Chapter 1305
Apostle: You think you can bully me no matter what?
Compared to the apostles, the monsters are definitely more exciting.
This was Cui Ming's immediate impression after numerous battles. Although the Angels possessed troublesome abilities like AT Fields, and could trigger shocks that could destroy human civilization, in terms of sheer numbers—pure physical strength, energy output, and regenerative abilities—the Monsters were the true monsters.
In a universe where both aliens and monsters exist, you can't expect a world without a defense force to be very powerful.
This world was originally just a conflict between humans and the Angels; though brutal, it was at least within a controllable range. But when monsters from other universes began to flood in, when colossal beasts tens of meters tall and weighing tens of thousands of tons began to roam this land, the original defense system appeared naive and laughable. There was no dedicated monster-fighting force, no development of special weapons against giant creatures, and even the most basic evacuation plans were riddled with flaws.
The N2 Thunderstorm looks powerful, but its stats are still not enough against monsters.
Nuclear weapons capable of instantly leveling city streets, strategic weapons considered the ultimate deterrent by SEELE and NERV, are nothing more than slightly hot fireworks before the monsters. The light from the explosions can illuminate the night sky, and the shockwaves can shatter glass, but the monsters' skin—those keratinous layers, scales, or exoskeletons mutated by cosmic rays and specially evolved—is only slightly charred, only swaying gently, before continuing its march through the smoke. The radiation, high temperature, and shockwaves of the N2 bombs appear so pale and powerless before the monsters' cellular regeneration capabilities.
But Barga is different!
Balga's stats are also incredibly powerful!
This orange, super-heavy-duty crane, originally designed for transporting steel and cement, was transformed in Cui Ming's hands into a terrifying killing machine. Its tonnage, output, and structural strength had all undergone countless combat tests and modifications. When the infinite energy of the S2 mechanism was injected into every joint, and when the sixteen track drive units operated at full power, the Balga became a steel cannonball that moved at supersonic speeds and crushed everything with the impact force of tens of thousands of tons.
After all, the varga can inflict terrifying damage on super-regenerative organisms through collisions.
Those monsters with terrifying regenerative abilities, those super-regenerative creatures that could heal in seconds after being cut in half, and reassemble themselves after being blown to pieces, were utterly powerless against Vulgar's charge. Not because of beam attacks, not because of energy weapons, but because of the purest physical kinetic energy—mass multiplied by velocity squared. The massive steel body collided head-on at hundreds of kilometers per hour, the impact shattering every single cell of the monster, annihilating it along with its regenerative core. That level of impact surpassed the limits of biological regeneration, turning flesh and blood into splattered gore.
An apostle would be half-dead if he was slapped.
For the Apostles, the threat posed by Vulga was even more devastating. Those Apostles who relied on their AT fields to act with impunity, those arrogant creatures who believed they could withstand any conventional attack, were as fragile as paper before Vulga's crane arm. With a single slap, the AT field caved in, twisted, and shattered; the Apostle's outer shell collapsed, its internal structure exploded, its core exposed, and half its life evaporated instantly. Even a twin like the Seventh Apostle, Israphar, was only able to struggle for a few more minutes under Vulga's capture net and heavy blows.
This is the overwhelming power of numbers, the dominance of pure physical force over this world.
In this crazy era where aliens and monsters roam freely, the numerical value of the Vulcan tiger is Cui Ming's greatest source of confidence.
The apostles are indeed troublesome, but the biggest problem with them is that the apostles have to go to that place called the Central Dogma to trigger their mechanisms if they want to cause trouble.
That is the deepest forbidden zone of NERV headquarters, the sacred ground where Lilith resides, the ultimate secret meticulously guarded by SEELE and Sextans Gendo for many years. Only by reaching there can the Angels merge with Lilith, trigger the impact powerful enough to reshape the world, and fulfill their mission of return inherited from Adam. This mechanism is like a program written in their genes, unchangeable and unbypassable. No matter how powerful, intelligent, or skilled in combat the Angels are, they must overcome countless obstacles to reach that altar deep underground.
They need to do this to trigger that shock. But for the apostles now...
They need to pay attention
In addition to human defenses, there are also monsters.
That's right, even monsters can summon apostles!
The waters surrounding Tokyo-3, originally a passageway for the Angels to land, have now become a most dangerous hunting ground. When the Water Angel attempted to land on the shallows, a cosmic monster emerged from a deep-sea crevice and blocked its path. It was a colossal octopus-like beast, its tentacles wielding a monstrous force capable of tearing apart AT fields. The Water Angel's particle cannon struck the monster, only eliciting a furious roar before the octopus-like creature used its tentacles to tightly bind the Water Angel, dragging it back into the deep sea for a brutal beating.
After all, the monsters found the apostles extremely annoying.
It's just a feeling.
That pure, primal loathing. The AT field emanating from the Angels, that alien life force, that way of being so out of place in this world—it was like nails driven into the monsters' sensory organs. They weren't there to seize territory, nor to prey, but the desire to "change everything," the impulse to "cleanse the world" they exuded, triggered the monsters' most primal aggression.
The monsters are unhappy if we don't summon the Apostles!
A subterranean monster, fresh from a spatial rift, was simply wandering the outskirts, looking for a quiet place to nap. But when it sensed the energy fluctuations of an Angel emanating from underground, the monster instantly went berserk. Ignoring the NERV fire and potential dangers, it recklessly burrowed through the earth, charging headlong into the Angel that was lurking beneath. The two colossal creatures clashed in the underground cavity, rocks crumbling, lava erupting, until finally the Angel was torn in two. The subterranean monster, satisfied, roared and dragged the Angel's remains back underground for its dinner.
For the apostles, this was a nightmare.
Originally, they only needed to deal with the humans' N2 bombs, positron cannons, and those troublesome EVAs. Although difficult, at least the objective was clear and the path was well-defined. But now, every step could be met with attacks from unreasonable monsters. Those monsters had no tactics, no purpose; they simply attacked any Angel they saw, whether they could win or not, and even took a bite before dying.
The Central Dogma District lay ahead, and Lilith's presence beckoned, but the apostles discovered that the road to the Holy Land had been turned into a slaughterhouse by monsters.
How can we possibly make an impact now?
How can we possibly make a comeback now?
The apostles were plunged into deep confusion and anger. They began to wonder if the world had gone mad. Why were even monsters meddling in their affairs? Why were these lowly beasts, driven only by instinct, trying to prevent them from fulfilling their sacred mission?
But the monsters didn't care about any of that.
If you see an apostle, rush over and beat it to a pulp.
This is the monsters' logic: simple, direct, and effective. (End of Chapter)