The 'Spear of Divine Retribution' That Shatters All

January 28, CE71, approximately 10:00 Standard Time.

After several hours of maneuvering, the Celestial Being fleet, led by the Gwameir, had largely closed the distance to the Gwameir's maximum effective range under the cover of Minovsky Particle dispersal.

"Optical targeting nominal, strike coordinates pre-input complete, relative velocity auto-correction in progress. Current estimated hit probability: 2.33%, gradually increasing."

Tessa, seated firmly in the captain's chair, merely gave a slight nod to the gunnery officer's report without issuing new instructions, allowing the bridge crew to continue their operations as normal.

Aina, standing to the side, looked on with curiosity and turned to ask Tessa.

"Big Sister Tessa, even though the enemy hasn't dispersed Minovsky Particles, the standard electromagnetic interference is having a similar effect. At this distance, can the Gwameir's main cannon actually score a hit?"

Tessa responded to Aina's rare inquiry with her usual patience.

"Regardless, while Artemis Fortress and our fleet have relative motion primarily based on orbital mechanics, it can still be viewed as a stationary target overall. Therefore, the core factors affecting accuracy are the Gwameir's slight vibrations and the uncontrollable deflection of the Mega Particle Cannon's beam as it leaves the muzzle. It is thanks to the main cannon enhancement equipment that Brother Ginias recently oversaw the development of that we can ensure the possibility of a hit under such interference."

Hearing his name mentioned, Ginias, who had been buried in his terminal, looked up and exchanged nods with Tessa.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Aina retreated to Ginias's side, watching him enthusiastically plan out the modification schemes for the Astray Gundam—the area around Luther was a bit crowded, and Aina lacked the competitive spirit to push in.

"Still, if we just sneakily take down the Umbrella of Artemis like this, it seems a bit insufficient for establishing the prestige of Celestial Being."

Monica, pressed against Luther's right side, made this slightly flippant remark based on her own area of responsibility, which naturally invited a sharp, dual-purpose retort from Haman, who was pressed against Luther's left.

"So, Monica, are you saying that in order to successfully establish our prestige, it would be better if things didn't go so smoothly? Truly, you are a product of the General Staff's Special Operations Division."

Just as Monica was about to retort, the tactical controller suddenly reported in a loud voice.

"High energy reaction on the surface of Artemis Fortress."

Prompted by the controller, without the need for further explanation, everyone on the bridge could see on the main screen that a shimmering protective shield had appeared around the potato-shaped Artemis Fortress—it was, without a doubt, the Umbrella of Artemis.

"Jinx."

Haman's single word was enough to make Monica stomp her feet in frustration.

Caught between the two, Luther did not want the conflict to escalate and quickly asked Tessa for her thoughts.

"What should we do? Should we try an 'ultimatum' first?"

"There is no need for that. If we don't demonstrate our power first, it will only be dismissed as the 'wailings of a loser'."

Tessa shook her head slightly, answered Luther calmly, and then directly began commanding the Celestial Being fleet to initiate 'Plan B'.

"Gwameir will maintain a relative stationary position to Artemis Fortress. Contact the Musai-class ships, have them halt, and prepare the mobile weapons for deployment. Switch the main cannon to high-energy cluster mode. Let us see if the Light Wave Defense Belt is truly sturdier than an I-Field."

Watching the crew begin to execute Tessa's orders, Luther, having guessed the intent, curiously turned his gaze toward Ginias.

"Brother Ginias, is this the counter-measure for the I-Field? Has development already been completed?"

Ginias looked up from his terminal once more to explain to Luther.

"The preliminary development and design were essentially finished after we completed the Trinity (Beam Saber/Mega Particle Cannon/I-Field) Minovsky Particle restraint device. On the way to the rendezvous, I received data from Cima regarding high-energy beam rifles, which perfectly filled in the final missing link, so I integrated it into the main cannon enhancement device. However, it is ultimately just a prototype; I cannot guarantee its effectiveness or the number of times it can be used."

Perhaps considering that he would soon witness the effects of the new device firsthand, Ginias did not return to his terminal work after answering Luther.

Luther, having received his answer, nodded casually at Ginias and excitedly declared his intent to watch the show.

"An immovable shield and an unstoppable spear—let us see which one holds higher priority in the real world."

Monica rolled her eyes at Luther's spectator attitude, while Haman, equally excited, jumped onto the new topic, temporarily casting aside the criticism of Monica's jinxing.

"Brother Luther, since that's the case, give this form of the Mega Particle Cannon a name!"

"Good idea. Aina, do you have any suggestions?"

Luther ruffled Haman's hair in agreement and, not wanting to show favoritism, asked Aina as well.

However, seeing Aina shyly shake her head in response, and Ginias also giving a gentle shake of his head, while Tessa seemed uninterested in participating in this 'childish' game, Monica was the first to offer a proposal.

"How about the Serpent Cannon? There was a development project we audited a while back with that name, and I think it sounds quite imposing."

"And then it failed and was cut by the New Technology Research Bureau, right?"

Faced with Haman's factual jab, Monica was momentarily speechless. Luther quickly hugged Monica tightly and offered his own proposal to smooth things over.

"Since we have already dubbed ourselves 'Celestial Being', how about we call it the 'Spear of Divine Retribution'?"

To Luther's 'well-reasoned' proposal, the ladies naturally had no objections, and the gunnery officer, as a member of the crew, was even more inclined to follow the will of his superiors.

"'Spear of Divine Retribution' charging complete, target locked!"

"'Spear of Divine Retribution', fire!"

Under the command of Tessa, who silently accepted the name, the title of the 'Spear of Divine Retribution' was set in stone along with its effect—as the beam of the Mega Particle Cannon, clustered to its limit, 'pierced' through the Light Wave Defense Belt and triggered a violent explosion on the main body of Artemis Fortress, leaving a massive hole in the Umbrella of Artemis.

With that, a well-prepared Luther immediately opened a channel to the hangar.

"Cima, it's your turn to take the stage. If conditions permit, try not to strike the cockpit directly."

"Yes, yes, we are the righteous 'Celestial Being' after all. Boys, follow me!"

After arranging for Cima's sortie, Haman confirmed the plan once more, despite having known it all along.

"Brother Luther, are we not going out?"

"If the Newtype Unit also sorties, even with Kira Yamato on the Archangel, it would be difficult to let them go without leaving a trace, wouldn't it? That would leave us with one less excuse for subsequent intervention."

Although Luther explained it this way, just like Haman's 'asking what she already knew,' this was not the point Haman was concerned about. Helpless, Luther could only stroke Haman's hair affectionately and press a light kiss to her forehead.

"I understand. You're curious about just how strong Kira Yamato really is, aren't you?

Then go, but be careful not to get hurt by him. If it truly becomes dangerous, it doesn't matter if you kill him."

Having received Luther's permission, Haman happily wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a passionate kiss, and then skipped away from the bridge.

Faced with Monica turning her head away, Aina smiling with shy aunt-like amusement, and Tessa, whose expression was hidden as she seemed to be intently commanding the fleet, Luther naturally had no choice but to take his frustration out on Artemis Fortress.

"Issue an ultimatum to Artemis Fortress: surrender the Archangel, or we will come to take it ourselves!"