Creation began on 01-18-23
Creation ended on 01-19-23
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Sword of Destruction, Sword of Life: Escaping the Abyss
Misato had to give Shinji credit for his use of a demon sword to escape from the depths of Hell. But the sight of Tokyo-3 still getting chewed at by the portal to Hell in the sky Gendo left was an eyesore.
"How do you close something like that?" Asuka asked him as he raised his Tessaiga up.
"Throw away the black hole with another black hole and pray to the kami that they burn each other out," Shinji responded. "We're not in the underworld, anymore, so whatever gets sent to Hell…goes to Hell. Haaaurgh!"
I'm He swung the sword and released a large meidō that flew towards the hellish sphere in the sky above the Geo-Front. It collided with the sphere and began sucking it into itself, tendrils, tentacles and all. In less than a minute, it was all gone, leaving a clear sky…and a damaged city…with a big hole in the ground that exposed the Geo-Front.
"Even though the city got maimed," Misato stated, "I never thought I'd be happy to see the actual sky from down here."
"Yeah," Shinji agreed with her, but only on that; he was relieved that the path to Hell was closed, but that sword his father wielded, and in turn was wielded by, was still out there, and until it was dealt with it, the pathway could be created again and this madness would just pick up where it left off. It will come for me. There's no doubt about that happening.
-x-
This world was not the feudal era where humans were fighting one another for power and such, but it was still a world where humans thrived and were at the top of the pecking order…or so they wanted to believe. As it walked through an alleyway, Sō'unga looked up at the sky and knew that its portal to Hell could be remade and all that was from this world of the living would be consumed into the realm of the damned. But only after it dealt with its latest adversary: Shinji Ikari, the owner of Tessaiga and Tenseiga.
There can be only one with the power to rule this world that is flourishing with souls, Sō'unga thought as it went into a building that had been vacated, to bide its time.
-x-
It was going to be a challenging time to adjust, but with Gendo gone, command of NERV fell to Fuyutsuki, who ordered Major Katsuragi to make sure that Tokyo-3 had been evacuated until further notice.
Against his lesser judgment, Shinji allowed the NERV medical personnel to examine him, and they couldn't find anything wrong with him that had been prior to having the Tenseiga used to revive him in Hell.
"…So…Hell?" Ritsuko asked Shinji as they were walking down the hallway.
"There's nothing else I can say about it, other than the fact that it exists and it's where I left my father," he told her. "He brought that fate upon himself. He has only himself to blame for being trapped there."
"So, he can't come back? Ever?"
"He can never come back."
"And the others? The people he killed?"
"Some were brought back to life, but the majority are still dead…and I can't revive them yet."
"Why not?"
"Because one the two swords my father used is still out there. So long as it's out there, hiding in the shadows, nobody is safe from it."
"And the Angels?"
"I'm not sure I'm even worried about them, anymore. There's a belief that when your life ends, you're supposed to have the answers to your questions you never had answers for. And that's a revelation most don't expect, even when nothing else happens."
"What do you mean?"
Shinji looked down the hall and saw Misato, Rei and Asuka and sighs.
"When you hide the truth with lies, what becomes truth and what becomes nothing but lies?" He told her. "You take gambles that offer no guarantee of success…and you end up paying a price that nobody should have to pay…and when you take gambles with deliberate intent, knowing full well of the repercussions…it brings into question not how much you want to succeed…but just how desperate you are to want to avoid the worst when the worst may be yet to come because you made choices that carry consequences you have yet to comprehend."
With a clean bill of health, Shinji walked over to the three ladies that practically went to Hell and back for him, leaving the faux-blond to wonder if he knew more than he let on…simply from getting killed once by his father. If it was possible, if the boy did know more than he did previously…then he likely no longer had the fear of the end of the world by the Angels. And then, there was the way he looked at her when he said this all; there was this sense of conviction, of a lack of concern, different from Gendo when he was in charge.
Does he really know about Lilith? She wonders as she sees the boy talking to the three…and then seeing the hyper-aggressive redhead hug him, which was a surprise to the scientist because of the illogical behavior being witnessed.
Then the albino girl went and hugged him, further confusing the woman.
To be continued…
A/N: This was meant to be short and just show that Shinji and the ladies had returned to NERV HQ, but it also shows that Sō'unga is hiding in the city and will come after Shinji in due time. What do you think so far?