Inside NERV ANIMA's Central Control Room in Hakone.
A shrill alarm tore through the heavy silence like a beast gone berserk.
The operators at the consoles instantly descended into chaos. The sudden uproar came from an anomaly detected by the core observation instruments.
Yomotsu Hirasaka was accelerating abnormally.
That dimensional continent, bound tightly in black vines and reassembled, had broken free of every projected trajectory, bringing its next approach to Earth forward yet again.
Earth and the moon had originally been several days away from contact, but the latest calculations showed that it would fall today.
"The space between Yomotsu Hirasaka and Earth is undergoing an anomaly! Energy fluctuations have exceeded the safety threshold!"
Hyuga Kou's voice trembled uncontrollably as his fingers flew across the console, trying to recalibrate the orbital parameters.
But the red warning lights on the screen flashed madly, and the data curves twisted into grotesque arcs.
"Look at the outdoor camera! The sky looks really strange!"
Midori Kitakami suddenly cried out from the lower deck, her voice filled with undisguised panic.
The vague description made Shigeru Aoba frown deeply.
He strode to the main console and, without asking any further questions, switched the central main display to the panoramic camera atop the headquarters tower.
A second later, every conversation in the command room stopped. Even their breathing became barely audible.
Everyone's eyes were riveted to the scene on the screen, disbelief written across their faces.
The thick clouds that had hung over Hakone were rapidly dissipating before their eyes.
The sun sinking in the west pierced the clouds, casting a blinding glare laden with intense ultraviolet radiation.
The deep blue sky was illuminated until it was almost transparent. They could even see the faint reflected light of the ionosphere high in the atmosphere.
And in the