At the technical observation post, Osiris watched the almost completely one-sided battle with clinical detachment.
He saw the failure of the "Cherubim II"—this was within his calculations, as the Angel's field strength indeed exceeded the instantaneous breakthrough threshold of current weaponry. He also witnessed the rout of the three EVAs, which was another expected development. Yet, he did not immediately trigger the emergency protocols. Instead, he maintained an eerie composure, like an outsider observing a play. He knew all too well that SEELE and Gendo Ikari, having plotted for so long, would never sit by and let an Angel make contact with Lilith, rendering all their plans moot.
Now was the perfect time to force out their true trump cards.
Just as Zeruel's ribbon-like arm was about to deliver a fatal blow to the incapacitated Unit-01, the situation on the battlefield shifted unexpectedly.
"Release code... Authorization confirmed," Mari Makinami's voice came through the comms channel, tinged with an unusual feverishness. "Come on... show me your true self!"
The limiters on Unit-02 suddenly shattered, and the red surface of the machine began to undergo a violent morphological change. Ominous red light seeped through the gaps in the armor, and the humanoid silhouette began warping into something more primitive, more predatory.
Unit-02's mouth tore open, revealing beast-like fangs, and let out a deafening roar.
"That... is Unit-02's true form?" Asuka murmured in her cockpit. She had never seen anything like this.
In its "Beast" mode, Unit-02 exhibited staggering, primal power. Its style of attack became savagely barbaric, relying entirely on clawing and biting, each strike carrying devastating force.
"As expected, NERV still has such a card hidden," Osiris recorded the data coolly. "However, this state is clearly unsustainable."
Mari's voice in the comms became increasingly ecstatic, almost manic. Its mutated AT Field surged in intensity, successfully neutralizing the Angel's indestructible barriers for a brief moment, tearing a fleeting rift in its absolute defense.
"Now, Asuka!" Mari's voice shrieked with madness over the channel.
Asuka, who had remained on high alert, did not miss this precious window. The shoulder weapon platform of the white Unit-03 rapidly locked onto the target. The "Cherubim II" specialized warhead, propelled by the roar of the positron cannon, hissed out and struck precisely into the area of the Angel's body exposed by the field neutralization!
The azure purifying light bloomed once more, this time making successful contact with the Angel's white torso. The catalytic particles reacted violently; the Angel's biological tissue rapidly decomposed and dissolved within the light, creating a visible wound that eroded nearly a third of its massive body.
"Target hit!" a report came from the observation center.
However, the joy lasted only a split second. Zeruel exhibited a terrifying resilience and decisiveness that far exceeded estimates.
It did not hesitate for a moment; its sharp ribbon-arm flashed like a scalpel, instantly amputating the portions of its own body that were being eroded and decomposed by the "Cherubim" warhead! Immediately following this, granulation tissue writhed frantically at the wound site. New tissue regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye, restoring the Angel to its original state within seconds.
Furthermore, the moment it completed its regeneration, Zeruel launched a fierce counterattack against the source of the strike: Unit-03. Several high-energy particle beams erupted from its core like the gaze of a Reaper, instantly covering the airspace where Unit-03 was positioned.
"Tch!" Asuka clicked her tongue in the cockpit and reacted swiftly. The legs of the white Unit-03 erupted with power, performing a series of high-difficulty emergency evasive maneuvers that dodged the fatal counterstrike by mere millimeters. Scorching energy beams grazed the armor, leaving trails of charred marks.
Osiris observation records clearly noted the Angel's "ultra-high recoverability" and "tactical-grade regeneration decision-making." He turned his gaze to other data streams on the main screen, waiting for the reaction of another key figure: Gendo Ikari.
The situation had fallen back into a stalemate—or rather, a more precarious disadvantage. The Angel's regeneration rendered the damage from the "Cherubim II" moot, and the Beast mode of Unit-02 clearly could not be maintained for long.
Just as the offensive of the beastified Unit-02 faltered and Unit-03's sniper shot failed to finish the job, a fourth EVA silhouette forcibly broke into the battlefield in a manner bordering on the tragic.
It was Unit-00.
The yellow machine, which had been severely damaged during the previous encounter with Ramiel, was clearly far from being fully repaired. It moved with a visible lag and instability, as if it might fall apart at any moment. It was still wrapped in thick emergency bandages and temporary reinforcement structures; several sections of armor were missing, exposing incompletely repaired internal components and wiring.
Yet, it appeared, piloted by Rei Ayanami, returning once more to this hopeless battlefield.
"Unit-00... is that... an N2 Bomb?!" In the command center, the operator's voice was filled with stunned disbelief.
The N2 bomb was the most destructive weapon humanity could manufacture within the scope of conventional weaponry; its power was enough to reshape topography, though it often had limited effects on an Angel's core.
What was terrifying was that Unit-00's arms were tightly clutching a massive, menacingly structured explosive—an N2 bomb.
Misato Katsuragi instantly realized Rei Ayanami's intention, her face paling: "Rei! Stop! Your machine's status cannot support that kind of close-quarters combat!"
However, there was only the silent static of line noise on the communication channel.
Rei Ayanami's crimson eyes were locked onto the god-like Angel on the panoramic screen. Her gaze was as calm as ever, but beneath that calm was a finality that completely discarded her own existence.
"Is she... going to take the Angel down with her?" Asuka watched the resolute yellow figure, subconsciously holding her breath.
Shinji Ikari, inside the entry plug of Unit-01, watched the scene as his pupils constricted violently. An unspeakable panic and heartache seized him.
"Ayanami... No!"
Rei Ayanami had no intention of slowing down or responding. She maneuvered the crippled Unit-00, shielding herself with the N2 bomb. The engines let out an overloaded scream as she launched a suicidal charge toward Zeruel's core, a journey with no return.
Zeruel clearly perceived the threat of the massive energy source rushing toward it. It momentarily abandoned its suppression of the other EVAs. Multiple ribbon-arms, like man-eating pythons, hissed through the air with a bone-chilling shriek, viciously strangling toward the charging Unit-00!