Fierce Battle with Athrun Zala 2

Xia Ya did not look at the billowing smoke rising from the ground where the beams had struck. His eyes remained locked on the reaper slowly descending from above.

He raised his battered shield and forcibly blocked the three beams fired at him for the third time.

The shield's alloy frame groaned under the repeated impacts, its edges already beginning to melt and deform.

Then, as expected, Justice Gundam's Beam Saber slash arrived, tearing through the smoke and dust illuminated by cannon fire.

Xia Ya had no choice but to fire his thrusters again, sending the mobile suit upward and narrowly evading the deadly blow.

Just as he thought he had temporarily escaped the close-range threat, a brand-new, far more urgent warning suddenly sounded in the cockpit!

"What—!?"

Xia Ya's gaze snapped to the radar display, and his heart sank.

The source of the alarm was the "Destiny-00" pack that Justice Gundam had detached earlier and that had been circling at the edge of the battlefield!

At some point, it had silently moved into Blaze Gundam's flight path and was now rapidly closing in from behind!

This was a carefully designed chain trap!

The earlier pursuit, bombardment, and close-combat pressure had all been meant to force him into this predetermined position in the air!

Xia Ya's reaction had still been one decisive step too slow.

He had already issued the command, but the mobile suit's response speed could not keep up with his controls.

Before he could evade, the heavy "Destiny-00" pack slammed brutally into Blaze Gundam's back.

The tremendous impact instantly threw Blaze Gundam completely off balance in midair, sending it tumbling like a tin can kicked by a mischievous child.

On the ground, Justice Gundam, which had been waiting all along, kicked off hard. Its thrusters erupted at