"This is bad!"
Misato Katsuragi's expression suddenly shifted as she realized what was happening.
Unit-02—its power levels were critically low.
What's going on!?
At the same moment, Asuka herself froze in place.
Her twin progressive knives, once driving deep into the Angel's body, now refused to penetrate even a millimeter.
It felt as though some overwhelming force was simply repelling her attacks, holding them at bay.
She tried to pour all her strength into one final thrust—to pierce through and finish it—
But then, inside Unit-02, the warning klaxons blared.
"Warning! Emergency alert! Remaining power at 30%! Unable to sustain combat operations!"
The mechanical voice echoed sharply in her ears, and Asuka's face paled.
"Damn it!"
She had used too much energy during the initial pursuit.
Now, only a few minutes of operating time remained to hold off the Eighth Angel—Sahaquiel.
Cursing under her breath, Asuka couldn't believe it—
She, the top pilot of the elite EVA corps, was reduced to this?
"I'm here!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out.
A streak of yellow flashed across the battlefield, and a progressive knife tore through the Angel's external barrier.
Unit-00 had arrived.
"You damned doll! Who said you could interfere in my fight? This battle is mine—get out of my way!"
Asuka gritted her teeth.
"This fight belongs to all of us,"
Rei Ayanami's calm voice came through the comms.
"Captain Katsuragi said we would defeat the Angel together."
Asuka's face twisted again.
"Tch… You're seriously underestimating me…"
She clenched her jaw tighter and tried to channel more power into her EVA.
But the cockpit display only flashed more red warnings.
Remaining power: critically low.
"No… No, this can't be happening!"
Asuka muttered, her voice trembling.
The S² Engine was right there—within arm's reach.
But she couldn't break through.
---
"Asuka! Rei! You're almost there!"
"Just a little more—hold on! We can't let the Eighth Angel hit the ground! We can't!!"
Misato's voice screamed through the communications line.
She could see Asuka's desperation.
But battle had no sympathy—only opportunity and risk.
Suddenly—
EEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!
Another of Sahaquiel's otherworldly shrieks echoed out, triggering a fresh wave of destructive sound.
Buildings around the battlefield cracked and crumbled, trees shattered like matchsticks, dirt and debris blasted high into the air.
This was not a power humans could face, nor resist.
It was unnatural. It was overwhelming.
Inside Unit-02, Asuka screamed and clutched at her ears.
Even Rei, ever composed, grimaced—blood slowly trickling from her ears.
Her eardrums had begun to rupture.
"This is bad! The Angel's sonic frequency exceeds the biological tolerance threshold! It's beyond what human hearing can endure!"
A NERV technician paled as they ran the analysis.
"What?" Misato rushed to look—
And her face, too, turned white.
Human beings can endure sound up to around 100 decibels.
Sahaquiel's sonic output? Over 1,000 decibels.
No wonder it's so devastating…
The Angel's soundwaves had reached as far as the Sea of Japan—possibly even the shores of China.
Even NERV HQ, buried hundreds of meters underground, was shaking under the force.
Just how powerful was this thing?
---
EEEEIIIIIIIIII!!
Sahaquiel screamed again—more violently than before.
This time, Unit-02's armor plating began to crack.
The enormous pressure and destructive resonance bore down directly on Asuka.
Inside the cockpit, she felt like she was being crushed from all sides.
"Damn it… damn it! What do I do now!?"
She muttered, struggling to breathe.
"Asuka! Are you still with me? Can you stab through? My Unit's nearly out of energy too!"
Rei's voice came through the comms—urgent, but still calm.
"Shut up already, I get it!"
Asuka glanced at her power readout—less than 5% remaining.
The Eighth Angel's power level far surpassed any Angel they'd faced before.
With battle intensity this high, energy drain was enormous.
But no matter how hard she pushed, her knife wouldn't go in. Not even a millimeter.
---
"This is it…"
Misato's heart sank as she watched the display.
She knew—if EVA ran out of energy, it became nothing more than dead weight.
A powerless, immobile shell.
And if the Angel landed?
The resulting explosion could obliterate all of Japan.
But then—
Her eyes shifted to the one thing still holding the Angel off the ground.
Unit-01.
Kitazawa Ryota…
Her heart skipped.
She leaned closer to the screen, her eyes suddenly alive with hope.
Unit-01 wasn't just holding Sahaquiel.
It was lifting it—bit by bit.
A.T. Field wide open, its movements were fluid and strong, not faltering.
"Check Unit-01's power levels!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The technician tapped furiously, then turned with wide eyes.
"Reporting to Captain Katsuragi—Unit-01's remaining energy is… 99%!"
"What…?"
Misato froze.
Eyes wide.
Utter disbelief.