Chapter 183: The Crime of Not Fighting
"Abandoning your wife and child? What are you even talki—"
"If you say that, then Latuera would surely weep. She gave up almost everything… just to beg for your life."
Standing before the Val Walo, Eli took advantage of the lingering smoke to try persuading him to surrender.
"You're about to become a father, and yet you throw yourself into a doomed battle for some vague ideology—do you really think that's the right choice? If you surrender now, I can still—"
Vmm!
Before Eli could finish, a vivid green beam tore through the smoke, revealing the body of the GP04.
"Stop trying to manipulate me! Zeon's ideals are far from vague or hollow!"
A faint voice echoed in Eli's mind, causing him to frown.
"Gato?! No… No, that couldn't be him. That guy would never feel like this…"
Inside the Gundam, Eli couldn't directly sense the enemy's thoughts, though the potential for Newtypes existed regardless of allegiance.
But if even someone like Gato could qualify as a Newtype, then Eli felt the Universal Century had truly lost any hope of salvation.
Yet in that instant, he really had mistaken the opponent for Gato.
It wasn't until his gaze settled on Neue Ziel that he recognized the pilot as the same one who had piloted the red Zaku before.
Recalling the surge of intent that erupted when Gato died, and the hollow sensation he faintly sensed from that pilot, Eli started to put the pieces together.
Could it be that, through Newtype resonance, he'd absorbed Gato's final will before death?
Eli pondered this while continuing to fire his long-range beam rifle at Neue Ziel. Though the shots were blocked by the I-field, he didn't falter. He kept calling out to Kelly, inside the Val Walo.
"If you surrender now, I can ensure you'll serve your sentence on the moon. At the very least, you'll get to watch your child grow up!"
"Personal happiness means nothing in the face of Zeon's greater cause. If sacrificing it ensures the success of Stardust, then so be it!"
"You're spouting nonsense no one understands!"
Even as they exchanged blows, Eli and Daryl kept shouting over the comms, each trying to sway Kelly—who had paused after learning that Latuera was pregnant with his child.
Kelly wavered. He'd just found out that the woman who'd been by his side for three years was carrying his child.
On one side was the past he'd fought to survive; on the other was a future now seemingly within reach.
In that moment, Kelly finally understood what it meant to stand at a crossroads in life.
Two paths, two outcomes—completely different futures.
"Kelly! Don't forget—no one forced you down this road! Every choice you made was your own!"
Daryl's voice carried a tone that felt eerily familiar to Kelly.
"…Understood."
Yes, he had left Latuera behind because Zeon's ideals were more important—wasn't that why?
Sieg Zeon.
Boom!
The Val Walo moved again, releasing several special devices while Eli's attention was elsewhere.
They were plasma guides—devices that could generate a plasma field capable of interfering with MS control systems, even disabling them outright.
At that moment, Eli was dodging Neue Ziel's MEGA Particle Cannon—and flew straight into the plasma field's range!
"I'll offer my penance to Latuera."
As he pressed the final switch, Kelly addressed Eli.
"Urgh!"
A surge of azure electricity pierced the Gundam's defenses, engulfing Eli in a direct current—and eliciting a cry of agony!
It wasn't about piloting skills or machine specs. Eli was simply outnumbered two to one, unable to manage every variable—especially against an opponent using a regeneration P-system.
"Well done, Kelly! After this, your child will grow up as a citizen of space, in a better world!"
Daryl's voice rang in his ear again, while Kelly—this hardboiled American-type man—remained silent.
Daryl didn't mind Kelly's silence. He adjusted his machine's orientation and locked its sights on the GP04.
To down a Gundam was still considered an incredible feat within Zeon ranks—even Char's fame stemmed from such an accomplishment. In fact, after its battle with the Zeon flagship, the EZ-SR never saw combat again.
That alone counted as a "downing" in the minds of Zeon's scattered remnants.
The MEGA Particle Cannon's muzzle lit up once more—
"Not so fast!"
Vmm!
Almost at the exact moment the beam launched, a voice arrived—shifting the tide of battle once again!
Thanks to the I-field, Daryl wasn't worried the beam would harm Neue Ziel, but he still turned immediately toward its source.
A glowing cross-shaped light flickered in that direction.
The light stretched into glowing paths, then suddenly flared into a massive, blinding brilliance.
The battlefield split in two beneath the radiant point of origin.
As everyone present struggled to react, the source of the light finally revealed itself!
It was difficult to classify as either MS or MA, but one thing was certain—just looking at it, you knew it was powerful.
Despite its massive frame, the unit immediately assessed the battlefield the moment the twin eyes of the Gundam in its core lit up.
Inside the Orchis, or GP03 Dendrobium, Kou Uraki rapidly tapped a sequence of keys.
An 84-cell micro missile pod launched from the Dendrobium's right weapons bay. The missiles scattered mid-flight, heading toward the enemy MS across the battlefield!
Uraki ignored the enemy machines evading his missiles, charging straight toward the GP04's position.
Two massive beam sabers extended from beneath the Dendrobium—so large they could easily be called ship-slicing blades.
The Dendrobium surged forward, forcing both enemy MAs to fall back.
But Uraki didn't pursue them. Instead, he streaked past the GP04, using the massive sabers to slice through the plasma guides.
"You alright, Captain?!"
"Cough… Didn't expect you to be the one to save me."
Eli forced himself back to consciousness despite the pain from the shock.
He also forcibly reactivated the machine beneath him.
"What about the Albion? GP02?"
"They're right behind us!"
As he piloted the massive unit, Uraki replied while dodging incoming rocket and machine gun fire from enemy MS.
Several missiles then struck toward the two MAs—proving Uraki's words true.
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