Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

No one spoke, no one tried to stop him, no one cried. They simply looked at him quietly, their eyes filled with absolute trust and approval.

“Let’s go.” He placed his hand on Misato Katsuragi’s shoulder, took out the Bible, and said softly.

"There is no such thing as unconditional love; unconditional love is the reward that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. You who come from the Tower of Babel should understand this."

Having said that, the countless scriptures that rose up brought with them a dazzling holy light, engulfing him and Misato Katsuragi together, and heading towards the battlefield.

Meanwhile, NERV headquarters was in chaos. The white giant hovered above the central dogma, surrounded by a web of fire from countless cannons, yet not a single bullet could penetrate the spectral AT field. It hovered there silently, while the AT field steadily and efficiently destroyed the multiple armor plates leading to the final dogma!

"The third eligible candidate has arrived!" Technician Maya Ibuki's voice rang out, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Unit-01, prepare for sortie!"

They didn't understand how Shinji suddenly appeared or where he entered NERV, but they didn't need to think about those things now!

The platform slowly rose, exposing the purple giant to the sunlight. The white giant ceased its destruction, turned around, and gazed down at its similar-looking "kind."

Everyone held their breath; they witnessed a scene they had never seen before.

Unlike conventional combat scenarios, Unit-01 didn't land and seek cover, nor did it immediately draw its weapons. Instead, it bent its knees, pushed off the ground, and its massive body soared into the air, tracing an arc in the sky—

With arms outstretched and legs together, the entire body forms a perfect cross shape in the air.

Sunlight streamed down from behind, outlining a golden silhouette against its purple body. In that instant, Unit-01 didn't seem like a man-made weapon, but rather a holy icon descended from heaven, an angel stepping out of a medieval painting.

Come, let's fight!

On the path to godhood, you must kill, kill, kill! :256. Shinji Ikari of Escari

Inserting the plug, Shinji Ikari put the glasses back on, and the fear and hesitation that belonged to ordinary people vanished in an instant.

The moment Tsugumi arrived, she detached from the body of the Angel of Day and returned to Shinji's soul, granting him boundless courage!

But this time he didn't fight directly in place of Shinji Ikari. Instead, he handed the battlefield over to Shinji Ikari and chose to give only his own power and the courage to fight!

No, perhaps the latter no longer needs him to give.

"This battle is now in your hands," Tsugumi said to Shinji Ikari.

"If you really can't hold on any longer, I'll help you."

Shinji Ikari lowered his head to look at the rough wooden cross on his chest, then raised his head to look ahead—to the white giant who was roaring furiously.

The cross on his chest gave him boundless courage.

The Holy Spirit behind him gave him absolute peace of mind.

"We will win!" he said.

"I am with you," Tsugumi replied, her figure dissipating into the LCL solution, turning into countless points of light that merged into every corner of Unit-01.

The synchronization rate began to surge.

200%, 30

365 >>

The white giant that looked exactly the same as before was getting further and further away in her rearview mirror, yet it was like a nightmare she could never escape, fixed firmly on her retina.

Fifteen years ago, in Antarctica.

She watched her father press the detonator, watched the white giant rise from the light, and watched the world collapse before her eyes.

And now, history is repeating itself.

"Damn it... damn it!!!"

She jerked the steering wheel, the tires skidding on the gravel, nearly plunging into the roadside ditch. But she didn't care; she just slammed on the gas, speeding towards the church in the mountains.

She needs to find Shinji Ikari.

It wasn't for NERV, it wasn't for the mission, it wasn't even for the world—she just wanted to grasp onto something, anything that would convince her that this time, the same thing wouldn't happen again.

By the time the church came into view, it was already completely dark.

It wasn't the darkness of the night, but rather the dazzling light emanating from the white giant that cast shadows over everything around it. The church's outline appeared and disappeared at the boundary between light and darkness, like an ark floating in chaos.

Misato Katsuragi jumped out of the car, staggered towards the church, and then stopped.

The open space in front of the church was packed with people—the elderly, women, children, and young people. The hundreds of refugees were all gathered there, silent and motionless. They simply stood there peacefully, heads tilted back, gazing at the top of the church.

Following their gaze, Misato Katsuragi saw a black figure standing on the dilapidated roof of the church.

Shinji Ikari, dressed in his black priest's robes, the silver cross on his chest reflecting a blinding light under the white glow. He stood with his back to the light, facing those who looked up at him, his arms slightly outstretched, like a statue standing between light and darkness.

Sunlight, if it could still be called sunlight, streamed down from the broken roof, casting dappled shadows on him. The wind was strong, blowing his robes and hair, but he remained motionless, as if he had stood there for a thousand years.

No one spoke. Then, Shinji leaped from the rooftop, drifting down as lightly as a feather, his black robe unfurling in the air like a pair of enormous wings. He landed in the middle of the crowd, and the refugees automatically parted to make way for him toward the church entrance.

He walked up to Misato Katsuragi and stopped.

“Miss Misato,” he said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather, “you’ve arrived.”

Misato Katsuragi opened her mouth, only to find herself unable to speak. She wanted to say "angel," to say "the white giant," but all the words stuck in her throat, turning into a trembling gasp.

Shinji Ikari looked at her; her eyes, without her glasses, were surprisingly clear. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

“I know,” he said. “I know everything.”

In that instant, Misato Katsuragi felt an urge to cry, not from fear, but because—she didn't know why. It was just the warmth of that hand on her shoulder, the calm, gentle gaze in the boy's eyes, that suddenly made her feel incredibly at ease.

Shinji Ikari withdrew his hand and turned to look at the refugees.

“Children,” he said softly.

At the front of the crowd, the children who always listened to his stories stepped forward. They looked up at him, their eyes filled with no fear, only a pure gaze, like looking up at the stars.

“Father,” the little girl said, “are you going to fight that glowing monster?”

Shinji Ikari crouched down to look her in the eye.

“Yes,” he said with a smile.

Will you come back?

Shinji Ikari's smile was as gentle as the spring sunshine. "I will come back."

He said, "Because you are still here."

The little girl nodded, as if she had heard the most obvious answer in the world. She took something out of her pocket; it was a small cross, carved from wood, roughly made with rough edges.

“This is something I made,” she said, presenting it to Shinji Ikari. “It’s for you. Father, if you wear it, you will return safely.”

Shinji Ikari took the wooden cross and looked down at it for a long time. Then he took the silver cross from his chest, gently placed it around the little girl's neck, and hung the wooden cross around his own neck.

“This is an exchange,” he said. “You keep this for me, and I’ll keep this for you. When I come back, we’ll exchange them back.”

The little girl looked down at the gleaming silver cross and nodded vigorously. Shinji Ikari stood up and looked at the silent and uneasy refugees.

No one spoke, no one tried to stop him, no one cried. They simply looked at him quietly, their eyes filled with absolute trust and approval.

“Let’s go.” He placed his hand on Misato Katsuragi’s shoulder, took out the Bible, and said softly.

"There is no such thing as unconditional love; unconditional love is the reward that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. You who come from the Tower of Babel should understand this."

Having said that, the countless scriptures that rose up brought with them a dazzling holy light, engulfing him and Misato Katsuragi together, and heading towards the battlefield.

Meanwhile, NERV headquarters was in chaos. The white giant hovered above the central dogma, surrounded by a web of fire from countless cannons, yet not a single bullet could penetrate the spectral AT field. It hovered there silently, while the AT field steadily and efficiently destroyed the multiple armor plates leading to the final dogma!

"The third eligible candidate has arrived!" Technician Maya Ibuki's voice rang out, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Unit-01, prepare for sortie!"

They didn't understand how Shinji suddenly appeared or where he entered NERV, but they didn't need to think about those things now!

The platform slowly rose, exposing the purple giant to the sunlight. The white giant ceased its destruction, turned around, and gazed down at its similar-looking "kind."

Everyone held their breath; they witnessed a scene they had never seen before.

Unlike conventional combat scenarios, Unit-01 didn't land and seek cover, nor did it immediately draw its weapons. Instead, it bent its knees, pushed off the ground, and its massive body soared into the air, tracing an arc in the sky—

With arms outstretched and legs together, the entire body forms a perfect cross shape in the air.

Sunlight streamed down from behind, outlining a golden silhouette against its purple body. In that instant, Unit-01 didn't seem like a man-made weapon, but rather a holy icon descended from heaven, an angel stepping out of a medieval painting.

Come, let's fight!

On the path to godhood, you must kill, kill, kill! :256. Shinji Ikari of Escari

Inserting the plug, Shinji Ikari put the glasses back on, and the fear and hesitation that belonged to ordinary people vanished in an instant.

The moment Tsugumi arrived, she detached from the body of the Angel of Day and returned to Shinji's soul, granting him boundless courage!

But this time he didn't fight directly in place of Shinji Ikari. Instead, he handed the battlefield over to Shinji Ikari and chose to give only his own power and the courage to fight!

No, perhaps the latter no longer needs him to give.

"This battle is now in your hands," Tsugumi said to Shinji Ikari.

"If you really can't hold on any longer, I'll help you."

Shinji Ikari lowered his head to look at the rough wooden cross on his chest, then raised his head to look ahead—to the white giant who was roaring furiously.

The cross on his chest gave him boundless courage.

The Holy Spirit behind him gave him absolute peace of mind.

"We will win!" he said.

"I am with you," Tsugumi replied, her figure dissipating into the LCL solution, turning into countless points of light that merged into every corner of Unit-01.

The synchronization rate began to surge.

200%, 30

366

0%, 500%, 800%

An impossible synchronization rate has been achieved once again! This signifies Shinji Ikari's control over Unit-01 and the Tsugumi power injected into it!

The purple giant bent its knees, pushed off the ground, and its massive body soared into the air. Instead of landing to find cover as in a conventional battle, or drawing its weapon to prepare to parry, it charged straight into the sky, towards the clouds illuminated by the white light.

With arms outstretched and legs together, the entire body forms a perfect cross shape in the air, and sunlight shines from behind, outlining a golden silhouette on the purple body.

Like an angel descending!

A radiance, seemingly from nowhere, filled Unit-01's body and burned as it fell—no one knows why Shinji Ikari did this after breaking free of the cables, but in any case, it was cool.