We have a new cover! :D Courtesy of borisd34, who made an awesome redesign of Dante's demon form. I invite you all to join the Asushin Discord, where he often posts the amazing art he does for other asushin fics such as Scar Tissue, Your Are (Not) At Fault, You Must (Not) Run Away and many more!

You know the drill: no spoilers for 3.0+1.0 in the reviews, thank you.

Hope you like the chapter! :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Immortal

Everyone in the Command Center had their eyes on the main screen. No one blinked as the claw of the First Demon went up, closer to the jugular by the second. They didn't utter a single word, either. Even the mighty MAGI seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for the inevitable result, their beeping and humming gone quieter for what felt like an eternity.

For Ritsuko, however, time was running short. Behind her calm and almost cold demeanor, her brain was working at high speeds, searching for a solution that didn't involve revealing Shinji's secret. She reviewed everything she knew about Tokyo-3's infrastructures, the MAGI and the Evas; while also begging for time itself to slow down, or even better: for the commander's son to snap out of it. Alas, there was no such luck. The claw was still going up.

"Do it already," Misato muttered at her left. "Come on, just do it."

Ritsuko threw a side glance at her old friend. The major had her arms crossed under her chest, her nails digging into the sleeves of her red jacket. Her mouth was bent in a tiny smile, which she tried to dissimulate by biting her lip. Akagi realized that there was no time left. The situation was getting out of control. She needed to tell the truth before it was too late. They needed to know. Misato needed to know.

She opened her mouth, but the words got stuck in her throat. All of the sudden, the presence of Commander Ikari behind her became heavier, more uncomfortable, almost impossible to bear. She could almost feel his shadow over her, and as she did so, questions began to appear in her mind. 'What will he think of all this?' she asked herself. 'What will he do to his own son?' 'What will he think of me?' 'Will he see me as a traitor and finally toss me away for good?' 'And why do I still care?'

Ritsuko covered her mouth with a hand, pretending that she was just scratching her chin. In reality, she wanted to hide her trembling lips, even though she was sure nobody was looking.

She was still obsessed with him. Despite all the mornings waking up feeling used, despite all the angry, hateful and rum-fanned thoughts directed at him; Gendo Ikari was still her prison. That was the only way it could be described: a prison, one she was unable to escape from, not even to save the life of the only Ikari who had ever given her an honest praise.

It took Ritsuko all of her willpower to not break down right there, under the weight of the horrific realization. She looked down, not caring –or perhaps not daring– to face the screen anymore.

She then leaped, startled, when a much younger and angrier voice thundered through the comm. channels:

"Don't you even think about it!"


Asuka's scream caused ripples in the LCL. Her finger was still pressing the button that activated Unit-02's speakers, maybe with more force than it was necessary. She had set the volume to maximum without even thinking about it.

Shinji's claw stopped. Almost hesitating, he turned his head to look at her.

So did Bugo.

"Stay out of this!" he warned, spitting acid in her direction.

Although it opened holes in many buildings, it barely reached her. Asuka didn't even need to raise an AT-Field. Keeping her eyes on Shinji, she ignored Bugo's threats, just as she ignored Gendo's voice:

"Pilot Sohryu. You were instructed not to interfere with–"

Using her whole fist, Asuka slammed the button that closed the communications coming from the Command Center.

"You can't die!" she continued. "You don't have my permission to die, Fledermaus! Not yet! Not until I get my rematch!"


The scream had hit his mind like a train, putting an abrupt end to the chorus of accusations. He no longer heard the thoughts of punishment and death, nor the shrieks of the people he had killed.

"Don't you remember? On that night, you broke the wrist of my Eva!"

Shinji knew that voice. It was the same one that often woke him up in the mornings.

'Asuka?'

"So, until I get a proper second round, you can't die to monsters like that stupid, slimy ball of eyes!"

"Black Invader bitch!" Bugo roared. "Shut your mouth!"

But Asuka paid no mind to the demon and just kept going:

"You better not die, or even worse, kill yourself! If you do, then I swear to whatever Hell you crawled out of, I will kick your ass!"

Those words reached deep into Shinji's mind, still flooded with doubt and fear, and called forth a certain memory…

'I don't want to hear you calling yourself a monster again, or I'll kick your ass!'

He felt as if an arm, which he could only picture clad in red, had grabbed him by his very soul and was now dragging him up, out of the swamp of self-hatred.

More memories broke through the darkness. More voices.

'You're a good kid, Shinji.' That was Kaji's.

'You did a praiseworthy thing today. You should be proud of yourself.' That was Misato's.

'Just because you can transform into a giant demon it doesn't make you a monster.' Asuka's.

Each voice was like a push helping him out of that abyss, up towards the light.

'If I find someone who blames you, I'll beat the crap out of him!' Touji's.

The light was harsh and uncomfortable. In the light, he would have to see many ugly things, including the ones that were his fault.

'So please, try to have a little more faith in yourself.' Kaji's again.

'You won't die, because I will protect you.' Rei's.

The light was necessary, though, because the only other option was to drown in the darkness.

And, although there was no pain in the darkness...

'Thanks for the food, Shinji. It was delicious. It always is.' Asuka.

...they wouldn't be there either.

Shinji became aware of the city around him once more, of its noises, shapes and colors. He also became aware of the red giant pointing and yelling at him from a few streets away. He gasped, filling his demonic lungs with the hot afternoon air.

He looked at his hand, so close to his neck. The hand he had almost used to put an end to everything.

He clenched it into a fist.

'How could I forget?'

Shinji slammed his fist against the street, causing a small earthquake. Windows shattered all around him, cracks opened in the asphalt, and the building Bugo was perched upon trembled. The noise of the shockwave was followed by Shinji's heavy breathing, and in each gasp rumbled the echoes of barely contained anger.

"I am not a monster," he growled.

Using his fist to support most of his weigh, he stood up. No more tears were running down his human cheeks, and he was no longer hunching. Red veins became visible in the corners of his demonic eyes, and when he glared at Bugo, this time the devil flinched.

"I am not a monster," Shinji repeated, louder. "And I am not a murderer, even though…"

His new determination seemed to falter, for just an instant. He opened his fist and clenched it. Once.

"It was an accident! I killed them, yes, and it was my fault; but it was an accident! I am not a murderer! You are!" he pointed an accusing finger at Bugo. "You are the monster! You're the one threatening their lives! You're the true murderer here, and I will never forgive you!"

Shinji took a step forward. He spoke once more, and his voice was like the distant thunders of an incoming storm:

"I won't kill myself, because there are people that care about me! People I want to protect!"

Bugo growled and grumbled, trying to pretend that he hadn't just showed fear to his enemy.

"So," he hissed, "you've condemned all these humans to death."

"I won't let you do that either! I'll save them!"

"Really?" the devil spat a mocking cackle. "Then tell me, oh King of Demons; how do you plan on doing that?"

Shinji gulped.

"I don't know how," he admitted, "but I'll think of something."

"Well, you better think quickly, Usurper; because I'm starting now!"

A woman screamed in pain when the tentacles holding her tightened their grip, like an anaconda strangling its prey. Panic spread among the hostages, and the ones closer to her tried to punch and kick their way to freedom, with no results. Thinking that maybe he could move fast enough and wrestle the prisoners out of the demon's grasp, Shinji flexed his knees.

"Don't you dare come any closer!" Bugo threatened. "If you approach even an inch, I will murder three more humans at the same time!"

The victim's voice lost strength. She was still alive, but running out of air, and soon her trachea would be crushed. Shinji had no doubt that Bugo would make her execution as slow and painful as possible.

"Last chance," he said. "You can still save her. All of them. You know what you have to do."

"No."

The reply came immediately, with no stammering and very little fear, if any at all. That didn't sit well with Bugo, whose haughty demeanor faltered now that his threats were ineffective. Shinji noticed it, and he smiled on the inside. A small, bitter victory. Perhaps the only one he'd enjoy that day, if things went south.

"Very well," Bugo huffed. "In that case, I hope you enjoy seeing their heads pop off!"

He squeezed his victim even more, and the woman screamed again, although her voice was little more than a painful whisper. Shinji kept his defiant stance, not showing any weakness to his enemy; yet in his mind he was desperately looking for a strategy. Perhaps he could use his tail, somehow? Or his sonic scream? No, that would harm the hostages, too.

Then, it happened: something tiny and grey flew close to the many-eyed monster, so fast that all he and Shinji could see was a blur. The tentacles strangling the woman were cut clean. She fell, unconscious due to the lack of hair, but still alive. Her savior turned around in mid-air, maintaining its incredible speed, and caught her before she could hit the ground. Then, the tiny and grey thing disappeared among the buildings, carrying the rescued hostage with it.

Bugo reacted first:

"What was that?"


"What the crap was that?" Misato demanded to know.

"Maya!" Ritsuko ordered. "Have the MAGI isolate and analyze the footage! Clear the images as much as you can and zoom in!"

"I'm on it!"

Soon, a smaller, secondary window opened in the main screen, showing a close-up of their unexpected guest. The image was still blurry despite the efforts of the supercomputer, most likely due to the creature's insane speed. However, while features such as its face remained impossible to discern, its general shape was somewhat recognizable.

They all stared at it in silence, until Misato, with a raised eyebrow, asked a single question:

"Is that a bird-woman?"


The tiny and grey thing returned, catching an already shocked Bugo by surprise. In one swift swoop, it rescued another hostage, a man, and flew him to safety.

"Hey!" the demon growled. "Those are mine!"

Over the buildings, the interloper appeared for a third time. Bugo extended many long, bigger tentacles and tried to swat it; but the thing flew between them, avoiding the attacks like a fly evading a rolled newspaper. Then it went away, taking another prisoner. All she left behind were some grey feathers and an enraged purple monster.

"Whoever you are, stop!" he yelled. "Stay away! If you come closer, I will kill all these humans!"

"No, you won't!" Shinji roared. "You said it yourself: as long as you have them, I won't attack you! They're your insurance! If you kill them all, nothing will stop me!"

Bugo's many eyes widened as he uttered choking sound, if creatures like him could even choke at all. He stammered, looking for a retort; but another hostage was chipped off his living armor, along with a piece of his crumbling confidence. The demon no longer had the will to insult or mock, and all he could do was glare at Shinji, who he could no longer intimidate.

"Alright," Bugo grumbled. "You wanted me to let them go? With pleasure!"

And with those words, he released all his captives, who shrieked as they plummeted towards the asphalt. Acting on impulse, not unlike that time at Mount Asama, Shinji threw himself onto the street, extending an arm-wing right under the falling hostages.

'Please, be soft!' he pleaded to his own body. 'Not enough to break, just enough so that they don't die on the impact!'

The prisoners landed on the leathery membrane, which acted as a firefighter's life net. They bounced a few times, some of them yelping in pain. Maybe they had twisted an ankle or a wrist due to landing in the wrong position. Perhaps a few had been unlucky enough to break something; but they were alive. Shinji sighed, relieved, as they rolled down his wing.

Then, a burning pain exploded in his back, and he sunk his fangs in the asphalt to prevent himself from screaming. Bugo had spit his dark acid over him, and now the foul liquid ate through his skin and everything beneath. Shinji crouched and shielded the civilians with his body, working through the agony and calling his nigh-invulnerability back. The pain calmed down as his toughness returned in full force; but the damage was done. MAGI's cameras recorded the gaping and smoking wound on his back. Vertebrae and even ribs could be seen, the flesh around them beginning to heal as it fought the acid, which wasn't evaporating fast enough. Did Bugo know that he had lowered his defenses? Or had it been just a desperate lucky shot? Regardless, above Shinji's head, a massive laughing stingray took off to the skies, flying in circles like a vulture.

Until a barrage of human-sized bullets pierced through his body.

Unit-02 had advanced to a more advantageous position and was emptying its Pallet Rifle on Bugo, shredding his flesh so much and so fast that he could no longer keep his form. He crashed into the street, now a shapeless and wounded mass, and started to crawl away. At least half of his eyes had been destroyed, and all he could sprout was a couple of pitiful tentacles to drag himself to safety. He approached the buildings, perhaps to shrink and slip through an open sever or some vents; but a new bullet opened a hole in his ruined body.

A blue giant stood right in front of him. Following Unit-02's initiative, 00 had approached Bugo from a different direction, blocking his escape route. The cyclopean Evangelion fired its Pallet Handgun two, three, four more times; and each shot caused the mangled blob of flesh burst, sprinkling tiny demon pieces across the street.

Under the smoking muzzle of Unit-00's handgun, Bugo twitched and trembled, almost as if he was trying to gather enough strength for a last transformation. However, after releasing a groan, he sprawled on the street, silent and still, his surviving eyes staring at the sky, at nothing. Rei waited almost a full minute before lowering the weapon.

"Fourth Demon neutralized."

She didn't use the speakers of her Evangelion, and instead relayed the news through the comm. channels. Although he couldn't hear her words, Shinji sighed, understanding that Bugo was dead at last. He looked down, at the civilians huddled under his shadow.

"You should still go to a shelter, just in case."

He leaned back, but they just cowered. Either they didn't appreciate his deep and monstrous voice so close, or they were too frightened by the events of the afternoon.

As much as it upset him, he couldn't blame them.

Unit-02 approached, taking small steps so that it wouldn't cause any trembling that could hurt the civilians. It crouched, left the Pallet Rifle on the asphalt and put its hands on the ground, palms facing up.

"Those who can't walk, here," Asuka instructed through the speakers. "I'll take them to a shelter, because this might not be over yet. The rest of you, follow me on foot."

The wounded and the unconscious were put on the Eva's hands. Inside the entry plug, Asuka was surprised that the commander hadn't opened a new comm. channel to protest for her actions; but she wasn't going to look at a gift horse in the mouth. The hostages needed to be taken to safety. Plus, it would also help Shinji.

She ordered her Unit to stand up, with the utmost care, and walked away. On the ground, the uninjured civilians followed the giant, leaving behind a live demon, a dead one and Unit-00. Rei turned her Eva's head, to look at the monster she didn't know was Shinji.

And Bugo's eyes locked onto her.

"Rei, be careful!" Misato's voice came fast through the comm. channel.

From the mass of purple flesh erupted five long tentacles that jolted upwards, with the clear intention of impaling Unit-00. Rei was quicker, though; and she extended an AT-Field, blocking them. She held her breath, wondering if the Fourth Demon would also have the power to break through the barrier. While her orange shield appeared to bend ever so slightly at the push of the attack, it remained intact.

Then, the five tentacles merged into a single, thick spear. With a one final thrust, it pierced through the AT-Field, hitting Unit-00 right in its eye and shattering it.

The force of the impact sent the prototype Eva tumbling back. Rei raised a hand to her own eyes. She knew they still worked, but the sympathetic pain, although brief, had been intense.

"Are you alright?" Misato asked.

"Minimum damage," the girl declared, pushing some buttons in their control pads. "Activating shoulder pylon camer–"

Her whole Eva shook, and through the neural feedback she could feel something slimy climbing on top of Unit-00, its tentacles coiling around the arms, legs and neck. The pylon cameras turned on, but all Rei could see was purple. The Fourth Demon occupied most of her field of vision, his body apparently healed of all damage, with dozens of blue eyes staring at her.

New and enormous appendages sprouted from the blob: a crab-like pincer, a tentacle ending in a sharp beak, a humanoid hand with malformed fingers and long nails, a teethed flesh tube… They all moved closer to the Eva's head as their owner spoke:

"(I don't think those twelve old assholes would like me doing this; but I'm sick of you meddling, oversized toys!)"

Not caring about a language she couldn't understand, Rei tried to move her Unit, but the Fourth Demon was doing a good job immobilizing the limbs.

Shinji, resisting the urge to yell his friend's name, tried to go to her aid. Alas, as soon as he stood up, a shock of pain ran through his back, forcing him to his knees once more. He touched his shoulder blade, hissing when he felt the raw muscle. Gritting his demonic fangs, Shinji pushed himself up, but the mere act of taking a step forward was excruciating. Between the yellow eyes, his human face was covered in sweat. He begged, pleaded, demanded his healing factor to work as quickly as possible.

The city trembled around him, and he saw a blur of red passing by.

Asuka had left the civilians not as close to the shelter as she had intended to; but her friend needed help. Unit-02 ran as fast as it could, squashing some parked cars and shattering windows with its mere speed. It reached the blue Evangelion in no time. With a mental command, Asuka unsheathed the progressive knife.

"Let her go, Nacktschnecke!"

Unit-02 grabbed the flesh of the Fourth Demon, pulled and sliced. Unlike the Angels' bodies, which could be hard to wound even without an AT-Field protecting it; that purple blob offered no resistance to the vibrating blade. The knife cut through it as if it was butter, opening a long gash. For a brief second, Asuka considered activating her Eva's Field and tear the demon to pieces with it; but she rejected the idea. Rei was still too close.

That second of doubt was more than enough for Bugo. He grew a new mouth and spat acid at the Eva's knife-holding arm. Asuka screamed and stepped back, assaulted by a burning sensation worse than the one she had felt during the battle against the Ninth Angel. She looked to the side, only to see Unit-02's arm dissolving. Most of the armor was already gone, and whatever was underneath wouldn't last long.

Asuka felt her synchronization being lowered by an external force, most likely MAGI per Misato's orders. That was followed by the noise of a gigantic arm detaching and falling onto the street. Asuka sighed when the normal connection with her Eva was restored, although she winced at the feeling of missing a limb. She instinctively grabbed her right arm, to make sure that the real one was still there.

The Fourth Demon jumped off Unit-00. He would've loved to keep playing with his big blue doll; but Asuka's attack had loosened his grip on it, allowing Rei to free herself. Bugo adopted a more elongated form and sprouted many pointy legs, now looking like a colossal centipede. He scuttled away, mocking the Evangelions and their pilots. His laughter didn't stop, not even when two beams of yellow light came from an adjacent street and cut his body in half. Shinji's dark form emerged among the buildings, shooting a barrage of eye beams, opening burning chasms in the asphalt and shredding the purple flesh. However, it seemed that, for Bugo, being blasted was just a minor inconvenience by this point. The pieces of his body pulled themselves together and, taking advantage of the temporary loss of mass, slithered into an alleyway, disappearing from sight.

Despite of this, Shinji, Rei and Asuka could still hear the monster's gurgling voice, coming from somewhere in the sea of buildings:

"You still don't get it? You can slash, slice, pierce, shoot, crush, rip and tear; but I'll always come back! While other demons train to enhance their defenses, I trained to enhance my regeneration! I'm Bugo the Immortal!"


Ever since Asuka had closed the comm. channel in his face, Gendo Ikari had remained silent. He didn't demand for Misato to control the pilots, not even when they went further against his orders and engaged the Fourth Demon in combat. No, he just sat there, in his usual pose, evaluating the situation, thinking about his Scenario. Calculating.

Planning.

"Fuyutsuki," he said, standing up. "I need to make a private call. You're in charge."

"A call? To whom?"

"Someone who owes me a few favors."

He went away before more questions could be asked. Fuyutsuki shook his head and gazed down, where action had already been taken without the need for his input:

"Maya!" Ritsuko called. "Have MAGI analyze the footage of every time the Fourth Demon regenerated! If they find any difference in the regeneration speed, I want them to identify all and any possible variables and to decide which one is the most likely!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"What's the location of the Fourth Demon?" Misato asked.

"Unknown, ma'am," Hyuga answered. "His thermal signal disappeared from our radars just a moment ago."

"How is that possible?"

"Well," Aoba suggested, "he's a shapeshifter. Maybe he can also lower his body temperature to match his surroundings."

"Can't the MAGI identify his Blood Pattern to track him down?"

At these words, Ritsuko pinched her nose bridge.

"We tried," she huffed "Our analysis of the Second Demon and his army revealed that each individual Demon has a different Blood Pattern. These damn monsters don't make any sense."

Misato bit her lip and looked at the main screen, which showed the Evas and the First Demon getting closer, back to back. Every now and then, their enemy's voice would mock them from somewhere else, but the street cameras would catch nothing more than the tip of a tentacle slithering away.

"Double-seal the entrances to all shelters!" she ordered. "If there are laser defenses in the ventilation systems, activate them! Have all guards stand on alert and shoot anything purple and slimy that tries to get through! We can't let him take any more hostages!"

Something beeped in Maya's computer.

"Most likely variable identified! It's the eyes!"

Everyone turned to stare at the young technician, some with raised eyebrows. Wasting no time, Maya explained:

"When the Evas attacked the Fourth Demon, he lost 83% of his eyes, and it took him more than a minute to heal. When the First…" she shuddered at the memory, but forced herself to continue. "When the First Demon killed some of the hostages, he destroyed only 16% of the eyes, and the regeneration was almost instantaneous. MAGI believes that the probability of the two being related is 95.5%"

Ritsuko looked at the smaller holographic screens, next to the main one. They showed still frames of the purple monster, at different moments of the battle.

"It's just a hypothesis," she sighed, "but it's the best thing we've got. So, we need to destroy all of his eyes simultaneously in order to shut down his healing factor. Any strategies, Major?"

Misato had her attention on the Evas. One had lost an arm, the other one its only eye. Not good.

"Well, maybe we can lure the Fourth Demon into a controlled detonation. Or we could send up more weapons, and then–"

"Major," Ritsuko insisted, taking a step towards her college friend. "I'm afraid you don't understand. With such a malleable body, the Fourth Demon could easily stretch or shapeshift in any other way to keep his eyes out of danger. No weapon and no controlled explosion will be enough to kill him, unless you're willing to vaporize an entire city block. We need to lock him in one of his forms first, and even after that, the attack needs to be powerful enough to destroy all of his eyes at the same time, or he'll keep regenerating.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"We have an unexpected ally in this battle. It would be wise to make use of him."

With an expression of disgusted shock, Misato looked at the First Demon in the screen. The fact that he was so close to the Evangelions, almost as if they were fighting together, made her sick. What had the Fourth called him? Usurper?

Yes, he was a usurper to her as well. A usurper of her revenge.

"You can't be serious!" she snapped. "I won't degrade my pilots by making them work with an abomination! We don't need him! We're Nerv! We can take care of the Angels and the Demons by ourselves!"

"Major Katsuragi."

Fuyutsuki's voice wasn't as deep or as imposing as Gendo's; but the old man had been a teacher for most of his life, and he still remembered how to put a stop to tantrums with just a few words. Paralyzed, Misato could do nothing but look up, almost pathetically, at her superior.

"This isn't the time for petty personal bias," he declared. "With Central Dogma not in imminent danger, the citizen's safety is our first priority. We will make use of the First Demon for this operation."

Misato's gaze went down, at her own feet. She clenched her fists in impotent rage, like a student after being scolded, which wasn't all that far from what had just happened. And yet, some responsibility peeked through the wound left in her ego. She knew that the vice-commander was right. She had a duty to perform, to Nerv and to the city.

She wasn't obligated to like it, though.

Misato took a deep breath. So, they wanted a strategy…

"Is there a way to pump Bakelite to the surface?"


Shinji walked down the street, looking for Bugo. His back didn't hurt anymore. However much time he had spent next to the Evangelions, waiting for an attack that never came; it had been more than enough for all his wounds to heal. Then, Asuka, with Unit-02's speakers at minimum volume, had whispered Misato's plan. Now, he was playing his part.

"Show yourself!" he roared. "Here I am! Fight me!"

Nothing.

The silence was worrying him. Bugo's mockery had ceased a while ago, even before they had put the plan into motion. Shinji feared that the demon would've fled the scene and hidden somewhere, and he didn't like the idea of that monster loose in the city.

Something moved, barely outside his field of view, in the building at his left. A blue eye, opening and closing. Almost without thinking, Shinji turned and sunk his fist into the facade of concrete and steel; but that was all he felt: concrete, steel and glass. His massive fingers crushed furniture and appliances, broke columns and turned entire hallways and empty apartments into rubble. No demon there.

"An illusion?" he wondered.

"A reflection."

And Bugo burst from the building at the other side of the street, stretching his body into a wave of flesh. His tentacles coiled around Shinji's neck before he could react.

"Let's see what happens when I pour my acid directly into your throat, Usurper!"

As a response, Shinji shouted.

Bugo's upper half was shredded by the sonic blast, and the houses surrounding them crumbled. The shockwave expanded across several streets, and everything made of glass shattered in its wake. Even the sensors of the mighty MAGI stopped working for a second.

Since he had only lost a few of his eyes, Bugo quickly put himself together. He tried to slither away, but Shinji moved faster and grabbed him, digging his claws into the slimy flesh. Without missing a beat, he started to run down the street, dragging Bugo through the asphalt, opening a furrow. When Shinji turned a corner, he raised the demon up in the air and smashed him against the buildings, right before returning him to the ground. He kept running, he kept pulling from his enemy, and he kept throwing glances at Unit-02 in the distance.

After a while, Shinji slammed Bugo into a new street and raised a fist, ready to start pounding on that blob of a body. However, with all of his eyes intact despite the beating, the demon was able to act first. Using his tentacles as springs, he jumped back to a safe distance, where he transformed into a long, snake-like thing and hurled itself at Shinji's face.

Thus began a dance of tug and pull. Bugo jumped back and forth, adopting a different and hostile shape in each attack: a snake, a spider, a spiked ball, a thing with too many limbs and pincers to resemble any real animal... But he didn't manage to draw blood, no matter how many times he hit. Shinji retaliated by clawing and biting at the purple flesh, tearing it to shreds from which it promptly regenerated. One couldn't even hurt the other, while the other could harm one, but not kill him. This exercise in futility went on for a while, not moving from the place Shinji had chosen as the stage of their second round.

Every now and then, the King of Demons would look at Unit-02. This didn't go unnoticed by Bugo.

"Worried about your friends?" he mocked. "Are you sad that they're missing the fun?"

He changed into his stingray form.

"Let me take care of that! I'll shower them in my acid!"

Bugo turned around and took off, but Shinji grabbed him by his twin tails before he could fly away. Using his talons, he anchored himself to the ground, to resist the pull. He couldn't let the devil escape, not again.

Through the struggle, Shinji saw Unit-02 touching its head with its remaining hand. That was the signal they had agreed upon. The signal that everything was ready. He turned around and slammed Bugo against the ground, right in front of a building.

Or rather, something that looked like a building.

The facade opened, revealing not stairs and apartments inside, but large sprinklers. That was one of Tokyo-3's many defense systems, this one designed to put out fires by pumping water right from the GeoFront Lake. However, thanks to the quick action of Nerv's engineers and with a bit of help from the MAGI; the sprinklers didn't rain water on Bugo, but Bakelite.

Still, Shinji didn't want to take any chances; and with a mighty swim of his left claw he ripped off the sprinklers' heads. Streams of the crimson liquid poured down onto the Fourth Demon, covering all his body and hardening fast.

"What's this?" Bugo growled. "What have you done to me?"

He couldn't flap his wings anymore. He stirred and tried to shapeshift, but the Bakelite had imprisoned him in the stingray form.

With all of his eyes nicely arranged in the underbelly.

Shinji grabbed him, lifted him up and ran towards the two Evangelions. They were waiting for him in the middle of a wide street, their arms extended forwards and their hands open. Bugo said something, perhaps asking what was happening; but Shinji ignored him and kept running. Some cracks appeared in the Bakelite. It wouldn't last too long.

With a final jump, he closed the distance that separated him from the two armored giants, and pushed the Fourth Demon forward.

A mighty and wide AT-Field flickered when Bugo's underbelly was slammed against it. It shone so brightly that the entire city was painted in orange, and it radiated so much heat that the asphalt underneath bubbled, and some of the nearby buildings tilted when the steel bars inside them began to melt.

Bugo's screams of rage and pain were muffled by the humming of the AT-Field. His eyes burst one by one, with barely a second of difference between each. The infernal heat disintegrated the Bakelite and his body alike. He tried to grow spikes, claws or anything else that could pierce through and destroy the bothersome dolls at the other side; but nothing worked. He'd already had some troubles breaking the weaker field of Unit-00, now he was facing a much stronger one.

In fact, he was facing two.

Inside their plugs, Asuka and Rei focused on keeping their barriers not only up, but also in synch with each other so that they combined, just like in their fight against the Tenth Angel. Shinji kept pushing on his side, and his two friends and fellow fighters did the same on their end. Bugo was shrinking, but not by choice. Some tentacles sprouted and wriggled in the air before withering away and burning. His voice became weaker and weaker, until it ceased.

The AT-Field vanished. The last pieces of Bakelite fell to the ground as the cloud of cinders dissipated. Everyone in the Command Center held their breath, waiting to see if MAGI's hypothesis was correct.

Shinji looked down. A piece of grey flesh, all that remained of Bugo, rested in his right hand. It quickly crumbled into dust and slip between his fingers.

The so-called immortal demon was no more.

Silence fell over Tokyo-3. Not even the cicadas dared to sing. His arms-wings hanging low, Shinji sighed. His three-tipped tail fell to the ground, raising some dust. He looked at the Evas in front of him.

"Not bad, Fledermaus," Asuka said.

Shinji nodded at her.

Alas, that calm didn't last long. A new humming noise filled the city, this one coming from the many public speakers as they turned on. At the same time, unbeknowst to the pilots, a change occured in all the shelters. The TV screens stopped showing safety instructions over pictures of pretty landscapes, and instead they broadcasted live feed from the surface. Through the cameras of Nerv, civilians of all ages saw the three giants standing in the middle of the ruined street.

A voice boomed out from the public speakers. It wasn't a pre-recorded message.

They heard it in the Command Center through the open comm. channels. It reached each and every single shelter, where the people had flocked around the screens. Rei, Asuka and Shinji recognized it immediately.

It was the voice of none other than Gendo Ikari:

"Attention, King of Demons. By the authority of Japan's Prime Minister, Nerv puts you under arrest for your involvement in the destruction of Old Tokyo. Evangelion Unit-02, subdue him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I would like to thank borisd34 again for his great job and the amazing present that is the new cover. Also, many thanks to the people at the Asushin Discord for their help, in particular deathbringer374, who gave me the idea of the sprinklers; Richitzer, who solved many doubts I had about grammar; and CaffeineJimmy, for his feedback with a scene I wasn't sure about.

And speaking of feedback! Special thanks to TheNotSoFantastique, LDGV, lord mau shinji 500, RealReminder, Su Exodus, Iraki01, Guillaume Grignard, JIM D. ZAS, NoseGum, MisterHalt, Bobberhd, Lovemichi (the 100th review! :D), Romulo Nidoking BR and skyf0x for their reviews and their support. You guys/gals are awesome!

See you all in the next chapter! :)