The Dawn Gundam continued bearing the brunt of enemy fire to clear a path for the White Tiger, advancing steadily until nearing Genesis, where it finally slowed its assault speed.
"Sumeragi, have you located the entry point yet?" Yang Hui asked urgently.
"Hold on... Found it!"
"Good, move in! Red Frame and Blue Frame, follow!"
"Roger!" x3
The Dawn Gundam pivoted to position itself behind the White Tiger, intercepting the relentless waves of pursuers. Its Beam Submachine Gun maintained continuous suppression fire while the radiant glow of its bits illuminated the surrounding cosmos.
Only when the White Tiger successfully breached Genesis's entry port did Yang Hui finally exhale in relief. Phase One was complete—now they just needed to protect the White Tiger until the demolition team could destroy Genesis from within.
Beep beep beep...
"Hmm?"
The alarm blared as Yang Hui frowned, immediately recalling the left-wing bits to reattach them defensively to the Dawn Gundam's wings.
The next instant, dozens of beam strikes hammered the shield, the resulting explosions propelling the Dawn Gundam backward a considerable distance.
"...Creuset." Spotting the rapidly approaching dark gray Gundam and the freshly retrieved Dragoons, Yang Hui instantly recognized Rau Le Creuset.
ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam—the final X Series unit developed by ZAFT equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceller. Its frame incorporated modifications and enhancements based on the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam and ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, boasting significantly larger proportions than its predecessors while retaining their high versatility and mobility.
For armaments, its right arm mounted the MA-M221 "Judicium" Beam Rifle—a bulkier, more powerful variant surpassing the "Sirius" rifles used by Freedom and Justice. The left arm featured the MA-MV05A Composite Weapon Shield System, housing twin Energy Cannons alongside an extendable beam saber.
But its most distinctive weapon was the large-scale Unlimited Induction Weapon Unit—the Dragoon System (Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network System) mounted on its back. Originally absent from the design, this system was later customized specifically for Rau Le Creuset's exceptional spatial awareness.
"Hahaha! We meet again, Yang Hui! I never imagined you'd truly be this insane! But this is where your madness ends!" Creuset's deranged laughter crackled through comms as the Providence Gundam closed in, unleashing another volley from its Dragoons, "Judicium" Beam Rifle, and the twin Energy Cannons—forcing the Dawn Gundam into further retreat under the relentless barrage.
"Haha, is that so?" Yang Hui sneered. He knew Creuset's plan—to gradually push him away, then as long as he was tied up, the White Tiger would lose its strongest protective force. With only the Astray Gundam Red Unit and Blue Unit guarding it, the White Tiger couldn't be defended.
Once the White Tiger was destroyed, Yang Hui's plan would fail, and Creuset would win—because no one could stop Genesis from firing.
If Genesis fired again, the flames of war would engulf the entire world, and no one could extinguish them. All Creuset needed was to wait for the final outcome—the destruction of the world would be enough.
But... Creuset had underestimated Yang Hui. The Providence Gundam was indeed outstanding—in this world, at this time.
The bits retracted, gathering on the twin wings, which crossed in front of the Dawn Gundam to block the barrage of Dragoons and beam rifles.
"Perfect opportunity." With the Dawn Gundam's vision completely obscured, Creuset maneuvered the Dragoons to quietly encircle it.
Just as he was about to fire, the wings suddenly spread, flames erupting from the back as the Dawn Gundam shot upward, narrowly avoiding the intersecting beams—and then...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The beam submachine gun fired in rapid succession, instantly destroying four of the eleven Dragoons, with all three large Dragoons annihilated.
"What?!" Creuset was stunned. The Dragoons' attacks were unpredictable, and he knew Yang Hui wouldn't take long to adapt to their patterns.
But he never expected Yang Hui's adaptability to be this strong. Even with his vision blocked, he abandoned defense, ascended to evade, and fired with precision—all in one fluid motion, without hesitation. It was as if Yang Hui was a prophet, able to see the future.
"Seems ZAFT didn't research the Dawn Gundam thoroughly enough," Yang Hui's voice echoed in Creuset's ears, triggering an instinctive survival alarm blaring in his mind.
The Providence Gundam immediately recalled all Dragoons and retreated rapidly. The bits detached from the wings, surging toward the Providence like a tidal wave—and moving even faster.
"Hmph! If they don't hit, then—what?!"
Seeing the golden wave about to overtake him, the Providence Gundam made a sharp right-angle turn, accelerating to the left. Yet, the golden tide, which should have been evaded, twisted as if alive, relentlessly pursuing him.
In desperation, the Providence Gundam hurled its left-hand composite weapon toward the incoming bits and fired to detonate it on contact. The explosion's shockwave scattered the pursuing bits, countless flashes erupting as the golden sea was replaced by flames.
But... that wasn't all. Within seconds, the bits broke through the smoke and fire, charging at the Providence Gundam again.
Realizing the danger, the Providence Gundam dodged left and right while shooting them down, but...
"This isn't programmed behavior! It's psychommu-controlled!" Creuset was shocked to discover that the bits moved like living things—dispersing, regrouping, tracking, evading—just as unpredictable as his own Dragoons.
"Finally figured it out?"
The Dawn Gundam spread its wings and hovered, gradually returning to its original position as golden light encircled it. Yang Hui watched expressionlessly as the Providence Gundam danced through the rain of beams, tormented like a monkey by the bits. Occasionally, he directed idle bits to destroy any MS attempting to approach either the Dawn Gundam or the White Tiger.
"Damn it!" Creuset gritted his teeth, cursing himself for underestimating Yang Hui and the technical department for failing to uncover this critical intelligence in advance.
Creuset was no weakling—Yang Hui could guarantee he was stronger than Kira at this point. Even now, Yang Hui was going all out, having activated Innovator Mode and focusing entirely on controlling every movement of the bits.
If it were Kira, he would likely have lasted only about twenty minutes before collapsing. Yet Creuset had endured the relentless assault of the bits for half an hour while keeping his Mobile Suit intact.
Though "intact" referred only to the Providence Gundam itself—not the Dragoons. Apart from the four Dragoons destroyed at the outset, only three small Dragoons remained, barely helping Creuset fend off the bits' onslaught. His evasive maneuvers grew more frequent and exaggerated, a clear sign he was nearing his limit.
"Enough. Let's end this."
The Dawn Gundam moved, spinning unpredictably as its twin guns swept the surrounding area, annihilating all enemy units in range. Then, transforming the guns into swords, it flared its wings and charged toward the Providence Gundam at blinding speed.
"Wha—"
Creuset barely registered a flash before his cockpit plunged into darkness, alarms blaring red. He knew he had lost this battle—utterly and completely. Yet... a confident, triumphant smile still played on his lips.
"I win, Creuset."
"No, Yang Hui. I win."
"What did you say?" Yang Hui's brow furrowed as a sense of foreboding surged within him.
"Before Genesis was even completed, I left a backdoor in the system and altered the data. In thirty minutes, Genesis will fire again—and its target... is Earth!"
...
Chaos erupted inside Genesis' command center, voices rising in panic.
"What the hell is going on!? Why is Genesis targeting Earth!?"
"Someone modified the program and locked it! We can't change it! There are only thirty minutes left until firing!"
"Then find a way to abort the firing sequence!"
"It can't be aborted!"
"Damn it!" Patrick Zala slammed his fist on the table, his expression twisted with fury. He wanted to win the war—but not at the cost of Earth's destruction. Without Earth, Coordinators would become cosmic refugees, doomed to extinction. That was why Patrick Zala had never intended to use Genesis against Earth in the first place.
Now, someone had tampered with the system and locked it down completely. This wasn't just about destroying Earth—it was about annihilating both Naturals and Coordinators alike.
"What about those infiltrators? Did they do this?" Patrick Zala demanded.
"No, according to records, this covert program was implanted during Genesis' initial construction. The enemy infiltration team hasn't entered the core area yet—they couldn't have tampered with the system."
"Then eliminate them immediately! Unlock the system and abort the launch sequence!"
"But Genesis' systems..."
"No buts! Make it happen!"
"Under... understood..."
"Beep beep beep..."
"Chairman, we're receiving a communication request from an enemy mobile suit—it's the Dawn!"
"Dawn... Yang Hui... patch it through!" Patrick Zala's expression was complex. He didn't know why Yang Hui, now his enemy, would initiate contact at this moment. Part of him wanted to hear what the young man had to say, while another part recoiled at listening to an enemy's voice. Yet given the urgency, he accepted the transmission.
"Chairman Zala."
"Cut to the chase, boy. What do you want?"
After so long apart, there were no pleasantries. As Patrick Zala studied the youthful face on screen, countless memories flashed through his mind—every past encounter with Yang Hui in battle. What a pity this exceptional young man wasn't a Coordinator... why couldn't he have been one of PLANT's own?
"Then I'll be direct, Chairman Zala. Within fifteen minutes, I will destroy Genesis from within. Please evacuate immediately."
(End of Chapter)