By The Gundam Legilis blocks Kio and Asemu, and Ezelcant orders Kio to come back with him. The G-Exes Jackedge and Shaldoll Rogue attack Ezelcant, but he easily destroys both with a beam saber. Asemu declares that he’ll distract Ezelcant and gives Kio the coordinates for the rendezvous point. Asemu transforms and charges at Ezelcant. Ezelcant fires at Asemu and dodges his wire hooks. Asemu tells Kio again to leave, and he dodges Ezelcant’s close range attacks. Ezelcant then launches multiple bits, so Asemu transforms and flies off. Kio uses his X-Rounder senses to destroy several waves of the bits, but Ezelcant uses the opportunity to sneak up behind Kio and kick him. Asemu spins his wire hooks to create a makeshift shield against the bits. Ezelcant tells both Asunos that the Gundam Legilis was created by combining the technology of the AGE-3 Orbital with the EXA-DB, so they have no chance of winning. Ezelcant again asks Kio to come back because he says Kio hasn’t finished his task. Kio says he can’t do that and knows that there are good people in the Mars Sphere, but he has to go back. Ezelcant then demands that Kio fight and defeat him if he wants to return to Earth, but Kio answers that he could never fight Ezelcant. Ezelcant then asks Kio if he thinks he can survive with such a weak mindset and attacks again. Asemu steps in and uses his flasher to blind Ezelcant. Ezelcant declares that he’ll take back Earth and ask its people if their lives are worthwhile. A wave of enemy fire comes in from a force of Dorados, Gafrans and Baqtos led by Zanald’s Xamdrag. Asemu and Kio are immediately surrounded, and Zanald suggests killing them both, but Ezelcant wants them alive. Kio asks what they should do, and Asemu says he’s got reliable companions. The Vagan forces suddenly come under fire from the Baronoke and its mobile suits, which had been concealing themselves with the invisible umbrella. Asemu takes on Zanald and uses wire hooks to grab onto the Xamdrag. Kio asks Ezelcant to stop this and says he’ll tell people on Earth about Mars. Ezelcant answers that he didn’t start this war to let Vagans emigrate to Earth, nor does he intend to exterminate Earthers. He then reveals the truth of Project Eden and says that humanity has fought since its birth and will eventually die out. That’s why he wants to create a new human race full of intelligent people who won’t fight each other. Through his research into genetics and the ability to cope with extreme situations, he’ll create a superior human race. That’s why he attacked Nora and Angel, and also why he staged similar accidents on Vagan colonies to create extreme situations. He wants to create a world without war, an Eden, and he draws Kio into an X-Rounder vision of such a world. Ezelcant says there will be no Federation or Vagan, but only a war for the superior human race.
Asemu continues to attack Zanald and wraps wire hooks around the Xamdrag, which Zanald easily breaks out of. Asemu then attacks at close range and pulls back. He tries to attack from behind, but the Xamdrag’s tail whips him away. Bisidian’s forces continue to destroy Vagan mobile suits, but they suffer loses as well. Raddock is informed that they have to wait five more minutes, and he blames Ezelcant for throwing off their calculations. Kio asks Ezelcant why he needs to select people, and Ezelcant answers that it’s to save humanity from destruction. He believes a superior race will purge conflict from history, and when Kio asks what happens to those who aren’t selected, Ezelcant says sacrifices are necessary. He says that he lost Romy and doesn’t have long himself, but he tells Kio not to get caught up in the sadness of the present moment. Ezelcant releases more bits, which heavily damage the AGE-3 Orbital. Kio ejects the Core Fighter from the G-Viper just before it explodes and docks with the G-Cepter launched by the Baronoke to form the AGE-3 Normal. Ezelcant relentlessly attacks Kio with a beam saber and vows that he’ll open the door to a world where humanity can be proud of itself. He then recalls Romy’s final moments from years before. With his dying words, Romy asked Dorene what Earth was like and said he wanted to be reborn there. Ezelcant told Romy they would surely live there together, and Romy died. Ezelcant asks Kio why he can’t understand if he’s been reborn and appeared in front of them. Kio says there has to be another way where they don’t have to fight, but Ezelcant screams that there is none. Ezelcant’s bits damage the AGE-3 Normal, and it’s unable to keep up with Kio’s movements. The AGE-3 Normal’s appendages are destroyed, and Ezelcant holds back at the last second from killing Kio with his beam saber. Raddock addresses the Vagan forces and orders them to cease all combat activities, and three large asteroids de cloak next to the Baronoke. Raddock threatens to ram the asteroids into Second Moon, and Asemu uses the opportunity to grab the damaged Gundam and escape to the ship. The Baronoke then withdraws and sets course for the Earth Sphere. Raddock then detonates the asteroids, which were dummies filled with chaff smoke. Zanald orders his forces to pursue, but Ezelcant overrides him and says they can’t catch up. Zanald reluctantly complies and is angry they didn’t destroy the Gundam before. Raddock tells the bridge crew to get the alcohol out and celebrate the lives of their fallen comrades. Kio thinks about Ezelcant’s plan and doesn’t know what he should do. At Second Moon, a Vagan soldier welcomes all the new recruits, including Dean.
The third generation arc ends with Kio’s actions coming back to haunt him as the completed Gundam Legilis trashes both the AGE-3 Normal and AGE-3 Orbital. We’re exposed to the “true intentions” of Ezelcant’s plan, although I thought he had already revealed his that to Kio back in episode 37. Either way, his plan amounts to one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen, a sort of forced unnatural selection that sounds like a low-rent Destiny Plan. So Ezelcant wants to create a superior human race that is free of war… through constant war. Yes, one could try to argue that this isn’t so far off from the goals of Celestial Being or Treize Khushrenada and Zechs Merquise, but there are major differences. Celestial Being wanted to change a political system, and the Gundam Wing antagonists wanted to make people sick of war. Ezelcant’s plan makes no sense. How can war create a superior humanity without war? If anything, Ezelcant’s plan is having the opposite effects, because his unnatural selection is creating people like Flit, who went from a kind-hearted genius boy to a vengeful, militaristic old man. Somehow I doubt that Flit is the kind of person Ezelcant wants living in his Eden. I’m also not sure how Ezelcant intends to carry out his goals if he’s dying, especially since any Vagan who found out the truth would probably kill him. He’s also under the impression that Kio is literally the reincarnation of Romy, which makes his sanity questionable. He tells Kio not to get caught up in the sadness of the present, but his whole bizarre plan is the result of getting caught up in his own sadness. Having Dean join the Vagan military seems unnecessary, and I wonder how long it will be before he and Kio face off in battle. As far as the battle, I don’t see what’s distinctly Gundam about the Gundam Legilis aside from its color scheme, but it does fight impressively. While the AGE-2 Dark Hound might serve well for hit-and-run pirate attacks, it seems lacking compared to its earlier incarnations, particularly the AGE-2 Double Bullet. While we know more now about Ezelcant’s plans, in a way it makes less sense than when we had less information to go on.
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