In Earth's orbit, accompanied by a ripple of light and shadow, a battleship appeared.
"Nahel Argama, entering scheduled orbit."
"Transport rocket assembly complete, entering launch countdown."
"Mirage Colloid system, deactivated."
In the dim cockpit, Roz Links unhurriedly adjusted his pilot suit, casually tapping a few times on the side touch screen. The machine's blue and white UI interface gradually appeared before him, reflecting various patterns onto the glass visor of his helmet.
"Roz, the objective of this operation is to descend to the battlefield along the orbital elevator and intervene in the actions of the Lord God's Agents. Ideally, neutralize some of their members."
Over the comms, Murrue Ramius began detailing the upcoming mission objectives.
"Finally, clear a safe landing zone for the Nahel Argama until the ship touches down on Earth."
After finishing the mission description, Murrue let out a small sigh of relief.
"The time is tight and the task is heavy. Thank you for your hard work."
"This isn't exactly a complicated task..."
Roz tilted his head slightly, offering Murrue a reassuring smile through his glass visor.
"Well then, I'll see you on Earth."
"Yes, see you on Earth."
"Launch countdown... 3, 2, 1, Ignite!"
Chemical rockets, long made obsolete by the orbital elevator, roared once again in this world. Thick tail flames propelled the rocket forward along its preset trajectory.
G-forces sufficient to make an ordinary person feel miserable descended upon Roz, but at this moment, he felt no discomfort at all.
Tempered by the trials of the previous world, the current Roz was already capable of ignoring such G-forces.
"Truly... a familiar feeling."
Feeling the sensation of being captured by gravity, Roz tightened his grip on the control sticks.
"Is it like the time you piloted the Narrative Gundam for the descent?"
Following the launch of the cargo rocket, the Nahel Argama reactivated its Mirage Colloid system to enter stealth mode, leaving Murrue with a moment to chat with Roz.
"Yeah, exactly."
Roz looked down slightly, glancing at the route map on the side and the icon belonging to the Penelope steadily moving across it.
"Perhaps you'll be able to see a live broadcast of the entire descent in a moment."
"Then we'll look forward to seeing your heroic figure in battle."
Likely because things had temporarily calmed down, even Natarle Badgiruel found the time to tease Roz over the comms.
"Then let's show everyone."
Roz watched the rocket's flight path, silently calculating the countdown. "The Penelope is more than just a pretty face."
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"What is that?"
"An unidentified object is approaching the space orbit... Is it a chemical rocket?!"
In the command center of the Advanced European Union (AEU) Orbital Elevator garrison, everyone froze for a moment as they stared at the familiar yet strange designation labeled on the screen.
As the sole means for humanity to enter space prior to the orbital elevators, chemical fuel rockets had vanished from Earth-space cargo transportation once the elevators became established.
"Estimate its target point!"
Seeing the cargo rocket rapidly closing in, the commander of the AEU garrison couldn't help but frown as he began questioning his soldiers.
"What's the communication status?!"
"No response. The opponent shows no signs of decelerating."
At that moment, a soldier in charge of radar observation spoke up in a panicked voice, "According to the calculations... the target is the orbital elevator?!"
Amidst the soldier's exclamation, the atmosphere in the room grew tense.
"Is it a ballistic missile attack?"
The AEU garrison commander remained silent for a while before making a decision.
"Regardless of whether it is some kind of cargo rocket, its current presence is a threat to the orbital elevator."
"First and Second Defense Squads, scramble! Shoot down that unidentified chemical rocket!"
Following the commander's order, several AEU Hellions quickly completed their preparations and flew out from the orbital elevator's garrison base.
"...The orbital elevator isn't equipped with close-in weapon systems?"
Watching the orbital elevator remain indifferent, only deploying six Hellions, Badgiruel instinctively furrowed her brows.
"What a reckless armament configuration."
Even Murrue couldn't help but feel a bit surprised by such a defensive setup.
"Every world has a different path of development. It's normal for their logic to differ..."
Roz glanced at the radar, watching the six light dots gradually approaching the transport rocket. After checking the rocket's current position, he pressed a button.
At this point, the two Hellion squads could clearly see the shape of the transport rocket, as well as the emblem painted on it: a raven with burning wings.
"Target has reached the firing range. Fire control radar locked!"
Looking at the transport rocket, which was significantly thicker than those in historical records, the soldier serving as the captain of the Hellion formation frowned.
"Fire!"
Just as the Hellions raised their linear rifles to open fire on the transport rocket, the rear section of the rocket suddenly burst apart.
A massive amount of balloon decoys were released. In an instant, the fire control radars of the Hellions were flooded with a multitude of targets, causing the machines' aim to drift.
"What?!"
Seeing the scene before him—and with the aluminum foil dispersed from the destroyed balloons causing continuous interference to their search-and-track systems—the Hellion squadron leader's eyes widened instinctively.
"Transport rocket separation. The cargo bay..."
Looking at the radar, which had turned into a chaotic mess, the soldiers in the orbital elevator command center began using optical cameras to visually search for the missing cargo bay.
"Found it! The target is descending alongside the orbital elevator!"
At that moment, the soldiers spotted the cargo bay descending along the path of the orbital elevator.
Or rather, the light effect produced by the cargo bay igniting from atmospheric friction was simply too conspicuous in this sector of space.
"The target isn't the orbital elevator... what exactly is it trying to do?"
The AEU garrison commander frowned reflexively at the sight.
"Could it be that, below the orbital elevator, where our forces are conducting the testing of the new MS..."
At this thought, he looked toward the communications officer.
"Can the First and Second Defense Squads pursue?"
"Negative. The rocket cargo bay has entered the atmosphere. The Hellions cannot pursue."
Hearing this, he let out a sigh.
He had done his best; now, it could only be left to the people on Earth.
"...Notify the garrison below."
-----------------------------------
As the rocket cargo bay continued its descent and reached the predetermined altitude, it began to automatically adjust its attitude.
The violent vibrations were so intense that even Murrue and Badgiruel, far away on the Nahel Argama, could momentarily feel what Roz was experiencing in the cockpit.
However, at this moment, Roz actually felt quite good.
There were no high-powered weapons attacking during the descent, and the outer armor of the cargo bay remained undamaged; things had never gone this smoothly before.
"Predetermined altitude reached. Initiating Phase Two."
Roz glanced at the countdown and pressed a button on the control stick.
As the cargo bay fired its reverse thrusters to decelerate, the flames enveloping the exterior gradually died out.
The outer armor began to deploy, shifting to the underside of the cargo bay to reveal a vast array of internally stored micro-missiles. The silhouette of the Penelope finally emerged within the sky.
"Scanning initiated. Targets locked..."
As the magnificent image of the blue sky appeared on the panoramic cockpit screens, Roz began to scan the targets highlighted by the system.
Or rather, there was no need to distinguish them at all.
There was that continuous, dense barrage of fire; the blue-and-white Gundam maneuvering between that barrage and the Hellions...
And the GAZuOOT, which was incessantly unleashing volleys of fire, its outward appearance completely clashing with the surrounding units.
"A GAZuOOT... there should be teammates as well."
As the Penelope's radar continued its scan, several more markers appeared within the dense forest.
"Found you."
Looking at the lurking enemies highlighted by the panoramic cockpit, Roz pressed the button on his control stick.
The micro-missiles on the cargo bay armor flew toward the forest like rain, even curving around several Hellions that stood in their path.
As the EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator) rockets and beam-shrapnel rockets suddenly detonated upon reaching the target area, the fragments and beams formed localized zones of death.
However, judging by the constantly shifting jamming smoke, Roz knew very well that this group of Lord God's Agents would not die so easily.
Lightly pressing down on the foot pedals, the Penelope's Minovsky Flight Craft activated, emitting a high-pitched, oppressive howl.
The cargo bay, having exhausted its micro-missiles, abruptly disintegrated. The Penelope, previously secured within, broke free and stretched its limbs across the sky.
Like a swan soaring through the heavens, the Penelope slightly adjusted its attitude and charged toward the moving jamming smoke in the forest.
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Following the back-to-back appearances of the Agents' attack and the Penelope's grand entrance, deep in space, a group of people on the bridge of a light-blue painted small battleship—its thrusters emitting green light particles—were breaking out in a cold sweat from anxiety.
This was the Ptolemaios, the mothership of "Celestial Being," the organization that had initiated the intervention in the AEU's new mobile suit demonstration.
"What is that unit launching the attack?! And what on earth is this other unit entering the scene via chemical rocket?!"
Watching the successive accidents unfold on the screen, the red-haired woman sitting in the captain's seat ignored the beer she had tossed into the air, her hands operating the small keyboard on her armrest with frantic speed.
"Feldt, is there a response from Veda?"
"Veda hasn't found any relevant data on either of these two units... even for the one that just entered the site using a chemical rocket, no point of origin could be found."
At this time, the pink-haired girl known as "Feldt," sitting at the CIC station, also looked anxious as she continued her operations.
"Miss Sumeragi, what do we do next?!"
"Wait, the AEU is attacking the unidentified unit!"
Just then, another girl at the CIC station spoke up.
"Chris, put the image on screen!"
Hearing the exclamation from the girl named "Christina," Sumeragi seemed to form a plan.
The cameras near the AEU orbital elevator transmitted their feed, showing several Hellions leading another group to launch an attack on the Penelope.
"While the AEU is pinned down by this unknown unit, have Setsuna and Lockon retreat."
Sumeragi glanced at the screen, watching a Hellion attempt to attack the Penelope only to have its arm snapped off and be sent plummeting down. She made her decision: "The objective of this operation—to expose that the AEU's military strength exceeds the regulations—has been achieved, and it has also drawn out whatever the AEU was hiding. Withdraw immediately."
"This is the Ptolemaios. Operation Phase Two complete. Exia, Dynames, withdraw immediately."
Upon hearing Sumeragi's command, Feldt quickly connected to the comms of the two units fighting below.
"That unit..."
A young man's voice came through the communication: "It is a Gundam."
Hearing that final term, everyone's eyes widened instinctively.
-----------------------------------
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
The youth known as "Ah-Bao" was piloting his GAZuOOT, its treads roaring as it tore across the landscape. Even the trees blocking his path were snapped like twigs, unable to slow the GAZuOOT's advance.
"Where did this machine come from?! Was there no intel from the Lord God?"
The high-pitched scream of the Penelope's flight system exerted immense psychological pressure on this group of Lord God's Agents.
The Celestial Being members who had intervened in the AEU operation earlier didn't harbor much actual killing intent, so the first step of the Agents' plan had gone smoothly. But the Penelope before them was targeting them specifically—and it was overflowing with murderous intent.
How did Ah-Bao know? One look at the GAZuOOT's mangled arms, shredded by EFP and beam-shrapnel rockets, and the four beam cannons on its back told the whole story.
"No, there's no data on this machine in the Lord God's intelligence files."
The voice of "Four-Eyes" came through the comms. Currently, he was sharing a Hellion with "Shadow-Blade" as part of their planned coordination, his fingers flying across his laptop keyboard.
"Why... why would something like this appear?"
Facing the Penelope as it pursued the GAZuOOT, the captain of this Agent squad felt his scalp go numb with dread.
"Wait, look at the terminal! Captain!"
Four-Eyes noticed something and cried out over the channel. The squad captain raised his hand and looked at the Lord God Terminal on his wrist.
[Emergency Mission: The Hunter's Arrival.]
[A Hunter has blockaded this world, turning it into his personal hunting ground. Survive his hunt, complete your objective and extract, or defeat him.]
[Mission Reward: 100,000 Points, one S-Rank Item Purchase Authorization.]
Seeing such a massive reward, every Agent felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar.
In the Lord God Space, mission rewards scaled with difficulty. Although it didn't explicitly state the difficulty rating, the reward alone allowed them to estimate the nightmare they were in. To earn that many points, they would have to hijack Exia twenty times over.
Moreover, the prompt mentioned a name they dreaded most.
"Hunter"—an existence that circulated among Agents like an urban legend. Real name unknown, organization unknown; it was only known that there was a chance they would appear during high-end team missions.
Any team that encountered them was either crippled or completely wiped out. Far too many "geniuses" who had been rising stars in the Lord God Space had met their end at a Hunter's hands.
"A Hunter... why would one appear here?!"
Seeing the notification, the middle-aged man piloting the Sengoku Astray clutched at his head in frustration.
"We're just a C-Rank team! How could we run into a Hunter?!"
But complaining was useless. Ah-Bao was still being hunted by the Penelope, and the rest of them had only just managed to re-hide themselves after the intense missile strike.
At this point, everyone understood: now was not the time to focus on the mission. Retreat was the only viable option.
"Bzzt... Ah-Bao, lead it toward me."
The voice of "Gray-Eye" crackled over the comms.
Having just found a new position, Gray-Eye maneuvered the GM Sniper K9. He deployed the UAV mounted on its back, attached a beam rifle to it, and let the drone disappear into the dense forest.
Drawing his beam sniper rifle, the GM Sniper K9 assumed a prone position on a hillside. The search-and-track enhancement device on its head sensors lowered, locking onto the distant Penelope.
"Run! The Hellions won't hold him for long!"
The man who had been cleaning his pistol during the mission briefing shouted in alarm. He watched as the Hellions he had ordered to intercept as a "Special Action Team" surrounded the Penelope and began a continuous assault.
The next moment, they saw the Penelope completely ignore the linear rifle fire. Braving the hail of slugs, it lunged forward and snapped a Hellion's arm clean off.
With its reactor and balance system compromised, the Hellion could only wobble helplessly before plummeting toward the ground.
Then, with a series of crisp reports, the Penelope's head vulcans barked. A dense rain of fire swept through several Hellions, shredding their legs.
One Hellion near the Penelope drew its sonic blade and lunged.
"Damn it... go to hell, Hunter!"
Seeing the Penelope's back turned, the Agent piloting this Hellion seized the opportunity. "As long as the Backstab skill activates, it's 200% critical damage—"
But in the next heartbeat, a "tail" whipped around and lashed the Hellion away. The blow forcefully interrupted the Agent's skill execution, leaving him to watch in horror as his machine spiraled toward the earth.
Truthfully, Roz was only playing for keeps against the GAZuOOT. He was intentionally tempering his lethality against the Hellions.
His targets were the Agents; he didn't want to create unnecessary complications with the local forces. That was all.
However, looking at the current situation, the "cover identities" these Agents had taken in this world were likely tied to the AEU. He could investigate that later.
"Now's my chance!"
Believing he had found a flaw in the Penelope's movement, Gray-Eye squeezed the trigger and pressed the buttons on his controls.
The UAV hidden in the forest raised its beam rifle and fired a pink bolt at the Penelope.
The GM Sniper K9 followed up instantly, pulling its own trigger. A pink beam erupted from the sniper rifle, streaking toward the Penelope.
But as if ignoring Earth's gravity entirely, the Penelope performed a backflip, dodging the UAV's attack.
Without hesitation, Roz raised the Penelope's Beam Magnum and aimed at the forest where the shot had originated.
He pulled the trigger. A stream of red beam energy, wreathed in violet high-energy electricity, surged toward the UAV in the trees before it could relocate.
Two unlucky Hellion "teammates" standing nearby had their arms or legs severed by the violet electrical discharge, falling toward the ground.
The high-energy beam washed over the UAV. Before the drone could even register a reaction, the entire unit melted away, vanishing from existence.
Immediately after, Roz spun the Penelope around. With another tail-whip, he swatted away a nearby Hellion. After evading another shot from the GM Sniper K9, he leveled the Beam Magnum at the hillside where the sniper was perched.
"S...T!!"
Seeing the Beam Magnum glow as it unleashed its power, Gray-Eye didn't even have time to react. He only managed to utter one final, incomplete word.
"Gray-Eye!!"
Under the terrified gaze of his comrades, the GM Sniper K9 piloted by Gray-Eye was engulfed by the Beam Magnum's shot. It melted, then detonated.
The beam struck the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The surrounding trees were ignited, and the earth was scorched into something resembling lava. The superheated air was enough to roast a person alive.
The Penelope hovered silently above the battlefield, the flames consuming the forest serving as her backdrop.
The whine of the Minovsky Flight Craft echoed through the burning purgatory.
......................