The Ork fortress, modified from the "Charon" heavy underground bunker, clung to the scorched earth of Veldan III like an ugly metallic tumor. Its surface was encrusted with crudely welded additional armor plates, and countless thick cannon barrels and rocket pods protruded from inconceivable angles, continuously spitting tongues of fire.
Layer upon layer of makeshift fortifications, minefields, and obstacle belts made of piled-up vehicle wreckage surrounded the fortress, while further out, Ork reinforcements surged like a boiling tide. The entire area radiated a suffocating "WAAAGH!" energy fluctuation, with its source pointing directly into the depths of the stronghold.
"Target confirmed. The energy source is located in the bunker's underground core, approximately fifty meters deep." Osiris's calm voice rang through the encrypted channel, synchronizing the latest sensor analysis data to the cockpits of the three EVA Titans.
"The fortress structure is reinforced; conventional bombardment will struggle to penetrate quickly. You must close to effective range and use high-power weaponry for a direct hit on the core area."
"Understood!" Asuka's voice carried a sense of resolute excitement. Unit-01's optical sensors locked onto the distant fortress, and the muzzle of the Nemesis-class Volcano Cannon on her back began to radiate dangerous thermal signatures.
"It won't be that simple!" Princeps Olaf's voice cut in with urgency. "The new Gargant and at least three battalions of Ork armored units are closing in to encircle you! The Iron Hounds will do their best to hold them back, but time is limited!"
Before he could finish, the ground shook with a heavy vibration. The second Gargant—nearly seventy meters tall and equipped with that terrifying Deff-Rolla—was trampling through the chaotic green tide, flanked by countless Ork Boyz, and charging toward the flank of the EVA squad's assault spearhead. Its simple combat logic had identified these three brightly colored giant humanoid machines as threats that had to be eliminated first.
Simultaneously, from other directions on the battlefield, a staggering number of Ork armored units—including "Killa Trucks" with extra steel plates and cannons, roaring tracked "fortresses," and several smaller but equally dangerous "Deff Dredds"—converged like a pack of sharks scenting blood, recklessly breaking through the interception of the Iron Hounds' Knights.
"Violet Two, intercept that Gargant! Do not let it interfere with the assault!" Osiris commanded immediately, his tone leaves no room for doubt. "Blue Three, provide full cover for Violet Two and suppress the surrounding Ork armored units. Red One, take your chance and execute the decapitation!"
"Leave it to me!" Shinji took a deep breath, pushing down the fear in his heart. He knew that if he retreated now, not only would Asuka's assault fail, but all his comrades would be placed in mortal danger.
Violet Unit-02 pivoted sharply, its massive metallic feet sinking deep into the ground. Facing the roaring Gargant, it took a firm defensive stance. The A.T. Field deployed fully, forming a solid wall of pale purple light, while the unit's own Void Shield generator hummed at maximum power, creating a second line of defense behind the field.
Rei Ayanami's Blue Unit-03 moved quickly to a relatively high pile of wreckage, the unit half-kneeling as all long-range weapon systems entered standby. Her sensors calmly scanned the battlefield, prioritizing targets that posed the greatest threat to Violet Unit-02 and identifying Ork vehicles attempting to flank Red Unit-01.
Asuka did not hesitate for a second. The new thruster array on the back of Red Unit-01 erupted with a deafening roar. The unit accelerated abruptly like an arrow leaving a bow, charging in a straight line toward the Ork fortress. She pushed her mobility to the limit, weaving through dense barrages and explosions like a streak of red lightning tearing through the battlefield.
The battle instantly entered its most brutal phase.
The violet Unit-02 and the green Gargant collided violently. The Gargant's massive, spinning Deff-Rolla slammed into the A.T. Field with the momentum to crush anything, producing an ear-piercing screech of grinding metal and tearing energy.
The field distorted and rippled violently, but it stubbornly held together. Shinji clenched his teeth, pushing the power core output to the redline. He maneuvered Unit-02 to brace against the field with its shoulder armor and arms, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ground. He could not retreat; he had to buy time for Asuka.
Simultaneously, ice-blue beams acted like a reaper's roll call, firing precisely from Blue Unit-03's position. One beam instantly melted through the engine room of a Killa Truck attempting to ram Unit-02's legs, triggering a secondary explosion. Another precisely sliced off the barrel of a secondary cannon on the Gargant's shoulder, temporarily reducing its fire density. Rei's attacks were efficient and cold; like a precise hunter, she cleared targets threatening the defensive node, sharing the burden with Shinji.
However, the Orks were simply too numerous. Despite the Iron Hounds' Titans and Knights fighting desperately in the distance to draw fire, countless Ork Boyz and armored units broke through the blockade, howling as they swarmed toward the three isolated EVA Titans. Shells, rockets, and heavy ballistic rounds poured onto Unit-02's field and Unit-03's Void Shields like a torrential rain, triggering continuous energy ripples and explosive flashes.
Red Unit-01's path was equally thorny. Countless Orks tried to block her with their bodies, vehicles, and crude fortifications. Asuka pushed the unit's mobility to its peak.
Red Unit-01 sometimes bypassed dense fire nets with unbelievable right-angle turns, sometimes swatted away blocking Ork vehicles like toys with its massive power claws, and sometimes cleared obstacles ahead with short bursts from its Volcano Cannon.
She moved so fast she left afterimages, but every step of the final few hundred meters around the fortress felt like dancing on the edge of a blade.
"The frontal defense of the fortress is strongest. Breach from the left flank! There is a structural weakness there; sensors have marked it!" Osiris's voice arrived just in time, sending the detailed structural analysis and weakness markers to Asuka.
"I see it!" Asuka adjusted her direction immediately. Red Unit-01 performed a swift side-skid, narrowly evading a massive laser blast from the fortress's main cannon, and lunged toward the marked left area. It was originally the entrance to a large ventilation shaft, now messily sealed by the Orks with crude metal plates. Its structural strength was far inferior to the surrounding main armor.
"Now! Volcano Cannon, maximum power—point-blank shot!" A fierce light flashed in Asuka's eyes. The massive barrel on Red Unit-01's back rapidly adjusted its angle. Incandescent energy coalesced wildly at the muzzle, emitting a brilliance like the sun and a heart-shaking energy hum.