About ten seconds later.
"Only you must be defeated!"
Raleigh spoke Banagher's famous line as he used his axe to chop off the Kaiju's head. Before that, he had already used the divine weapon in his hands to sever its limbs and long tail, as though he had instinctively mastered the art of carving someone into a Human Stick.
This was what it meant to be a natural-born pilot. Even combat techniques he had never seen before, existing in another world entirely, could be used unconsciously.
Of course, his purpose was clearly different from Kira Yamato's. He had most likely cut off the Kaiju's five limbs to vent his anger.
The Kaiju had killed his brother. He had climbed back into a mech to avenge him, and dismembering them was merely a small release of emotion.
As he watched the monster's corpse float on the sea and slowly sink, the airborne Zaku Warrior finally slung its axe across its back. Raleigh removed his hands from the controls and watched the ocean gradually return to calm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Then music began playing inside the cockpit, and a woman's voice started singing in Japanese.
He had never heard the song "Proof of Water," nor did he know what kind of bizarre design automatically played music after a battle. Yet as he listened to the melodious, sorrowful singing, he began to cry while smiling, even though he could not understand a single word.
It was hard to say what state of mind he was in. Perhaps relief, perhaps regret, but he had definitely realized one thing.
That was—if humanity had possessed machines like the Zaku Warrior five years ago, his brother would not have died.
But now that the battle was over, no one cared why the pilot