The military officer stood frozen, stunned beyond belief. NERV had just used an Evangelion to strike back—at the military, at the government itself! This was outright rebellion!
He gazed at Rei's Zero Unit, tears freezing in the biting wind, shouting defiantly, "Come on! Traitor! I'm not afraid of you!!"
Inside Unit 00, Rei seemed to hear the challenge. Fury flashed through her mechanical optics—her revenge for the gunshot against her simmering—it focused and fixed on the officer.
Realizing he had caught the Eva's attention, the officer broke out in a cold sweat. His limbs trembled uncontrollably; if not for a shred of composure, he would have collapsed.
Unit 00's massive hand reached out—and plucked the officer by his collar, lifting him off the ground. Terror rooted him in place, tears welling, his bowels released.
With a single squeeze, she could have ended him. Instead, Rei carried him aloft—to the summit of the tallest building in Neo-Tokyo 3: a skyscraper of 100 stories.
"Help… help me…" the officer whimpered, peering at the dizzy drop beneath him. This torture—higher than death—pulled at his nerves. He regretted every second of this reprieve.
---
Back in the battle command center, Misato Katsuragi peered at the massive tactical monitor and smiled wryly.
"Heh. Rei's got more bite than I expected."
She paused, grimacing as she realized the broader consequences of this escalation.
"But this has become far more serious than anyone anticipated. NERV's future is going to be fraught."
A magnetic voice rang out behind her. When she turned, there was Kaji Ryoji, smiling eerily calm.
"H-how are you here?!" Misato stammered. Their history… made her uneasy.
"Naturally," Kaji said, stepping fully into the room. "When NERV is in crisis, I must show up. Not welcome?"
Misato folded her arms. "No choice. The military has demanded the handover of your three pilots. As Operations Chief, I cannot comply."
Kaji shook his head, brow furrowed. "The UN might feel differently." He sounded measured and ominous. "Storm clouds have gathered, Misato. Commander Ikari is absent—you should be ready."
Misato mulled his words. She had joined NERV hoping to follow in her father's footsteps, carry on the legacy of the fallen, uncover the secrets of the Second Impact—and now… everything was unraveling. Her cross pendant glimmered softly.
"Trying to do something matters more than making threats," she thought, steadying herself.
Elsewhere, Asuka lay wounded and bleeding, barely conscious.
Pain radiated through her body. She felt herself slipping away, her soul ebbing out. The hulking Takei Musan had crushed her… At this age, this was not how she would die. Not like this—in defeat, tortured under some thug's fist.
Scars of indignity and defeat filled her mind. The sky above was a bleak grey, the sun pin-sharp in its glare. Memories flickered across her fading vision—fragments of her past, painfully vivid.
Am I dying? She'd heard the entire life flashed before your eyes…
A heavy breath—and then she saw him: Takenoyama, grinning monstrous, stepping closer.
So this moment came after all… Thoughts of Rei's rescue, of Kitazawa's fate—all swirled. She closed her eyes, rage and resignation mingling.
---
But still, the final blow never came. Instead, the ground trembled once more.
She cracked open her eyes—and froze mid-blink.
Standing before her was a gigantic yellow Eva—Unit 00.
Her final vision: the hulk of the Eva, dwarfing her and Takenoyama in its presence.
So… Rei used Eva 00 to save me? The "doll" wanted the spotlight again…
Weak and bleeding, Asuka let herself drift softly toward oblivion.
---
"Asuka…" a calm, even voice sounded from within the Eva.
Rei's tone was soft but fierce. On the outside, she seemed stoic—yet in her quiet voice, the glow of righteous anger burned bright.
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