The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is an special mission featured in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. This bonus mission is unlocked by completing the game three times on all Ace Styles (Mercenary, Soldier & Knight). Rank does not matter.

Overview
The Gauntlet takes place in Airspace B7R, the "Round Table". In this mission, players will face a series of enemy ace squadrons from the main storyline. However, said aces will depend on the player's Ace Style in the curret "Continue" - for example, if the player is a Mecenary Ace, they will begin with the Rot Squadron. The only encounters by default are those with the Gelb & Espada Squadrons.

The BGM for this mission is the game's title overture, Zero.

Ace Squadrons
As mentioned before, the ace squadrons the player will have to engage (sans Gelb & Espada) depend on the player's Ace Style.

Mobius One
The player has the opportunity to engage in a one-on-one showdown with Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies's Mobius One if the appropiate conditions are met. In order to engage Mobius One, the player must engage & destroy the Espada Squadron under one minute in Ace difficulty. Afterwards, the Sorcerer Squadron will spawn & head towards the player, with a single, unknown target following behind. Said aircraft eliminates all Sorcerer aircraft with a missile salvo in seconds-- this aircraft is an F-22A marked "Mobius".

Encounter
Mobius One stands out from other ace pilots thanks to his combat AI: he can launch 4-missile barrages, pull 90° high-G turns and fire missiles backwards.

Trivia

 * The Gauntlet's namesake likely derives from the phrase "running the gauntlet", a military punishment where a soldier is forced to run through two rows of soldiers (the gauntlet) while being pestered by them.