At the exact moment when the crippled Unit-00, clutching the N2 bomb like a moth to a flame, charged toward Zeruel and was about to be intercepted and swallowed by those lethal ribbon-arms—
"Don't you dare think you've won!" Mari Makinami's manic voice exploded over the comms channel.
The beastified Unit-02 erupted with startling speed, boldly interposing itself between Unit-00 and Zeruel. Its mutated, swollen claws tore forward with savage intensity, outputting its berserk AT Field at full power. It managed to briefly neutralize Zeruel's indestructible barrier once more, forcibly ripping open a path for Unit-00!
"Now, Rei!" Asuka's shout followed immediately.
The grenade launcher on the shoulder of the white Unit-03 flashed repeatedly. Several "Cherubim I" grenades arched through the air, detonating around Zeruel in a curtain of azure purifying light. Though this distracting attack caused no structural damage, it effectively pinned down the Angel's other ribbon-arms.
Almost simultaneously, the miniaturized positron cannon on Unit-03's back roared again! The "Cherubim II" warhead streaked accurately into the area of the Angel's body exposed by the field neutralization.
At that fleeting opportunity, Rei Ayanami seized her chance. Controlling the wrecked machine, she used every ounce of strength to hurl the massive N2 bomb toward Zeruel's colossal white torso.
A split second later, an earth-shaking explosion occurred!
The azure radiance of the "Cherubim II" and the searing white destructive energy of the N2 bomb erupted and intertwined almost simultaneously. Catalytic particles frantically eroded the Angel's biological tissue, melting and decomposing it across a massive area, while the terrifying energy released by the N2 bomb completely vaporized and tore apart the eroded and surrounding structures.
A gargantuan fireball and shockwave swept across the entire battlefield, the blinding light momentarily overloading all observation equipment.
However, at the final moment, Zeruel had performed an extreme evasive maneuver. The N2 bomb failed to hit its central core, instead detonating violently against the edge of its torso.
As the light and smoke gradually dissipated, what appeared before everyone's eyes was the mangled remains of Zeruel's body—nearly destroyed—and...
Hovering in mid-air, still pulsing slowly and emitting an ominous glow, was the Angel's core.
The suicidal strike of Unit-00 and the precision support of Unit-03 had successfully destroyed the vast majority of Zeruel's physical form, but they had failed to annihilate its fundamental essence.
Before the smoke from the N2 bomb had even cleared, at the very moment the Angel's core was exposed, a sudden and horrific mutation occurred!
The surviving, still-active biological tissue of the Angel, along with that pulsing core, transformed into a white torrent as if possessed by a will of its own. With lightning speed, it pounced upon the nearest target: Unit-00, which had temporarily lost its balance due to the blast's impact.
The remnants of the Angel, like a shark scenting blood, lunged recklessly toward Unit-00. Its ultimate goal was to devour the pilot within—Rei Ayanami—to directly reach and fuse with the soul fragment she carried from Lilith herself!
"Warning! Abnormal biological reaction! Unit-00 is being enveloped by an unknown field!" The sirens in the command center shrieked piteously.
Unit-00's body began to undergo a bizarre and rapid deformation. Its external armor disintegrated and reshaped during the fusion; its form began to shift from a mechanical humanoid toward something much larger, something approaching... the silhouette of a giant white female body.
At the technical observation post, though a flicker of surprise at this peculiar fusion phenomenon crossed Osiris' eyes, his expression quickly regained its usual calm. His pupils constricted slightly as his psionic perception synced with the memory data from his original body, allowing him to instantly see through the truth behind this terrifying sight.
"The target isn't Unit-00 itself..." he realized with a start. "The Angel's core instinctively sensed a more fundamental presence. What it seeks to merge with is the pilot—Rei Ayanami, the 'Vessel for the Soul of Lilith'!"
What was occurring was a forced union between an Angel (an Adam-derivative) and Lilith (the soul carrier)! The rapidly forming, increasingly clear silhouette of a giant white female body was not an evolution of Zeruel's own form, but a forced manifestation of Lilith's true image in this world. It was a "God-like Stature," an approximation of one of the origins of life, manifested after the Angel devoured and fused with the vessel of Lilith's soul.
"What... what is that?!" Asuka cried out in her cockpit, the scene far exceeding her understanding.
"The Angel... fused with the EVA?" even Mari reigned in her mania, her voice heavy with disbelief.
An eerie aura—a blend of the sacred and the profane—emanated from the forming fusion.
Shinji Ikari watched the white giant shadow as it gradually took on a blurred female contour. The thought that Rei was still inside filled him with a panic and bewilderment so immense he could barely breathe.
However, in stark contrast to the shock of everyone else, Gendo Ikari sat in his command chair with a calmness that was cold to the extreme. He didn't even shift a millimeter from his trademark pose with interlaced fingers. The command he issued over the channel carried not a hint of emotion:
"Target confirmed mutated. Unit-01, Unit-02, Unit-03: continue combat mission. Destroy Unit-00, currently compromised by the Angel."
This command was like a blade of ice, piercing through the hearts of every pilot. Especially for Shinji, who could not believe his father would so heartlessly order them to attack a machine that might be fused with Rei Ayanami.
Osiris did not rush into action, but his focus became sharper. This distorted fusion was both an unprecedented crisis and a potential source of invaluable information regarding the nature of the soul and the origins of Angels and humanity. He stared intently at the consolidating white goddess-like figure, analyzing the speed of its energy level leap and assessing whether its behavior was dominated by the new post-fusion consciousness.
At the same time, his psionic senses reached out, attempting to capture the state of Rei Ayanami's individual consciousness within. Had she been completely swallowed, or did she still maintain some degree of independence?
The battle had instantly ascended to another dimension due to this forbidden fusion that touched the very roots of the world.