Chapter 1351
The Empty Angel: Big Brother, please continue!
The tenth apostle has a big problem...
It's actually a self-destructing thing.
The Sky Angel possesses unique abilities. Its body has a symmetrical geometric shape and bomb-like properties. It is the largest of the Apostles and the first Apostle to utilize AT Field attacks. By accelerating the descent of parts of its body and converting AT Field and gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy, it delivers a devastating blow to its target. Hovering above the clouds, its massive body blocks out the sunlight, casting a huge shadow on the ground. Unstable energy surges beneath each symmetrical piece of armor, making it resemble an aerial fortress poised to explode at any moment.
In short, this apostle is terrifying.
In theory, it should be the most destructive of all the apostles; a single dive could raze an entire city to the ground, and a single impact could turn everything within a radius of tens of kilometers into scorched earth. Its fighting style, which treats itself as a weapon and its fall as the ultimate means, leaves its opponents with absolutely no room to maneuver.
However, this apostle doesn't plan to act now, because it's afraid!
The ethereal angel lurked deep within the stratosphere, its symmetrical, geometric body curled up in a ball, the energy patterns on its surface dimming, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. It sensed the fluctuations emanating from the world below; the life signals of its companions were extinguished one by one. The fetal angels were shredded, the rain angels torn apart, and even the seventeenth apostle, possessing Adam's soul, chose to lie down. Each example before it was like a heavy hammer blow to its already exploding heart.
The first few were unlucky...
Me...sigh...
The angel trembled in the clouds, its massive body shaking slightly with fear, the symmetrical armor plates rubbing against each other with a soft clicking sound. It didn't want to go down, didn't want to face that madman who could tear the apostles apart like insects, didn't want to be the next unfortunate victim to be torn to pieces. But it had to fulfill its mission, it had to attack humanity; it was an instinct etched into the sequence of the Tree of Life, one it could not defy.
Let's see if we can find an easy target...
It cautiously extended its sensory tentacles out of the clouds, scanning the city below, trying to find a corner where Cui Ming was not, a weakly defended area, a safe spot where it could safely swoop down and unleash its destructive power. But after scanning round and round, it discovered with despair that the terrifying aura was omnipresent, like an invisible net, completely covering the entire Third New Tokyo City.
The angel retreated into the depths of the clouds, letting out a silent wail.
Cui Ming went outside and looked at the sky.
He stood on the rooftop of NERV headquarters, hands in his pockets, gazing up at the somber clouds. The wind whipped his clothes, but he stood ramrod straight, like a knife planted in the ground. His gaze pierced through the thick cumulonimbus clouds, as if he could see the figure hiding deep in the stratosphere.
The ethereal angel instantly felt a sense of terror...
It huddled above the clouds, its massive, symmetrical geometric form suddenly stiffening, all its sensory tentacles snapping up as if struck by an electric current. The gaze emanating from below, though separated by thousands of meters of atmosphere, pierced its very core like a red-hot needle. It wasn't the gaze of an ordinary human; it was something far more ancient, more primal, and more deadly.
That's a... predator!!!
The energy patterns on the Sky Angel's body flickered wildly, its symmetrical armor plates trembled violently, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound. It wanted to escape, to immediately turn around, to flee this planet, to escape this sky, to escape the terrifying being that was looking up at it. But its body seemed nailed to the spot, unable to even perform the most basic movement. It finally understood why the apostles before it had fallen one after another, why even the Angel of Freedom had chosen to submit, and why Lady Lilith preferred to remain a recluse rather than fight.
Because that human named Cui Ming was not the prey at all. He was the hunter, the predator at the top of the food chain, the natural enemy that even the apostles would feel instinctive fear towards.
The angels let out silent wails in the clouds, their massive bodies shrinking even tighter, as if they wished they could shrink themselves into tiny meteorites and then disappear silently into a corner of the universe.
But Cui Ming remained standing there, head tilted back, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Got you."
The angel was almost scared to death!
Its massive, symmetrical geometric form trembled violently deep within the clouds, its energy patterns flashing wildly like short-circuited high-voltage lines. The predatory gaze emanating from below made its armor plates emit piercing groans. It wanted to scream, to roar, to unleash its full AT field to envelop itself as an impenetrable bomb, but fear threw its core calculations into chaos, even sluggishly mobilizing its most basic energy.
So I decided to run away!
The angel abruptly changed direction, its symmetrical body whipped as if by an invisible lash, frantically fleeing towards the edge of the atmosphere. It concentrated its AT field entirely at its tail, transforming it into a propelling flame, converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy for its escape, its speed leaving a ghastly white trail in the sky. Mission, Instrumentality Project, the call of the Tree of Life—all were forgotten. Survival, escaping the predator's gaze, was the only instinct at that moment.
Cui Ming did not pursue them.
He remained standing on the rooftop, hands in his pockets, gazing up at the hastily fleeing white trail, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. The wind whipped his clothes, but he didn't move, simply watching the massive figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the deep blue sky.
After all, this guy is indeed a bit troublesome...
A self-destructing thing...
Cui Ming withdrew his gaze and looked down at his palm. The symmetrical geometric shape and bomb-like characteristics of the Sky Angel meant that if driven to the brink, it would likely choose to dive and self-destruct, using its massive body and all its accumulated energy to exchange for a mutual destruction. That level of explosion would be enough to wipe out the Third New Tokyo City along with the surrounding area; even he couldn't guarantee he could escape unscathed from such an impact.
Let's find a suitable opportunity to kill him.
He turned and walked back to headquarters, his steps steady and composed, as if he were planning a routine hunt, not facing an apostle capable of destroying a city. Opportunities always exist. The Sky Angel may have escaped, but its mission remains; it will return sooner or later. And what Cui Ming excels at is waiting for his prey to come to him, then, at the most opportune moment, ending everything in the cleanest and most swift way.
"Next time."
He said it casually, and his figure disappeared behind the heavy metal door.
Above the clouds, the Sky Angel continued its frantic escape until it was certain that the terrifying aura had completely disappeared from its perception range. Only then did it dare to stop, cowering in the shadow of an abandoned satellite, trembling with fear.
It decided that it would never go back, even if it meant death, until it found that "right opportunity." (End of Chapter)