Nobita's Time Heist

Nobita laughed.

“I think you might have misunderstood, Commander Ikari.” Nobita slowly stood up. Once he stood up, the height difference made him look down at him instead of at eye level. He made a declaration in a calm but firm tone, “Although this is a negotiation, I don’t really care that much about your opinion. I will carry out the above terms whether you agree or not.”

"boom-----"

The jeep parked outside suddenly roared with a powerful engine, its headlights flashing and its wheels scraping the ground like a bull enraged by red.

"Just out of courtesy, I wanted to let you know before we proceed with anything."

"That's all."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Bang----!!!"

It crashed through the wall and sped in, its bright headlights blinding everyone. The driverless Jeep executed a swift maneuver, leaving two glaring scratches on the exquisite marble floor, completing a parallel parking maneuver with remarkable skill.

"Kakakaka..."

After honking the horn twice arrogantly, the car began to transform rapidly. Every recognizable component rotated, folded, and extended at an extremely fast speed. During the transformation, to intimidate the enemy, Meijin clenched his right fist and slammed it into the floor with a loud bang, shattering the gravel. Coupled with his furious roar, which had a metallic resonance, his imposing aura was exceptionally powerful.

Ordinary people in this world have never seen anything like this before; every single one of them was completely stunned.

Although Nobita's side was still outnumbered, ... seeing a rampaging jeep transform into a steel giant, and then seeing the two plasma pistols that his hands had transformed into, fully charged with energy, with the faint shriek of plasma scorching the air emanating from them, ready to be fired at any moment, no one dared to provoke them.

Tensions.

The air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.

------

(Omitted text) (Sorry, this is just to reach the word count)

Chapter 360: Messiah

The emergency was like putting out a fire. The sudden, piercing alarm interrupted the standoff, and in a sense, most of the people present breathed a sigh of relief.

Those who can work in a world-class intelligence agency like NERV are undoubtedly elites selected from among the best, possessing a fundamental ability to predict the course of events. The disparity in equipment makes confrontation between the two sides virtually impossible; if a war were to break out, the situation would likely be a one-sided massacre. Perhaps only this time would they feel a sense of relief at this death-defying alarm.

"Warning! Apostle invasion! Apostle invasion!"

The massive base instantly sprang into operation, like a wound-up machine. This orderly state clearly indicated that it had been rehearsed countless times.

One screen after another lit up, and this was the first time Nobita had seen the true appearance of the "Apostle," which was vastly different from what he had imagined—it was difficult to associate it with any creature and make any comparison. The creature's body was like a huge, wide-bordered, dark pink origami sheet, which looked quite thin and lacked any structure such as bones or muscles.

Suneo, that guy, loves to delve into strange rumors and hypotheses. During a casual conversation, Nobita heard him mention the concept of "atmospheric creatures." The seemingly empty atmosphere actually harbors life, and creatures beyond human comprehension, with incredibly bizarre appearances. There are UFO sightings all over the world; maybe those things are out foraging. Their bodies must be soft and supple, like a giant hat or a piece of silk.

At this moment, the apostle's unusual movements did indeed remind Nobita of atmospheric creatures.

He was roughly a symmetrical object, with two fluid-like whips extending from his sides, and a dark red, crystalline sphere embedded in the very center of his body. Proportionally, it was about the size of a soccer ball.

A slight smile crept across Gendo Ikari's lips, but he quickly suppressed it. Even he couldn't control the timing of the Angel's arrival. It was simply an absurd stroke of luck; someone handed him a pillow just when he was about to fall asleep.

From a personal standpoint, he didn't want SEELE to interfere in the city. The state of martial law had been in place for a day and a night, and just when the news was about to get out of control, another apostle arrived. This way, they could easily slip through the cracks. Although SEELE's intelligence capabilities meant they couldn't keep it a secret forever, buying a little more time was always a good thing.

besides……

……

"Let me go!" Asuka slammed her hand on the table again, her face beaming with eagerness. "Objectively speaking, Unit-00 and Unit-01 are too far away to be deployed immediately. Only Unit-02 is parked nearby. So, I'm probably the only qualified pilot left who can fight, right?"

Da Xiong slowly rose and looked outside the hall—the eerie, paper-thin creature was wielding a whip, moving through the city, seemingly searching for something. The newly repaired infrastructure was being smashed, kicking up clouds of dust. At this rate, by the time all the apostles were dealt with, the city would probably need major repairs.

“Perfect timing, I haven’t fought a real apostle yet.”

"Just what level of threat are they...?"

Standing like a statue in the city center, Alexander Cross raised his head, and emerald green light began to condense and take shape in his eye armor, like a clear spring.

"Let me test it out."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"boom------!!!"

Without warning, two streams of high-energy electromagnetic radiation particles pierced through the overlapping skyscrapers, simultaneously creating two large holes. Since there were rebuilding robots available for repair, Nobita no longer worried about battle damage and seemed ready to go all out. A split second before the beams shot out, the Angel seemed to detect the high-energy reaction in its own way, colliding head-on with the particle streams almost the instant the AT field deployed.

Light and heat poured out at the same time, making Tokyo Third resemble a welding center.

The AT field deployed by the Angels appears to differ from Unit-01; it doesn't simply cancel out energy, but rather splits the high-energy particle stream into several streams, refracting them away. Despite being dispersed, the power of the high-energy particle stream remains, enough to slice through skyscrapers like a cheesecake.

……

This was the first time Asuka had witnessed the attack method of this gigantic machine. The terrifying energy, capable of annihilating everything, made her gasp in surprise. Even though they were so far apart, the aftershocks of their collision still whipped up a hot wind, ruffling her reddish-brown twin tails.

"This is incredible! Such a high energy reaction, it can even be observed with the naked eye." Jia Zhi's pupils dilated slightly. He had finished smoking a cigarette without realizing it, and had just left it in his mouth.

Meanwhile, the core members who effectively control NERV have urgently gathered together for a small meeting.

"I can't believe it. So much time has passed. I thought you would have changed a bit," Fuyutsuki said with emotion. "To lead a world-class intelligence organization like a gang of thugs, it's really something you could do. This kind of bluffing is all too common when petty thugs confront each other in the street."

"Although it was supposed to be a test of the opponent, isn't it a bit too outrageous to use everyone's lives as the price?"

"The result was still very successful, wasn't it?" Gendo Ikari asked with a smile. "We've tested out his other card, that old-fashioned Jeep that can transform. This isn't a dinner party or an academic seminar, Professor. For the plan to proceed smoothly, we have to sacrifice everything that can be sacrificed."

"To be honest, I don't quite understand what you're fighting. If it's an apostle, that outsider is helping us deal with it."

Dongyue nodded slightly to the outside. In the hall, Da Xiong sat alone on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the main battlefield in the city center. The robot that the jeep had transformed into stood guard beside him, never disarmed, constantly alert to those around him.

"Heh... You're still the same as before, Professor Fuyutsuki." Ikari gave a noncommittal smile, but there was no hint of amusement in his drooping eyes. "I think I've said it before, that in this kind of world, a nice guy can't survive."

"You actually believe that humanity, a race that has survived for tens of thousands of years in the cruel jungle and is stained with sin, will be saved by a messiah who will descend from the sky."

……

Realizing that this would only exacerbate the destruction of the city, Alexander Cross stopped releasing particle streams and instead gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, gently pulling it out of the ground.

Countless teardrop-shaped grooves give the jet-black blade a serrated edge.

The apostle had no head, let alone facial features, but for some reason, Da Xiong felt that it was making a "head tilting" motion. Perhaps it sensed the aura of an outsider from Shanda Cross, making it very hesitant, and instead moved backward dozens of meters. Its movement was extremely strange; its entire body was a thin sheet, like a weightless paper sail that could be easily blown by the wind.

The two long whips drawn from its body began to charge, gradually transforming into scorching plasma.

"Xia————!!"

With a strange cry, the apostle suddenly swung his double whips in a completely illogical movement. Several streaks of purple light flashed, and a building was instantly cut in half. The whips were as agile as tentacles growing from its body, and with a light flick, they hurled 10 tons of reinforced concrete towards his face.

Chapter 361: Even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake.

"Boom————!!!"

Without any reaction, Alexander Cross's machine was precisely hit by the building, sending rubble flying like raindrops, engulfing him and kicking up a terrifying cloud of dust. The apostle's actions grew increasingly frenzied, seemingly determined to obliterate this otherworldly steel behemoth. Before Alexander Cross could clear away the rubble, it lashed out with its double whips, striking him relentlessly.

"boom----!"

"boom----!"

"boom----!"

……

These two whips were made of high-temperature plasma. Each strike not only hit Alexander Cross's body but also melted the nearby rocks into a fluid. Watching Alexander Cross being brutally beaten to the ground, the expressions of the onlookers varied, mostly showing disbelief.

Just a few hours ago, he was able to pin the berserk Unit-01 to the ground and beat it up. That guy was no less threatening than an Angel. How come when it was a real Angel, he was beaten so badly that he couldn't fight back?

Nobita's expression was too calm, his eyebrows and eyes were smooth, as if he were watching a pre-arranged drama.

Compared to this unusual calmness, Asuka seemed much more anxious, pacing back and forth like a restless child, glancing up at Kaji every now and then, her eyes filled with longing.

Unfortunately, the apostle did not respond to her fervent desire to attack. With the cigarette butt still dangling from his mouth, he, like most of the people in the base, watched intently as the apostle, like a wooden stake, entangled him with a whip, lifted him high into the air, and slammed him back and forth.

"Seriously, what's wrong with everyone?" She sat down sullenly, kicked the corner of the table with her leg, and let the chair with wheels slide away on its own. She muttered, "They'd rather believe outsiders than the qualified individuals we've trained with so much effort? If I were piloting Unit 2, I would have dealt with those kinds of apostles a long time ago."

"This is not his true strength."

A clear, emotionless girlish voice came from the side, and Asuka noticed that Rei Ayanami hadn't moved an inch since the alarm for the Angel invasion sounded. She remained seated there with her hands folded, completely still. Rather than having extraordinary composure, she was more like a puppet on strings, not moving an inch until she received a command.

"Ha... I've heard of you in Germany too, 'Top Student,' you're the First Child. Your Unit-00 was captured in no time when it came to that robot, wasn't it?"

Asuka's tone carried a slightly condescending sense of superiority; at least for now, she could be considered an EVA pilot who hadn't yet reached 100%. Of course, strictly speaking, she hadn't actually been on the battlefield. But even this tiny lead was enough to satisfy this ambitious young woman.

"Why are you taking his side like that, you top student? Do you like him?" Asuka glanced at Rei Ayanami and teased with a mischievous smile, "Eh~~~ I see. So this kind of unassuming guy is your type."

Without a response, the fun of mocking someone is naturally halved. Asuka quickly realized that the girl in front of her couldn't understand that she was mocking her at all, which felt like talking to a brick wall, so she naturally lost interest.

“We’ll lose if this continues, anyone can see that. Maybe he did defeat Unit-00 and Unit-01, but that doesn’t mean he can handle fighting the Angels. Those are two completely different things.” She changed to a more serious tone. “You’re close to the Commander, right? Then find a way to talk to him and stop letting outsiders mess things up. We’ve put so much effort into developing EVA, isn’t it precisely for use in situations like this? Get me deployed already!”

"..."

"Hey! Top student! Are you even listening to me?!"

"Do you believe in the legend of the Messiah?" Rei Ayanami suddenly asked a question that had absolutely nothing to do with the battlefield.

"what?"

“The Savior descends to earth to redeem people’s souls, freeing them from sin and leading them to a peaceful other shore. This ‘Savior’ is the Messiah who descends from heaven.” Her gaze fell on Nobita, and though calm, it seemed to pass right through him, seeing the fate of everyone. “However, if I could choose, I would rather not have such a Savior.”

"Why?" Asuka was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this seemingly dull girl of the same age to suddenly say something so surprising.

"Because, if there are no more apostles in the world from now on..."

"What are we, the people who pilot EVAs, in the eyes of the world?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

While building the cloud base, Nobita also upgraded his personal equipment. After all, he was in a foreign land, unfamiliar with the surroundings, and this cyberpunk city seemed to be rife with undercurrents. Now that he had made up his mind to fight against NERV, he had to take responsibility for his own safety.

The most crucial element was the glasses he always wore, which he connected directly to the data processing center of the cloud-based base. As he remained seated, massive streams of data were being processed at high speed through a veritable "cloud platform," projected onto Nobita's retina via a virtual interactive system projected through the lenses, allowing him to immerse himself in the entire analysis process.

"Is that enough?" Nobita nodded slightly, his tone still very relaxed, as if he had already foreseen the outcome of victory. "Then, let's do it your way."

……

The gentle words, though separated by tens of kilometers, reached the colossal tree that bloomed high in the sky. Its umbrella-like canopy drooped gently, as if in response to his words.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the pitch-black space, an unsettling red light flickered. Several enormous black monuments stood there, bearing only simple numerical markings. These black monuments formed a circle; if an unsuspecting outsider were to wander in, they might mistake it for some kind of eerie ritual.

Few people know that the SEELE organization, which effectively controls NERV's movements and comprises almost all of the world's highest power, is composed of these strange black monuments. Their relationship to NERV is like that of a soul to a body, or a candidate to an insertion plug. But at this moment, the body has betrayed the soul and begun to seek its own escape route.

Among them, a video was playing showing how Alexander Cross used jet propulsion to dodge left and right, as if anticipating the apostle's movements, deflecting all his whip strikes. Then, before the apostle could activate his AT field, he thrust his sword through the circular red stone located in the very center of the apostle's body.

“I’ve said it before, that man is extremely dangerous… After such a huge incident, he has managed to keep the information so tightly sealed off.” The black stone tablet numbered 03 spoke up. “Although I had a feeling about it before, this is the first time it has been expressed so clearly.”

“Does it matter?” the stone tablet numbered 05 spoke. “The situation has completely changed. The framework of our previous plans may be completely destroyed in a single day.”

"Nobi Nobita."

"Nobi Nobita..."

"The screening results are in, and so far, this name has never appeared anywhere in the world."

"He is from outer space."

……

"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry too much. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake," the stone tablet numbered 01 spoke. "This time, his opponent will be the entire world."

Chapter 362: At the very least, you're stronger than me.

"Thump—!"

Like carrying prey, Alexander Cross hoisted the lifeless corpse of the Apostle onto his shoulder and slowly walked toward the NERV base, casually tossing it aside.

The corpse, nearly tens of meters tall and roughly the same height as the body, crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. In contrast, this towering mech had been taking hits for about 80% of the battle. Aside from a few burn marks from the whip on its outer surface, it showed no other damage whatsoever. Even with all its might, the apostle had only managed to slightly "wear" its outer armor.

Unexpectedly, after being pierced through the heart by the Kusanagi sword, the Angel's reaction was quite similar to that of a human, immediately spitting out a large amount of red liquid. The amount of blood was as large as a tidal wave, instantly staining half of Alexander Cross's body red. Bathed in the enemy's blood, he also exuded a terrifying aura of authority without anger.

After leaving the apostle's corpse, he didn't leave. He rested his hands on his sword, lightly tapping the ground, assuming a "knight's sword" stance. Standing there at the gate, he exuded an almost suffocating sense of oppression over everyone in the base. Especially those base security personnel who had been sent by Gendo Ikari to surround the scene and give Nobita a hard time, who knew nothing about what was happening, immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

In the last few dozen seconds, he killed the apostles like it was nothing. If he really got serious, wouldn't he have crushed us all?!

"Well, it took a little longer than I expected, but overall it was about what I thought."

Nobita had his own selfish reasons for rushing to defeat the apostle. He knew very well that the negotiations would only truly begin when he could defeat the apostle by a huge margin.

Back in the Cloud Kingdom, facing the arrogant and ruthless "Noah's Ark" plan of the Celestials, Doraemon, in desperation, revealed their bottom line—[Cloud Reduction Gas]—guaranteeing the complete destruction of the Celestials' foothold. In a sense, this achieved an effect similar to nuclear deterrence. However, by chance, the initiative with the cannons was seized by a group of poachers, and it was Nobita's side that initiated the first attack on the Celestials.

The effect was remarkable; the energy state was completely destroyed.

While the process wasn't Nobita's intention, when the crew recounted the adventure afterward, they realized that the shelling had inadvertently played a crucial strategic role. It first destroyed a vital enemy energy production facility, and simultaneously proved their capability to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop, creating a powerful, albeit subtle, deterrent effect.

Negotiations are only formally established when both sides ensure the destruction of the target, and the celestial beings, who initially held a superior, judgmental stance, become negotiable partners.

Especially when facing someone as powerful as Gendo Ikari, it would be impossible to achieve one's goal without demonstrating formidable martial prowess.

"I see, I understand what you mean." Sure enough, his eyes behind his glasses became clear, and his brows and eyes were no longer as tense as before, revealing a gentle smile. "Since you insist on this, then I am willing to make some concessions. I can entrust the training of the candidates for Unit-01 and Unit-02 to you."