As Aida Kensuke and Suzuhara Tōji stepped out of the bunker, they breathed in the fresh, cool air.
"Looks like coming out was the right move," Aida said, removing his binoculars with a proud grin. "If we hadn't, we'd never have seen this extraordinary sight!"
Tōji inhaled deeply, brows furrowed, his expression conflicted as he gazed into the distance.
Two massive shadows loomed before them—locked in fierce combat!
Compared to the Fourth Angel, the Day Angel Shamshiel was far stronger—naturally so. Since the Second Impact, each awakening Angel drew immense power from its internal S² Engine. The later they awoke, the greater their latent energy—and therefore their strength.
EVA Unit‑01 and the Fifth Angel's battle had reached a fever pitch.
Shamshiel's sinewy form writhed, its whip‑like tendrils lashing furiously toward the EVA. These tendrils were long, powerful—and dangerously flexible.
With a thunderous impact, Unit‑01 deftly dodged as Shamshiel's tendril struck a nearby building, tearing it apart!
Crumbling stone and steel hissed, steam billowing—Shamshiel's scorching limbs had melted the structure from within, briefly sending temperatures soaring into the thousands.
Unit‑01 slipped past the attack. Shamshiel roared in spite, then lashed out again with both tendrils.
But the evolved Unit‑01 ignored the assault. Holding its particle knife firm, it struck!
Its blade moved even faster than Shamshiel's tendrils, slicing clean through flesh and muscle—severing them instantly. The severed tendrils flew into the air!
Shamshiel howled in pain, its body trembling with agony.
"Victory!" someone cried from the command room—yet Misato Katsuragi's face remained grave.
As NERV's Combat Director and a seasoned Apostle scholar, she knew that the later-awakened Angels were exponentially stronger. This Day Angel was more powerful than the Fourth Angel—it was far from over.
And she was right. Almost instantly, Shamshiel's severed tendrils regenerated—fast and furious—and smashed Unit‑01 again!
Boom!
Unit‑01 was blasted skyward, leaving burn scars glowing white-hot. Steam hissed from the scorched metal as it slammed into the mountain behind it. NERV's control room fell silent.
"Heh—so true," murmured Ryōta Kitazawa, faintly. He had been testing Shamshiel's regenerative abilities—and analyzing the S² Engine, the Angel's heart and weakness. "Even destroying the entire body won't take it down unless we hit that core."
But Unit‑01 was no longer on equal footing—it had evolved beyond the Fifth Angel's class. It was now a higher life-form—on par with Lilith itself.
Misato, tense, demanded, "Where is the S² Engine? Analyze it—now!"
Her team worked furiously, sweat damp on brows.
"Damn it, Ryōta-kun, be careful! We're doing our best to find the Angel's weak point…"
She turned to the monitors—but then, amid the roaring of battle, another sound came through.
"Help! Help!"
The cries were faint, yet unmistakable. On the screen, two tiny figures huddled on a mountainside—shivering, screaming at the Titan EVA.
It was Tōji and Aida.
"What? Those two? What are they doing there?!" Misato slumped in her chair, horror-stricken.
The next wave could begin at any time—and if it did, those teens would be obliterated. The destructive power of the EVA-versus-Angel clash was unimaginable.
Scared stiff, the two boys were near-petrified; even the threat of death had frozen them in place.
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