The energy coalescing at the muzzle of the Nemesis-class Volcano Cannon on Red Unit-01's back had reached its critical point. The incandescent glare temporarily outshone the swirling flames and explosions across the battlefield, casting everything in a stark, deathly white light.
The terrifying energy fluctuations distorted the very air; even the Gargant grappling with Violet Unit-02 felt the threat in its primitive sensors and let out a roar mixed with fury and unease.
"Fire!" Asuka did not hesitate. As Red Unit-01 lunged to within less than a hundred meters of the structural weakness on the left side of the Ork fortress, she issued the final command.
"BOOM—!!!"
It was not the sharp crack of a conventional gunpowder weapon, but the deep, terrifying roar of a massive energy release. A jet of incandescent radiance, wide enough for several main battle tanks to drive through side-by-side, erupted from the Volcano Cannon like the wrath of a mythological titan.
Where the stream passed, the air was completely ionized, forming a temporary vacuum corridor. Everything in its path—Orks, fortifications, or metal wreckage—was instantly annihilated by the extreme heat and kinetic force, leaving not even ash behind.
The destructive beam slammed squarely into the ventilation shaft structure that had been crudely sealed with metal plates. There was no stalemate and no delay. Under the point-blank, maximum-power discharge of the Volcano Cannon, the seemingly thick metal plates melted and vaporized as quickly as ice under a summer sun. The white-hot jet pierced through the outer defenses without resistance, driving deep into the fortress's internal structure.
Inside the fortress, the energy stream rampaged, spreading wildly through corridors and open chambers. The crooked structure could not withstand such a concentrated and violent energy impact. Internal ammunition magazines detonated, fuel depots ignited, and thick energy conduits melted through, triggering a continuous chain of secondary explosions.
From the outside, the entire Ork fortress looked like an ignited powder keg. First, a series of muffled but violent explosions thundered from within, and brilliant white light burst from the numerous weld lines and armor seams on its surface.
Then, a more violent blast erupted from the interior, blowing thick armor plates outward and hurling twisted cannons and metal components into the sky like toys. A massive hole, billowing flames and thick smoke, rapidly expanded from the ventilation shaft across the left side of the fortress.
In the depths of the structure, the powerful and stable "WAAAGH!" energy signal suffered a violent, cliff-like drop on the sensor readings—as if a power cord had been jerked out. It flickered briefly, grew extremely weak, and then vanished completely.
Success!
"Energy source eliminated! Target core confirmed destroyed!" Osiris's voice immediately rang through the encrypted channel, confirming the kill.
Almost at the exact moment the energy signal vanished, a visible and violent change swept across the battlefield. The Gargant that had been fiercely grappling with Violet Unit-02—and at one point forcing Shinji to retreat step by step—jerked to a halt.
The pitch of its roaring engine dropped abruptly, and the majority of the indicator lights and runes on its torso, which represented the "WAAAGH!" energy connection, flickered and went out as if the power had been cut. Its simple and violent combat consciousness seemed to fall into a brief state of confusion and vacancy, having lost its top-level command and energy support.
It was not just the Gargant; every Ork unit across the battlefield displayed obvious abnormalities. The deafening, ceaseless cry of "WAAAGH!!!" was interrupted and weakened on a massive scale for the first time, becoming sparse and disorganized.
The Ork Boyz, who had been surging toward the Imperial lines in a fearless tide, slowed their charge. Many showed expressions of confusion and bewilderment, and some even began to push and argue with one another. The attacks from armored vehicles lost their previous coordination and accuracy.
"Great work, EVA squad!" Princeps Olaf's excited roar came through the public channel; his thrill was palpable even through the Titan's heavy armor. "The greenskin boss is down! Their 'WAAAGH!' is finished! All units, charge! Crush them!"
The morale of the Iron Hounds' Titans and Knights soared. They immediately seized the perfect opportunity provided by the Orks' confusion to launch an even more ferocious counter-attack. Volkite calivers and turbo-lasers acted like a reaper's scythe, harvesting the Orks whose unified command and fighting spirit had plummeted.
"We did it... we actually did it!" Shinji exhaled deeply in his cockpit, his strained nerves finally relaxing. The pressure in front of Violet Unit-02 had vanished; though the Gargant was still struggling, it was no longer the threat it once was.
Rei Ayanami ceased her continuous fire suppression. Blue Unit-03 stood silently atop the pile of wreckage, its sensors calmly scanning the collapsing Ork lines.
After firing that devastating shot, Asuka's Red Unit-01 used its thrusters' reverse thrust to pull back rapidly, evading the shockwaves and flying white-hot metal debris from the fortress's explosion. She watched the burning, collapsing Ork stronghold with a smirk that blended exhaustion with extreme satisfaction.
"Hmph. Pathetic."
However, the battle was not entirely over. Deprived of their Great Warlord, the Ork army did not instantly disintegrate but instead fell into a state of more frenzied and disorganized chaos. Some larger Ork Nobz tried to reorganize their squads, but they lacked coordination and even began fighting among themselves for leadership. This made the Ork resistance less threatening than before, but the battlefield situation became more complex and messy.
"Do not slacken," Osiris's voice rose again, maintaining its characteristic calm. "The Ork Warlord has been removed, but the remaining forces are still substantial. Assist the Iron Hounds in completely clearing the resistance in this sector. Focus on eliminating the sub-leaders attempting to regroup the troops."
"Roger!" the three pilots responded in unison.
The three EVA Titans moved again, but their tactics had shifted. They no longer needed to execute high-risk, high-difficulty deep-penetration strikes. Instead, they became battlefield cleaners, coordinating with the Iron Hounds' advance to efficiently wipe out Ork clusters that were still putting up a fight or trapped in internal feuds.
Red Unit-01 utilized its high mobility to weave through the battlefield, precisely picking off Ork Nobz attempting to howl orders to their units. Violet Unit-02 acted as a mobile fortress, providing solid protection for the advancing Imperial infantry and using its raw strength to crush hastily established Ork resistance points. Blue Unit-03 continued its role as a sniper, using precise energy beams to clear distant threats and high-value targets.
Without the blessing of the "WAAAGH!" energy field and unified command, the combat power of the Ork units plummeted. Their crude weapons struggled to pose any substantial threat to the EVA Titans, while every attack from the EVAs caused mass casualties. The tide of the battlefield was now turning into a one-sided slaughter in favor of the Imperial forces.