The people in the Commander Room immediately gave Shinji an emergency examination, only to discover that all the visible injuries on his body had vanished.
From the outside, he appeared to have merely passed out.
No one dared take any chances, so they sent Shinji to the Medical Center for further examination.
Yui Ikari knew in her heart that Zero had protected her son once again.
She picked up the Zero Glasses, now turned to stone, and clutched them tightly in her hand, unable to stop a sharp pain from gripping her heart.
Why did a race exist in the universe that would give their lives without hesitation simply to protect other living beings?
Several Ultra Warriors had come to this planet to fight invaders and monsters.
And back in his own homeland, Zero himself was only a young man. His emotional maturity seemed to fall short of even some humans who had only just reached adulthood.
In fact, this very crisis had arisen from humanity's own mistakes.
Yet even so, Zero had chosen to stake his life on fighting for the lives of this planet until the very last moment, finally departing after exhausting all his light.
Before he left, he had used the last of that light to protect the boy who shared his body and soul.
Something Zero had once said echoed in her mind: "There isn't any special reason why we protect humanity."
"It's been that way for a long, long time."
Yui Ikari tightened her grip on the Zero Glasses until her knuckles began to turn white.
"Thank you for saving Shinji at the very end..."
The resolve in Yui Ikari's eyes grew stronger.
She spoke to Fuyutsuki, who stood beside her looking somewhat defeated.
"Teacher."
"At the very least, I will never give up