14 November 2015: Beijing is besieged by mutated multi-armed humanoids designated "Makhai". Though they are fought off by two Nephilim, the saviors were ostracized just the same. The Nephilim escaped into the wilderness. Later it is discovered that the Makhai were behind the destruction of Berlin.

22 November 2015: First known Nephilim is tracked to Kyoto by the JSSDF. No action is taken for now, but the government still wishes to capture him for study. He is put under surveillance. It is revealed that his identity is Kensuke Aida.

8 Feburary 2016: Osaka falls to a monster assault lead by Makhai warriors. The few survivors that manage to escape the chaos describe it as "hell on earth".

VII: The Shepherd

Tokyo-3, Japan: 16 Hours Later

The Kyoto massacre went down in history as one of the saddest moments since Third Impact. Seven Nephilim lost their lives in a demonstration in the city lead by the first Nephilim some called "The Shepherd". Only a few would know him for whom he really was before the impact. His name was Kensuke Aida, a former military otaku and student at Tokyo-3 Junior High School. His nerdy exterior, now slightly older than it once was, makes him look like a future priest in many ways. Now he was living up to that expectation.

Today, for the first time in many months, he has returned to Tokyo-3. His appearance signaled the JSSDF and they were already on route with helicopters and ground vehicles to cut him off and capture him. But they didn't know just how powerful he had become. As he traveled up the main road though the center of town, Nephilim that have been hiding in plain sight took notice. He was wearing a priest's garb though he did not wear the formal vest and wraps, nor did he carry any books. He had a rosary on his belt hanging from the right side.

"Why do the heathen's rage?" Kensuke spoke as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The kings of the earth set themselves. The rulers take counsel together against The Lord, and against His anointed saying, 'Let us break their bonds and cast their cords away'. He that sits in paradise shall laugh: He shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them His sore displeasure."

The helicopters began to move in, the sounds of the blades cutting the air becoming more pronounced. From behind and in front more military vehicles began to approach, making sure there would be no escape this time.

Kensuke continued to speak as if nothing were happening, and despite the noise from the vehicles, all could hear him. "I set my king upon the holy hill of Zion. I shall decree: the Lord hath said unto me, 'Thou art my son! This day I have begotten thee'. "

He stopped walking in the middle of the road. Helicopters circled, men with guns took aim and many held their breath as it appeared that The Shepherd had finally been captured. And yet he still calmly continued to recite verse.

"Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thy inheritance, and for thy possession, the ends of the earth. Thou shall break them with a rod of iron, thou shall dash them in pieces like a potters vessel. Be wise now therefore ye kings, be admonished ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest He be angry and ye perish from the way when His wrath is kindled just a little."

"Shepherd!" came a voice over a bullhorn. "Surrender at once!"

"I have defied your conventions before," Kensuke spoke. "I am here for my people. I am here because He has demanded I establish this city as a sanctuary for all of His people. He has blessed me with the power to enforce His will upon the earth. Only the faithful shall remain! I cast my burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain me. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, not even by the likes of you heathens."

Kensuke put his hands together in front of him as if to pray and he bowed his head. He sensed the darts flying from nearby snipers… they would never reach him. To the shock of onlookers, the darts vaporized as they approached him.

"How is he doing that?!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Those were crafted of anti-Nephilim grade metal! He's a monster! Open fire!"

Their guns resounded though the streets but their bullets were designed to deal with humans who might have interfered. As the Sargent tried to get his men under control Kensuke simply stepped forward and produced a lance in his right hand which seemed to form from nothing. Bullets sparked off of his AT Field as he held the lance like a javelin, took a few steps forward, and launched it at the nearest helicopter. It tore through the machine from nose to tail causing it to collapse inward into nothingness, taking the men on board with it. His hand went back to his side and a new Lance formed in it.

As the helicopters tried to get distance he launched another lance with little effort, destroying another one. He crossed his arms in front of him as the men started to reload their guns and threw his arms out to his sides. The men closest to him suddenly flew in half spilling blood across the ground. The vehicles they stood near also split apart, seemingly cut by invisible blades. Behind Kensuke, a trio of metal crosses, intricately designed and edged like swords seemed to phase in, the one directly behind him floating a little higher than the other two. In reality, they didn't so much phase in but slow down enough to be seen now.

"Behold!" Kensuke called out raising his hands dramatically like a conductor in the orchestra of righteous fury. "Shinji-sama is my ally! He is with they who uphold my soul! He shall reward evil unto my enemies: cut them off in thy truth!" He suddenly leaned forward throwing his arms back out in a flourish, and the bladed crosses behind him spin like massive saws, launching forward in an arc of death at speeds so quickly they again seemed to vanish. More trucks split in half before exploding, sending men flying from the concussion. Others who tried to run were split in half from crown to crotch or at an angle midway.

As this happened he continued to preach. "I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good!" His hands went back to his sides, a pair of silvery katana formed in his hands, held in reverse grips. "For He hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen His desire upon my enemies."

Armor covered his body from feet to head in pure silvery white. A cloak flowed out from behind but no wings along with a mantle and tabard. In a flash he launched forward only stopping briefly after each killing blow to seemingly slide from target to target, blinking in and out of sight. He kicked one man hard enough to fly back 10 meters into an APC and still had enough force delivered by his momentum to roll the vehicle. Every bone in his body was shattered and several organs ruptured on impact, sealing the man's fate. Then, Kensuke stoped briefly to direct the blades again as they continued their arc of death.

Seeing the power at his fingertips, the Nephilim that watched were suddenly filled with resolve and courage. They took to the streets and waylaid the reinforcements using their powers (if they had any) and whatever improvised weapons they could get (if they had no powers). Within minutes, the streets of Tokyo-3 had become a warzone as the JSSDF were being routed out of the city by both Kensuke's display of power, and the sheer overwhelming determination of the Nephilim.

Kensuke launched himself into the air, slamming into a helicopter. He sliced it opened and killed its occupants before kicking off of it and sending the soon to be flaming wreckage into more JSSDF reinforcements trying to enter the battle zone.

Suddenly, more Nephilim joined the fray as the occupants of the hidden underground began to emerge into the light to join their brethren. These additional reinforcements spelled doom for the remaining JSSDF forces in the city. Within an hour of their arrival, they had been completely routed, and the city was now in the hands of the Nephilim.

Kensuke landed, dismissing his weapons and armor. The Nephilim surrounded him as he walked towards the center of the city, moving with him. Many calling him "Master" as Jesus was once called when He walked the world.

"I am not your master," Kensuke said as he pushed his glasses up. "I am simply the instrument of His will. This city is now holy ground! Let us build our defenses and make it a safe haven for all of our kind, as well as they who would join us in peace."

Division-9 HQ: That Moment

Bastion Kane watched the events on his TV, and was anything but pleased. His HQ sat right next door to an area the Nephilim now claimed was holy ground. He knew that if he couldn't get the Horaki's soon, he would never get an easier chance, and soon there would be an all-out attack against this complex.

"The first Nephilim," he said with clear anger in his voice. Two of his men nearby took note of the aggression and swallowed nervously. "They call him The Shepherd. His real name is Aida Kensuke. He was a nerd in Junior Highschool, friends with a jock named Suzahara Touji, and a close friend of one Ikari Shinji." Bastion stood up. "Kensuke was never considered a real threat during the war, never even considered as a pilot despite his desire to be one. He was a meddler, nothing more, and what damage he could do was virtually nonexistent. Now look at him. He wasn't even this powerful during the Kyoto Incident! If we knew now what we knew then, we would have had him killed before the impact."

"His power is incredible, Kane-sama," one of the men noted.

"Indeed… his AT Field appears to be fortified with some kind of plasma field making even our faux-Longinus weapons useless against him. Perhaps if they are dense enough to survive the heat they may penetrate the field. But he also appears to have greatly enhanced strength and speed, as well as the ability to negate gravity allowing him to fly despite not having any wings of his own. And I'd love to know precisely how he is able to summon those blades and the proxy lances he used to implode two of the JSSDF's helicopters. He was barely a TL3 during the Kyoto Incident. Now he's easily an 8 or 9."

"So what do we do now?"

"We're going to organize a strike into Tokyo-3 before the Nephilim have a chance to establish their defenses. I want to Horaki's, and if possible Ayanami as well. But where in the nine hells did all those fuckers come from? There couldn't have been that many Nephilim in the city!" He growled. "Either way, all other personel are to prepare the base for evacuation. Succeed or fail, the Nephilim will be coming for us next."

Langxi, China: One Hour Later

Asuka sat up slowly, still feeling a pull in her stomach. Kaworu was sitting on the bed in his usual spot, though he looked concerned.

"What is it?" Asuka asked in a soft voice.

"The Shepherd has returned," Kaworu replied. "He has declared Tokyo-3 to be holy ground. I just received word that the Nephilim in the underground are on the surface now preparing the city for another potential JSSDF offensive."

Asuka looked worried. "Things could get out of hand. Why has the Shepherd come back?"

"He claims Shinji-sama told him to come and make Tokyo-3 the new Zion."

Asuka thought about that a moment. "It would make sense. It is the closest city to the Black Moon, and therefore… paradise."

"Do you know who The Shepherd is?" Kaworu asked her.

"No," she honestly replied. "I only know he demonstrated along with the Nephilim in Kyoto before the massacre, and that he's thought to be the first Nephilim discovered.

"His name is Kensuke Aida."

"What?! That stooge?!"

"He was one of the people closest to Shinji during the angel wars. In a way, it's only fitting that he was chosen to be his voice. He has become quite powerful I am told."

Asuka lay back down. "Why not you? You were closer in the end."

Kaworu chuckled softly. "But in the end, I was basically his Judas Iscariot. Only instead of getting my 30 pieces of silver, I received death."

"But angels don't die," Asuka pointed out.

"No… Angels don't truly die."

He stood up. "If The Shepherd was told to establish Tokyo-3 as a holy city, then perhaps Shinji is done building his strength and preparing himself for what needs to happen. He created this world and chaos resulted, but he is not done yet."

"God's can't directly interfere can they?"

"They can but usually don't," Kaworu replied. "But they usually control events in other ways, like bestowing power, inspiring their faithful, and even giving individuals a higher calling. Kensuke is playing his role, I'm sure we will have our parts to play soon enough." He looked at her. "We need to get you better, and get this Makhai situation sorted out, and quickly. We will be needed soon."

Is it bright where you are?

Have the people changed?

Does it make you happy? You're so strange…

And in your darkest hour,

I hold secret's flame

We can watch the world devoured in its pain

Strange…