The Grim Reaper Has Arrived

What was it about this that sounded so familiar...

Gravity Front?

While Eli was still dazed, his whole body suddenly shuddered.

It was as if an icy hand had touched his back. An inexplicable chill burst through him.

"How interesting, how interesting. So there are people like this, too. How interesting, how interesting."

A faint female voice reached Eli's ears. Just hearing it sent a chill down his spine.

It was like falling into an ice cellar and suddenly discovering that the meat hanging on the slaughterhouse line was talking.

"The Grim Reaper...?"

This wasn't some silly superstition about a person in the military being called the Grim Reaper. This was the real thing.

Everyone she latched onto ended up dying in battle.

Just like the pilot of that Ground Assault Guntank a moment ago.

"Why aren't you reacting at all? Can you not hear me?"

At that moment, the Grim Reaper's voice drew closer.

"Hey~ Can you hear me~?"

Eli shuddered.

Just then, the Grim Reaper's voice had sounded right beside his ear, without the slightest warning.

It was so clear and real, as if she had stepped into the world around him.

Through the black screen, he saw his reflection in the glass.

Beside him floated a woman, leaning close to his ear.

"Heehee, looks like you can hear me. Fine, I'll stop teasing you for now. I don't want the interesting soul I finally found to disappear just like that. Hurry up and fight~"

Only after her voice faded did Eli realize that the lights in the cockpit had all gone out, as if he'd been taken to another world.

Only now had he returned to reality.

"Eli, why are you just standing there?!"

Amuro's shout jolted Eli back to his senses. He was still on a dangerous frontline battlefield.

Eli immediately raised his head and looked out at the battlefield.

The Gundam was standing in front of him, using its shield to block the incoming shellfire.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

"What? Spaced out...?"

Amuro was clearly furious.

It didn't seem like he was angry because Eli hadn't helped him fight. It was more like he was angry that Eli didn't value his own life.

"You can yell at me later. We've got some tough enemies coming!"

Eli heard the sound of turbine fans spinning.

Had he really heard it?

Or was it that he could sense the pressure drawing closer?

Three massive presences were approaching.

"It's the Black Tri-Stars."

Eli tensely raised his shield to protect his whole body, keeping his eyes fixed on the three approaching presences.

Soon, three familiar Mobile Suits came into view!

They were Dom units!

Since they were at the Odessa Base, that meant they really were the Black Tri-Stars!

Seeing the three Doms lined up, Eli immediately understood that this was their signature team attack.

"Amuro, after you dodge the first one, watch out for the attacks from the ones behind it. Try to put some distance between you and them and use long-range attacks!"

Eli had no time to wonder why his perception had suddenly sharpened. He focused on dealing with the enemies in front of him.

Thanks to Eli's warning, Amuro didn't recklessly wait for the attack. Just as the two sides were about to clash, he and Eli jumped in opposite directions.

The Black Tri-Stars' attack missed. They immediately turned and headed for the spot where the Gundam would land!

They were clearly planning to attack the instant the Gundam touched down.

Eli furrowed his brow.

He didn't dare bet that Amuro would awaken his Newtype ability to sense danger at the crucial moment, just like in the original story, and dodge every attack.

In fact, even Amuro, who had awakened his Newtype ability in the original story, couldn't evade the last Dom's attack. Matilda had to save him by ramming it with her Medea.

"This is bad."

Thinking this, Eli fired his Mobile Suit's thrusters again and charged toward the Black Tri-Stars from behind.

But he might not make it in time.

Would he have to leave it to luck?!

"What an adorable little boy. I don't want him to die here, either~"

Just as Eli grew anxious about the danger Amuro was about to face, a whisper sounded in his ear again.

The sensation of being engulfed by darkness swept over him once more, then quickly faded.

When Eli could see outside again, he saw that Amuro's Gundam seemed to know the Black Tri-Stars' moves in advance, dodging every attack just before it came!

At the same time, Amuro's presence felt stronger than ever to Eli.

"Eli?"

Eli even faintly heard the surprise in Amuro's voice.

But Amuro's danger hadn't passed. The last Dom of the Black Tri-Stars had already raised its Heat Saber and was waiting in position.

This wasn't a matter of Amuro's skill. The Mobile Suits of this era simply had their limits. Dodging the first two strikes by the narrowest of margins was already the most the Gundam could manage.

In that case!

Eli raised his Beam Rifle and aimed at the last Dom.

Of course, that meant Amuro was in the line of fire, too.

Before, Eli wouldn't have been confident he could destroy the Dom without harming the Gundam.

But now!

"Try not to get caught in the blast, Amuro."

"Vmmm!"

The next moment, Eli pulled the trigger. A cherry-pink beam shot out!

It pierced through the armor, starting at the Dom's back. Drawing on what he'd learned from destroying Ramba Ral's Dom, Eli didn't miss this shot. The beam melted through the cockpit and continued straight through its chest!

It kept going, heading straight for the Gundam's head.

But Amuro seemed to have known it was coming. He bent his right leg, shifting the Gundam's head out of the beam's path!

"Gaia, Ortega, I'm sorry..."

In a daze, Amuro thought he heard a voice.

Was it an auditory hallucination?

Before he could decide, two anguished cries sounded behind him.

"Mash!"

An auditory hallucination?!

That was all Amuro could tell himself.

But he still righted the Gundam and drew his Beam Saber, facing the Black Two Stars alongside the Ground Type that had arrived beside him.

The two sides immediately charged at each other!

In terms of mobility, the Doms, which could move on their hover units, naturally had the advantage.

But beneath the blazing wreckage of the Dom behind them, the bright eyes of the two Gundams seemed overwhelmingly intimidating.

When the two sides drew close enough, Eli suddenly fired a flash grenade from his Multi-Purpose Launcher—even though he hadn't discussed it with Amuro in advance!

I messed up. I forgot about the support equipment in the movie—the Core Booster. I like that more than the G-Armor. I wasn't really looking forward to writing about the Federation Forces traitor in today's Odessa battle, and only noticed it while watching the movie.