Then, a towering mushroom cloud bloomed across the horizon.
But no one saw it—for at that moment, inside the temporary shelter, everyone was crouched down with their heads buried in their arms, desperately relying on the air-raid bunker to shield them from the bomb's devastation.
The shockwave rattled their eardrums until all they could hear was a piercing hum. The annihilating force made their legs tremble uncontrollably, the sheer power shaking them to their very souls. It felt as though they had truly reached the end of the world.
No… more than that—this was even more terrifying than the "Seven Days of Fire." This power was not just to annihilate humanity. It was the power to annihilate the entire Earth.
This was humanity's strength.
This was the power of science.
And compared to the Angels… it was a thousand times more terrifying.
Even after the detonation, the aftershocks of the blast refused to subside.
Inside the shelter, one person slowly stirred, followed by others who began to come back to their senses.
Misato Katsuragi, too, gradually awoke. For an instant, in that blinding flash, she had truly believed she was going to die.
But she hadn't. She was alive. And that alone was a miracle.
As her thoughts cleared, she quickly scanned those around her. When she saw that others were also regaining consciousness, she finally exhaled in relief. Then, her expression hardened.
Because she had recognized that weapon.
That bomb… was none other than the Cosmos Bomb—a weapon still under development. Its destructive force was equivalent to ten N² bombs.
And a single N² bomb was already the equivalent of a small nuclear warhead.
The Cosmos Bomb's development had been overseen by none other than Ritsuko Akagi.
Could it be… that her childhood friend, her closest confidante… had already—
Misato cut the thought short. She dared not follow it through. The truth was too cruel, too bloody. The moment it surfaced, the pain of it was unbearable.
She snapped her head up, eyes straining to see through the dissipating smoke, searching for Unit-01.
But when the haze cleared, what she saw stunned her completely.
There, amid the wreckage, stood nothing more than broken, twisted metal.
Only the faint traces of its blue paint gave away what it had once been.
It was Unit-01.
But this Unit-01 was utterly unrecognizable.
Circuits lay exposed, shattered armor scattered across the battlefield—it was nothing more than a heap of scrap.
The sight drained the color from every face.
Unit-01 was finished. And if it was gone, did that mean their doom was already sealed?
Misato clenched her jaw so hard it ached. From the crowd, faint sobs could be heard. Asuka, wiping her eyes in secret, wept. She hadn't been able to fight, not once in this battle—and now, grief poured from her.
Meanwhile, countless EVAs returned to the field, advancing step by step toward the shelter.
It was clear—their mission was not only to exterminate Ryōta Kitazawa, but also to wipe out the last of NERV's technical staff.
"I don't want to die!"
An older woman finally broke down, crying out in anguish.
"Don't cry! No one cry! Ryōta Kitazawa isn't dead! He's still alive!"
Misato roared at the despairing crowd, teeth gritted, forcing herself to believe her own words.
She refused to accept that Ryōta Kitazawa had been killed by a single Cosmos Bomb. Against even the strongest Angels, he had fought with ease—how could he fall here?
No. Impossible. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead.
In her heart, Misato swore it with all her being.
But the others no longer believed. The truth was in front of them: Unit-01 lay broken, useless. No one was left to protect them.
The crying grew louder, grief spreading like wildfire.
Outside, the EVAs dispatched by NERV had already reached the shelter.
Like predators catching the scent of prey, they raised their rifles, aiming at the bunker.
One pull of the trigger, and everyone inside would be slaughtered.
In that moment, even Misato herself believed it was the end. All of them were about to die.
But then—
A faint sound drifted across the battlefield.
So slight it was almost nothing—yet to the desperate ears within the shelter, it struck like a thunderclap from heaven.
Misato's spirit jolted awake. She had heard it too.
The EVAs outside stopped. One by one, they turned their weapons away from the shelter, fixing their aim instead at the heap of broken metal in the center of the battlefield.
Yes—Unit-01's wreckage.
At that very moment, its shattered form was wrapped in a veil of golden radiance.
Bathed in that glow, it was as though a river of light was flowing across the battlefield, as though the world itself was being illuminated.
From the heavens, a pure white beam descended, shining upon the ruined machine.
And then—from within the light—unfurled a pair of wings. Then a second. Then a third.
Everyone stared, unblinking, their hearts pounding. The sight was beyond words, beyond comprehension.
Unit-01… had ascended.
Unlike Shinji Ikari before it, this time it possessed a new, miraculous power.
The power of resurrection.
The power of God.
At that signal, the EVAs howled, surging forward once more in a frenzy. They would throw themselves at it again in a suicidal assault, desperate to destroy this machine utterly.
But Unit-01 moved.
And once it moved, nothing could stand against it.
A golden light flared, whipping through the air like a storm wind, swirling around the enemy EVAs.
But its beauty was an illusion.
For that radiant ribbon carried with it only death—
a golden tempest of annihilation.
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