Nobita's Time Heist

Gendo Ikari, however, smiled, showing no sign of being at his wit's end.

"Ah... I still lose to you. I've used everything I can think of and do to utilize the mechanism, but your reaction speed is still faster than I imagined. As expected, Fuyutsuki-sensei was right. The gap in science and technology cannot be bridged by conspiracies and tricks."

“Well then, Nobita, it’s all over.” He shrugged, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but a smile appeared on his face, which was unusual for him. “I never believed you from the very beginning, not even for a second.”

“That’s a different matter. You shouldn’t treat people like tools.” Nobita pointed the gun at Ayanami, who was being helped up by Asuka, and said in a deep voice, “No matter what the reason, she’s not a puppet for you to manipulate!”

"Yes, she just told me that herself, it's a pity..."

Gendo Ikari reached into his belt and pulled out a gun hidden there, aiming it at Asuka and Rei Ayanami not far away.

"boom----"

In Nobita's eyes, his movements were almost motionless, but facing such a cold-blooded and heartless person, Nobita had no intention of showing any mercy. He could have simply knocked the gun out of Gendo's hand, but the bullet still pierced his entire palm. He reflexively flung the gun away, winced in pain, and clutched his right hand, but couldn't stop the blood from flowing down.

“That’s enough, Commander.” Nobita pressed the hammer of his pistol without aiming at him. “Neither Ayanami nor Shinji are your tools. From now on, don’t even think about manipulating them! Your era is completely over.”

"Ha...is it over...?"

Gendo Ikari knelt on the ground, clutching his right wrist. At this moment, the calm and composure in his eyes vanished, replaced by a wildfire of madness, like a gambler who had lost everything but had a last penny left. He was going to stake all the hopes he had accumulated in his life on the next bet.

"Life is death, and death is life."

"Nobita, don't underestimate the humans of this 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.

“Buzz——!!!”

A powerful resonance resounded.

Adam's biofield, through Lilith's body, unfolded and constructed a cross-shaped tree structure. The AT field became a vessel for some kind of incantation, and with the blessing of ancient power, Adam's soul finally gained complete control of Lilith's body, causing her to display unprecedented vitality. The white giant, freed from its restraints, let out a sharp screech, and the mask fixed to its face hissed, slowly peeling off like cooked rice cake, falling into the LCL solution sea and creating towering orange waves.

The solution rained down on their faces, and only at that moment did everyone truly realize just how enormous the creature before them was.

Despite having no face or features, Rei Ayanami could feel her gaze fixed on her with unparalleled fervor.

"boom----!!!"

The next moment, Lilith suddenly reached out and miraculously passed through Misato and Asuka, precisely grabbing Ayanami within them.

"..."

Fresh blood spilled from the corner of the girl's mouth.

Chapter 389: Have we lost? Yes, we have!

"Ugh... Ahh ...

Asuka screamed uncontrollably, the sudden, unexpected passage of this strange creature through her body creating a profound sense of unease. A jolt ran through her, followed by an inexplicable wave of nausea that easily shattered her defenses, causing her to crouch on the ground, screaming uncontrollably. Misato's reaction was more mature, but she too bit her lip tightly, barely maintaining her human dignity and avoiding the same loss of composure as Asuka.

The girl's neck bent backward, her body as if it had been snapped in two by the immense force of the hand, leaving only a faint, flickering voice calling out to her companions.

"Nobita...Shinji..."

"save……"

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

The core of the NERV base, which should have been an indestructible Final Dogma Zone, was blasted open with a single blow, and fragments of special metal flew out like raindrops, crashing onto the ground.

The Shandong Cross's mech instantly broke through layers of defenses, descending from the sky and charging all the way to the edge of this restricted area. Not even a second was wasted; the moment it landed smoothly, light particles began to gather within its eye armor.

look up.

Two beams of high-energy electromagnetic radiation particles shot out, striking Lilith's faceless head. However, they were like mud sinking into the sea, causing no ripples, only making her pure white body swell slightly. Lilith silently endured his attack; the gamma rays, powerful enough to slice through most of the material world's defenses, now seemed like two streams of light used to enhance a light show, posing no threat whatsoever.

“It’s no use. The union of Adam and Lilith is no longer an ordinary life form.” Gendo Ikari rolled over and said with a sneer, “No matter how advanced your technology is, you are still just a mortal. What you are facing now is a fully realized ‘god’.”

"Admit it, Nobita, this round..."

"You have completely lost."

Before everyone's eyes, Lilith slowly withdrew her right hand, and solemnly and respectfully placed it before her heart, as if performing a ritual. The smooth, white surface of her body suddenly churned, then split open with a narrow slit. She carefully inserted Rei Ayanami into it, and her body began to adjust its shape. In a short while, the slit disappeared without a trace, and the girl named Rei Ayanami seemed to have completely melted into her skin, leaving no trace.

The red cross bears witness to everything.

This scene was so bizarre, almost sacred, that it wasn't until it was all over that everyone realized—Rei Ayanami was the final condition for the Instrumentality Project. At this point, Lilith's body and soul, and Adam's body and soul, were all gathered into one entity. The power of life and death over the human world seemed to have been handed over to the gods, leaving humanity with no further right to interfere.

Nobita cannot accept this ending.

"Thump—!!!"

With a deafening roar, the gigantic Kusanagi sword sliced ​​through countless obstacles, flying into the hands of Alexander Cross. He no longer attempted to attack with his science-based weapons, but instead caught the flying Kusanagi sword with one hand and charged forward! A muffled thud followed, and a cone-shaped jet of flame erupted from its back's thrusters, propelling Alexander Cross into the air. The teardrop-shaped, jet-black blade cleaved through the air, leaving a semi-circular trajectory as it hurtled towards Lilith's head!

Just as the sword was about to touch the milky-white substance, the AT field suddenly expanded. It was almost thin, yet possessed a terrifying hardness that the previous bio-fields did not have. The Kusanagi sword's heavy slash was completely blocked, and the resulting enormous recoil force actually caused Shanda Cross's mecha to retreat two steps.

Her slender, white fingers slowly opened, making a grasping motion. A metallic resonance reverberated from the orange LCL solution ocean, and the Spear of Rumsky rose into the air, flying into Lilith's hand on its own, just like the Kusanagi Sword. The shackles that had once imprisoned her in the shadows were now her weapon. But she had no intention of using it in battle; rather, there was no longer any need for it.

"boom----!!"

Ripples of foam rose from its back, and in a short while, enormous wings unfurled behind it, symmetrically arranged around a red cross, exuding a unique sense of holiness.

Three pairs, six wings, two faces, exactly like its appearance in mythology.

Its two heads, pointing upwards from its neck, bear a striking resemblance to Rei Ayanami in the front, while the head at the back resembles Kaworu Nagisa more. The Holy Lance, symbolizing rebirth, is held in Lilith's flawless, milky-white hands, radiating a powerful life force, as if it is about to take root and sprout in her grasp.

“Ayanami…” Shinji stared in disbelief at the colossal, utterly humiliating creature before him. Everything had happened so fast, it felt like a dream. “She was eaten! How could this be… How could there be an Angel at the very bottom of the NERV base?!”

"This is no ordinary Angel, Shinji." Gendo Ikari, now with a "what the heck" attitude after completing the main quest, used a torn sleeve to make emergency bandages and explained in a nonchalant tone, "What you see here is, you could say, the progenitor of humanity, the Second Angel, Lilith! The first life on this planet originated from her body."

“The genetic difference between humans and apostles is only 2%…” Misato suddenly realized, “So that’s how it is. We humans are just another kind of apostle.”

“We should have been one,” Gendo Ikari said in a deep voice. “The Human Instrumentality Project is meant to end the tragedy of humanity’s long-term separation from the Matrix, allowing everyone to return to Lilith’s Matrix. At the end of this project, what awaits us is the integration of all humanity. No longer separated from one another, no longer having barriers, that is true ‘Instrumentality’.”

He looked at the red cross in the center of the restricted area, a hint of mockery in his voice, "Ever since they learned of the existence of divine power, humanity has always wanted to grasp it in their hands, just like all the weapons they have wielded in the past... Unfortunately, some things are ultimately beyond their control."

"God's authority has finally returned to God's hands."

Lilith, in her six-winged form, slowly lowered her head. The face belonging to Rei Ayanami gazed at everyone for a long time, and in those dark red eyes, one could still seem to catch a glimpse of her image. But compared to Lilith's long life, the 14 years belonging to "Rei Ayanami" were far too short, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, quickly leaving only a cold indifference. Her gaze lingered briefly on Gendo Ikari. She seemed to still harbor some special feelings for this man who had schemed and plotted but ultimately failed to achieve his goal, but in the end, she left without uttering a single word.

Lilith's physical body slowly rose up. This sacred creation, empowered by the force field, was like a creature on a different level, "passing through" the solid barrier of the Final Dogma District and ascending into the sky.

At the same time, a barrage of gunfire, mixed with screams, came from the upper levels, plunging what should have been humanity's last bastion into chaos.

Chapter 390: I won't kill you, but I won't save you either.

Sensing something was wrong, Shinji quickly tilted his head back, staring at the dome of the Final Dogma District, and activated his X-ray vision. His eyesight instantly pierced through thousands of meters of soil, revealing the horrific massacre unfolding within the base—a one-sided slaughter!

Heavily armed soldiers parachuted in and opened fire on anyone in the base without warning. The unsuspecting agents had no time to retaliate and were struck by large-caliber bullets, their blood and mangled bodies splattering on the walls. As the gunfire intensified, their screams were gradually drowned out by the explosions and became indistinct.

In mid-air, thirteen flying EVAs, like vultures, circled the very center of the base, seemingly waiting for a certain moment. Lilith, wielding the Holy Lance, rose like the sun, breaking free from the earth's shackles. She noticed these little creatures flying in the sky, but they didn't interfere with each other, pretending not to see each other, and simply passed by.

This is war, regardless of stance or right or wrong; it is simply one side killing the other.

"Where did these guys come from?" Asuka was shocked by the cruel scene, her face turning pale. "Why..."

“They are SEELE people.” Gendo Ikari seemed to have anticipated the current situation, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched from the sidelines. “A shadow government that looms over authorities around the world… NERV is merely an executive agency they established. All the decisions I made as commander required their approval. Our mission is to carry out their plans and complete the final instrumentation of humanity.”

"Once everything proceeds smoothly and the game comes to an end, NERV, the white glove, will be completely useless. In order to nip any unforeseen circumstances in the bud, they have chosen to annihilate us all at the last moment—especially you two EVA pilots."

"How shameless! How despicable!" Hearing the faint screams coming from above, Misato gritted her teeth and roared angrily, "In your eyes, is there nothing in this world worthy of respect?! What about those warriors who fight and contribute to a better future?"

"Reverence..." Gendo Ikari lowered his head, sneering to himself. Rather than answering Misato, it was more like using a prepared statement to numb his own mind. "Crossing the river and then destroying the bridge, discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose. In order to survive, we should draw a clear line with those things that have lost their value. Humans have always done this since ancient times; it's part of our bloodline."

"In their eyes, the group led by me, a traitor, is naturally a cancerous tumor that has already betrayed us and must be eradicated."

His gaze lingered briefly on Shinji, a strange smile appearing on his face. "While there's still time, go to EVA, Shinji. You can go inside and quietly wait for the moment of Instrumentality. At that time, all the sadness, pain, and anger will vanish."

……

"boom------!!"

A missile pierced the sky, its sharp whistling sound echoing through the air, and struck the pillars of the Final Dogma District. SEELE's advance was incredibly rapid; facing an undefended base, they breached the core of the restricted area within five minutes. They had no intention of leaving anyone alive; a deluge of heavy firepower rained down, and the ground began to shake. As it turned out, no fortress was impregnable; more and more debris began to fall, and the very heart of the restricted area, once defended with countless lives, was about to become ruins.

"Shinji, Asuka, you two hurry up and get into your respective EVAs. There aren't many weapons in the base, and the EVAs are the only thing that can fight them! There must be survivors hiding somewhere else. You need to assist Katsuragi-san in finding them a safe place. If all else fails, it's fine to temporarily take them to the Fourth New East City."

"We should still have some time." Nobita glanced at Lilith, who had risen above the city. The enormous size difference made him bite his lip involuntarily. "I'll go stop the Third Impact and bring Rei Ayanami back!"

"..." Shinji opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but then held back. The past month and a half of training and life had completely changed him. Although he was still afraid and uneasy, he had accumulated enough experience to face failure.

Failure is a constant companion; success is a luxury in life. There's no time to worry about failure!

“Okay, Nobita…” He grasped Nobita’s hands, nodded emphatically, and instructed, “I’m entrusting Rei to you!”

He took one last look at his biological father, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and without saying another word, his figure disappeared from the spot and went into the Evangelion Unit-01 that had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Seriously, I'm impressed by you. You can still so confidently rally people's hearts." Asuka finally recovered and no longer needed Misato's support, but her tone was somewhat helpless. "Right now, we're the ones on the defensive, aren't we? The 'Second Impact' that occurred in Antarctica caused half the population to disappear from this planet."

Misato remained silent; as the sole survivor of that natural disaster, it was still a wound in her heart that she could not touch.

"That 'Second Apostle,' her AT field is the strongest I've ever seen; it's practically a divine domain. Ordinary attacks seem completely ineffective. If communication fails, what method should we use to forcibly subdue her?"

"Don't worry." In the moments before the end of the world, Nobita's smile remained warm and powerful, without any trace of negative emotion. "I will stop her."

"I promise!"

Seemingly taken aback by the certainty in his words, Asuka's expression finally relaxed, no longer as tense as before. She smiled and shook her head, "Well, anyway, you said it yourself... Good luck."

"Remember to bring that top student back intact."

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.

Finally, in the center of the empty arena, only Nobita and Gendo Ikari remained. They remained silent for a long time until everything in the Dogma District began to shake and collapse. The orange LCL solution sea churned endlessly, and cracks gradually appeared on the red cross. Such a scene seemed to be something that could only be seen in hell.

"It's all a lie." Nobita raised his revolver again, asking in a judge's tone, "You don't really care what the world will become in the end, except for yourself, do you?"

“The outcome is decided. All the conditions for the Third Impact are in place. There’s nothing you can do now.” Gendo Ikari’s tone was more like that of a triumphant victor. “Your weakness is the weakness of humanity. Modern civilization has filled us with humanity, but sometimes we forget that the human species is essentially nothing more than a beast that eats raw meat and drinks blood.”

"Finally, the curtain falls, and the drama is about to come to an end, Nobita..."

"Humanity or animality, which would you choose?"

……

"You're right, that's my weakness. I can't kill people with a clear conscience like you do, and then find all sorts of reasons to justify it."

Nobita calmly accepted Gendo Ikari's provocation, lowered the gun slightly, and with a "bang," accurately and cruelly pierced through his knee.

"Ah..." Gendo Ikari screamed and fell to his knees.

"So I won't kill you, because you are Shinji's father. After the victory, I want to have a celebration banquet with him."

He put down his gun, turned around, and walked into the Anywhere Door. "But I don't intend to save you. I'll tell Shinji that you died under the rocks. What he thinks after hearing that is none of my business."

"Goodbye, Commander Ikari. I hope you find what you're looking for in your final moments."

The door closed and slowly disappeared from sight.

Gravel fell like raindrops, engulfing Ikogendo.

Chapter 391: World Peace!

Gunfire.

Scream.

kill.

A sense of despair festered, reflected in the six-winged Lilith's dark red pupils like blooming blood flowers. At the origin of life's consciousness, Adam and Lilith's physical bodies had merged into one, transforming into pure light and heat. But their souls, Kaworu Nagisa and Rei Ayanami, remained independent, standing in a void ocean, gazing at each other. Though they had never met before today, they could miraculously sense each other's thought fluctuations, as if they were each other's other half.

“I never imagined that even now, our souls still haven’t merged… Is it because we both have Lilin’s genes within us? That special force field that can separate us?” Kaworu looked at her with gentle eyes, as if looking at a tender sprout breaking through the soil. “You’ve been resisting becoming Lilinth, why?”

"I don't want to." Rei Ayanami's breathing was rapid. This ancient body was calling to her, wanting to merge her consciousness into it. Specifically, it manifested as drowsiness—like after losing too much blood, her eyelids were almost too heavy to keep open, but she was still forcing herself to stay awake. She knew very well what would happen after she closed her eyes. Once she took that step, what awaited her was the merging of Lilith's and Adam's consciousness.

She tried everything—yoga, breathing exercises, even the visceral act of biting her tongue—but nothing worked. Rei Ayanami's physical body had already dissolved completely the moment she was swallowed; what remained was merely a will barely sustained by the AT field.

"I don't want to become like this... I... want to go to school with Ikari and Asuka..."

“You’re almost becoming human, Lilinth.” Kaworu sighed softly, leaning forward and casting a pitying gaze downwards. “Do you see? The root of all the tragedies that have happened and will happen in the past, present, and future is humanity.”

“Apostles who chose the Fruit of Life find it difficult to have the concept of ‘self.’ I prefer to call them the same being with different bodies at the same time. But Lilin, who chose the Fruit of Wisdom, has something completely different from us—” He tapped his temple and said in a deep voice, “self.”

“Once they become aware of themselves, a series of concepts emerge. They divide the sky, the earth, and the sea into pieces, claiming that they belong to ‘me.’ Every lilin is a different individual with their own thoughts and ideas. Because what belongs to me is taken by others, or they want to take what belongs to others, war and killing never stop, and they even enjoy it.”

"The apostles' purpose in waging war was very simple: they wanted to return to Adam's body. Most of the apostles were unaware of the significance of this action and simply followed their instincts."

"Lilin's reasons for launching wars are filled with complex calculations that are hard to understand: the exchange of interests, the plunder of resources, political factors, pandering to the people... Thus, in the never-ending war, countless blood and bones are buried under the earth, until a war that can destroy everything arrives, turning this planet into a silent land of death once again. This is their end."

Knowing all this, do you still admire Lilin and want to be a part of them?

……

At this moment, Lilith, with her six wings, had ascended into the atmosphere. From this angle, the continental plates looked like building blocks pieced together. Above, there was an endless expanse of black starry sky. Gazing at this azure planet, she saw every floating speck of dust. In that near-eternal moment, Rei Ayanami wavered.

A world of perpetual peace.

A world completely devoid of intrigue and suspicion.