Psychological Warfare of a One-on-One Duel

It was also because the Blue Cosmos higher-ups were too arrogant, failing to realize the existence of the Neutron Jammer.

Or perhaps they never even imagined that such a thing could exist.

Under this military-industrial complex, many families from large corporations chose to cut costs on this seemingly unimportant final line of defense for the sake of profit; the consequences, naturally, were exactly what we see now.

This final line of defense, composed of these pampered young masters, had combat capabilities that were truly pathetic.

It was like a futuristic version of the Maginot Line, though the reasons behind it were different.

Both were merely for show and useless, existing in name only. At this moment, on Xu De's monitor, he even saw some Moebius pilots panicking and crashing straight into the World Tree.

By comparison, this Bella was actually quite capable.

Since that was the case, he might as well give her a hand.

"What?"

The young girl hadn't yet understood what Xu De meant when her attention was drawn to the massive heat signature coming from inside the World Tree.

The collapse of the World Tree Space Station began with a silent blue light.

Already riddled with holes from beam fire, the protective shell of the nuclear power zone was now pierced by ZAFT missiles.

A chain reaction of uncontrolled pink explosions began to ripple along the entire alloy skeleton of the space station.

This symbol of human space development was, amidst a cacophony of chaos and deathly silence, completely transformed into a tombstone.

The collapse of the World Tree—the first step of humanity's space colonization era that they were so proud of, a monument that held a heavy, ink-stained page in human history—had officially begun.

And the revenge of the Coordinators had begun as well.

"Find a large piece of debris, hide in the direction of the moon, shut down all power, and leave only the IFF signal active."

"Ah... why?"

Hearing this, Bella asked, stunned by the shock of the World Tree's collapse.

"Because they are coming."

As soon as Xu De finished speaking, dense blue trajectories appeared ahead.

They looked like streaks of meteors.

But these things were far more dangerous than meteors; they were all MS.

The enraged Defense Committee Chairman Patrick Zala had clearly poured the nation's strength into this retaliation.

"Hide, or face the consequences."

Xu De said again.

"Then you...?"

Listening to Xu De's forceful tone, Bella was momentarily intimidated and asked blankly.

"I'll draw them away."

"Shut down your engines and don't hold me back."

Watching one of the Ginn units approaching rapidly, Xu De's lips curled slightly as he changed direction.

They had come at the right time; this was the rear, and the main forces were still fighting at the front.

The Federation had also regained its senses and begun to fight back.

The remaining Ginn units had noticed the soldiers left here and intended to wipe them out completely.

This was his chance.

He certainly wasn't so noble as to play the hero saving a damsel; it was all for the sake of his kill record.

Those Coordinators were likely blinded by hatred and the success of their first three waves of attacks, or perhaps they were simply not yet accustomed to space warfare.

These Ginn units breaking through to the rear didn't even use a formation; they just charged straight at them.

Without support, in a one-on-one situation, he had a chance to claim a kill.

Kills were a vital requirement for him to pilot the Gundam.

If ZAFT's assault had been disciplined, with proper infantry-tank coordination, he wouldn't have risked it.

But clearly, ZAFT was not yet that professional.

"Ah..."

On the other side, hearing Xu De's words, Bella watched his back as he seemingly marched toward a heroic death.

Her heart was filled with confusion, and her pulse quickened—she didn't know if it was due to the proximity of death or the fact that a stranger was actually throwing his life away to draw off the MS for her sake.

That's right, in Bella's eyes, Xu De's actions were no different from suicide.

She knew the capabilities of the Ginn; perhaps Xu De, a recruit with little connection to the military, didn't realize it, but they boasted a five-to-one kill ratio.

Even though he told her not to hold him back, that was likely just a pretext.

But why?

Just as Bella drifted in space, lost and helpless, Xu De encountered that Ginn.

It had no special paint job, just a standard Ginn.

Seeing this, Xu De had just let out a sigh of relief when the opponent's laser communication followed.

"Natural! Go to hell!"

The voice of this Coordinator was ferocious.

Just as Xu De had expected.

The soldier had been blinded by hatred.

Xu De did not speak, merely turning swiftly and silently, dodging the attacks from the machine gun in the opponent's hands under the cover of a World Tree fragment.

Perhaps the opponent's family had died on Junius.

But that was no reason for Xu De to surrender.

On the battlefield, there were not that many reasons; he was not the one who ordered the nuclear missiles to be launched.

He had no obligation to die for anyone.

As for those who were killed, Xu De felt regret.

But he would not hold back.

The battlefield was no place for the soft-hearted to survive.

Unless one was like Kira, born to be the strongest.

But he was not; he was merely a capable ordinary person.

He lacked that qualification, and he lacked that ability.

"Natural!! Get out here!!"

The soldier was still clamoring.

Xu De was also gauging the opponent's psychological state.

It was different from a simulation.

In a real battle, the opponent was not a robot; this was a psychological game between two sides.

At this moment, the soldier's mind was filled with mania.

There was no need for him to provoke the man any further.

"Now is the time."

Xu De muttered to himself, deciding to repeat the tactics he had used during the last simulation.

On the battlefield, rather than fancy tricks, skills practiced day and night were naturally better and safer.

After several days of practice, Xu De's drifting was now a bit more flexible than before.

Following an inertial tail-slide, the boy's exhaust sprayed onto a fragment roughly the size of Moebius.

The bait was set in an instant.

The pilot, already blinded by rage and bloodlust, instinctively rushed toward the fastest-moving heat source.

He did not realize at all that Xu De, who had deliberately slowed his speed, had already circled behind him.

The Vulcan Cannon and Linear Cannon fired simultaneously, instantly destroying the engines on the opponent's back.

It was different from the simulation.

Once he hit the rear thrusters, it actually triggered a chain explosion of the Ginn.

"Lucky me, it seems the Ginn isn't all that reliable either."

Watching the Ginn explode before him, Xu De breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene just now looked simple and fast, but in reality, Xu De had been dancing on the edge of a blade.

It was mainly due to Xu De's steady mindset, combined with the opponent's inability to think rationally and the flaws of the machine, that he could take him down so quickly.

Lacking any one of these factors could have turned this into a protracted battle, or even his own death.

On the battlefield, losing one's cool meant death.

It is not that the brave are invincible; courage without strategy is simply throwing one's life away.