The mass of blood-red clouds swelled thicker and denser, until suddenly they burst outward with waves of multicolored radiance—holy beams of light that shone down upon the ruined world below, like the mocking brilliance of false divinity.
Then, in the sky itself, a vast void appeared, a gaping singularity exuding a gravitational pull so immense that even the Wunder was being dragged helplessly toward it.
The once-solid earth cracked and shattered, slabs of stone tearing free as the ground itself was pulled upward into the abyss. Countless fragments of land spiraled toward the black maw, vanishing into its eternal darkness.
Witnessing the apocalyptic spectacle, everyone aboard the bridge of the Wunder felt their throats tighten, cold sweat running down their faces. At this rate, the entire planet would be devoured.
"No… this Impact must be stopped! Otherwise, Earth itself is finished!" Misato clenched her teeth, then barked in command:
"Calculate the singularity's spatial coordinates—now!"
"Report! Physical-space distortion detected! Singularity coordinates: 2212:3302. Awaiting further orders!"
"Good! Target that point! Prepare the positron cannon—fire immediately!" Misato's hands gripped the railing hard, her voice firm.
"What?!" Gasps erupted across the bridge.
"Major Katsuragi, the positron cannon is still experimental! Its output is unstable—we can't risk firing it!" one of the crew protested in panic.
"We don't have the luxury of hesitation!" Misato's knuckles whitened. She knew full well the danger, but if they didn't take the risk now, there would be no second chance.
The positron cannon was their newest weapon, a colossal creation with devastating power. Perhaps—it could halt the Fourth Impact.
With a thunderous hum, the Wunder trembled. Even as the singularity dragged the ship downward, energy built within the cannon's massive barrel.
A blinding surge of light erupted, searing with the force of divine judgment, lancing across the heavens straight into the black void.
The blast struck its target dead-on.
The world itself seemed to recoil—the crimson storm was pierced, and in that instant the blood clouds shattered like glass.
The trembling of the earth eased. The wound in the sky—the abyssal void—began to collapse in upon itself, shrinking until it vanished completely.
"Look! The black hole—it's gone!"
Cheers erupted across the bridge, relief written across every face.
Only Misato exhaled heavily, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. She knew how close they had come to annihilation—the command she had given had risked everything.
"Ryota Kitazawa…" she whispered to herself, "the rest is up to you."
Deep within the Final Dogma, Lilith's roar reverberated like thunder, shaking every soul present. Her massive arms thrashed wildly, fury born from millennia of imprisonment. Entwined with her was Unit-13, blue light coursing between them like veins of lightning.
It was the sign of fusion.
Ryota's eyes flicked upward. His chest tightened. The spark of Fourth Impact had already been lit—the world was on the brink of ruin.
Then it came.
A surge of overwhelming energy erupted from Unit-13's body. From its back unfurled the unmistakable sign—wings of light.
First one pair. Then a second. Then a third.
Three pairs of luminous wings spread wide, bathing the chamber in a searing golden brilliance. The radiance was so intense, none could look directly upon it.
"God…! At last!" A voice rang out with manic ecstasy from above the chamber entrance.
Ikari Gendō.
His laughter resounded like a hymn of madness.
"I have created God itself! With this true divinity, that false god shall be cast aside!"
Lilith and the twin Adams within Unit-13 had begun to merge. From their union, Gendō's "god" was born.
"No…" Ryota's heart sank. He understood all too well what this meant.
Unit-13 had ascended into godhood.
And with it, the world's fate plunged deeper into peril.
The golden light flared one final time before vanishing. Lilith's body dissolved into the brilliance, drawn into Unit-13's core until no trace remained.
Unit-13 began to change. Its frame swelled monstrously, and the golden glow gave way to a deep, blood-red luminescence—a crimson radiance so ominous it chilled the soul.
"Gendō! Don't you see it? This isn't a god—it's a demon! A true abomination!" Ryota's voice thundered through the chamber.
"You're wrong, Ryota Kitazawa!" Gendō's face twisted in zealotry, his voice quaking with manic fervor. "This is not a demon—it is humanity's strength incarnate! For though mankind is small, its power is great—that power is science! And with science, I, Ikari Gendō, shall achieve what no being in history has ever done. I will kill God!"
"This man… he's insane," Asuka whispered hoarsely. Mari swallowed hard, her eyes wide with shock.
"But before I kill God," Gendō sneered, "I will kill you!" His laughter echoed as he withdrew into the shadows above.
"Damn it…" Ryota clenched his teeth. He had no choice. The crimson Unit-13 strode forward, each step shaking the earth.
In its hands gleamed two identical lances—the twin Lance of Longinus, both torn from Lilith's corpse.
Weapons of life.
Weapons of divinity and damnation alike.
Could Unit-01 possibly withstand such power?
Yet Ryota had no room for doubt. His EVA had once ascended as well. Now, its hands summoned forth a particle dagger, gleaming in defiance.
Unit-01 charged. Unit-13 roared.
And so, with the Lance of Longinus clashing against the dagger's blazing edge, the final battle began.
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