"Your performance during this period has been decent. I won't kill you."
Hansen said flatly, glancing at the motionless Nagisa Kaworu before him.
"Stay in this world and watch over Shinji for me, until he can completely control his own destiny."
Across from him, facing the immense pressure in Hansen's calm gaze, a pressure akin to a starry sea collapsing, Nagisa Kaworu realized with shock.
The [AT Field] he had released by revealing his Angel form was as fragile as paper, unable to move even a finger.
Even as a nearly immortal special existence, having experienced multiple cycles of rebirth, he had never encountered such an overwhelming presence.
This wasn't a negotiation, nor a transaction. It was merely... a notification.
"So that's how it is..."
After a long while, Nagisa Kaworu felt the pressure on his shoulders suddenly ease, and an unprecedented look of relief appeared on his face.
He took a step back and bowed deeply to Hansen, his posture elegant and devout.
This time, it was a complete and heartfelt submission.
"Then, as you wish, Teacher."
At that very moment—
*Woooooo——!!!*
A shrill, piercing alarm sound tore through the tranquility of the sunset without warning.
This sound was more urgent and sharper than any before, like a hellish trumpet announcing the apocalypse to the world.
The entire fortress city sprang to life without warning. The ground shook violently, and the windows of the school buildings buzzed.
Large swathes of buildings sank into the ground, replaced by closing heavy armor plates, rising dense arrays of gun turrets, and various defensive structures.
"Emergency alert! Emergency alert!"
"All personnel to first-class combat readiness! All non-combatants proceed to shelters immediately!"
"Optical observation confirms target! That is..."
Simultaneously, inside the command hall of NERV Headquarters, a deathly silence fell.
On the screen, a despair-inducing colossal figure appeared.
It didn't have a flashy appearance. It was like a grim reaper wrapped in black burial shrouds. Beneath its massive torso were no legs, only ribbons unfurled like wings.
Its face was covered by a pallid mask, empty eye sockets radiating disregard for life.
The strongest Angel of Refusal—the Tenth Angel, [Zeruel].
There were no probing attacks, no searching for defensive weaknesses.
It simply hovered silently in mid-air, then, with a gentle wave of its toilet-paper-like ribbon arm...
*BOOM——!!!*
A visible force field Impact descended.
There was no spectacular explosion, only pure destruction.
The dozens-of-meters-thick armor plates of Tokyo-3 were as fragile as soaked toilet paper before this single strike.
A single strike pierced through!
A massive hollow leading directly to the underground central dogma region was instantly formed. Sunlight poured down through the bottomless black hole, illuminating the terrifying figure slowly descending.
"S-such a powerful [AT Field]!"
"Damn it... what kind of monster is this?!"
"That's armor even a nuke couldn't blast through!!"
Despair settled in everyone's hearts at that moment.
On the apartment balcony.
Hansen watched the billowing black smoke rising in the distance, feeling the suffocating pressure that could be sensed even from kilometers away. Yet, the smile at the corner of his mouth grew wider.
"Arrived early, have you, Toilet Paper Angel?"
Nagisa Kaworu stood behind him, also gazing at the figure, and said softly, "That is the Angel that rejects all, and also... one of the strongest Angels."
"Strongest?"
Hansen scoffed, straightening his wind-blown collar as if preparing for a grand banquet.
He cracked his neck, producing crisp popping sounds.
"Perfect."
"Since all the main characters are assembled, this farce of mortals attempting to meddle with divine authority..."
Hansen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only a declaration echoing in the wind.
"...should also come to a close."
...
...
In the underground command hall of NERV, the explosion-proof lights overhead flickered, dust falling with every tremor.
On the large screen, the giant Angel wrapped like a burial shroud merely waved its toilet-paper-like, flowing ribbon arm.
Over a dozen layers of special armor plating capable of withstanding nuclear blasts melted and were pierced instantly, like butter cut by a red-hot knife.
It was the most merciless mockery of human technology.
The cigarette butt in Ritsuko Akagi's hand burned her finger, but she didn't notice.
The usually cool and intellectual female scientist was now staring fixedly at the screen, muttering, "This destructive power... it's not on the same scale as before... the data models have completely collapsed."
Misato Katsuragi gripped the edge of the command console tightly, her knuckles white with strain. Her beautiful face was etched with anxiety and helplessness: "The pilots? Still no contact?!"
The communications operator, Maya Ibuki, took a deep breath. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, leaving afterimages as she reported rapidly: "Negative, the communicators still show no signal. They seem to have been damaged during the previous forced summons... And even if they could get here now, it would be too late!"
Misato punched the command console, her voice strained: "Dammit, the two Commanders just left headquarters on a special flight. Right now, we can't reach either of them..."
*BOOM——!!!*
Another deafening blast, this time accompanied by the groan of snapping steel beams from the dome ceiling.
Like all previous Angels, Zeruel's target was also the central dogma region at the bottom of the NERV base.
The difference was, all other Angels had fallen on the path forward.
This one, from the moment it appeared, had effortlessly carved a path to the deepest point.
Was this the end?
...
...
Just as everyone was preparing for the final judgment...
On the rooftop of the NERV staff apartments in Tokyo-3.
A fierce wind howled, causing Hansen's trench coat to flap wildly.
He stood by the guardrail, with three stunningly beautiful girls of distinct styles standing behind him.
"That big guy... looks pretty tough."
Asuka crossed her arms over her chest, an action that accentuated the fullness of her bust tightly wrapped in her school uniform shirt.
The gale tousled her signature orange twin-tails, a few strands brushing against her smooth cheeks. Yet, there wasn't a trace of panic in her eyes.
The sacred platinum glow in her right eye flickered like holy fire in the wind, brimming with eager fighting spirit.
"Teacher, should we not go to assist?" Rei Ayanami stood quietly to the side.
The wind lifted her short blue hair and pressed her well-fitted school uniform against her slender, graceful figure.
She slightly narrowed her crimson eyes, sensing the terrifying pressure emanating from the distance.
But her focus remained firmly on the back of the man standing before her.
"An [AT Field] of this caliber, I'd call it the strongest~"
Mari Makinami leaned casually against the guardrail, her posture lazy yet alluring.
Her skirt fluttered restlessly in the wind, revealing a pair of long, beautiful legs encased in black knee-high socks, the absolute territory faintly visible.
She adjusted her red-framed glasses, a smile full of interest playing on her lips: "Boss, if we don't head over soon, everyone at NERV is going to start crying~~"
"What's the hurry..."
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