"Long time no see, Commander Ikari."
Gendo Ikari was craning his head upward when he heard a voice behind him.
He looked back. Across thirty meters of deck, the person approaching was Misato.
Gendo Ikari turned around and replied quite politely, "Thank you for all your efforts, Commander Katsuragi. We will requisition this ship as planned..."
Bang-pew!!!
A gunshot rang out, and the bullet struck Gendo Ikari's mechanical visor.
The force of the impact sent Gendo Ikari staggering back several steps before he stumbled into a crouch.
Behind Misato, Ritsuko Akagi held a pistol with a thin wisp of gunsmoke still curling from its muzzle.
Gendo Ikari sighed helplessly. "You... aren't even going to ask any questions? You're the same as ever, utterly ruthless when pursuing your goals..."
Ritsuko Akagi adjusted her aim again and confirmed his words without hesitation. "That's right. It's what you taught me."
Bang-bang-bang!!!
With that, Ritsuko Akagi pulled the trigger, landing three consecutive shots in Gendo Ikari's head.
Gendo Ikari's body slowly collapsed. Pink and blood-red brain matter burst out, scattering all over the deck.
But what happened next left Ritsuko Akagi and Misato stunned and incredulous.
Gendo Ikari reached out with a white-gloved hand, picked up his own brain matter from the deck, and casually scraped it together before stuffing it back into the bullet hole in the back of his head.
"For a god, there are no barriers. One need only turn nothing away and accept everything."
Gendo Ikari raised his head. His mechanical visor was now gone, revealing cross-shaped fissures that glowed faintly red where his pupils had long since disappeared.
His eyes were gone, leaving his face utterly devoid of emotion.
Blood vessels of various sizes covered his face, making him look exceptionally grotesque.
"Gendo Ikari! Did you abandon even your