Mark.09 withdrew its scythe, then leaped backward into the sea behind it.
Asuka and Mari exchanged glances, unsure what the other side was playing at.
But they soon got their answer.
Boom-crash!!!
At the docks on the far side, Artificial Angel 4C had broken through the Hope's defensive barrier.
They pressed themselves against the Hope's hull, then detonated all at once!
Hearing the commotion, Unit-02 and Unit-08 rushed over. They saw several large cracks in one of the Hope's wings, blasted open by the Artificial Angels.
Asuka immediately jumped into the sea to inspect the barrier device. She found something resembling a USB drive lodged in it, a red light blinking nonstop.
"Misato, our barrier device has been hacked. The Artificial Angels did quite a bit of damage to one of the Hope's wings."
In the Command Room, Misato, Ritsuko Akagi, and the others watched the incoming video feed.
"Before your power runs out, repair and stabilize the Sealing Pillars there. We'll send people over to deal with it right away."
After giving them a brief rundown, Misato issued orders to the personnel below, preparing to dispatch the Logistics Troops to the docks.
Site B
Kaworu Nagisa knelt on one knee, panting heavily. Looking at Huang Zhetian a short distance away, steam rising from his entire body, he involuntarily swallowed.
Was this guy human or an Angel? Even Angels didn't use attacks that consumed this much energy.
As an Angel himself, Kaworu Nagisa knew very well that Angels couldn't attack without pause. Even the strongest Angel needed to stop for five seconds after unleashing a powerful attack before it could attack again, continuing only once it returned to its normal rhythm.
Without recovering that normal rhythm, it would end up like him now, unable to manage even its usual attacks.