EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 144 VS. The Angel of Power! Asuka's Resolve!

"Waaaaaah!!"

While letting out hysterical battle cries, he frantically hacked at the Eleventh Apostle's barrier with his high-frequency particle chainsaw...

"Damn it... completely unmoved... Waaaaaah!!"

Before the ribbons could flutter again, Asuka had Unit-02 dodge in a desperate move... Although a large chunk of the shoulder armor was scraped off, at least they avoided the fatal blow.

Meanwhile, Unit-00 continued to provide ranged support during the intervals between Unit-02's attacks... Even if it couldn't inflict damage, as long as it could draw a sliver of attention...

"It's coming! Asuka!!"

"I know...I know!!!"

The instant the eleventh apostle's eyes flashed once more, Unit 2 had already performed four or five backflips.

At the moment of each backflip, a pillar of fire shot into the sky from the location it was in just a second before, leaving a trail of shattered light on the twilight sky.

"……call…"

Looking at the four or five large craters in front of him with lingering fear, he thought, "Even if we win, the entire base will probably have to be rebuilt."

Still shaken...? No, it should be, filled with gratitude!

The Eleventh Angel is indeed powerful... possessing the strongest level of Absolute Domain and destructive power that can almost instantly kill EVA!

A living fortress, both offensive and defensive, even more terrifying than the Thunder Angels... But!

His fighting style is also very monotonous!
As the eyes flashed, a cross-shaped beam of light shot into the sky…

To materialize the absolute territory, through the impact and crushing of rainbow-colored crystals…

And those two seemingly soft ribbons, which suddenly contracted and emitted sharp slashes!
The Eleventh Apostle's attack methods...! There are only these three! And these three attack patterns, which are almost always fatal upon first encounter, have all been discovered by that idiot!
If any of these moves were ones I'd never seen before... I or Unit-00 would definitely be lying on the ground by now.

It was precisely because that idiot Shinji had tested out all of the Eleventh Angel's attack patterns before he fell that he and Rei were able to engage in such a smooth struggle with Him.

—That's incredible.

What's right in front of me is... the strongest and most ferocious apostle to date...

They were facing a situation where... one wrong step would mean certain death!
But at this very moment, there was not a trace of fear in my heart! Only—

“…Cover me! Ali!”

The only fulfillment and joy is being able to fight side by side with Ali and that idiot!
On all fours, mimicking a wild beast... using his limbs to provide the highest level of explosive power, he roared toward the eleventh apostle.

"……!straight line?!"

This time, Unit-02 did not charge towards the Eleventh Angel in an S-shaped serpentine pattern like Unit-01 did, but instead chose a straight line…

Even if a pillar of fire shot into the sky behind them with every step forward, they paid no heed.

"We're about to be caught...!?"

But, in that case... if the eleventh apostle just slightly adjusts its position, wouldn't Unit-02 be...?
"Code Reversal!!! Cipher!!! THE BEAST!!!"

"Varied…!?"

At the same time that the eleventh apostle corrected the position of the pillar of fire... Asuka also corrected her own action pattern.

Misato Katsuragi didn't know when it happened... but it was clearly during Asuka and Mari's private conversation...

"...Is that so? Is this your resolve, Princess?"

From a distant sniper position, through the scope of the Yang Particle Heavy Sniper Cannon, one could see Unit 2, transformed into a humanoid monster, charging menacingly toward the Eleventh Angel.

There was a hint of sadness in Mari's voice, but more so, a sense of relief...

The night after drinking—

When Misato Katsuragi came to Shinji Ikari's room to ask about the truth behind her father's death... Mari took the drunk Asuka back to her room.

As soon as he put Asuka down, she grabbed him and threw him onto the bed. "Tell me, what move did you use back then... that... Beast. Unit-02, you can use that too, right?"

"It will be very painful, Princess."

"...It's okay. The real pain is when you need strength but can't do anything!"

——THE BEAST! ! ! ——

With a ferocious roar, Unit-02's spine and all its limiters were expelled from its body by the scorching air currents.

"The insertion plug has penetrated deeply! Depth...! -255! The interior of the insertion plug is undetectable!!"

Unlike previous simulated battles, which... even when using coded mode, were merely numerical simulations generated by the central computer MAGI... the insertion plug would not actually be involved in the contaminated area.

Right now, Unit-02's insertion plug... is really carrying Asuka, hurtling headlong towards an irreversible position!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Unit-02 roared along with Asuka!

The beast's howl caused the machine's speed to more than double, naturally leaving the eleventh apostle, who was still aiming at the original angle, far behind!

"Ora!!!"

"It's broken?!"

Everyone stared in disbelief as the Absolute Territory, which was previously unshakeable by any weapon, was now under the claws of the beast-transformed Unit-02!
Literally, it means shattering like glass! Scattering in all directions!!
"Unit 2! Absolute Territory reading...! Exceeds observable value! Overheating! All limiters shut down...!!"

However, in exchange for this power... the price is that Asuka has now entered a realm from which there is almost no turning back.

"Asuka...!!"

Having witnessed Asuka's resolve... Rei Ayanami naturally had to respond!

While relentlessly suppressing the Eleventh Angel with firepower, Unit-00 also launched an attack on the Eleventh Angel from another direction...

"Ughhhhhh!!"

Layer upon layer… With each swing of her hands, each swing of her claws, Asuka felt a faint cracking sound coming from deep within her brain…

But it doesn't matter! As long as it's possible in times like this...

"Asuka!!"

"Eh…?"

Because of her overly high fighting spirit and overheated mind in Beast Mode, the price was... Asuka was no longer able to make the most appropriate adjustments...

Thus, the moment the eleventh apostle retracted his sleeve was overlooked...

By the time he reacted, the two sharp blades, compressed to their limit, were already pointed at his throat.

"tomorrow……!?"

Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami screamed together… but at this distance, there was nothing they could do; they could only watch helplessly as Unit-02 was attacked by the Eleventh Angel…

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu""

However, with the boy's roar...

A pair of dark brown arms suddenly and eerily emerged from under the floor!
They grabbed Unit 2's feet from underground and pulled it forcefully to the ground...!
Although Unit 2 crashed to the ground in a very miserable way, it avoided a fatal blow that would have been fatal!

"…………here you go…"

Shinji Ikari offered a faint compliment…

“I knew you could do it, Dongzhi…”

(End of this chapter)