"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-Gog and Magog-and gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore."
Shinji Ikari softly recited the Book of Revelation, as though he could already see enemies massing on every side. Unit-01 slowly raised its head toward the sky as well.
The enormous crimson cross towered like a monument, overlooking all of Tokyo-3.
The pitch-black night shone as brightly as day. That rainbow radiance, woven from a dazzling array of colors, seemed to mourn a fallen angel, yet also to welcome a new god.
Behold my majestic divine might (not).
The scene before them resembled a painting steeped in religious mythology, searing itself into everyone's eyes. Shinji Ikari's voice echoed in their ears, and they listened in silence.
Everyone in the command center unconsciously slowed their breathing, determined to etch what they saw and heard at that moment into their memories.
The purple Unit-01 wore a mantle of brilliant red light, while the cross behind it stood upon the earth and the rainbow seemed to connect heaven to the human world.
"You guys okay? Why's everyone gone quiet? I meant to shoot through its body, but somehow it exploded. Were we supposed to take it alive?"
Only when Shinji Ikari's relaxed voice rang out in the command center again did Misato Katsuragi, who was directing the operation, snap out of her daze. She stood and answered:
"It's fine. NERV currently has no plans to study live Angels. The cross-shaped explosion is a normal phenomenon when an Angel dies after its core is destroyed."
Shinji Ikari marveled, "Just what I'd expect of an angel. Even its death is to my liking."
Misato Katsuragi looked at the synchronization rate, which remained high, but still felt a little concerned.
"Shinji, how do you feel after the battle? Any discomfort anywhere?"
"Never better." Shinji Ikari made Unit-01 raise its now-white palm and gazed at it in a trance.
"That's good. You did very well. Thanks for your hard work, Shinji." Misato Katsuragi let out a long breath.
Then she turned toward the other staff members, excitement sparkling in her eyes despite herself.
"The Fourth Angel, Shamshel, has been successfully defeated. Everyone, we won this battle!"
After Misato Katsuragi excitedly shouted those stirring words-"We won!"-the entire command center fell briefly silent.
But everyone soon rose to their feet as though waking from a dream, looking at the figure on the screen as they erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
At the same time, Kozo Fuyutsuki, who was in another room, also stared at the purple machine on the screen. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
Unlike the people whose faces were flushed with excitement, Gendo Ikari remained seated at his desk without any change in expression, holding his usual signature pose.
-His hands concealed half his face, while his eyes were hidden behind tinted glasses, leaving his expression unreadable.
Unit-Ikari.
Kozo Fuyutsuki walked over to Gendo Ikari and watched Unit-01 with a smile. "Shinji's performance far exceeded our expectations."
Gendo Ikari showed little reaction, merely responding in a tone so flat it bordered on indifference:
"The outcome was predetermined. Victory was always inevitable. It's just that... the process deviated slightly from what we envisioned."
As Shinji Ikari's father-or perhaps, as Yui Ikari's husband-Gendo Ikari knew very well that the outcome of this battle had never been in doubt.
Even if the boy was too fragile to withstand a single blow, Unit-01 would tear apart every threat for him.
Whether Shinji Ikari could control an EVA did not matter. Whether he knew how to fight did not matter either.
As long as Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01, Unit-01 would carry him to victory.
Yet something was not quite right about the current situation.
It was not Unit-01 that had kept Shinji Ikari alive. Instead, Shinji Ikari had won with effortless, overwhelming dominance.
Clearly, events had not followed the script Gendo Ikari had envisioned. The male lead in this scene should have been far more battered and bedraggled.
A moment later, after a brief spell of thought, his gaze, too, inevitably shifted toward Unit-01 on the screen.
The purple giant bathed in radiance, the crimson cross spanning heaven and earth, and the rainbow glow at the edge of the sky-all of it seemed as unreal as a dream.
When Gendo Ikari met the giant's eyes, for a fleeting, dazed moment, he even felt that it was looking down on him. It felt as though-
He was an ant.
Through Unit-01, Gendo Ikari seemed to be exchanging stares with Shinji Ikari. Those were not human eyes. They held heartfelt contempt for him, along with an arrogant pity.
Like a god looking down upon the human world with mercy from heaven above.
In the lounge.
With his eyes closed, Shinji Ikari seemed to return to that woman's embrace. That woman, named Yui Ikari, was his mother.
She liked to poke the baby's little cheeks and tease him. And when faced with her child after he had grown up, always far too troubled, she would frown in concern as well.
The scene soon shifted to a spotless white laboratory. Through an enormous glass window, he could see the woman climb into a capsule-like cockpit, and the entry plug slide into the purple giant's body through its spine.
But this time, he was the one piloting that purple ultimate decisive weapon.
Shinji Ikari, who had only recently climbed out of Unit-01, sat at a table, imitating Gendo Ikari's pose. But he was not thinking; he was dozing. He seemed to have had a dream.
At the sound of the door opening, Shinji Ikari opened his eyes. An unfamiliar white ceiling came into view, yet the tenderness of being held in his mother's arms seemed to linger on his body.
Shinji Ikari felt a little dazed. That feeling of the woman still being beside him had been a dream after all.
He seemed to feel someone breathing very close to him, their breath tickling his skin.
Shinji Ikari turned his head and saw Misato Katsuragi sitting beside him, her face almost pressed against his.
Shinji Ikari lowered his head. Noticing his gaze, Misato Katsuragi raised hers, and their eyes met.
"What are you..." Shinji Ikari narrowed his eyes, their noses touching. "Doing?"
"Nothing. Just checking whether you're hurt." Misato Katsuragi pulled back from her forward lean. "You've got a pretty nice physique. Bet you're popular at school."
"Yeah." After giving it a little thought, Shinji Ikari slowly nodded. He was beginning to wonder whether he was still dreaming.
Then he saw Ritsuko Akagi, who had just opened the door and entered, standing across from them. They stared at one another, falling into silence for a moment...
"I see. No wonder you applied to have Shinji stay at your place. Looks like I'll have to reassess the safety of that request."
Holding a file, Ritsuko Akagi looked at Misato Katsuragi as though she were grading her, throwing in a little disdain for good measure.
"What's with that look? I really was just trying to check him for injuries."
"Medical examinations aren't part of an operations commander's duties, are they?"
"I was worried about him. But my application absolutely had no ulterior motives. I just thought we couldn't leave him alone... Besides, the higher-ups already approved it. Don't worry, I won't make a move on him!"
"Really? I don't believe you. Who knows what goes through that head of yours half the time?"
Before you continue