Chapter 585: Slaying the Gargant
The astonishing killing efficiency displayed by the three EVA-Titans on the battlefield not only failed to make the Ork legion harbor the slightest intention of retreating, but instead acted like new fuel thrown into a boiling furnace, completely detonating the thirst for violence and chaos deep within the bones of these green xenos.
The deafening "WAAAGH!!!" roars did not weaken; rather, they converged into an even more frenzied wave of sound, even beginning to form a crude energy field on the physical plane—one difficult for the naked eye to catch but clearly detectable by psionic sensors.
Like an ever-expanding bubble filled with primal battle intent, it enveloped the entire engagement zone.
Stimulated by this bizarre force field, the green tide became even more turbulent.
They paid no mind to the fragmented remains of their comrades beneath their feet, possessing absolutely no concept of the heavy casualty figures. Relying solely on a surge of brute courage, they charged ahead even more madly, wave after wave, continuously crashing against the defensive line that the Imperial forces were struggling to maintain.
"Are these greenskins... crazy?!" Asuka's voice rang out over the communication channel, carrying intense incomprehension and a trace of irritation.
Her red Unit-01 had just completed a clean, ultra-high-speed assault. Its sharp power claws, like a hot knife through butter, precisely sliced open a roaring Ork "Kill-trukk" cobbled together from various pieces of scrap metal.
The violent explosion did indeed instantly clear a small area, but almost in the very next second, more Ork Boyz howlingly filled the gap, as if the destruction from a moment ago had never happened.
"They seem... excited by the battle itself," Rei Ayanami calmly stated her observation. Blue Unit-03's precise burst-fire continued to steadily eliminate targets one by one, yet the density of the light dots representing the enemy on the sensors showed no obvious decrease.
Shinji controlled purple Unit-02, maintaining a solid defensive posture.
The A.T. Field deployed time and time again, bouncing back or deflecting the swarming Ork Boyz along with the crude choppas they brandished and the thick live ammunition they fired.
He could clearly feel the continuous and erratic impact feedback transmitting from the surface of the force field. This pure, entirely irrational war of attrition made him feel a deep sense of physical fatigue and discomfort.
Right at this moment, Ryo's steady voice cut into the encrypted communication channel, directly addressing their intuitive feelings: "It's not madness; this is a characteristic of their species."
"Orks are creatures born for war. The intense combat itself stimulates them to secrete more battle hormones and strengthens their collective WAAAGH! energy field."
"Simply put, combat is not a burden to them, but a stimulant. The more powerful you appear and the higher your killing efficiency, as long as you haven't completely crushed them, they will actually become more excited and more belligerent."
His explanation was calm and objective, yet it made the hearts of the three sink slightly. This meant that their previous highly efficient combat was, to some extent, cheering on the enemy.
"So you're saying, the faster we kill, the more of them come, and the more excited they get?" Asuka asked back in disbelief.
"You can understand it that way," Ryo confirmed. "A conventional war of attrition has limited effects on them, and might even backfire. They will only get more and more excited as they fight, until one side is completely annihilated, or their energy field collapses due to its core being destroyed."
Listening to this explanation and looking at the seemingly endless green frenzy before him, Shinji's face grew even paler.
This kind of enemy was completely different from any Angel he had faced in the past. They had no clear purpose, no complex strategy; only the most primal, purest, and most despair-inducing desire for war.
This pure, irrational attrition left him feeling physically and mentally exhausted, while simultaneously making him feel a heavy burden at the complete annihilation hinted at in Ryo's words.
Just as the front line fell into a kind of deadlocked tug-of-war, an unusually heavy and rhythmic vibration transmitted from the ground, temporarily overpowering even the clamor of the battlefield.
From behind the Ork lines, a behemoth cobbled together from countless pieces of scrap metal, armor plating, thick gun barrels, and creaking steam boilers slowly revealed itself, walking with earth-shattering steps.
That was an Ork Gargant.
Its height was around fifty meters, appearing squat and clumsy compared to the EVA-Titans, which generally exceeded eighty meters.
Its main structure was crooked, covered in crude welding marks and exposed pipelines. Its top and shoulders were mounted with several live-ammunition cannons and rocket launcher pods of terrifying caliber, continuously belching black smoke and emitting ear-piercing sounds of grinding metal.
"Large-scale high-energy reaction detected! Identified as an Ork super-heavy unit—a Gargant!" The Steel Hound Legion's battlefield monitoring system immediately issued an alarm.
"Finally, something decent comes along!" Instead of being nervous, Asuka grew excited. Red Unit-01's sensors locked onto that lumbering green lump of iron.
"Red Unit-01, do not be impulsive. Purple Unit-02, Blue Unit-03, provide cover and assess the target's threat." Ryo's calm voice rang out just in time, curbing Asuka's urge to charge straight in.
That Gargant had clearly also spotted the EVA-Titans, whose sizes were far taller than its own. It let out a roar like grinding rusty gears, and its thick, short gun barrels began to turn, aiming at the relatively closer purple Unit-02.
"Shinji! Watch out!" Asuka shouted.
Shinji's heart tightened, and he subconsciously concentrated purple Unit-02's A.T. Field at the front.
Almost simultaneously, the Gargant's several main cannons let out a deafening roar. Massive solid shells, trailing gunpowder smoke, ruthlessly smashed against the purple force field, erupting into dazzling sparks and shockwaves.
The force field rippled violently but successfully withstood this bombardment.
"Firepower is strong, but firing accuracy and rate of fire are both very poor," Rei Ayanami quickly analyzed. Blue Unit-03 took the opportunity to fire several energy beams, destroying a few obviously exposed hydraulic devices on the Gargant's legs, causing its movements to stall slightly.
"An opening!" Asuka spotted the brief stiffness caused by the Gargant's attack recoil and the damage it took.
The thrusters on the back of red Unit-01 once again erupted with full power. Instead of a straight charge, the machine closed in at high speed in an unpredictable zigzag trajectory, perfectly evading the hasty interception fire from the Gargant's secondary weapons.
In an instant, red Unit-01 had advanced to the Gargant's rear flank, a blind spot for its artillery.
"Taste this!" Asuka shouted sharply. The daunting Nemesis-class Volcano Cannon on the back of red Unit-01 rapidly adjusted its angle, and blinding white energy frantically gathered at the muzzle.
The Gargant's pilot (if that could even be considered a pilot) seemed to sense the fatal crisis and vainly attempted to twist its massive body around.
But it was too late.
"BOOM!!!"
A searing jet of energy, thick enough to swallow the entire Gargant, roared from the muzzle of the Volcano Cannon, precisely striking the relatively fragile engine zone and ammunition depot at the Gargant's back.
Extreme high temperatures and kinetic energy instantly annihilated the impacted area.
The Gargant's massive body jolted violently, followed by an earth-shattering sympathetic detonation from within.
A gigantic fireball, carrying shattered metal parts and green dismembered limbs, rocketed into the sky. The shockwave completely wiped out all Orks within a hundred-meter radius.
When the smoke and flames dissipated slightly, only a massive molten crater and a pile of twisted, charred wreckage remained in place.
"Target cleared!" Asuka reported with a victorious tone.