Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 Preface
PART 1
A crimson vortex engulfed every inch of the world, the remnants of EVA infinity roared, and purple and mangled bodies ate away at the last traces of humanity left behind. There was no way back, much less a future.
Is it really over? Misato thought to herself that perhaps it was worthy of Kaji's will to come this far.
As she watched Anchor Gendo jump into the Gate of Kafu, the Human Replacement Program seemed to have become a nail in the coffin, no one could escape the prison of the Heart's Wall, no one could become themselves from the LCL, was this really the true Replacement?
"Misato-sama, let me pilot the Hatsune Mikoto."
That low volume but firm voice rang in Misato's ears again like it did back then, and he seemed to have taken on the burden of saving the world again. With nearly three impacts just around the corner, could it really be risked that he would be allowed to pilot the Hatsune Mikoto again?
Or, rather, give up?
Misato was thinking a lot at this moment, but her expression didn't change.
Let's trust him one more time, he is that miracle child after all. Misato secretly made up her mind. Reaching out, she took the DSS collar and put it on him with her own hands. She believed that the timid and stubborn man should have already understood the meaning of this moment.
Be strong, Misato! Don't shed any more tears like that time!
In her heart, she thought so, but when she saw that the child she had spent so much time with had lost the last vestiges of his childishness, the tears flowed out of her heart.
He had really grown up, and it was time for him to fulfill the part of the mission that belonged to him.
At the moment the protests of the crew, the threats with guns, it seemed as if they all seemed to be the final hurdle for him to become a true hero, so let me, as an incompetent guardian, take that away from you one last time.
Shinji, you are no longer a "person" imprisoned by the Wall of Hearts.
PART 2
"Puppy-kun, get up here, I can get you in!"
Number Eight came staggering up from the waves of infinity, Mari's favorite pink paint job tarnished with blue blood, the destroyed hubs never ceasing to spray sparks, and the face armor of Mari's beloved Number Eight now grimacing. But the silver-white swirl on the nose of the Eight proved that at this moment, the Eight already had the ability to travel through the Gate of Gav.
"Don't freeze! Hurry up and get up here! Let's go!"
The sound of the Eight's voice was deafening, and Shinji's halting steps moved forward again, one, two, three steps.
"Run up! Run up Puppy-kun!"
Shinji's combat suit flopped together, the somber bangs in front of his eyes fluttering up with the new age winds.
"Jump up! I can catch you!"
Steam rose from the back of his shoes as Shinji took a long leap over the Wunder and landed firmly in the palm of the Eighth.
"You see, I never go back on my word."
Shinji stepped into the hull of the Eight to see this badass woman in glasses with a bloody face still smiling and joking.
"You're still joking when you're all hurt like that, no shit, Mashibo."
"I can't believe you even noticed the injury on my face, what an attentive man, little ~dog~-kun~"
Shinji was in tears, watching the teasing on Mashibo's face grow, when will this woman ever be normal ......
"Okay, I won't tease you, just like Her Highness, no fun... Hold it steady, don't spit it out in my eight!"
The pink point of light flew over the crimson debris and dove headfirst into the Gate of Gav under the rainbow ring.
"Nah, Shinji-kun, wait for me after you bring back Her Highness's soul, okay?"
Mashibo said with a serious face for a change from her usual playfulness.
"Wherever you are, I'll be there to help you."
"Good."
Shinji smiled and nodded.
"Want to pull the trigger, Shinshibo?"
Mari froze for a couple seconds, reacted, covered her mouth, held her stomach and burst out laughing, lightly wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, and held out her pinky.
"Then it's a hook, no changing."
"No change, waiting for you to save me."
Shinji's figure disappeared behind the door.
"Good Luck..."
PART 3
"I thought you didn't have to come back, Shinji-kun... I'm sorry I didn't do it."
Long-haired Ayaka looked at the man slowly walking into the cockpit of the Hatsune Mikoto, her head slowly lowered, she didn't want him to come back, not at all, piloting an EVA was just not good for him.
"It's okay Ayaka, you've done a good job, it's just that now ah, there has to be an end to everything, right?"
Looking at the familiar smile, Ayaka's uneasy heart calmed down a bit, but she was still still worried about whether or not he would be able to get back into the cockpit. Seemingly sensing this mood of Ayaka's, he coughed twice and whispered in Ayaka's ear, "Leave it to me next."
"Yes, please."
Before Ayaka could say a word, all of the Hatsune Mikoto's authority had been returned to Shinji. Ayaka slowly climbed out of the cockpit, holding her hair up and smoothing it back down, wiping away the few strands of loose hair in front of her eyes, and said with a gentle smile on her brow, "I'm counting on you for the rest, Shinji-kun."
PART 4
Originally in the arms of the Thirteen has long since lost its vitality of the First suddenly faded from the eroded red, purple and green color scheme armor back to the First full body, in the previous battle lost arms and legs in the authority to return to Shinji when the energy body recharging is complete, the First legs, stomping away from the Thirteen limbs and arms of the circle, the right hand a death grip on the Thirteen's throat, while the left hand, while the Thirteen was under the control of the draw the card The Gun of Cassius.
In the short time it took to return to his authority, Shinji then demonstrated a rate of synchronization between himself and the Primordial that surpassed human understanding, i.e., think and act. This set of moves caught Anchorado off guard, and with his old experience, the Thirteen grabbed the Primary's shoulder with both arms on the same side, and kicked his right foot into the Primary's weakly defended mid-section in an effort to distance himself and separate the battlefield in order to regain dominance of the battlefield.
The Primary, unable to react with his left hand holding his gun, stabbed at the Thirteenth's right foot, which the Thirteenth didn't avoid, and went in with more force.
"Uh-ah..."
The Primary failed to unload, Cassius was instead bent by Thirteen's kick, and the powerful reaction force bounced off the Primary.
"Primer pilot, this is your brief awakening, is it?"
"Unfortunately, God doesn't care."
With that said, Thirteen held his gun in both hands, and with a shot out of the wind, the tip of the gun's cold light rose up greatly, and the gun was pointed at the cockpit of the Primary Pilot.
The Lance of Cassius jerked upward, the end of the gun reversing smoothly, and the Primary's small arm sent forward, painfully striking the Thirteenth in the abdomen.
"Give it back."
Shinji's eyes lost their timidity, and a red glow appeared.
"It won't be me who will lose today."
The communication cuts off, and the Primarch brazenly charges forward, throwing the Lance of Cassius with vigor, the gun and the machine coming at Thirteen together. Thirteen tilts its head to the right to avoid the thrust of the Cassius Gun, but the Primary creeps in and swings a fist at Thirteen's center core, and Thirteen grabs the Primary's swinging arm with all four hands, using the force to hold it backward. It was difficult for the Primary to get away, so it simultaneously used its strength to flip backward, its toes lightly hooked Cassius' gun, the gun rotated with its ankles, and the steam of the armor at its ankles rose up, locking the Cassius' gun, and stabbing it fiercely towards the back of the Thirteenth.
"There's still that trick...I underestimated you."
Anchorage's face remained unperturbed, the stars in his eyes unreadable for sadness or joy.
The lower arms of the Thirteen were turned upside down, pressing down dead center on the Lance of Cassius, which was only a foot away from the core.
"Cassius is for hope, but the only hope is the last patch of humanity."
The Thirteenth snapped, a whiplash kicking hard at the Primary.
"What? Uhhhh!"
The extremely fast whip leg heated the not-so-minor air, and under the kick, the Hatsune's side armor melted away, and alarms went off in the cockpit.
"Is this the only hope?"
With that said, the Hatsune charged forward again.