"Something's seriously wrong with this Chief Angel," Maki couldn't help saying.
The smoke cleared, revealing the Chief Angel, whose gun emplacement base had already fallen apart.
It looked no different from a normal EVA, except for its right hand, which had completely fused with the gunlike Laser Cannon.
A moment later, Maki felt as though the tip of her nose were being scorched. The massive cannon in the Chief Angel's hand began to glow.
"Here it comes!" Maki shouted. Facing a real battlefield for the first time in three years sent a long-forgotten rush of excitement through her blood.
Unit-08 kicked hard off the ground. The F-Type Armor, working in tandem with her AT Field, sent her leaping high and far. The heavily armored unit was actually more agile than its old, scrawny frame had been.
With a thunderous blast, a small hill was blown clean through.
It was actually an enormous sniper emplacement, built specifically for the Ayanamis.
Modeled after the Unit-00 piloted by Rei Ayanami, the Angel EVAs flown by the Ayanamis were all specialized for long-range combat.
Their long-range beam weapons could easily penetrate an Angel-class AT Field.
The sniper emplacements supporting them had armor designed to withstand several laser attacks and corrosive assaults from certain Angels.
Yet this sturdy defensive structure was pierced in an instant, the violent explosion sending flames soaring into the sky.
The energy of the Angels' S2 Engines, combined with human technology, was bringing humanity ever closer to the divine realm beyond the Angels.
"This world... has already ended..." A broken voice came through the Chief Angel's vocal apparatus.
It sounded remarkably like Rei Ayanami, probably because the Dummy System used her personality data.
Maki didn't understand what it meant, but the cannon's muzzle commanded more attention than its words.
With the