AT Field Deification

"Once the giant mecha leaves, we'll try to snatch some loot first. They won't be able to see what drops."

"Yeah, let's play it safe. We just need to get there before their cleanup crew."

"Don't all go at once. Send the fastest ones in separate groups, just in case."

"Understood!"

Watching the Apostle get torn apart by Evangelion Unit-00, the Pioneers had plans of their own.

Once the Apostle was completely out of commission and had stopped moving, leaving only a spherical S2 Engine behind, Tao Yu finally stopped. He first urged Shinji Ikari to head back.

"Shinji, that's enough for today. You've never fought before, and you did well. Go back and get some rest."

EVA's neural link meant that whenever Evangelion Unit-01 was attacked, its pilot felt the pain too.

The Apostle had lashed out with its energy whip earlier, inflicting some damage on Evangelion Unit-01. Shinji Ikari had felt the burning pain himself.

Now, hearing those words, he felt cared for and let out a small sigh of relief.

He thought he'd performed terribly, but he hadn't expected to be comforted.

"Minato, you're really kind..."

Shinji sighed, then piloted Evangelion Unit-01 toward the exit.

Tao Yu felt more at ease once Evangelion Unit-01 had left. At least he didn't have to worry about anyone stealing his kill.

He glanced at the scene. As the Fruit of Life, the S2 Engine was still quite large by human standards.

"I wonder if I can convert it into energy and absorb it into my Inherent Domain for storage..."

Tao Yu had several Fel Seeds, which stored energy and had greatly improved his recovery. Without them, he could barely have activated the Zhu Xian Sword Array more than a few times.

If he could incorporate the S2 Engine, that would