Chapter 86 118: Supporting the Heavens with One Hand!

An Astartes does not believe in hopeless situations, much less in an invincible enemy.

Shinji mobilized every resource, utilizing the entirety of the UN forces to strike back. With those "antiques," he accomplished what even the EVAs could not.

"Do not be too quick to celebrate. This is only the first step."

Shinji remained calm, his eyes fixed on the screen as high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and optical satellites locked onto the Angel.

[Angel falling from Low Earth Orbit. Altitude: 450km, 430km... the speed is too high!] [First round of interception begins.]

Faced with this "palm technique from the heavens," an even more intense barrage of firepower rose to meet it. However, as the main body—the "Eyes"—this threat was on a completely different level compared to the previous orbital bombardment.

It didn't just have a stronger AT Field; it could actually dodge.

[First round of firing: Hit rate 7%. The Angel's descent trajectory is unpredictable!]

"This thing can dodge? I don't see any propulsion source on it!" Misato stared at the main screen, her brow furrowed.

Sahaquiel wasn't falling straight like a target; it moved in a sort of spiral trajectory that even the MAGI couldn't predict. This was a nightmare for the anti-air units. High-altitude interception relies on calculating an intersection point; if you can't predict the enemy's path, most shots will miss.

"Its propulsion source is the AT Field. This phase-space can be used not just for defense, but for attack and movement as well," Ritsuko Akagi said, significantly more composed as she gently swirled her coffee. "Sahaquiel is using its AT Field not just to dodge, but to accelerate."

Defense was easy to understand, and attack was not rare. As for movement... Misato suddenly remembered Unit-01's "water-walking" feat during the battle with Gaghiel and nodded.

"So the AT Field is its engine?"

"Yes. An engine that transcends physical laws. Those antiques have reached their limit; the rest is up to the EVAs."

"To be precise, it's up to Shinji," Misato murmured to herself. Her eyes were somewhat vacant because, on the main screen, the MAGI hadn't calculated an impact point at all. Only the blood-red countdown kept ticking down.

Given Sahaquiel's mass, even landing on the outskirts of the city would be enough to destroy Tokyo-3. The city was not small; how could an EVA reach the impact site the moment it landed and use its AT Field to push the Angel back?

The command center was silent. Sahaquiel was unsolvable during orbital bombardment, and its descent was like a divine punishment.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where exactly is it landing?!"

Asuka looked up. She could already see a small black dot against the crystal-clear sky. The MAGI's synthesized voice sounded like a death knell.

[Angel approaching. 300km... 270km...]

The speed was increasing. If it hit the ground, the resulting shockwave would be enough to shatter the continent and destroy everything within a hundred-kilometer radius.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...

From the sky, land, and sea, all kinds of anti-air missiles fired upward frantically, leaving a wake of steel and fire for the black dot. Most of the munitions missed, and the rain-like shrapnel that did strike the AT Field was useless.

Shinji didn't answer. He glanced at the tactical map. Unit-00 was at the firing position atop Mount Futago, new ammunition loaded. Unit-02 was positioned in the city center, while Unit-01 was on the outskirts.

"Misato, has the MAGI found the Angel's core?"

"Found it. It's located in the pupil of the left eye. Do you want Rei to take the shot?"

"That is impossible. At Mach 10+ and a spiral trajectory, no one can hit that." Shinji looked at the transmitted image; it was blurry, but the ruby-like core was distinguishable. It was less than five meters in diameter—theoretically impossible to hit.

"But if we wait until it hits the ground, it'll be too late. Should we take a gamble?" Misato was frantic. The ticking countdown felt like a bomb disposal scene in a movie; her heart was in her throat.

But Shinji's answer was simple: "An Astartes never gambles."

In the eyes of an Astartes, combat is a rigorous science—especially for a Librarian of the Blood Ravens, where precision is pursued down to the last decimal point.

[Psychic Read.]

His eyes flared with a pale, ghastly light. Massive psychic energy focused on the Angel. Unlike the MAGI's calculations, this was more like a prophet's vision.

"Three possible impact points, each 12 kilometers apart. No... given the EVA's mobility, we cannot make it in time."

Rejection. Activate the third contingency plan.

While everyone's hearts were in their mouths, Shinji remained like a clock: mechanical, cold, and steady. He pulled a box from behind his seat, concentrating his psychic energy to form a protective shroud, shielding it from the internal sensors.

"Hey! It's about to fall! What are we supposed to do?! Say something!" Asuka's sharp voice sounded like a scream.

"What are you panicking for? There is still a minute left."

"This damn thing is coming down! It's really coming down! Give me an order!"

This time, Asuka didn't talk back. She was truly terrified, her heart nearly stopping; like someone falling into the sea, she desperately needed a lifeline. When a gargantuan object plummets toward you at over Mach 20, no one can claim they aren't afraid.

In fact, the UN forces were already showing two distinct states: some had broken and were fleeing, while others were frantically aiming rifles upward and firing.

Beneath the wake of iron and fire, the Angel was now close at hand. Even Ritsuko Akagi lost her composure, frantically urging the MAGI to calculate the impact point.

"Stupid Shinji! Say something, or I won't let you off even if I become a ghost!"

Asuka was truly screaming now. They say the most torturous part is the moment before a bomb explodes; she finally felt the weight of that sentence.

"Shinji-kun... I want to say..." Rei Ayanami was much calmer, but her tone sounded like she was delivering her last words.

"Enough. New coordinates transmitting. Asuka, move there at maximum speed. Rei, aim for the same area."

Shinji interrupted suddenly. This time there was no questioning, no talking back. Unit-02 ripped away its umbilical cable and sprinted down the street.

Thump, thump, thump...

The massive machine swung its arms, leaving giant craters in the pavement. The girl, her face drenched in sweat, didn't care about anything else. Even if Shinji told her to fly up and headbutt the Angel, it was better than waiting to die on the ground.

'Finally, he moved.' Gendo Ikari let out a long breath. If not for maintaining appearances, he would have evacuated earlier. But a moment later, his expression became one of disbelief.

'I actually staked everything on that boy?'

"A gamble? Fine. Better than doing nothing and waiting for death," Misato clenched the cross on her chest, watching Unit-01 sprint without blinking.

Unit-01 leaped over high-voltage cables, charged brutally through forests, and caused landslides as it stepped on mountain peaks, kicking up ring after ring of white vapor.

[Unit-01 has broken the sound barrier.]

The sight of an eighty-meter tall steel giant running at supersonic speeds on the ground was a miracle that instantly diluted the terror of the Angel. Even if no one knew how he had predicted the impact point, as long as Unit-01 made a move, humanity felt secure.

Thump, thump, thump...

Shinji bobbed slightly in his seat, looking up at the sky. The black dot grew larger and larger until the giant eyes were visible. Sahaquiel had the absolute advantage; it only needed to use its instinct to dodge the EVA's interception and release all its energy into the earth. However—

"An Astartes never gambles."

Shinji opened the code-locked box beside him, revealing the strangely shaped embryo inside. Psychic energy could interfere with NERV's instruments to hide the fact that there were two Angels here, but it could never fool Sahaquiel's instinct.

Returning to Adam is the base code for all Angels. When they cannot detect the embryo, they treat Lilith—who has a similar aura in Terminal Dogma—as Adam.

But now, Adam was close at hand.

In an instant, Shinji saw those eyes look toward him. Adam had appeared, overriding all plans and instincts.

[Angel distance: 37km... 22km... 10km... Impact prediction... We won't make it!]

Amidst the desperate shouts, the Angel, which should have plunged further away, suddenly veered. To make the turn, it even decelerated.

'It's here.'

Shinji felt a massive pressure as a pair of orange-yellow eyes occupied his entire vision. The sheer mass, speed, and AT Field were no different from a mountain falling on him, yet his heartbeat didn't change a beat.

The Power Sword was planted nearby. Trajectory, movement speed, firing position, and AT Field strength were all calculated. He let out a low growl.

"Rei, fire!"

On the mountain peak kilometers away, Rei Ayanami pulled the trigger without hesitation. She didn't even need to aim; the Angel had moved itself into her crosshairs—the exact spot Shinji had told her to aim at beforehand.

Flash—

The azure beam cut through the sky. A polygonal field emerged, then was instantly pierced. The positron beam entered through the left side and exited the right. This heavy blow didn't blow the core, but it scattered the Angel's AT Field, slowing it down further.

At the same time, Unit-01 spread its legs and raised its hands like a titan carrying a mountain.

Psychic Release. AT Field: Maximum Output!

Voom—

A halo appeared at the point of contact between the Angel and Unit-01. The ground beneath instantly shattered, a giant spiderweb of cracks extending into the distance as rock turned to dust.

It was heavy—like a mountain falling from the stars onto his hands. His joints ached. The Angel released its AT Field in a frantic push, desperate to crush Unit-01 and reach Adam, but it found its speed was getting slower and slower.

A vastly larger AT Field pushed it back toward the sky in a way that defied physical laws. The struggle between the two formed a picture of immense impact. The purple giant held the mountain with both hands, standing between heaven and earth, while the "Divine Punishment" could not move an inch further.

Until the air behind the giant warped.

'Are you in a hurry?'

An even greater pressure arrived. Shinji could sense the Angel's desperation through his psychic link—a desire ten thousand times stronger than a starving man seeing a feast. It had an aura of being willing to shatter its own body just to crush Unit-01.

The pressure spiked, causing Unit-01's knees to buckle slightly. But Shinji's face only showed mockery.

'Amateur. How can you be in a hurry during a life-or-death struggle?'

Rat-tat-tat-tat...

At that moment, a massive amount of blood blisters erupted on the Angel's "eye." Unit-02 had arrived, raising its rifle and firing. Shinji saw the red sphere moving around the pupil.

Core confirmed.

"Damn it, I can't hit it!" A panting Asuka emptied her magazine. She had never encountered a core that knew how to dodge. She pulled out her progressive knife and charged.

"It's fine. Hold it."

"Huh?"

Asuka saw Unit-01 let go. She instinctively raised her arms and instantly felt the weight Shinji had been facing.

'So heavy!' Her AT Field also went to maximum, but the force made her feel like her body was falling apart. Supporting a mountain alone, she likely couldn't last five seconds.

Fortunately, she didn't have to.

Clang.

Unit-01's right foot kicked back, flicking up the Power Sword planted in the ground. He caught it, and using the device's focus, condensed his AT Field into a single line.

Step, lunge.

Slash—

The two clashing AT Fields were sliced in half like paper. A straight bloody gash appeared on the Angel's surface, carving the gargantuan body in two.

Four seconds.

The transition from lunge to standstill took only an instant. Unit-01's legs were buried in the ground. It turned around sharply; the core no longer had room to dodge, stuck right in the center.

Three seconds.

Unit-02 was pressed down onto one knee; Asuka didn't even have the energy to complain. A dark shadow flashed past, and a clear cross-shaped blood mark appeared in the center of the Angel.

Crack.

The unavoidable core was sliced in half. The AT Field and remaining momentum disintegrated instantly. The weight vanished, and a kneeling Asuka looked up.

Blood poured down like a waterfall, staining Unit-01 crimson. It stood holding the sword with one hand, letting the blood drench it. Its left hand was raised as if holding a piece of paper, making one almost forget the mountain-like weight of the Sky Angel.

This is: Supporting the heavens with one hand.

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