At This Point, Black Star Falls

"Truly an interesting human. It seems you aren't surprised by the launch of that hydrogen bomb at all~"

For the past day, Eli had spent most of his time inside his mobile suit, with his meals delivered by the maintenance crew.

After all, the counterattack from Zeon was something that had to be treated with caution.

And because he spent so much time in solitude, he was frequently visited by this "Grim Reaper."

"M'Quve is just that kind of person, or perhaps, all of Zeon is."

Eli replied to the Grim Reaper's question in a cold, detached tone.

The Grim Reaper gently stroked Eli's cheek, and seeing the latter shiver, she revealed a wicked, mischievous smile.

"So, are you going to stop it?"

"..."

Eli remained silent for a moment, turning his head away to avoid looking at the Grim Reaper floating beside him.

"I can't do it."

"Can't do what?"

Suddenly, the chill left him, and Eli saw Sayla standing at the open cockpit hatch.

Just moments ago, after Bright received an urgent telegram from General Revil, he and Amuro had immediately returned to the hangar.

Eli raised his hand to take the energy supplement Sayla handed him, leaning back against the seat to consume it.

"You heard it, didn't you? To stop that hydrogen bomb, one has to precisely separate the warhead. Is such a thing really something a human can accomplish?"

Just a moment ago, M'Quve had used the hydrogen bomb as a threat, claiming that if the Federation Forces continued their advance, he would launch it.

But General Revil remained the same General Revil; with a mere wave of his hand, he decided the fate of the Federation to continue moving forward.

As a countermeasure, General Revil entrusted the arduous task of destroying the hydrogen bomb to White Base, the ship that had created miracle after miracle.

"If humans can't do it, then wouldn't becoming a Newtype make it possible?"

Sayla stared into Eli's eyes, trying to see if any possibility could be conveyed from within them.

Eli quickly averted his gaze.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something like, "I'm no Newtype."

But the voices growing clearer in his ears lately made it impossible for Eli to deceive himself any longer.

He was indeed an existence possessing the potential of a Newtype.

In a certain sense, he even possessed a considerable degree of that potential.

After all, he was the man chosen by the Unicorn! (Physically speaking.)

Jokes aside, Eli truly did not believe he had the ability to pull this off.

The voices in his ears would fade the moment he left the mobile suit, and even the figure of the Grim Reaper would vanish from the corner of his vision.

Only then did Eli realize just how powerful that 30% system bonus was in actual combat.

In comparison, Amuro, who had just awakened his Newtype abilities, was incredibly powerful—already surpassing Eli, who was still stuck in his mobile suit.

However, the Grim Reaper seemed unwilling to have any interaction with Amuro, so Amuro had not noticed the stand-like entity floating next to Eli.

In the Grim Reaper's own words: "An overly simple sense of justice, a soul without any inner conflict—it bores me."

In other words, was his own heart actually quite conflicted...?

"Sayla, later you will pilot the G-Sky to carry the Gundam into the air, ready to work with Amuro to neutralize the hydrogen bomb at any moment. I will break through the enemy's interception on the ground."

Hearing Eli's arrangement, Sayla frowned slightly.

"Are you going to do that again? Taking all the difficulties upon yourself..."

"No, I won't do that. Ryu and Kobayashi will be assisting me, won't they? The most critical point of this battle is to resolve the hydrogen bomb issue, and only Amuro can do that."

Eli leaned out slightly; his gaze was not drawn to the hem of Sayla's skirt as she stood on higher ground, but rather toward Amuro, who was also replenishing his energy on the other side.

Amuro noticed Eli's gaze and waved at him.

"Eli, do you trust Amuro that much?"

Sayla watched their interaction and finally asked Eli this.

"If this world needs a Newtype, a savior, then Amuro would be the best candidate."

Eli reached out his hand, signaling for Sayla to pull him up.

"Why is the hatch of the Ground Type designed to open upwards? It's a real pain."

After a small grumble, Eli stood on the armor of the Ground Type.

"A young Amuro already has the resolve and ability to shoulder the lives of others. Once he truly becomes an adult, he will surely be the one to save the Earth."

"Isn't that a bit exaggerated? Saving the Earth and all that."

"Who knows? Maybe he'll end up pushing away a falling asteroid or something."

"Hahahaha, I didn't realize you had a talent for telling jokes."

Sayla heard Eli's exaggerated metaphor and immediately dropped her feigned toughness, bursting into unrestrained laughter.

Eli chuckled along for a moment, then steadied Sayla's hand, guiding her onto the gangway so she could depart safely.

"Sayla, I do not wish to see a Zeon victory; that would be an unimaginable situation."

Sayla's footsteps faltered just as she landed on the gangway, and she turned back to look at Eli.

The heart that had grown light from Eli's joke suddenly tightened.

Does he know?

Sayla stared into Eli's eyes for a long time, but could not discern any clues.

Nodding, Sayla clutched her chest the moment she turned away.

She was the daughter of the Deikun family...

But the Zeon of the Zabi family was already completely different from the Zeon her father had envisioned.

"Eli!"

Sayla suddenly turned around and shouted at Eli, who was about to return to the cockpit.

"I want to defeat Zeon, too!"

Whether out of the moral obligation of a Deikun orphan seeking revenge, or as a crew member of the White Base named Sayla Mass, she made her declaration.

Whether Eli truly knew her identity or not, it no longer mattered.

"I'm impressed you still dare to show your face, Black Tri-Stars!"

On the ground, Eli and the Dom piloted by Gaia faced off.

The two "Aces" engaged in a duel in the open area at the center of the battlefield, while the Guncannon and Guntank fought on the flanks.

However, Eli also noticed that some GMs had appeared on the periphery of the battlefield, intercepting enemy reinforcements.

Indeed, war was never a game of individual heroism.

Hearing Eli open with the mention of the Black Tri-Stars, Gaia was instantly consumed by rage and drew his Heat Saber.

"So what? The fury of avenging my teammates is burning within me!"

True to Gaia's words, the Dom swung its Heat Saber with such ferocity that Eli was forced into a defensive posture for the time being.

"Is that so? You know how to spell revenge, too."

At the mention of this, Eli could only sneer.

"In that case, stand your ground and take this—the fury of the thirty million souls from Island Iffish who demand vengeance!"

Eli dodged the Heat Saber, which had slowed due to Gaia's shock at the mention of Island Iffish, and without a moment's hesitation, drew his Beam Saber and pierced through him in a single strike!