SWNOVELXO Chapter 65: Chapter 065 - Strike Freedom Gundam
BOOOOM—!
Strike Freedom blasted out from the naval base of the shipgirls, leaving behind a burning trail of blue plasma as it tore through the atmosphere.
Reuel piloted with ease, initiating at subsonic speeds and gradually expanding his flight radius above the ocean's surface.
Suddenly, two colossal water pillars erupted skyward near the Golden Horn military port—shockwaves created as the Gundam breached the sound barrier.
Standing at 18.88 meters tall and weighing approximately 80.09 tons, Strike Freedom was coated with Variable Phase Shift (VPS) Armor, a next-generation protective shell capable of withstanding both high-velocity projectiles and medium-level energy attacks.
"Whoa… This is way more thrilling than street racing."
Inside the cockpit, Reuel felt an overwhelming surge—a deep, visceral sensation that vibrated through his entire being.
It was like driving a supercar across an infinite plain of clouds.
"Commander! Commander, your speed's too fast!"
The voices of destroyer-class lolis filled the comms channel, laced with heavy breathing as they tried their best to chase him using their own rig-boosters.
Despite their ability to fly once their naval rigging was deployed, their multi-ton mass made it physically impossible to match a subsonic Gundam.
"Our boosters are for tactical maneuvers, not drag racing… Commander's cheating!!"
Akashi chimed in calmly from another channel, her tone relaxed but packed with technical detail.
"Strike Freedom can exceed this world's atmospheric limits. In theory, Commander, you could escape the planet entirely."
"But we do not recommend going too far, nya~. If you hit a rogue meteorite, there's no insurance for orbital recovery. Meong~"
"Understood."
From high above, Reuel took in a world that had irrevocably changed.
The cloud layers gradually parted, revealing the Imperial Palace—a massive colossus rising from the continent's core. Even from this altitude, its grandeur was unmistakable.
Below, the shipgirls' military base looked like nothing more than a sesame seed.
All around the construction zone, Mechanicus tech-priests, servitors, and Universal Bulins were hard at work, assembling the megastructure piece by piece.
Even in its unfinished state, the real-world rendition of the Warhammer 40K Imperial Palace was utterly majestic.
Near one of the auxiliary yards, units like Zaku II and RGM-79 were undergoing flight tests under the supervision of the Imperial Guard.
But the most unforgettable sight for Reuel was…
People from the Warhammer universe teaching yellow chicken-shaped manjuus how to farm.
Their methods… resembled dolphin training.
Far above the stratosphere, a massive orbital station was under construction—intended to link directly with the Imperial capital via an orbital elevator.
From this vantage, Reuel could view Terra Aeterna in its entirety.
There was no wasted land; every inch was optimized, planned, and in use.
Off in the far western horizon, toward the Americas, a supermassive military complex stood sentinel.
Reuel already knew who operated from there: Alice, Jill, Claire, Ada Wong, and Angie, overseeing the strategic expansion.
Around them, Imperial Guard forces were running full-scale training exercises, flanked by Terran Marines, Marauders, Firebats, and Medics—all drilling alongside Cadian Shock Troopers in massive combined-arms simulations.
"Commander, I've completed installing all of Strike Freedom's weapons as per original specifications," Akashi reported, rejoining the comms.
"You probably know the details better than I do, right?"
Reuel simply nodded, eyes locked on the weapon control interface.
Akashi continued:
Two MA-M21KF High-Energy Beam Rifles – An upgraded version of the Sirius model, capable of sustained fire. When combined, they form a sniper-mode cannon with immense penetrative force.
Dual Railguns and CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) – Mounted on the head and waist. Designed to pierce heavy armored vehicles, currently pending live fire tests against Leman Russ and Chimera tanks.
Beam Sabers and Beam Shields – For melee combat. Reuel favored close-quarters battle, but now he had plenty of ranged options.
But the deadliest of all…
Multi-Phase Blaze Beam Cannon, mounted in Strike Freedom's abdomen.
Tested at naval ports, this weapon was proven capable of obliterating Siren Purifier-class enemies.
Its projectile speed? 300,000 km/s—the speed of light. Effective range? Several kilometers. Fire rate? Instantaneous.
There was no kinetic or ballistic weapon on the planet that could rival it.
And of course…
The DRAGOON System—eight remote-controlled wing-mounted gun pods.
They detached and hovered mid-air, fully controlled via neural interface. Each pod was armed with a beam cannon, enabling 360-degree omnidirectional attacks.
In a one-vs-many scenario, Strike Freedom could lock on and destroy all enemies within seconds.
"Commander, don't get too cocky," Akashi added with a sly laugh.
"Strike Freedom is super powerful… but it's also an energy hog. Running full systems will overheat the reactor, nya~!"
Reuel initiated the DRAGOON deployment.
Click—
The eight wing-mounted units detached and took flight, forming a defensive ring around the Gundam.
In an instant, the targeting systems auto-locked onto several submerged targets beneath the sea.
Bang—Bang—Bang!
The eight armed units fired beams simultaneously. Each shot struck its target with astonishing precision. The heat energy from the projectiles instantly vaporized the ocean surface, creating massive jets of steam that surged upward into the sky. The onlookers—both the shipgirl lolis and the universal bulin creatures—screamed in surprise, some out of awe, others out of fear.
Meanwhile, at one of the military bases…
An officer hurriedly submitted a report about someone firing weapons from a Gundam. But before the report could be processed, one of the Tech-Priests at the station lifted his head and said in a flat tone, "That's the pilot… the God Emperor."
Hearing that, the entire room went silent for a moment—then everyone went back to work like nothing had happened.
"So accurate!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That wave was HUGE!!!"
BOOOMMMM!!!
Strike Freedom accelerated further, breaking through the clouds and circling the Earth at high speed at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Its path cut across the entire Eurasian continent, leaving a rumbling sonic trail across the skies.
Piloting a machine this massive and flying freely through the air gave him an indescribable sensation—an exhilaration he had never imagined. His childhood dream, which he had once only enjoyed through anime on a screen, had now truly come to life. In this second life… he was really piloting an actual Gundam—not a replica, not a model kit, but a real combat unit.
From a military theory perspective...
Gundams—humanoid robots—are strange entities. They stand between two worlds: space fighters and armored ground tanks.
Compared to the military equipment from the Warhammer universe, their mobility and firepower can't compete with space warships like the Gloriana-class or Void Starfighters. On the other hand, in ground warfare, they're also less efficient than cheap tanks or crawling mechs capable of self-destructing.
The reason is simple: Gundams have anthropomorphic designs—arms, legs, even faces. All of that consumes valuable resources, whereas on the battlefield, a humanoid form is far from necessary. Imperium tanks allocate all materials into weapons and armor plating without caring about looking "cool."
They may be ugly, but they can fight on a galactic scale and face threats from multiple alien races.
But one undeniable advantage Gundams have...
THEY'RE FUCKING GORGEOUS!!!
Every man—no matter who he is—has dreamed of piloting a Gundam at some point. No matter how powerful galactic warships or apocalyptic machines are... Gundams symbolize the deepest desires of men.
Their design lines are strong. Their silhouettes are masculine and charismatic. Striking aesthetics meet unmatched maneuverability, whether in the air or in space.
Piloting a Gundam feels... equivalent to transforming into a Kamen Rider.
"Picture a brave commander riding an ugly-ass tank covered in spikes and cables across a battlefield..." Reuel chuckled. "But if he's riding a Gundam? Now that's legendary."
In terms of performance? For now, Reuel felt more than satisfied.
Speaking of which, Reuel realized that in the future, they might acquire all sorts of weird stuff from other worlds—and who knows, maybe all of it could be used to upgrade this giant toy.
He deliberately avoided asking the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus to build his personal Gundam. Not because he doubted their skill, but for one reason: if those Tech-Priests got involved, the machine would almost certainly be installed with a machine spirit.
And that... would be a nightmare.
It's better to ask Akashi—original production, no machine soul, no fanatic doctrines.
"By the way," Reuel suddenly said, "compared to the standards of the Imperium of Man's warships, where does a Gundam stand?"
That question made Akashi pause for a moment, rubbing her chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Hmm... that's kinda hard to answer, Nya~~~."
She weighed several data points in her memory before replying.
"Theoretically, the destructive power of your multi-phase beam cannon is almost on par with a capital ship's main gun... but only for ships under 5 kilometers in length. If you fired it at something like a Gloriana-class, chances are it wouldn't even scratch the shielding."
Akashi shrugged.
"I've never seen a Gloriana in person, but I've studied its design from the Mechanicus archives. The strength of a Gundam lies in its maneuverability and its ability to exit planetary atmosphere."
"But in terms of body durability... yeah, it doesn't even come close."
"Strike Freedom weighs, what, less than 100 tons?"
"So... this is like a glass cannon?" Reuel asked hesitantly.
Akashi slowly shook her head.
"Not exactly."
Then, in a lighter tone, she added:
"Besides, your own body, Commander, might be tougher than that Gundam."
"…"
"…"
A bitter truth that couldn't be denied: the most vulnerable part of any Gundam isn't the unit—it's the pilot. However, Reuel had the creeping feeling he might actually last longer if he were directly attacked... compared to if Strike Freedom took the hit instead.
After another loop around the sky, Reuel decided to land gently on a beach.
A crowd began to gather, staring up at the strange, massive figure with a mix of awe and confusion.
A few spry destroyer-class shipgirl lolis were already sprinting toward Akashi. They were fighting over who got to ride the remaining Unicorn, Barbatos, and Destiny Gundam units.
"Come to think of it, this thing's kinda huge," Reuel muttered.
Then in a more serious tone, he asked, "Akashi, do you think... we should build a dedicated ship for the Gundams in the future? Something like... an Imperium of Man warship, but our version?"
"If we don't, we won't even have a proper place to store them when we go full assault mode…"
"Stuffing them into a ship cabin? Hmm... that'd be pretty weird, ya know~~~." Akashi gave a small grin.
Reuel began to imagine it: a massive mobile fortress like a giant Phalanx, capable of storing and launching Gundam units like a hangar. It made sense, considering his personal Gundam was already over 20 meters tall—and there wasn't just one of them.
But of course, hauling something like that around would be a pain in the ass.
"In my opinion... unnecessary, Nya~~~."
Akashi scratched her head, then pointed at Reuel with a mischievous look.
"Commander Nya~~~. Remember the function of the Thought Cube? It can manifest a human's cognitive perception of an object…"
"If you truly think of something from the bottom of your heart—bang!—the power of that Cube will make it real, Nya~~~."
"So... tell me, what do you think you are now?"
"...?"
Reuel fell silent. Slowly, he looked around the cockpit. At that moment, he was seated inside Strike Freedom, his body fully connected to the system. The synchronization between man and machine had reached an unprecedented level.
Identity was starting to blur.
He exhaled deeply.
"…My gender is combat… er, I mean…"
He stared straight ahead.
"I think... I am Gundam."