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

Then, Unit-00 clasped its hands together, and the AT field began to contract.

The six bombs were squeezed and compressed by an invisible force, coalescing from six separate entities into a single giant sphere. Their outer shells began to deform, and the internal detonators emitted piercing alarms—

But there was no explosion. Unit-00's AT field completely enveloped them, isolating them from the outside world. That transparent barrier was like a giant hand, firmly holding the energy that was enough to destroy the entire city in its palm.

Unit-00 turned around and looked at the distant sea, where the two UN fleets were gathering.

It raised its arm as if to throw it. The huge sphere, compressed from six N2 bombs and enveloped by the AT field, streaked across the sky like a shooting star and flew toward the direction of the fleet.

The fleet commander saw the orb of light fly.

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Come on, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"avoid--!!!"

That's too late

The sphere of light collided with the sea surface, and the AT field dissipated at the moment of impact, finally releasing the long-suppressed energy. Six N2 bombs detonated simultaneously, unleashing a destructive force of six million tons in the depths of the ocean.

The sea surface bulged, not in waves, but with immense force lifting the entire expanse of seawater to form a hemispherical mound several kilometers in diameter. Then, the mound burst open, and steam and seawater mixed together and shot skyward, forming a water column that reached the stratosphere.

The wreckage of the fleet was hurled into the sky, aircraft carriers were torn to shreds, destroyers were capsized, and submarines were crushed. Thousands of naval soldiers were vaporized in an instant, without even a chance to scream.

The shockwave spread outwards, and the seawater surged into giant waves tens of meters high, rushing towards the coastline.

This reckless charge was a complete failure. Faced with the three EVAs that had swallowed the S2 engine, the UN forces' air and ground troops were so weak and powerless.

All that could be heard on the communication channel were the soldiers' screams and the sergeants' requests to evacuate, while the commander just bit his lip and stared wide-eyed at the sky.

"Shinji-kun, radar has detected a high-altitude, high-speed target—an intercontinental ballistic missile! A MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle)!"

Misato Katsuragi's anxious voice rang out in the channel, while Shinji Ikari, who had been standing in front of the NERV headquarters entrance, took a deep breath.

"I understand." He stretched out his hands. Strictly speaking, this was the moment when Shinji Ikari was truly fighting alone.

Having broken free from the imprint of Dongjiang, he faced the enemy alone.

"Mother... or Father," he whispered, knowing that the souls of his parents resided within EVA at that moment.

It could be his mother, or it could be his father; Tsurugi's punishment had plunged him into this slumber. Fighting alongside his son was the only way to atone for his sins.

"I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of thunder..."

"Approaching from the stratosphere at supersonic speed! Expected arrival in five minutes!"

"MGAI is analyzing the equivalent reserves—no less than 20 million tons!"

The command room was deathly silent. Misato Katsuragi clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembling, but no sound came out.

Twenty million tons—that's enough power to completely wipe out the entire Third New Tokyo City—along with everything around it.

This is SEELE's determination: to completely destroy the uncontrolled NERV, including Lilith and Unit-01.

They no longer need the completion plan, so they don't care if they destroy the world or slaughter countless people!

Shinji Ikari kept his eyes closed, his lips still moving, and the deep chanting reached everyone's ears through the communication channel.

"And what I heard sounded like the music of a harpist playing..."

"Shinji-kun!" Misato Katsuragi cried out, "Missile—!"

"They sang before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders, as if it were a new song..."

The first maneuver commenced; it raised its head and looked up at the sky. Those eyes pierced through the clouds, through the atmosphere, and through the eight Death Scythes rapidly approaching.

Then, it stretched out its right hand.

Deep within NERV headquarters, at the very heart of the Central Dogma District, the double-helix crimson spear that had sealed Lilith within her suddenly began to tremble.

Spear of Longinus

The spear pierced through layers of obstacles, bursting through the ground and soaring into the sky. Its crimson light shimmered in the sunlight, like a shooting star flying backwards, streaking across the battlefield, through the smoke of battle, and past countless pairs of gazing eyes.

It fell into Unit-01's hands. Shinji gripped the handle, stretched his arm back, and leaned slightly backward, like the discus thrower in an ancient Greek sculpture. No matter when or where, the book club forum () is your most loyal reading companion.

"Apart from the 144,000 people bought from the ground, no one can learn this song..."

Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, unleashing his final battle cry with all his might.

"These people have never had sex with women, for they are virgins. Wherever the Lamb goes, they follow him!"

With a sudden swing of his arm, the Spear of Longinus flew out of his hand.

A beam of red light shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds, ripping apart the heavens, and shattering everything in its path. The light was so dazzling that everyone who looked at it involuntarily closed their eyes. The speed was so great that even the sound was left far behind, leaving only a long, burning trail.

The red light pierced through the troposphere, through the stratosphere, and through the eight Death Gods that were rapidly approaching.

The first N2 warhead was hit. A burst of light erupted high in the sky, but before the sound could be heard, the second warhead had already penetrated it.

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth coins.

The red light, like the finger of God, drew a perfect arc in the sky, piercing through and detonating those deadly grim reapers one by one.

Eight bursts of fire erupted one after another, forming a burning ocean in the high sky and turning the entire sky a dazzling white.

Silence

------

P.S.: I was busy with blind dates last month, so this is all the drafts I have. I'd also appreciate some votes. I'll try to finish the rest this month. The EVA arc will end in five days.

The path to godhood requires constant killing! Chapter 273: The Thirteen Angels Descend

High in the sky, the eight flames gradually dissipated, leaving only smoke and debris that reflected light under the sunlight, like falling ashes or snowflakes of the apocalypse.

The battlefield was deathly silent.

Unit 2 halted its advance, standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, gazing up at the sky. Unit 0 also looked up. The remnants of the UN forces sat slumped on the ground; some wept, some trembled, and some simply stared blankly at the sky, at the spot where the eight flames had vanished, at the direction in which the red spear had completely disappeared.

Of the 50,000-strong army, very few survived.

Those who survived, however, had already died of their souls.

When they realize the extraordinary nature of the enemy and the lives they face, even the so-called powerful army loses the courage to continue fighting.

The commander didn't speak; he simply slumped in the command vehicle, looking through the window at the still-standing purple giant in the distance.

Its head was bowed, its hands hanging naturally at its sides, maintaining the posture after throwing a spear. Sunlight shone from behind it, outlining its body in a golden silhouette, a stark contrast to the surrounding mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

That's a holy icon.

That is the judge.

That is--

“Monsters…” the commander murmured, his voice hoarse like sandpaper, “What are we fighting…?”

rustling sound~~~~

A series of interference sounds rang out in the communication channel, and then, the commander seemed to hear a strange singing voice coming from it.

The sound was very soft, almost inaudible, yet very clear, as if it were right next to your ear. It was not the sound of any known language, nor of any musical instrument—it was like a song, yet also like a cry, like a hymn, yet also like a dirge.

Ethereal. Fleeting. Mysterious.

The communication screen in the command vehicle suddenly flickered.

Then, all the screens in front of them—the tactical tablets on the battlefield, the monitoring displays in the command vehicle, the televisions that had miraculously survived in the distant ruins, and even the equipment carried by the soldiers—lighted up simultaneously.

The scene is the same.

Thirteen figures.

They floated in the sky, with burning clouds and distorted light behind them. Each figure had a different form, yet they shared a common, instinctively chilling characteristic—

Too many eyes. Too many wings. Too many flames.

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Some are wheels nested within wheels, covered with eyes; some are spheres wrapped in countless wings, with human faces vaguely visible beneath them; some are pure flames, with human-shaped outlines within them; some are enormous creatures with six wings, two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two flying.

They hover above the capitals of countries around the world—New York, London, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Rome, New Delhi, Cairo, Brasilia—

And their capital and hometown, Tokyo No. 2

The commander's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw it: on the horizon of the video, above that bustling city that housed almost the entire population of Japan, a gigantic figure was slowly descending.

That is—.

Pure, burning fire that does not harm any building.

At the center of the flames was a humanoid silhouette formed from countless flames. It had six enormous wings—not the pure white wings of an angel, but burning wings made of flame. Two wings covered its face, two wings covered its feet, and two wings spread out at its sides, showering sparks like raindrops with each flap.

Its body was covered with eyes—not decorative eyes, but real, blinking eyes that looked in all directions. Each eye burned with the same flame, and each eye reflected the ruins of the city below and the figures of people fleeing.

Beneath its feet lay the clouds, but those clouds were burning.

"This..." the commander murmured, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against glass, "What is this...?"

Are they those monsters called Angels from TV shows? But why are they attacking Tokyo-2?

NERV was terrified by this, but Shinji Ikari had already sensed it.

"Lord Tsugumi, is that you...?"

Just as he and Lilith said, Tsugumi's love for humanity was a fatherly love—he would never be lenient in correcting mistakes!

"What happened? What happened?!"

Some people looked at their homes on the screen in fear, and at the giant object floating above their hometown!

After the initial fear, the people of the city quickly recovered, the army began to assemble, and weapons began to be deployed. However, all these attacks could not even touch these behemoths!

All attacks, whether bullets or cannonballs, were absorbed by the ripples that spread as they approached the behemoth.

People stared in terror at the monsters that ignored all their attacks. Those born after the Second Impact had no idea what these monsters were, but a few survivors of that catastrophic era recognized their appearance.

"Angels..." someone murmured in awe, gazing at the colossal creature in the sky with countless eyes encircling its wheels.

The thing that descended from heaven was not human in form, but the appearance of an ancient angel.

Or perhaps, the person who created it gave it such a terrifying appearance!

In the video, the thirteen figures moved simultaneously.