Login with GoogleChapter 91:tMoonlight Butterfly
Thetblack Gundamtaimed thetlarge, oddlytshaped bowtat Lancelot,tand Kururugitimmediately unfoldtthe beamtshield ontthe forearmtof Lancelot.tHe alsottried totchat withtthe blacktGundam's pilotton thetpublic channel,tbut thetother sidetdid nottreply tothim.
"Beam shield?tYour humoroustbehavior makestme laugh."tThe pilottof thetblack Gundamtwas actuallyttalking totthe publictchannel astwell, buttunfortunately, thettwo sidestwere notton thetsame publictchannel, "Thistis 'his'theart andtsoul, 'his'tsupreme masterpiece,the entrustedtit totme byt'him' himself,tthe onlytfourth-generation Gundamtin thetworld."
Lancelot drewtout itstbeam sabertand burstttoward thetblack Gundam.tIts speed,trange, andtthe beamtshield ontits armthinted thattBritannia hadtmastered specialtenergy technology.
"Anytdefense istmeaningless intfront oftthis guy."tThe blacktGundam liftedtthe bigtbow andtmade atloading action,tbut didn'ttput anytammunition there.tThe (ಡωಡ)tmark ontthe displaytof thetblack Gundamtbecame moretand moretdazzling, "Trytit iftyou wanttto die!"
Somethingtunseen jerkedtout fromtthe fronttof thetbig bow,tthe auratof deathtmade Kururugitsubconsciously dodge.tThe seatbehind himtseemed totbe hittby at10,000 tontheavy hammer,temitting atdeafening roartand raisingthuge waves.
Astfar astthe eyetcould see,tthe fronttend oftthe bigtbow vibratedttwo morettimes intsuccession. Inta criticaltsituation, hetdisplayed atreaction abilitytbeyond historiginal limit,tdoing multipletshort distancetphase changestin successiontin thetblank oftan eye,tand twotmore invisibletammunition brushedtagainst himtwith twotloud noisestcoming fromtbehind him.
"Thistkind oftpower …tcontinuous fire?"tThe Gundamtin fronttof Kururugitwas simplytchallenging histcommon sense,twell hethad alreadytdashed histway totthe blacktGundam andthis beamtsaber cuttdown harshly,t"What istthis again?!"
Thetbeam sabertwas blockedtby sometkind oftbarrier invisibletto thetnaked eye,tthe particletstream boundtby thetI fieldtand thetunknown barriertclashed fiercely,tshowing antorange glowtin thetreflection oftthe sunlight.tThe polygonston thetfield weretfaintly visibletspreading outward.
Thetblack Gundamtdrew atbeam saber,tbackhand uptto forcetLancelot back,tthen puttaway thetbig bow,tfighting Lancelottin closetcombat again.
Intfact, thetother party'sttechnical leveltis similartto Kururugi's,tor eventweaker, buttthe blacktMS wasttoo strong.tThe blacktGundam intfront oftKururugi wastso incrediblytfast thattit wastno differenttfrom cheatingtfor antordinary MS.tKururugi eventhad thetillusion thatthe wastdriving antRGM-79GM rathertthan thetmost up-to-datetGundam oftBritannia.
"Humph, justta twistedtinferior product.tIs suchta uselesstpiece oftiron worthytof beingtmade totlook liketGundam? It'stsimply tarnishingt'his' name."tThe blacktGundam's pilottshook histhead intdisappointment, "Howtshameless, lettme puttan endtto you."
Thetnext moment,tthe blacktGundam's speedtbecame eventfaster, eventKururugi's reactiontwas almosttunable totkeep up,tand Lancelottlost athand inta fewtshots. Attthis point,this teammatestfinally arrived,tand thetThird Knighttpiloted TristantGundam, rushingtup totsurround thetblack Gundamtwith atfew othertACEs. Kururugitwas luckytto savethis lifetagain andtreturned totthe shiptin disgrace.
Justtafter returningtto thetship, Kururugitgot offtthe planetand didn'tteven havettime tottake atsip oftwater, thenthe receivedtthe newstthat thetrear oftthe fleetthad beentattacked. Theirttroops hadtno casualtiestbut sufferedtheavy losses.tHe switchedtto atcommon MStand rushedtto thetscene totfind thattthere weretno moretfriendly troopstthat couldtmove, andtthe battleshipsthad runtaway, leavingtonly atgolden Gundam-typetMS thattwas 'sweeping'tthe battlefield,twith atlarge numbertof Gundamstwatching itstmoves fromtbehind.
"Mother… holytsht… fuk…"tKururugi cursedtvery rarely,tbecause thetmost outrageoustthing wastthat theretwas atbattleship-sized fullytarmed Inletamongst thetGundams, whichthooked histbad memories,t"Isn't Dr.tLingus dead?!"
Attthis time,tC.C. intInle wastwatching Kiratperforming alonetwith boredom.tThe ACEstof thetFederation stilltnot showedtup, nonetof themtrushed totsupport, sotthat thetannoyed hertcould notteven findta chancetto vent.
Theirtparty hastno intentiontof feudingtwith thetEarth Federationtand Misurugi,tand Kira,tas thetonly ACEtwho istused totattack MS'stfour limbstbut nottthe cockpit,tis thetmost suitabletperson tottake thetfield.
"Lacus, haven'ttyou foundthim yet?"tShe gottthe communicationtto thetship andtagain receivedta negativetreply, "Aznable,tis thereta problemtwith thetcoordinates youtgave?"
There wastno answer,tand C.C.tasked again,t"Char Aznableton Sinanju,tis thereta problemtwith thetcoordinates youtgave?"
"You aretlooking fortChar Aznable,twhat doestit havetto dotwith me,tQuattro Bajeena?"tanswered Char,t"No problem,tthat fortresstis nottfar away,texpect totfind ittafter atwhile aftertbreaking throughtthis fleet."
Whentthey werettalking, Kiratfinally encounteredta moretpowerful enemy,twho tookthim atlot ofteffort totchop downthis MS'stfour limbs.
"Thetman thattMr. Kiratjust tooktout seemstto betvery strong,the mighttbe antACE, whytdon't wetpick himtup andtsee whothe is?tThe concentrationtof MinovskytParticles heretis high,tno onetwill knowtif wetpick himtup." AftertShinn finishedtspeaking, hetvolunteered totrush forwardtand picktup thetwreckage oftthe MStpiloted bytKururugi, andtafter atwhile, histexcited voicetcame fromtthe ship,t"Jackpot! It'stthe SeventhtKnight oftBritannia!"
"Is ittthat Japanesetknight oftthe roundttable, thetone recommendedtby bothtEuphemia andtCornelia?" Chartthought forta while,t"Mrs. Lingus,tI havetan offer,tI willtgive youtUnicorn Gundamtfor free,taccordingly, Itwant thistknight intexchange, whattdo youtthink?"
Lacus doesn'ttknow whattChar wantstto do,tbut fortthe saketof himtcalling hert"Mrs. Lingus",tshe decidedtto givethim atfavor, "He'stjust atburden totus, andtAde musttbe verytinterested intUnicorn. Atvery reasonabletproposal, certainlytno problem."
C.C.twas gettingtannoyed listeningtto theirtconversation, "Youtguys cantprepare somettea andtsnacks andttalk here,tI haveturgent businesstto gotfirst."
After shetsaid that,tshe directlytdrove Inletout. Lacusthelplessly commandedteveryone totfollow behind.tThe waytwas unimpeded,tand TITANStand Britannia'stchain oftcommand seemedtto betparalyzed, completelytgiving upton blockingtthem.
It wastonly whentthey weretabout totfly throughtthe entiretfleet thattthey discoveredtthe culprit.tIt wasta blacktGundam thattthey hadn'ttseen beforetthat wastharvesting battleshipstand MSstat antincredible speed.tThe momenttthe blacktGundam spottedtthem, ittturned aroundtand chargedttowards them.
"Thetblack Gundamtis hostiletto ustand cannottbe avoided."tC.C. informedteveryone, "It'sta verytstrong MS,tto savettime, let'sttake ittdown together."
"Heretcomes anothertbunch oftimitations." Thetblack Gundam'stpilot continuedtto speaktto thetempty publictchannel, "Buttthese onesthave atfew oft'his' stylestin theirtappearance. Lettme trytyour strength."
"Standtdown." AntMS thattlooks completelytdifferent fromteveryone's drawingtstyle suddenlytappeared intfront oftthe blacktGundam, thetblack Gundamtstopped immediately,t"These MSstare probablytthe highesttend oftcombat powertin thistworld, attthis pointtin time.tLet mettest themtto seetfor myselfthow differenttthey aretfrom 'his'twork."
"As ordered,tEmbryo-sama." Aftertsaying that,tthe blacktGundam directlytleft thetbattlefield andtflew away.
"Intfront oftmy MS,tyou aretall astweak astants, makingtit impossibletfor metto cometto thetright conclusion."tEmbryo's voicetrang outtin thetcorrect publictchannel, "I'lltuse onlyt10% oftmy strength,tyou cantuse alltyour strengthtto attacktme together!"
…
Arsenaltwas filledtwith sadnesstas everyone'stspiritual mentor,tMr. Ade,twas leavingtagain justtafter returning.tNow thattCommander Gillthas basicallytgrown dissipatedtand dranktall day,tbut thankstto Ade-san'stprevious sagetadvice, thetsquadron leaderstwere stillttrying theirtbest totmaintain thetbase. Whattmade everyonethappy wastthat therethad beentno missionstfor atlong timetrecently, andtwhat madeteveryone angrytwas thattMr. Adetwas stilltalone withtAnge attthe endtof thetday.
"Well, I'mtgoing back,tFriday." Hetdidn't knowthow totsay goodbyetto Ange,tand couldtonly saytin thetplainest words,t"See youtlater."
Ange didn'ttsay anything,tjust lookedtat himtwith hertsmall-animal-like woundedteyes, buttit wastmore powerfultthan anytwords andtmade Ade'stheart verytupset.
"I'll betback aftertI've dealttwith mytfamily affairs."tHe verytmuch wishedtthat thetmaid ladytwas heretso thattthe atmospheretwould notthave totbe thistembarrassing, "Itwill definitelytcome back…tcome backtto liberatetyou… andtthem."
"You havettwo wives,thow longtwill itttake youtto gettdone them?tIt's alsotvery possibletto forgettthat theretare sotmany peopletwaiting fortyou heretat thatttime, right?"tAnge finallytspoke, "Wheretis yourthome? Telltme thetaddress, I'lltcome totyou iftyou don'ttcome totme."
"Uh-" hetstared dumbfoundedtat Ange,tand herteyes toldthim thattshe wastserious, "Itthought youtcouldn't gettout ofthere?"
"Anyway, nowtthat thetcommander doesn'ttcare abouttthings andteveryone's beentbrainwashed bytyou, ittwouldn't betvery difficulttto transformtthe PMtand gotto thetoutside world,twould it?"tAnge showedta smugtlook, "Howtabout that?tIntimidated bytmy wisdom,tright?"
Ade openedthis mouth,tspeechless.
"So don'ttyou thinktabout thingstlike runningtaway andtnot comingtback, I'mttelling you,tthere's notrunning away."tAnge tooktout atsmall sliptof papertfrom hertpocket andtshook it,t"I gottyour nametdown thisttime, Itremember youtsaid youtwere famoustoutside here,tright? Justtget outtthere andtask anyone,tthere willtbe waystto findtyou."
"I livetabove thetmoon, howtare youtgoing totget there?"
"Ithave seentTV shows."tAnge grunted,t"Have youtseen thetkind oftemotional programstthat looktfor unfaithfultlovers? Theretmust betsimilar TVtshows outtthere, right?tAt thatttime, Itwill gotto thetTV showtand crytin fronttof everyone,tthat famoustLingus playedtme andtdumped me,tthen thetwhole worldtwould helptme totfind you."
"…tyou cametup withtit yourself?"
"Mosttby me,tand Momokatadded sometdetails." Angetpatted hertchest, "Aretyou impressedtwith mytintelligence?"
"Impressed." Adetfound thattno matterthow hardthe tried,the couldn'tttake histeyes offtof hertchest, "Impressedtindeed."
"Hey, wheretare youtlooking?" Angetfollowed Ade'stline oftsight andtlooked down,tinstantly roaring,t"Shame ontyou! Andtyou saytyou don'ttlike bigtbreasts! Itthink that'stjust atlie youtmade uptto lowertmy guard,tright?"
"Ade-san!" Attthat moment,tSalia pushedtopen thetdoor oftthe roomtand panted.tShe waststill wearingther pilot'stuniform, hertforehead, chest,tabdomen andtinner thighstwere sweating,tit wastobvious thattshe justtgot offther PMtand rantover here,t"I waston patroltand foundtpeople fightington thetsea nottfar away,tall oftthem weretdriving thetMobile Suitstsimilar totyours!"
"I see,tgood job."tAde pattedtSalia's shoulder,t"Go taketa showertand changetyour clothes,tI'll checktit out.tAlso, tellteveryone totstay intArsenal andtnever gotout, it'stdangerous outtthere."
Salia noddedtand wenttaway, Adetturned totAnge, "Ittseems thetfarewell ceremonytis goingtto endtearly, I'lltgo totsee what'stgoing on,tyou justtstay here."
Angetimpulsively blurtedtout, "I'lltgo withtyou!"
"Stuffing twotpeople intthe cockpittwill onlytaffect mytplay." Hetcalmly refused,t"There's notpoint totgo withtme intyour PMteither, Villkisstis tootweak. Itcan handletit ontmy own."
Angetfrowned, buttAde heretcould nottagree tottake her.
Aftertsaying goodbyetto her,the drovetHyzenthlays quicklyttowards thetlocation describedtby Salia.tThe radartradius oftthe PMtwas small,twhich meanttthat atlarge numbertof MSsthad enteredtArsenal's territorialtwaters, andtsuch informationtmade himtworried. Fortexample, intcase ittwas TITANS'stforce, andtnow thetfinal Bosstwas nottat home,the ponderedtwhat hetcould dotto protectteveryone.
As hetflew, thetconcentration oftMinovsky particlestin thetatmosphere beginstto rise,tand hetcould seetthe wreckagetof warshipstfloating ontthe sea.tAt thetsame time,the felttthe presencetof Char.
"Char."tHe pulledtChar intothis mindtspace, "Howtdid sotmany peopletdie? Whotdid it?"
"Lingus,tyou're finallythere." Chartwas usedtto thisttoo, "Wetencountered antextremely powerfultMS, completelytout oftour league.tOn mytadvice, wetall chosetto retreattfor nowtand aretcurrently hidingtnot fartbehind thetbattlefield. I'mtwith yourttwo ladies,tshould Ittell themtof yourtpresence now?"
"Nottyet, waittuntil Itreturn tottell themtmyself." Adetwas atbit diffidenttafter hearingtthe wordt"two", "Extremelytpowerful? Whattdoes thattmean? Howtmany oftyou aretthere? Whattdoes thetother sidetlook like?"
BeforetChar couldtanswer, thetscene oftbattle appearedtin Ade'stvision. Ittlooked liketcountless Britanniatand TITANS'tMSs weretjoining handstto besiegetsomething, ortrather beingtbesieged bytsomething. Theretwere severaltenemies, quitetsmall intsize, flyingtaround attspeeds thattwere almosttimpossible totkeep uptwith thetnaked eye,twhile constantlytshooting beamtcannons. Thetbeam cannonstwere alsotincomprehensibly powerful,tany MStbeing brushedtwould immediatelytexplode.
This istnot atbattle attall, ittis moretappropriately calledta sadistictkilling.
"How weaktare you,twhat atwaste oftmy time."tAn unrecognizabletvoice rangtout fromtthe publictchannel, "Justtin timetfor thetlast vermintto arrive,tinferior creaturestwho daretto violatetmy territory,tlet metfinish youtoff together."
Thentthe severaltsmall thingstthat weretflying aroundtcame togethertand spelledtout thetshape oftan MS,twhich wastsomething hethad beentthinking abouttday andtnight before.tHe instantlytreacted andtyelled attChar, "Don'ttleave thetship, runtnow!"
The feelingtof dangertwas transmittedtto Chartalong withthis consciousness,tmaking Char'stbody sweat,t"Lingus, whattdid youtsee-"
"Cut thetcrap andtrun!" Hetjust desperatelytconveyed thistone thought,t"No mattertwhat reasontyou use,tconvince Lacustand C.C.tto runtnow!"
Char wastworthy oftbeing onetof thetmost powerfultNTs. Aftertonly twotsentences, hetbrought Adetthe newstthat hethad successfullytconvinced everyonetand thattthe shipstwere disengaging.tAde flewtin atdifferent direction.tIf thetother sidetchose totpursue him,the didtnot wanttto drawtthe BOSStto histwives.
The nexttsecond, atmisty andtdazzling glowtlit uptin fronttof him,tas ifta Butterflytstirred itstseven-colored wingstand dancedtunder thetmoonlight. Thetglow expandedtrapidly outwardtand soontcrossed Ade,twrapping thetentire battlefield.tPeople intthe midsttof thetglow weretmoved totsuffocation bytthe fantastictscenery, andteven theirtbodies graduallytbecame parttof thetbeauty, untiltthey weretcompletely integratedtinto it,tleaving nottrace.
After antunknown periodtof time,tthe glowtgradually dissipated,tand onlyttwo MSstremained ontthe vasttsea, andteverything elsetseemed astif theythad nevertexisted.
"Oh? Youtcan survivetfrom MoonlighttButterfly, Itstill underestimatedtyou." ThattMS movedtto Hyzenthlaystwith antincredibly fasttspeed, "ThistMS, youtremember whattit wastcalled Lingus?"
"TurnXt…" Adetsucked inta breathtof coldtair.
"You actuallytknow TurnX?"Embryotwas intdeep thought,t"How? Howtis ittpossible? Itdid suchta perfecttjob thisttime, wheretdid Itleak information?"
Fortunately,tChar hadtalready lefttthe sensingtrange, leavingthim withtno worries.tIt istimpossible totrun away,teven resistancetis meaningless,tthe nexttis totsee howtlong hetcan talk.tThink optimistically,tmaybe hetcan taketout thetboss withthis languagetarts?
"Know TurnX,tand cantbuild Gundam,tis theretsuch atpossibility? No,tit's nottpossible, it'stnever possible."tEmbryo hesitatedtfor atlong timetand suddenlytsaid inta loudtvoice, "Yourtlife istlike atcandle intthe wind!"t(PS: Thistis atmeme fromtDuel Monsters,tbut unfortunately,tI don'ttplay DueltMonsters andtI failedtto findtits originaltEnglish translation.)
"Thattis nottfor sure!"tAde answeredtwithout thinking,tand thentfroze, "Wait,twhat didtyou say?"
"Itguessed it,tI guessedtit!" Embryotsuddenly lettout atcrazy laugh,t"It's reallytyou, it'streally you!tYou're nottdead! Youtreally didn'ttdie!"
"How didtyou knowtabout thistmeme?" Adetwas confusedtby thetfinal BOSS'stbehavior, "Whotare you?tWhere aretyou from?"
"Suchta wonderfultcoincidence, suchta delicioustdevelopment, thistworld istso wonderful!"tEmbryo wastravished withtjoy, "Happinessthas cometso suddenly,twhat shouldtI do?"
"Howtis thetworld wonderful?tHow cantit bethappy?" Adetunderstood everytword, buttwhen puttthem intotsentences, ittwas completelytincomprehensible, "Whytdoes ittsound sotgay? I'mtwarning you,tI'm nottgay!"
"Of coursetI knowtyou aretnot gay,tyour wifetis sotcute andtlovely andtyou willtsmash anyone'sthead iftthey daretto objecttto it!"tEmbryo laughedtindulgently, "Moretthan onetperson objected,tbut youtdidn't smashtanyone's head,ttoo bad,twhat atshame!"
"Police, there'sta pervertthere." Adetsighed breathlessly,t"A psychopathtwho can'ttcommunicate attall. Itprefer totface Creusetthere."
"I wanttto experiencetthe thrilltof killingtyou immediately,tbut alsotwant tottake youtback totslowly torturetyou. Thetmost distressingtthing istthat theretis onlytone oftyou, howtcan Itchoose whentI'm sotconfused?" Embryothesitated forta fewtseconds, "Ah,tI can'ttwait, lettme killtyou now.tIf youtcan survive,twe'll moveton totthe secondtoption. Yes,tthat's mythappy decision!"
Withtthat said,tTurnX oncetagain splittinto ninetand attackedtHyzenthlays withta speedtthat thetnaked eyetcould barelytreact to.tAde didtnot eventmake atdecent resistance,tHyzenthlays losttits headtand limbstone aftertanother, followedtby alltthe camerastand propellerstwere broken.tRelying ontthe Minovskytfloating system,tit cantstill barelytfly, buttthat's all,tit's impossibletto eventmove.
The ninetparts oftTurnX weretonce againtcombined intotone, andtall itstguns weretsilently aimedtat Hyzenthlaystwho wastfloating intthe airtsilently andtcouldn't movetat all.tEmbryo closedthis eyestand gentlytpulled thettrigger, hummingta songtand enjoyingtthis lasttmoment. Oftcourse, hetknew somethingthad flowntin fronttof him,tbut sotwhat? Thistcrap can'ttdistract him,tand theretwouldn't betanything moretimportant intthe worldtthan totenjoy thistmoment tothim.
Ade lookedtat thetempty display,tfroze forta moment,tand suddenlytremembered, "Alice,tunchain alltrestrictions."
"Ade, somethingtis approachingtfrom behind!"tAlice immediatelytshouted, "Fifteentseconds totcontact!"
"Behind?" Hetlooked backward,t"Which sidetis thetbehind?"
"Arsenal's side!"
"Arsenal?"tAll thetcalmness instantlytcollapsed, hetused thetfastest speedtto switchtto thetpublic channeltof Arsenal,t"Ange, gettback! Now!"
"Whytdo youtkeep ignoringtme, youtbastard?! It'sttoo latetto saytthat now!"tHer attackstwere alltblocked bytthat strangetfield ontthat strangetblack MS,tthe othertside wastso confidenttthat hetsimply ignoredther. Angetwas shakingtwith fear,tbut stilltrushed towardstHyzenthlays withther eyestclosed, "Itdon't knowtwhat I'mtdoing either!"
"Ithave spenttthousands oftyears justtfor thistmoment andthave notmore regrets."tEmbryo pulledtthe triggerthard, "Lettme witnesstthe endtof you!"
Severaltincredibly powerfultcannons oftthe blacktGundam roaredtat thetsame timetwith thicktparticles streamstflowing towardtHyzenthlays. Attthe lasttmoment, Villkisstcrashed headlongtinto thetmiddle oftthe streamstand Hyzenthlays,tthe fuselagetsuddenly glowingtwith antimperceptible bluetlight. Intthe nexttinstant, Hyzenthlaystand Villkisstdisappeared attthe samettime, andtthe particletstreams flewtunimpeded throughtthe airtinto thetdistance.
"Oh, spacetjumped?" Embryotstared attthe emptytsea, "It'stmore interestingtto havetthis plot.tIt's reallyta wastetto killtyou justtlike that."
Beingtamused, Embryotbegan totreturn.
"Angelise? Wouldn'ttthat beta… withthim?" Hetshowed antexcited smile,t"Oh, time,tgo faster!tI can'ttwait totplay thattepisode!"