Orga knew he would die. He had imagined countless ways it might happen—killed by an enemy on the battlefield, executed for failing a mission, discarded when he outlived his usefulness... But he never imagined he would die by the hands of his own comrades on the battlefield.
That's right. The devastating blast that tore through Calamity Gundam's torso didn't come from Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, or Gundam Virtue. It came from Strike Gundam E (Gunner) positioned in the rear. Even the pilot who pulled the trigger was stunned—he had only intended to provide long-range fire support, forcing Exia back to save Calamity Gundam.
But no one expected Exia to kick Calamity Gundam aside, sending it directly into his line of fire.
"What... have I... done..."
The pilot who had accidentally killed his comrade was utterly shattered. He was doomed—whether he died here or not, the incident had been recorded. There would be no escaping execution once he returned.
"What do I do... What can I do—"
"Look out!"
The dazed pilot snapped back to reality at the warning, just in time to see the incoming Beam Bazooka. Survival instincts made him yank the controls, but his evasive maneuver wasn't enough to escape the torrent of energy. Everything below his cockpit was obliterated in the energy surge.
"Damn you! Die, you bastards!"
Only two of the quintuplets remained. The last two Strike Gundams (IWSP) hurled their Beam Boomerangs from their shields at Virtue, who had just killed their brother, while charging forward with Anti-ship Swords drawn.
Virtue didn't even attempt to dodge. Mechanical arms extended from its knees, unleashing Beam Blades that sliced the boomerangs apart. Its shoulder-mounted Beam Rapid-Fire Cannons roared, hammering the Strike Gundam E's shields with such force that they were pushed back, halting their advance and forcing them to retreat to their original positions.
"Damn it—"
"Screech—"
The moment their shields shifted, a beam pierced the void, spearing through one Strike Gundam E's chest. Cherudim's sniper shot had found its mark. "You sons of bitches!!!"
In the face of despair, one either perishes or erupts. The last surviving quintuplet erupted with fearless fury, shedding all reason and emotion, consumed only by the desire to cut down the enemy before him.
"Huh?" Lyle, having just downed one Strike Gundam E, prepared to finish off the last one. But to his shock, the second sniper shot was dodged—along with the third and fourth. This was unexpected.
Just then, alarms blared in his cockpit. Cherudim swiftly holstered its rifle and retreated, narrowly avoiding Raider Gundam's [Thor's Hammer].
Exia intercepted, severing the cable connected to [Thor's Hammer] with a single slash while deflecting several shells. Crossing its twin blades, it clashed with Raider Gundam's shield-mounted cannon.
"Hahaha... HAHAHA! Let's die together! All of us!"
Clotho's deranged voice suddenly crackled through Setsuna's comms. Raider Gundam's head-mounted [Scorn] energy cannon charged up, preparing to fire at point-blank range—taking Exia down with it.
But Clotho's plan was doomed to fail. The next second, Gundam Cherudim's shot pierced through its head, and the explosion robbed Gundam Raider of the strength to hold Gundam Exia at bay. The crossed swords were freed, swiftly swinging to slice Gundam Raider into several pieces.
"Forgetting about me will get you killed," Lyle muttered coldly.
"Let's go."
"Roger."
Gundam Exia and Gundam Cherudim moved to rendezvous with Gundam Virtue, arriving just in time to witness the last Strike Gundam E being riddled by the Beam Rapid-Fire Cannon, scattering into space debris.
"Tieria."
"The mission isn't complete yet. Target the Earth Forces fleet."
"Since when did you start giving orders?" Lyle teased again, piloting Gundam Cherudim closely behind Gundam Exia and Gundam Virtue as they rapidly closed in on the retreating Earth Forces fleet. Along the way, whether battleships or Daggers, all exploded into brilliant fireworks, adding a touch of liveliness to the silent cosmos.
...
The Dominion was the fastest among all the warships. When Muruta Azrael learned that his proud MS units had been annihilated and Dawn Gundam was charging toward them, he immediately issued the retreat order, leaving the other ships behind to buy them time.
"Run! We have to run! Don't let it get near us!" Muruta Azrael kept urging, his eyes filled with terror, his hatred and resentment long forgotten.
"Calm down, Director Azrael! This ship is already at maximum speed!" Murrue(Carbon) was also afraid. From the memories of the original Murrue, she knew Yang Hui—he would never accept them, never spare them, never allow imposters like them to continue defiling the original's existence.
But she had also inherited most of the original Murrue's capabilities. As the captain, she had to remain composed.
"Captain! Dawn Gundam is getting closer!" the CIC reported.
"How is that possible!? What about the other ships!? Why haven't they held it back!?" Muruta Azrael demanded frantically.
"The... the Washington has already been sunk..."
"What...?"
The optical image displayed on the bridge screen showed the three Agamemnon-class battleships, led by the Washington, riddled with holes before exploding in multiple places, gradually being blown to pieces.
Not just the three Agamemnon-class battleships—Daggers and Moebius units along the way were also caught by the golden meteor, their souls reaped by the scythe of death. Nothing could stop the golden meteor from closing in on them.
"Do something! Aren't you the captain of this ship!? Aren't you a copy of the Archangel's captain!?" Muruta Azrael grabbed Murrue(Carbon) by the collar, his face twisted in a snarl as he roared, "The Archangel was called the unsinkable ship—you must be able to do it too! Think of something! Escape! Shoot it down! Anything!"
"I... can't... do it..." Murrue(Carbon) gasped, struggling to breathe as the collar tightened around her throat.
"What do you mean you can't do it!? You'll do it even if you can't!" Muruta Azrael violently threw Murrue(Carbon) aside and pointed his gun at her. "Think of something fast! Or I'll kill you first!"
"Calm down, Chairman Azrael!" Badgiruel(Carbon) rushed from her position as deputy captain to catch Murrue(Carbon).
"You too! Find me a solution!" Muruta Azrael swung his gun toward Badgiruel(Carbon). Those people had promised him these replicas were exceptional—they had to think of something...
"Then shoot me, Chairman Azrael." Badgiruel(Carbon) glared coldly at Muruta Azrael. She'd had enough of this fool. Yang Hui was closing in, and both she and Murrue(Carbon) knew he wouldn't spare them. Since death was certain, there was no need to keep up this charade.
"What did you say!? You think I won't do it!?"
Bang!
"Ugh—!"
The gunshot rang out, the bullet piercing Badgiruel(Carbon)'s right shoulder as blood sprayed.
"Natarle!"
"Heh, this is all you're capable of, Azrael." Badgiruel(Carbon) clutched her wound and sneered. "Only brave enough to bully your own people—you're nothing compared to him!"
"You bitch! I'll—"
"Dawn Gundam is closing in!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Muruta Azrael prepared to shoot Badgiruel(Carbon) in rage, Murrue(Carbon) stepped forward, shielding her. But the CIC's report came through—Dawn Gundam had caught up to Dominion, effortlessly weaving through the anti-air fire. Countless beams struck Dominion's hull, the violent tremors signaling death's approach.
Yang Hui knew Archangel inside out—every weapon's location, every section's purpose. Circling Dominion, he swept the beam submachine gun, obliterating the [Lohengrin], [Gotterdämmerung], and [Valiant] systems. The CIWS Array and missile launchers were overwhelmed by bits, the engines riddled with holes, flames erupting from explosions.
"Weapon systems completely offline!"
"Main engines destroyed, power lost!"
"Heh... it's over..." Murrue(Carbon) and Badgiruel(Carbon) exchanged glances, their faces relaxing into smiles of relief. They knew they were fakes—that Yang Hui would never accept them, nor let them live.
But perhaps this was for the best. As replicas, dying by the hand of someone they loved was the finest end... Did they truly love Yang Hui? Was it their own will? Or the influence of their originals' memories? Or some implanted command they weren't aware of?
It didn't matter now. Dawn Gundam hovered before Dominion's bridge, its dark barrel locking onto them.
"No! I don't want to die! Yang Hui! Let me go! I'll— Aaah—!!!"
Muruta Azrael was enveloped in the icy grip of death. In his panic, he actually opened a communication channel with the Dawn Gundam, begging Yang Hui for mercy. He had prepared a whole speech—promising anything, including full Atlantic Federation support for Orb's independence, if only he could be spared.
But Yang Hui had no intention of entertaining this clown, Muruta Azrael. At this point, even pleading for his life showed a complete lack of the final dignity befitting the leader of Blue Cosmos.
Moreover, Yang Hui didn't believe a single word Muruta Azrael said.
A beam pierced through the Dominion's bridge. The Dawn Gundam swiftly withdrew, watching from a distance as the warship shattered into pieces. Yang Hui's expression remained utterly impassive from start to finish—not even the deaths of Murrue(Carbon) and Badgiruel(Carbon) could shake him.
"Librarian Works, LOGOS, and all the other rats hiding in the shadows... I hope you enjoy this first gift."
(End of Chapter)