Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

75. Friday - August 14, 2015: Part 2

A brief slice of time and space, amidst the realm of dream and memory.

Afar, across a vast ocean of orange(?), there were...voices? She couldn't recall.

Great titans (not giants, but things with unbelievable presence) observed the world from within and without: a great skull, amidst a legion of celestial monsters; a false king sitting upon a stolen throne; a long-nosed man(?) sitting amidst a haze of blue...

She didn't know what to make of them.

However, their gazes were all focused upon a young boy(?), living upon the world...yet he was bound in the embrace of a violet Beast.

She knew him, somehow.

"Curious, how events seem to revolve around him, is it not?"

Down at her feet was a penguin.

"And here you are, being drawn into his orbit as well..."

The penguin seemed to be smiling, somehow.

"...of course, given who you are, that's only reasonable, yes?"

She saw all of this, as through a glass darkly. (There was orange light...and a wall of glass...?)

"Do be careful. Much depends upon you, as well."

Reality came crashing back in-

xxxx

Asuka Langley-Sohryu jolted awake to find herself submerged. WHAT-?!

On instinct, she did not breathe, nor did she flail or struggle. (Combat in all sorts of different situations had forced her to get better at responding in an instant.) Instead, she reached for her heart, willing Unit-02 to manifest in a spark of burning blue and flickering orange. As cognition and spirit merged, Asuka was pulled to the surface by Unit-02. Her titan's green eyes gleamed, serving as proverbial beacons amidst the waters of the Atlantic. Looking around (it was still so dark, there was barely a hint of light from a sun that had yet to breach the horizon; most of the stars were still visible, what time was it?), she frantically tried to recall what had happened before going to sleep the prior day:

- Departing from the Spanish port of Marin;

- Using an old Boeing 929 hydrofoil that had once been owned by the long-defunct Kirijo Group for travelling (because of COURSE Mitsuru would think of that as a 'small charter boat');

- Marvelling over how most of the passenger seats had been taken up by spare fuel, because besides the skeleton crew taking them to Boston-2, she and Makinami were the only passengers;

- Being told to go to bed by Sister Mary (politely, but in that sort of stern manner that brooked no argument whatsoever), grumbling as she nestled her body across a whole row of passenger seats;

- A cacophonous rupturing of metal and surging water, echoing through her subconscious-!

...and that's when I woke up. The ruins of the hydrofoil floated upon the water, illuminated only by the flickers of burning fuel. "Sister Mary?" she impulsively cried out. "MARI?!" A distant gasp sounded, accompanied by a dull glow of orange that seemed to light up the night. As Unit-02 waded over towards it, she could make out the outline of a nun in a soaked habit. "Sister Mary!"

"...that...was sudden," she breathed heavily, focusing intently upon maintaining the spiritual barrier keeping her suspended a few inches above the waters of the Atlantic. "Do you know...what happened...?"

Asuka shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Suddenly, there was a distinct sensation from below...one that swelled, forming a large dome of water in the distance. Even in the darkness of the early morning, the water could be seen, blotting out the stars along the horizon.

"Your doom is nigh, lilim!"

With a thunderous burst, a gargantuan fish erupted from the water, arching over to crash down on them.

Even though Sister Mary impulsively grabbed her protectively, Asuka merely snorted. So that's what destroyed our ride. "This is how it's going to be, is it?"

Her Other huffed.

"What a rude creature."

The Beast cracked its knuckles.

"We'll have to do this the hard way..."

"Hang on tight, Sister Mary. Focus your soul towards mine."

The nun audibly startled. "Huh? What are you doing?"

"Just shut up and trust me!" Snarling, Asuka kept a hand on both Sister Mary and Nigoki, trying to focus her soul and her mind — her intentions and will and consciousness, her everything — towards delving into that strange and otherworldly place that the Angels seemed to call home.

(The sensation of the Angel's presence — the one known as Matarael, a fact she did not know and would not have cared to know — had weighed heavily upon her, prompting her to delve into the Metaverse. Following it took her to a strange and bizarre place, lined with eyes, creeping limbs, and acidic geometry; however, it gave her the chance to finally take down one of the monsters she had been chasing for years.)

Inexorably, the water around them seemed to part, and they fell away; deeper and deeper, until the ocean seemed to form an infinite column around them, with the Angel pursuing them from above. "Miss Sohryu, what's happening?!"

"TAKING US TO WHERE THAT THING'S CORE IS LOCATED!" Because 'Core' fit as well as anything.

"...I don't think I'm prepared for this sort of combat!" protested the religious.

"Consider it a crash course! Besides, it beats drowning!"

As they fell further (fell deeper), Asuka could somehow see more easily (more clearly), despite the fact that there was no obvious source of light (notwithstanding how the sun had yet to rise!); the waters around them took on a grayish tinge, chaotic and whirling. However, before long, the infinite column transformed into a swirling whirlpool with a placid pool in the center; amidst the still waters, Mari Makinami was able to stabilize her A.T. Field with greater ease, even though she looked like a waterlogged mutt with a mulish expression. "This place feels...intimidating..."

"We'll deal," grunted Asuka, somehow feeling the slight strain on her own soul that Mari's presence represented. (Was it a consequence of bringing her along? Better than letting her die.) Brushing at her shoulders (oh hey your bodysuit manifested), Asuka then began squeezing water out of her long hair; her eyes focused on the swirling waters of the whirlpool around them, noting silhouettes of various marine lifeforms. Monstrous fish, colossal cephalopods, eldritch cetaceans; it seemed as if every single creature within the ocean had gathered to witness this event. Geez...

"Do you sense the inevitability of it all?"

Looking up, Asuka focused on the gargantuan form of the Angel: with a long, eel-like tail and sweeping fins, one could have easily mistaken it as a giant fish of some sort...but the long mouth seemed just a bit too high, and its teardrop-shaped body had too many fins sticking out of it. With too many teeth and that distinctive avian mask of bone resting atop the crown (if that term even applied to such a creature), there was a decidedly alien impression given off by it...

"Do you sense the sheer might arrayed against you?"

...though, the thing's attitude made it easy for her to scoff at it. A shield of youthful arrogance was easy to muster against such condescension. "Yeah, what about it? Didn't help the last Angel I killed with my bare hands."

"You speak of Matarael: Angel of the Rain...the Premonition of God."

"Pretty grandiose title for something that did nothing but scream at me!"

("Maybe you shouldn't taunt the otherworldly alien fish," muttered Sister Mary under her breath.)

"Such hubris...by what title do you claim such?"

"Kicking all the asses of the Acolytes and Ghosts you keep sending my way...and killing Matarael. That enough, you damn Arschloch?!"

("Language, Miss Sohryu," impulsively grumbled Mari with a roll of her eyes.)

"Then that pride shall serve as your epitaph...and I, Gaghiel, shall send you to your demise!"

Asuka snorted, rolling her neck even as Unit-02 cracked its knuckles. "Los geht's!"

Five jets of water erupted from the side of the whirlpool: aquatic missiles smashed against the A.T. Field of Nigoki, splashing into harmless droplets. With a confident smirk, she retorted, "that all you GOT?!"

"Pride goeth before destruction, Miss Sohryu!" yelled Sister Mary, her hands clasped together tightly as if in prayer.

"Now is not the time for you to quote Proverbs at me-!"

Multiple jets of water stormed at them from all sides; on instinct, Unit-02 thrust its arms out, forming a protective dome forged from her A.T. Field. Asuka impulsively ducked beneath the long legs of her Evangelion, standing protectively near Sister Mary's side. "Please don't say 'I told you so'," griped Asuka.

"That would be rubbing it in, which wouldn't be helpful currently!" yelled the tertiary, her hands trembling tightly. Under her breath, Mari whispered, "Angele Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna, illumina, custodi, rege, et guberna. Amen..."

Asuka briefly pondered at the irony of praying for the aid of a guardian angel when fighting an 'Angel', but voicing that aloud wouldn't really accomplish anything. (Other than increasing the level of local snark, which would only distract Sister Mary from her prayers, and now was not the time for that.) If nothing else, it was better than listening to the prattling from the giant Moby Dick reject.

"Can you withstand the deluge?"

"Adjuva nos, Deus salutaris nostri, et propter gloriam nominis tui libera nos; et propitius esto peccatis nostris propter nomen tuum..."

Compared to the quiet recitations from Sister Mary (nigh-unhearable as they were amidst the aquatic onslaught), Gaghiel's words were a massive boom. "Will your comrade be able to maintain the integrity of her spirit? If you fall, the sea shall consume you...yet even your strength isn't enough to withstand the tide!"

"Oh just SHUT UP already!" screamed Asuka.

"-quoniam ex omni tribulatione eripuisti me; et super inimicos meos despexit oculus meus-"

Think Asuka, think! Her mind strained and her muscles quivered, even as Unit-02 withstood the rampant onslaught of the highly pressurized seawater. The environment's working against you; how can you turn it against the Angel?!

Without warning, Gaghiel was ejected from the side of the whirlpool, sailing through the air courtesy of a great blow; although it crashed back into the water on the other side of the vortex, the interruption was enough to stop the onslaught of water for just a little while. The cause of the sudden turnaround quickly became apparent: soaring down towards them with outstretched fists were a blunette in a white bodysuit and a spectral cyclops in orange armor. "Ayanami? What are YOU doing here?!"

The First Child landed with a silent thud upon Sister Mary's A.T. Field, red eyes narrowed in preparation for the upcoming battle. "Your scheduled itinerary had you in the middle of the Atlantic during this month's new moon; the chance of an attack in such a vulnerable location was too high to ignore."

Sister Mary cracked open an eye. "Are you here to deliver us from this troublesome calamity, Miss Ayanami?"

"That is my intention."

With a sly smile in Asuka's direction, the nun added, "then I'll consider your presence an answer to my prayer."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "But seriously, why are you here?" she demanded, turning her gaze back towards the form of Gaghiel; it loomed amidst the swirling slopes of the whirlpool, seemingly observing them in silence. "You'd leave the new kid alone on the new moon?"

"I doubt that he is alone," remarked Ayanami, clenching her fists as Zerogoki groaned, as if preparing for the strife of the pending conflict. "And I doubt that you would turn away assistance at this point."

"...well, I could..." muttered Asuka.

Her Other snorted.

"True. But will you?"

"...but I'll take what I can get." Vaulting onto Unit-02's shoulders, she said, "mind keeping an eye on Mari?"

"I will keep her safe," vowed Rei.

"And I'll keep us from falling into the water," murmured Sister Mary before she went back to her prayers.

"Good." Asuka cracked her knuckles, smirking in spite of herself. "Then let's go fishing." With devil-may-care bravado, Nigoki surged forward, leaping towards the dark shadow of Gaghiel within the vortex.

xx

As the Second Child and her Evangelion smashed into the form of Gaghiel, a storm of A.T. Fields and surging water erupted; amidst the chaos, Rei Ayanami could barely see Asuka and Unit-02 clutching to one of the Angel's fins.

"...that girl is going to be the death of me," grumbled the religious, hands still clasped together. With a strained grimace, Mari asked, "Miss Ayanami...you've never assisted Miss Sohryu before, during the new moon...do you believe Mister Ikari is capable of protecting Japan by himself?"

"...all of Japan...I am not sure." Yet, in this stage of the Angels' war against humanity, a victory against one would count for a lot in the coming months. If we're facing Gaghiel...then perhaps Ikari-kun is facing Israfel? A solo conflict against that duo would be difficult...but doable. Perhaps Sandalphon...no. Now is not the time to worry. Even if he faced one of the more powerful Angels, she could do naught but have faith in him...and hope that his bonds would carry him through. Especially Mister P...he'll intervene if things go wrong.,,

xx

/Elsewhere in the Metaverse/

Mister P sat upon Gryphon's back, arms crossed stoically as his Persona flew at high speeds through the rhythmic skies of the cognitive world. "We must be swift, if we are to provide reinforcements..."

With a haughty snort, Gryphon's wings flapped even harder.

xx

Shaking her head, Rei simply took up a defensive position besides Mari Makinami. "I trust in his ability." There is no choice BUT to do so.

"...standing against these false Angels can be an awful lonely task, Miss Ayanami."

"...that would be true...if he were alone."

xxxx

Meanwhile, several time zones eastward, on the island of Japan...as the light of the sun crossed over its highest point in the sky...another battle continued, but with a strange and unforeseen twist...

xxxx

/Armisael's Domain/

Shinji Ikari still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Mayumi Yamagishi had a Persona.

Nor that it kind of...looked like the Angel they were fighting.

(There was definitely something to that.)

(Think about it later!)

"You are very bold, lilim..." The double helix of Armisael spun rapidly, as golden drops of light dropped from its form. "...then I shall unmake you with the powers born of human cognition!"

"Ah great, more Archetypes?!" griped Toji. "Come up with something new!"

'Everyone, please listen.'

Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana jolted at the voice echoing inside their minds, turning towards their levitating friend. "Did...does your Persona give you telepathy?!" yelped Aida.

'I'm not sure if it's a function of being in the seat of Armisael's power, but I intend to exploit it while I have it,' mentally chimed Mayumi; one of the protean spheres, hovering within the gaps of her Persona's double helix, floated over towards her right palm. 'Think of it like what Madam Gamariel was capable of doing in Duke of the Rings.'

"I don't know what that is," retorted Mana.

'Oh. Erm...well, never mind that!' The sphere in her palm transformed into the facsimile of a book; she flipped through several pages, eyeing it intently. 'I think...no, I KNOW what Armisael's going to summon; I can read the patterns in the thought-waves...and it's going to be in this position!'

"...mild precognition?" Kensuke grinned. "Sweet!"

As if the information was beamed into their heads, the quartet all moved as one; the golden light was transforming and coagulating into a monstrous Archetype. "Go!" shouted Mayumi, almost desperately.

They leaped into action, knowing exactly what to do.

As the shining liquid coalesced into the form of an angelic warrior with black wings and red armor, complete with spear and shield — a Power Archetype — the four were already attacking:

- Mana's axe shimmered as it bit into the shield, distracting it.

- Gilgamesh roared "Eiga!", flinging a ball of cursed energy into the angel's torso.

- Ozymandias leapt upon the Power's shoulder, flicking his shepherd's crook. "Dazzler!"

- Briefly stunned and dazed by the simultaneous onslaught, it was unable to avoid Unit-01 — overshadowed by the form of Hamlet — grasping its face. "Mudo."

Weak as it was to Dark skills, and unable to dodge or get out of the way, the Power could only shriek as the sickly aura of red and black consumed its form, utterly destroying it.

"...what?" Armisael honestly sounded befuddled.

Even as she inwardly giggled, Mayumi — bursting with confidence that was downright invigorating — adjusted her monocle with a grin. "Just as planned!"

Armisael spun, dropping more golden light onto the ground. "Intriguing...let us see the extent of your capacity, then!"

Mayumi flipped to different pages in her book. 'Okay...I think the Angel's summoning Red Rider...got it!'

As Yamagishi's knowledge and plan beamed itself into their heads once more, Shinji began the mental switch over to Kuchisake-onna, while Kensuke, Toji, and Mana moved into different positions. I hope we'll be able to keep ahead of the Angel...

'Don't worry! I'm working on it!'

(...this would take some getting used to.)

xxxx

Meanwhile, in Nishiawakura, Ren Amamiya and Sojiro Sakura were sitting nonchalantly...for the most part.

There was a distant boom, indicative of an explosion. "...that was the third one in the past half hour," flatly said Ren. I wonder if it was from the downtown area?

(Little did he know that Ken Amada and Junpei Iori were coordinating with Zenkichi Hasegawa and local law enforcement to try and physically restrain the Acolytes that did manifest. Little did he know that in the Metaverse, Ryuji, Katsuragi, and Kurosawa were busy striking at their Shadows whenever they were corrupted by Angel Syndrome. All in all, most of the explosions were due to the village's defenders endeavoring to keep the Acolytes away from the frightened populace...alas, he wasn't in any position to provide assistance.)

"It's why I didn't really have much interest in going out to where everyone normally gathers during the new moon," muttered Sojiro, watching the government news channel with a detached air. His hands casually stroked Enkai's fur, as if uncaring of the fact that death could visit without warning. "With all the people who vanished into the Metaverse yesterday, I'm sure a few of the more cussed types figured to hoof it on their own as well."

"Even if it means their Shadows may be rendered more vulnerable due to not being around a place cognitively engineered to keep them in a serene state of mind?" When Sojiro shot him an intrigued look, he hadded, "you don't hang around a bunch of A.T. Agents and a Cognitive Freelancer without picking up some of their lingo."

"Fair enough." Leaning back in his chair, the older barista calmly remarked, "guess I just don't feel up to going through the normal motions. The little chat I had this morning took it out of me."

"...were my kouhai in a good mood?"

Sojiro sighed. "More like they were determined to do what was right. Can hardly blame 'em, given what they've been through." Shooting him a wry look, he asked, "what about you?"

Ren shrugged, trying to hide his true mood from his host. "I just volunteered to take care of one of my school assignments." (Partially true.) "All of this stuff...not exactly what I signed up for." (Technically correct: the best kind of correct.) Rising to his feet, he placed his old backpack over his shoulders, heading towards the door.

"You going for another walk?" asked Sojiro with some concern.

"Just doing another look around the yard. I'd be a poor guest," heh, "if I let anything happen to my host."

"...if it makes you feel better. Goodness knows I can't exactly do anything to stop kids with a death wish."

"It's just a walk around your house."

"True. In case Katsuragi asks, tell her I scolded you severely for daring to step outside during a new moon."

"Can do," he easily joked, sliding the door open to step outside. If nothing else...he had fallen into a familiar sort of banter with the old codger that was both nostalgic and pain-inducing. With a quiet sigh, he looked at the valley holding Nishiawakura — pointedly ignoring the smoke rising to the north from somewhere in town — and stepped onto the grass...only to pause. Hold up. Something...was off. Where'd all the cats go? Even if they had been frightened by the events of the new moon, his prior patrols had revealed that they sat around the perimeter of the old ryokan, gazing outward as if they were sentries. Now...they were completely absent. I wonder why...maybe it has something to do with the Acolyte charging up the hill. Indeed, a rather elderly fellow — late 70's, easily — was sprinting with rather impressive speed towards the ryokan. "...well then." With a dramatic sigh (because damn it this was probably gonna be a pain, and why was he looking forward to it?!), he quietly stepped away from the house...and began waving his arms in the air in a rather chaotic and uncontrolled manner.

Naturally, the Acolyte, eyes wide with unrestrained rage, turned towards him.

That's right, follow me! He backed away, even as the berserker got closer; reaching into his backpack with one hand, he gingerly backstepped towards what appeared to be the threshold into the forest (but it was so much more, the ripples were increasing by the minute, ripples that bled from reality into the world of cognition...!). Right as the Acolyte caught up — hand reaching out to strangle him — he crossed the threshold.

(With a seamless movement, he placed a familiar mask onto his face, right as he exited physicality and entered the Metaverse.)

So did the Acolyte.

With a burst of azure fire, Joker now stood where Ren Amamiya had once been; with a casual fall, he took advantage of the Acolyte's momentum to kick it over him and into the woods, and his senses were suddenly screaming at him danger DANGER DANGER-!

Joker popped up onto his hands, using his backwards roll to vault over the monstrous arm that would have reduced him to paste. Landing adroitly on his feet, Joker backed several meters away, gazing up at his new attacker. "Ah. No wonder you were drawn to this place." Gazing upon the hulking monstrosity that was the Acolyte's Shadow, Joker couldn't help but feel that this was just a tad bit unfair. Don't have a ferry full of Archetypes or plainclothes policemen to distract it this time either. Alas, it was preferable to letting the Acolyte and his Shadow advance towards the cognitive double of Sojiro's house. "It'd be kind of rude to destroy that place, you know? It's quite nice. Lots of good thinking's been done there...not that you'd know anything about that sort of thing, now."

The Acolyte, having leapt onto his giant Shadow's shoulder, merely screamed at him. The masked Shadow echoed his sentiment with a bestial roar.

"...well, worth a shot." With a devil-may-care grin, Joker turned on his feet and darted into the woods to the north of where Sojiro's home was built. "CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"

The Acolyte and his Shadow obliged, stampeding their way through the cognitive woods in pursuit of their new prey.

Clusters of Archetypes were in hiding on this day, reflective of the general dread and trepidation associated with the new moon; any Archetypes related to fear and terror, if any, would only spawn near where the villagers had been gathered.

It made Joker's run through the cognitive woods a bit empty, alas. A shame; I could use one right now. If only to break them down into a one-time weapon or tool...

SMASH!

Well, beggars can't be choosers! Seamlessly scaling a cedar, Joker glanced a look over his shoulder-WHOA GEEZ. With a quick back flip, he barely avoided the missile of timber; the Acolyte's Shadow had grabbed a tree and thrown it like a javelin. Right as he landed upon the branches of another tree, he sensed the Acolyte scaling the bark with frenzied focus. "Ah, a pincer maneuver. Classic!" Banter and boasts were easy, and ironically honed his mind. (Even if he didn't have a team or an audience to show off for, some things just didn't fade with age.) "But I've seen better from Slimes!" Jumping onto higher branches, Joker kept ahead of the Acolyte...until, as the trunk became sufficiently thin, he jumped back down, dropping right beneath the Acolyte. The berserker barely had the chance to look at him before Joker, landing on the branch below, slashed at the tree with his dagger.

(A mere dagger, born from his pocket knife, should not have been capable of this.)

(But Joker's blade had sliced through the hardiest of monsters.)

(Cognition is king.)

The cedar was cut through seamlessly; Joker pressed his foot against the falling trunk, sending it — and the Acolyte by proxy — crashing down to the forest floor.

CRUNCH!

The Acolyte's Shadow retaliated with a hulking fist, shattering the tree's trunk at the base.

"Too slow!" Before he could enter free fall, Joker bounced off of the cedar, using his Third Eye to adroitly navigate his way down the canopy and back to the forest floor. Rolling and hopping back to his feet, he looked back and shouted, "you're supposed to shout TIMBER!"

The Acolyte and his Shadow answered with defiant roars.

"Fair enough. My retort." Joker whipped out his handgun, firing a few shots. "Come on, I know you're not tired yet!"

And so the chase resumed.

xxxx

/Armisael's Domain/

Mayumi Yamagishi's foresight and plans had enabled the quartet of Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana to take down Armisael's summoned Archetypes. Red Rider? Ruined. Zouchouten? Blown away. Arahabaki? Annihilated. Thoth? Despaired and Psi'd into oblivion.

"Any idea why it's not throwing a whole damn army at us like before?" asked Mana.

"I don't know, don't care, and I hope it stays that way!" retorted Toji, furiously snacking on some fruit gummies that were stuffed into his pockets.

"...maybe...the Angel doesn't want to...?" wondered Shinji aloud.

"...or perhaps Armisael cannot," remarked Mayumi, reading from a scroll. Releasing it — wherein it seamlessly transformed back into a glossy sphere, floating back into the gaps between the double helix of her Persona. It was such a strange thing, looking between the Angel and Mayumi, to compare and contrast. The glowing helical ring was obvious, yet Mayumi sat on her proverbial throne, serving as the 'core' of her Persona, akin to the Angel's own red Core. It was almost like looking into a twisted mirror.

His Other gazed quietly at the skull.

"Curious...is she a reflection of the Angel?"

Turning the bone over, he looked...contemplative.

"Or is the Angel a reflection of her?"

"A curious transformation, we must admit...one that has granted you some measure of insight," echoed Armisael's majestic voice. "Bound as you were to me, it is only natural that our nature would inform yours. That it would manifest in this way, however...I did not foresee."

"...in retrospect...your true voice...used to speak almost exclusively with plural pronouns...now there is a mix of plural and singular." The yellow eye behind the half-mask on her face blazed with insight. "How shocked were you, truly? How much did I take from you, when manifesting my Persona?"

"Enough to be a nuisance."

"...you've always spoken of pain. Of loneliness. Of...dread. Yet...it's not just mine. It can't have been just mine..." Gingerly standing upon her floating throne of glistening onyx, Mayumi stared directly at the shifting imagery on the Angel's crimson Core. "...what has driven you to this? Why...why do you seek to destroy humanity?"

"A question that no answer of ours would satisfy...there is no point in trying."

"Forfeiting the argument before even offering a counter? Sounds like a weak position to me!" retorted Kensuke.

"We know that you would not agree: the lilim...humanity...deserve to perish. That you have lasted this long is a testament to your wretchedness and our own...but all things must end. And your time is now."

"...I don't want to accept that," said Shinji, his right hand subconsciously clenching in a familiar motion. More than the others, he knew of the underlying motive behind the Angels' antipathy. Being in the midst of Armisael's Domain, he decided to take a gamble. "The War in Heaven...how long have you been fighting it in vain? How important is the Throne of God to you?"

(Mana blinked, looking at her fellows with confusion. 'War in Heaven? Throne of God?' she mouthed to the others, only to receive bewildered shrugs from Kensuke and Toji.)

"...that you, of all people, would ask that question...were it not for your ignorance, our rage would outstrip that of Might Incarnate...!" There was a sudden flickering in the clouds around them. "I will make your demise swift."

'Ikari, switch to Shiki-Ouji!'

Mayumi's mental command was immediately heeded; a mere instant later, Armisael's double helix condensed into a solid worm of golden light, from which emerged a lightning-quick tendril that smashed into Unit-01. The physical force was nullified by the inherent nature of Shiki-Ouji, whose silhouette overshadowed Unit-01's form. "Is there nothing else we can do but fight?! You were a part of Yamagishi-san for so long: you know that there has to be another way!"

"Ways which are unpalatable. Ways which are unacceptable. Make life easier for all of us...and SUBMIT!"

xxxx

/Elsewhere in the Metaverse/

Mister P's eyes narrowed. "We're close...time to prepare for battle."

xxxx

Joker pulled the trigger, firing yet another bullet behind him. Releasing the magazine, he pocketed it into his cloak...and pulled it out again, slipping it back into his handgun. Fresh rounds, he mused with confidence, ducking around a tree to dodge the Acolyte. Literally; his Shadow had thrown him like a missile; yet, because the Acolyte's A.T. Field was still a force within the Metaverse (breaking all the 'rules', what else is new...), the berserker wasn't reduced to paste. "I can aim better in my sleep!" he taunted, firing yet again at the hulking Shadow. Despite the relative aplomb with which he was moving...the back of his mind was relatively frantic. Come on, I've caused enough of a racket by now!

The slight bit of betrayal in his own thoughts would be deadly: 'you should be getting hungry by now'; 'get a snack'; 'how far have you run?'; 'man, you might get a cramp soon'; 'you know you wanna go OM NOM NOM.' Stuff like that, because it was hard to keep going on sheer willpower alone. (He was used to having a Dr. Salt NEO or Big Bang Burger to pull out of his pocket, and food could do crazy things in the Metaverse...)

There was a bit of light in the distance, amidst the thick batch of cedars (because seriously, some parts of this forest felt like a freakin' jungle!); darting for it, he tried to get some semblance of his overall location (an exercise in futility, because everything around him looked the freakin' same); gazing at the rhythmic sky, he noted a bit of smoke rising from one direction. Nishiawakura's in that direction then. As the trees behind him cracked and tumbled, he raised his pistol and took aim, firing repeatedly. "Come on come on..." The Acolyte and their Shadow kept charging. "Come on!"

Right as the monstrous duo emerged into the clearing...salvation rained down from above.

xxxx

/Gaghiel's Domain/

Mari Makinami — known as 'Sister Mary' by most — had gotten used to devoting the majority of her thoughts and will to her prayers, to the point where a part of her could detachedly observe events around her. (One of her fellow novitiates had once likened it to 'voluntary simultaneous split personality disorder', which Mari had privately found rather hilarious. Their superior, in her wisdom, had considered it to be denigrating against those who suffered from the disorder legitimately, and had subsequently forbidden such jocularity.) As such, while her lips moved with practice and intent ("-invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiae meae-"), her conscious mind observed the conflict against Gaghiel with lidded eyes.

Rei Ayanami and Unit-00 still stood stalwartly, warding away the jets of seemingly-sentient water that shot at their position; meanwhile, Asuka and Unit-02 hung onto the Angel's flesh for dear life, cutting away at its skin with knives forged from the young girl's soul. The gargantuan creature ripped and roared, spinning and rolling and diving beneath the turbulent waters of the stormy vortex. All that being said...the sensation of the water beneath them was hostile, even alien. ("Dominus exaudiet me cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini, et nolite-") Privately, she wondered as to whether Asuka or Miss Ayanami would find an opportunity to deliver a killing blow.

There was a brief flicker of A.T. Fields intermingling along Gaghiel's back; that brief bit of metaphysical force was enough to loosen Nigoki's grip. A snake formed entirely of water blasted from the sea, smashing Asuka and her Evangelion into the air as though they were rockets.

With a surprisingly agile maneuver, the Angel erupted from the water, mouth wide...and with a horrific SNAP that sent fearful tremors through Mari's heart, bit down upon its enemy. Only the smallest of gaps revealed that Unit-02 — feet propped against the bottom jaw, hands straining against the upper teeth — had kept the voracious Angel from devouring them whole...

xx

Asuka's current spiritual state: between the rushing waters and the Angel's jaw, withstanding ludicrous amounts of force.

Asuka's current mental state: anger, a dash of panic, and several pounds worth of frustration.

Asuka's current train of thought: lots and lots of Germanic slurs, with a few English and Japanese ones thrown in for good measure.

xx

...but just barely, as the monster began to thrash, aiming to pulverize its prey with sheer momentum. Grimacing, Mari looked towards her current protector and yelled, "Miss Ayanami, help her!" When the blunette briefly gazed back at her, she added, "she's INFINITELY more important than I am. HELP her!"

"...very well," murmured the girl. With a seamless movement, she clambered atop Zerogoki's shoulders; the spectral warrior then took off running, leaping off of Mari's stationary A.T. Field. With one great jump, Ayanami and her Evangelion were upon the Evangelion's back, unleashing some manner of icy attack (Mabufudyne, probably?) across the thick flesh-

"And so the utilitarian nature of the lilim is made manifest. I accept your sacrifice!"

With those words, Gaghiel made its will manifest, as a triad of watery jets fired towards Mari's position from the sea.

Even as her mouth continued to move in prayers, that separate part of her mind couldn't help but wince. Well this is a lame way to go...

And then...without warning, salvation came down from above.

xxxx

/Outskirts of Nishiawakura, the Metaverse/

Salvation came in the form of God's Hand.

Unannounced, the titanic fist rocketed down from above, crushing the Acolyte's Shadow. Focused as he was on Joker, the Acolyte's Shadow was hit in the back of the head; unable to dodge (much less defend) itself, the hulking monster was plowed into the ground, head reduced to shadowy mist.

As a puppet cut from its strings, the Acolyte immediately slumped to the ground, courtesy of a very abrupt mental shutdown.

...whew. Lowering his handgun, Joker looked upward with a wry yet grateful grin. "Was wondering who was going to respond."

Sitting atop Seiten Taisei's cloud, Ryuji Sakamoto couldn't help but snort. "Well, dozens of gunshots kind of stick out, even in the Metaverse...especially for a relatively sleepy village like this."

"That was kind of the plan."

"Apparently," dryly said Ryuji, gazing at handgun in his right hand and the dagger in his left. "Where'd you get the pistol?"

"It's just a little squirt gun in the real world."

"And your big shiv?"

"Just a pocket knife."

"...cognition's a hell of a thing. How'd you get here?"

Joker shrugged. "Same thing as yesterday. Could feel a hole open up in reality near Sojiro's place, right as an Acolyte came for a visit. Figured it would be best to distract it until I came across someone with more firepower."

"Probably could have used your Persona — whatever it is — to finish the job."

"Yeah, I could...but then this whole town would probably get wiped off the map." Followed by the entire world, but no need to say anything about that.

Ryuji snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it...anyhow, I'm gonna take you back to Sojiro's so I can get back to work. Be grateful it was me who found you instead of Katsuragi or Kurosawa."

When the sensation of his Social Link with Ryuji Sakamoto (unopened, but just waiting to be freed) served as a clarion call in the back of his mind (much like Sojiro and Zenkichi were), it had been fairly easy to direct his path through the woods to where Ryuji was 'roughly' stationed. (Not that he felt the need to spoil that bit of information.) "Guess I'm just lucky."

"Now you're pushing it...by the way, you've got a pretty interesting Metaverse wardrobe."

With a nostalgic smirk, Joker stuffed his gloved hands into his pocky. "You jelly?"

Unlike the teenager from an entire lifetime ago, the seasoned adult felt no need to pretend. "Heh, a little bit. For a dumbass punk, you've got style."

xxxx

/Gaghiel's Domain/

Salvation came in the form of a buff bird-man in a purple tuxedo...with a red mohawk?

Wait, WHAT?

"Ha HA!" boisterously chortled the stranger, landing in front of Mari just in time to bat away the jets of water with gloved hands. "You'd dare bring the water to bear against the likes of ME? You might as well turn the sky against the wings of the eagles! Speaking of which...Gryphon! WINGS OF FURY!"

Without warning, a masked gryphon descended from above, flapping his shining wings; glowing green fists of energy — empowered wind made manifest — rained down upon Gaghiel's head from above.

Sufficiently distracted by the newcomer, Nigoki slipped out of the Angel's mouth, using its momentum to slide past its sleek skin; finally regaining control, a heavily waterlogged Asuka willed her Evangelion to kick off of the monster's side, vaulting back towards Mari's stationary A.T. Field. Sparing a glance to Mari (eyes impulsively softening as the girl realized she was okay), Asuka immediately demanded "who're you?!"

"A comrade from a long ways off, my dear; you may call me Mister P!"

Asuka blinked, even as she idly squeezed the water out of her long hair. "...wait, the one in those classified reports that had Katsuragi's name on 'em? That Mister P?"

"The very same, I presume."

"...huh. They mentioned a mustache."

"I've since shaved."

This conversation became incredibly weird VERY quickly, idly thought Mari; not one to look a gift horse (or bird) in the mouth, she spoke aloud. "My humblest gratitude for your timely intervention, my good sir."

"Think nothing of it! I knew the First Child was going to be reinforcing you today; however, a battle in the middle of the ocean is fraught with peril! No need to leave the deck stacked unfairly against you."

The reasoning was sound; however, judging by Ayanami's fierce glower as Zerogoki leapt back upon Mari's 'soul boat' (soul floor? Spirit raft? Eh, she'd work on the name later), the girl was not of the same opinion. "I...assumed you would be back in Japan to assist the Third Child if necessary."

"Ah, the lad's doing fine on his own! He's got lovely comrades to help him against Armisael."

Mari never recalled a time where the First Child ever looked angry. However, her eyebrow was visibly twitching. "Did...you say...Armisael? You left him to face the likes of ARMISAEL...?" she slowly ground out.

"Whoa, easy there First," remarked Asuka, who found herself in the odd position of being the one to ease Ayanami's temper. "Don't know who this 'Armisael' is, but we have a fish to fry first!" she said, pointing towards the monstrous fish that was still being harried by Gryphon's long-range attacks...that is, until waterspouts spawned from the side of the whirlpool, forcing the bird-man's Persona to back away out of safety.

"...we will speak about this later," promised Rei, her red eyes simmering with a strange fury that was...otherworldly. Sister Mary tamped down on the impulse to call it an expression of 'divine wrath.'

"Finish the fight first, then you can complain to your heart's content!" With an extravagant flex (and wow that tuxedo fit quite...well...ARGH, one more thing to list the next time she was in the confessional), Mister P stood protectively in front of Sister Mary. "The Angel won't wait forever."

"INDEED!" boomed the angry Angel, its A.T. Field visibly churning through the water around it; the winds began to pick up, to the point where they were now in the eye of a living storm. "I will crush you and scatter your remains to the depths of the seas!"

Rei shot a look towards Asuka; without a word, the redhead simply nodded, before the technicolor duo turned towards their opponent. Jumping atop their Evangelions, the First and Second Children wordlessly returned to the fray.

Mister P, mohawk somehow standing tall amidst the deluge, held up his fists; right as Gryphon landed behind her, creatures formed from autonomous water — looking akin to sharks with legs — clambered upon her A.T. Field. "I hope you don't mind getting soaked, little missy!"

"I've dealt with worse," she solemnly said, trusting in the strength of her new (and undeniably strange) protector. God works in mysterious ways, indeed, she couldn't help but think with a wry smile before returning to her prayers.

As storm and conflict ripped and raged and roared around her, Sister Mary was the picture of serenity.

xxxx

/Armisael's Domain/

Salvation did not come down from above, as far as Shinji and his comrades were concerned.

"Why do you keep resisting?" inquired Armisael; judging by the tone, it was directed at Mayumi.

As Mana — guided by Mayumi's mental plan of action — parried and slapped away the many glowing tendrils of Armisael, Mayumi responded. "Because I'm done just sitting back and letting life happen to me. My life is my story...not yours!"

'Ikari, to your left in two seconds! Suzuhara, get ready for a Speed Buster!'

Shogoki — currently shrouded by the aura of Hamlet — dove to the side, right as a golden worm pierced through the ground. Toji's Persona was already there, trampling over the glowing tendril and inflicting Sukunda in the process.

"Can you not feel the difference, Armisael?" asked Mayumi, even as she read rapidly from a codex. "Unlike before, your mere touch was enough to subvert their souls and bring them to their knees! But now...they're fighting back!"

'Aida, keep firing Dazzler at the coordinates I send you!'

Kensuke wordlessly did so; as Ozymandias swung his shepherd's crook with abandon, flashes of flickering light were erupting in seemingly random spots in the space around the Angel; however, they combined to sufficiently disorient Armisael's blows. Such was the only reason that Shinji — wielding his Bowie knife with strange experience — and Toji — swinging his wooden staff like a madman — were able to protect Kensuke's back from the tendrils that tried to strike at them with abandon.

"You speak with a strange authority, Mayumi Yamagishi. Who gave you the right?"

"I only have as much authority as you can claim," she answered, even as her own Persona glowed in unison with her words. "You've said it yourself, haven't you? You were a part of me, and I was a part of you! And so, in the heart of this place...at the seat of your power and majesty...I can tap into your power...or I can cut it off." To emphasize her point, she tore a page away from her codex.

'Ikari, Mana-san, now!'

Unit-01 swung a sword forged from its soul, while Mana slashed at an angle with LABRYS; the glowing tentacles they encountered were cut away.

The Core of Armisael visibly shuddered, even as the clouds around them rang(?) with the glow(?) of trumpets(?). "You seem to have all the answers, then. Is that what you wish to tell us?"

At this, Mayumi didn't say anything.

"But of course...you are akin to one given a chance to look at the book holding all of life's answers...but only for mere seconds at a time. Is it any surprise that there are gaps in your knowledge?"

"And that's not her fault at all!" retorted Kensuke Aida. "You Angels are just playing with a stacked deck against us, aren't you?!"

The shimmering strands of DNA going through the skies seemed to hiss. "I pity your ignorance...what would you benefit, from all the knowledge in the world? What would you gain, other than absolute despair? What you lose, other than all hope?" The glowing tendrils all wiggled back into the ground, wherein they slowly withdrew back to their point of origin in the sky. "Those greater than any one of us have tried...and failed...what benefit has greater knowledge brought, other than new ways to fail? That is the story of humanity...that is the story of the Angels, on endless repeat...failure after failure, until the end of all things...is it so surprising, that our hatred would grow, that the rage would boil?"

Shinji frowned, looking amidst his comrades. "It...doesn't sound like he's talking to us anymore..."

"Kinda sounds like the Captain when he gets too excited about a meet and starts rambling about whatever comes to mind," muttered Toji, inadvertently sucking much of the gravity away from the situation.

"I think this is a little bit more serious than that," griped Kensuke.

"How many forms did I take, in the Age of Old? How much experience was gained, facing the Memory of Shinji Ikari?" loudly mused Armisael. "How much did we come to learn of the lilim through our bond with Mayumi Yamagishi? Enough to turn the tide...that was our hope...and yet how long has it taken for such hope to bloom? It is a flower that will never see the light of day..."

Mana snorted. "Are you done?"

"Mana-san," interjected Mayumi, hushing Mana into silence. Despite having more right than anyone to despise and hate the Angel for what it had done, she still spoke with...compassion? Pity? Shinji couldn't quite tell. "This path...is it one that you have to walk? Can't you turn away from it?"

"For those born of the Fruit of Life to choose? To have free will? To go against our nature? It once seemed...unthinkable..." The clouds around them began to curdle, becoming dark and heavy. "...but how long have we been submerged within the depths of this unyielding Sea of Souls? How long? HOW LONG?" Armisael's exclamation coincided with a pressure wave that nearly blew all of the humans over. "No...we understand...I understand, now...face-to-face with the fullness of Ikari...the conniving and deceit and guile of my brethren will not be enough. I can sense it, to the depths of my soul...and so I shall descend to the most barbarous depths of the lilim..." The double helix began to spin faster, as Armisael's Core begin to shine even brighter. "...and crush you with OVERWHELMING POWER!"

There was an explosive flash of light, forcing everyone to turn away lest they be blinded.

'...oh no...what...what IS that...?!'

Mayumi's stunned telepathic expression was enough by itself to introduce a trickle of fear into their hearts; as the light faded and their sight returned, the five humans looked up...and up. "Holy..." trailed off Kensuke, reduced to muted awe.

Armisael had transformed, manifesting multiple aspects of the Potentiality it had previously spoken of: hulking olive legs with circular feet connected to an off-white torso that was more 'gaping mouth with teeth' than abdomen; two pairs of similarly colored limbs extended from its side, ending in either curved blades (almost like scythes) or strange projectile cannons of some sort; the olive-colored shoulders of the Angel ended in black wheels that had three spiky spokes each, capable of piercing and tearing with ease; emerging from the flesh above the gaping mouth was a long and sinuous neck of bone (almost like the skeleton of a snake), ending in a long, oblong skull that split into four jaws, all of which were lined with serrated teeth; extending from the Angel's back were two pairs of wings: one colored off-white with feathers (akin to those of a stereotypical angel), the other sharp and angular (glistening like the exoskeleton of an exotic beetle). Finally, hovering above the point where the slim neck met the torso, was the only remnant of what Armisael had originally looked like: a shimmering ring of light, now looking like a true halo. "That is the lesson we have come to learn from you lilim throughout this endless hell: power is everything."

"...that thing's taller than a skyscraper," murmured Mana.

"We can see that!" impulsively retorted Toji out of frustration.

The living cannons at the end of Armisael's upper pair of arms began to glow. "Now...PERISH!"

"TAKE COVER!" yelled Shinji.

VWOM.

xxxx

/...meanwhile, Elsewhere...and Elsewhen.../

In a dark and lonely place, reeking of viscera and fungi and pain...there was a change.

INTEGRATION NOW STANDS AT 40%.
. . .
IT'S BEEN A VERY BUSY DAY.
. . .
INTEGRATION NOW STANDS AT 41.3%
. . .
AH, WHAT A NOSTALGIC NUMBER THAT IS...

The cycle continued onward.

xxxx

/Armisael's Domain/

A humming drone accompanied the sound of two red beams firing. In the next instant, an explosive ball of gas and energy erupted in a great flash of light and sound...and yet, Mayumi, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana weren't consumed, their immediate surroundings suddenly overshadowed.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?!" yelled Toji out of frightened exasperation.

"...Shinji?" said Kensuke with a look of bewilderment. "Where...?" As the cloud of dust and pulverized rock began to fade, his eyes drew up. "...whoa..."

"...are Evangelions supposed to get this big?" asked Toji.

Mana grimaced, teeth audibly grinding together.

'...oh my,' thought Mayumi out loud, echoing their shared sentiments.

xx

Shinji Ikari was now on eye-level with the Angel. Somehow.

Yet, it felt...right. (He ignored the odd phantom twing in his hands, as though he should be holding to a pair...of handlebars?)

Distantly, he realized that he was now standing upon the left shoulder of his Evangelion; overshadowed by the aura of Hamlet, Unit-01 glared with terrible intent at the Angel, promising vengeance.

The Beast seethed with rage...

"This has been long in coming..."

...and EXCITEMENT.

"...let's bring an END to your pitiable state!"

Armisael did not seem impressed. "Let's finish this!"

The scythe arms sliced inward; Shogoki quickly backstepped-

("HOLY-!" yelped Toji as Unit-01's immense foot stepped backwards; with little in the way of warning, Gilgamesh used his massive arms to scoop up Kensuke, Ozymandias, and Mana, dashing away with a swift Speed Riser.)

(Mayumi, sensing the sudden change, had already floated away from the crossfire.)

-and raised its sword; Angelic flesh clashed against spiritual blade, and Shinji could feel the force pressing down on his insides.

His Other stared at his grave.

"...no matter what...take a stand."

With a pained growl, he yanked his sword, drawing Armisael off-balance; with an unwieldy kick, the massive Shogoki forced the Angel backwards-

SMACK!

The Angel's long and sinuous neck slapped into the side of the Evangelion, coiling around with a wicked hiss and the clattering of bone; the neck curled, dragging Unit-01 in closer towards is gaping torso mouth. Teeth teeth lots of teeth, thought Shinji with a spot of panic, impulsively willing Unit-01 to raise its leg; the titanic foot pressed against the wide maw, pressing down hard enough to keep the jaw from closing shut; the Evangelion's arms had also risen into a frantic guard, blocking both the scythe arms whilst also keeping the cannon arms from aiming directly at them. It was a proverbial game of inches...except as big as they were, inches were measured in meters. Kind of. Sort of. (Thinking was hard while fighting a giant-)

Armisael suddenly flapped its wings, and then they were airborne. "Fall within the sight of the heavens!" roared the Angel before it began a divebomb.

Shinji grimaced (not knowing how he hadn't fallen off of Shogoki's shoulder by now, but there were a lot of things he had stopped questioning by now), willing the aspects of his mind to turn over-!

CRASH!

The impact was surprisingly soft; a consequence of the aura of Shiki-Ouji, nullifying the physical impact-and there was Armisael smashing a knee into Unit-01's torso. Snarling, the Evangelion raised its hands, fingers flush together to form a thin edge; with the cry of "Double Shot," bolts of pure concussive force erupted from Shogoki's hands.

"The myriad ways of cognition, exchanging strengths for weakness in an instant!" With a furious snarl, Armisael aimed its arm cannons downward.

VWOM.

Shinji hissed at the stinging sensation that ran across his body; on impulse, he switched to a Persona with something more hard-hitting. "Sledgehammer!" Right as the aura of Shiki-Ouji gave way to Ippon-Datara, a one-handed mallet forged from his soul smashed into the side of the Angel's skeletal head, before coming back around in a backhand, smacking Armisael's torso. The blows were enough to push the Angel away, allowing Unit-01 to scramble clumsily to its feet-

The Angel's torso loosed a wordless roar, unleashing a concussive wave that made Shinji's insides squirm.

His Other and the Beast spoke as one.

"Endure!"

With a heavy breath, Shinji switched from Ippon-Datara to Orthrus; like a beast, Unit-01 went down to all fours as the aura of the two-headed canine overshadowed it. Shinji's scrambled thoughts (you need to keep moving you MUST keep moving if you stand still you'll just keep getting hit take the fight to the Angel do it DO IT) translated into a cry of "Sukukaja." Green light ran across Unit-01's form, right as the beady eyes in Armisael's oblong skull glowed.

CHYOOOM!

Shogoki barely dodged the cross-shaped explosion, already airborne in a leaping tackle; Unit-01's mouth was wide, revealing teeth capped by red metal. Even so, that did not stop the cry of "Double Fangs," as the Evangelion's hands and jaw tore at the Angel. Shrieking with pain and fury, Armisael's scythes slashed repeatedly, whilst the spiky wheels on its shoulder spun rapidly; each time they got close, there was an audible grinding sound (akin to glass being cut by blade) as the Angel's shoulders sliced at his A.T. Field. Too heady with adrenaline — and mounting frustration, as the two giants continued to tussle — Shinji settled for "Agilao," and bolts of fierce fire erupted from Unit-01's mouth.

Human and Angel had been reduced to an animalistic struggle, as soul warred against soul. At this moment, it was a battle of attrition...and in the seat of Armisael's power, it would undoubtedly prove to be the factor in favor of the Angel if left unchecked...

xx

From the edge of Armisael's Domain, the other humans were watching in stunned silence as two titans fought, evoking images of the gods and demons of old. "...anyone suddenly feeling like we're in over our head?" plainly asked Kensuke.

"I've been feeling that ever since I met my Shadow," grumbled Toji. "I've just been trying to keep up."

Mana huffed, tapping the head of LABRYS against the ground. "We should be helping."

"And what are we supposed to do?!" demanded Toji with an angry snarl. "In case you haven't noticed, we'd get crushed if got close to them!"

'...not necessarily...'

The trio turned towards Mayumi; sitting on the floating black throne at the core of her Persona, the girl was busily reading from a scroll, eyes darting back and forth. So busy was she that she hadn't bothered speaking aloud. "What do you have in mind, Yamagishi-san?" asked Kensuke.

'Well...it would just be a matter of timing...but I think we can get into a position to help Ikari-san.' Looking up, Mayumi's dichromatic gaze was solemn yet piercing. "If...if you can trust me...then we won't just have to sit by...and leave Ikari-san to fight this battle alone..."

Kensuke and Toji briefly shared a glance with their own Personas before Mana, in her own inimitably brusque manner, spoke for them all. "You've steered us clear so far, Yamagishi. Just tell us what to do."

The long-haired girl nodded, smiling gratefully. "Okay; here's my plan..."

xxxx

/Gaghiel's Domain/

Mari couldn't help but feel like...a dead weight.

(Intellectually, she knew that her soul, buoyed by Asuka's power, served as a platform for the two Evangelion-users to jump and attack from: a proverbial ark to shelter them from this...place.)

(Much like how Miss Ayanami, thrown by an errant waterspout, landed adroitly upon her A.T. Field before leaping back into the fray.)

(But her sentiments and appetites were so very loud, at times, and they were screaming for her to do something.)

As the waters became more turbulent, she couldn't help but wonder if there was anything else that she could do to contribute. It was a small part that she was playing, even a necessary part, she tried to assure herself...but the part of her that was used to punching Ghosts as an occupation was somewhat unused to sitting on the sidelines.

"My dear, you seem quite perturbed!" exclaimed the buff bird-man who was her impromptu protector (and she still couldn't quite make out what exactly he was; he had a Persona, so he must have been another person...but what kind of human's self-image in the Metaverse was a mohawked anthropomorphic penguin in a tux?). As he backhanded another watery beast and stomped another into a literal puddle, he added, "unused to sitting on the sidelines?"

"...normally, the sidelines are within sight of blue specters with crimson eyes. Not...this," she admitted, hands still clasped tightly together. A large thrash from Gaghiel threw Asuka into the air, where she was barely caught by Gryphon before she dove back down towards the great fish. "So to say that I'm somewhat perturbed is...accurate."

"And do you have faith in your sister-in-arms?"

"That has never been in question. But believing in Miss Sohryu's power has also never prohibited me from acting! After all...what use is faith, if you have no works that show it is alive?" Another wave nearly toppled them; focusing her will towards the intentions of her fellow religious throughout the world, Sister Mary reinforced the stability of her A.T. Field before adding, "my duty is to ensure that she lives to see this conflict to its end...and if there is something I can do that is within my power, then I shall do it!"

Mister P chortled, clearly amused by her vigor. "Ah, a shame that you can't swim! I'm sure you'd stroke over to the blasted creature and give it a good pounding."

...wait. Glancing sharply in his direction, she asked, "what about you?"

"I am indeed an accomplished swimmer!"

"...but how fast can you swim?"

xx

Asuka Langley-Sohryu, despite the assistance of Rei Ayanami, was not doing so hot. Frickin' figures, she mentally snarled as Nigoki tried to keep a tight hold on one of the Angel's five dorsal fins. My Persona's weakness to Ice is somehow bleeding through.

(It had been an epiphany, engaging the four-legged Angel within its Domain in Bavaria; not even a month ago, when she had finally slain her first Angel! In that place where body and mind and spirit coincided, both her Evangelion and her Persona's abilities could be used to their fullest.)

Yet, with Matilda's strengths (such as a resistance to fire) came weaknesses...and Gaghiel's watery strikes seemed to be imbued with a chilly essence.

Her Other sighed.

"A little cold can't keep you down, will it?"

The Beast kept its claws sharp.

"Will you falter? Will you fail?"

"No," she growled, even as Unit-02's body seethed with crimson light. "But we've been peppering this beast for what feels like...I don't know, an hour?" It felt both shorter and longer than that. How long HAS it been? Without warning, Rei Ayanami and Zerogoki crashed onto Gaghiel's back, barely clutching onto an adjacent dorsal fin before the piscine Angel's momentum could throw them off. "Any ideas, First?!"

"The Angel's Core is in its mouth," muttered Ayanami, gazing towards the front of Angel; Mister P's Persona was harrying the beast with gusts of wind, but there was no telling how long that would last. "But we have to expose it to the air, otherwise its control over water would render any attempt to strike it useless."

"So no just going down the hatch, eh?" Asuka snorted. "Why can't these bastards make it easy?!"

"Language, Miss Sohryu!"

Blinking, both Asuka and Rei looked down and to their left, towards the Angel's port side...and...and...what? "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Sister Mary Makinami was standing on Mister P's back as though he were a surfboard.

Judging by the jets of water erupting from behind them, Mister P was also kicking really fast.

Sister Mary grinned knowingly, her veil flapping rapidly behind her. "Here to assist, of course!"

"But, wha...I mean, how could you hear me? How can I hear YOU?!" The wind was roaring and the water was even louder!

"Never underestimate what tricks the soul can do in this place!" bellowed Mister P, veering to the left to dodge a watery snake; with aplomb, Mari manifested a fist forged from her A.T. Field and pulverized the watery creation. "We're going to give you a chance!" Saying nothing more, the unlikely duo streamed onward, Mister P somehow going faster than the Angel.

Asuka glanced towards Rei, who simply said, "I can pry open the Angel's mouth."

"...then I'll do my part," she said; steeling herself for what was to come, Asuka nonetheless could not suppress her grin.

xx

This, Mari reflected, was more like it. Through her soul, she kept herself bound to Mister P's burly back, whilst she kept on the offensive all the while. As more watery creatures tried to drag them down, her eyes watched both Ayanami and Asuka soar towards the front of the Angel's head; Nigoki, in particular, leapt towards Gryphon, who carried them up into the sky. "Just like we talked about!"

"I am but your humble steed, madam!" Tilting his neck, Mister P veered away from the Angel, improbably going even faster.

Because it felt appropriate (and because her heart ached for not only the crew that this false Angel had slain, but however many countless others had fallen to its machinations since Second Impact), she turned to one of her favorite passages.

("Our focus is not on worldly politics or law enforcement," instructed her superior, as the older woman gave a brief lecture to the novitiates. "Even though the world has chosen to use religious terms to name our foes, you are to engage in combat with full confidence in the Lord! Even if political affairs may stymie our efforts at times, you will bear that cross patiently and with gladness...for vengeance is not ours to take. We are defenders of humankind against supernatural monsters: always remember that.")

"You spoke of having the sea consume us, ye who calls himself Gaghiel!" she shouted, her fists glowing even more brightly. "You speak as an executioner...if you were a true Angel of God, you would know that vengeance is His to take!" Mister P, now slightly ahead of Gaghiel's position, suddenly turned sharply; his beak now pointed on a collision vector with the beast. "So let me remind you," she yelled, as she started to paraphrase from the twenty-fifth chapter of the Prophecy of Ezekiel: "Thus saith the LORD God! Because you have taken vengeance, and have revenged yourself with all your mind, destroying and satisfying old enmities..." She cocked her right fist back, holding her left up as a shield against sprays of sentient water. "...therefore thus saith the LORD God: behold I will stretch forth My hand upon Gaghiel, and will kill the sea serpent, and will destroy the remnant of the sea coast!" The glowing gauntlet of spirit, forged by her will (unknowingly empowered by her connection to Asuka, even now), tripled in size. "And I will execute great vengeance upon you, rebuking you in fury...and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay MY VENGEANCE UPON YOU!"

Mister P, fighting against the current, shot out of the waters like a dart.

With a defiant yell, Mari — a self-styled instrument of Divine Vengeance (if she could so humbly describe herself) — slammed her fist into the side of Gaghiel's jaw.

It was if an ant had fired a magnum against the elephant: far more annoying and troublesome than the usual sort, and enough to cause pain...but that was it.

Yet, as Gaghiel impulsively gurgled from the surprisingly strong blow, it was just enough for Unit-00 to slip between the gaps in Gaghiel's teeth. Blooming to over a dozen meters — no, two dozen! — in height, Zerogoki gleamed brightly as it pried open the Angel's jaw with its hands and feet. Crouched upon her Evangelion's shoulder, Rei roared, "NOW!"

Up in the air, as Gryphon dodged a wild waterspout, Asuka's own voice could be heard. "Agilao!" Unit-02's right hand glowed with fire. "Zionga!" Its left, with lightning. With a complicated aerial twist and a speedy dive, Gryphon accelerated rapidly, uncaring for how Unit-02 stood upon its face. Asuka, hair flapping madly in the wind, held tightly to her Evangelion's back as it pushed off of Gryphon, jumping downward...through the gap in the Angel's mouth...with hands aimed at the glistening red jewel at the back of its throat.

CRACK!

The red sphere was sundered by fire and lightning.

With a pained gurgle, as the Angel gave up the ghost, the turbulent yet orderly waters rushed downward upon them all, collapsing in a great deluge.

xxxx

/Armisael's Domain/

As Unit-01 — now bearing the aura of Titan — grappled madly with Armisael's chimeric form, flinging Mazio and Dekunda and Terror Claw and Mazio against Armisael's myriad offensive tactics...Gilgamesh charged towards Armisael's foot. Perched on his shoulders were Toji and Mana.

Mayumi, meanwhile, was floating into the sky on her Persona, with Kensuke and Ozymandias holding onto the back of her floating throne. 'Okay...Suzuhara-san, Mana-san, make sure you act EXACTLY as I say. Aida-san and his Persona will be running interference so we can get closer to the rendezvous point.'

"ROGER!" yelled Toji and Mana; as they neared the struggling monsters, Toji and Mana's mental trepidation was well apparent. Gilgamesh, after all, didn't even come up to Unit-01's ankle.

'Don't let that stop you,' mentally said Mayumi, trying to cheer the duo on. 'I'll keep you safe!'

"...you sure about this, Yamagishi-san?" asked Kensuke, nervously pushing his glasses along his nose. "This plan...seems pretty risky."

"...I know," Mayumi said aloud, her voice trembling ever so slightly. From his vantage point, Kensuke could see the pages of the black book Mayumi had summoned; its pages were being written, erased, and then re-written by an invisible hand.

He wondered if that was how her pre-cognition 'worked'. "...you made your escape, didn't you? Shinji's pretty strong; if we have faith in him-"

"Faith has nothing to do with our plan," interrupted Mayumi, unknowingly echoing the sentiment of a certain Catholic nun almost half a world away. "I...I know that Ikari-san has the power to triumph...I don't know how, but I just do...but if we do that, he would just end up standing alone in the end...fighting the monsters because we're too weak to do so." Taking another deep breath, she added, "I...I didn't take up the pen so I could stand back and let someone else write with it...and I think the same applies to you." She tilted her neck, looking up at him with dichromatic gaze. "Right, Aida-san?"

"...she has us there," admitted Ozymandias, an odd glimmer in his yellow eyes.

"Yeah yeah," said Kensuke, brushing off his Persona's acquiescence. Becoming a hero isn't easy...so I guess this is par for the course. "Just tell me when to act and I'll do it!"

"Okay!" Mayumi pumped her fist, holding onto her book with one hand and clutching the armrest of her throne with the other. "Here we go..." At that precise moment, Gilgamesh began clambering up Armisael's left leg.

'Aida-san, now!'

"Makajama," chanted Ozymandias, his shepherd's crook flinging a spectral question mark towards Armisael's halo. It curved and moved in an unconventional manner, and was so tiny (barely bigger than a large dog) that it didn't draw much attention from the Angel (especially relative to Shogoki). As it moved along the lines of perception and spirit and cognition, it smacked into the double helix.

It was not enough, to be sure, to make the Angel forget about any of its moves, its powers, or Unit-01 attacking it.

What it did do, however, was make Armisael forget about the odd little sensation of something climbing up its body...

'Suzuhara-san, pause for five seconds!'

Gilgamesh did so, halting its ascent up the Angel's leg; in the next instance, Unit-01's foot smashed into Armisael's thigh before the Angel batted away the Evangelion with its arms. As a cross-shaped explosion blew up on the Evangelion's chest, Gilgamesh continued its climb.

Unit-01's aura shifted from Titan to Fuu-Ki. 'Mana-san, use your shield against the wind!'

Right as Unit-01 spun a windmill blade forged from Ikari's A.T. Field, the winds of Garula buffeted Armisael. Mana, holding AIGIS up against the wind at an angle, kept Gilgamesh from being blown away. As Armisael's serpentine neck lashed forward to snap at Unit-01's face, the path upward was cleared once more.

This was the pattern over the next few minutes, of Mayumi communicating commands to Toji and Mana right before they were needed. Before Mayumi arrived at the base of Armisael's neck, she could feel the intentions of the Angel slowly turning towards them. 'Aida-san, another!'

"Makajama," muttered Ozymandias: this time, the Angel briefly forgot about those little specks coming from the corner of its proverbial eyes, focusing instead on firing upon Unit-01.

VWOM. VWOM. VWOM. VWOM.

As titanic explosions sounded out around them, the four humans gathered back together; right where the neck joined the body, the Core was embedded into the Angel's flesh, at the epicenter of the circle formed by Armisael's halo above. "Well...we made it. Now what?" asked Toji.

"The moment we touch the Core, Armisael will know we're here," explained Mayumi; in a subtle flash, her Persona contorted and shifted, diminishing in size until it was a tiny stone of blackened onyx that floated above her head; a glowing double helix hovered like a halo above her crown, a nigh-perfect duplicate of the Angel's original helical form.

"...huh. Portable Persona. That's neat," commented Kensuke.

Mayumi turned towards Mana. "Mana-san...how much energy have your weapons absorbed today?"

"...plenty," calmly remarked the child soldier.

"Get ready to strike, when I say so. Suzuhara-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Get ready to toss me."

The taller boy blinked dumbly. "...eh?"

xx

'Ikari-san.'

Amidst the heady torrent of combat, Shinji Ikari balked at the sudden voice of Mayumi echoing through his mind. Yamagishi-san? As Unit-01 ducked beneath the snapping lunges of Armisael's skeletal head, he thought back at her. What's going-?

'When I tell you...please keep Armisael still.'

What do you mean? What's going on-?

'Please...trust me.'

Those words...were earnest. Heartfelt.

The Beast chuckled.

"Are you going to blindly obey another order...?"

His Other stood tall.

"Or you will consider it a plea...that you so often wish would be extended to you?"

Briefly inhaling, Shinji clenched his right hand. Alright. I'll do it.

'...thank you...NOW!'

With a heady snarl, Fuu-Ki's aura gave way to that of Nekomata; with deceptively agile movements, Unit-01 darted in and leapt at Armisael; at that moment, Nekomata's power gave way to the far more durable and hardy Shiki-Ouji's.

Armisael balked. "What-?"

Unit-01 rooted its feet into the ground — ignoring the cuts from Armisael's scythe-arms, enduring the ferocious bites from the toothed torso! — as it embraced the Angel and held on tight.

"DO IT!" Shinji cried into the air, unknowing if he was heard.

xx

For a brief, blessed moment, the wild movements of Armisael ceased.

With a defiant roar, Mana leapt up high, smashing the blade of her axe against the surface of the Core. A line of energy erupted, scoring a small cut in the glistening jewel. It was a wound, to be sure...but it wouldn't last for long.

Mayumi, balanced in the right hand of Gilgamesh, looked solemnly at her Persona, floating above her head. I can do this...

Her Other stared soberly at the Core.

"We need closure...we both need closure..."

...I can DO this! "THROW ME!"

With a loud grunt, Gilgamesh wound back his arm...and just as a pitcher would with a fastball, threw Mayumi Yamagishi down at the cleft carved by Mana.

Down soared Mayumi, into the depths of Armisael's Core. As she fell further, her vision was blinded by light and crimson strings-!

Her Other grabbed the strings tightly.

"You shall not be ensnared again."

xx

-and then Mayumi stood on the shore of a vast sea, tainted a bloody orange. The entire horizon glowed with the pure red of a blazing sunset. "This...feels familiar..."

"How-curious...how-strange...to-return-to-your-prison..."

She stared at herself...except...not. Both she and her doppelganger were clad in the school uniform of Hakone Academy, altered only by her characteristic yellow and red sweater vest. The doppelganger head was tilted down, hiding her expression from view...but her voice was unmistakably that of Armisael's.

"...to-return-to-your-imprisoner..."

"I suppose it doesn't make much sense from a tactical point of view," admitted Mayumi. "But...it felt necessary."

"Has-your-loneliness-rendered-you-unable-to-live-without-me?"

She shook her head. "The strings you placed on me are gone. I'm here to talk...nothing more."

"How-precocious."

"I...can remember remnants, of the words you spoke to Ikari-san," Mayumi explained. "Of the words you've told me...and there's the sensation of...memories, of times long past. Of times that haven't happened...yet did. How...how many lives have passed, where you were a part of me?"

The doppelganger giggled.

"A-very-astute-question. Would-you-prefer-an-exact-number?"

"...I think that says enough by itself," admitted Mayumi. "You can remember all those times...but I can't."

"Because-your-soul-and-mind-are-not-structured-to-remember. It-is-a-fundamental-limitation...for-those-who-have-not-undergone-certain-alterations..."

"And what alterations are those?"

"I-cannot-speak-of-such-things."

"Why?"

"It-is-a-realm-of-knowledge-that-I-am-not-privy-to."

"But you know about it."

"To-know-that-something-happened-is-different-from-understanding-how-and-why-it-happened. I-would-have-to-understand-its-essence-to-speak-of-it. There-are-certain-Angels-which-are-aware, however."

"...and you don't know? Why would they not share it with you?"

"We-Angels-are-kin, yet-we-are-each-a-nation-unto-ourselves, unique-as-one-species-from-another. There-are-things-we-share-with-each-other-instinctively-because-of-our-shared-origin...and-yet-there-are-certain-essentials-that-we-are-forbidden-from-sharing-by-dint-of-differing-nature."

"I'm...not sure I understand. I get the sense that you Angels...are sapient. Yet you can't communicate that?"

"Imagine-if-ants-and-trees-and-fungi-were-sapient-as-well. Could-you-even-communicate-fundamental-aspects-of-how-you-see-the-world-to-them? Could-they, to-you? Your-frame-of-reference-would-require-such-alterations-that-you-may-as-well-not-be-lilim-anymore."

"...you keep saying 'lilim.' You seem to be using it interchangeably with 'human'...why?"

"That-is-knowledge-I-choose-not-share."

"Why?"

"There-are-others-better-suited-for-it."

"..."

"Why-ask-such-questions, Mayumi-Yamagishi? Why-request-knowledge-of-the-Angel-who-shackled-you-for-time-immemorial?"

"...because...because our pain was the same. You said as much yourself..."

"And-why-should-this-change-anything-now? Why-speak-directly-to-me?"

The doppelganger raised her head: there was a half-mask of avian bone, affixed to the opposite side relative to Mayumi's self-image that had manifested with her Persona. However, though her left eye blazed yellow behind the half-mask, her right eye was a colored a searing crimson.

"What-benefit-do-you-gain-from-this? What-did-you-hope-to-accomplish?"

"It's...it's not about benefit or anything of the sort! I just...needed to talk with you."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to leave anything unspoken that should be spoken! I've...let enough of my life pass by already, thanks to you. I refuse to let you do it to me once more."

"How-strange."

"Is it really?" Another doppelganger stepped out from behind Mayumi, bearing the purple dress, half-mask, and monocle of her self-image; however, both eyes were glowing yellow. "The scars you left will take a long time to heal. But they are scars that reflect the mind and pain of the one who made them," explained Armisael the Persona to Armisael the Angel. "Is it truly surprising, that she would want closure? That you would want closure?"

"You-have-a-very-intriguing-definition-of-closure."

"I was born from Mayumi Yamagishi. I am Mayumi Yamagishi...and you have been a part of her for more than an age." Pointing a gloved hand at the Angel, her Persona said, "Is it any surprise that I am also you?"

The Angel stared intently at them both.

"The-limitations-of-nature-can-be-cruel."

Off in the distance, a different yet parallel scene could be seen: except instead of multiple Mayumis, it was none other than Rei Ayanami in a white bodysuit, floating above the water, staring down at a doppelganger that was only visible from the waist up. "Ayanami-san...?" murmured Mayumi, out of surprise.

("Are you one of the beings we call the Angels?" asked the floating Rei.)

("...don't-you-want-to-become-one-with-me?" asked the partially submerged Rei, her head tilted downward; she spoke with Rei's voice yet also with the undeniable tone of the Angel Armisael.)

("No. I am me, not you.")

"A-scene-from-long-ago, before...before-everything. For-all-that-has-changed-since-then, my-nature-has-remained-the-same."

("Hmm. But-you-shall...it's-too-late...")

Mayumi stared at the distant scene, almost transfixed. "Did you try...to do with Ayanami-san...what you ended up doing with me...?"

"In-a-sense. The-motives-were-different, but-the-means-were-similar."

("...I-will-share-part-of-my-mind-with-you. Let-me-share-with-you-these-emotions..." She looked up at Rei, smiling sadly. "This-is-pain. Yes. Do-you-feel-this-pain?")

"How-different, would-things-have-been, if-we-had-triumphed-that-day?"

"You of all beings know the futility of asking 'what if'," insightfully retorted her Persona. "You cannot change the past."

"Indeed...that-has-been-our-struggle."

("This pain?" wondered Rei, out loud. "No, it's different...loneliness. Yes: loneliness.")

("Loneliness?" inquired Armisael. "I-don't-understand.")

"...the loneliness you claim to feel...that you do feel," said Mayumi, correcting herself. "Is that why..."

("You don't want to be by yourself, correct?" asked Rei. "We are many, but you are alone. You hate it, don't you? That is what it is, to be...lonely.")

(Armisael, still bearing an innocent smile that twisted into something akin to madness, responded, "that-is-what-your-mind-is. It-is-what-fills-your-soul.")

"...is that why you remained bound to me, after all this time?"

(With finality, Armisael said to Rei, "you-are-that-sorrow.")

"...the-aspects-we-Angels-represent-differ, on-numerous-levels. As-the-womb-bears-the-unborn-child...I-am-Potentiality. Yet-what-use-is-Potential...if-it-cannot-become-Act?"

Images of countless different forms flashed by, of Angels that appeared once and never again: all fighting what appeared to be Evangelions, except...the whole impression of these memories was akin to footage from a kaiju film.

"The-natures-of-the-other-Angels...are-more-in-keeping-with-Act, on-a-fundamental-level. Even-though-we-have-wrought-havoc-upon-the-lilim-since-Second-Impact...I-alone-sit-atop-the-mountain-of-judgment."

"...but if you Angels are each separate from each other as species...then why do you feel so lonely compared to them?"

The Angel smiled bitterly.

"It-is-the-nature-of-Potential; it-cannot-interact-with-the-world-without-becoming-Actual. For-all-the-forms-I-can-bring-to-bear...they-are-akin-to-the-unborn-fetus, kicking-futilely-within-the-womb...even-my-own-rage-is-infantile."

"And that is why you envy Yamagishi so much," said her Persona. "Because in spite of her own loneliness...she can change. Her Potential doesn't have to remain as such."

"...indeed, Shadow-that-bears-my-name. It-is-only-because-of-this-bond...that-I-can-understand-jealousy."

"...I can't forgive you," solemnly said Mayumi, slowly walking into the orange waters the smelled of blood. "I can't forgive you for all the people you've killed over the years...for all the pain you've inflicted...but that doesn't mean I can't feel sorry for you."

"And-why-should-you? Had-I-gotten-my-way...your-kind-would-have-been-unmade."

"And is that your true desire?" countered her Persona, stepping forward into the waters as well.

"...such-is-the-nature-of-desire, for-we-desire-what-we-cannot-grasp...only-when-we-possess-it, does-it-become-tangible...and-yet-my-desire-is-forbidden-to-me, by-virtue-of-what-I-am."

"And I'm not allowed to feel sad about that?" countered Mayumi, her eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears. "All of this...if you wanted to end your loneliness...there were better ways to go about it...surely..."

"Not-for-me."

"...humanity...we know what we are, but not what we may be," murmured Mayumi, quoting from the fourth Act and fifth Scene of Hamlet (because to the surprise of no one present, of course the girl had read ahead of Ikari). "But you...not only know what you are, but what you always will be."

"Such-is-my-future, set-in-stone: a-character-in-a-book-who-knows-how-their-story-ends."

"...then..."

"I-know-that-Ikari-will-strike-the-final-blow. I-will-die...those-that-relied-on-my-essence-to-live-shall-fade-away...and-then, when-this-world-has-attained-to-its-consummation, I-will-awaken-into-a-new-time, to-begin-the-process-yet-again."

"...and if we can stop it...?"

"Better-than-you-have-tried. Even-with-Ikari-here...fully-present, not-as-a-mere-memory, but-in-his-entirety...it-may-not-be-enough."

"And yet you won't speak of these circumstances in detail."

"It-is-not-my-place. There-are-others...who-can-speak-more-plainly."

Mayumi glanced at her Persona (and she already knew what to do, because they were part of the same person), nodding silently. They both stepped forward...and calmly hugged the doppelganger.

"...this-makes-no-sense..."

"I won't miss you...and I won't miss the pain you caused me...but...I don't think I can hate you. And even if I could...I don't want to," whispered Mayumi, embracing her tightly. "So...please rest in peace...if you can."

"You will not be forgotten," said her Persona, hugging the Angel just as tightly. "Even if many will revile you...we will remember your sorrow."

Armisael did not return their embrace...instead, she simply began to cry.

"...even-now...I-don't-understand-you-foolish-lilim...how-is-that-you-can-share-suffering...and-derive-such-strength-from-it...how-can-you-conquer-your-loneliness-with-such...grace...?"

The crying gave way to open weeping.

"...I-don't-understand...I-can't-understand...I...can't...understand..."

The sky and the sea faded away and the crimson strings were cut away by the puppeteer-

xx

/Armisael's Domain/

-and with teary eyes, Mayumi woke back up within the Angel's seat of power, sitting atop an unblemished Core.

Kensuke, Toji, and Mana were staring confusedly at her. "...well? What happened?" asked Toji.

"...it's done," she said with a sober tone. As her Persona unfolded from its portable form, she slowly sat back on her throne. "It's...finished..."

xx

'...Ikari-san?'

Shinji balked at the sudden voice of Mayumi coming into his head. "Yamagishi-san?!" The struggles of the Angel had suddenly become...lesser. "What happened?"

'...end it. Please.'

Shinji blinked, staring up at the top of the Angel's body; he could see the miniscule form of Mayumi's Persona floating away, with Mayumi, Mana, Toji, and Kensuke clinging to the throne of black stone. "...all right then."

Unit-01 reared its right hand...

His Other and the Beast both stared at the crumbling mountain.

"And so we have come to terms."

...and as the aura of Shiki-Ouji gave way to Hamlet, Shinji reared his Bowie knife. Somehow...this felt appropriate. "...Final Thrust."

With a shimmering spirit sword, Unit-01 stabbed upward through Armisael's toothed torso...up through the hardy flesh...and through the embedded Core.

The haze around them glowed brightly, as did the flesh of the Angel...

CHYOOOM!

...and thus did Armisael's Potential extinguish itself, burning away in a cross of crimson light.

xxxx

The death of Armisael had instantaneous effects elsewhere.

For one: the cognitive voids which had been formed by its influence melted away, as if they had never been...both near, and far.

xxxx

/Nishiawakura/

There was a distant rumble and a bright light to the east, its source hidden beyond the edges of the valley that Nishiawakura sat in.

Junpei Iori nervously lowered his bat — marred with a few blood stains, the ofuda still glowing brightly — before nudging the body of the Acolyte that had suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"...is it over?" asked a nearby civilian, nervously poking his head out the door.

"...hopefully," he murmured, gazing tiredly at the center of the village. "Better call Kenny and Hasegawa and see what it's like on their end..."

xxxx

/Nishiawakura, the Metaverse/

There was a distant rumble and a bright light to the east, its source hidden beyond the edges of the valley that Nishiawakura sat in.

Agent Kurosawa paused at the sight of the Acolyte's Shadow go stock still. He held off on firing Häyhä, just long enough to witness the mask begin burning a bright azure, sinking into its face and down into the body. "...this phenomenon..."

"...is it over?" asked a cluster of nervous Koropokkuru, hiding underneath their leaves within a nearby rice paddy.

Ignoring the Archetypes, Kurosawa blinked as the Shadow began dissolving away. "What does this mean?" he asked aloud.

Tokoyo suddenly landed near their location, dropping off Misato Katsuragi. "It means that a nearby Angel's been defeated."

"You're certain?"

"It's happened the last two months, so this is a pretty solid trend so far," explained Katsuragi.

"Hmm..." I wonder if Ikari and those children actually pulled it off? If so...did they find Yamagishi? The oddities relating to her parents, notwithstanding Mayumi herself...he wondered if, in light of Strega's public alliance with the Angels, if there was any sort of foul play involved with her.

At that moment, Seiten Taisei floated down towards, depositing Ryuji Sakamoto. "Well...I'm up for a breather if y'all are."

"Where'd you take off to?" inquired Katsuragi, arching her eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips. "You just took off from your assigned sector when I wasn't looking."

"Heard something odd, turns out it was an Acolyte and its Shadow rampaging through the woods," explained Sakamoto, leaning on his gun-cane for support. "Don't know how the Acolyte slipped into the Metaverse, but given how much havoc they pulled on the Ai ferry with their Shadows, that was a tag-team I wanted to nip in the bud."

"...how'd ya do it?" she asked.

Sakamoto blinked, suddenly looking over the woman's shoulder with concern. "The eff...?"

Blinking, Katsuragi turned around-

THWACK.

The woman squeaked as Sakamoto lightly tapped her on the back of the head when she wasn't looking. "Turns out, a God's Hand will pulverize almost anything if they don't see it coming."

Adjusting her beret, Katsuragi settled for muttering "jackass."

"...let's do one more sweep of the area, and make sure no other incidents of Angel Syndrome have manifested," said Kurosawa, resting his gun-arm carefully in his left hand.

"I'll take the north side," said Ryuji, hobbling back towards his Persona.

The three split off, unwilling to rest so long as the new moon was in the sky.

xxxx

/Sojiro Sakura's Residence/

There was a distant rumble and a bright light to the east, affecting the ambiance with a subtle crimson glow.

"...well, that's certainly not ominous," dryly said Sojiro as he sipped from a cup of coffee, his free hand absentmindedly petting Enkai.

At that precise moment, Ren Amamiya finally walked back inside. "Well, that was something," he said, slipping off his shoes.

"...that was quite a long walk," grumbled Sojiro, staring intently at the young man as he sat down in one of the open chairs. "Mind explaining?"

Ren shrugged. "Saw a cat that didn't look familiar; must have been rabid or something, because it actually started chasing me. Tried to shake it off and scare it away, but it was pretty persistent. If it wasn't for another ornery cat getting into a tussle with it, I'd probably still be running." Looking awfully thoughtful, Ren added, "that other cat was pretty heroic...kind of a jerk though. Think I'll call it Skull if it ever shows up here..."

"Uh huh," dryly said Sojiro, not believing him for a second. "You do know that this country's been free of rabies for decades now, right?"

"It's a figure of speech!"

"Look, as long as you're not dragging trouble my way, I honestly don't care what you do."

"Trust me, dragging trouble here is the last thing I want to do."

"Then we have no problems," muttered Sojiro, taking another sip from his coffee. Damn kids being daredevils...

xx

Ren inwardly sighed with relief as Sojiro seemingly dropped the conversation. Nailed it.

Now he just had to hope that his kouhai had made it out in one piece...

xxxx

/Tokyo-3/

There was a faint rumble and a barely-visible light to the west, noticeable only by how the horizon was tinged an unnatural color.

(Hikari Horaki and her family didn't see it, since they were sequestered in a shelter.)

(Two particular adults didn't either, as they promptly collapsed as if their strings had been cut. Having fallen within their own home...it would be some time before anyone would find them.)

Kaworu Nagisa, standing on the eastern shores of Lake Ashi with hands stuffed into his pockets, stared soberly at the crimson tinge reflecting off of and through distant clouds. And so falls another, he grimly thought.

xxxx

Minako Arisato watched quietly as the crimson cross of light shined brightly, casting the entire city of Shiso in an eerie red glow.

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne was pleased.

"What a magnificent performance."

They clapped, clearly enthused by how events had unfolded.

"Another Angel conquered...and doubtless Ikari has grown in power yet again."

Leaning forward, they smiled.

"Keep a close eye, my dear."

Minako wordlessly nodded, even as the red light slowly faded away.

From her vantage point, the corpse of Armisael — a ring formed from a double helix, seemingly petrified into rock — rested upon a forested mountaintop. Before long, the remnants of the Angel crumbled into dust, scattering to the wind like ashes.

xxxx

Atop the mountain overlooking the city of Shiso from the northeast, the very tip of the mountain had been shorn clean of trees, leaving only grass and a small blast crater merely several feet wide: a pitiful echo of the titanic struggle that had just occurred.

Shinji Ikari grimaced, slowly sitting up. "...we're back in the real world," he murmured.

"Looks like it," said Toji, looking down at his bare feet with disdain. "...maybe I should've brought shoes with me after all."

"It's not really a big deal," said Kensuke, holding his hands over his eyes to block out the light of the afternoon sun. "...do any of you recall where exactly we ended up before engaging the Angel? We went pretty quickly through the Metaverse, but we can't be that far from Nishiawakura..."

"...I think this is Shiso," answered Mana, briefly looking down at LABRYS and AIGIS with a thoughtful, slightly bewildered expression. "Ikari and I stopped here to get some food after we had all those missions last week."

Right...Shiso...so this is where Yamagishi went...wait. Blinking, Shinji wearily got to his feet; looking around, he glanced into the small crater behind him. "Yamagishi-san!" The girl, still clad in her baby blue yukata (which...was undamaged, shockingly enough. How?), was face down in the dirt. "Are you okay?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Come on, let's get her up," said Toji, as they all moved about. Mana wrapped her arms around Mayumi's thighs and waist, whilst Kensuke and Toji took an arm each; when they laid Mayumi down onto the grass, Shinji knelt down in front of her. "Yamagishi-san...?"

"Wake up Yamagishi," said Mana, as if commanding her.

"...hey, you're actually fine, right?" asked Toji, suddenly looking concerned.

"...Yamagishi-san?" wondered Kensuke.

Suddenly, the girl took a breath...

xx

Mayumi Yamagishi inhaled deeply. What...?

The air felt...strange. Light.

The grass underneath her hands...why was the sensation so stark?

(Had Armisael's presence in her soul truly been that grand a weight? Had its shackles truly been so...heavy?)

(Had its presence been an unseen miasma, choking down everything?)

She slowly raised her head, looking at the faces of Shinji Ikari, Kensuke Aida, Toji Suzuhara, and Mana Kirishima...the faces of her friends...her friends...her friends.

(It was like looking at them for the first time.)

(It was if her entire life, she had seen through smudgy spectacles...through a glass darkly, went the phrase.)

(Now...she saw them, face-to-face.)

"...I..." she looked at them with a trembling bottom lip. "I..." They...they had fought the Angel for her sake. They had...risked their lives...for her. "...I..."

It would have seemed like a dream, had it not been for a new voice in the back of her mind (yet it wasn't new, because it was hers, it had always been hers).

Her Other smiled gently.

"Dark have been your dreams of late...but no more."

She extended her hand.

"Breathe the free air again, my friend..."

"...thank you," she murmured, as tears began to escape, because untold years of oppression (oppression that she had accepted as normal, because she hadn't known, but this sensation of freedom and liberty, even in such a minor way, made everything seem like a prison in retrospect!) rendered her unable to do anything else but sob and weep. "Thank you..."

"Hey hey," said Mana, kneeling down with concern. "You're not hurt are you?"

"No..." Impulsively, Mayumi embraced Mana, burying her face into the girl's torso, not even caring for the fact that she was getting her glasses dirty. "...I just feel...so...happy..."

She felt like crying forever. (It wouldn't be enough to communicate her gratitude.)

xx

Shinji leaned back, feeling a strange catharsis at the sight of Yamagishi's crying. He glanced towards Toji and Kensuke, whose smiles were more genuine, if just as tired as his own. We...we did it. We...saved her. The destruction of the Angel Armisael was almost secondary, by comparison. We...saved...her...why am I looking at the grass...?

Darkness.

xx

Kensuke yelped as Shinji suddenly collapsed face-first into the grass. "Shinji?!" He knelt down, reaching for a pulse. "...he's fine."

"Guess he's tuckered out," muttered Toji, who sat down as well. "Gotta say...I feel like taking a nap myself..."

"...no kidding." Kensuke idly took in the scene — Toji leaning back with a wide yawn; Mayumi still crying her eyes out against Mana's stomach; Shinji, out like a light — before reaching for his phone. "Guess I'll call the adults..."

"...can you tell 'em to bring food?" asked Toji.

"Way ahead of you."

xxxx

As afternoon turned to evening in Japan, the sun continued its rise over the Atlantic Ocean...

xxxx

Asuka Langley-Sohryu blinked woozily. "Did...did anyone get the number of that giant fish...?"

"Gaghiel."

"...s'not a number..." Blinking again, Asuka slowly sat up; there was a distinct smell of water mixed with...antiseptic rot? "...eh?" A large dorsal fin was limp, serving as impromptu shade from the sun. "...are we still on the Angel?"

"It would seem so. A fallen Angel that is now quite dead," remarked Sister Mary, resting on her knees. She seemed rather unperturbed by the fact that her entire habit was drenched.

Asuka looked around, grimacing at the icky feeling of her clothes being soaked in seawater. The wreckage of the hydrofoil was floating about them, with lots of little pieces being carried away by the currents; the Angel's corpse was like a proverbial island in the midst of the ocean, notable in the fact a large portion of its head had been blown away. The lower jaw was hanging on by literal threads, whilst the upper jaw was floating separately some dozens of meters away. Strangely enough, there wasn't much in the way of blood leaking from the creature. "You'd think something like this would be drawing sharks."

"You would think," said the religious. "Perhaps these Angels are anathema to more than just human life...but perhaps to earthly creatures in general?"

"...I believe that's not far from the mark..."

The third voice prompted Asuka to crane her head back; leaning against the dorsal fin was Rei Ayanami, who was clad in what looked like a school uniform. It too, was soaked. "Hey, First. You look...exhausted."

"The Angel's death throes occurred while we were over a kilometer below sea level," she explained. "It was...a difficult effort, to keep the atmospheric pressure from changing."

Asuka slowly blinked. "...oh..."

(As the waters rushed down upon them — inadvertently snuffing out the great explosion of the Angel's Core before it could really get going — Rei frantically yelled at them to come together upon the Angel's corpse. Through a quick application of A.T. Fields, they kept the water at bay...but for how long...?)

"...how'd we get here?"

"I believe we have our mysterious benefactor to thank for that," answered Mari with a demure smile.

Asuka blinked once more, trying to think back.

("Excellent show, ladies! I'll take it from here!" As Gryphon vanished in a flicker of blue flames, she saw Mister P dive into the gray waters; as a strange yet terrible roar warbled through the air and water around them, she could feel them ascend upwards, as gray gave way to blue waters and the unreal light gave way to dark depths, pierced only by pale light from high above-!)

She couldn't remember anything beyond that. "What happened to him?"

"...I'm not sure. I was the first to awake," explained Mari. "But given that we were placed in the shade, I can only assume Mister P placed us here before taking off."

Asuka shot Ayanami a glare. "Seriously, who was that guy?"

"...a source of great irritation for me...but reliable, in his own way," murmured Rei, her voice sounding rather lethargic. "It is a good thing, too...otherwise, I would have been forced to go into my Ascended state..."

Asuka huffed. "Fair enough. Is the Third able to do it, yet?"

"His growth...has been focused elsewhere, I believe."

"...given that he can wield multiple Personas, it's not surprising, I guess." At least that was one thing she had over the proverbial 'new guy.'

"...how long...can you go, Sohryu-san?"

In response to Rei's question, Asuka could only sigh. "...not as long as you. I don't like using it." She impulsively bristled at the stare which she could feel coming from the blunette. "Don't give me that look, I've been just fine without it."

"...you must have bad dreams too, then."

Asuka couldn't help how she jolted at the observation. Does she also...? "You mean..."

"I imagine it is a consequence of overshadowing your very self with both mind and spirit in such a way," muttered Rei. "I do not blame you, if that is why you choose not to utilize the Ascended state more often."

"...whatever," grumbled Asuka.

Sister Mary lightly clicked her tongue. "Now now, Miss Sohryu: she's your peer. It's not like you have a front to put up for either of us."

"...nobody asked you," she quietly grumbled, leaning back on the strangely spongy skin of the dead Angel. "Come on, why are we being such downers? We killed another Angel!"

"The day is still not over," retorted Rei with a grimace, rising back to her feet...only to immediately falter back down to her knees. "...I need to get back to Japan..."

"And if what I'm feeling is in any way shared by you two, neither of us are prepared for transitioning through dimensions to our final destinations," observed Mari. "Our contribution this day has already borne fruit...so don't push yourself too hard."

"...perhaps I will rest for a little while longer," muttered Rei, sitting back down.

"Too bad our food sank with the hydrofoil," growled Asuka, feeling a sudden hunger pang.

"We'll obtain food once we move on...for the time being, I have a task to see to. After all...we had a crew who managed to bring us this far. Their sacrifice...was not in vain." With that said, Sister Mary moved a little ways away on Gaghiel's body, kneeling back down to her knees. With hands clasped together, she began to pray for the repose of the souls of the naval crew that had brought them this far.

Sighing, Asuka leaned back, lying down so that she could stare straight up at the sky. "...what a morning," she grumbled.

"Agreed," chorused Rei.

If nothing else, Asuka could appreciate how her fellow Evangelion-user didn't put on any airs.

xx

Hiding behind a large tooth on Gaghiel's upper jaw, Pen-Pen sat unseen by the trio of females. So...they made it. Quite an exhilarating battle, that was. A close call, at that...and yet, he had made the right choice, coming to assist Ayanami and Sohryu. After all...

(Right before Gaghiel's Domain finally collapsed...right before spirit and cognition receded to let physicality and matter regain its primacy in reality...he reached out with a hand and swiped at Gaghiel's crumbling essence.)

...it had come with a boon of sorts: in his clawed flipper, Pen-Pen hold a tiny sliver of Gaghiel's Core: having been separated from the utter metaphysical collapse of Gaghiel's soul, it was only the remnant of the Angel's essence that had yet to fade away. Not enough to hold a soul; that poor fellow's likely returned to ADAM, by now. Not enough to be traced, either...but enough to perhaps be an ace in the hole. Decisions, decisions; such was the necessity of the high stakes game that they were playing. Well, bottom's up. With a muted quack, Pen-Pen promptly gobbled the sliver, swallowing it whole. Before it even hit his stomach, he could feel it dissolve, becoming bound to his soul. Hmm...the feeling is similar to what Tabris once described, albeit on a lesser scale. Excellent! This would open up potential avenues, should the need arise. But I believe I've overstayed my welcome...time to return to more familiar waters.

With a discreet waddle, Pen-Pen slipped off of the upper jaw, slipping into the waters of the Atlantic; once assured that he was out of the sensory range of other sapients, he willed for a white portal to open in front of him.

A tiny boy with silver hair and yellow eyes stared at him with a smile.

"Did'ja have fun?"

Right as Pen-Pen crossed the threshold, he spoke with the voice of Mister P. "It was quite the roaring spectacle! I bet you'd have a smashing time with the Second Child's assigned protector."

Jose nodded.

"So where to?"

Pen-Pen looked over his shoulder at the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean. "Anywhere but here, my boy."

"'Kay!"

And so the portal closed, the white void vanishing with it.

xxxx

"Reports indicate that Angel Syndrome activity in Japan is relatively consistent with prior new moons-"

Click.

"-no comment has been provided regarding the giant cross of light in Hyōgo Prefecture that appeared earlier today-"

Click.

"-much of the world is breathing a sigh of relief; for the vast majority of countries, this is the first new moon in years with no Ghost or Acolyte activity-"

Click.

"Earlier today, the Anti-Terror Task Force in Australia reported that the cognitive voids that occurred in Sydney suddenly vanished-"

Click.

"-Chinese officials are providing no comment about the cognitive activity that was reported in the Xiangfan Dead Zone as of earlier this afternoon-"

Click.

"In response to the unusual anomaly that was detected in the Atlantic, NERV's Third Branch has claimed that it was the result of another Angel being destroyed. A salvage operation is currently planned-"

Click.

"We've still received no word from any of our affiliates in South Korea. We have been unable to contact any government officials, and the South Korean branch of the Anti-Terror Task Force has likewise been unresponsive to contacts from the media..."

Sojiro Sakura sighed as he put the remote down. "What a day..."

Ren Amamiya couldn't help but agree; as the light had faded and the new moon's subtle oppression faded away, the local cats had finally returned to their usual spots around Sakura's residence. Still, aside from a few texts from Junpei and Ryuji as to their current status, there were no updates. Seriously, how long does it take them to get a bunch of young teenagers? At that precise moment, there was a subtle twang in the back of his mind, complete with a rather distinctive whisper of noise...barely noticeable, if you didn't know what to listen for. Speak of the devil...

At that moment, the front door slid open, revealing a veritable parade of individuals. Junpei Iori walked in a seemingly unconscious Shinji Ikari in his arms; Misato Katsuragi and Ken Amada were behind him, followed by a gaggle of kids (all of whom were voraciously snacking on packets of trail mix) comprised of Toji, Kensuke, Mana, and Mayumi; taking up the rear were Hirofumi Kurosawa and Ryuji Sakamoto.

"How is he?" inquired Sojiro with a concerned frown.

As Junpei took Shinji to his room, Misato — all but plopping into an empty easy chair — wearily remarked, "tired, but he seems fine, all things considered...ugh...what a day..."

Walking back into the main entry hall, an empty-handed Junpei said, "figured we'd let the kid sleep it off. No point in doing a full debriefing until he's up and about, you know?"

"...a fair point," admitted Kurosawa, whose eyes were focused rather intently on Yamagishi.

Seemingly placated, Sojiro rose to his feet. "I suppose I should get dinner going-"

"No need," interrupted Amada. "Junpei and I can grab some takeout for everyone."

"And as the person who's actually lived here for the past twenty-plus years, I can tell you that no place is going to be open on the day of the new moon. The closest place would likely be Tottori, and that's over forty kilometers to the north."

Junpei suddenly grinned. "Even better. Kenny and I can be there in a flash, check up on the wives, and be back in less than an hour!" Iori immediately turned on his feet, heading back outside.

Sojiro blinked. "...uh...how do you plan on getting there and back so quickly?"

"It's easy when you have a DeLorean," cryptically answered Amada.

Sojiro blinked again. "...eh?"

Amada shrugged. "Metaverse weirdness, don't worry about it. Captain, go ahead and text me or Junpei what everyone's in the mood for."

"SUSHI!" cried out Toji and Kensuke, invigorated by the scourge known as 'Male Teenage Hunger.'

"Will do," tiredly said Ryuji before Amada also departed. "...tch. Leg's acting up."

"There's painkillers for that, you know," said Misato.

"Not in that way, Just a weird feeling."

Ah yes, weird feelings. Always a glorious sign of events to come. Ren resisted the urge to check up on Ikari; instead, he quietly made his way over towards where Mayumi had sat down. Mana — was hovering beside the girl almost protectively (how sweet) — frowned at his approach, prompting him to raise his hands innocently. "Hey now, just wanted to ask my kouhai a question, that's all."

"...ah." Mayumi frowned, looking somewhat ashamed of herself. "...my apologies for knocking you out yesterday, Amamiya-senpai. I...wasn't myself."

"Eh, wouldn't be the first time a young woman has left me unconscious on the ground," he blithely said. Ignoring Mana and Mayumi's confused blinks, he added, "so...did you find the emancipation you were looking for?"

Mayumi seemed surprised by his question. However, as she looked around the room — focusing mostly on Kensuke, Toji, and Mana — a small smile crept onto her face, unbidden. "...I...I think I have..."

"Then we're cool," he said with a genuine smile before leaving to get some coffee from the kitchen. At least ONE good thing's come out of all this...

xxxx

Agent Kurosawa was...uneasy, to put it mildly. Given everything that had occurred over the course of his investigation thus far, it seemed almost...too neat, for Mayumi Yamagishi to just show up, all safe and sound. After all, how often did life get a proper happy ending? Perhaps it was a simple function of how he had been unable to observe the battle that the teenagers had had with the Angel. A missed opportunity. Unfortunate.

Still...his persnickety disposition at least demanded a proper follow-up.

Politely excusing himself to step outside Sojiro Sakura's residence, Kurosawa did three things.

First: he notified the Okayama and Hyōgo Prefectural Police to cancel the Missing Persons reports for Mayumi Yamagishi.

Second: he notified his superiors at the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office that he would have a full debriefing and intel report available by tomorrow evening.

Third: he reached out to one of his contacts with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police to try and get a welfare check done on a certain residence in Hakone. By the end of the call, he had assurance that by tomorrow morning, a police officer from Tokyo-3's Community Safety Section would have a report for him about the current status of Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi.

Pocketing his phone, Kurosawa stared solemnly at the darkening twilight. Better safe than sorry.

(He honestly hoped that there would be a happy ending. Truly.)

xxxx

As the world continued to turn, the distorted skull of Zeruel — peering from the shadow of the Moon — gazed upon the handiwork of his brethren.

"ARMISAEL AND GAGHIEL, LOST TO US."

Alas, it was no surprise; his eyes gazed upon the entirety of the Korean Peninsula; as night fell upon it, it did not light up. For the first time in untold years, the peninsula could not be seen from space at night.

"IN RETURN, THE LILIM HAVE LOST A NATION."

The Third Child continued to grow in power. Soon, all of the Evangelion-users would be based out of Japan. At that point...the sky was the limit.

"THE PASSAGE OF FATE IS BEGINNING TO SHIFT. PERHAPS PHANUEL'S DESPERATE PLAN WILL BEAR UNTOLD FRUIT FOR US."

It was left to be seen if the Usurper would take the bait.

"TIME...TIME...HOW MUCH LONGER INDEED, MUST I WAIT...?"

And so the world continued to turn.

xxxx

/Elsewhere, within the Metaverse/

Jin Shirato and Sho Minazuki were elsewhere, at the moment.

Tohru Adachi...well, he was off doing whatever he pleased.

Thus, in a rather desolate cave, it was only Takaya Sakaki who stood face-to-face with Keita Asari and Musashi Strasberg. "Have you made your decision?"

Keita and Musashi briefly looked at each other; nervously nodding, they turned back towards him without hesitation. "...if it means getting the power to save Mana-neesan from her fate...then we'll do it," said Keita.

"We'll join Strega. We'll fight for the Angels," finished Musashi.

Takaya smiled. "You've made a wise choice, young men..."

xxxx

END OF 8/14/2015

xxxx

Author's Notes: Hoo boy. August 14 was a doozy of a day.

Miscellaneous notes!

- The Latin prayers the Sister Mary used were from the 1866 edition of the Raccolta, which is a collection of indulgenced prayers: "Angele Dei...et guberna" came from prayer #112, and is a prayer to one's guardian angel, while "Adjuva nos...oculus meus..." came from prayer #156, which can be used during any plague or trouble. The "-invocarem exaudivit me...ad eum. Irascimini, et nolite-" was from Psalm 4 in the Latin Vulgate.
- Since LOTR still isn't in the public domain: Madam Gamariel is an expy of Lady Galadriel, whilst Duke of the Rings is an obvious reference to Lord of the Rings. :V
- Armisael's 'super kaiju' form...well, it's a mix of its canon form, the Third Angel from Rebuild 2.0 (the one Mari fought in Unit-05), the Unnamed Angel from NGE 1st Impression, the Insubstantial Angel from NGE 2nd Impression, and the Diemay Angel.
- Fun bit of trivia: 41.3% is the first sync ratio that Shinji had with Unit-01 in Episode 1 of NGE. Coincidence? Maybe!
- The whole bit with Mari surfing on Mister P was inspired by the David Hasselhoff scene in the Spongebob movie. (She also may or may not have been referencing a certain scene from a rather famous Tarantino film.)
- 'Final Thrust' is a technique I made up for Hamlet; it's a Physical Skill that only does Light damage...but when the enemy is below 15% HP, it comes with a random chance of insta-kill. The chance increases with the user's Luck stat; furthermore, the technique *ignores* affinities. So if you're dealing with an enemy with Null Phys or Repel Phys...too bad! Final Thrust can still hit them.
- Pen-Pen why you being sus.
- F in the chat for the Koreas.
- NO KEITA AND MUSASHI, DON'T DO IT