In an instant, the space within a several-kilometer radius of the secure room underwent a violent distortion. It wasn't an explosion, but a more fundamental sensation—as if the very fabric of space were being forcibly stretched, torn, and then reassembled. The ground did not shake, but everyone within the area—from the survivors inside NERV HQ to the pilots on the surface battlefield—experienced a momentary sense of weightlessness and total disorientation.
On the outskirts of Tokyo-3, in a relatively open area already reduced to scorched earth by the preceding battle, the sky seemed to be torn open by an invisible, giant hand, revealing a pitch-black rift. Within that rift, it wasn't the starry void, but a churning flow of chaotic energy in indescribable colors.
Then, a massive metallic construct, bearing a distinct style of alien-universe technology, slowly "squeezed" its way out of the rift.
First to appear were the angular feet, encased in heavy adamantium armor. Their design was worlds apart from NERV's EVAs, closely resembling the construction of an Imperial Knight or an even larger Titan from the Warhammer universe, yet the proportions and certain joint details integrated the bio-engineering characteristics of an EVA. Next came the thicker, heavily armored lower limbs and torso. In the center of the torso, a core-like device pulsing with an eerie green light throbbed slowly, like the heart of a sleeping behemoth.
Finally, the head appeared. The helmet's faceplate was completely enclosed, save for a single narrow slit where an eyepiece should have been. From it emanated a cold, glowing red light like burning magma—its sole sensor, projecting a gaze that sent shivers down the spine.
This EVA-Titan stood slightly taller than a conventional EVA. Its entire body was a dull, battle-worn steel gray, with armor etched with binary holy ciphers of the Adeptus Mechanicus and incomprehensible extra-dimensional sigils. It was a masterpiece of Gothic machine aesthetics and religious sanctity.
The most striking feature was its hunched back. To support its massive armament and provide ultimate protection, five Void Shield generators were installed on its spine, emitting a low, constant hum. A Nemesis-class Volcano Cannon—a weapon of terrifying scale and brutal design, embodying the violent aesthetics of the Warhammer universe—was firmly mounted on a dorsal bracket, its gargantuan barrel angled toward the sky, seemingly ready to pour devastating fire upon any foe.
At the moment of its full arrival, its immense mass caused its feet to sink deep into the earth, kicking up a circular ring of dust. Its posture possessed a unique sense of gravity, hunched as if carrying an unimaginable weight—like an ancient titan from myth bearing a mountain upon his back, every step imbued with the power to crush the earth.
An overwhelming pressure—a mixture of cold machinery, berserk biological energy, and the unique undulations of the void—swept out like a physical shockwave, momentarily suppressing even the energy radiation from the deified Unit-01.
"Unknown large-scale target detected! Energy readings... extremely high! Cannot identify origin or affiliation!"
"Spatial distortion confirmed! The target seems to have... crossed through space?"
NERV Headquarters, Command Center.
The staff, who had just barely recovered from Osiris's confusion technique, stared in a daze at the massive unit that had suddenly appeared on the main screen with completely alien signal characteristics. Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi exchanged looks, both seeing unbelievable shock in the other's eyes. This was entirely beyond all their intelligence and expectations.
Even the golden field emitted unconsciously by the deified Unit-01 showed a microscopic flicker, as if sensing a threat of the same magnitude.
Mark.06, having just scrambled out of the ruins, immediately locked its dark red optical lenses onto this new uninvited guest, lowering its body slightly into a wary stance.
"What... what the hell is that thing?!" Asuka screamed inside Unit-03, her machine instinctively adopting a defensive posture.
Was it a new Angel? Or... something else?
The aura emanating from this gray colossus was both alien and dangerous. This cannon, which should have belonged to a Nemesis-class Titan, declared an unrivaled level of firepower by its mere existence.
Inside the secure room, the moment the EVA-Titan successfully arrived, Osiris poured his psionic energy into the link like a bursting dam. A massive, chaotic stream of consciousness—suffused with the Warhammer universe's unique blend of violence and order—surged through the dimensional link, battering his mind.
This was not the EVA-Titan possessing self-awareness, but the instinctual feedback and data flood produced by its refined "Dummy System" upon receiving external control signals. Fine beads of sweat broke out on Osiris's brow, but he used his battle-hardened will and powerful psionics to forcibly stabilize the link.
"Psionic interface... begin!"
His consciousness acted like a master rider, quickly taming this berserk metallic beast. He "felt" the heavy frame of the EVA-Titan; he felt the simulated biological structures within that produced a strange but undeniable pulse of "life"; he felt the star-tearing destructive energy contained within its weapon systems.
A sense of unprecedented control washed over him.
Osiris's red eyes flashed with a cold light. He slowly raised his right hand. Simultaneously, dozens of kilometers away, the EVA-Titan synchronized the movement, raising its right arm equipped with a Power Claw.
Its arms were not traditional EVA hands or weapon mounts, but two massive, hideous power claws shaped like avian talons, covered in the same heavy armor. The tips were incredibly sharp, shimmering with the cold light of a decomposition field. A low hiss came from the hydraulic systems in the joints, looking as though they could easily tear through any known substance—be it an Angel's armor or an A.T. Field.
Gendo Ikari's interlaced fingers moved slightly. This variable seemed even larger than he had anticipated.
Osiris did not rush to attack any target. Instead, he maneuvered the EVA-Titan to focus its sensors in two directions. One was the deified Unit-01 and the phantom of the Doors of Guf—resembling a giant eye—becoming clearer above it. The second was the direction of NERV HQ—more accurately, deep within Central Dogma.
His goal was clear: collect data, observe reactions, and at the most critical moment, seize what he wanted.
The arrival of the EVA-Titan was like adding a blast of furnace heat beneath a kettle already at its boiling point. The situation had become more enigmatic and far more dangerous. Now, a powerful "King" that belonged to no original faction had appeared on the chessboard. The rules of the game were about to be rewritten by him.