Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 16: Flying Tiger

"Amada Shiro…"

Hearing Amada Shiro's anguished cry, Eli fell silent.

He couldn't understand why Shiro, who harbored as much hatred toward Zeon as he did, would experience such emotional turmoil because of Aina.

To simply attribute this to love felt like an oversimplification, almost an affront to such emotions.

Unable to unravel the puzzle, Eli decided to focus on eliminating the immediate threat posed by the Apsalus instead.

"Please lower the altitude of your mobile suit and cease all operations, or I cannot guarantee your safety," Eli said, taking advantage of the temporary silence between the two to urge Aina to surrender voluntarily.

On Aina's end, she faced the double-edged pressure of Eli's beam rifle and Amada Shiro's plea for surrender. Inevitably, a trace of hesitation crept into her heart.

Surrendering might at least mean an end to this endless cycle of war, right?

Aina was never suited for the battlefield.

Her hand, originally resting on the control lever, slowly reached out toward the screen, toward the Gundam emblazoned with the number "08."

She believed that was the mobile suit piloted by Amada Shiro.

Perhaps this was it…

"I…"

"Aina! Can you hear me, Aina?"

Just as Aina was about to surrender, the communication, previously severed due to the high concentration of Minovsky particles, miraculously reconnected!

The voice coming through the channel was none other than Ginias!

Startled, Aina quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been shocked and gripped the control lever tightly.

"…Aina, listen carefully… Prepare to ascend the Apsalus immediately… Norris has already…"

Apart from Ginias's initial exclamation interrupting her decision, the rest of his communication was fragmented and intermittent.

It all seemed as though it was orchestrated by fate.

"I hear you, Brother…"

Aina lowered her head, allowing the helmet of her flight suit to obscure her face in shadows.

"I will do my best—for your dream."

She pressed down on the pedal, becoming a caged bird operating the prison that confined her, preparing to soar into the sky.

"Negotiation failed. Attack!"

The moment Aina pressed the pedal, the Apsalus quaked violently.

Already severely damaged by multiple bombardments, the Apsalus trembled uncontrollably as it was forcefully activated.

Even the Minovsky particle flight system at its base began to emit purple electric arcs.

Faced with this scenario, Eli let out a breath of relief.

At least his opponent no longer seemed intent on using self-destruction as leverage.

Now, his task was to destroy this massive mobile armor entirely!

Resolving himself, Eli operated his mobile suit to crouch and brace atop the Apsalus.

He stabilized his machine, aiming the beam rifle once again at the cockpit of the Apsalus.

Though Eli had been moved by the transcendent love between Amada Shiro and Aina, he wouldn't hesitate because of it.

Pink particles began gathering at the rifle's muzzle, ready to fire at any moment.

But just then, faint streaks of lightning flashed across his mind.

A sense of imminent danger filled Eli's heart!

Turning instinctively, his movement was mirrored by his mobile suit.

He saw it: a machine resembling a Zaku by seven or eight-tenths, emerging from the clouds. It held a glowing red blade and was rushing at him in a striking stance!

Eli immediately attempted to shoot it down with his beam rifle, but the opponent's speed far exceeded his expectations.

Pulling back the control lever, he maneuvered his mobile suit to step back, narrowly avoiding the swift slash of the incoming machine.

However, the enemy was no amateur. It quickly altered its blade's trajectory, targeting Eli's beam rifle!

The fully charged beam rifle was cleaved in half with a single strike.

Eli immediately released the destroyed weapon, extending his left arm to shield himself from the rifle's explosion.

His gaze followed the enemy suit as it collided shoulder-first with Amada Shiro's mobile suit, knocking it off the Apsalus. Both suits tumbled to the ground together.

"That's… a flight-type Tiger? No, that doesn't make sense—the timeline doesn't match…"

Although Shiro had been knocked off the Apsalus, Eli remained calm. Comparing the enemy suit to his memories, he tried to identify its exact model.

After all, the damage inflicted on the Apsalus was already severe. Even with its altitude forcibly increased, it remained within the operational limits of ground-type Gundams.

Eli crouched his mobile suit, drawing a beam saber from its leg holster without igniting it. His left arm stayed raised protectively before him, maintaining a defensive posture.

He still couldn't recall the exact model, but it was undeniably a Tiger.

Perhaps it was an early prototype of the flight-type Tiger.

And indeed, it was.

"Aina, are you alright?"

Sitting in the cockpit of the experimental flight-type Tiger, Norris inquired after Aina.

This experimental unit wasn't originally within Ginias's development plans. However, relying on Dopps to escort such a massive mobile armor was far too unreliable.

Thus, Ginias had obtained this flight-type Tiger from North America to refine it himself.

Currently, it had only undergone minor modifications, such as replacing the machine guns with multipurpose mechanical arms. Before further adjustments could be made, Norris had taken it into battle.

"I'm fine… but the Apsalus…"

"That doesn't matter. I'll handle the enemy. Aina, focus solely on piloting the Apsalus!"

Unlike Ginias, Norris placed no additional demands on Aina.

He knew she couldn't take on any more pressure.

Just as the Apsalus couldn't withstand any more strain.

Slamming on the pedals, Norris pushed the control lever forward.

The stabilizer wings on the Tiger's back unfolded, angling downward to generate more lift.

Simultaneously, the four thermonuclear rocket engines in its backpack and the two in its legs operated at full power!

With these enhancements, its thrust-to-weight ratio quickly exceeded 1, propelling the sixty-ton Tiger into a rapid ascent.

"Aina's safety is my responsibility!"

Fixing his gaze on the screen, Norris saw only the Apsalus's battered armor ahead.

But soon, the top would come into view!

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Before Norris could confirm the situation, a barrage of bullets rained down.

Fortunately, the Tiger's climbing speed was fast enough that the shots passed harmlessly beneath it.

Well, almost.

One bullet grazed the right leg's thermonuclear engine casing, making Norris break into a cold sweat.

"What instincts… terrifying."