Freedom Gundam Under Siege

Over the sea, those massive warships tried to build a final line of defense with their sparse naval guns. Yet every shot from Gates's right-arm Beam Rifle was like Death's whisper. High-energy beams shrieked forth, piercing the ships' command towers, bridges, and engine compartments with precision, detonating their fragile internal structures.

Each shot came with the searing sound of melting metal and enormous explosions that threw up columns of water dozens of meters high.

Amid his overwhelming offensive, Gates mercilessly closed the distance to the Freedom Gundam at a visibly rapid pace.

"Important things should be kept close at hand, shouldn't they...? Xia Ya."

Rau Le Creuset's whisper echoed once again, this time carrying a chilling note of amusement and seduction.

Rau Le Creuset raised Gates's left arm, steadily lifting the Beam Rifle and precisely locking onto the Freedom Gundam struggling in battle—the "important thing" Xia Ya cherished.

At this moment, the Freedom Gundam was in an extremely perilous situation.

A black MS moved like a ghost, closing in at high speed while swinging the heavy iron ball in its hand. The rope let out a low scraping sound as the black sphere tore through the air and smashed viciously toward the Freedom Gundam's flank.

Though Jiliang reacted with astonishing speed and did her best to evade, the Freedom Gundam was still thrown out of its original graceful posture by the ferocious impact. Its body lost balance in midair and shook violently as the alarms inside suddenly sharpened, echoing through the cramped cockpit.

At the same time, another khaki-colored MS, the Forbidden Gundam, had already locked on with its massive cannon. A thick beam surged toward her, carrying scorching energy.

In that split second, Jiliang controlled the Freedom Gundam and raised its shield almost instinctively.

The beam struck the shield