Defeat and instructions

"That's what they call launching?!" Huang Zhetian was speechless.

The four Evas went back to doing what they had done on the way in.

They lay down and kept crawling.

The ventilation duct was still a ventilation duct, just bigger this time.

The sight of four Giant Weapons crawling up like this was ridiculous.

"This pose looks awful!" Asuka groaned.

"Exit through the ventilation duct," Rei Ayanami said, completely unbothered.

Clang! Clang! Bang!!

Asuka made Unit-02 kick the enormous steel door several times, warping it before finally kicking it clean off.

Then the four Evas braced all four limbs against the ventilation shaft's walls.

Asuka was at the front, and Huang Zhetian was at the back.

"This pose looks awful too... huh?" Before Asuka could finish, the Angel's enormous eye above ground caught her attention.

A highly corrosive liquid began flowing from the Angel's eye.

It slowly dripped down below.

Rei Ayanami was the first to notice.

The Angel's liquid dripped onto the shoulder compartment where Rei Ayanami's Progressive Knife was stored.

Thick smoke immediately billowed up with a sizzling hiss.

"Oh no! Get out of the way!" Rei Ayanami immediately warned Asuka.

Asuka froze briefly, then turned to look up again.

Another shower of acid rained down.

It burned Unit-02's arm.

Asuka mishandled the controls, lost her grip, and fell straight down.

"Aah!" Asuka cried out.

She crashed into Rei Ayanami's Unit-00.

Rei Ayanami buckled under the impact and fell along with her.

"What?! Zhetian-kun! Asuka and Rei are falling! Help me hold them up! Hup!" Shinji reacted first, hurriedly calling to Huang Zhetian below.

"Got it!" Huang Zhetian immediately braced all four limbs firmly against the shaft walls.

Clang! Bang! Clang!

"Aah! No!"

"Ngh!"

"Hold on! Hold on!"

Although Shinji supported the two Evas, his limbs scraped against the walls, throwing off sparks.

After briefly cushioning the force, he still fell straight down.

Huang Zhetian was even more careful.

With a deafening clang, Shinji and Huang Zhetian stopped the fall together and glanced toward the steel doorway they had come through earlier.

"All right! Get back to where we were!" Huang Zhetian gritted his teeth and forced out a shout.

A moment later.

The Rain Angel was still pouring liquid into the Eva launch shaft above...

The four Evas huddled in the ventilation duct, watching objects drop from above as the Angel's liquid ate through them.

For a moment, none of them knew what to do.

"The target is attempting to penetrate headquarters directly using a powerful solvent," Rei Ayanami said calmly, looking at the Angel above.

Ding-

Ding-

Two small windows beside the cockpit console instantly displayed live video feeds from the pilots of Unit-02 and Unit-01.

"What do we do?" Shinji asked.

"Isn't it obvious?! We kill it!" Asuka declared flatly.

"That's why I'm asking how! The rifles fell down, and our power connections at the back have been cut off. We've only got three minutes left." Somewhat speechless, Shinji reported all their current readings to Asuka.

Asuka briefly closed her eyes to think, then opened them and said, "I've got a plan!"

"The unit staying here will defend, concentrating its A.T. Field to shield the attacking unit from the solvent. The support pilot will go down and retrieve the rifles, then hand them to the attacker. The attacking unit will open fire and eliminate the target! How's that?" Asuka laid out her battle plan in detail.

"Yeah, not bad. That military training really shows. It's a good plan, Asuka." Huang Zhetian couldn't help praising her after hearing it. Although Asuka was somewhat tsundere and willful, her talent for combat was undeniable.

"All right. I'll handle defense," Rei Ayanami said, turning her head.

"Unfortunately, I'll be handling defense." Asuka cut Rei Ayanami off and assigned the defensive role to herself.

"That's dangerous..." Shinji said worriedly.

"That's why it has to be me! I won't feel right until I repay you for last time. Shinji will attack, the Honor Student will provide support, and Huang Zhetian will come out and catch me afterward. How's that?" Asuka made her intentions clear.

"No need. I've got a way... It's a shame, because your plan is reliable. But I can't bear to see you get hurt... Asuka," Huang Zhetian said, trying to dissuade her.

"Then what do we do? Have you got a better idea? We're running out of time!" Asuka was a little angry. Although his words made her feel warm inside, she still understood how serious the situation was.

"Move aside for a moment and wait for me." Huang Zhetian drew the Greatsword from his back. Catching the three Evas earlier had been so difficult precisely because he had been carrying that heavy sword as well.

Huang Zhetian jumped straight down.

Clang! Boom!

The Special Unit bent its knees to steady itself.

He looked up at the Angel, which was pouring liquid down again...

"Pissing on my head, huh? Tch! I'll castrate you!" With that, he slowly raised the Greatsword from behind his back.

One hand held the sword's hilt, while the other gripped the recessed handle on its spine.

He drew the sword back a little, becoming one with it.

Then he released his A.T. Field and fused it into the blade.

The A.T. Field can take countless forms, and the Greatsword can release sword energy. That's enough to kill it in one strike! Huang Zhetian thought as he charged his attack.

"Pull your heads back in! Don't come out!" After that warning, Huang Zhetian focused on the space above and swung the sword upward with both hands.

Clang! Whoosh-boom!

Ever seen the charged-up Excalibur in Soul Knight?

Except this wave of sword energy was translucent and rainbow-colored.

That was because an A.T. Field was mixed into it.

Both ends of the sword-energy wave swept across the walls.

They carved a long gash into either side.

The sword energy continued straight up toward the Angel above.

Even the solvent was cleaved apart, sliding away or dissipating.

Thud-boom! Boom!

The Angel stopped attacking, then collapsed a second later.

But the Angel's death was very different from the original.

In the original, the Rain Angel had been shot to death with machine guns, leaving its body intact.

This time, Huang Zhetian had split the Rain Angel in half, and the two halves slowly toppled to either side.

"Ah... that's... that's not right, is it?!" Asuka said in astonishment.

"That was amazing, Zhetian-kun!" Shinji exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, impressive..." Even Rei Ayanami offered a rare word of praise.

"Here, catch!" Huang Zhetian picked up a rifle from the ground, gathered his strength, and threw it upward.

Shinji reached out an arm to catch it, then gave him a thumbs-up.

"Heh... honestly." Huang Zhetian smiled faintly.

Meanwhile, over with Misato.

Inside the elevator.

"Why won't it open yet?! This is an emergency! I can't hold it anymore!" Misato knelt with both knees on Kaji's arms.

Looking helpless, Kaji stood upright and held her up.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to look up?" Misato scolded Kaji again.

"Yes, yes... huh?" Kaji could only lower his head, then let out a surprised sound as the lights came on.

It was Kaji's exclamation.

That made them both lose their balance and fall together.

"Ah... aah!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Ding! The elevator doors opened at that very moment.

Akagi, Ibuki, and Hyuga were about to step inside.

They saw the scene before them...

Know what the sixty-nine position looks like? Get it?

Misato's jacket lay beside them too.

Both of their clothes were disheveled.

Anyone seeing this would have thought...

Akagi closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, a vein bulging on it.

Behind her, Ibuki coldly remarked, "Disgusting..."

Huang Zhetian and the other three lay on the grass on a hillside.

They gazed up at the night sky.

"The lights... only when there's no artificial light do you notice how beautiful the stars are. That's pretty ironic," Shinji said, admiring the night sky.

"But without light, everything feels so desolate. Look, isn't this reassuring?" Asuka watched the city lights below gradually come on.

They lit up one after another, dispelling the darkness.

Bustle and noise took its place.

"Humans feared the darkness, so they drove it away with fire in order to survive," Rei Ayanami said quietly, sitting on the grass with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"How philosophical." It was hard to tell whether Asuka was praising her or mocking her.

"Is that why humans are such special creatures? Is that why the Angels attack us?" Shinji returned to that morning's topic.

"Are you stupid?! Who knows something like that?" Asuka snapped at him.

"Darkness and light are both essential. Only because both exist can we humans understand the meaning of life and all things. So while we fear the darkness, sometimes we really need it. Nothing is entirely harmful or entirely beneficial. They create and counterbalance each other; opposing forces give rise to one another. Only then can something truly take shape," Huang Zhetian said slowly, looking at the night sky.

"Enough. Don't be like that Honor Student, spouting life lessons. I don't want to hear that right now. Show us some more of your talents instead," Asuka said lazily.

"Sure, but wait a moment. I need to prepare something." Huang Zhetian stood and brushed the grass clinging to his plugsuit.

He walked into the woods behind them.

He spotted the flickering glow of a cigarette.

"Kaji... come here a moment."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Didn't Gendo Ikari tell you to go to the United States? I don't want to hear what you're doing there. But there's something I'd like to ask of you. When you get to the United States, tell the Chinese embassy..."

"Mm..."

"Understood?"

"Got it..."

"Be careful out there."

"Understood."

After giving Kaji his instructions, Huang Zhetian took the necklace out of his system space on the way back.

He came up to Asuka, holding the necklace in both hands.

"Do you like it? It's for you."

"This... it's beautiful! So sparkly," Asuka said happily.

What girl didn't like sparkling things?

Asuka was no exception.

The necklace had come from the system as a reward for defeating the Rain Angel.

It was an utterly ordinary silver chain with a small pearl-like crystal.

Simple and unadorned.

But when light struck it, it reflected a rainbow glow tinged with blue.

It gave the impression of lotus flowers blooming one after another.

"As long as you like it. It's a gift for you. But you have to give it something before it belongs to you... mmph!" Before Huang Zhetian could finish, Asuka kissed him on the lips.

He felt both delighted and surprised.

But she pulled away soon afterward.

It was sweet, fragrant, soft... and tasted like... oranges.

"Satisfied now?" Asuka asked, blushing a little.

Shinji watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

Rei Ayanami, however, remained perfectly calm...

"No, what are you... I hadn't finished speaking."

"What do you mean? Wasn't that enough? Don't tell me you're trying to go further? I'll deal with you when we get back."

"I meant you need to put a drop of blood on it. There's a surprise..."

"You! Why didn't you say that sooner?! You made me...! You're dead when we get back!"

"No... fine, you win."

After all the arguing and explaining, Huang Zhetian lay down weakly.

But his face was brimming with happiness.

A certain man nearby had had his fill of their lovey-dovey display...

"Asuka, let me help." Seeing Asuka hesitate, Huang Zhetian took out the Taiji Sword and gently nicked her finger with its tip.

"That hurts a little! Be gentle, idiot!"

"Okay, okay, it'll be over soon."

A drop of blood slowly fell, landing neatly on the pearl crystal.

All four watched with curiosity written on their faces.

Ding! Dong!

It sounded like drops of water.

A halo spread from the necklace as it gave off a soft glow.

It fastened itself around Asuka's neck.

"This is so amazing! I love it! Thank you, idiot Zhetian! Mwah!" Asuka happily threw her arms around Huang Zhetian's neck and kissed his cheek again.

I really am lucky in love tonight.

Misato and Kaji watched them from a short distance away.

They exchanged a smile, both smoking cigarettes.

"You've never smoked in front of the kids, have you?"

"No. Drinking beer in front of them is already embarrassing enough for an adult."

"Heh, I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow."

"What for?"

"You shouldn't know."

"I'm telling you, you won't get another chance to tell me."

"It's an assignment from the commander. Don't ask too much about it."

"Got it."

"Don't worry, I'll bring you a present."

"Who wants a present from you?"

"All right, all right."

The two chatted back and forth beneath a tree not far from Huang Zhetian.

Kaji and Misato slowly drew closer until they were leaning against each other...

The night sky was so beautiful, yet so frightening.

The evening breeze stirred the young hearts, filling them with anticipation for all the future held.