Both Gendo Ikari and Kouzou Fuyutsuki watched the giant display. At the first roar of the cannon, NERV headquarters and most of Tokyo-3 plunged into darkness.
"Power outage—estimated duration: one hour."
That blackout was intentional: it funneled all available electricity to Ryota Kitazawa's positron cannon. Everyone else braced themselves for the onslaught.
---
"Fire! Annihilate that beast!"
An American M270 howitzer was primed—and not just one. Hundreds of cannons and over a hundred tanks unleashed ferocious firepower at the Sixth Angel, Ramiel.
But the Angel's sapphire-blue armor shrugged off every shell and shell fragment, as if they were mere raindrops.
---
Ramiel, provoked, responded in kind. Its body cracked to reveal shards of metallic crystal that, like deadly projectiles, shot toward the cannons and tanks. Soldiers stared in awe at their eerie beauty—until the crystals obliterated their positions, splintering artillery into scrap and flattening armored vehicles. The battlefield was a furnace of death.
These losses were anticipated. "Operation Yashima" had declared the troops expendable—cannon fodder. General Matsushita grimly acknowledged the plan's cruelty, knowing it was Ryota's retaliation for the military's seizure of the EVAs.
---
Meanwhile, back at Unit-01's position, Ryota held the massive positron cannon. Below them, Tokyo-3 remained dark—power entirely consumed to charge the weapon.
Nothing else could penetrate Ramiel's A.T. Barrier—but the fully charged positron cannon just might.
Ryota's face remained impassive. To him, the military had betrayed trust; the betrayal was personal—and calculated.
The charging gauge approached full.
Danger loomed as Ramiel detected fresh threats: the presence of EVA units—Unit‑00 and Unit‑01—on the northwestern horizon. Its attention swung their way.
"General Matsushita—order all units to intensify fire. The cannon won't be ready for much longer. You must prevent the Sixth Angel from disrupting Kitazawa!" Misato Katsuragi barked over comms.
"Understood!" Matsushita responded, though his voice wavered. His losses had been severe. Yet he and his men held firm—even as they marched toward near-certain death. This was their military's making, and they'd stand by it—or die.
---
At last, Misato's voice cut through the smoke and chaos:
"Charging complete! Ryota Kitazawa—prepare to fire! You only get one shot—if it misses, recharging will be required. The Angel's fatal weak point lies…"
Her words were cut short.
A blinding beam erupted from the positron cannon held by Unit‑01. It fractured the battlefield's darkness, a deadly white-hot spear aimed at Ramiel's core.
The shot held its breath…and the world held its breath with it.
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