Children of Man, Cleave to God!

If some random person had appeared and proclaimed himself the savior, the staff present would surely have thought he was joking to lighten the mood.

But Ritsuko Akagi did not think so now, because Shinji Ikari was indispensable to them.

Although the blue-haired girl in the hospital bed was also a qualified pilot, she could never defeat the Fourth Angel in her current condition.

A technician in a white lab coat emerged through a side door and helped Shinji Ikari change into a specially made combat suit.

With a rush of cascading liquid, the purple ultimate combat weapon slowly rose from the red antifreeze coolant.

"In all their affliction, he too was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy, he redeemed them."

Shinji Ikari's mysterious, preacher-like voice, seemingly coming from beyond the heavens, sounded in Misato Katsuragi's ears again. Apart from it, there were only the technicians' reports.

"Third cooling cycle complete."

"Inertial flywheel stopped. Disconnecting."

"Auxiliary voltage normal."

"Signal plug ejection complete."

"Confirmed. Inserting entry plug. Releasing spinal transmission system. Preparing for contact."

"Probe insertion complete."

To Shinji Ikari inside the cockpit, those clamorous voices belonged to another world. At that moment, his mind was utterly focused.

As the entry plug filled with life-sustaining water, he tightened his grip on the control handles on either side.

For fourteen years, knowing the ending but not the process, he had been preparing for a certain day-the day "Shinji Ikari" became a god.

"There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. Whoever fears has not been made perfect in love."

"Though the Lord brings grief, he will show compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men."

As he silently recited the assorted holy verses he had rehearsed, all the distracting thoughts born of his impending first battle vanished.

Perhaps it was a response to his love for God, but Shinji Ikari actually felt as though his mother had gathered him into her arms, enveloping him in boundless acceptance and indulgence.

"I am God! The rebellious angel shall be punished. Children of man, cleave to God!"

The words left Shinji Ikari's mouth like an oath, but the children of man felt none of "God's" tender love. They were too busy.

This war between humanity and the Angels was not the pilot's burden alone. The NERV staff were making their final preparations for deployment.

Releasing restraints, connecting external power, issuing weapons and equipment, assessing the situation and analyzing the target, initiating the system startup sequence...

All 1,405 operational risk checks passed, followed by tests of coordination, communication, and connection between the neurally linked pilot and the EVA.

"No issues with initial contact. Bidirectional circuits open. Synchronization rate is... 196.9%!"

A researcher from the technical development department stared at the screen in disbelief and cried out.

"Incredible. This is his very first synchronization."

"This isn't a question of whether it's incredible. It's exceeded one hundred percent!"

"Is something wrong? Check the neural synchronization system right away!"

"How can it be that high? We've never seen a reading like this. There must be an error!"

But before the technicians could figure out where the problem lay, operations commander Misato Katsuragi had already pulled up the diagnostic report.

"All systems normal. Harmonics within normal parameters. No signs of a loss of control... and the synchronization rate is still climbing. It's about to break three hundred percent!"

Every technician was now hunched over a workstation, watching the two spiraling waveforms overlap on the screens as the synchronization rate continued to soar.

From an already absurdly high 196.9%, it rapidly climbed to 293.1%, and the number kept rising, showing no sign of stopping.

Yet even after another check, all 1,405 programs on the screens remained normal. Among the uniformly green icons, not a single red warning light could be found.

Everything was normal, as though this was exactly how everything ought to be.

But inside the entry plug's cockpit, Shinji Ikari was experiencing a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt.

It was merely his first time piloting humanity's ultimate combat weapon, merely a soak in life-sustaining water that looked like orange juice.

Yet that seemingly spiritual connection made his mind and heart throb without pause, as though he had already become one with this towering behemoth.

Shinji Ikari smiled knowingly. "I wasn't the only one looking forward to meeting you. Were you waiting for me too? This is destiny, Unit-01."

"Shinji, once you deploy, do your best to protect the external umbilical cable on your back. The EVA's internal battery only lasts five minutes." Misato Katsuragi's voice came over the communicator.

"Prepare to launch!"

As the stern voice reached his ears, Shinji Ikari saw Unit-01 rapidly ascend from underground through the launch sequence.

The Fourth Angel, wandering across the land, seemed to sense something unusual. It stopped, lowered its head thoughtfully, and stared at the ground.

Red warning lights lit up where it was looking, and the gates of a gigantic elevator platform opened automatically. A purple humanoid machine as enormous as the Angel itself shot up from underground!

"Final safety locks released! EVA Unit-01, launch!" Misato Katsuragi shouted at the top of her voice. The lieutenant colonel now resembled a general commanding a vast army.

Ritsuko Akagi calmly reminded him, "Shinji, all you need to think about now is what you want to do. The EVA will move as you intend!"

Shinji Ikari instantly felt the last restraints on his body fall away. He tried moving, turning and tilting his head for a while, and found it no different from controlling his own muscles.

To the Fourth Angel, the purple weapon looked like a giant that had just awakened, stretching its body like an athlete warming up before a match.

Then the giant walked toward it, radiating sacred majesty.

That overwhelming divine presence unsettled the Angel, as though a rebel were standing before a king. A low, hoarse growl escaped its throat involuntarily.

The eyes on the Fourth Angel's second head lit up with a dazzling flash, firing an enormous beam of white light tinged with pale violet.

"Shinji!" Misato Katsuragi sensed the danger and was about to warn him when she saw the laser fire through the remote surveillance feed.

It was an ability none of them had ever seen, and the energy it unleashed far exceeded that of the spear of light that had destroyed the United Nations Forces.

In an instant, the purple Unit-01 was engulfed by the white-and-violet beam of high-energy particles.

Had a fighter jet been looking down from the sky, its pilot would have seen that the Fourth Angel's laser had drawn a gigantic cross across the ground.

Confronted with the purple giant, which resembled a god betrayed, the Fourth Angel unleashed its strongest attack despite this being their very first clash.

Neither the hard steel ground nor the towering buildings could withstand that cross-shaped beam of divine punishment. Everything cracked and shattered beneath its searing heat, the molten breaches glowing a muted dark red.