EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 6 First Contact
"Varied…?!"

Before Misato Katsuragi could even utter a surprised sound, a reddish-brown meteorite fell.

"How dare you do such a reckless thing!? You didn't even communicate… EVA Unit 2! Free-fall directly from the transport plane! Arrive at the battlefield in an airborne posture!"

Shinji Ikari had already witnessed with his own eyes the fiery red machine falling from the sky and the magnificent heroic appearance.

That powerful, dashing presence, coupled with the dignified, heroic voice on the call channel... Even before he saw the pilot's face in person, Shinji Ikari could sense it...

This must be a beauty whose way of life shines like gold.

"Humph! He's just a second-generation official who got in by relying on his father's power! He can't even handle an apostle of this level! Get out of the way! Leave it to me!"

"........."

I take it back. I'm just a bitch who likes to mess around. I even switched from the public channel to a private communication with Unit-01. This guy...

"Be careful, the apostle's tentacles aren't just ordinary blows; they're thermodynamic weapons with terrifying temperatures... a mere brush can melt steel!"

Even if the first impression was bad, we were still comrades in the same EVA, so a minimum exchange of intelligence was necessary. We couldn't let a lack of information lead to a disadvantage in the battle.

When Shinji Ikari gave the reminder, the Fifth Angel had already swung the whip of light, which was surrounded by the AT force field and transformed into an indestructible scorching blade.

Shifting its target... Did it realize that Unit 2, launching a surprise attack from directly above it, was a greater threat? Both tentacles swung towards Unit 2 in mid-air.

"Humph! Such a trivial matter! I know it without even seeing it! Why do you need to explain it?"

I was actually scolded for just exchanging basic information... This bitch has a really bad personality.

However, despite her terrible personality, Shinji Ikari has to admit that her skills are genuine.

Even though it was rapidly falling in mid-air, making it extremely difficult to move... Unit 2 was still able to dodge the two light whips with agility and precision with the smallest possible margin.

"Ha! Is that all?!"

"Don't taunt me by occupying the communication channel. And how could your taunting of the Apostle possibly have any effect?"

Shinji Ikari was speechless.

As the two joked, Unit 2 had already descended to within touching distance of the Angel's weapons.

As a result, at this time, Unit 2 actually chose to... pull out a heavy crossbow?
Is this the German Division's special weapon? This is an EVA weapon never seen before at the Tokyo-3 base.

The three crossbow arrows, which were surrounded by the AT force field of Unit 2, had no chance of missing the target at almost zero distance... They were heading straight for the core of the Fifth Angel.

——————Zheng!

The sound of metal humming was deafening and made one's scalp tingle.

The three crossbow arrows failed to penetrate the core successfully, and ended up with the same fate as when Shinji Ikari used rifle and rifle fire to suppress the attack.

The crossbow bolt was perfectly blocked by the translucent energy field surrounding the apostle's body. The powerful AT field protected his blood-red core.

"Even if Unit 2 opens its AT field to neutralize it, it can't break through!?"

Misato Katsuragi's voice was filled with solemnity. Perhaps humans had underestimated the enemy race of the apostles.

"Don't look at me!!"

With each word being pronounced with a clang, Unit 2 casually dropped its crossbow and switched positions in mid-air.

Knight Kick, it's a Knight Kick! Unit 02's soles materialized a dense AT field, and the translucent barrier, identical to that of the Angel, was clear enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Mixing the power of Unit 02 and the downward gravitational potential energy, all acting on its own AT force field, Unit 02 kicked the obstructed crossbow arrow hard.

Sparks flew everywhere. That sturdy crossbow bolt, the culmination of human forging skills and capable of withstanding the high-pressure environment of space, was twisted and deformed by the collision of this super-scientific product, the AT force field.

"Die!!!!"

The pilot's tearing battle cry was heard, and the crossbow arrow shattered into pieces, along with it... the Fifth Angel's AT force field was also shattered.

The barrier responsible for protecting the core was shattered by the knight's kick from Unit 2. The fiery meteor directly hit the reddish-brown core of the Fifth Angel, trampling it into a bloody mess of debris almost without any hindrance.

As the core shattered into pieces, the Fifth Apostle's movements froze, and the light that originally lingered around the two whips dimmed instantly.

"Fifth Apostle! Complete silence!"

"Well done, Asuka! You're truly an elite!"

Katsuragi Misato's voice was heard cheering. "Asuka... is that the name of Unit 2's pilot? She's from Germany, but her name is very Japanese."

"No, Misato, you flatter me too much."

Is this someone I know, Katsuragi Misato? This guy is acting like a good kid in front of his boss. He's a completely different person than when he was mocking me earlier... Is he a multiple personality?

Although she spoke modestly, Shinji Ikari could clearly feel that the girl called Asuka was very much enjoying the praise and compliments from everyone at the NERV base.

"Compared to me, you look really miserable, you relative."

He did not forget to control Unit 02 to turn around and taunt Shinji Ikari.

“You are really… be careful!!!”

Shinji Ikari, who was originally too lazy to pay attention to her, suddenly saw... behind Unit 02, the Fifth Angel, who was originally judged to be completely silent, actually took action again.

"Eh?"

Because Unit-02 was about to come over to taunt Unit-01, it had its back to the Angel and was unable to react immediately.

The ferocious tentacles turned into poisonous snakes, aiming at the head of Unit 2 with incredible precision, and shot out.

“…How stupid!”

Preempting Misato Katsuragi's command, Shinji Ikari delivered a swift kick to Unit-2's joints, forcing it to crouch, while using his left hand to pull its head away from the Angel's attack path.

Of course, the result is that although Unit 02 avoided danger, it was completely exposed to the attack path of the apostles.

Faced with a sudden change of attack and tentacles flying towards its forehead, Unit-01 chose to... stretch out its right hand which had been prepared long ago.

At the moment of defense, due to the lack of AT force field, the palm of Unit-01's right hand was completely penetrated by the tentacles of the Fifth Angel.

But at the same time, Unit-01's right hand also firmly grasped the fifth angel's tentacles, avoiding additional attacks.

"The Apostle... actually intends to make first contact with the EVA!?"

"Emergency! Unit-01's biological components are being invaded by Angels! Corrosion rate! 1.3%!"

(End of this chapter)