Char La Flaga and Rau Le Creuset's Fierce Battle

Rau Le Creuset's judgment was correct.

As long as he could successfully hold back the Blaze Gundam, even if only temporarily, Athrun and the other five MS could concentrate their forces and launch an overwhelming assault against the Strike Gundam and the Archangel, whose firepower was limited.

Once the Strike Gundam was shot down, the Archangel would lose its only spearhead, and its destruction would merely be a matter of time.

Then they could turn back and have all six MS join forces to eliminate the Blaze Gundam. There would be no more doubt about the outcome.

Although the Blaze Gundam's displayed performance was astonishing, the CGUE truly lagged behind in its machine specifications.

But neither Athrun, Yzak, nor Dearka had ever imagined Captain Creuset being shot down.

In the hearts of these young ZAFT elites, Creuset was practically a symbol of invincibility. If he said he could hold it back, then he certainly could.

After a brief silence, Athrun took a deep breath and answered, "...Understood." His voice regained its calm, and a hint of resolve flashed through his eyes. As a soldier, obeying orders was his duty, even if doubts still lingered in his heart.

"...Understood." Yzak and the others responded in turn. Though their voices still carried some reluctance, they understood that this was a battlefield, and Creuset's orders had to be carried out.

With the order issued, the tactical split was immediately executed. Piloting the Aegis Gundam, Athrun was the first to turn around. The crimson machine became a streak of light and rushed toward the Strike Gundam and the Archangel behind the Blaze Gundam, both still maintaining their alert stances.

The Blitz, Duel Gundam, Buster Gundam, and GINN followed close behind. The five MS carved five trails of different colors through space as they charged murderously toward their targets.

In the blink of an eye, only two distant machines remained in the airspace that had just been locked in a tense confrontation.

The scarlet Blaze Gundam.

The white CGUE.

Char La Flaga.

Rau Le Creuset.

It was as though the entire universe had become a stage for the two of them, with an even fiercer storm brewing within the soundless stillness.

All that remained around them were distant starlight and the signals of allies and enemies gradually shrinking away in the distance.

The corner of Creuset's mouth curled beneath his mask in an almost imperceptible smile. He was the first to break the silence, his voice carrying the teasing tone of an old acquaintance. "Our first meeting... or rather, this is the first time we've formally crossed blades on the battlefield, isn't it? Char La Flaga."

Char's heart jolted. He knows my name!

Sure enough, this man knew everything about the Flaga Family.

He answered coldly, his voice taking on a metallic texture through the communicator. "...Rau Le Creuset."

"Oh? You know me? How delightful." Creuset gave a soft laugh, but there was not the slightest warmth in it. Instead, it brimmed with icy killing intent. "Then, as a gift in return for knowing my name—I shall give you death."

"------!" Char did not answer, but fury and fighting spirit surged in his chest like an erupting volcano.

He gripped the controls tightly. The Blaze Gundam's sensors locked onto the CGUE ahead, and its engines roared once more!

Creuset's words were like the horn of war, instantly igniting the flames of battle that had long been building between them.

Almost the instant Char moved, Creuset moved as well.

The CGUE swiftly raised its weapon—the experimental Beam Rifle.

The cold muzzle locked onto the Blaze Gundam. Creuset's gaze was focused and merciless, his finger steady on the trigger like an experienced hunter aiming at his most wary prey.

However, the Blaze Gundam gave him no chance to take his time aiming.

The moment the CGUE raised its rifle, the Blaze Gundam's thrusters erupted with even brighter light. The machine instantly became a blurred red afterimage and slid sideways, moving far faster than the reaction limits of conventional MS.

"Tch, that thrust really is troublesome!" Creuset muttered under his breath, but he did not give up because of it.

He knew full well that hitting such a high-speed target in one shot would be extremely difficult.

But the purpose of a Beam Rifle was not merely to kill. It was also for suppression and interference.

Creuset quickly adjusted his aim, closely tracking the Blaze Gundam's movement trajectory before decisively pulling the trigger!

Whoosh—!

A high-energy beam ripped through the dark universe like a venomous snake striking with its tongue, shooting straight toward the spot where the Blaze Gundam had just been!

But the Blaze Gundam was no longer there.

Relying on his exceptional reflexes and the Blaze Gundam's superior mobility, Char executed an inconceivable Z-shaped maneuver, narrowly evading the path of the direct hit.

The beam grazed the Blaze Gundam's shoulder armor and vanished into the void.

While evading the attack, Char immediately launched a counterattack.

The Blaze Gundam raised its Beam Rifle and fired three shots in rapid succession at the CGUE!

The beams flew in a triangular formation, shrieking toward Creuset.

Creuset maneuvered the CGUE to evade while continuing to fire precise shots with his Beam Rifle.

Thus, the two machines began a breathtaking battle of pursuit and gunfire across the vast battlefield of space.

Scarlet points of light and white-violet points of light tangled and chased each other like two birds of prey locked in a death struggle in the dark.

Beams crisscrossed between them like threads woven by death. The occasional stray shot struck floating space debris nearby, bursting into dazzling yet deadly sparks.

While maintaining continuous fire to suppress the CGUE, the Blaze Gundam used its unrivaled thrust to steadily close the distance.

Char's objective was clear: to exploit the Blaze Gundam's potential in close-quarters combat and drag the battle into a range more favorable to him.

Meanwhile, Creuset did everything he could to maintain distance.

The CGUE's thrusters were kept at nearly maximum output the entire time as it desperately retreated, trying to shake off the Blaze Gundam's pursuit and wear down its opponent with the Beam Rifle at medium to long range.

But the gap in performance was an objective fact.

Even with Creuset's godlike piloting skill, the CGUE's backward speed ultimately could not fully offset the Blaze Gundam's forward charge.

The distance between the two machines shrank little by little amid repeated beam exchanges and evasive maneuvers.

At last, Char caught an opportunity.

After evading several of the CGUE's sniper shots through a series of high-speed maneuvers, he spotted the tiny gap before Creuset's next movement and pushed the Blaze Gundam's thruster output to its limit once more!

"Right there!"

Like a shell set ablaze, the Blaze Gundam charged fiercely at the CGUE with unstoppable momentum!

The Blaze Gundam had been designed around tactics of "hit-and-run" or "rapid breakthrough assault."

Relying on its unmatched explosive thrust, it could swiftly tear through enemy lines, close on its target, and launch a fatal attack from extreme close range before the enemy could react, shooting it down.

However, this machine was not without flaws.

While its thrust and mobility had been specially enhanced, its equipment configuration lacked the Aegis Gundam's transformation mechanism and claw-like weapons specifically designed for melee combat. Nor did it possess the Buster Gundam's devastating close-range firepower, comparable to an artillery array.

Its primary close-combat weapons were standard Beam Sabers.

This meant that if its opponent had the means and skill to keep up with the Blaze Gundam's speed and effectively counter its attacks at close range, the battle could easily fall into a stalemate—or even turn against the Blaze Gundam.

Char knew that the coming close-quarters struggle would be the ultimate test of his skill and nerves.

Faced with the Blaze Gundam's overwhelming, ferocious charge, Rau Le Creuset once again displayed the terrifying strength of a top ace.

His reaction nearly surpassed the limits of human ability.

Just before the Blaze Gundam was about to ram into it or swing its Beam Saber, the CGUE under Creuset's control made a move Char never expected.

Rather than continue retreating or attempt to block, it suddenly shifted sharply sideways at the last moment while lowering its posture.

Like the most agile cheetah, it used the inertia of the Blaze Gundam's charge to narrowly skim past its side. Then, with a sudden stop and reverse thrust, it instantly slipped into the Blaze Gundam's guard—the traditionally most dangerous area, but also potentially the weakest point in its defense!

As the two machines crossed paths, Char could even see the cold red glow of the CGUE's sensors!

Then, from an inconceivable angle, Creuset violently swung the muzzle of his Beam Rifle around and aimed it at the Blaze Gundam's cockpit from nearly point-blank range!

The movement flowed in one seamless motion, as fast as lightning!

The shadow of death instantly enveloped Char! He could even feel the skin-crawling fluctuations of energy gathering at the muzzle!

"—!"

There was no time to think, not even time to cry out. It was a completely instinctive reaction beyond thought, driven by countless simulated training sessions and innate combat intuition. Char yanked the controls backward while stomping the attitude-control pedals with all his strength!

The Blaze Gundam's body abruptly tilted backward and leaned to one side!

At the very thousandth of a second he made that move, Creuset pulled the trigger!

Whoosh—!

A fatal beam narrowly grazed the outer armor of the Blaze Gundam's cockpit!

The scorching energy even left a shallow molten mark across the armor's surface, giving off a pungent burnt smell.

Had he been slower by only a few tenths of a second—perhaps even a few hundredths—the Blaze Gundam's cockpit would have been pierced straight through!

Cold sweat instantly soaked the lining of Char's pilot suit. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding as though it would burst from his chest.

Creuset's voice came through the communicator, carrying a trace of admiration but far more icy killing intent:

"Truly impressive... Your reaction speed and instincts are both first-rate. No wonder you are the heir Al La Flaga placed such high hopes in. Your talent is indeed an obstacle that I must eliminate as soon as possible!"

For the first time, Creuset's voice explicitly mentioned that name—Al La Flaga, Char's father.

Those words were not only an acknowledgment of Char's ability, but also an undisguised declaration of death. The fateful duel had only just entered its most intense stage.