN would be immeasurable.
But now, the opportunity was gone. The Gundam Legilis had retreated under the protection of numerous MS units, and the Dawn Gundam had reached its limit. Neither its remaining energy nor its condition allowed it to swiftly annihilate the forces protecting the Gundam Legilis and destroy it.
"Still, the main objective has been achieved, and it's about time."
Seeing that the Dawn Gundam wasn't pursuing, those protecting Lord Ezelkanta breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Ezelkanta, are you alright?"
They asked with concern. These were the veterans who had followed Lord Ezelkanta from the beginning, absolutely loyal to him and most aware of his condition. They were essentially Lord Ezelkanta's personal guard.
Already aged and suffering from illness, Lord Ezelkanta couldn't endure high-intensity combat. So, when the Gundam Legilis engaged the Dawn Gundam, they had been closely monitoring its movements.
When the Gundam Legilis suddenly stopped, they knew Lord Ezelkanta's body had faltered. They immediately abandoned their original encirclement orders to rescue him, managing to save him at the critical moment.
"I... won't fall yet... Go... go and finish them! Hurry!"
"I beg your pardon, Lord Ezelkanta, but your body can no longer endure this!" Through the communication feed, everyone saw the crimson stain spreading across his visor. Even if it was Ezelkanta's command, they couldn't abandon their duty to protect him.
"Execute... the order... they must... be killed... execute the order!"
"But..."
The group was caught in a dilemma. On one hand, they couldn't ignore Ezelkanta's safety; on the other, his hoarse, desperate roar was impossible to disregard.
Just as they were torn between these conflicting priorities, a public broadcast played out before everyone present.
"Attention, VEGAN! Cease all combat actions immediately! Repeat! Cease all combat actions immediately! If our demands are not met..."
"What!?"
All combatants halted, turning their gaze toward the source of the transmission. There, they saw the transport ship they had been unable to locate, escorted by the Gundam AGE-2, heading toward them. And beside it, a terrifying "gift."
"...we will send these asteroids crashing into your Colony, the Second Moon!"
The [Parasol] system was deactivated one by one, revealing four or five massive asteroids flanking the transport ship, each equipped with propulsion devices. Once ignited, nothing could stop them from utterly destroying the Second Moon.
"How... is this possible!? You... despicable cowards!"
When Ezelkanta saw the enormous asteroids, he knew the opportunity to kill Yang Hui and the other two was lost. Overwhelmed by rage, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and fainted.
"Lord Ezelkanta! Quick! Get Lord Ezelkanta back to the Second Moon!"
"All units, cease combat!"
The guards immediately escorted the Gundam Legilis back to the Second Moon, leaving the highest-ranking officer present to take command.
"Lord Ezel, what should we do now...?" Zannald's urgent communication revealed his reluctance to abandon this golden opportunity, yet he couldn't ignore the safety of their home.
Deep down, he hoped this elder shared his thoughts, and he steeled himself to issue the order to continue the attack, swiftly eliminate the enemy, and then destroy the asteroids. Even if they couldn't stop them completely, he wouldn't bear any responsibility.
"Cease combat, let them go!"
"But..."
"I will take full responsibility. Let them go!"
"...Understood."
Zannald reluctantly accepted the order, though a small part of him was secretly pleased. Within VEGAN, only Jehart and this elder outranked him. If Ezelkanta were to hold someone accountable, this elder would surely step down, and perhaps Zannald would have a chance to stand on equal footing with Jehart.
But that was a matter for later. The immediate priority was...
The Flag Gundam and Luna Gundam also ceased their attacks, regrouping with the Dawn Gundam before retreating toward the transport ship. They didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they boarded the ship without further assault.
"Captain, engine overload charging is complete."
"Turn 180 degrees and get us out of this hellhole."
"Yes, sir!"
The transport ship turned toward Earth, its engines gradually glowing red before unleashing a massive burst of energy. The tremendous thrust transformed the ship into a meteor, vanishing from VEGAN's sight.
The transport ships disappeared, and the enemy retreated, but VEGAN remained on edge because the asteroids were left behind.
"Quickly destroy the propulsion... system..."
Just as he was about to issue the order, Irus was dumbfounded, and so was everyone in VEGAN, because the asteroids they had regarded as a disaster burst like balloons and vanished!
"Bang~! Damn it! Those cunning Earthlings!"
...
"Phew~ So this is the backup plan you prepared? Quite the grand gesture, isn't it?" Graham took off his helmet and wiped the sweat that was blurring his vision.
"If we didn't do it this way, how could we have scared them off?"
"Agreed, though I don't like this approach."
"Neither do I, so... it was all fake."
Yang Hui naturally understood what Graham meant. He too despised using civilians as hostages or harming them, even if they were enemies.
"Fake?" Graham was stunned, waiting for Yang Hui's explanation.
"Those were just decoy balloons."
"Pfft~ Cough... Aren't you afraid of overplaying your hand?" Hearing this, Graham choked on his saliva, feeling a wave of fear.
"No, they wouldn't dare take the risk."
The Second Moon was VEGAN's only Colony. If it were destroyed, VEGAN would truly lose their home. Moreover, they also had families living on the Second Moon. Whether for public or private reasons, they wouldn't dare gamble on whether Yang Hui's bluff was a trick.
"Uncle! Auntie! Are you all right?"
"Lieutenant General."
Asemu, Gerard, and Rena arrived at the lounge, concerned about the three who had been in a tough battle.
"Close call, but we're just a bit tired." Yang Hui waved his hand, signaling them not to worry.
"Phew~ That's good."
"The Lieutenant Generals were fighting, and we couldn't be of much use, really..."
"Enough, don't blame yourselves. We were outnumbered, and that new Gundam was indeed something. It's normal that you were caught off guard. Surviving is the best outcome." Yang Hui comforted them.
"Lieutenant General, you don't need to comfort us."
"Lieutenant General, you're all old, but we're still young, yet we still can't keep up with you. It's really embarrassing."
"What are you thinking, you brats!" Yang Hui knocked their heads lightly, scolding them with a laugh, "You're still a hundred years away from surpassing us!"
Although Yang Hui and Graham appeared to be elderly, due to the unique nature of Prometheus Fortress, their physical abilities had always remained at their peak. So, thinking they could surpass them just because they seemed old was impossible!
"Uh... Ahaha, the Lieutenant General is right."
"Where's Kio?"
"He's with his friends."
"Hmm, Asemu, go keep him company. We need to rest properly now."
"Yes!"
After Asemu and the others left, Yurin finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed into Yang Hui's arms, falling into a deep sleep.
"Sigh, she must be really tired." Yang Hui looked tenderly at Yurin in his arms, gently smoothing the disheveled hair on her forehead.
"It's remarkable she lasted this long. After all, she's the one who's truly aged."
Regarding Yurin, Graham initially recognized her talent and hard work, and later acknowledged her strength. Now, his evaluation of her is more about respect.
For a delicate young girl to grow to this point, the effort required is unimaginable to most. Yet, for Yang Hui, she never complained, never slacked off, and never gave up.
Even today, despite her advanced age, she refuses to leave Yang Hui's side, accompanying them through life and death.
Graham also wondered if he would have the same courage to step onto the battlefield of life and death if he reached his twilight years.
Or... is the power of love truly that strong?
"Go and rest. Once we return, things will get busy again," Yang Hui said as he picked up Yurin, not looking back.
"Alright," Graham nodded, knowing that upon their return, a new battle would begin.
(End of Chapter)