One month later, in the mountainous forests of Tokyo-3's northern underground region.
In the apocalyptic atmosphere of the past, it would have been hard to imagine humanity spending a fortune on landscaping.
This area had been reduced to rubble by the artillery fire of the battle at Headquarters three years ago. The dense woodland standing here now had been planted entirely by hand.
Human society had endured the Second Impact, the Angel invasions, and the civil war between humanity and SEELE. Everything needed rebuilding.
This sort of prestige project smacked of extravagance, but this was the capital. In other words, it represented the dignity of His Highness the Child of God.
There was also a train station here, a futuristic modern facility utterly at odds with the primeval forest aesthetic.
Two Akashima units were parked in restraint rigs not far away. This place was actually an outdoor training ground.
A woman with brown twin tails stood on the vast platform, dressed in a British-style school uniform.
She had just climbed down from one of the units. When her short skirt fluttered up, it offered a glimpse of the strip of skin between her thigh-high socks and skirt, commonly called the absolute field.
Crisp footsteps suddenly sounded behind her. A tall, straight-backed young man stepped onto the platform in a white, long-skirted military uniform, gold thread encircling his cuffs.
This marked Shinji Ikari as holding the War God Rank, the highest rank in this country's new military hierarchy. He did not even need stars on his epaulets to prove his identity.
The divine garment the church had originally prepared was an extremely loose White Greek Robe. Its fabric was as exquisite as particles of light, and when the wind stirred it, it seemed to become one with the breeze.
To keep