Nobita's Time Heist

"Click!"

There was a crisp sound.

Unit-01 used its palm to support its shattered jaw, then abruptly lifted it upwards, forcefully shoving the jaw back into place. After only a few chews, the jaw, previously crushed by immense force, was restored to its original state amidst the writhing flesh. Its ambitious eyes remained untamed. Supporting itself on its slender arms, it slowly rose, warily scrutinizing its steel-forged opponent, emitting the signature hissing sound of its territory being threatened.

"Enough, enough, isn't it?" In the cockpit, Shinji, still in pain from his jaw, pleaded pitifully, "Please, don't hit me anymore..."

Baring its fangs and roaring, Unit-01 changed from standing on two legs to using four legs for propulsion, as if it had completely degenerated from a human into some kind of wild beast.

With a powerful leap, its body unexpectedly soared high into the air, stretching out amidst the storm and torrential rain. It opened its massive jaws and pounced on Alexander Cross's body. Its hands and feet gripped his, and with a sharp roar, it seized his shoulder armor, exerting tremendous force. The pressure caused an energy shield, composed of hexagonal light membranes, to unfold on the surface of the machine.

"roar-------!!!"

A fist, as large as a hammer, was raised high, like a master blacksmith striking repeatedly against Shanda Cross's shoulder and neck. As the speed of the punches increased, the shield on the surface of the machine flashed more and more frequently. It seemed that Unit-01 was determined to break through this layer of light.

"when--!"

"when--!"

"when--!"

……

Feeling the machine vibrate, Nobita was surprised by the feedback data transmitted from the point of force—even though it was just brute force, an unremarkable attack method like swinging a sledgehammer, the energy shield's reserves were rapidly decreasing.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" He took out an [Ability Tape] from his pocket, selected the "Fighting Master" tape specifically for close combat from among a group of tapes, and pushed it into his chest, muttering to himself, "Since that's the case..."

"I should get serious about this too."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"..."

If Alexander Cross were also a biological weapon, his eyes should have changed at this moment, becoming a sharp and intense gaze as if he had suddenly awakened his abilities.

Unfortunately, his "eyes" are actually a piece of armor that can emit high-energy electromagnetic radiation particle streams, so they don't have such agile changes. To onlookers, he simply reached out and, with a standard throw, grabbed the arm of Unit-01 hanging on him—the latter had no defensive awareness whatsoever, and despite having most of its body hanging on Alexander Cross, it easily gave away its arm.

Grab arm.

Next step.

Back to body.

work hard!

With a series of fluid movements, Unit-01 was once again launched high into the air, tracing a graceful parabola before crashing face-down onto the road. The eighty-meter-tall body immediately broke the road surface, and during its descent, it crushed countless streetlights and pulled in vehicles that couldn't escape in time, turning them into flat, mushy discs.

"Thump—!!"

Before Unit-01 could react, a kick with accelerated thrust arrived instantly, slamming into his abdomen from the side.

The kick sent him flying like a pebble, creating several craters in the road before he crashed solidly onto the facade of a building. The good news was that this building was a camouflage structure specifically built to provide weapons for the EVA units in combat; it was constructed to military standards and was therefore quite sturdy. The impact only caused the outer surface to sway slightly; there was no serious damage.

The subsequent attacks were swift and fierce, with fists raining down like a pile driver, continuously striking the fallen Unit-01.

The entire city trembled violently under this combination of attacks, with rubble on the ground bouncing around. The ripple-like shock even reached the underground command center, causing everyone watching to turn pale.

"boom---!!"

"boom---!!"

"boom---!!"

……

The power of each punch was so direct and so pure that it shocked both the commanders watching from behind a screen and the soldiers who received orders to rush to the front lines in the pouring rain.

At this moment, Shandong Cross was like an underground fighter engaged in unregulated combat; simply knocking him down wasn't enough, he had to render his opponent completely unable to get up. And the way to achieve this was to strike his vitals relentlessly, without any regard for martial ethics!

It's hard to imagine that this is the punching speed of a behemoth nearly 100 meters tall.

It was as if there was absolutely no delay, even faster than a real human athlete. Lungs, kidneys, heart, diaphragm, throat... every vital organ that could be used on a human was attacked. Because Nobita was using a "fighting master" ability tape, and all fighting techniques were invented to target human weaknesses, even though he vaguely sensed something was wrong, he had no other choice.

The data displayed on the interface showed that his seemingly powerful punches hadn't actually hurt his opponent, just as the opponent's two blows hadn't really injured him. In a sense, they were both just scraping each other.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Report, Commander! Ground forces have assembled, but Unit-01 is currently locked in combat with the target, making it difficult to completely avoid friendly fire!"

"What should we do..." Misato Katsuragi unconsciously started biting her nails. The sight of Unit-01 being brutally beaten to the ground by this much larger machine was heartbreaking for her. "Should we send Unit-01 into battle?"

Gendo Ikari stared silently at the numbers projected on the screen, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Even without a pilot, the berserk Unit-01 still managed to activate the AT Field.

Chapter 341: Gamma Ray Burst

The so-called AT field is a defensive method that the "Apostles" of this world are proficient in and can control at will. It is similar to a unidirectional unfolding of a warm white spectral dispersion concentric polygon, which is enough to greatly weaken physical attacks and can even defend against more abstract attack forms such as high temperature and radiation.

This is also why conventional weapons are helpless against the Apostles—no matter how fiercely they fight, with artillery fire, missiles flying everywhere, or even nuclear weapons being used, as long as they deploy their AT field, it all comes to naught.

With the advancement of human technology, almost all weapons operate on the principle of converting kinetic energy into destructive power. Once this method stops working, it means that conventional weapons will struggle to penetrate defenses. At best, they can only temporarily slow down the advance of the apostles through numerical superiority, and that's about it.

After repeated experiments, the only way to break the AT field was to generate another AT field from the opposite position and at a completely opposite angle, allowing the two fields to collide. The side that couldn't withstand the pressure first would be at a disadvantage and collapse on its own.

Just as he misjudged Sandy Cross's mobility, Nobita also misjudged his defensive capabilities. The way the AT field was formed was a fantasy in Nobita's universe and had not yet been widely used in combat. Although he kept punching, he never noticed the change in the situation—Unit-01, hiding under the field, was rapidly recovering its strength, its palms outstretched and pressed tightly against the ground.

The compressed AT field popped out from his palm, releasing a massive amount of kinetic energy in a virtually non-existent gap. Unit-01's body rose into the air in a very strange posture, breaking free from Alexander Cross's grip. The behemoth, over eighty meters tall, somehow managed to display "agility" in this movement, leaping over his head like a dolphin.

"Boom————!!!"

The two palms that were about to strike his neck were firmly intercepted by Da Xiong. The two behemoths, which were as big as skyscrapers, actually maintained a wrestling posture like sumo wrestling, like two bulls in heat, their horns touching and their bodies slightly arched, exerting force against each other.

At such close range, Nobita finally saw Unit-01's face clearly and was startled—judging from its appearance alone, it was a humanoid monster eighty meters tall. He struggled to describe what kind of creature's face resembled his. Green eyes, a pointed chin, a round head, and teeth that stretched from his face to his ears, yet it lacked ears, creating a bizarre and incongruous sight. At that moment, threatening growls emanated from its gaping maw, like a beast whose territory had been invaded and was preparing to retaliate.

"I see, so you'll just keep dragging this out until a winner is decided, right..."

Within seconds, the interactive interface displayed the opponent's information and weaknesses, presented to Nobita in the form of a 3D model. Its basic structure, including the location of the pilot's cockpit, had been thoroughly investigated.

"Click!" "Click!"

The reactive armor on its back quietly deployed, the nozzles began to preheat, and reddish-orange flame particles gradually gathered.

"bring it on."

"boom------!!!"

With the propulsion activated, it was as if a pair of magnificent wings of light had unfolded behind the machine. The original balance was instantly broken. Shandong Cross, who was still tightly gripping the other machine with his ten fingers, paused for a moment, then suddenly exerted force and pushed it backward!

In the first few seconds, Unit-01 tried to struggle, but faced with the enormous difference in power source, it was nothing more than a last-ditch effort. He let out a thunderous roar, struggling desperately with his arms, but he could not break free from his opponent's grasp. As the propulsion speed increased, his feet even left the ground, completely held in his opponent's hands, becoming his Achilles' heel.

Through a full-angle scan with the Life Radar, Nobita confirmed that most of the buildings in the city were empty, suggesting that the people were quite experienced in this type of large-scale warfare and had taken refuge early on. This reassured him somewhat, allowing him to fully utilize the capabilities of the Alexander Cross machine.

He gripped her wrist, twisted it hard, lifted Unit-01 off the ground, and slammed it into a building!

"Thump—!!"

"Thump—!!"

"Thump—!!"

"Thump—!!"

……

It crashed through several buildings in succession, and fragments of steel bars and concrete rained down on the two behemoths. The eye armor of the Alexander Cross began to charge, and a vibrant green particle effect gathered on its surface, emitting a sharp, piercing sound.

"??!"

Seemingly sensing danger, Unit-01 showed defensive intent for the first time, shrinking its body and deploying a visible AT field directly in front of it, completely covering the pilot's location.

"Zheng——————!!!"

The next moment, two beams of high-energy electromagnetic radiation particles roared out, striking Unit-01 squarely in the chest. At the center of the azure arc of light, bursts of pure, exquisite energy erupted, like a dazzling firework exploding on its surface.

The moment the spear and shield from two different worlds collided, even the aftershocks were enough to melt away everything around them.

The gloomy city, hidden in the wind and rain, was illuminated. Centered on the two, shockwaves burst forth, reaching almost every corner of the city. Even the ants hiding underground fled in droves.

……

Seeing the rapidly rising readings on the screen, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki's expression changed several times before he finally declared with certainty, "Gamma rays!"

"How could that be? That... isn't that something used in the lab to energize particles?" Misato Katsuragi didn't know much about these scientific things, but she did know some basic common sense, hence her astonishment. "It looks completely different in scale!"

"Theoretically speaking, only the explosion caused by the collapse of a giant star when it runs out of fuel can release a gamma-ray burst of this magnitude. The fact that the other side can use it as a form of radioactive energy attack... is enough to prove that the technology they possess is far beyond ours."

Fuyutsuki shook his head, his already troubled expression growing even more dejected, seemingly devoid of any confidence in the upcoming battle. "On an astronomical scale, a gamma-ray burst lasts from a fraction of a second to several hours, releasing enormous amounts of energy in a short period. Compared to the sun, the energy it releases in a few minutes is equivalent to the total amount of sunlight emitted over trillions of years, and the energy of a single photon emitted is typically hundreds of thousands of times that of typical sunlight. If it hits directly, it can instantly burn a large hole in Unit-01's body."

“But right now, they’re still at a stalemate…” Misato Katsuragi placed her hands on the command console, her eyes seemingly drawn to the screen, glued to it. “This means that even in the face of such a terrifying offensive, the AT field still has the capacity to resist, right?”

"I'm afraid it won't last long." Fuyutsuki sighed, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the silent Gendo Ikari, and said in a deep voice, "Being able to control gamma-ray bursts and weaponize them means that their technological level is far superior to ours. I'm afraid..."

“A single AT field with absolute defense is far from enough to close this gap.”

Chapter 342: Origin Technology, Breathtaking

"Thump—!!"

Without needing to give an order, Nobita simply thought about it in his mind, and the cockpit opened automatically. Nobita spread his arms, relaxed his body, and effortlessly let the high-altitude convection "sweep" him out.

The surrounding scenery changed rapidly. Raindrops lashed his face, and a strong wind ruffled his hair. After emerging from the mecha, his field of vision became incredibly expansive. His mastery of the bamboo dragonfly had reached a level of unparalleled skill. Unhurriedly, just as he reached his peak and was about to be captured by gravity and begin to fall, he gently slipped it onto his back.

Finally, Nobita revealed his winning advantage—something EVA could never match: even when separated from the mecha, his combat power remained undiminished. The main reason he stayed inside the mecha was for safety; the Sandro Cross mecha itself was a natural barrier, protecting him from attacks from all directions on the battlefield. However, even detached from the mecha, Nobita could still use his brainwaves to make it react, and his main body could still provide support using gadgets—doing both without any compromise.

"...?!"

Unit-01 seemed to realize something, tilting its head slightly towards Nobita's location, becoming even more anxious than before. However, the high-energy electromagnetic radiation particles emitted by Sandro Cross never stopped. To prevent the vital pilot plug from being penetrated, he had to keep the AT field constantly active, leaving him no time to deal with it.

"The outcome is decided..." Da Xiong reached into his pocket for the hilt of his sword, slowly drew out the gleaming, murderous, and extremely dangerous black longsword, and threw it away.

"【Magnifying Lamp】—!!"

A beam of light swept across the sword's surface, and in the next instant, a giant sword nearly eighty meters tall materialized out of thin air, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar. Every detail was magnified proportionally; the ground before it seemed as soft as tofu, easily piercing through. Even so, the portion remaining outside the sword was roughly the same height as the surrounding skyscrapers.

The previous "four-day decapitation operation" against the demon king, Hyakume-no-Kami, certainly wasted a lot of time and energy, and Nobita himself had a brush with death and suffered a great deal. The only decent trophy seemed to be the Kusanagi sword he obtained from the Yamata no Orochi. If he didn't use it a few more times, Nobita would always feel unsatisfied.

Alexander Cross swiftly gripped the hilt, and with a gentle lift, pulled the eighty-meter-long Kusanagi sword from the ground. Since he was currently using Nobita's mind, there was no delay. After drawing the Kusanagi sword, he spun it in mid-air, the blade drawing an arc of black flame in the air—a classic New Year's greeting sword technique—and struck the AT field deployed by Unit-01.

"Boom————!!!"

The clash between sword and shield produced a terrifying effect, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.

The black, poisonous flames attached to the sword spread out, and with a single lick of the flames, they scorched the reinforced concrete building into a gaseous state.

Regardless, the sword strike was blocked, but Unit-01 was also subjected to a tremendous recoil, staggered backward, lost its balance, and fell to the ground. It crashed into a section of the overpass, causing a chain reaction collapse, with massive rubble raining down and crashing onto the ground amidst the incessant honking of vehicles. Alexander Cross, holding his sword in one hand, slowly raised the Kusanagi Sword that had been dragged into the ground. Within his eye armor, the next high-energy electromagnetic radiation particle stream was poised to be unleashed, gleaming dangerously in the dim light. He walked towards him step by step, unhurriedly.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

……

The firm, powerful footsteps reverberated through the ground, landing in everyone's hearts like a heavy judgment.

When everyone was completely silent, even such a cold voice became a shot in the arm.

"Unit Zero." Gendo Ikari, still resting his chin on his hands, his glasses reflecting a cold light, said expressionlessly, "Ready?"

And so, everyone heard that clear, melodious voice, yet without the slightest hesitation, through their headsets.

"Yes, we are ready to strike at any time."

"Wait a minute!" Misato Katsuragi looked up in disbelief at the man sitting in the shadows, seemingly devoid of all emotion. "Are you serious? She's injured so badly, she can barely even hold the controls, right? The previous experimental data clearly shows that her integration with the EVA is far from being ready for combat. The enemy pilots are far more experienced than us. Sending her up there is pointless; we might as well send the ground troops..."

"Using her as bait is better than having her serve no purpose at all." Gendo Ikari's voice was completely flat. Sometimes, Misato Katsuragi really wondered if behind this seemingly human body was a cold machine.

"Yes, no problem." The cool, clear voice of the girl seemed to be cut from the same mold as his. Even knowing the nature of her mission, she showed no dissatisfaction or wavering, not even a trace of extra emotion. "I will be responsible for attracting the attention of the enemy mechs and buying time for Unit-01 to escape."

In the unbearable silence, Gendo Ikari slowly rose, adjusted his glasses, and surveyed everyone with a cold gaze.

"Some of you may already know that the person piloting Unit-01 is my son. But I want to clarify to you all that what I'm about to do is absolutely without any personal motives. No matter who is in Unit-01, my decision will not change."

"Faced with Angels and unknown enemies, conventional weapons have proven ineffective. Only EVA units, which share the same origin, are the last hope for saving humanity."

"Unit-01 was born carrying such hopes, and in the subsequent plans, it undertook an unimaginably important task! It took such a huge amount of time, money, and energy, almost exhausting the social resources of all countries, to create only a few units that could be put into combat. If it were destroyed here, it would be a heavy blow to all of humanity."

"Of course I know that Unit-00 is also very important, but compared to Unit-01, it was just our first successful prototype. Now that a powerful enemy is coming, it will be difficult to help Unit-01 escape its predicament with ground-based firepower alone. We need a target that is about the same size as the enemy."

"I will not reiterate the importance of this mission. The next ten minutes will determine the future of humanity! All responsibility must be assigned to specific individuals, all actions must be carried out according to orders, and no unauthorized actions are permitted!"

"Special operation to rescue Unit-01, operation commences!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The girl felt a little unfamiliar sitting on Unit-00 again, but fortunately, the neural connection went smoothly this time.