Chapter 93: What the hell?! You're so tough!
Saying it is easy, but actually doing it is incredibly difficult.
There's no need to elaborate on how terrifying the firepower net above the Big Zam is.
Eli could feel immense pressure—even though the beam saber was already in his grip, he didn't even have the time to activate it.
He and Amuro were fully focused on dodging.
It could be said that the EZ-SR, now without its special attack weapons, was far less effective in dealing damage compared to the NT-1.
At the very least, each hit from the NT-1's bazooka could cause some noticeable damage.
Damn it, if only I were a setting nerd! Then I'd know the exact location of the I-Field generator and could at least tell Amuro to destroy it…
Dodging another blast, sweat began to bead on Eli's forehead.
Should they just stall for time now, have everyone retreat, and wait for the Big Zam to shut down on its own?
That seemed to be the best possible solution at the moment.
As Eli maneuvered his mobile suit, rolling through space to avoid the incoming missiles from the Big Zam, he reached for the communication button.
There was no shame in stalling. As long as he relayed his deduction to General Tianem, Eli believed the general would make the optimal decision.
But just then, an incoming communication appeared on his screen.
"Zzz… Can you hear me, Gundam pilot?"
The identification code displayed on the communication made Eli pause in surprise.
It was from the G-Fighter of the White Base.
That Arcadia?
Eli quickly split his attention amid the crossfire, confirming the sender's location.
It was—below!
But something was clearly wrong with the G-Fighter. The right wing was visibly damaged, and the thrusters at the rear were spewing smoke.
"Listen up! You keep its attention and make it lift its head—I'll take out its thrusters!"
Despite being only an Ensign, Arcadia's tone was anything but polite.
This was pure hatred manifesting itself.
"But your mobile suit—"
"That's a Zabi, isn't it? I can feel it… Just do it!"
Eli frowned but still signaled to Amuro, and together they ascended to a higher relative position, forcing the Big Zam to tilt its head back and unleash its firepower toward them.
What can that damaged mobile suit even do?
That hatred—could it be?!
Eli suddenly recalled that assault ship that had charged forward and collided head-on with the enemy right in front of him.
Is this guy going to self-destruct too? Is he also consumed by hatred?
Sure enough, a brief flash of light erupted beneath the Big Zam.
Looking closer, Eli saw that the G-Fighter's already damaged thrusters had suddenly reignited at full power, propelling the machine straight toward the Big Zam!
"Zabis… You alone… are unforgivable!"
For a moment, every Federation soldier on the comms could hear that furious voice.
That streak of light shot directly into the underbelly of the Big Zam, forcing it to suffer the same fate as the previous one—its lower thrusters were destroyed!
Eli didn't even have time to yell at him not to do it.
But soon, the sorrowful emotions were pushed aside.
The structural design of the Big Zam seemed flawed—damage to the lower thrusters led to a temporary shutdown of other systems.
At the very least, that shutdown lasted long enough for Eli to charge in!
From Dozle's perspective, it only took a few breaths for his situation to flip from firing at two Gundams to suddenly sustaining damage and then watching those two Gundams charge directly at him.
The downside of piloting such a massive machine alone was precisely this—he couldn't coordinate all the information captured by the enormous mobile armor. He could only react to what was directly in front of him.
Amuro, taking advantage of the NT-1's superior performance, was the first to reach close range. Drawing his beam saber, he swung it horizontally, instantly destroying an entire row of MEGA particle cannons on the side.
Immediately after, he pulled out another beam saber and stabbed it straight into the large deflection MEGA particle cannon.
No exaggeration—those two strikes alone rendered more than half of the Big Zam's firepower useless.
Eli did the same. As he charged in, he held his beam saber to the side, slashing past the Big Zam and taking out another row of MEGA particle cannons.
The Big Zam was completely at the mercy of these two brutes, like a fish pinned down on a chopping block, being sliced apart by their sharp blades.
Each strike of the blade elicited a metallic screech, like the Big Zam was wailing—its internal structure had already suffered massive disarray.
At this point, the Big Zam was nothing more than a massive hunk of metal floating in space, utterly incapable of counterattacking.
No, there was still one attack—
A burst of small-caliber bullets struck the EZ-SR's chest armor, producing nothing more than a few clinking sounds against the plating.
As expected—Dozle had appeared.
Eli looked at the man standing there, holding a rifle, clad in a Zeon pilot suit, yelling at him.
"I haven't lost! I will never lose!"
He shouted defiantly.
A heavy aura of malice gathered behind him, and in Eli's eyes, that malice gradually took shape, manifesting visibly behind the man.
"What a terrifying malice… It even makes me feel a little afraid. Compared to the lives he carries on his back, calling myself the God of Death might be too arrogant."
Eli's entire body felt cold.
But not because of Death that had always accompanied him.
It was because of the malice radiating from the man before him.
It was as if Dozle intended to defeat Eli through sheer force of will alone.
At this moment, willpower was Dozle's only weapon. He wanted to use it to make Eli fear, to make him angry—
To make him kill him!
Even if he failed, as long as he could die in battle, he would die an honorable death!
And so, he raised his mobile suit's arm high.
"You're not seriously going to get angry over this, are you?"
The voice of Death whispered in Eli's ear.
The EZ-SR's right arm, now covered in electromagnetic knuckles, slammed down—striking the Big Zam's outer armor!
A faint electric current surged outward.
And then, it enveloped Dozle!
His rifle fired a few last rounds before drifting into space.
Along with its user.
With the power level deliberately lowered by Eli, Dozle had undoubtedly lost consciousness.
Eli was going to capture him. He wanted the Federation to put him on trial.
"Arcadia…"
Eli retracted his right arm, his voice slightly somber.
Even though he had only caught a few glimpses, even though it was just a faint sense of familiarity—like his body's memories were trying to remind him of who that person was—
But he was already dead.
Dead on the path of revenge.
"No matter what… I will ensure that this man faces trial. He must be executed in front of everyone."
Eli observed a moment of silence, then reached out to restrain Dozle.
Then, his mobile suit received a distress signal.
"Hurry… Let me in… There's a leak…"
This time, Eli was genuinely shocked as he stared at the figure clinging to his cockpit monitor.
What the hell?! You're so tough!