Ryota Kitazawa stood calmly, indifferent as ever. In fact, he was hoping Captain Ishiki would pull the trigger—then he could kill him outright with justification.
The entire situation froze in a tense standoff. Misato's heart pounded wildly in her chest. After Kitazawa had killed Fujikawa without hesitation, this storm clearly wouldn't pass quietly.
But the expected gunshot never came.
Instead, a phone began ringing.
The sound came from Ishiki's adjutant—a chubby, middle-aged man with a mustache and a nervous expression. The ringing from his pocket broke the tension with eerie awkwardness.
The pudgy adjutant looked like he might melt from panic. He hesitated, glancing desperately at Ishiki for instructions.
The ringing continued—over and over again—drawing all attention. Finally, the adjutant swallowed hard and answered: "Hello?"
The color drained from his face instantly.
"S-Sir… Captain Ishiki…"
"What!?" Ishiki barked furiously, already wound tight. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill Kitazawa on the spot. This brat had already murdered a fellow officer—left alive, who knew what else he might do?
"What is it!?" Ishiki growled again.
"It… it's the General… sir…"
"What?" Ishiki paled. "Why is the General calling me now?!"
He snatched the phone.
"This is Ishiki—sir?"
The voice on the other end was deep and commanding. "I am ordering you to immediately halt your current operation. Ryota Kitazawa must not die. Return the EVANGELION units to headquarters immediately. Do not fail."
"But sir—Fujikawa is dead!"
"Did you not hear me?" the General snapped. "I'll repeat it: Kitazawa cannot die. That is an order. Bring the units back to base—now!"
Click. The call ended.
Captain Ishiki stood still, clenching his teeth. Finally, he tossed the phone back to his adjutant, glaring coldly at Kitazawa.
"You're lucky today, boy. But your luck won't last forever. One day, I'll kill you with my own hands."
With that, he turned and stormed deeper into the NERV facility.
His mission wasn't done: he was still to seize all NERV data and transport the EVANGELION units.
Before long, the giant forms of the EVA-00 and EVA-01 units were hauled out.
Misato bit her lip hard. But now that both Commander Ikari and Fuyutsuki were on the scene, she knew this was no longer her fight.
As the massive EVAs were loaded onto the transport trucks, Ishiki passed by Kitazawa and sneered.
"A hero of humanity? Please. You think you're the only one who can pilot an EVA? Dream on!"
Ryota only smiled faintly. "Confidence is good. Arrogance gets people killed."
"Hmph," Ishiki spat. "Before you were even chosen, I piloted Unit-01. Don't forget that. So long as I live, you'll never be anything but a schoolboy."
"You talk a lot for a sideshow clown," Ryota replied smoothly. "Keep it up."
"Fine," Ishiki growled. "Let's see who laughs last."
Then he climbed into the military transport, and the convoy roared away from NERV, heading toward the military base.
Misato approached. "Ryota… are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said casually. "Those bullets couldn't hurt me."
"Still, thank goodness…" Misato visibly relaxed.
"What a shame about the EVAs, though," Ritsuko Akagi added, stepping forward with a cold expression. "The military's completely out of control. This is no different from robbery."
Ryota smiled coolly. "Don't worry. Very soon—they'll come begging."
"Oh?" Misato blinked at him. He didn't look like he was bluffing.
Was he really that confident?
Ryota didn't elaborate—but he already had his answer. The War God System had warned him:
The Sixth Angel was almost here.
---
Three days later – Japanese Military Base
The two EVANGELION units stood like silent titans in the military camp, surrounded by journalists snapping pictures and rolling video.
Captain Ishiki basked in the attention, smiling like a politician as cameras flashed.
"Captain Ishiki, what does this new weapon mean for the future of humanity?"
"Great question!" Ishiki said warmly. "These advanced weapons mark a new chapter for mankind. When those giant unknown creatures attacked Earth, it was our military—armed with these incredible weapons—that saved humanity."
"Captain, some claim these EVAs were developed by a secret organization. Is that true?"
"Hah! Pure nonsense," Ishiki waved the idea away. "These humanoid superweapons are military property. They were built to counter threats that conventional arms could not handle. Humanity's future depends on our military's cutting-edge might."
More questions poured in as Ishiki soaked up the limelight. Footage of the EVAs was broadcast nationwide—constantly looping commercials reinforced the narrative: Only the military can save mankind.
In preparation, the military had even pre-recorded footage of soldiers piloting Unit-00—despite the fact that Rei was its only true compatible pilot.
Finding someone with basic piloting ability wasn't hard.
Sync ratio? Not their concern.
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