I. Tokyo-3: The World of Anguish
The team landed on a wet concrete platform under an oppressive, dirty orange sky. The mist wasn't natural; it was smoke and humidity generated by constant warfare.
"Environmental analysis: Ki density is low and highly contaminated with negative emotional energy," Kaguya said, holding the Anchor's containment sphere. "The levels of sadness, fear, and guilt are overwhelming. The Dimensional Anchor... It's in the depths of an artificial Geo-Front, beneath this city!"
"And what is that big thing?" Kagura asked, pointing. Her gaze was no longer mocking, but filled with fascination.
A purple and green figure, Evangelion Unit-01, stood at the edge of a collapsed skyscraper, moaning. Its pilot, Shinji Ikari, was exhausted and traumatized following a combat encounter.
Facing Unit-01, a gigantic biomorphic being of geometric design—the Fifth Angel (Ramiel)—hovered ominously over a crater, biding its time to strike.
Goku was surprised. "That big thing has incredibly strange Ki! It's very dense, like... jelly. But the robot has a Ki so sad it makes my head hurt!"
Tatsumaki felt a chill. Unlike Quirks, this was not a known force. The Angel emitted a barrier of pure energy.
"That 'jelly' is protected by a force field," Tatsumaki grumbled, frustrated. "It's not normal Ki or Psychokinesis. I feel a fundamental rejection."
"It's like an invisible, sticky eggshell!" Megumin exclaimed, sensing the Angel's field through her Mana.
II. The A.T. Field and Yato Strength
Erza unsheathed her sword. "Ignore the creature. Kaguya, we must reach the base."
"Impossible. The command center, NERV, is more than 500 meters underground. It is the most secure place in this world," Kaguya replied.
At that moment, Ramiel moved. The Angel's geometry shifted, and it fired a beam of concentrated energy—a particle accelerator—that vaporized the building behind Unit-01.
Kagura felt the overwhelming energy. Her Yato blood ignited, not out of fear, but from the survival instinct of her clan.
"Too slow! Too big! It reminds me of a squid that got away!" Kagura shouted.
She sprinted toward the crater with inhuman speed, leaving a trail of dust. Goku, surprised by her velocity, followed her.
"Kagura, wait! That thing is dangerous!" Goku yelled, thinking of the girls he had met.
Kagura stepped between the Angel and the Eva, which was attempting to recharge its battery. She deployed her umbrella. The Yato umbrella wasn't just a weapon; it was a conductor for her brute strength.
"If you're so strong, you shouldn't be so square!" she screamed.
She concentrated a burst of Yato force and struck the Angel's A.T. Field. The force of an unleashed Yato was equivalent to a short-range ballistic missile.
The A.T. Field—the barrier that defied conventional weaponry—shook. The shockwave threw Kagura back, leaving her arms aching, but the Angel stopped.
"I broke its... skin!" Kagura gasped, excited.
Tatsumaki, seeing the Angel's barrier visibly deformed by brute force, smirked maliciously. "So it was just an advanced psychic force shield. I can handle this!"
III. Duel of Forces
Tatsumaki channeled all her power. Instead of crushing the Angel (which would require too much energy), she concentrated her telekinesis on the contact points of Kagura's shockwave.
"Since you're so loud, I'll help you push!" Tatsumaki growled.
Both forces—Kagura's unstoppable physical power and Tatsumaki's psychokinesis—combined at a single point. The A.T. Field shattered with a dull thud, as if invisible glass had splintered.
Ramiel, exposed and vulnerable, began to emit an electronic shriek.
Goku, seeing the opportunity, charged a low-level Kamehameha.
"Goodbye, sad jelly! Kamehame..."
Before he could fire, Kaguya, who had been analyzing the readings, shouted: "No, Goku! Its core is too dangerous! If you explode the core with Ki, it could trigger a chain reaction! And the Anchor is right below it!"
Erza and Kaguya were already preparing a containment seal.
"Run! The robot's pilot is scared!" Erza shouted.
Goku halted the Kamehameha. He wasn't there to hurt anyone.
"Alright! Let's go, Kagura! See ya, sad robot!" Goku said.
He grabbed Kagura, who was ready to unleash another blow. The team gathered.
"Instant Transmission!"
The group vanished at the exact moment Unit-01, its battery recharged, fired its positron rifle, piercing Ramiel's outer armor.
IV. The NERV Anchor
Thousands of meters underground at the NERV base, the staff witnessed the combined attack of the two girls.
"What on earth was that?" asked Commander Misato Katsuragi.
"Two anomalous energy readings, Giga-Tera Level. One pure physical force and a psychic force that pierced the A.T. Field for an instant," Ritsuko Akagi reported. "They vanished. But our attack was made easier."
In the monitoring room, the Dimensional Anchor glowed faintly inside a neglected data server. It was protected by a level "A-01" access password, and no one had realized it wasn't part of the native technology.
The team reappeared in the dimensional void.
"That was a fun hit! I want to eat the space squid next time!" Kagura said, rubbing her fists.
Tatsumaki crossed her arms. "It was a waste of my talent. That shield was irritating."
"The Anchor was too well-protected. We need a world that is less... paranoid," Kaguya summarized.
End of the Seventeenth Act.