"Tch, so many… it never ends…"
Mu was having a hard time. Even ignoring the remaining Dagger units, finding and sniping the DINNs and GINNs carrying anti-ship missiles amid the overwhelming artillery fire was truly troublesome.
A thick beam destroyed a GINN stepping on its flight pedal and carrying anti-ship missiles.
Mu maneuvered the sniper cannon, lining up the crosshairs on a black MS, and pulled the trigger again. The black MS dodged the thick beam, but its left-hand beam rifle, along with the arm, was melted away.
The next moment, an ear-piercing radar alarm sounded in Mu's ears. Instinctively, he controlled the Strike to release the sniper cannon and stepped back two paces.
A black unit appeared beside the sniper cannon, raising a heavy sword with a beam blade like a ship-breaking sword, and destroyed the sniper cannon in a single strike.
This Black Knight had been advancing close to the sea level, and knowing that Mu's sniper cannon could overload FT armor, it rushed in amidst the chaos to destroy the weapon.
Of course, destroying the Strike as well would have been even better.
"Black MS?"
Mu froze briefly at the black MS that Roz had mentioned, but immediately, controlling the Strike with remarkable fluidity, he drew the ship-breaking sword from its back with his right hand and swung it at the Black Knight's head.
To be honest, Mu was not skilled in MS close combat. He was better at mid-range shooting, probably because he had always been piloting Moebius Zero or the Skygrasper.
During Orb's great retreat, he could handle Dagger units in melee because they were inferior to the Strike. Now, facing a Black Knight whose performance might match or even surpass the Strike, he felt uneasy.
But since the enemy was right in front of him, there was no reason not to fight.
The Black Knight quickly raised its heavy sword with both hands, blocking Mu's overhead strike.
"Perfect opportunity!"
Seeing this, Mu's free left hand quickly lifted the Agni High-Pulse Cannon mounted on the left side of the Strike. Although it wasn't in maximum output mode, there was no time to think further.
After a brief charge, the beam shot from the Agni cannon, hitting the Black Knight's cockpit with precision.
Because the Strike was equipped with all three backpack units, the battery pack couldn't fully power all its weapons simultaneously. Morgenroete's team came up with a compromise: reducing the output of the Strike's weapons just enough for the battery to keep up.
This meant that the beam shot from the Strike only brought the Black Knight's original FT armor near overload, but the impact pushed the Black Knight off the central deck of the Archangel.
"Phew, Roz's trick really works well!"
Mu took two quick breaths after executing the maneuver but had no time to check the Black Knight that had been pushed away. He aimed the Strike at a DINN in the sky preparing to launch an anti-ship missile and deploying the missiles from its right shoulder launcher.
Before the DINN could fire, Mu's missiles tore it apart, neutralizing the immediate threat.
"If I can't handle those black MS, how could I not handle you?!"
Mu raised the 'Agni' High-Pulse Cannon in his hands, the barrel rapidly deploying.
"Bring it on!"
Although his words were confident, the addition of the Black Knight was tilting the battle toward a worse outcome.
A Black Knight advanced under anti-air fire, using its beam rifle to destroy three anti-air guns, creating a small gap in the defensive fire.
In front of dense rocket fire, such a gap offered no cover. Almost immediately as the gap appeared, an anti-ship missile pierced the fireline and struck the side of the Archangel.
"Ugh…"
The violent shockwaves shook the ship, causing many aboard to scream.
Badgiruel's right shoulder wound tore open slightly from the shock, bleeding and paling her face. She endured without a sound, but cold sweat had already appeared on her forehead.
"Sections 5 to 7 damaged and on fire! Porcupine formation 13 to 16 offline!"
Sai pressed on despite discomfort at the controls. "The isolation doors have been lowered!"
"The right-side Gottfried seems to have a steering problem!"
With all Skygraspers destroyed and controlling the ship's weapons from the bridge, Tolle shouted, "Can anyone perform emergency repairs?!"
"Damage control squad is already on it… new attack from three o'clock!"
Miriallia grew anxious looking at the radar.
"Two to four o'clock, Hell Darts launched! Push them away from the Archangel!"
Badgiruel took a deep breath to steady herself and issued the command.
Sixteen Hell Dart missiles shot from behind the Archangel's bridge, curved, and flew toward the target area.
Many MS dodged direct hits, but upon reaching the preset distance, the Hell Darts detonated, shredding several GINNs, DINNs, and a few remaining Daggers.
"Phew… ship, turn left 25 degrees, reduce the chance of gaps exposed to enemy fire… can those wandering black MS be dealt with?"
Murrue checked the radar map and could only make this judgment.
"Report, they're too agile. The railgun can't track their speed."
Tolle, sweating heavily at the fire-control station, said, "The beam sniper that could destroy them is already damaged!"
The Black Knight, as a domestically developed MS of the Kingdom of Foundation, incorporated many technologies from ZAFT and Blue Cosmos but was optimized during design, with the key feature being increased battery capacity for sustained high-mobility combat.
Facing Black Knights faster and more agile than atmospheric DINNs, Tolle was helpless.
"How's Roz doing? Can he return to assist?"
Murrue asked Miriallia after a moment of thought.
The Archangel's artillery couldn't keep up with the Black Knights. The Strike's output wasn't enough, and the beam sniper capable of destroying them was destroyed. The Black Knights wouldn't foolishly engage Mu in melee…
The battle had never looked optimistic and was now deteriorating rapidly. Murrue could only hope Roz, who had experience fighting Black Knights, would arrive.
"Contacting him now!"
Miriallia quickly connected to Roz's communicator.
-----------------------------------
The Beam Magnum destroyed the last Blue Cosmos factory in Torrington Port with a single shot. Unicorn Gundam spun around, effortlessly avoiding the strike of the Black Knight's heavy ship-breaking sword. Its thick beam saber on the left forearm pierced the Black Knight's side waist with ease, precisely destroying the cockpit.
Although he didn't know the exact state of the cockpit in these mobile suits, being this close, his brainwaves were almost pointing directly at the cockpit in front of Roz.
However, amid the chaos of the battlefield, Roz still couldn't fully sense the precise positions of all brainwaves, and could only guess the cockpit's location based on experience.
Fortunately, the power of the Beam Magnum was enough, saving Roz the time of guessing the cockpit's location.
Meanwhile, Shura was in the cockpit of the upper half remains of the Black Knight, constantly pushing the control sticks.
"Move, move, you scrap metal!"
On the display, the backpack battery once again showed "Offline." Shura slammed the controls with all his strength.
"He's coming… damn it! I can't hit him!"
"I'm on it!"
Through the comms, a companion forced themselves to keep fighting, continuously attacking Unicorn.
"Got him… ugh ah ah ah ah…"
Familiar screams echoed again, and the strong fear from his companions flooded Shura's mind.
As the strongest member of this Black Knight squad, Shura could only watch helplessly. His MS had been damaged, the comm lines were broken, and he was stuck on the ground, unable to act as his companions were killed one by one by Unicorn, screaming in agony.
His companions' pain and fear repeatedly surged into Shura's mind. His expression twisted as he futilely manipulated the shattered Black Knight, desperate to keep fighting.
"Ahhhhh! Unicorn!"
Shura roared, but the sound couldn't leave the cockpit. The burning anger blazed within him.
The backup battery maintaining the cockpit continued to function, and the Black Knight's secondary monitor displayed the battlefield to Shura.
The Black Knight pierced through the side, now limp at Unicorn's feet after being pushed aside. Its helmet no longer glowed crimson.
Roz, sitting in Unicorn's cockpit, glanced at the remaining three rounds in the magazine and squinted.
Torrington Port, rented at great cost by Blue Cosmos, was quite large and had underground research areas. Completely destroying it consumed six rounds of Beam Magnum ammunition.
Roz now had only three rounds left, but there were still six Black Knights remaining…
"Zzz… Roz, can you hear me?"
Miriallia's voice came over the comms.
"This is Roz. Just completed the mission to destroy the Blue Cosmos factories in Torrington Port."
Roz refocused on the battlefield, ready to deal with the remaining nearby MS.
But the next second, Miriallia's words made him pause.
"Black MS are surrounding the Archangel. The sniper cannon has been destroyed, and Colonel Mu is struggling…"
Her voice revealed the urgency.
"Understood. Archangel, raise altitude. Don't get caught in friendly fire."
Roz slightly zoomed in on the Archangel's position in his cockpit, frowning instinctively.
"Three rounds left, it's fine…"
He pressed the pedal, and Unicorn flew toward the Archangel.
"No… I won't let you through!"
The last remaining Knight blocked Unicorn's path, trying to stop its advance.
Now, it was clear to everyone: under the assault of the FT-armored Black Knights, the Archangel was in serious trouble. If they delayed any longer…
Under the command of the last Black Knight in Torrington Port, the remaining mixed forces of GINNs, DINNs, and Daggers charged toward Roz.
"I don't have time for you all."
Seeing the large number of MS and the Archangel gaining enough altitude, Roz acted decisively, repeatedly pulling the trigger.
Three Beam Magnums fired in succession, shredding all MS in a fan-shaped area before Unicorn, melting them into scrap.
The last Black Knight in Torrington Port, in Shura's view, was struck directly by the Beam Magnum. Before he could utter a word, it melted away, disappearing from the world.
The high-energy beams tore apart all enemies in front. The purple lightning enveloping the beams cut through the struck MS, splitting them in two and creating a shower of sparks.
"Magnum, switch to direct reactor connection mode. Unicorn, let's go!"
Roz quickly pressed a few buttons on the right-hand touch panel. The Beam Magnum's magazine was removed from Unicorn's rear skirt armor and switched to direct power from the laser nuclear reactor.
Seemingly detecting Roz's high spirits, Unicorn's NTD system responded to him again.
From Shura's cockpit view, Unicorn expanded its armor in a second, revealing the psychoframe inside glowing red. The single horn on its head split into dual antennas similar to the G-series.
Finally, Unicorn, trailing a red stream of light, left only a brilliant silhouette in Shura's eyes.
-----------------------------------
Unicorn, having activated NTD mode, relied on the deployed thrusters to more than double its speed. As it skimmed over the sea, the roaring wind churned massive waves.
At that moment, the Archangel, pressed and overwhelmed by the Black Knights' assault, appeared before Roz. The ship was aflame in several areas, and its anti-air firepower seemed sparse.
Mu, having lost the sniper cannon, could now only maintain control of the bridge under the Black Knights' pressure, unable to do anything else.
Glancing at the indicators in his cockpit, Roz quickly estimated the optimal firing angle.
Then, Unicorn raised the Beam Magnum, and Roz, in the cockpit, pulled the trigger five times in quick succession.
At this time, Mu was already flustered from harassment and attacks by the Black Knights.
It should be noted that under Mayura's training, Mu's one-against-three skills were decent, but now it wasn't one against three—it was one against several hundred.
"Endless… the power of the ship-breaking sword is too low; it can't pierce their armor!"
Mu gritted his teeth, blocking a Black Knight's heavy sword strike with his ship-breaking sword.
But the next second, the image on the cockpit display made Mu's eyes widen.
A Black Knight had somehow broken through the defenses and flown directly in front of the Archangel's bridge, raising its beam rifle.
Its crimson mono-eye emitted infrared for aiming, ready to pull the trigger.
Everyone who saw this scene instinctively held their breath. Even Natarle, normally unflappable in battle, widened her eyes.
"All units, abandon—"
Seeing this, Murrue instinctively wanted to order others to escape.
But before she could finish, five red beams appeared near the Archangel, destroying large numbers of MS around it. One of the red beams passed over the top of the Archangel, while purple high-energy lightning scraped across the bridge, cutting off the Black Knight's arm.
Then, a red-and-white figure appeared like lightning. The previously menacing Black Knight now seemed fragile, like a child before it. The beam saber easily destroyed the Black Knight's FT armor, cutting it in half.
"Roz! Perfect timing!"
Seeing the red-and-white mobile suit appear in front of the Archangel's bridge, Mu subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Strike Gundam suddenly exerted force, pushing aside the Black Knight's heavy sword and slashing it away.
Roz didn't miss the opportunity. Unicorn, which had been hovering, quickly accelerated, driving the beam saber on its left arm skillfully into the Black Knight's cockpit.
Unicorn then kicked the Black Knight's remains away, using the thrusters' recoil to return near the Archangel's bridge.
"Murrue, retreat quickly! The Archangel can't stay here long!"
Roz glanced at the status of the Beam Magnum connected to the laser nuclear reactor and smirked.
Apparently, due to the recent burst of firing, the direct connection circuit was still cooling, reducing charging speed. The first round hadn't fully charged yet, so he had to rely on melee attacks for now.
Fortunately, these Black Knights' piloting skills weren't impressive. Once the FT armor's mechanism was breached, they were not difficult to defeat.
In fact, their piloting pressure wasn't as high as what Yzak had put on Roz before.
"Archangel, turn and begin retreat!"
Seeing Unicorn's red glow, everyone exhaled in relief, and Murrue began commanding the ship to withdraw from the area.
But clearly, the Black Knights weren't ready to give up on the battered ship. Three Black Knights raised their heavy swords, organizing a severely reduced MS force, and charged toward the Archangel's bridge.
"Careful, Roz, they're coming again!"
Watching the three Black Knights approaching in sequence, Mu's palms began to sweat.
Roz didn't respond, only checking the charge status and raising the beam saber on his left arm.
The first Black Knight was blocked by Mu's ship-breaking sword, caught in a stalemate on the central deck.
The second Black Knight bypassed the stalemated Mu and charged at Roz, swinging its heavy sword.
Unicorn slightly shifted its arm, the white shield effortlessly blocking the black heavy sword. A heavy shield bash followed, knocking the Black Knight's weapon aside.
Unable to brake in time, the Black Knight watched helplessly as its cockpit collided with Unicorn's beam saber.
The third Black Knight attempted to bypass Unicorn to strike the Archangel's bridge directly. But the next moment, Unicorn kicked aside the remains of the previously impaled Black Knight, colliding with the third Black Knight. The impact sent it flying a considerable distance.
Strike Gundam, after a brief stalemate with the Black Knight, suddenly exerted force, slashing it away a short distance.
That distance was enough—by this time, the Beam Magnum had finished charging.
Unicorn raised the Beam Magnum, Roz aimed briefly, and pulled the trigger.
The thick red beam instantly engulfed the three Black Knights. Purple high-energy currents cut through the surrounding remaining MS, creating a huge gap.
Finally, with all battlefield commanders killed, it seemed that the pressure of death became too much for some. One DINN stopped.
One by one, the mobile suits halted their advance. They looked at the battered Archangel—or rather, the Unicorn hovering in front of the bridge with the Beam Magnum in its hands—afraid to act.
After all, no one knew how much ammunition remained in that gun.
They could only watch as the battered Archangel passed them and left the area, disappearing over the horizon.
...................