"All units, Level 1 Battle Stations! Activate all defense systems! Unit-03, EVA-Titan, intercept immediately!" Katsuragi Misato issued the command without a second's hesitation.
She knew this was SEELE testing the waters—and the beginning of the liquidation.
The engines of the white Unit-03 roared as it swung rapidly from its patrol area, charging toward the predicted impact point. Asuka gritted her teeth as she watched nine green signals rapidly enlarging on her radar screen. "Nine units... they're really going all out!"
Meanwhile, the EVA-Titan, which had been standing in silent vigil, began to rotate the barrel of its back-mounted 'Heaven's Punishment' Vulcan Cannon with a low hum, emitting a soul-shuddering energy pulse. Osiris's consciousness was already deeply integrated with the Titan via a psionic link, his cold, red cyclopean eye locked onto the sky.
"Priority targets locked. Saturated strike prepared," Osiris commanded calmly from the safety of his bunker.
The nine green Mass-Production units fell like precision bombs into the ruins surrounding the city, kicking up clouds of dust. Upon landing, they immediately unfurled the "wings" on their backs—equipment designed to enhance maneuverability and A.T. Field deployment efficiency—and charged toward NERV HQ at staggering speeds. Their movements were swift and lethal, carrying an intent of pure destruction.
"Fire!"
The Vulcan Cannon on the EVA-Titan's back let out a sky-shaking roar!
This time, it did not fire a full-power destructive blast. Instead, at an extremely high rate of fire, it unleashed several continuous jets of thermal plasma—slender relative to its maximum output, but still deadly. These jets lashed out like death's whips, accurately covering the most densely packed areas of the Mass-Production units' charge.
Two units at the forefront were struck directly. Their dark-green armor was torn and melted like paper under the extreme heat and kinetic energy, their internal skeletons and Dummy System cores reduced to burning wreckage.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions followed. Three other units were severely caught in the blast waves and shrapnel, their movements instantly becoming sluggish.
"Nicely done!" Asuka cheered as the white Unit-03 cut into the battlefield.
She didn't possess a divine artifact like the Spear of Longinus, but after days of adjustment and optimization, Unit-03's "Cherubim" weapon system and conventional armaments were in peak condition. Her shoulder grenade launchers spat fire, detonating special "Cherubim" catalyst warheads among the Mass-Production units. Azure mists of purification light erupted; though they couldn't decompose the units instantly like they did to Angels, they effectively disrupted their A.T. Field generation and sensor operations.
Simultaneously, Unit-03 brandished its Progressive Knife, weaving through the Mass-Production units like a white phantom. Utilizing its superior mobility and Asuka's combat experience, it precisely severed their joints and energy conduits.
The EVA-Titan, meanwhile, advanced steadily like a mobile fortress. Its Vulcan Cannon continued its precise suppression fire, while its giant power-claws became a nightmare for the enemy units. Any Mass-Production unit that tried to get close was easily caught, shredded by those invincible claws, or swung bodily into its own kind.
The battle was almost a one-sided slaughter. In less than twenty minutes, the last green Mass-Production unit was impaled through its core by Unit-03's Progressive Knife, collapsing to the ground in a cloud of black smoke.
"Threat cleared. All unknown EVA units silenced," the command center confirmed the result.
Asuka let out a long breath. Unit-03 stood tall on a battlefield strewn with green wreckage. Her heart was filled with the exhilaration of victory, but also a sliver of concern—this was likely only the beginning.
The battlefield returned to a temporary silence, broken only by the crackling of burning debris and the groan of cooling metal.
Osiris's focus, however, was elsewhere. He controlled the EVA-Titan to begin a careful scan of the relatively intact wreckage, specifically their core structures, Dummy Systems, and that peculiar green armor. These "gifts" from SEELE were undoubtedly excellent research material, helping him understand SEELE's technical path, the weaknesses of their Dummy Systems, and perhaps even reverse-engineer some useful technologies.
"Dr. Akagi," he contacted the technical department via the comms channel, "arrange for recovery teams. Transport these remains—especially the intact Dummy System cores and biological samples—to the isolation lab at Research Institute No. 9 as quickly as possible."
Akagi Ritsuko pushed up her glasses, her gaze sharp as a blade behind the lenses, trying to find a trace of a lie beneath the Titan's mask.
Katsuragi Misato watched the battlefield cleanup on her screen, but her expression did not relax in the slightest. The nine incoming enemies had been wiped out, but SEELE's counterattack had been swift and fierce. Though the first strike was thwarted, it undoubtedly signaled the start of a total confrontation. The road ahead was destined to be covered in thorns.
After the battle, Osiris did not return to the underground platform. Instead, through encrypted communication, he requested a top-level meeting with Katsuragi Misato, Akagi Ritsuko, and Kaji Ryoji.
The location was a temporary meeting room that had been strictly swept and shielded. When the three arrived, Osiris was already waiting. He was still in his researcher's attire, his expression calm, but his eyes carried a depth unlike before—as if they bore the weight of endless time and space.
"Thank you all for coming," Osiris said, getting straight to the point without pleasantries. "The attack by the Mass-Production units shows that SEELE won't give us much time. Before we formulate our next plan, I believe it's necessary for you to understand some... more fundamental truths."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over their confused and guarded faces.
"I am not of this world."
The sentence exploded like a thunderclap in the quiet room.
"Not... of this world?" Misato repeated, her voice dry with disbelief. Her pupils constricted as she leaned forward subconsciously.
The playfulness on Kaji Ryoji's face vanished entirely, replaced by intense scrutiny and shock.
"It can be understood as coming from another universe, another dimension," Osiris explained calmly. His voice remained steady, as if stating a mundane scientific fact. "I came to this world for the purpose of exploration and research. The technologies I possess—including the EVA-Titan and the 'Cherubim' weapon system—all have their roots in my universe."
He raised his hand, and a miniature holographic projection appeared in the center of the conference table, displaying complex dimensional coordinates and a simplified multi-universe model. The technology tree was distinctly different from the systems of NERV or even SEELE.
"My previous actions—whether repairing the ecology, developing weapons, or intervening in EVA battles—were driven by the need to collect research data, but they also truly included the intent to stop SEELE's destructive plans. Because their 'Instrumentality,' viewed from a multi-universe perspective, is also an extremely dangerous and uncontrollable spatio-temporal disaster."