Chapter 48: Mari’s Assault
Chapter 48:
Mari’s Assault
THE ERUPTION HAD LAUNCHED Lilith’s Chronostatic Sphere into the sky. Fortunately, the ash and debris were light enough to be carried away by the wind to the southern part of the island, giving the North American Alliance a chance to regroup.
Overhead, a volcanic bomb the size of a bus collided with something and shattered. The JSSDF Akashima and Shrikes One and Two, along with the American attack platforms, generated repulsor fields using their N2 reactors. Furthermore, the Brazilian engineering unit activated twelve of the N2 warheads reserved for destroying the Ark.
But the Ark provided whoever looked at it with a veritable hellscape. It continued to produce black monsters that pursued the troops despite all their resistance. The creatures rushed to the lava that flowed like molten candy.
The troops continued to lay suppressing fire. But how long would their ammunition last?
A huge, clawed foot stepped over the burning orange river. An equally large tail cast its shadow over them like a mountain.
“Stop! Hold your fire! That might be the mutated U.S. Eva Nerv Japan told us about!”
The ground shook as the beast landed on all fours, the trees rustling as it rushed forward.
“That’s Wolfpack?!”
“So, the Unknown Mountain Beast spotted by our UAVs… That thing’s an Eva?!”
The U.S. Eva sent out its pack. Animal-shaped A.T. Fields came charging out of the beast. They began consuming the black shadows that had overrun the area.
“That’s Wolfpack, all right! It’s the only Eva that uses its A.T. Field like that!”
“She’s one of ours!”
Mari no longer considered herself affiliated with the U.S. troops. She wasn’t even concerned with the well-being of the human troopers on the ground. All she wanted to do was consume the Ark’s life-form data to feed her pack. But the soldiers, abandoned by their convoy and fighting an unspeakable enemy, were inspired by her nonetheless.
<<Behind the beast! They’re coming in hot!>>
Four Angel Carriers pursued Wolfpack.
“Don’t let them get her!”
The railgun mounted on the heavy trailers let loose a volley of fire, and the troopers took up a defensive formation.
Torwächter Kodama and Torwächter Toji came swooping down from the sky, hanging from the roots.
Shinji was listening to Six elaborate on the launch of Lilith’s sphere.
“Are you sure about this?!”
<<Yeah! Everyone locked inside made it back to Hakone! Even Commander Ikari and Dr. Akagi!>>
“And you’re absolutely sure?”
Shinji had been about to pursue the sphere, which he’d thought contained his father and many others. Now he felt his anxiety ease.
Thank God.
<<Anyway, Asuka told you to do something about Toji.>>
Final Model cleared the smoke.
“Mari?!”
Shinji had gone through a wall of ash, and he thought he saw Wolfpack over a distant mountain ridge. The two Torwächters pursued her, dancing like puppets dangling from strings.
<<Toji!>>