In defense, Gauron's mech emitted another shockwave. But, at the same time, Sousuke's image took shape, and the Arbalest's unknown powers kicked in.
Sousuke couldn't tell exactly what happened.
What he could tell was that two things collided. The air twisted, distorted, and screeched. Temporarily, gravity seemed arbitrary.
Ultimately, the bullet did not stop—it hit the silver AS.
"What?"
As the 00-HESH round struck Gauron's mech, it split into eight pieces. While the AS stumbled backward, one of its arms fell off and exploded.
The blast sent the Arbalest rolling, as well. Scattered debris pelted the armor plate with a dry clang.
Under the rain, flame, and wind, Sousuke sat up in his mech.
Gauron's AS was damaged severely. The head and both arms were obliterated, and the majority of the chest was destroyed. The giant, so full of frenzied life just moments ago, was scrap metal now.
Certainly, Gauron must have died instantly.
"Sagara, are you okay?"
"Affirmative."
Turning his back on the wreckage, Sousuke ran the mech toward Kaname and Kurz.
"I'm heading back your way. We need to go."
They had to hurry—the battle had taken nearly five minutes.
As soon as he reached the others, Sousuke made the AS kneel.
"How are you feeling, Chidori?"
"Better than before. I've practically forgotten what I was talking about, though."
It was good of her to give him advice; Sousuke shuddered to think what might have happened to him if not for her help.
Helicopters roared from the east, announcing the coming of pursuit reinforcements.
"Let's move. We don't have time."
With that, Sousuke fixed the shot cannon to the Arbalest's hip, picked up Kurz and Kaname in its open hands, and took off running. Twelve miles in ten minutes… with this mech, they could make it.
Clutching the passengers, the Arbalest crossed the mountain slope in one bound. Kicking up pebbles and uprooting shrubs, it rushed out onto level farmland.
"Gah!" Kurz agonized. He was in extremely intense pain.
Sousuke operated the mech carefully, keeping the speed down to about seventy-five miles per hour. Even so, there was no way to eliminate the pitching completely. An AS probably was the least adroit vehicle for transporting the wounded.
Trampling paddy fields, the Arbalest kept running west, encountering several armored vehicles, which Sousuke ignored. Whizzing bullets did not faze him; he just kept running.
When they were still a couple of miles from the coast, the AI spoke. "One attack helicopter, range eight, at your seven."
The heat signature on the rear-warning sensor indicated a chopper was coming for them.
"Here they come!"
"Rocket alert! Two, one…"
In an emergency maneuver, Sousuke swung the mech wide to the right, avoiding the incoming air-to-ground rocket.
Kurz let out a little scream, which overlapped the sound of the rocket exploding.
"Enemy helicopter closing at relative velocity of eighty. Must return fire," said Al.
"I know that!"
When the helicopter unleashed another rocket, Sousuke barely evaded it. If it got any closer, he would be unable to dodge.
With Sousuke traveling only seventy-five miles per hour, the chopper caught up in the blink of an eye. But Sousuke couldn't use the shot cannon: His hands were otherwise occupied, with Kaname in the right and Kurz in the left. There was no time to set them down—the helicopter would be there too quickly.
"Kaname!"
"Uh, what?"
"Sorry!"
While still sprinting, the Arbalest heaved Kaname's body high into the air. With its free right hand, it drew the gun, turned, and fired two shots.
After tossing the gun aside, Sousuke made the mech dash forward madly.
"Aieeee!" It was the parabolic scream of someone falling through the air.
At the last second, just before Kaname splatted into the ground, Sousuke scooped up her body, putting all his concentration into controlling the mech as it started to tumble.
Concurrently, the shattered attack helicopter crashed into a field and exploded. Sousuke kept running.
"Kaname?" he called.
No response.
A little grunt indicated she was breathing, though likely unconscious. He would have to wait to administer first aid and an apology. For now, they had only one minute to get to shore.
"There it is!"
Under the deep night sky, the sea looked darker than black. There was a sandy beach to the right and a cape to the left; Sousuke drove the mech toward the cape.
"Two mechs, range six, at your eleven," chirped Al.
There they were: two Savages up on the cape, probably out on coastal watch. There also was an enemy unit from the direction of the beach. Surrounding Sousuke, there were all together at least four or five mechs—no, more.
An AS was quite a different enemy than an attack helicopter. And besides, Sousuke had almost no means of attacking. He considered the strange force-field emitter unreliable.
"Crap!"
Loading its rifle, the enemy's lead mech turned to face Sousuke. "Urzu Seven, run straight ahead," instructed a woman on the radio.
"Ma—"
