A Merciless Ending

The barrage from the 100mm machine gun left the final Zaku with almost no room to counterattack.

It is no exaggeration to say that when the 100mm rounds struck the Zaku, they were even capable of over-penetrating in areas where the armor was thin.

The Zaku's bazooka, meanwhile, could only cause effective damage if it landed a direct hit on the Gundam Ground Type's armor—but that had not happened once since the engagement began.

This was because the Gundam Ground Type, despite being an early production model, was equipped with Lunar Titanium Alloy armor.

This special alloy, which could only be produced in low-gravity environments, possessed formidable defensive capabilities.

The prototype known as the Gundam achieved its high-performance status precisely because of components like these.

As a machine built from parts that didn't quite meet the full Gundam specifications to cope with an increasingly dire battlefield situation, the Gundam Ground Type could not reach the level of a true Gundam in terms of overall performance, yet it was still incomparable to standard mass-produced models.

This performance gap was the very reason Eli dared to lurk alone on this squad's patrol route to provide data for the rear.

Reflected in the battle between Eli and the opposing Zaku commander, it created a truly desperate situation.

After being struck by several bullets, the Zaku's shoulder shield was blown away, no longer able to provide any cover for the machine.

A faint roar from a man echoed in Al's ears.

Another rocket propelled grenade streaked toward the Gundam Ground Type.

This time, Eli did not dodge; instead, he threw the small shield in his hand outward, forcing the rocket to impact the shield in mid-air and blocking it.

Thick, black smoke instantly enveloped the upper body of the Gundam Ground Type.

The opponent clearly would not let this opportunity slip by.

The disparity in armor between the two sides made it clear that the Zaku could never win a shooting match against the Gundam Ground Type.

Taking advantage of the moment the Gundam Ground Type's vision was obscured by smoke, the Zaku pilot discarded the empty bazooka, drew a Heat Hawk from its rear waist, and ignited its back thrusters, sparks flying as it rapidly closed the distance.

Sitting in the cockpit, Eli watched the smoke displayed on the screen before him without a hint of panic.

A faint, electric sensation flickered at the center of his brow.

Eli knew this was the premonition of an incoming enemy attack.

The Gundam Ground Type immediately stepped its right leg forward and bent its knee slightly.

While his left hand guarded his front, his right hand reached toward the knee of his left leg.

The side armor of the left knee slid open with the Gundam Ground Type's movement, ejecting the hilt of the Beam Saber stored within.

Immediately following this, Eli piloted the Gundam Ground Type into the smoke, swinging his blade in an upward diagonal arc despite having zero visibility!

He struck first despite moving second.

Even though the Zaku had been the first to raise its right hand to swing the Heat Hawk, it now found its right arm severed at the root by the cherry-pink beam of the Gundam Ground Type's saber.

Eli did not relax; he pulled back the Gundam Ground Type's left arm, clenching his left hand into a fist to serve as a melee weapon, and thrust it straight forward.

The blow landed squarely on the Zaku's head monitor, sending the entire head flying.

The Gundam Ground Type remained in its forward-thrusting pose as the Zaku's body crashed heavily to the ground.

Eli slowly lowered his left arm.

The Beam Saber in his right hand ignited once more, hovering over the cockpit of the downed Zaku.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled sounds rang out as the Zaku made a final act of defiance—launching the anti-personnel cluster munitions mounted on its legs into the air.

This weapon would explode at a high altitude, raining pellets down onto the ground to kill infantry units.

While such anti-personnel weaponry could never penetrate the armor of the Gundam Ground Type, the premonition of danger flared once again in Eli's mind.

Stung by that near-electric sensation, Eli ignored the cluster munitions in the sky entirely and instead pivoted the Gundam Ground Type to the side.

A string of bullets instantly streaked past the front of the Gundam.

Eli followed the trajectory of the gunfire and discovered it was the Zaku that Karen had knocked down at the start.

The Zaku was still lying on its back, but its right arm was moving slowly and steadily, attempting to continue aiming and attacking Eli.

Eli did not rush to stop that Zaku; instead, he firmly drove the Beam Saber down into the one he had just defeated.

The spark of life truly vanished.

The Zaku's left arm, which had been quietly raising, fell limply to the ground like a human's, kicking up a circle of dust.

Confirming there was no risk of a secondary explosion from the nuclear engine, Eli finally turned his machine to face the remaining soldier who was still trying to attack him with a Zaku machine gun.

The Gundam Ground Type strode forward, crushing the lush vegetation of the Southeast Asian rainforest as it walked slowly toward him.

The Beam Saber held in its lowered right hand sliced through the trees that lay in its path.

The pilot of that Zaku was cursing and lamenting his fate in a frenzy.

Even though he couldn't hear exactly what the voice echoing in his ears was saying, Eli could confirm this fact.

The Gundam Ground Type piloted by Eli approached the Zaku slowly enough to give the pilot ample time to decide whether to surrender.

Yet, until the Gundam Ground Type stood right before the Zaku, there was no sign that the cockpit hatch would open.

Eli maneuvered the Gundam to aim its Beam Saber precisely at the Zaku's cockpit, and after confirming multiple times that the nuclear fusion reactor would remain unharmed, he thrust it downward.

"Zeon, it truly is not the righteous path."

"Yo! Eli, as expected of you."

"How many Zeon scum did you take out today?"

As Eli opened the cockpit of his Gundam Ground Type, with a 100mm Machine Gun slung at his waist and a 180mm Cannon held in his hand, returning to the Earth Federation Southeast Asia Field Base on autopilot, his comrades on both sides greeted the triumphant warrior.

Eli braced his hands and hoisted himself up to sit on the edge of the Gundam Ground Type's cockpit, which had opened like a tin can, responding to each person below.

"Took out a squad, didn't take much effort."

Eli rubbed the back of his head, laughing heartily, and tossed a wild fruit he had picked along the way to a member of the 07th MS Team.

The man caught it, offered a word of thanks, and bit into it without even washing it.

"Oh, right, Eli, a huge event happened while you were out. Over in North America, that brat of the Zabi Family, Garma, is dead!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in laughter.

With the front lines stabilized by the deployment of early production MS units, the news that a child of the Zeon head of state—and a commander of one of their military districts—had been killed was cause for celebration.

It was only natural for soldiers fighting on the front lines to be invigorated by such news.

Eli also wore a look of genuine happiness.

The captain of the 08th MS Team was coming.

Moreover, the White Base was likely facing pursuit by Ramba Ral, fleeing toward the Pacific.

The gears of the world were turning.

Eli felt this truth deep in his bones.