And now, Unit-01 still stood there, unscathed before their eyes. The sight filled everyone with overwhelming relief and joy.
It was nothing short of a miracle. Unit-01 was unharmed. Nothing in the world could have been better than this.
Tears welled in the eyes of the survivors. To them, Unit-01 had become the very symbol of their continued existence. Without it, they would all have been long since doomed.
It was Unit-01 that gave them hope for survival.
Inside the entry plug, however, Kitazawa Ryōta sat in silence, his expression tense.
Only he knew how close he had come to death just moments earlier. If the War God System had not activated its protective protocols at the last instant, he would already have been reduced to ashes in that explosion.
There was no doubt in his mind: Mark.12 had been dispatched by Ikari Gendō himself, its sole purpose to eliminate him and his companions.
The self-destruct had been triggered under Ikari's orders—an attempt to obliterate Ryōta completely, body and soul.
Such ruthless intent… Ryōta clenched his jaw at the thought.
He had always been one to repay kindness with kindness, but also to return hatred tenfold. This time would be no exception.
Ikari Gendō… I'll remember this. One day, you will pay it back in full.
Ryōta's fists tightened as he silently vowed his revenge.
Meanwhile, beneath the ruins of NERV Headquarters in Tokyo-3, Ikari Gendō sat in silence, his face a mask of cold detachment as he stared at the surveillance feed.
The entire battle between Unit-01 and Mark.12 had unfolded before his eyes. Even the order to initiate the self-destruct sequence had come directly from him.
But the result defied logic. Unit-01 had survived. Ryōta had somehow restored it, as if by a power beyond science—something almost divine.
Not even Fuyutsuki Kouzou could comprehend it.
"It seems Kitazawa Ryōta is hiding far more than we realize," Fuyutsuki murmured, gazing at the screen, where the ragged remnants of NERV cheered in jubilation. He shook his head. "To restart a destroyed Eva… That isn't science. That's the power of God."
"I thought Mark.12 would be enough to erase them," Ikari said coldly, eyes never leaving the feed. "That way we'd eliminate every future obstacle. But even with that magnitude of self-detonation, we failed. Next time, we'll have to design a strategy specifically to deal with Kitazawa Ryōta. He is the single greatest threat to our plan—and he must be eliminated."
Everyone in NERV knew how formidable Ryōta's combat ability was. Without him, Ikari's Human Instrumentality Project could never have progressed this far. Ryōta's victories against the Angels had been indispensable.
And yet, this indispensable warrior had now become a liability. If left alive, he would only interfere with Ikari's ultimate vision.
Fuyutsuki nodded grimly. He and Ikari had invested everything—blood, sweat, and years of planning—to bring the current state of affairs into being. For the sake of their "noble ideal," they could not allow it to be derailed.
"Of course, the remaining NERV technicians must also be eliminated," Ikari continued, his voice like ice. "If we leave them alive, they'll become a dangerous liability. They know too much—every key system of the EVAs is in their hands. And we'll need more units prepared for the next stage of the plan. Ritsuko—how is your progress?"
At that moment, the office doors slid open.
A tall, slender blonde woman stepped inside, a small beauty mark near her lips.
If Misato had been present, she would have been shocked beyond words.
It was Akagi Ritsuko.
Yes—the head of NERV's Science Division, the brilliant scientist responsible for the development of the EVAs, Misato's childhood friend… now standing here in Gendō's office, speaking with him as though complicit in his grand design.
"Don't worry," Ritsuko said with a faint smile. "Mass production of the new EVAs is about to begin. Preparations are nearly complete. Everything will proceed without fail."
Her words were astonishing enough—but her presence here, as Gendō's confidante and executor of his plan, was even more shocking.
When had Akagi Ritsuko become so entangled with Ikari Gendō?
"Well done, Ritsuko," Gendō replied calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"I'm only following the path my mother set before me," she answered quietly after a pause. "I'll get back to work, Commander."
"Very well."
Her slender figure vanished through the door, leaving only Gendō and Fuyutsuki in the vast, dim chamber.
"I can tell," Fuyutsuki said after a long silence, "that Ritsuko has feelings for you. If you don't feel the same, you should make that clear sooner rather than later."
"When our plan is complete, I'll tell her the truth," Gendō said flatly.
"…Hmph."
The only sound that followed was Fuyutsuki's weary sigh, echoing in the empty room.
Not long after, far beneath the icy surface of the Arctic Circle, a deafening roar erupted.
The shock of it rippled across thousands of kilometers, as if the earth itself were convulsing under the weight of a massive earthquake.
The ground heaved violently. The scattered remnants of humanity shivered in terror, unable to comprehend what was happening. Was this divine punishment? God's wrath descending upon them?
None could say. They could only tremble, praying desperately for mercy under the darkened sky.
And then, in a region several hundred kilometers away, a dirt-caked hand slowly clawed its way up from a deep crater.
The area around it was littered with rusted steel wreckage—and human bones.
The figure to whom that hand belonged looked around at the ruined battlefield, at the twisted metal and skeletal remains. And then he smiled.
With a laugh, he let himself fall back to the ground, roaring in mad delight.
His name was Ryan.
To be precise, he was a soldier—
a proud and honored Russian soldier.
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