Creation began on 04-27-21

Creation ended on 09-01-21

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Sword of Destruction, Sword of Life: Broken, but not beaten

A/N: Even when we think it's over, that something is inevitable, it's hardly the truth.

Clash! Even though he was still weak from his injuries, Shinji was able to counter every sword strike his father made against him with Tessaiga blocking Sō'unga and Tōkijin.

"You're weaker!" Gendo told him, swinging Tōkijin at him and barely hitting his head, only managing to cut a few strands of hair off. "What happened to your tenacity from earlier?!"

"You know what happened," Shinji responded, feeling overwhelmed in his arms and legs.

The ground shook and from afar, Unit-02 had emerged from underground, and was armed with an axe, looking down at them.

Shinji had every right to suspect that Asuka had every intention to use that ax on his father, but he was in the way. He had one move to make…and he had to hope that he was strong enough to accomplish it.

"Kick-ass scum!" He yelled as he raised up his right leg…and let his old man have it as hard as he could muster, sending Gendo flying backwards, thirty feet away from him. Damn!

-x-

"Whoa, Shinji," went Asuka, impressed by the brute force that the boy put to use against his old man. "You have tenacity up the Japan Trench."

With Gendo away from Shinji, the risk of harm would apply only to Gendo as Asuka brought the axe up to bring down on him.

"Take this, arschloch!" She cursed as she brought the axe down on him.

Clash! Gendo countered with Tōkijin and Sō'unga, grunting as he felt his leg bones fracture a bit under the pressure.

"Worthless pilot!" He yelled…and pushed back the axe with force great enough to rival that of an Eva's, sending Unit-02 staggering back a few steps. "Stand in my way, and you suffer your fate as those before you did!"

He swung Tōkijin at Unit-02's left arm and sent a wave of energy at it that sliced it off!

"Aaaahh!" Asuka screamed in agony at how this man used a demonic sword to cut off a piece of Unit-02 like it was made of paper.

Shinji feared the worst if Gendo decided to hack something that was more severe to Asuka, like Unit-02's head, causing her to suffer from the mere sensation of feeling like her own head had been decapitated, and he knew the man wouldn't hesitate to do so. Trying to lift up Tessaiga again, he groaned from the intense pain in his muscles and joints as he held the sword.

"Aaaurgh! Aaaurgh!" The agony was so unbearable. I just want to drop dead for a little while!

Gendo returned his attention towards Shinji and smirked at his suffering. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Shinji, despite his conviction, despite his willingness to do everything in his power to stop him, was running on fumes now. Injuries aside, there was no hope on Earth or in Heaven that gave this brat a fighting chance against him.

Don't underestimate him just yet, the voice of Sō'unga told him. So long as he has Tessaiga and Tenseiga, he can still turn this all around, even at the cost of his very life. Cut his arms off.

Gendo walked over towards Shinji and brandished Sō'unga to drive him onto his knees.

"Ha!" He yelled as he swung Sō'unga down on Shinji.

Clash! Shinji blocked with Tessaiga, but felt more fractures form in his bones.

"Aaaurgh! Grrraugh!" He groaned as he had his left hand on the back of Tessaiga's blade.

"Oh, sure, these swords may give you the power to restore life to the dead or end it for the living that become your adversaries," Gendo told him, "but in the end, boy, you will always be too human…and too pathetic to do what is necessary."

Within Unit-02, Asuka could see that Shinji, despite giving it his all to defend himself, was pretty much on his remaining legs unless he had time to recover.

"Asuka, grab a handful of dirt and toss it at them," she heard Misato say to her over the intercom.

"What?! Dirt?! That won't hurt his father!"

"It's not supposed to hurt him."

She realized where her commanding officer was going at, and made her Eva grab a handful of dirt beside it and toss it into the air over the two swordsmen.

Gendo felt the weight of the dirt falling over them and backed away from Shinji, who fell backwards on the ground, partially covered by the dirt.

Asuka grabbed another handful of dirt and threw it at Gendo as quick as she could.

Gendo used Tōkijin to destroy the incoming dirt and ran towards Unit-02.

"Spreading AT-Field!" She gasped, erecting the Eva's field, hoping that it would keep him away.

Bash! Gendo felt like he just ran into a glass wall in front of him, and swung his swords at the Eva's AT-Field.

"Grrrrraaurgh!" He yelled at the Eva. "You're gonna die today!"

He kept swinging his swords at her AT-Field. Each time Gendo struck the field with his swords, it got weaker. No matter how tough the Evas were intended to be against the Angels, they were useless against other factors that were beyond themselves. Once the field was down, he was going to stab that egotistical girl in her chest.

"Haaaurgh!" He swung Sō'unga again at the field…and it cracked in front of him.

"Verdammt!" Asuka cursed; it was thought to be impossible for anything but an Angel to affect an Eva's AT-Field, but Gendo got through with just a pair of demonic swords that were more negative than Shinji's, and these were swords that augmented a person's darker character traits, which wasn't the case with Gendo, who was as dark as people could get with Sō'unga. "Oh!"

Gendo was about to strike when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Aaaurgh!" He heard a grunt, and turned around, seeing a sword soaring his way.

Bash! He used Tōkijin to deflect the sword away.

That was Tenseiga, Sō'unga informed him. That sword couldn't hurt you, even if it did hit you! It's Tessaiga that's the greater threat!

Gendo turned his focus on Shinji, who thrust his Tessaiga forward…and right through Gendo's abdomen before he fell to his knees with his hands still holding the hilt.

"Aaurgh!" Gendo groaned, but then laughed at his son's pathetic helplessness. "Ah-ha-ha! How pathetic you are right now. You're too broken to stand, let alone fight. I'd say you have less than a few minutes left to live. Any last words?"

Shinji looked up at him…and smiled.

"I'll see you in Hell," he told him.

Gendo then looked at the sword his son was holding, seeing that the blade was black and looked as though it mirrored the night or the cosmos.

Shinji tightened his grip on Tessaiga and unleashed the power of its fourth form, the Meidō Zangetsuha, which, while Shinji had his doubts would serve as a permanent solution to his father and his demonic swords, could hopefully slow him down for even just a few minutes until he recovered some more.

BLAST! An explosion of darkness enveloped a small space in front of Unit-02, and left only a patch of ripped-up ground where Shinji and Gendo once stood.

"Where…where are they?" Asuka spoke. "Where's that idiot? Where's Shinji?"

-x-

Misato and Rei were left stunned by what happened. There was no trace of either Shinji or Gendo. All that seemed to be left to indicate there was a struggle between father and son…was the sword Shinji threw that his father knocked aside.

-x-

Gendo looked around, seeing only darkness. He still possessed Sō'unga and Tōkijin in his hands. No matter which way he turned his head, there was no trace of Shinji.

"Where am I?" He questioned.

That brat was very reckless, given his injuries and the fact that we forced him to fight instead of recoup, Sō'unga informed him. He has somehow displaced us in a random terrain in the depths of Hell.

"So, this is Hell, then?"

Yes, but it's not eternal for you. Not yet, at least. So long as we're still connected, we can get back to the mortal realm. He's just stalling for time to recover. Very reckless.

"So, he's not dead yet. Where is he hiding?"

Hell is as vast as the mortal realm once used to be. He could be anywhere down here, but if he doesn't have Tenseiga, he's bound to have his own troubles against the dead that dwell down here. The dead and the damned have a ravenous appetite for the flesh and souls of the living.

"He is mine to destroy."

Gendo wandered in the darkness, hearing only the sound of air flowing through a tunnel system. Wherever Shinji was hiding, it'd be the last place he could hide. His life would end in Hell, and, only if necessary, Gendo and Sō'unga would see to it that his agony would become legendary, even in Hell. Earth might've been Hell to a degree due to Second Impact, Shinji would know a new kind of torment…if he wasn't dead yet.

-x-

He was hurt, in more pain than he could admit. Too hurt to scream his lungs out, too wracked to even cry out in pain like a typical teen would, and too weak to even move his arms or legs. Laying on his right side, Shinji wheezed as he started to feel the darkness closing in around him wherever it was he ended up.

Just a little rest, he thought as his eyes closed. Just…a little…rest. They'll…get out soon. I…have…to stop…them.

Then…he was out cold. Maybe…he was a little more than out cold. By his side was Tessaiga, but due to his unconscious state, the demon sword was in his katana form, looking as pathetic as he did right now.

Thump-thump…thump-thump…thump-thump. The sounds of Shinji's heartbeat could be heard through the ground. Thump-thump…thump-thump…thump… They were slowing down…but only just.

-x-

Picking up the discard Tenseiga, Rei looked at the patch of land where Shinji and Gendo had been when they disappeared. Nobody could say where they were because they didn't know. It was a terrible feeling, to not know where Shinji was. And the fact that he was injured because of his father…made the feeling heavier, fearful of his death.

Thump-thump… Rei felt like she had heard a heartbeat somewhere as she turned to face Major Katsuragi and the Second Child.

"I am no longer bound to the Eva because I choose not to be, Ayanami," he had once told her after she learned he had resigned from his position as the pilot of Unit-01. "If piloting the Eva means being made to nearly kill someone that doesn't to die, and nobody deserves to die like that, especially like that, then I don't want that responsibility."

But you didn't leave, she thought. You stayed and continued to face the Angels. You used swords to fight the ones that came. You chose to fight in a different manner. Where are you? Where have you gone, Ikari-Kun?

To be continued…

A/N: Just so that you understand, this is as the title of the chapter states; Shinji is broken, but he's not beaten. He's injured, down…but not out of the game. Not yet. Wait and see, and don't forget to tell me what you think of this chapter. Stay safe, sane and full of good thoughts.