Chapter 102: Rescuing the Scene

Chapter 102: Rescuing the Scene

Elmeth—charging straight at EZ-SR, almost on the same trajectory as himself!

Elmeth was a mobile armor specialized in remote-controlled weaponry. Its massive frame was almost entirely dedicated to housing the Psycommu system, making its close-combat capabilities practically nonexistent.

And just now, its funnel attack had actually helped him out of a tight spot. That meant Elmeth had no remaining funnels to cover itself—it was charging in without any protection.

Lalah was trying to fight by ramming her machine into the enemy!

"No, Lalah!"

He watched as the gray Gundam before him gripped its beam saber in one hand, activating it, ready to take down the reckless opponent charging straight at it.

At this distance, he couldn't reach her!

In his right hand, he held a beam naginata, while his empty left hand instinctively stretched forward.

Eli took in the entire scene—

Lalah's resolute determination, Char's anguish, and Amuro's murderous intent.

Now, facing these pivotal figures from the original story, Eli no longer felt any hesitation.

Even if he regretted the entanglement between these three characters in the original timeline, there was no reason to hold back now.

With that thought, Eli gripped his control stick tightly.

All these thoughts had taken place in the span of an instant.

And in this single instant—

A decisive outcome should have been determined—

"Boom!"

But the battle wasn't decided.

An explosion erupted between EZ-SR and Elmeth.

EZ-SR's left arm had been blown off by a beam strike from above!

"Bang!"

The next moment, Elmeth crashed straight into EZ-SR's chest!

The entire Gundam was slammed onto Elmeth, then sent flying.

Where did that attack come from?

Eli quickly pulled his machine back into position and refocused his sensors on the direction the beam had come from.

Another mobile armor was approaching.

And within his heightened awareness, Eli sensed another presence closing in!

Did Zeon still have mobile suits left?

The appearance of this mobile armor was bizarre, almost beyond words.

Frowning, Eli disconnected power from his left arm to prevent further damage while synchronizing his retreat with Amuro.

A new enemy had arrived—first, they needed to observe the battlefield.

"Challia Bull, you came to assist me?!"

Char, who had rushed to Lalah's side, spoke in disbelief.

Challia Bull was a pilot dispatched to the Flanagan Institute by Gihren. His mission was to seize control of Elmeth.

This was all part of the power struggle among the Zabi siblings.

Although Kycilia had been the first to recognize the potential of Newtype pilots, Gihren had immediately sought out his own candidate—Challia Bull.

Originally part of the Jupiter Fleet, Challia Bull had been sent here upon his return to the Earth Sphere.

It was worth noting that Challia Bull possessed formidable Newtype abilities—he was rumored to be capable of reading minds.

And the mobile armor he piloted was the Braw Bro, the first machine equipped with the Psycommu system.

"No matter what, I cannot abandon an ally."

Challia Bull's words—if it had been the old Char, he might have dismissed them as mere political maneuvering to take Elmeth for himself.

After all, Challia Bull had appeared at the perfect moment to save them.

But the Char of this moment felt a strange certainty—this man was speaking nothing but the truth.

So this… is how Lalah sees the world?

With that realization, Char prepared to fight alongside Challia Bull.

"No, please retreat. The Zanzibar is waiting for you."

Challia Bull looked at Char, who had changed so much in this battle, and said firmly.

"Then what about you?"

Char turned to him.

Lalah, too, was looking at him.

If both she and Char withdrew, Challia Bull would have no chance of survival.

Could this man truly be so magnanimous—willing to sacrifice his own life?

Char's doubts were picked up by Challia Bull, who was also using a Psycommu system.

"It's a pity, Char. We could have been friends… if only your heart had been more open."

As he deployed Braw Bro's remote-controlled bits, encircling Eli and Amuro, Challia Bull continued,

"I'm just a pawn, manipulated by others. The future of Newtypes does not rest with me."

Challia Bull had come to terms with his fate.

He believed in the future of Newtypes as a whole and, under different circumstances, he might have wanted to communicate with the two Newtypes before him.

But as he had said, he was merely a piece in Gihren and Kycilia's game of power—nothing more.

Yet, during his first meeting with Char, he had glimpsed the truth behind the mask.

Char's identity, his thoughts—everything about him made it clear that they were fundamentally different people.

If only this man could let go of some of his unnecessary obsessions after achieving his revenge…

Challia Bull's bits launched attacks from all directions, attempting to restrict the movement of the two Gundams.

"Go now!"

"But—"

Lalah, more emotional than the others, was unwilling to abandon a fellow Newtype.

"We're leaving, Lalah… We can't help him."

Elmeth had exhausted its funnels, and its remaining MEGA particle cannons were not enough to turn the tide of battle.

Char's Gelgoog was also in bad shape, with only a beam naginata left.

"Staying here would only insult that man's decision."

Char's voice was heavy.

Confronted with such a man—a true Newtype—Char suddenly found his previous schemes against Challia Bull laughable.

It wasn't about whether his plans had been seen through—he simply realized how small-minded he was in comparison.

"So you want to cover their retreat."

Eli drew his beam saber and fired Vulcan rounds at one of the bits.

The bit dodged immediately.

But Eli had already closed the distance—his beam saber swung down, severing the control cable!

At the same time, Amuro fired several shots with his beam rifle.

After missing twice, his third shot perfectly predicted the bit's next position, destroying it.

Four of Braw Bro's bits were blown apart.

And Eli—he was now right in front of Braw Bro!

He swung his saber down.

But what caught his attention was that Braw Bro… didn't attempt to dodge.

As he pulled back to avoid the explosion, Eli thought he heard a voice.

"Go on."