Chapter 104 136: Get Unit-01 Up Here!

In the operations conference room, everyone gathered together, even Asuka and Rei, who had been on standby in their EVAs, joined in.

Because the 11th Angel was so abstract, both girls were still bewildered. Where was the passionate monster-on-monster brawl? How had it turned into a scene from a cyberpunk film? The dense, scrolling data made their eyes swim with dizziness.

"After changing the MAGI clock sequence, the Angel's intrusion speed has slowed significantly. Through calculations, it is clear: Ireul has not committed its full computing power to eroding MAGI."

"Furthermore, in the central corridor, physical erosion is continuing, but the speed is so slow that it is difficult to observe."

Ritsuko Akagi pointed to data fluctuating in subtle increments, glancing at a visibly embarrassed Misato Katsuragi. They had almost fallen into a trap again; destroying MAGI wouldn't eliminate the Angel, and the result would be catastrophic.

Without this AI, the underground city would lose all control, even losing the ability to monitor itself. If the Angel then fully spread physically, what would stop it? Would they have to use manual labor to search for a lifeform the size of a bacterium?

"A two-pronged attack? Eroding MAGI while quietly spreading physically."

Shinji didn't feel embarrassed. Operational errors were common. He watched the massive, blood-red image, lost in thought. The Angel had polluted a vast area like a bacterial carpet; physical excision was no longer possible.

"We must find its core. As long as it is an Angel, it must have a core. Smashing the core is far simpler and more direct than whatever input-program nonsense you're attempting."

After thinking for a long time, Shinji stuck to his old method: annihilating the enemy physically. It was the only thing he could do. AI, computers, and the like were outside his areas of expertise—he couldn't exactly use an incense burner to soothe the machine spirit of MAGI.

As soon as his proposal surfaced, Misato and Ritsuko immediately began to argue.

"But it's too difficult! I've already said the Angel's individual units are bacterial in size. Its core would be like a cell nucleus—how are we supposed to find something so tiny?"

"What about B-block basement? Perform a total purge of that area."

"The Ireul evolves. Laser beams are useless now. Are you prepared to drop an N2 mine in there?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Of course it isn't! What if it has a special core like the Bardiel? If we fail even once, it could develop an antibody to N2 mines. Besides, what if B-block is just a decoy?"

Shinji listened quietly. Both had valid points, forcing him to constantly refine his train of thought. He raised a hand, and the arguing stopped instantly. Everyone, including Gendo Ikari, focused their gaze on him.

Everyone wanted to hear what this "Angel-slaying expert" had to say.

"There is something the Angel cannot adapt to, which can be used as a means of attack."

"An AT Field. Energy that transcends the physical universe."

Ritsuko understood instantly, then shook her head: "You want the EVA to enter B-block and deploy an AT Field directly? No, the EVA is too large. Unless you actively dismantle the headquarters itself."

"B-block basement might not be the Angel's main body. It has already spread through a third of headquarters. With such a large surface area, any single bacterium could be the core. Do you want to sterilize the entire thing? That's no different from blowing up the headquarters."

"No. That would require the EVA to penetrate deep into the contaminated zone, risking erosion." Gendo Ikari spoke up suddenly, and his logic was sound.

An invasive Angel the size of a bacterium—you couldn't deploy an AT Field at every single second. One scrape, and you'd be infected.

Shinji didn't refute him; he pulled up more images and data.

"Have you noticed? When the Angel 'exerts effort,' it generates high heat. Can we track it in reverse through this phenomenon?"

Ritsuko paused, then began calculating. Before long, she took off her glasses: "Theoretically, it's feasible. After adjusting the MAGI clock sequence, external stimuli have weakened, and the heat radiated by the Angel has diminished. But the problem remains: B-block basement is the core of the contamination source; even if we tore down the headquarters, it would be difficult to get close."

On the screen were those severed limbs soaking in water. This area had to hide the Angel's core, but it was too small to observe with the naked eye.

The golden, circuit-like patterns had dimmed. Shinji even read a sense of leisure and mockery from it. Whether physically or digitally, it wasn't in a hurry. Slowly eroding whichever side it chose would lead to success.

It was brain-racking, but an Astartes never wavered. As long as he could confirm the Angel could be physically annihilated, it was enough.

"Unit-00, Unit-02, go to the central corridor. Deploy AT Fields to purge it. Remember to cover for each other; don't let the Angel touch you."

"Understood, Ikari-kun."

"Leave it to me."

The two girls, who had been listening in confusion, nodded hurriedly. Whether it was bacteria or air, they just had to follow orders.

Fuyutsuki quietly glanced at Gendo. The central corridor led to Terminal Dogma—was it really okay to send two EVAs there? But Gendo remained with his hands folded, motionless, making one wonder if he had fallen asleep.

"You want to create a manufactured confrontation? Thereby forcing the Angel to 'exert effort'?"

Ritsuko understood instantly, frowning as she pondered: "But I can't guarantee the reliability of the sensors. MAGI has been breached; the Angel could be creating false targets. Even the images we see now might not be real."

"Don't worry. I have a more direct method of detection."

Shinji didn't answer directly; he didn't need any sensors to begin with.

"You aren't thinking of using that thing, are you? That's too stupid."

Gendo finally spoke, leaving the others completely lost.

"I'm not as arrogant as you. If the risk is too great, it would be better to blow up the headquarters."

Shinji coldly retorted. He certainly wasn't going to use the Adam embryo as bait; that thing wasn't a panacea. Ignoring Gendo, he issued his orders: "Dr. Akagi, you handle MAGI. The principle is simple: give the Angel hope, let it continuously increase its power consumption. You don't need to worry about the rest."

Once Shinji made up his mind, he gave no one a chance to refute him, raising his hand to silence Ritsuko.

"Get Unit-01 up here. Begin the sterilization operation."

.

.

.

"Ugh, so gross."

Asuka stood in the massive, cylindrical corridor, looking at the flickering red light spots above. Goosebumps broke out across her skin, and she couldn't help but hang her head.

'Is the 'Terminal Dogma' down here?'

The pitch-black corridor was like an abyss, leading to unknown places. She knew nothing of the world's secrets; all she knew was that her duty as an EVA pilot was to stop the Angels from reaching Terminal Dogma.

"Sometimes, I truly envy you."

Standing on the same platform, Rei Ayanami said quietly. She envied Asuka's "ignorance"—living without any burdens at all.

"Huh? What are you randomly talking about? Envy what?"

"Nothing."

"How can you say only half of it?"

"I envy that you're pretty."

"Hmph, you should envy me. No, wait—you're definitely lying to me! Explain yourself!"

"Shut up. We are currently in combat."

Shinji roared, and the arguing stopped instantly. Rei apologized immediately, while Asuka grumbled under her breath about how "he didn't have to be so mean just because he wouldn't talk."

"Remember: maintain cover for each other while purging. Keep a proper distance. Do not make direct contact with the Angel."

"What if we get infected?" Rei asked.

"Use your AT Field to purge it. If that doesn't work, perform a physical excision."

"Understood."

'Wait—physical excision? Isn't that just dismemberment?' Asuka realized, but before she could protest, the comms were cut. Other than cursing the classless idiot, there was nothing she could do.

"Dr. Akagi, are you ready on your end?"

"We are ready. We will restore the clock sequence in a moment and deploy all firewalls. Another team is handling the reverse-positioning." Ritsuko hesitated for a moment. "Is this really going to be okay?"

"Evolution is the Ireul's signature, but evolution implies greed. When multiple evolutionary paths are laid out before it, it will expend every ounce of its strength to seize them all."

Shinji's tone was certain. No matter how cunning, how learned, or how evolved the Angel was, it couldn't change the essence of their being as mindless xenos. He knew all too well how desperate the hunger for evolution could be.

"Begin operation."

On his order, both sides deployed simultaneously. The elevator platform pushed the two EVAs into the contaminated zone. Seeing the red light spots accelerate their spread, Asuka felt her scalp tingle.

'AT Field, deploy.'

A powerful soul energy expanded. As Shinji had said, the Angel could adapt to any kind of attack, but it could never adapt to an AT Field.

It was erased at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the EVA within reach triggered the Angel's instinct for evolution. Whether MAGI or EVA, both represented evolutionary directions—how could it miss such an opportunity?

[Angel, AT Field intensity increasing.]

[Proliferation speed exceeding 300%.]

The two AT Fields collided. Unit-02's speed grew slower and slower, and "bacteria" began to spread downward. Rei Ayanami didn't hesitate to move in and support her.

The two sides were locked in a tug-of-war, and such a struggle produced an abnormal energy reaction.

"Let's start on our end, too. Adjust the clock sequence back to 5 seconds. Deploy all firewalls."

Ritsuko wasn't idle, either. As she issued the orders, the sound of clattering keyboards erupted. Dozens of operators were competing in calculation speed against an Angel that had evolved into a biological computer. They immediately fell behind as the invasive red color began to spread rapidly.

The restriction was lifted, and a second evolutionary path was revealed. The Ireul invested even greater energy, and just as Shinji predicted, it wanted everything.

The physical and digital onslaught left Ritsuko's hands soaked in sweat. She didn't blink, staring at the other screen.

This was the sensor, tracking the Angel's energy changes in reverse. The result was—

Dense heat reactions spreading from B-block to the Central Command Post. Her pupils contracted.

"We've been played! It rewrote MAGI's programming to create false targets using the sensors!"

The worst-case scenario. The Angel couldn't possibly have this many cores. It only meant the Angel had been prepared, and had played them for fools yet again.

Instinctively, she wanted to terminate the plan, but Shinji was one step ahead.

"Continue!"

"But..."

"I said continue."

Shinji's eyes widened. He didn't need visual sight; he opened his psychic senses to their absolute limit.

Shhh—

Unit-01 swung its power sword. The alloy walls were sliced through like paper. Transcending any sensor, his psychic energy acted as the guide.

'I've found you!'

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