Chapter 68: The Power of the Art of Shifting Shadows

Cries of distress echoed incessantly throughout the Archangel.

“Are you my dad? Then who am I?” A young boy, his hands shaking, pointed at a middle-aged man.

“Where did my privates go?” A tall, striking woman shamelessly lifted her skirt, frantically searching beneath it.

“Damn you! How dare you take advantage of me!” A man with a full beard slapped another man—his own body—across the face with a resounding smack.

The handsome man, clutching his reddened, swollen cheek, burst into tears without hesitation.

Archangel, dining hall, two couples.

“There, there, Flay, don’t cry, calm down.” Flay (Sai), holding the tear-streaked Sai (Flay) in her arms, comforted her in a gentle voice.

Ugh...

“But, but, how am I supposed to show my face like this?” Sai (Flay), with dainty fingers, wiped the glimmering, crystalline tears from her eyes.

Please, enough already...

“Are we lucky or unlucky to end up like this?” Tolle (Miriallia), watching the other couple’s endless commotion, sighed.

“With so many people on the ship, it’s fortunate that only the two of us switched bodies! If anything, it proves the strength of our bond.” Miriallia (Tolle) hugged Tolle (Miriallia) from behind, and Tolle (Miriallia) leaned into her shoulder, their faces filled with warmth.

Enough!!!

(Writing this is making me dizzy, thought Liang Yi.)

“What in the world is going on?” Mu (in his own body), who had just regained consciousness in the restroom, gaped in shock at the chaos on the ship.

“Mu? Is that really you, Mu?” The captain, rarely seen wearing her officer’s cap, seized Mu and tugged at his cheeks.

“Major Murrue, please calm down.” Mu seized the opportunity to take her hand—taking advantage, perhaps.

“I’m not Major Murrue. Please address me as Ensign Baccy Lulu.” A clear blush appeared on the captain’s face.

“Huh?” Mu doubted his own ears. The hair color, the eyes, the figure, and that unmistakable chest—by any measure, it was the captain, wasn’t it?

“Were you just thinking something terribly rude?” Murrue (Baccy Lulu) gripped Mu’s hand, squeezing it hard.

“Ow, ow, ow! That grip! You’re definitely Ensign Baccy Lulu!” Baccy Lulu’s own strength far surpassed Murrue’s—though how Mu knew this was a mystery.

“So it seems you really are Mu.” Baccy Lulu drifted in from the corridor, sighing helplessly.

“Sorry, and you are...?” This time, Mu dared not guess, slipping unconsciously into polite speech.

“Murrue Ramius, captain.” Baccy Lulu (Murrue), for the first time since middle school, could see her own feet while standing upright. And at that moment, as Murrue (Baccy Lulu) experienced this, Baccy Lulu (Murrue) felt as though something had been lost.

“You’re Captain Murrue, and you’re Ensign Baccy Lulu, so this, that...” Mu’s ability to form sentences completely failed him.

“It appears Mr. Mu has escaped unscathed.” Hao Ren entered, accompanied by two girls. But unlike before, the girl named Yaya now wore a black bodysuit, clutching a book tightly, while the girl called Little An wore a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, clinging to Hao Ren’s left arm.

“Don’t do anything weird with my body. I hate perverts the most.” Yaya (Little An) pinched Hao Ren’s waist as he laughed.

“Even if Master wanted to do something odd, you wouldn’t refuse, would you, An?” Little An (Yaya) teased her sister, watching Hao Ren’s grimace in pain.

“Could this be the work of ZAFT’s players?” Hao Ren speculated...

Item: [Enhanced Body-Swap Mirage, AOE Edition]. The upgraded area-of-effect version of the Body-Swap Mirage. Costs 150 LP to activate, and has a high probability of swapping the souls of any two creatures within one meter of each other. The higher the spirit stat, the greater the immunity to the effect. The area of effect covers a 150-meter radius. For instance NPCs (excluding bosses), the effect is permanent; for players and summoned creatures, the duration depends on the user’s intelligence stat. The two swapped souls must not stray too far apart—if they miss the window to return... (smirk). Note: To restore the souls of instance NPCs, use the item again—Niu Xiangxiang looks forward to your next visit.

With the Eighth Fleet ahead and ZAFT’s pursuers behind, the chaos aboard the Archangel was forced to subside. Everyone returned to their posts, making full preparations.

Those unaffected were extremely few. After a rough count, only Mu, Kojiro, four bridge crew (who, all huddled together, somehow avoided swapping—did their supporting-role stats surpass even Hao Ren’s?), Hao Ren himself, and a handful of civilians remained unchanged.

When Hao Ren saw Kira appear in Lacus’s body, he nearly choked from laughter.

He was dying to know: when Athrun saw this new being—a fusion of his best friend’s soul and his fiancée’s appearance—would he be overjoyed, or utterly devastated?

In Hao Ren’s view, it could only be described as highly entertaining!

Archangel, bridge.

“Our fleet will rendezvous at the designated point at the appointed time. After joining up, the Archangel will come under the fleet’s command and proceed to meet the main force at the designated location. We’ll be there soon—I hope you all stay safe,” a high-ranking, big-nosed officer encouraged everyone from the main screen.

“I am George Allster, Deputy Minister of Atlantic Federation Affairs. First, allow me to thank you for your efforts in rescuing civilians. And—I see my daughter, Flay Allster, is among those saved. If possible, I’d love to see her immediately.” The deputy minister, Flay’s father, looked positively delighted.

All eyes on the bridge turned to one person.

Flay (Sai) instantly felt crushing pressure.

“Ahh! How am I supposed to explain this?” Curled up at the electronic warfare station, Flay (Sai) clutched her head, her beautiful red hair now a tangled mess.

Archangel, maintenance bay.

Lacus (Kira), now clad in an Earth Forces women’s uniform and her long pink hair tied in a ponytail, was diligently calibrating the blackened Strike.

“Kid—no, girl—no, that’s so awkward...” Kojiro, one of the unaffected, wore a conflicted expression, unsure how to address Lacus (Kira).

Lacus (Kira) paused, doing her best not to dwell on the situation.

But...

It was just too humiliating! Never in his life had he worn a skirt before, damn it!