Chapter 584: First Taste of War
The Titan transport ship "Steel Wolf Howl", like a metal deity tearing through the firmament, was the first to breach the atmosphere of Verdant III. The friction between its heavy armor and the air generated a blinding plasma halo.
Closely following it were several strike cruisers and the Adeptus Mechanicus transport ship where Ryo was located.
Violent turbulence transmitted through the hull structure; even within the well-soundproofed cabins, one could feel that thunderous momentum.
Outside the portholes was a sky dyed red by flames, and below was the rapidly expanding, yellow-green land.
"All combat units, final check! Prepare for sequential deployment!" cold and clear commands echoed over the fleet broadcast.
Inside the cargo hold of the Mechanicus transport ship, the three EVA-Titans were firmly locked by massive securing racks. The entry plugs were already in position, and the LCL liquid began to inject.
Shinji Ikari, Asuka, and Rei Ayanami were immersed in the amber liquid, undergoing their final neural connection calibrations.
"Synchronization rate stable."
"Systems normal."
"Energy pathways clear."
The three's reports came in sequence. Their voices sounded slightly muffled through the LCL, but all carried the pre-battle tension.
Ryo (second avatar)'s voice rang out through the internal communication channel, as steady as ever: "Remember your training, maintain formation, and prioritize your own safety. Battlefield information will be shared in real-time via the data link; act according to my orders."
"Understood."
Right at this moment, the transport ship jolted violently. Accompanied by the massive sound of metal clashing and the hissing of hydraulic systems depressurizing, the rear bay doors of the cargo hold slowly opened, and violent air currents instantly rushed in.
"Securing racks released! EVA tactical squad, launch!"
The mechanical locks of the securing racks popped open simultaneously. Driven by their own power and inertia, the three EVA-Titans slid rapidly down the inclined deck and leaped out into the sky beyond the bay doors!
The eighty-meter-tall giant gods, like three colored meteors, broke through the transport ship's wake and plummeted toward the war-torn earth below.
Gravity quickly caught them, but the thrusters on the backs of the EVA-Titans ignited at the right moment, adjusting their falling posture and decelerating.
Below, the vast and desolate continent of Kelber unfolded before their eyes.
Scorched earth, burning forests, the ruins of destroyed human settlements, and... Ork forces spreading like a green tide.
"My God..." Shinji muttered to himself inside the cockpit. Purple Unit-02's sensors clearly fed back the densely packed, tens of thousands of Ork figures on the ground. This scale far exceeded any scene he had witnessed when fighting the Angels.
"Whoa! This number is way too exaggerated!" Asuka couldn't help but exclaim, but the movements of the red Unit-01 she piloted didn't hesitate in the slightest. It quickly converged with the other two machines in the air, forming a simple triangular formation.
Rei Ayanami's blue Unit-03 followed silently, its sensors calmly scanning the ground, marking large energy sources and potential command nodes.
Almost at the same time the EVA-Titans appeared, the Ork forces on the ground also discovered them.
Some Ork Boyz foolishly fired their guns at the sky, while more let out excited WAAAGH! roars, surging toward their projected landing zone.
Meanwhile, in another airspace, the Titan drop pods of the Steel Hound Legion smashed directly toward their predetermined assembly area on the ground in a much more brutal manner, like burning meteorites.
The massive impact kicked up clouds of dust. As the pod doors opened, Warhound-class Titans and knights of the Collegia Titanica strode out with heavy steps, the roar of their engines instantly overpowering the noisy gunfire on the battlefield.
The Warhound-class Titan "Iron Fang" piloted by Princeps Olaf was the first to complete its startup, its twin-linked volkite destructors beginning to condense terrifying light.
"Steel Hound Legion, deploy formation! For the Emperor and the Omnissiah, purge these Greenskin scums!" Olaf's voice resounded across the battlefield through the Legion's communication channel.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.
The heavy firepower of the Titans was like the scythe of the Grim Reaper; every volley cleared a vacuum in the green tide.
Volkite weaponry vaporized Orks along with their crude covers, and turbo-laser destructors precisely detonated Ork vehicles in the distance.
But there were simply too many Orks.
Unafraid of death, stepping on the remains of their comrades, they swarmed toward the Titan formation from all directions like endless locusts.
The knights fought fiercely, tearing apart approaching Orks with their thermal claws and avenger gatling cannons, but the green tide seemed endless.
"EVA squad, proceed according to plan." Ryo's calm command came through the encrypted data link, echoing clearly in their respective cockpits.
"Red Unit-01, push forward and reconnoiter the hilly terrain on the left flank; be mindful to evade potential anti-air fire. Purple Unit-02, Blue Unit-03, coordinate with the right flank of the Steel Hound Legion and mop up the Ork clusters attempting to flank us."
"Roger!" Asuka's response carried a hint of eager excitement.
Almost the instant her voice fell, the new thruster array on the back of red Unit-01 roared to full power, erupting with astonishing thrust. The entire machine seemed to break free from the shackles of gravity, transforming into a red lightning bolt difficult for the naked eye to catch, sweeping low over the hilly terrain on the left, which was undulating, covered in steep rocks, and sparse, twisted vegetation.
Its speed was so fast that in the eyes of those blindly charging Ork Boyz on the ground, it only left a fleeting, blurry red shadow and the ear-piercing sound of tearing air.
Shinji took a deep breath of the LCL liquid; the rusty-smelling oxygen seemed to slightly suppress the discomfort in his stomach.
He controlled the purple Unit-02, moving with heavy steps to the right flank of the Steel Hound Legion's formation, standing shoulder to shoulder with several knight mechs that were firing fiercely with gatling cannons and melta guns.
The scene before him was enough to cause the mind of anyone who had never experienced war to collapse.
Like a boiling green ocean, countless Ork Boyz let out crude and furious WAAAGH! roars, brandishing crude but lethal choppas, huge axes, and various loudly banging live-ammo firearms, forming a destructive wave that crashed fearlessly against the Imperial defensive line.
Pungent gunpowder smoke, ozone, and the filthy body odor unique to Orks mixed in the scorching air.
Shinji felt a suffocating sensation stemming from instinct, but he gritted his teeth, forced himself to focus, and raised purple Unit-02's massive arm.
A visible A.T. Field, rippling with faint purple waves, instantly deployed in front of the machine.
The first batch of howling Ork Boyz that crashed into it, along with the crude weapons in their hands, was like hitting an invisible, incredibly tough wall. Amidst the teeth-achingly gruesome sound of flesh and bone shattering, they were violently repelled, crushed, and instantly turned into splashing puddles of green mush.
At the same time, Rei Ayanami's blue Unit-03 remained on a slightly recessed, relatively safe tactical high ground.
The artificer-tier energy weapon platform on the machine's shoulder rotated and locked on steadily, emitting the low hum characteristic of charging.
The next moment, an ice-blue high-energy particle beam, like a spear of judgment from the heavens, sliced through the noisy battlefield airspace with extreme precision.
Every short burst unfailingly struck a critical node within the surging Ork tide.
Be it an Ork busta carrying a massive explosive tank on its back, triggering a series of expanding fireballs that engulfed a large swath of surrounding greenskins;
Or an exceptionally burly Ork Nob, roaring and supervising the battle while brandishing a power claw, instantly vaporized along with its crude armor.
Her attacks were highly efficient and ruthless, creating localized vacuums of death and chain-reaction chaos within the chaotic green tide, greatly alleviating the pressure on the frontal defensive line.
This was their first time truly engaging in combat with the enemies of this universe.
The primal savagery displayed by the Orks, their near-infinite numbers, and that pure desire for destruction—fighting for the sake of fighting—were completely different from the Angels' mysterious purposefulness and extreme individual oppressive power.
But right now, they had no extra time to carefully ponder this cross-universe difference. Surviving and completing the established tactical objectives were the only things they needed to focus on.
The red lightning cruised on the flank, scouting for potential threats and opportunities; the purple bulwark stood majestically at the front, crushing the mad tide that dared to approach; the blue ethereal light calmly sniped from the rear, accurately disintegrating the enemy's organizational nodes.
The three giant gods from another world, utilizing their respective unique and powerful combat methods, finally bloomed with a dazzling light that could not be ignored on this war-torn alien land.