"You're the giant." Gendo stared at Natsuki. Not a question.
He'd already guessed. The giant and Shinji. Fused somehow.
"Correct. Call me Natsuki."
"What's your objective?"
Gendo couldn't read him. This giant appeared out of nowhere. Killed the Third Angel. Then helped Shinji eliminate every Angel after. Why would something with that much power do this?
The only conclusion: his allegiance was with humanity.
"My objective..."
Natsuki met his gaze.
"I'm from the Space Garrison. Nebula M78. Came to Earth investigating temporal anomalies. Criminals causing them."
"Right now, two criminals trying to destabilize your world are hiding on this planet."
Three Travelers total in the EVA world. But Natsuki didn't count Connie when he said this.
"I need your help finding them. Restoring stability to your world."
"If their plan succeeds, everything you've worked for turns to dust."
No exaggeration. If the Travelers succeeded, this world ended.
"What...?"
Gendo's expression twisted.
Nebula M78. Space Garrison. Temporal criminals. Absurd. All of it.
"Why should I believe you?"
Gendo's thinking mirrored Shinji's. Both believed trust between people didn't exist. Hearts separated by unbridgeable gaps. The difference? Shinji was young. Misguided. Still salvageable.
Gendo had lived this way for decades. Set in stone.
The giant had power. That much was true. But these claims? Questionable.
He didn't trust Natsuki. Didn't trust anyone.
Only cared about using others. Achieving his singular goal.
"Dealing with people like you always comes to this."
Natsuki had decades of experience too. He understood Gendo perfectly. Negotiating with this man meant talking interests.
Interests that struck at his soul.
"I can resurrect Shinji's mother."
Direct. Blunt.
Every plan Gendo made. Every day he lived. All for one thing—seeing his wife Yui again. This offer? Gendo couldn't refuse.
"What!?"
Disbelief cracked his composure.
"You're saying... you can bring Yui back?"
Yui was the only person Gendo ever loved. Born Rokubungi Gendo, he took her surname when they married. Became Gendo Ikari.
To him, Yui was the only person who understood him. Loved him. His reason for existing.
Eleven years ago. Unit-01's experiment. Yui—one of the key developers—vanished into the EVA. Body dissolved. Soul fused with the machine forever.
After that day, Gendo decided to execute the Human Instrumentality Project his way.
Become a god. Create a world with Yui in it.
He'd tried every possible method to resurrect her. Exhausted every option. That's why he chose this path.
Hearing Natsuki say he could bring her back? Impossible. Had to be.
"Can you... rewrite the laws of reality?"
"Rewrite reality?"
"Not quite that dramatic."
Natsuki shook his head.
"On my planet, we have technology that resurrects the dead. In fact... I'm only here because of it."
Life Solidification Technology. Hikari's greatest invention. The achievement that earned him the Star Medal.
Turning life—an abstract concept—into tangible, strategic resource. An invention that shocked the entire universe.
It also attracted invaders.
Natsuki remembered the first wave. Alien Bat. Not particularly strong. He and the Space Garrison eliminated them quickly.
Jack was on Earth at the time. Bat's forces split—some attacked Earth with Zetton. Jack took them down solo.
"So?"
"Believe I can resurrect Shinji's mother? Or keep gambling on a plan that'll never work?"
Natsuki locked eyes with Gendo.
Years in the Space Garrison. Countless missions. He had life quotas to spare.
But saving Yui wasn't just about securing Gendo's cooperation. It was for Shinji. Giving him a complete family. Because Natsuki couldn't stay by his side forever.
"Why do you think my plan can't succeed?"
Gendo wanted to resist. Hold his ground.
Everything had gone smoothly so far. He was halfway there.
"Because a kind-hearted boy disagrees with your plan."
Natsuki smiled.
"And right now, he has my power."
The ritual to become a god—Human Instrumentality—would merge all humanity into one entity. Gendo planned to use everyone to resurrect Yui.
Internal human affairs. Natsuki couldn't interfere directly.
But Shinji had no such restrictions.
The old Ultra just wanted to preserve a boy's life. Merged with him. Lent him some power for safety. What the boy did with that power? Well. Natsuki could turn a blind eye.
When facing thorny issues of rules or morality, old men always had their methods.
"Father."
Shinji's voice echoed in Gendo's mind.
"Using everyone's happiness to fulfill one person's happiness. That's wrong. Absolutely wrong."
"You..."
Gendo stared at Natsuki. Realization hit.
This man left him no room to refuse.
And his son—timid, self-loathing Shinji—made this choice.
His judgment of human nature failed.
He never expected his son to change this much. Couldn't understand why someone with this much power would help him so completely.
He didn't believe in pure goodwill between people.
But now, the choice in front of him was clear. Believe or not, he could only choose to believe.
"Fine. I'll cooperate."
Gendo hesitated. Long silence. Finally nodded.
Then asked the critical question:
"When will you resurrect Yui?"
He assumed the promise would come after achieving objectives. He was the weaker party here.
"Tomorrow."
Natsuki thought for a moment.
Gendo: "???"
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