The immense contradiction plunged her into painful struggle, her hand gripping the lance of longinus tightening and loosening, then tightening again.
Who should she believe? Commander? Or Dr. Osiris, who revealed the terrifying truth?
Just then, a familiar voice, clear through the combat channel, reached her ears. It was Misato Katsuragi's voice, tinged with fatigue, yet full of resolve: "Asuka—do what you believe in. Follow your heart."
Misato's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, and also like a lighthouse lit in the fog.
Asuka suddenly lifted her head, her eyes still clouded with tears and confusion, but an unprecedented resolve was rapidly coalescing.
She took a deep breath, manipulating unit-03 to sharply turn the tip of the lance of longinus, no longer pointing at eva-titan, but at—
unit-06, which had just separated from the Titan and was preparing to attack again!
"I—I believe in the Doctor!" Her voice came through the external speakers, still a little hoarse, but exceptionally clear and firm. "What I want to protect is a world where humanity can choose its own future! Not turn into some damned LCL!"
Her choice was now clear.
Seeing unit-03's change of stance, Kaworu Nagisa in unit-06 let out an almost inaudible sigh.
A complex emotion flickered in his red eyes.
The Deification of evangelion unit-01 had been interrupted, a huge variable had appeared in SEELE's plan, and unit-03, now holding the lance of longinus, turning against them, made the situation extremely unfavorable for him.
"It seems—the time is not yet ripe," Kaworu Nagisa murmured.
unit-06 no longer sought battle, transforming into a streak of light, attempting to escape the battlefield. At the same time, a ribbon-like energy tendril quickly coiled around the fallen evangelion unit-01 nearby, seemingly trying to take it along.
"Dream on!" Asuka shouted, and the lance of longinus in unit-03's hand cut through the air, precisely striking the energy tendril.
Concurrently, the vulcan cannon on the back of eva-titan once again emitted a low charging sound. Although it didn't fire, the implied threat was obvious, blocking unit-06's other escape routes.
Facing the combined interception of unit-03 and the Titan, unit-06 decisively abandoned its attempt to take evangelion unit-01. The machine evaded the lance of longinus's strike with incredible maneuverability, broke through the firepower blockade, and quickly disappeared into the distant sky.
One of the potential threats had temporarily withdrawn.
Osiris turned his gaze to the fallen evangelion unit-01, extending his psionic energy, gently yet firmly penetrating the unstable residual A.T. Field, reaching the curled-up boy in the cockpit whose consciousness was almost shut down.
"Shinji-kun," his voice resonated directly in Shinji's consciousness, carrying a comforting power, "The crisis is not yet over. Jiao Boli might still be alive, and she needs your help."
Shinji looked up blankly.
"Do you see that black spear plunged into the chest of the white female body? That is the spear of cassius, representing hope and 'choice.' Go pull it out. Then, use the Cherubim weapon to try and purify the remnants of evangelion unit-00, which has been corrupted by Angelic power. That is the last hope to save Rei Ayanami."
Osiris's words pointed a direction for Shinji, who was deeply mired in despair.
Saving Rei Ayanami—this thought, like a faint glimmer in the darkness, reawakened his almost extinguished will.
evangelion unit-01's fingers twitched slightly.
evangelion unit-01 struggled, propping itself up from the edge of the massive crater blasted by the vulcan cannon.
Cracks covered its purple armor, and the golden Deification light had completely dissipated, leaving only the remaining Main Body power to painstakingly maintain the machine's operation.
Inside the cockpit, Shinji Ikari gasped for air, Osiris's words echoing in his mind like a spell.
"Save—Rei Ayanami—"
This possibility, like a powerful stimulant, temporarily suppressed his fear, confusion, and habitual obedience to his father's orders.
He raised evangelion unit-01's head, his gaze locked on the motionless white female body in the distance, impaled by the spear of cassius.
evangelion unit-01 took heavy, stumbling steps towards it. Each step seemed exceptionally difficult, but its goal was clear.
On the other side, unit-03, holding the lance of longinus, stood shoulder to shoulder with eva-titan, vigilantly watching the direction unit-06 had disappeared, while also guarding against other possible attacks from NERV Headquarters.
Asuka gripped the control stick tightly, her palms slightly sweating from tension.
Choosing to stand with Dr. Osiris meant she had completely betrayed NERV's orders. The road ahead was unknown and dangerous, but her eyes were more resolute than ever.
What she protected was no longer an illusory title of "Ace" or the approval of others, but something she understood and deemed worthy of protection.
Osiris still stood on top of the Titan, his white lab coat flapping in the wind.
His psionic perception, like an invisible radar, scanned the entire battlefield and the energy flow within NERV Headquarters.
He knew that the battle on the surface had temporarily concluded, but the true core of the storm was brewing deep underground.
NERV Headquarters, Command Center.
After Osiris revealed the truth and Asuka defected, the internal atmosphere completely changed.
Misato Katsuragi slammed her fist on the control panel, her eyes burning with angry flames. "SEELE—Human Instrumentality—So we've been kept in the dark all along, becoming accomplices in their destruction of the world?!"
Ritsuko Akagi was relatively calm, but she quickly accessed deep logs and past SEELE directives within the MAGI System. The more she analyzed, the gloomier her expression became.
"Misato, what he said—is very likely true. Within MAGI's underlying logic, there indeed exist hidden directives with higher priority than 'protecting humanity,' pointing towards a—global consciousness integration protocol."
For both of them, and many other NERV members who heard the truth and did not want human civilization to end, the scales had tipped.
"We cannot let Commander Ikari and SEELE continue!" Misato Katsuragi stood up, her voice echoing through the chaotic command center. "All who are willing to fight for humanity's future, follow me! We must seize control of Headquarters!"
Ryoji Kaji, already prepared, immediately responded on the encrypted channel: "Misato, I've already dealt with half of the internal security system's backdoor; the rest is up to you. I will lead people to secure the Central Dogma entrance, preventing anyone from taking extreme actions."
I will lead people to secure the Central Dogma entrance, preventing anyone from taking extreme actions.
A rebellion within NERV rapidly unfolded.
Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi, leveraging their prestige and authority, quickly assembled the majority of the Tactical Operations Department and Technical Development Department members who were still capable of action, as well as internal security personnel who were enraged by the truth.
They engaged in fierce firefights with the defensive forces within the control center who remained loyal to Gendo Ikari and SEELE.