Chapter 573: After Three Days of Separation, You Should Look at Someone with New Eyes!
Seeing that familiar figure, Fujiko suddenly remembered something. Her eyes widened in shock, and she muttered incredulously, "Could it be… promoted because of investigating Earth…?"
"That's right, I was just about to persuade them…" Elizabeth turned around, raising another signboard towards Kawa ki's group.
"You all seem quite energetic."
"Do you want to fight under my command?"
Seeing the familiar figure who had been with him day and night, Katsura couldn't help but widen his eyes and take a step forward.
El… Elizabeth!!
…
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the other side, where Mutsu was buying time, gradually became tense.
Playing a game of mutual understanding with Mutsu, Midakuma raised a signboard: "Though I don't know how you found out about our plan."
"But we don't need your help."
Then, Midakuma turned and was about to leave.
At that moment, Mutsu, standing alone in front of a group of Renpou soldiers, started following him while speaking, "With all due respect, Midakuma. Earth is not an easily conquered fortress; it has warriors with unique qualities unseen on other planets. Samurai… Defeating those who follow the ironclad belief in Bushido is no easy task, even for you."
"We also have beliefs," Midakuma said, raising a signboard without looking back. Our Renpou clan has always worn white clothes and sealed our mouths."
"We have demonstrated this belief through our actions."
"We won't break the rules for mere samurai."
"Indeed, but it will consume a lot of manpower…"
"No problem, there is plenty of manpower."
"They are just tools."
Instantly, a flash of displeasure crossed Mutsu's eyes. Still, she quickly suppressed it and continued calmly, "War does consume manpower, but if a nation neglects its citizens, the foundation of the country, it will inevitably decline and fall. Gaining new territory while losing its people, how can a country prosper?"
"Then, would you like to test how effective our tools are?"
"With the gun you're hiding in your coat…"
Realising she had been exposed, Mutsu stopped, pulling out her gun and aiming it at Midakuma.
At the same time, the Renpou soldiers following Mutsu also stopped, opening their mouths to reveal rifle barrels aimed at her.
"It seems you Earthlings are the ones losing your people."
Midakuma also stopped and raised a signboard.
"But to commend you for bravely infiltrating the enemy camp alone, I'll let you watch the demise of Earth from a VIP seat."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After three unthinking gunshots, Mutsu shot the signboard out of Midakuma's hand.
"The one who will be destroyed is you," Mutsu's voice rang out as the signboard fell. "Someone who calls their comrades tools doesn't deserve to be a general. Don't underestimate the planet of the samurai!"
Midakuma resumed walking towards the armoury as if unconcerned.
"Manpower and citizens are unnecessary."
"As long as I have that, I can even conquer the entire galaxy."
"Soon, the samurai will know."
"Why our Renpou army…"
"Has always been feared as the White Demon."
Following Midakuma, Mutsu reached the armoury's second-floor gallery. Just one look made her expression grave, with a few drops of cold sweat forming on her face.
At the same time, Shinpachi, who followed Elizabeth into the armory, looked at the two rows of fully armed machines, which, despite having their heads pixelated, resembled a certain Gundam from the original series. After a long silence, he took a deep breath.
"What kind of Renpou army is this? It's clearly the Federation army!!"
"Shh! Keep quiet!" Fujiko quickly covered Shinpachi's mouth and pulled him to a corner, whispering, "We managed to infiltrate here with great difficulty. Don't ruin it with a single complaint."
"Indeed, one idiot who gets excited about robots during wartime is enough," Tsukuyo reminded indifferently, pulling kunai from the immobilized Kawai Elizabeth lying in a pool of blood.
"Well, I'm not sure about excitement, but I have indeed seen a lot of blood, thanks to Tsukuyo's stabbing," Shinpachi commented, expressionless. "Do you want to kill Kawaki-san?"
"That man just now…" Tsukuyo remembered how Kawaki looked drooling and captivated by the giant robots as he entered, feeling inexplicably disdainful. "Seriously, do things like that really fascinate men so much?"
After a long silence, Shinpachi murmured, "Indeed, if it's Kawaki-san, he truly has no resistance to such things…"
Suddenly snapping back, Shinpachi asked Fujiko, "So, Fujiko-san, is that what the White Demons refer to?"
While looking at the machines, Fujiko explained, "Renpou's next-generation model for Earth invasion, a product of the White Clothing Project. Combat mechs for samurai, Samurai Gundams (GanSam)! They've developed to this extent while I wasn't around."
"No, despite all that jargon, isn't it just a rip-off?" Shinpachi bluntly pointed out. "This model definitely appears familiar!"
Ignoring Shinpachi's remark, Fujiko continued, "Midakuma originally planned to use these Samurai Gundams to strike a confused Earth after the rain. If those things attack, Earth will surely be doomed!"
"No, getting sued for copyright infringement would be worse!"
"They're all Sunrise works, so we can get away with it even if sued. They calculated even that!"
"Too malicious in every sense!"
"This… this is a real cosmic war…" Tsukuyo's pupils trembled slightly, her expression becoming more serious.
"At this point, reacting that way is a bit off, Tsukuyo-san. Though it does feel like that, it's not right! Why is Kawaki-san full of kunai again? Didn't we just pull them out?"
"He woke up briefly," Tsukuyo explained.
"Even though I know Kawaki-san might get a bit excited, could you use a gentler method to remind him? He's almost bled dry…"
"Anyway, we must destroy those in every sense," Fujiko said, looking at the machines.
"How exactly, aru?" Kagura asked, glancing at Fujiko.
Watching Elizabeth—or instead, General Elizabeth—standing on a machine's shoulder, Fujiko murmured, "I'm still considering that. Before the vanguard led by him, General Elizabeth, attacks Earth in the Samurai Gundams. I didn't expect him to be promoted to General so quickly."
"Then we didn't expect to become Elizabeth's subordinates…" Shinpachi muttered wryly. Then, seeing Kawai Elizabeth kneeling with one knee before Elizabeth's machine, he became more agitated, "What is that idiot doing?! Tsukuyo-san…"
"I told you, you can't let your guard down for even a moment with that man." Tsukuyo replied indifferently, folding her arms. "Just one moment of inattention…"
"How obsessed with robots can that idiot be?!" Shinpachi muttered anxiously, "Ah, this is bad! He's definitely going to say something strange! He might get exposed! Why is he posing like Zaku's classic kneeling position? And it's the most iconic Zaku invasion of the colony door opening pose? He's already exposed, right? Completely exposed!"
"What do you want to report?" Elizabeth noticed the newcomer, raised her signboard, and leapt to land in front of Kawaki.
"General! Please include me in the vanguard to attack Earth in the Samurai Gundams!" Kawaki raised his signboard.
"That idiot defected in an instant! He defected instantly for a chance to pilot a Samurai Gundam!" Shinpachi ranted.
"The vanguard roster is confirmed based on the number of Samurai Gundams." Elizabeth raised her signboard.
"No! There's an unused Samurai Gundam over there! Please assign it to me!" Kawaki stood up and pointed at a Samurai Gundam with missing legs, raising his signboard.
"What are you doing?! Kawaki-san!" Shinpachi clenched his fists anxiously.
"That unit… is incomplete and unfit for battle." Elizabeth raised her signboard again. " A samurai gundam unable to perform at 100% is not allowed to deploy."
"Legs are just decoration. The higher-ups wouldn't understand." Kawaki chuckled softly, raising his signboard again.
"Your head is just decoration!" Shinpachi ranted again, cold sweat dripping, "He almost wrote idiots instead of higher-ups! This is really bad! We're completely doomed!"
Elizabeth was taken aback and raised her signboard: "Does the Samurai Gundam have unknown capabilities?!"
"There really is an idiot among the higher-ups!" Shinpachi screamed internally, clutching his head.
"Resistance will only lead to needless death, and I will engrave that lesson into the Earthlings with this Samurai Gundam!" Kawaki raised his signboard again.
"Then… as you wish, but follow orders." After lowering the signboard, Elizabeth turned and walked away.