"World Tree" Offensive and Defensive Battle Begins

A captain spoke with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. Felix listened to his words, remaining a silent, invisible presence without offering a single word of rebuttal.

He waited quietly for the commander-in-chief to speak.

"Although the force we have deployed this time accounts for nearly one-sixth of our total strength, one must always maintain the mindset of an apprentice when it comes to war.

Do not become complacent just because we hold an advantage in individual combat capability and equipment. That attitude is unacceptable, and I do not wish to hear it again."

A stern reprimand echoed through the communication channel.

Chastened by the commander-in-chief's lecture, the captain who had just spoken fell silent, not daring to continue his boastful and arrogant remarks.

Seeing that no one else spoke, the commander-in-chief continued with the corresponding arrangements and instructions.

Over an hour later, Everything that needed to be said had been covered, and the video conference concluded.

The moment it ended, Felix briefed Phipps and Miles on the contents of the meeting before staying in his room to rest.

The warship continued its voyage through space, and after another hour or so, the gathered ZAFT fleet began to split up according to the pre-battle plan.

Felix's squad moved to the left flank of the World Tree, accompanied by two other squads.

In the MS pilot ready room of the Sebastian, Six MS pilots, including Felix, were resting and standing by.

While waiting, Felix checked the time and issued an order.

"Everyone, head to your MS cockpits and stand by!"

With the order given, Felix was the first to grab his helmet and head toward the door. Heine followed behind him, and the others trailed after Heine toward the exit.

After leaving the ready room, the group took the elevator into the Hangar. Seeing their MS parked there, they each moved toward their own machines.

Entering the cockpit of his Ginn, Felix closed the hatch. He started the Ginn, setting it to standby mode.

In the Hangar, The Maintenance Crew began pre-launch preparations once they saw all the MS pilots had entered their Ginn cockpits.

The gantry carried Felix's white-painted Ginn toward the starting point of the electromagnetic catapult. Upon reaching the launch position, the gantry lowered the MS.

The catapult on the launch rail locked onto the soles of the MS.

The equipment maintenance facility began configuring the loadout.

One Heavy Assault Machine Gun and two Heavy Slash Blades were equipped onto Felix's Ginn.

Behind this MS, other Ginns moved into the standby area to wait.

Time ticked away, and in the blink of an eye, another half hour passed.

Yalik's voice sounded over the comms.

"Captain, we have arrived at the deployment point!"

"Begin deployment!"

Having restored his state during the rest, Felix ordered Yalik.

Upon receiving the order, Yalik began execution.

The forward hangar door opened, and the electromagnetic catapult extended outward.

Seeing the scenery of space outside, Felix gripped the control stick, pressed the pedals, and adjusted the throttle.

The main thrusters on the back of the Ginn began to fire.

"Ready, requesting permission to launch!"

"You are cleared for launch!"

The voice of the communications officer came through the comms, and Felix pushed the throttle forward.

The thrust from the Ginn's main back thrusters increased.

"Felix Leo Griffith, launching!"

With those short, powerful words, the Ginn surged forward at high speed, propelled by the combined force of the catapult and its own thrusters.

After Felix's white Ginn shot out, the Ginns in the standby area moved in front of the maintenance facility to have their equipment installed, launching in quick succession once ready.

Through this continuous operation, six Ginns surged out of the Hangar.

They formed a formation in space with Felix at the center.

The Ginns from the other two warships also emerged at this time, led by Phipps and Miles, and moved to Felix's side to fall into formation.

Once aligned, Felix maneuvered his Ginn to charge forward rapidly, with the remaining MS following behind the white Ginn as they pushed ahead.

The warships moved in coordination with the Ginns.

At this moment, within the Earth Alliance Forces on the World Tree defensive line:

"Commander, the ZAFT forces have appeared approximately three hundred kilometers from our defensive line."

"Order the warships to commence the attack, and have the MA stand by for battle!"

The commander heard the report and issued his orders.

On the defensive line.

Upon receiving the commander's orders, the warship captains one after another commanded their crews to open fire.

In an instant, the missiles carried by the warships were launched from their tubes, surging toward the front! Beams, electromagnetic shells, and more were all fired into the space ahead in a single moment.

On the ZAFT side, however.

Felix led his squad to rendezvous with other units, and after coordinating with the other team leaders, they maneuvered together toward the battlefield ahead.

"Beyond fighting the Earth Alliance Forces and capturing or destroying the World Tree, our primary mission is to escort the warships carrying the Neutron Jammer to the front lines.

Before the Neutron Jammer is deployed, we must ensure that the warships carrying them remain undamaged."

While piloting his MS forward, Felix reiterated this to his subordinates over the comms.

As he finished speaking, a reply came through the channel.

"Understood!"

Following that acknowledgment, Heine asked over the comms.

"Captain, if the Earth Alliance Forces don't use nuclear missiles, isn't there a chance this test will end in vain?"

"Not all the warships currently in service with the Earth Alliance Forces have been retrofitted with fusion reactors; some of the older vessels still use fission reactors.

When the time comes, we only need to observe the status of those ships to determine if the Neutron Jammer is effective!

Furthermore, the World Tree serves as the Earth Alliance Forces' bridgehead to the moon, and its importance goes without saying. They dared to use nuclear missiles against our PLANT, so do you really think they wouldn't use them here?"

In response to Heine's question, Felix replied calmly. Hearing this, Heine asked no further questions and quietly piloted his MS, following along with the squad.

After ten kilometers of calm travel, the barrage from the Earth Alliance Forces' warships arrived.

Watching the beams, Felix and his team had no way to intercept them, forced only to rely on the warships' maneuvering, evasion, and self-defense capabilities.

Following the beams came the shells fired from electromagnetic railguns.

Felix grasped this through his screen and radar, then maneuvered his White Ginn to raise the Heavy Assault Machine Gun in its hands.

He pulled the trigger, and bullets erupted from the muzzle!