Friday the 28th of July, 7:00am, State of Japan, NERV Central, launch bays
Once, the feeling of being shot to the surface would make Shinji jump out of his skin. But now, as he was slowly moved into position, he instinctively braced.
On his hud, he could see the holographic faces of all his colleagues. People who he was about to fight, and possibly die, alongside. But that was always the risk with this "job." Well it wasn't really a "job" as you'd be able to hand in a notice of resignation. With this...that wasn't an option.
"So we're absolutely clear on your respective tasks?" Misato's face popped up on vid-link.
"Hai."
"Jawohl."
"Yes, ma'am."
The purplehead inhaled and nodded in slight satisfaction. This would do, it would have to.
"Alright then, operation begins in T-minus five minutes."
The face disappeared.
The tension didn't leave his shoulders, not for a moment. It persisted in all its crushing glory, as it had done from the day he'd first stepped inside this strange "war machine." Although, as he knew without a doubt, and reckoned many of NERV's staff did as well, it certainly wasn't a machine.
What is Eva? Heh, knowing my luck I'll probably never find out.
And then his gaze fixed on a pair of red eyes, his heart twisting in pain. It didn't feel right he wasn't going with Rei, but that was the order. The two had built up a trust, no, a friendship. And it truly concerned Shinji her life was in the hands of a near stranger.
As it was vice versa.
Soryu...he will die for you, but I doubt you'll do it for him. A little part of the albino's brain became uncharacteristically hostile.
"Meadow-san." Shinji said abruptly, causing the Imperial to dart his eyes upward.
"Yes, Shinji?" He said, vaguely interested, having been preoccupied with remembering how his designated opponent moved.
"Just a heads up, Unit 00 isn't designed for close quarters. You'll need to protect her." Harshness found its way into Shinji's words, which caused Samuel to blink in surprise.
"...that was my intention to begin with. But received and understood." The Imperial nodded.
"Good..." Shinji relaxed a little, closing his eyes as he felt the jolt of the Eva being locked in place.
"Third?" Asuka's voice caused him to re-open those cerulean orbs.
"Hmm, yes, Soryu-san?"
"Are you ready for this?" She said with a cocky smile.
"Probably not." He chuckled.
There was a pause.
"Well at least you don't overestimate yourself..."
And you don't? Shinji thought to himself.
"Still, it's not like your awful at this. One can't help being overshadowed by greatness after all." Asuka said boastfully, causing him to press his lips into a small smile.
"Nothing scares you, does it?" He said quietly.
"Not in the slightest."
The surface
There had been no resistance upon their approach. Even the Voor mighty sky fortresses were nowhere to be seen, much less their insignificant yet valiant ground units. Silence hung over the city, disturbed only by the monstrous footsteps of the Twin Heirs. But it was not silence that put them on edge, it was the sheer lack of any metal monsters opposing them. That...could mean only one thing.
Where do you think their ambush is? Isrefael moved forward cautiously, delivering the occasional blast at any building large enough to conceal an Evangelion.
Somewhere we can't get out the way. As it always is with damned ambushes...lilly livered cowards should face death with dignity. Israfel growled, his strange hammer being gripped tightly by his bizarre hands. They'd assumed their preferred forms at sunrise, altered versions of "twin fangs," Sachiel's form of choice.
By the gods, the Vooren would pay for that and so much more.
They continued to move towards the centre of the city, where they could feel that inhuman, constraining power beneath their feet. Their surroundings were surprisingly impressive, especially when considering the pitiful beings that had built all this.
Any advice, Fist? The elder brother pushed out across the gaps between worlds.
Not much. Just be warned, nothing is more dangerous than a cornered animal, and the Vooren are no exception. Haniel offered, frustrated with the sheer lack of information available to him.
The brothers accepted this, with Isrefael being unnerved by the voice of the Sovereign's fist in his mind. That man was far weaker than even he himself, and still he frightened him.
Then, a sudden feeling of energy rushed towards them.
If the Seraphim could have smiled, they would have.
It is as you say, Fist. They come from beneath the surface. Right into our arms...
They moved swiftly to the source of the feeling, weapons gripped tightly and ready to be used to full lethal effect. But once they arrived at the spot, having rounded a skyscraper, they stopped dead in their tracks.
What stood there was an Evangelion, except...lifeless. It possessed a rusted gold colour scheme, with a single dead Cyclops eye gazing blankly at the world. It had not been with the squadron they'd engaged a week before.
What...is this? They steadily approached, pushing their walls of light outwards, expecting to meet resistance, finding nothing.
I think it's dead. Isrefael murmured to himself, as he prodded the failed prototype with his spear of orange lightening, gaining no reaction.
Indeed. Israfel agreed, giving a silent command at the same time.
Raising an arm each at the Eva, a surge of white hot energy arched forwards, utterly obliterating the biomech in a heartbeat, leaving nothing but ashes.
This should be a route down into their fortress. What are they doing- The elder began, before being interrupted by an earth shattering noise. The sound of an explosion rippled across the quiet city, a sound that had gone off directly next to the Seraphim. Around the base of the skyscraper they stood directly next to, charges had been planted and detonated. And now the building began to lean over.
A lure!? They used a damn lure!? The younger roared.
The skyscraper, so vast and impressive, slowly and inevitably began collapsing on the two Divine warriors, whose A.T-fields flared protectively as debris descended upon them.
Is this truly their best attempt at killing us? How disappointing. Israfel chastised.
But that was not its purpose. And the Seraphim were fatally mistaken.
NERV Central, Command bridge
"Now, go go go!" Misato barked. The four Evangelions shot upwards, their path taking them to within a kilometre of the enemy.
This was going better than they could ever have hoped. The theory the enemy could sense the energy of the Evas had been utilised to brutal effect, luring the Seraphim into her trap. One from which the freaks would not escape with their lives.
Misato's mouth curled into a smile. The world was now a step closer to being totally saved, and she was closer to total revenge.
Hope you're enjoying the show...mother...father...
Around her, the usual command staff stood. Ritsuko to her right, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru working furiously away on their touchscreens, those below them even more so, and above resided the dispassionate Supreme Commander and his Vice Commander.
"Is it not strange to you? Our enemy's caution?" Kozo said quietly.
"The children of Adam are intelligent. We have always known this." Gendo responded.
"To be frank, they seem a little more intelligent than the scrolls predicted."
"The scrolls are vague. There is truth to them, but one must dig deeply."
"Hmm...you've spent too much time around Laberenz." The old professor commented, a slight twinge of anger in his soul.
None of this would have needed to happen were it not for SEELE and their damned prophecy.
"Perhaps." Gendo agreed, in his own stoic way. For as much as he respected the man, he couldn't help but have happy dreams about shoving the barrel of his gun into that...abomination of nature. But for now, he'd have to play the Grand Master's game, whilst quietly moving his own pieces into position. A position where it would be his scenario that would determine the fate of mankind, and a position where he could wreak his own terrible revenge on the two individuals who stole everything from him.
By the Spirits, I will rip down the heavens to be with you again, Yui. Earth and every single living being on it for you.
NERV Rapid deployment elevators
Shinji fought to control his breathing as sunlight filled his vision, his body shuddering slightly. His grip tightened around the control sticks as he prepared to rush forward, to engage the enemy.
Divide and conquer, like Misato-san said.
From the quick glances he took at his fellow pilots on their respective vid links, he could tell they were having no such problems, at least not what he could see. Rei was stoic as ever, Asuka seemed utterly focused on the task at hand, perhaps even anticipating it, and Samuel had his eyebrows narrowed.
Of course from the perspective of the vid link, Shinji could not see the Imperial's right hand tremble...
And then he was on the surface, back in Tokyo-3, a sudden jolt announcing his arrival. The safety locks released, and he was free to move. Scarcely a thousand metres in front of the children, were the two confused Seraphim, still dealing with the collapsing skyscraper.
Misato gave the order to engage, but it wasn't needed.
Eva squad charged, diverting into two groups instantly, Units 01 and 02 barrelled towards the larger of their foes, who barely had time to turn around, let alone see them through all the dust and debris, before a black armoured fist smashed into his bony helm. Israfel staggered backwards, as Isrefael moved to cover him, only to have his strike be blocked by Unit 03's prog blade.
"Let's tango, you twat." Samuel growled, lunging at the Seraph's core. Of course, Isrefael could see that coming from a mile away, as evidenced by his instinctive darting back, dancing out of the blade's way, yet unable to get past it to even land a hit.
Are these your sword play skills, Voor? Why you did not demonstrate this in our previous battle, I have no idea.
However, so pre-occupied with Samuel's movements, he didn't notice Unit 00 flanking him whilst he was driven further and further from his brother. Not that Israfel noticed either, as he was too busy trying to fight off two of the bio-mech monstrosities that had given him such trouble a week ago.
They were not...perfect, at working as a unit. But they were hardly incompetent, leaving openings of opportunity scarcely a second long. Most of the time, they attacked as one, and withdrew as one. The hammer would slam down into the ground, shaking the very earth upon impact, and the Evas would dodge. The purple one would throw a punch or thrust out with its wicked blade, whilst the black one would dance around whilst slicing with its twin daggers. Purple was easier to handle, as despite the great power he put into his attacks, they were predictable and blocked with not too much difficulty. Black however took every single opportunity to strike like a viper.
Royal blue blood was already flowing from the multitude of new nicks and cuts he had sustained.
That is your tactic? I must focus on defending against your compatriot whilst you whittle me down?...impressive.
Meanwhile, as the gap grew between the brothers, Isrefael was managing to keep on equal ground with his foe. As master of the spear, he was without par. His thrusts where quick, powerful, and easily recoverable. But that was the problem.
A spear was only good for thrusting, and not much else. With the sword, even as "bizarrely" thin a design as the one wielded by the Imperial pilot, your options were far more diverse. Stabbing, thrusting, cutting, slashing, hacking, almost anything. It had gotten to a stage where the use of his field had become a necessity to block Samuel's ferocity. It was a sword form no Divine had ever encountered before, no great, powerful strikes with which you could bisect a man, indeed this style seemed more concerned with striking blows in general than lethality in the first strike.
Unit 03 hacked downwards, seeking to split the Seraph's head in two. Isrefael blocked with his spear and threw the strike off, but Samuel recovered quickly and lunged forward, a solid wall of orange lightening being the only thing that stopped him from getting a killing blow. Isrefael, sensing opportunity, thrust at the metal encased head. Samuel twisted, with spear of pure lighting sliding harmlessly past, although he still felt his cheek become a bit warm.
He slashed upwards, his blade catching on the spear which prevented him from taking the Seraph's arm off, but nevertheless he managed to gash it quite nicely.
The Divine Heir roared as he unleashed a fuelled by pain and rage blast of energy upon that which invited his wrath. Unit 03's A-T field flared as it only just managed to hold, but he was still driven back. However, so focused upon the blood flowing from his arm, and this shockingly worthy foe, Isrefael failed to notice what was creeping up behind him.
The pain in his arm was drowned out by the wall of white hot agony slamming into his back. Rei unleashed a stream of pallet rounds, shells that would rip apart an unshielded FCV with total ease. It was a testament to the sheer might of the Seraphim that this one was not turned into royal blue mist. Nevertheless, its alien screech of agony echoed across the silent city. His elder brother's attention was swiftly caught, the sudden realisation of what the Vooren were attempting crashing through his mind.
No...No you don't!
Israfel attempted to barrel into Unit 03, murder in his heart. None were permitted to lay a finger on his baby brother, absolutely no one. From the cradle to the current battle, the elder and stronger Divine had always held true to this creed. And many hundreds had been smashed into bloody pulps due to his fanatical adherence of this.
At that moment, Unit 01 collided with the Seraph, causing it to stagger but not collapse.
"Soryu-san! We have to bring this thing down now, it knows what we're doing!" Shinji yelled, instinct and experience taking over his actions. He did not fight them, for he knew and understood how invaluable they were, and how such things were among the few reasons he still lived.
"Don't shout at me, Third!" Asuka snapped, as Israfel delivered a savage punch to Unit 01's head, actually denting some of its armour. The exposed Eva was slammed into the ground, and the Seraph raised his hammer to finish the job.
You will not stand between my and my family, Voor!
The redhead urged her "baby" into a flying leap onto the enemy's back, stabbing downwards with her prog knives. Having pushed out with her A-T field, forcing an opening through which she could strike, Asuka's blades sank deep into the back of the Seraph. Howling in pain, it began to violently shake and flail, unused to this sensation of helplessness. He attacked his opponents head on, smashed them into pieces. Never had Heir Israfel been taken from behind.
In his enraged state, it did not occur to him that it was not only down to the fighting prowess of himself and his brother that they'd never been defeated before, but how in times gone by, rank upon rank of warriors would have marched and with them. The Royal Aesylian Army was invincible, had that two million strong force been set loose upon the world, then human civilization would have been extinguished in a day.
Maybe even less, but absolutely no more.
Here however, the brothers were outnumbered two to one. Their enemy had divided their forces the first time around, most likely for reasons of creating a flexible defence line. But now, they were fully aware of their superiority in numbers, and were capitalizing on it as much as they could.
Asuka clung onto the handles of her prog blades for dear life, determined to bring this monster down. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Unit 01 slowly picking itself up off the floor, seemingly a bit dazed.
"Gott Verdammut, Third! Don't just lie down on the job!" She yelled frustratedly through gritted teeth as she felt her grip begin to slip.
Scheisse, can't hold on much longer...oh you stupid thing, just die already!
Her words caused Shinji to snap back into consciousness. His help was required.
In what could only be described as "good timing" beyond comprehension, he snatched up his own primitive prog knife, and threw himself at the flailing Seraph, thrusting forward in a precise stabbing motion. In what could only have been fate, so focused on throwing the black pest off his back, Israfel presented his unprotected front to Shinji's attack.
And the meek Japanese boy made the most of his opportunity.
The elder brother froze, as pain and cold slid into his core with a sickening feeling. The sound of the red sphere cracking open and royal blue blood flowing forth even more so. He staggered around for a few moments, before Asuka planted her armoured feet into the giant's back and pushed hard, wrenching her blades free. She landed perfectly some way behind the Seraph, with the monster in question being knocked flat onto his face.
His movements slowed to that of a snail's pace as the golden feeling of life began to trickle away. Slowly he lifted his head from the ground, those black eyes making contact with another pair exactly like his own.
Isrefael was injured but not out of the fight yet, and he appeared to be having a moment of breathing space. And it was here that he stared directly into his dying brother's eyes, utter horror etched into those bony features.
Brother...I'm so sorry.
Isrefael screamed. A horrible, inhuman, alien roar of anger mixed with unfathomable despair. He'd had no chance to spare his elder brother a thought, so badly harried by his opponents. Recovering from his initial shock of being shot in the back by Rei, he'd managed to readjust his field to cover it, but had no opportunity to turn around and counter attack.
Unit 03 kept jabbing, slashing, and cutting, not letting up for a single moment, keeping the monster from turning its attention upon Unit 00.
The child of the Empire was keeping his promise.
It was imperative the Seraphim got no breathing space or room to re-organize. Isrefael had to stay on his toes, completely focused on fending off the Imperial God Machine's furious assault with only his spear, as his field had to remain covering his rear.
But in a moment of clarity, he'd parried aside one of Samuel's strikes and gave a good thrust forward. Unit 03's A-T field held, but it could not help but be forced back. A breathing space of a precious few seconds established, the younger brother channelled all his might into his own field and with the gesture of a thrust out arm, he unleashed it upon Unit 00.
Rei's shield managed to hold, but as it was for Samuel, it could not diffuse the sheer force of the blast. And with the Seraph's full power set loose, she was tossed like a rag doll through the air. Had Isrefael done this mere moments before, the outcome of the battle may have been changed. But he was far too late.
No, no, no, no, no! All regard for his own life and well being vanished. He had to reach his elder brother, his oldest and closest friend.
Throwing himself upon the stronger yet much slower Evangelions, Isrefael was a blur of rage, thrusting and dodging with an erratic and savage grace, driving them all away from his helpless brother.
"Meadow-san, Ayanami-chan, we're in trouble!" Shinji called out, backed up with a cry of "get you over here you Imperial dummkopf!" from his German team mate.
"Hold up! Units, move into a surrounding formation, keep it where it is. We stop it escaping and we can finish this at our leisure. Nicely done." Misato grinned a fearsome grin.
That must be six...soon to be seven we've brought down...it's not enough...it'll never be enough...
They'd won. All that remained was the lone, weaker Seraph, surrounded by a far superior force that could soon rush in and crush it. The strategy had been a complete success, luring the enemy into position by putting up a useless Evangelion prototype, collapsing the skyscraper, dividing, then conquering, the alien menace.
Among the various bridge staff, no one really noticed Maya Ibuki look up from her work, watching the Seraph's movements with what seemed like befuddlement with a trace of empathy. It was so frantic, how the beast assaulted anything which came close, standing over the corpse of its "twin" almost...protectively.
All the training manuals, all the research, even the Supreme Commander himself had outright stated the Seraphim were animals, dumb brutes not really worth a second thought if they weren't trying to exterminate life on Earth. But just the way it looked, those wide black eyes, the inhuman screeches, gave Maya the impression her superiors might not be entirely correct.
It looks...distraught.
Even if they were...an animal can't help its nature. She didn't understand how anyone could overly enjoy watching the suffering of another living creature, especially as the Lieutenant Colonel did. She'd never seen her like that before...and the sheer focus of those brown eyes, and the grin that did not disappear, sent shivers running down the soft and sweet woman's spine.
He would have panted if he could, turning around in circles to make sure that none tried to take him from the side or the rear. But he needn't have bothered, he could feel the enemy move into position around him, moving to cut him off.
Moving to crush him.
Isrefael, withdraw now. Haniel commanded harshly. His words stumped the Divine Heir.
Re...retreat? Though it existed in the language of his people, that word was seldom ever used. To retreat, to flee from your enemy tail between legs, was the highest dishonour. Whilst it was still not impossible to reach Rihuv after such an act, it would become much harder. Besides...the mere thought of leaving Israfel lying in the dirt...
He cut the connection with the Fist, a feeling of acceptance in his heart. He was going to die here, today, now.
Collapsing on his knees, dropping his spear, he gently curled his arms around his elder brother and cradled him. A very weak gaze, exactly the same as his own, looked up at him.
Brother...go...do as he says... Israfel's unnaturally quiet voice echoed throughout the younger sibling's head. But he did not heed them, it only strengthened his resolve, as the realisation of what he felt must be done slowly dawned on him.
No...I can't do that. I won't do that.
Isrefael angled his gaze upwards, as he held his brother's body tightly to him. He watched the Evangelions, who'd finished their encirclement, slowly and cautiously approach him, preparing to dart in and finish the job once the command was given.
But he would not make it so easy for them.
Looking down on his dying sibling, Isrefael would have smiled if he could in that form.
And cry as well.
Shall we leave this world they way we came into it? Together?
Israfel was momentarily confused, until he realised what his brother meant. And there was nothing he could do. No time to even scream "no."
The younger, weaker brother, placed his hand upon the elder's S2 core. He pushed at something of an invisible barrier, breaking through it and feeling a great suction of sorts upon his soul. He did not resist, but embraced it.
And then he felt no more.
Isrefael's body went limp as life completely left it. The husk crumpled onto the floor and remained there, unmoving. Israfel felt his damaged core seal its crack seamlessly. Strength flooded every part of his body, as he began to gently shake the corpse of his nearest and dearest.
It can't be...you can't... And then there was a faint feeling of familiarity within him, a dying warmth that embraced his very soul.
I love you, big brother.
And then Israfel could feel no trace of Isrefael.
The terrifying, earth shattering, alien scream of the Seraph was louder than anything Shinji had ever heard before, or would again. It eclipsed even the roars of Sachiel, as people across the nation snapped their heads up as this terrible noise reverberated throughout Japan. So strong was it, that his connection to the Fist was shredded.
Immediately, a typhoon of orange energy was unleashed, ripping away every single building it made contact with. Unfathomable winds slammed into the A-T fields of the Evangelions, not enough to break or neutralise, but more than enough to push.
Shinji crossed his arms in front of his face as he was driven back, digging his feet into the earth so as to further his resistance. Asuka did something similar, except it was more of a "charge" than a "bracing." Samuel was caught completely off guard and in his lighter Unit was thrown around like a rag doll, whilst Rei did not resist, but used the force of it to gracefully backflip to safe distance.
The lone Seraph's eyes had turned red, as with its spare hand it picked up its compatriot's spear, its very body trembling with incomprehensible rage. He levelled his gaze upon the foes he couldn't hope to defeat.
But by Hoer himself, this victory would cost them dearly.
You will all suffer for this!
Israfel charged.
"All Units engage, now!" The purplehead commanded.
Once again, the Seraphim had surprised them. Misato quietly cursed her overconfidence. They shouldn't have given the weaker one any time to do anything. They should have just swarmed it and killed it immediately...
Damn. That's what I get for being cocky. She grit her teeth, then accepted the change of the situation.
I'm an Impact Survivor, I make do.
Not that they'd lost or anything, victory had just become a little harder. There was still only one of them, against four fully operational Evangelions. The Seraphim were still going to be defeated this day, but she hoped it would come at no cost to her kids.
...my kids?
"Lieutenant Ibuki, what the hell just happened?" Ritsuko brought herself over to her apprentice, the young woman in question leaning back from her screen confused.
"I...I don't know...there were two blue signatures but now there's only one."
"So it fused again?"
"No it...it...it's not the same. It's like the energy of one blue signature is fuelling the other, but the field is gone...I can't describe it." Maya tried in vain to make sense of the data on her screen, but to absolutely no avail. One thought however, played on her mind.
Did the small one...sacrifice itself for the other? That can't be right...
Rihuv, the halls of the gods, was what all Divine aspired to enter. A place where one could feast, drink, fight and fuck for all eternity. Where you could reunite with loved ones long lost and sit with them at Hoer's table. The king of the gods was renowned in their legends as a most generous and hospitable host, this being further strengthened by Lord Netzach saying such things...
Only the brave, the true and loyal went to dine for all eternity. It comforted Israfel to know, without doubt, that his little brother had gone straight there. And, as he knew in his heart, he would soon be there too.
With strength he'd never before possessed, the Divine Heir launched himself at the purple monstrosity in particular, wielding his great bony hammer one handed, his other holding his fallen dear one's spear. He brought the hammer down upon where Unit 01 had been standing, but Shinji had already leapt back, out of surprise and instinct. And through his own instinct, Israfel quickly raised the spear to block Samuel's slash. Whirling around, he brought the hammer to bare on the Imperial god machine. Clearly, the British boy had learned from his previous encounter, bending over backwards. His sudden shift of balance however caused him to collapse on the floor, quickly rolling out of the Seraph's next strike. In a heart beat, Rei levelled her rifle and squeezed the trigger, covering the Imperial's rapid retreat. Israfel's field flared as positron coated slugs slammed into it with no effect. But it was enough to make him concentrate on that, and not on finishing off the blue Evangelion.
Of course, he had other things to deal with. Such as the other two Evas swiftly charging him.
Asuka took the lead, knives held in reverse position. She pushed her field against her enemy, feeling the dummkopf's doing the same. They temporarily cancelled each other out, and she took a great leap, intending to stab the Seraph's eyes out, and be far too quick for the much bulkier opponent.
Unfortunately, Israfel was an experienced veteran of countless battles, who'd fought and slain thousands. He didn't even raise his hammer, he simply turned around and thrust his brother's spear out, impaling Unit 02.
Asuka lurched forward, grunting in pain as she felt hot electricity punch through her liver. Fortunately, the foe's strike was nowhere near the core, but it as enough to hurt really badly.
Nein...not again...
As it was before, she was thrown aside as if she were nothing. She collided with Shinji, knocking them both to the ground. The Seraph moved, desperate to capitalize on his opportunity, a spark of hope flickering in his heart. Isrefael might yet be avenged, and Ejrod may yet be returned to the Divine race this day.
Children would be born on the old realm's soil once again. His little brother's sacrifice would not have been in vain.
He swung the hammer down, channelling his full might into it. He took attention away from his back, ignoring the sickly wet thuds of pallet rifle fire slamming into his exposed rear as a few rounds got through his field. The strike would be enough to crack them open like eggs.
But then, in a flash, Shinji was there. Unceremoniously throwing Asuka aside, to both get her off him and to safety, he jumped to his feet.
"A-T field, max power!" He barked, reaching his hands up to block the strike with a flicker of orange lightening. The Seraph and the Eva were about evenly matched, but Israfel had infinite strength. Shinji did not. With some alarm he watched his hud flicker and flash with static as he burned through a ridiculous amount of energy. The hammer slowly descended ever more, as Israfel leisurely brought the spear to bare.
This day you meet your end...Lijle Sfek.
Meanwhile, behind the enraptured Divine, Samuel saw his opportunity. Thundering forward, eager for the kill, for glory, to uphold the honour of his Empire and his Emperor, he prepared his blade to make a stabbing motion. But then, a part of his brain quickly chastised him.
Father never won battles by running into them. Somehow, he always knew what the enemy was going to do before they even did it...
He did not have that talent, but he could hazard a guess. His mind pictured him charging the Seraph's back, only for the monster to easily sense him, turn around, and smash him in the face with that infernal hammer.
So Samuel changed the angle of his attack, twisting his blade into a slashing motion. The distance closed, and indeed, the Seraph began to turn, using its spear to force Shinji back, and its field to block Rei's fire. But it swung low, lower than the Imperial could have anticipated. It would still catch him.
But then a thought entered his head, of a lesson from his father long ago.
"You can't just give up and raise the white flag when something goes wrong, or not how you predicted, Samuel. The first rule of war is very much the same as the rule of life...adapt to survive."
The aristocrat let himself fall to his knees, letting his momentum carry him beneath the Seraph's strike, keeping his blade in its previous angle, except twisting it upwards slightly, then, slicing across.
Israfel could not stop it. There was no way to block, or move out the way. And thus the Imperial progressive blade cut across his chest...and his core.
For the second and final time, the red jewel shattered as a tidal wave of blue blood erupted forth. Having felt this sudden feeling of cold and weakness before, the Divine Heir was capable of standing for a few moments, before the spear fell from his hand, and his legs gave out underneath him.
There was no brutal execution as he'd seen in so many battles. The white one kept its projectile weapon on him, whilst the rest cautiously kept their distance. He ignored them, angling his gaze upon a certain corpse, disappointment eating at his heart.
He'd failed to kill even a single one of them.
Slowly, he dragged himself towards his brother, feeling the gazes of the Voor follow him. Eventually reaching his destination with mere moments to live, Israfel looked down on his lifeless brother so sadly, before wrapping an arm around him, and resting his head against his. They were always together, from the moment they were born. These few minutes of separation...had been among the most painful of his life...no more...
Isrefael...I'm on my way.
And with that the 8th Seraph died.
He stood there, blinking slightly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he saw, and this feeling ripping at his heart.
They are the enemy, they have to die...there's no other way... Shinji tried to tell himself. But he just couldn't look away.
The two Seraphim lay in the dirt together, their strange arms wrapped tightly around each other, frozen in their deathly embrace. Their faces of bone, usually so blank and lifeless, now seemed filled with emotion. The small one looked like it was at peace, whilst the larger one, who but moments before had been making an inhuman whimpering sound, seemed totally absorbed by grief. It was on them that Shinji focused, whilst almost all others celebrated, and the westerners boasted of their prowess.
"Ikari-kun. What is the matter?" Said a soft voice that he trusted unreservedly, a hint of concern in its owner's red eyes.
"It's nothing, Ayanami-chan." He turned away from the corpses, tearing his gaze off the dead brothers. "Nothing at all."