Because most of the defensive forces were tied up by the external battle and the arrival of the eva-titan, combined with the coordination from Ryoji Kaji, the resistance led by Misato Katsuragi made rapid progress.
They broke through all the way, quickly taking control of the command center, main passageways, and several key facilities.
Under the protection of a few personal guards, Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki were forced to evacuate the command center and retreat to a more secluded area.
Their plan had suffered unprecedented damage.
Meanwhile, on the surface battlefield.
evangelion unit-01 finally struggled its way to the front of that massive white female body.
The lance of cassius was still deeply embedded in its chest, its dull shaft forming a stark contrast with the surrounding white, slightly vitrified tissue.
Around the shaft, a faint, unstable light still flickered within the fine cracks.
evangelion unit-01 extended its massive palm and gripped the handle of the lance of cassius.
A strange, gentle yet firm energy flowed through the contact point into evangelion unit-01, and also into Shinji's body.
This was not the power of the lance of longinus, which was filled with a sense of finality, but rather a feeling containing infinite possibilities, like the sprouting of life.
"For... Rei Ayanami..." Shinji muttered to himself, using all his strength to yank the long lance out!
There was no gushing blood, only a soft, colorful light temporarily overflowing from the wound.
The silhouette of the white female body seemed to fluctuate slightly, but it did not immediately disintegrate.
Immediately after, evangelion unit-01 transferred the lance of cassius to its left hand, while its right hand reached for the "gelb—type i" grenade hanging on the restraint on its waist.
Recalling the operation from when he stripped away the Ninth Angel, he precisely inserted the grenade into the wound created by the long lance.
The azure purification light lit up again, but this time, the light appeared softer and more "selective."
The light seeped into the interior of the white female body like a stream of water; wherever it passed, those alienated dark red tissues and energy patterns belonging to Zeruel began to be rapidly decomposed and neutralized, turning into clear liquid and flowing out.
Meanwhile, the yellow armor fragments belonging to the Main Body of evangelion unit-00, as well as the faint soul wavelength belonging to Rei Ayanami deeper within, were struggling to maintain themselves amidst the purification light, like a candle flame flickering in a gale, yet they did not extinguish.
It works! The purification process is indeed separating the Angel's contamination!
Shinji watched all this nervously, hope reigniting in his heart.
Dr. Chen Yu observed the purification process through the Titan's sensors and nodded slightly: "Biological tissue separation is going smoothly, and the pilot's soul wavelength is stable—there is a possibility of saving her. But it requires time and a more stable environment."
His gaze shifted once more toward the direction of NERV Headquarters.
The sound of gunfire inside seemed to be weakening; Misato Katsuragi and Kaji should have basically brought the situation under control.
However, his psionic perception told him that the "source" underground was becoming even more "active" because of the removal of the lance of longinus.
Having lost its most important seal, the Main Body of Lilith was accelerating its awakening from a long, silent slumber.
It must be brought back under control before she fully restores her activity, or before she is utilized again by SEELE/Gendo Ikari.
"Asuka," Osiris's voice rang out, "The threat on the surface is temporarily resolved, but the crisis underground has only just begun. Lilith is awakening; we need to go down and use the lance in your hand to complete the seal once again."
Asuka looked at the ground beneath her feet, then at the heavy lance of longinus in her hand, and took a deep breath.
"I'm ready, Doctor."
The gunfire inside NERV Headquarters gradually became sparse as the resistance established defensive lines at key nodes, began systematically clearing out remaining resistance forces, and took over the operations of various departments.
Misato Katsuragi stood before the main console, which had partially regained its functionality, and frowned as she watched the status of various areas on the screen.
Although they had taken control of the headquarters, the threats of Angels and EVAs outside, and the risk of Lilith losing control inside, meant the situation remained grim.
"Ms. Katsuragi," Ritsuko Akagi's voice came through the communication channel, carrying a hint of urgency, "The life activity signal in Central Dogma is rising rapidly! Lilith's awakening speed is exceeding expectations! We must re-establish the seal as soon as possible!"
"I know!" Misato responded, her gaze turning to the footage transmitted from the external battlefield, "Dr. Chen Yu and Asuka—they are preparing to go down."
Above ground, the eva-titan knelt halfway down, its heavy body causing the ground to vibrate slightly.
Osiris leaped lightly from its head, landing on the massive palm extended by the white unit-03.
"Let's go, we don't have much time," Osiris said to Asuka in the cockpit.
unit-03 nodded, gripped the lance of longinus tightly, and carefully protected Osiris in its other hand as it walked toward the huge breach leading underground that had been exposed by the previous impact at NERV Headquarters.
With every step closer, they could more clearly feel the massive spiritual pressure wafting up from the depths underground, causing their souls to tremble.
It was a strange aura that mixed the vastness of the origin of life with the silence of death, and the air seemed to be permeated with invisible LCL droplets, carrying a faint, sweet, bloody scent.
Passing through layers of broken armor plates and twisted metal structures, unit-03 carried Osiris and began to descend along the destroyed vertical shaft.
The surrounding light dimmed rapidly; only the illumination system of unit-03 and the dark red glow emitted by the lance of longinus carved out a small visible area in the endless darkness.
The further down they went, the stronger the pressure originating from Lilith's Main Body became.
Asuka felt some difficulty breathing, not just physically, but also due to the pressure on a mental level.
The LCL inside the Entry Plug also seemed to become viscous, as if countless faint whispers were sounding in her mind, enticing, murmuring, and speaking of the peace and bliss of returning to the origin.
"Steady your mind, Asuka." Osiris's calm voice sounded again, carrying a soothing psionic effect that dispersed those invisible mental erosions, "Lilith's consciousness has not yet fully awakened; this is just the instinctual field emitted by her very existence. Focus on your mission and remember what it is you are protecting."
Asuka bit the tip of her tongue hard; the pain made her a bit clearer. "I know... Doctor."
Finally, a dark red light, pulsating like biological tissue, appeared below.
unit-03 passed through the final twisted isolation layer and landed on the forbidden lakeside platform in Central Dogma.
The scene before them was even more shocking, and even more... dangerous, than what Osiris had seen when he infiltrated previously.
That boundless sea of crimson LCL was no longer calm.
The lake water roiled as if boiling, with huge bubbles constantly emerging from the bottom of the lake and bursting, emitting a thick scent of LCL.