Under Jiang Tong's command, forces from other sectors of the sky began to redeploy, with the extracted units rapidly closing in on Felix and the others.
Through his screen and intuitive responses, Felix grasped the entire battlefield situation.
With precise controls, the Dawn executed a mid-air turn.
Two rifles and two machine cannons fired simultaneously toward the front.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!!
A series of firing sounds erupted.
Bullets streaked through the air at high velocity.
Moments later, violent explosions resounded.
Observing the downed Vanguard Fighters, Felix continued to lead the formation with the Dawn.
His finger squeezed the trigger.
The Dawn fired, its bullets intercepting an enemy fighter poised to attack.
Boom!
An explosion echoed as the aircraft shattered into fragments plummeting toward the ground.
Executing another maneuver, the Dawn veered left to evade incoming fire. After dodging, it aimed and fired at an enemy ahead. With one shot completed, Felix's finger pulled the trigger again, swiveling the Dawn's gun barrels to target another Vanguard Fighter.
After neutralizing it, the Dawn dodged right and backward, avoiding machine cannon rounds from the side.
Inside the Dawn's cockpit, Felix monitored the approaching objective on screen, assessed the aerial situation, manipulated the controls, and issued an order.
"I'll clear a path for you. Charge through and drop the bombs."
"Roger!"
As the response reached his ears, Felix pulled the trigger.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! A succession of firing sounds roared.
Round after round launched from the rifles and machine cannons.
Each bullet targeted a different location.
Pilots of the Vanguard Fighters targeted by the Dawn hastily attempted evasive maneuvers.
Those with superior piloting skills barely managed to avoid the onslaught, but the majority lacked such capability.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Stricken fighters erupted into violent mid-air explosions, their blasts resonating loudly across the sky.
"Now!"
Seeing the opportunity, Felix swiftly commanded.
The DINN pilots, upon receiving the order, spotted the cleared corridor and surged forward without hesitation.
"Don't even think about it!"
Noticing enemies attempting to intercept the DINNs, Felix sneered and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The sound of a fired round echoed.
A bullet raced forward at supersonic speed.
The short distance between them vanished almost instantaneously.
The brief interval left the enemy pilot no time to react; as he began to maneuver, the bullet struck.
After firing, Felix maneuvered the Dawn.
The moment an attack materialized, he evaded seamlessly.
"Bastard!"
The Vanguard Fighter pilot roared in frustration at the Dawn's evasion, his expression shifting to terror in the next instant.
Bang!
A violent explosion erupted, producing a deafening roar.
The fierce blast obliterated the fighter craft, simultaneously engulfing the pilot inside.
Without a moment's hesitation, Felix now aimed and opened fire at other Vanguard Fighters.
The glare of explosions reflected in his eyes as Felix calmly maneuvered Dawn to evade, raising the Heavy Assault Machine Gun and firing toward his targets.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!
An extremely violent explosion occurred on the ground.
Flames shot skyward, a mushroom cloud visible to the eye.
Following the flames, an intensely loud blast wave radiated outward in all directions.
Seated in the cockpit, Felix assessed the situation and immediately issued an order.
"Retreat!"
After speaking these two words, Felix fired at the Vanguard Fighters in the area, clearing a path for the MS that had just deployed the High-Energy Bomb!
"Ah! Damn you, die!"
Witnessing the explosion, a furious roar erupted from one Vanguard Fighter pilot. The pilot accelerated at high speed, charging straight toward a DINN.
Following him, other fighters joined the assault one after another.
Seeing this, Felix gripped the control stick, finger poised on the trigger. Just as he prepared to provide cover, his Intuition flared.
The danger signal made Felix cease fire.
He piloted Dawn to evade through the air.
Swiveling around, he aimed the gun muzzle at the Vanguard Fighter attacking him and opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shot after shot, he eliminated it.
"Captain Griffith, we can't get away now, you need to go!"
A resolute voice came through the comms.
Hearing this, Felix glanced at the screen, saw their predicament, and immediately controlled Dawn to assist them.
"What are you talking about! I won't abandon my comrades."
As he spoke, Felix pulled the trigger.
A round left the chamber.
Bang!
A Vanguard Fighter was blown apart.
After that shot, as Felix was about to fire again, his Intuition surfaced once more. Felix adjusted his movements, and Dawn executed an evasive maneuver in the air.
Dodging the attack, he drew the Heavy Sword from his waist.
With one slash, he cleaved through the fighter rushing toward him at high speed.
After dealing with it, other fighters swarmed in.
The intense attack made it difficult for Felix to spare enough focus to aid the others.
Amid the dogfight, Felix checked the situation on his screen.
"Captain Griffith, hurry and go!"
Another urgent voice urged through the comms.
In response, Felix managed to divert some attention, providing cover for them twice.
The two attempts at assistance were in vain; the outcome remained unchanged.
Watching the explosive flames, Felix tightened his grip on the control stick, his expression stern. He then piloted Dawn to swiftly break through the encirclement.
Freed from concerns about others, Dawn, under Felix's control, broke through rapidly and soon cleared the area.
Having broken out, Felix regrouped with units fighting elsewhere.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Shaking his head slightly, Felix replied calmly. Then, over the comms, he said, "The Mass Driver at Kaohsiung Spaceport has been destroyed. Next, we retreat.
Understood?"
"Understood!"
Hearing the response over the comms, Felix fell silent.
January 26, beneath a relatively safe area of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the ZAFT Forces that had completed their breakthrough were taking a brief rest.
Athena
In the captain's office, Felix sat in his chair, looking at the summarized damage report and casualty list before him. A trace of sorrow flickered between his brows.
Aric watched the sadness on Felix's face and wanted to offer comfort, but didn't know how to begin.
Just then, Felix looked up at Aric and said, "Contact the Ministry of Defense. Have them negotiate with the Earth Alliance to exchange prisoners and retrieve our comrades we couldn't rescue in time during this operation."
"Yes, sir!" Aric saluted and replied.
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