Time for the penultimate Angel fight, which will signal the endgame. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Evangelion, or Anarchy Reigns.

Cruel Angel's Thesis Chapter 28: Angel of Womb, Armisael

"The report came in just as we were contacting Speedwagon for additional support," Maya said, "This is the Sixteen Angel." The image of the giant double-helix ring was visible across the entire skyline. "Armisael," Yui said, "The last of Adam's natural children. Once we claim claim his core, everything will be set for the endgame. How is the status on Adam?" "Stable," Makoto replied, "Our estimate is that he'll be awakening within a few days." Yui nodded. "Alright… We just have to hold out until then." "It's been a long time coming," Gendo noted, "To be honest, I'm glad it turned out this way. If I had gone through with my original plan… I don't think we'd be in such good condition."

"For now the Angel isn't moving," Maya noted, "Just hovering around the exterior of the center of the island." "Have the pilots maintain a perimeter around the Angel until it makes the first move," Gendo ordered, "We may not get another lucky break like we did with Arael." The six pilots, plus Keebo's Mega World, now had Armisael surrounded. Through his form, currently in an ethereal state, he was able to observe them. "And so the penultimate battle begins. But there is another player in this game. As we speak, my mind is linked to twelve pilots selected by SEELE to operate mockeries of the true warriors you fight alongside."

"Pretty poor hostages," Asuka noted. "You misunderstand. I know you will fight me. You care nothing for those who have sided with such evil, as do I. They are not hostages, I am simply providing you an easy way to weaken them. Arael surrendered because of Lilith's escape from your confines. This is acceptable. But you will need every advantage to win against the true enemy. Therefore…" The double-helix of his body merged into a single line. "Our battle must be real!" His body split off at one point, turning into a thread-like being, which moved at intense speed.

Armisael wound up rushing at Mari, only to slam into her electric field as she activated her Stand. Mari managed to have Unit-00 grab Armisael, squeezing and caused severe pain. He managed to wriggle free, only to get sliced by Unit-03. 'Be careful not to do too much damage,' Cadence chimed in, 'If the core sustains damage it'll go nuclear and could take out a great deal of the island, and us with it.' "Try telling the Angel that!," Asuka called out as Armisael lashed out with its body, impacting Units 02, 03, and 05, knocking them back but not off their feet.

Unit-01 immediately took off after the Angel, it's speed managing to keep pace as Shinji had several electric shocks fired off, managing to hit Armisael multiple times. Finally, Shinji managed to get the Angel split open. "Ah! Hitting my limit already…? I never was the most defensive of our siblings… The sheer pain from this should be sufficient. Tabris… Let Father know we did our duty to the best of our abilities." Shinji quickly pulled the final core out from the Angel, balling up its body and throwing it as far into the stratosphere as Unit-01 could managed. The resulting explosion wasn't quite nuclear, but was certainly massive.


"The sudden attack by the Sixteenth Angel caught us off-guard," SEELE-03 noted, "We're having our pilots checked now to make sure they can still perform as needed." "Good," Lorenz said, "We're nearing the final confrontation, we can't afford to have anything go wrong at this stage. But the NERV pilots have become an annoyance that we can no longer tolerate. Have Max confront them, but remind him that the pilots are not to be killed. After all…" He grinned. "They are final piece of the puzzle. Or at least one of them is, but leaving just that one alive would raise eyebrows."


Max landed just where the pilots had exited their EVAs. "You're all a real piece of work," he said, "By now, SEELE has gotten more than annoyed with your antics." "Well, there's an easy solution," Shinji noted, "Just stop their plans and we'll get out of their hair." He cracked his knuckles. "And if they don't like it, I see no problem smashing through their strongest enforcer to deal with them." "I may be the leader of our group," Max admitted, "But the strongest? Not anymore. One of my members found a way to get stronger. Modified his Stand to unleash a greater power."

He took a fighting stance as Shinji did the same. "Guess we'll deal with that when the time comes," Shinji noted. He and Max ran toward each other, Shinji blocking a strike from Max's blades. "My Stand's defenses rank among the strongest," Shinji noted, "It could withstand a blow from a standard C4 explosive. Not that normal weapons could hurt a Stand, but the hypothetical is there." He had his Stand strike Max with its free hand, knocking him on his back. Max quickly got back up and launched a few tesla drones to attack.

Shinji just smirked as he easily tanked the damage. "Electric-proof, remember? Meanwhile your cybernetics are far more vulnerable!" He launched a massive electric wave, scrambling Max's cybernetic body. "Always the electricity with you kids," he noted, "What's up with that?" "Cruel Angel's Thesis can use its electrical manipulation to control machines that run on electric currents," Shinji explained, "Including the EVA armor, which was originally a glorified straightjacket. Now it's more like powered armor. Kinda figured that out by accident."

His Stand crossed its arms. "Of course, it's physically strong as well. I've had years training with my cousin Josuke, so I know how to deal with thugs who think they stand above others just because they got a new power. Let me tell you something… Real power is something you earn! It's something you work for every day of your life! Let's go! Cruel Angel's Thesis!" Max found himself getting slammed over and over as Cruel Angel's Thesis kept punching. "DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME DAME!" Max's body soon shorted out, leaving him unconscious on the ground.


Gendo got a call from Kakyoin. 'The UN has weighed in. The Big Five are willing to send in what forces they can spare to help hold off SEELE's army. By our estimates, there should be just enough to maintain a stalemate. That should give you time to deal with Lorenz at long last.' "And about time too," Gendo replied, "We never did figure out how he plans to create Instrumentality. Only that Lilith is key to that somehow. Regardless, there is development. It seems Adam is starting to regenerate, and rapidly. Before long we will be releasing the bakelite." He hung up. "The end game begins now."

I'm getting real excited, not only about the ending to this part, but about the upcoming part. We're just two chapters away. Read and review.