Eno Kamal -- Attack

"What a pain in the neck!"

Inside the cockpit of the Buster Gundam, Dearka stared at the dense barrage of missiles and fire lines pouring from the Archangel.

Having just been beaten back after charging in, Dearka couldn't help but curse out loud: "Why do these guys always make me do this kind of crap? My Mobile Suit isn't meant to be used like this at all!"

GAT-X103 Buster Gundam.

Its designation is a long-range attack Mobile Suit with overwhelming firepower.

The right arm is equipped with a 350mm gun launcher;

The left arm is a 94mm high-energy rifle;

The shoulders are mounted with two 6-tube 220mm missile pods;

The weapons used for long-range combat are formed by combining two completely different barrels.

The left and right weapons can be combined into a gun launcher or a hyper-impulse long-range sniper rifle.

Due to its role, the unit is not equipped with any shields.

Therefore, the Buster Gundam is a long-range sniper Mobile Suit with no defensive capabilities, relying entirely on its ultra-long range for precision strikes.

But right now—

Beep, beep, beep!

The radar alarm in the cockpit interrupted Dearka's train of thought.

"Argh, I'm a long-range gunner, damn it!"

Watching the missiles flying across the sky, Dearka cursed as he docked his weapons.

Bang!

He pulled the trigger.

The gun launcher instantly unleashed countless shells, saturating the airspace ahead.

Boom—

For a moment, the fire from the exploding missiles almost obscured the sky in front of him.

Beep, beep, beep!

Bang!

However, the next second, two golden railgun rounds pierced through the flames and flew toward him.

Watching the railgun rounds streak past the position where he had just been standing, Dearka felt his entire being sour, and the frustration in his heart grew even worse.

I'm supposed to be long-range support, so why the hell did I have to fly into the enemy's combat radius to act as a fire-support wingman?

Do you even know what long-range support is?

Long-range!

I am a long-range Mobile Suit, for crying out loud!

However, his internal complaints were destined to go unheard.

"Dearka, cover me! I'm going to sneak attack from the bottom!"

"Wha—"

Before Dearka could finish, he saw Nicol's unit vanish from his radar and screen.

And then—

Beep, beep, beep!

The piercing sound of a radar lock-on rang out once again.

"You guys have really had enough!"

Seeing himself suddenly become the sole target of the enemy's fire, Dearka cursed as he piloted his unit into a frantic evasive maneuver: "I'm a long-range gunner, not a damn assault tank, you bastards!"

Boom—

For a moment, Dearka, wanting to retreat but worried about Nicol, forced himself to dance through the limited space while weathering the fire from the Archangel.

Only he knew the bitterness in his heart.

As the battle raged on in full swing.

Ino had already changed into his pilot suit and boarded his Mobile Suit. To be honest, boarding a Ginn inside the Archangel always felt inexplicably novel.

"Are you really planning on going out in this unit?"

Sergeant Murdoch asked, confirming with Ino as he prepared to board.

"Are there any other units?"

Ino asked back while sitting in the cockpit.

"...No." Sergeant Murdoch answered bluntly.

"Then that settles it."

Eno Kamal pressed the button to close the hatch immediately after speaking.

If there were a choice, who would want to risk their life? But for the sake of a peaceful life in the future, risking it once or twice was acceptable.

Moreover, strictly speaking, this could hardly be called risking his life.

The Archangel had formidable firepower. As long as the Strike Gundam could hold off Yzak, Athrun, and Michel, it would be difficult for Nicol and Dearka alone to breach the Archangel's defenses in such a short time.

With his own assistance from the sidelines, the main body of the Archangel would essentially face no danger.

Naturally, he himself, positioned on the Archangel's deck, would not be in any significant danger either.

"Then take care of yourself."

Sergeant Murdoch did not understand why Captain Murrue and the others had agreed to let Eno pilot a machine into battle at a time like this.

But the only thing he could do was trust—trust in the decisions made by Captain Murrue and the others.

Eno's departure could naturally not be hidden from the Bridge.

"I'm counting on you, Mr. Eno."

Captain Murrue's voice came through the cockpit.

"I'll do my best."

Looking at Captain Murrue's worried expression, Eno sighed, finished his sentence, and abruptly cut the communication.

He just wanted to get out there as soon as possible, fire a couple of shots to support Kira, and then wait to reach Artemis.

Soon.

Under Eno's operation, the Ginn manufactured by ZAFT arrived at the Archangel's catapult.

The gate ahead opened slowly, revealing a sea of stars flickering in the distance.

Eno, who had never imagined he would be piloting a ZAFT machine while departing from the Archangel, couldn't help but lose focus for a moment.

[Catapult linked--]

[System status: Nominal.]

[320mm Fire God Impulse Cannon equipped--ZGMF-1017 Ginn, launch!]

Miriallia's voice brought Eno back to his senses.

Looking at the deep starry sky ahead, Eno closed his helmet visor: "ZGMF-1017 Ginn, Eno Kamal—launching!"

Whoosh!

Almost the instant Eno finished speaking, a powerful force pushed him back against his seat—a sensation he hadn't felt when launching from the Vesalius.

However, the feeling came and went quickly.

The next moment, Eno appeared outside the Archangel, shouldering the 320mm Fire God Impulse Cannon belonging to the Strike Gundam.

"An MS?"

"Wait—isn't that Eno's machine!?"

Nicol and Dearka couldn't help but look stunned.

The color scheme, the silhouette, and the model—there was no mistake, it was Eno's Ginn.

But now...

Seeing their own side's machine appear on the opposite side, the two felt a sense of cognitive dissonance.

If Eno's machine was here, did that mean Eno had been captured by the enemy? Had his machine even been modified and deployed by them?

"Damn Naturals!"

"I hope Eno is alright."

However, they didn't have much time for internal conflict.

They saw the machine that should have belonged to them standing on the deck in the middle of the Archangel.

Beep, beep, beep—

Accompanied by a piercing radar alarm.

Under their gaze, the Ginn raised its weapon and locked onto them.

The Archangel also unleashed a barrage of missiles at this moment.

Seeing this, the two could no longer worry about Eno or the Ginn, and instead began to retreat rapidly while providing cover for each other.

"That's more like it. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just got along?"

Seeing this, Eno canceled his lock on the two and turned his attention to the Strike Gundam not far away.

Unless necessary, he didn't want to provoke Dearka and Nicol too much.

Don't let their desperate situation against the Archangel fool you; if they were truly pushed to the brink and started fighting for their lives, it would be troublesome.

The Archangel was large and sturdy enough to take the hits, but his own fragile frame might not be.

"Ino's mobile suit!?"

Inside the Vesalius, Adis and the others also received reports on the battle situation from the Archangel.

This news left them momentarily unsure whether they should be happy or mourn for Ino.

"It seems Ino has been captured; this is truly a most unfortunate piece of news."

Le Creuset watched the transmission from the Laurasia-class warship, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his mask.

He was aware of Ino's status as a spy.

So, was this truly a capture, or—a triumphant return home?

For some reason, Le Creuset's words sounded rather strange to Adis's ears.