EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 143 The Angel of Power! The Strongest Apostle!

"It's up to you, Asuka...!"

Rei Ayanami made a decision in an instant upon arriving at the battlefield…

If we want to safely catch Unit-01 falling from mid-air, then someone must be responsible for distracting the Eleventh Angel.

"Eh!?"

Asuka's attention was focused on Unit-01 falling from mid-air, and she didn't have time to stop it...

By the time they realized what was happening, Unit-00 had already broken free of its cover and was charging toward the Eleventh Angel, who had regrouped and was now charging forward.

"...That won't do!"

Trying her best to imitate the fighting style of Unit-01, Unit-00 maintained a serpentine movement that prevented the Eleventh Angel from aiming at her, while firing her rifle.

However, even though Unit-00 had expanded its Absolute Territory to the maximum extent, it was still unable to neutralize the AT Field that had solidified into a vivid rainbow crystal.

"...Can't the Absolute Domain be neutralized?!"

Seeing the rifle bullets futilely shatter into pieces upon impact with that rainbow of colors... unable to budge this insurmountable barrier...

Misato Katsuragi watched with growing anxiety, for none of the previous Apostles had ever displayed such an unreasonable fighting ability.

"Unit-00's Absolute Terror Field has already neutralized the Eleventh Angel!? But..."

Ibuki Maya frantically corrected the parameters on the panel, but the more precise the calculations, the more despairing the reality before her eyes became.

"According to MAGI's calculations, and with Unit-00's Absolute Terror Field at full power... to break through the Eleventh Angel's AT Field, it would require..."

"How long will it take?!"

"Requires... continuous neutralization, for more than three hours..."

Ibuki Maya herself knew that in the midst of a battle where the slightest mistake could mean certain death, maintaining a neutral force field for more than three hours was simply a pipe dream.

"Don't worry about me...! Go provide support fire!"

Shinji Ikari, who had been thrown into the air, finally snapped out of his daze. At a time like this... he couldn't lose consciousness!

If I were to fall into a coma, I would be placing all the burden on this girl... I could not do something so irresponsible.

"But…"

Asuka wanted to say something more, after all, the altitude at which Unit-01 was flying was such that the two of them were having this conversation... Unit-01 hadn't even landed yet.

"Asuka—believe me! Go and protect Rei…!"

"...Okay, okay, okay! You idiot Shinji...!!"

With a decisive turn, they flanked Unit-00 from the side and launched a pincer attack on the Eleventh Angel.

"…careful!"

Another pillar of light and fire shot into the sky, erupting before Unit-00...

Shinji Ikari knew this was a common tactic of the Eleventh Angel: using the Flame Pillar to anticipate the opponent's movement... EVA had to dodge backward to avoid it, and at that moment...

"!!"

Those two fluttering sleeves will transform into spears that plunder life, piercing straight through...!
"Damn bastard...!!"

Just as Rei Ayanami sensed the approaching winds of death from a fleeting chill, Unit-02 had already completed its assault.

Just as the two ribbons of the Eleventh Apostle were about to be released, a powerful flying kick landed on the Eleventh Apostle from the side.

"Absolute Territory—!! Full Power!!"

The two's absolute domains tore and devoured each other in mid-air... Even if they couldn't break through the Eleventh Angel's impenetrable wall, they couldn't avoid being defeated by Unit-02's flying kick...

Along with the AT field, his entire body tilted to the side...

This slight tilt of the body caused the two sharp spears to lose their aim, and the ribbons that should have pierced through Zero's head instead shot out into the air above Zero's head...

"Okay... cough!" In the blink of an eye, the situation changed drastically, and Unit-01 crashed to the ground with a loud thud...

Even though Shinji Ikari had done his best to recover in mid-air, the height was simply too absurd, and the gravitational potential energy once again shook Shinji's mind.

He uncontrollably vomited, vomiting all the contents of his stomach into the LCL solution…

In an instant, the acrid smell of rust filled Shinji Ikari's nostrils... and everything before him blurred once more...

The ground seems to have vanished.

The material underfoot was no longer solid reinforced concrete, but clay... or even as soft as cotton candy, making it impossible to stand up.

"...Unit-01! Life support system malfunction! Brainwave disorder...!"

"Arrange an emergency evacuation..."

Upon hearing Makoto Hyuga's report, Misato Katsuragi frantically tried to arrange for the fourth emergency exit to allow Unit-01 to be withdrawn first.

But her words trailed off—because she knew…this apostle before her was neither the fourth nor the fifth apostle…

Using N2 landmines to blow things up can buy a few hours of time to deal with rotten fish and shrimp.

The Eleventh Angel—in a one-on-one fight, even Shinji Ikari's Unit-01 could only withstand the pressure for less than ten minutes…

If Unit-01 is withdrawn now... Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu will be killed by the Eleventh Angel within the next ten minutes! And the entire base's defenses will fall...!
"Sniper! Did they send someone...!?"

Shinji Ikari almost squeezed his way out, forcing his half-discharged vocal cords to continue functioning...

"Ah...! Hmm! Mari and Touji are in position. I plan to have Touji's Unit-03 operate the Yoko Cannon, and have Mari directly restrain the Eleventh Angel..."

"Let Toji face them head-on! Let Mari go to the sniping position...!"

"But……"

Misato Katsuragi paused for a moment... The reason she made this arrangement was because Toji Suzuhara's EVA piloting skills were the worst among everyone.

If it were him, he probably wouldn't have the agility and predictive ability... He'd be instantly killed against the Eleventh Angel... But if he were to take on the sniping position for the Yoko Cannon, he only needed to pull the trigger according to MAGI's calculations...

"Let him come! Let Dongzhi take my place...go and face the pressure head-on!!"

"Varied…!?"

For a moment, Misato Katsuragi thought Shinji Ikari had lost his mind after the fall.

Sending Suzuhara Toji's Unit-03 to take over from the nearly destroyed Unit-01 and withstand the pressure from the Eleventh Angel?! Isn't that murder...?! From any perspective, Katsuragi Misato doesn't feel that Suzuhara Toji is capable of...

"Let him come...!!"

Shinji Ikari let out a roar, causing the contents of his stomach to gush out even more dramatically... and everything went completely black before his eyes.

"Holy crap! Miss Katsuragi!"

Having already boarded Unit-03, Toji Suzuhara overheard the conflict between Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi and resolutely chose to launch.

"Toji-kun...! Alright! Unit 3, launch!!"

—Damn it, or...can't I stand up?

At this moment, Shinji Ikari was struggling in a state of dizziness and disorientation...

"...Shinji."

And in that hazy depths... it seemed as if I heard, from long ago... a woman's voice that I missed...

Shinji…

"Why...is it so painful...?"

Shinji…

(End of this chapter)