Rau Le Creuset's Strategy

On the display, the dots representing enemy units were clearly lined up, each name striking the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.

"Aegis Gundam, Duel Gundam, Buster Gundam, Blitz Gundam... and a Ginn and... a CGUE!"

The nightmare of Heliopolis had returned. The four cutting-edge Earth Alliance mobile suits stolen in that devastating raid were now charging at them as enemies, their fangs bared.

And that was not all. There was the Ginn, which had already proven troublesome in prior battles, as well as the high-performance CGUE serving as the commander's unit. Six MS formed a carefully woven net of death, closing in on the still-unseasoned Archangel and its only escort force.

"How could this... They deployed every unit they captured?!" Second Lieutenant Natarle Badgiruel's taut voice revealed just how unfavorable the situation was.

Inside the cockpit, Char La Flaga's pupils contracted sharply the instant he saw the name "CGUE."

Along with that cold machine designation, an image surfaced in his mind: a man in a white mask, always wearing an amused yet dangerous smile.

An indescribable chill from deep within his bloodline shot up his spine like an electric current.

"This is bad...!" Char muttered, his fingers tightening around the controls until his knuckles turned white.

"Char!?" Jiliang Yamato's slightly panicked voice came through the communications channel.

Her Strike Gundam had just finished launch preparations, its external cameras capturing all six rapidly approaching blips.

The enemy-to-friendly ratio was two against six. Even counting the Archangel's firepower, this was nearly a hopeless encounter.

The air seemed to freeze. The pressure brought by the massive gap in strength weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, almost tangible.

Yet amid that suffocating silence, a trace of resolve flashed through Char's eyes.

Not because of fear, but because of a deeper concern.

Why? Why was that man, Rau Le Creuset, here? At this time, in this place?

Not long ago, he had watched his older brother, Mu La Flaga, silently detach from the Archangel in Moebius Zero to carry out a vital secret mission.

That mission concerned the entire battle situation.

Rau Le Creuset's ghostlike insight, his intuition that seemed able to see through everything... If he noticed his brother's presence, even the slightest trace of it, it could bring about a devastating strike and ruin the entire plan!

No! He absolutely could not let that happen!

Char's thoughts raced in an instant.

What should he do?

How could he divert Rau Le Creuset's attention?

How could he keep him too occupied to focus on anything but himself?

There was only one answer.

"—!" No unnecessary words, only a suppressed growl.

Char slammed the thruster control lever to maximum!

The thrusters on Blaze Gundam's back erupted with blazing light. The massive machine became a crimson meteor, breaking from its formation beside Strike Gundam and hurtling straight toward the oncoming group of MS at astonishing acceleration!

"Blaze Gundam! Char!?" Jiliang stared in stunned disbelief at this sudden move. She had never expected Char to do something so reckless.

"Blaze Gundam! What are you doing?! Don't rush in too far!" On the bridge, Natarle's urgent, worried warning echoed in Char's ears through the comms. Flay and the others held their breaths tensely as well.

But Char ignored them. His eyes saw only one of the six blips ahead—the white CGUE.

His objective could not have been clearer.

As though it sensed that undisguised, intense hostility, the CGUE reacted as well.

It made a slight adjustment to its posture, its engine output suddenly surged, and it decisively abandoned the Aegis Gundam and Ginn flying alongside its left and right flanks. Like an enraged lion, it accelerated alone to meet him.

One crimson trail and one streaked in violet and white crossed the dark backdrop of space like two comets flying in opposite directions, their long tails of flame rapidly drawing closer.

"It's him... Rau Le Creuset!" Char's heart pounded fiercely, adrenaline surging through him. His intense focus even let him feel the cold air inside the cockpit.

He knew what kind of terrifying opponent he was about to face. That man was not only ZAFT's ace White Coat, but also someone descended from the same source as him, possessing the La Flaga Family's special abilities.

His left arm rose high, the heavy shield held before the machine.

The CGUE made the same move. Neither side had any intention of slowing down or evading.

The distance rapidly shrank.

"Boom—!"

A dull, violent collision erupted. The two shields slammed together, releasing tremendous kinetic energy in an instant and spraying blinding sparks of energy.

The impact traveled through the frame into the cockpit, and Char felt himself violently shaken.

Yet Blaze Gundam's design philosophy showed its advantage at that moment. It possessed instantaneous burst thrust far beyond that of the contemporary G-Series units.

In this direct clash of raw power and speed, Blaze Gundam used its superior thrust to forcibly suppress the CGUE.

Rau Le Creuset's CGUE visibly lost balance under the powerful impact, its backward topple becoming unavoidable.

"Now!" A sharp glint flashed through Char's eyes. A perfect opportunity!

He would never let this fleeting chance slip away. His right hand shot toward his left hip like lightning and drew the blazing Beam Saber.

A pink energy blade lit up the darkness. Carrying the force to tear through anything, it slashed viciously toward the unbalanced CGUE's cockpit!

But Rau Le Creuset's reaction speed was astonishing.

Even in the instant his machine lost balance, his controls remained precise and calm. The CGUE abruptly fired its lateral attitude-control thrusters, forcibly twisting its body while raising its shield again.

"Clang!"

The Beam Saber's strike was precisely blocked by the shield, and the energy collision erupted into even fiercer sparks.

Using the recoil from the block, the CGUE deftly flipped away, opening the distance from Blaze Gundam and stabilizing its posture once more.

The exchange had lasted only seconds, but it was swift and breathtaking.

Fine sweat had already seeped into Char's palm as he gripped the controls.

That single brief exchange of offense and defense had made him deeply feel the abyssal pressure of his opponent and his unfathomable piloting skill.

...This man was too strong.

Char's heart chilled. He had no doubt that if Rau Le Creuset had been piloting a unit equal to Blaze Gundam in performance—or even merely close to it—then in those few seconds, Char would likely have exposed an opening and been mercilessly shot down.

"Ha—!" Char sharply shook his head, driving away the discouraged, self-doubting thoughts that had flashed through his mind.

His piloting skills were inferior? His combat experience lacking?

So what?! He had known that all along!

On the battlefield, there were no ifs.

The reality was that the Blaze Gundam he piloted truly surpassed the CGUE in base performance!

Certainly, war was not a simple competition of numbers, but the performance gap objectively existed and was one of the important factors that determined victory or defeat.

"Since that's the case..." Char's gaze sharpened again. "I'll use that advantage to the fullest!"

He readjusted Blaze Gundam's posture. Its engines gave another deep roar as he prepared to launch a new attack. Then—

"Interesting... It seems you really did sense my presence."

The voice did not come through the communications channel. Instead, it seemed to speak directly from the depths of his mind.

It carried a hint of amusement and understanding. It was Rau Le Creuset!

Char froze instantly.

This was not a physical sound, but a strange sensation that could not be explained by common sense.

The special ability hidden in the La Flaga Family bloodline... When two people with that ability came close to one another, their consciousnesses seemed able to cross the barrier of space, resonating in some way and conducting a mysterious conversation without communications equipment.

Rau Le Creuset had confirmed his suspicion.

That impulsive youth piloting the high-performance crimson machine really could "hear" him.

The next moment, Rau Le Creuset's voice switched back to the public communications channel. He calmly and clearly gave his orders as though that brief mental exchange had never happened:

"Athrun, Michel, Yzak, Dearka. Go together and deal with the Strike Gundam and the Archangel in the rear. Make sure to sink them."

His voice carried unquestionable authority.

"Wha...!" Athrun Zala was the first to cry out in surprise.

He had assumed they would all focus their fire and quickly deal with the two troublesome units before them. Rau Le Creuset's order had completely caught him off guard.

"Captain!?" Michel hurriedly responded as well, obvious confusion and a trace of reluctance in his voice. "But Blaze Gundam's performance... It would be safer if we attacked together! I'll stay and deal with this guy too!"

Rau Le Creuset's voice remained steady, carrying the composure of one in command. "Follow my orders. We have a numerical advantage, so naturally we must use it. I will hold this Blaze Gundam here. With five against two, you should have more than enough to deal with Strike and the Archangel."

Through his mask, his sharp gaze swept over the distant Strike Gundam and Archangel as he had already calculated the gains and losses.

In his view, personally tying down the opponent's strongest force—the Blaze Gundam, whose capabilities were unknown but clearly formidable—and creating an opportunity for Athrun and the others to fight with superior numbers was the most rational tactical choice.