First Battle Suffers Setback

"Such mobility!"

Watching the three Mobile Suits easily dodge barrage after barrage on the screen, Bright felt a surge of anxious fury.

"Aim before you fire! You must block them outside the defensive perimeter!"

"Boom!"

No sooner had Bright finished speaking than the Guncannon, stationed on the deck per Eli's suggestion, opened fire, sending 240mm shells hurtling toward the three Mobile Suits!

The shells traced a parabolic arc, heading straight for the black MS that was currently weaving through the Vulcan Cannon fire from White Base.

Yet, despite the high speed of the MS, it managed to bank instantly, escaping the blast radius of the shells the moment they landed.

These MS moved with such agility on the ground that, since the battle began, they hadn't even been forced to make a significant attack.

They were like hover trucks traveling at high speed.

"Could it be... Doms?"

Eli, who had already maneuvered his Gundam Ground Type to stand in front of the three incoming MS, recognized them immediately.

Three Doms... could they be the Black Tri-Stars?

Eli's expression grew tense.

Although he had already crossed blades with experts like Norris and Ramba Ral, the Black Tri-Stars, who relied on their squad-based synergy as their trump card, were a different level of threat.

They had even managed to put Amuro in danger before.

"Amuro, take this."

Eli operated his unit to hand a Beam Rifle to the Gundam piloted by Amuro.

With this, the Gundam would be wielding a Beam Rifle in both its left and right hands.

Unlike in the rainforest, being on White Base meant that even if a Beam Rifle malfunctioned or sustained damage, it could be repaired immediately, so Eli used them as his primary weapons.

"What about you?"

Amuro took the Beam Rifle and asked Eli.

"The 100mm Machine Gun is enough. Amuro, provide support from behind. As soon as I pin one down, you fire and destroy it."

This was an incredibly dangerous tactic.

Firing with beam weaponry carried the very real risk of detonating the enemy's nuclear fusion reactor instantly.

If that happened, Eli, being in such close proximity, would have no chance of survival.

"How can you say that? That's too dangerous..."

"It's fine. I trust you, Amuro."

Watching Eli activate his thrusters and leap forward to intercept the enemy, the lingering resentment Amuro had felt toward Eli for insisting he pilot the Gundam began to dissipate.

Unaware that Amuro's attitude toward him had shifted, Eli was currently breathing a sigh of relief.

As the distance closed, he could sense a familiar presence among the three incoming Doms.

Ramba Ral.

That meant it wasn't the Black Tri-Stars after all.

As the name implied, the Tri-Stars possessed extremely refined cooperative tactics, and combined with the high mobility of the Doms, they were easy to fall victim to in a first encounter.

While one could not lower their guard against Ramba Ral, at least he wouldn't be slashed by three different units and die in regret.

While in the air, Eli took a moment to draw his Beam Saber, though he didn't ignite it, merely holding it in his hand.

Meanwhile, the 100mm Machine Gun in his left hand kept firing.

The bullets struck the desertified, rocky soil of the mining site, kicking up clouds of dust.

Eli wasn't surprised that his attacks were missing.

But he had to keep firing.

Only by preventing the Doms from maintaining their top speed could he maneuver between the three of them.

Eli's gaze remained locked on the Dom piloted by Ramba Ral.

This uncle, who cared so much for his subordinates, always led the charge, so he would likely be the first to attack.

Sure enough, Ramba Ral's Dom accelerated first, its Rocket Launcher aimed squarely at Eli's Gundam Ground Type!

As the rocket was about to strike, the Gundam Ground Type hopped to the left, and after dodging, Eli saw the Dom—having drawn its Heat Saber—already surging across the terrain, utilizing the unique characteristics of its hover engines!

Seeing the Dom charging forward while firing its Rocket Launcher, a sinister smile appeared on Eli's face.

Don't let the Dom's head-on charge fool you; in reality, this model had a very devious trick for close-quarters combat.

That was the Diffuse Beam Cannon in its chest.

Though called a cannon, because Zeon's research into beam weaponry was not yet fully matured, its actual function in close combat was to act as a flashbang.

That was why the Dom was deliberately keeping its Heat Saber half-lowered on its right side while holding the Rocket Launcher in its left hand as it charged.

The goal was to catch the opponent off guard and blind them!

However, playing with flashbangs? The Gundam Ground Type was even more professional at it!

After both sides continued to exchange fire for several rounds, they were already entering the range for close-quarters combat.

Watching the Dom suddenly lower its Rocket Launcher, decelerate slightly, and lift its chest, Eli immediately pulled back on the control stick while closing his eyes.

Sure enough, the screen was covered by a blinding white light the very next second.

At that exact moment, Eli also pulled the trigger.

"Bang."

A sound, duller than the roar of guns and cannons, rang out.

It was the Gundam Ground Type's Multi-Purpose Launcher, firing a flashbang!

"Argh!"

Ramba Ral immediately felt his eyes ache from the piercing glare.

Having been the one to initiate the attack with a flash weapon, he had naturally closed his eyes before firing the Diffuse Beam Cannon, intending to open them immediately afterward to seize the initiative.

Yet, he had never expected the opponent to toss out a flashbang as well, catching Ramba Ral squarely as he opened his eyes.

"To think we had the same idea!"

Not yet knowing that Eli had been prepared from the start, the only explanation Ramba Ral could come up with was that his opponent had also thought of using this method to increase their chances of victory in close combat.

He struggled to force his eyes open, only to find that the Gundam Ground Type had already charged right in front of him!

The Beam Saber in its hand ignited at that very moment.

In his haste, Ramba Ral hurriedly raised the Heat Saber in his right hand to parry.

"Sizzle... Ramba Ral, is it? It must have been quite a chore to chase me all the way here."

"You too, you're like a persistent ghost. Did you crawl your way out of the jungle?"

During their previous harassment attacks, it had already been confirmed that this Gundam Ground Type was stationed on the Trojan Horse.

This made the already difficult-to-deal-with Trojan Horse even more dangerous, and many of his subordinates had died at the hands of this person.

For a moment, the two remained deadlocked in place.

However, their thoughts had converged once again.

That was to wait for reinforcements from their teammates.

The speed of the Dom meant that if they held out for just a little longer, two more Doms would be able to surround this mass-produced Gundam.

But no matter how fast a mobile suit was, could it be faster than the speed of a beam?

A cherry-pink beam struck from behind the Gundam Ground Type, grazing the head of the Ground Type and slamming into the body of the Dom!