Finally, the duo slowly descended towards the eastern Quarantine Zone on the outskirts of Kyoto; sure enough, there was a definite dividing line on the mountains dividing Kyoto from the Ōtsu Dead Zone. On the eastern slopes of the mountains dividing Kyoto Prefecture from Shiga Prefecture, the landscape was untouched and serene: a consequence of how the various cognitive voids prohibited save movement and human activity in reality. On the western slopes facing Kyoto, however...the forests had been burned away strategically, and the soil itself had been salted to prevent anything green from growing. It was an immense path of hilly land that flattened out into an ashen waste, dotted by too many columbariums to count. The only sign of human activity were the armed barricades on what was left of National Route 1, serving as the government's barricade at the edge of the Ōtsu Dead Zone; likewise, at the very east of the Quarantine Zone was a militarized perimeter, similar to those around the Sapporo Dead Zone in Hokkaido. Beyond that, the whole land was a dead waste.
And the dead were having their say, as thousands of Ghosts prowled about. A good chunk were throwing themselves at the line of Buddhist monks and Shinto priests that served as the last line of defense; from above, there was no telling how desperate they were.
The Beast laughed.
"A quick trip to the cognitive world would solve that..."
Its clawed hands dipped into shadowy tar that stank of terror made real.
"...I wonder how many Archetypes have spawned from their fear...?"
"Let's draw their attention." With intent, Shinji angled Shogoki towards the center of the Quarantine Zone (and
oh, his thoughts were already recoiling at the emptiness, for this was a land that had been engineered to ward off life itself, and that aversion had become outright
disdain), dropping down with a heavy thud on salted soil. Mana hopped off, her hardy soles kicking up dust. "Just like in Arida?" he asked, mentally feeling the switch from Fuu-Ki to Shiki-Ouji.
"If it works, it works!" yelled Mana, her hands already gripping onto AIGIS and LABRYS.
By his will, Unit-01 grew...and grew...and
grew. At thirty meters tall, the gargantuan construction of spirit and mind
seethed with power, towering over everything for at least a kilometer around them. It was awe-inspiring, great, and terrible.
It also couldn't move, because
all of Shinji's focus was putting his spirit on metaphorical display. "...m-maybe I should tone it down-"
"Nah, I think you've got their attention." Mana held her axe behind her, resting its head on the ground; as one, the tide of Ghosts had swerved away from their prior foes,
screaming towards them in a tide of pain and sorrow and hatred. "I'll cut em' down to size!" With a defiant scream, Mana unleashed a wave of sharp light from LABRYS, carving a gap through the tide. She moved like a whirling dervish, striking down hordes of specters in heaving swings.
Shinji lost all sight of her amidst the torrent of Ghosts that swirled around him, phasing through his flesh to strike at his soul within Unit-01. The impacts of hundreds of specters didn't hurt...but somehow, he could still
feel them. So many at once, too...it felt stark, and
sharp in a way he hadn't expected. Was it a consequence of his growing power? He had no way of knowing.
But the utter wrath of these wraiths was...heavy.
His Other kept a hand on his back.
"Focus. The dead can be mourned later."
Shinji sighed, renewing his focus on enduring the storm; if nothing else, it was an exercise in
determination...
xxxx
It was a remarkable sight, to the defenders at the boundary of the Quarantine Zone. With much of their normal staff having been pulled to Okayama Prefecture to ensure that the Summer Olympics went smoothly, this sudden influx of Ghosts had come at a
horrible time.
But the commander of the garrison that guarded the militarized perimeter wasn't thinking about that, now; he was too busy staring, the violet
oni that had suddenly emerged close to the barren slopes. Its very presence seemed to draw all of the Ghosts like a moth to a flame. "By the
gods..."
"So that is an Evangelion..."
The commander looked over his shoulder, blinking at the sight of an unexpected figure. "Governor-?"
"An impressive sight, isn't it?" The relatively new Governor of Kyoto Prefecture adjusted his orange-tinted glasses. "Use this opportunity to reinforce the Adepts. Or must I do your job
for you?"
The blunt condescension served its purpose well enough, as the commander straightened up. "Sir!"
The governor ran a hand over his bald head before turning away, walking towards a Kawasaki KV-107 tandem-rotor helicopter. Somehow, he had a feeling that the infestation would be dealt with in short order.
xxxx
Mana smashed the ground with AIGIS, unleashing a concussive wave of force that cleared the immediate area around Shinji. "I think you can help out, now!"
Grimly nodding, Shinji seemed to become...
lesser, as his Evangelion suddenly shrank in size. Yet what was lost in grandiose spectacle was gained in offensive capabilities, as the form of Ippon-Datara bled through Shogoki's A.T. Field; a great hammer forged from orange light emerged in the Evangelion's right hand. "Sledgehammer" was all Ikari had to say before his Evangelion began swinging with abandon, crushing and sending specters flying with each blow.
Mana used the opportunity to focus on the stragglers, cutting through each and every Ghost she came across. For not the first time, she wondered if these remnants of the once-living actually felt anything...
xxxx
Her Little Sis quietly hugged each person that came her way, bidding them farewell with a somber expression.
Her Big Sis held the door open, insistently ushering them on to whatever came next.
xxxx
...but that sort of thinking didn't really change anything, in the end. Ultimately, it was a choice between the living and the dead...and the living would always matter more, in Mana's estimation.
Before long, the two sundered the last of the Ghosts...and it was just two small children, standing alone in the wasteland. "...that's the last of them."
"...yeah..." murmured Ikari, looking around the barren land with a sober look. Unit-01 still loomed tall, visibly thrumming with power. "...I'm glad this strategy didn't catch on..."
"Why?"
"...it's depressing."
She looked around, impulsively comparing the numerous storage towers — filled with who knew
how many cremated remains — with the quiet tranquility of Nishiawakura, with the stressful yet inherent liveliness of Tokyo-3. The Quarantine Zone held a sense of utter
sterility that she hadn't felt since her days in the facilities of Shiro Tokita and the NHCI. "...I get what you're saying." No wonder it was immediately bugging her, now that the battle was over...and
why could she hear a helicopter? Looking up into the sky, her eyes narrowed. "Incoming."
Shinji tiredly looked towards the helicopter as it lowered to the ground about sixty meters away, kicking up lifeless dust; the side door of the orange and white vehicle opened up, revealing a bald man with glasses that seemed...uncannily familiar.
(She missed how Ikari immediately tensed up at the vision, only to relax when it wasn't who he thought it was.)
The man impulsively adjusted his tie (which seemed pointless, what with all the wind that the helicopter was picking up); ignoring the dust on his black suit, the goateed man strode towards them with purpose, analyzing them with intent and purpose. "...Shinji Ikari and Mana Kirishima," he said aloud, as though testing them. His eyes briefly gazed up at the violet Evangelion before looking back down at them. "As youthful and as powerful as the rumors say..."
Mana
immediately disliked him. "You want to start something?" She ignored Shinji's hand on her shoulder, even though it was enough to stop her impulsive tirade.
"...but just as impetuous as children tend to be," he said with a snide tone. "Still, for the effort I went through to have this mission directed to you two, the results are good enough." He turned his tinted gaze to Shinji. "I've been reliably informed that you're acquainted with an A.T. Agent by the name of Goro Akechi, correct?"
"...yes?" tiredly admitted Ikari.
The man nodded, as though confirming what he already knew. "The next time you speak with him, tell him that
Governor Shido is waiting for an answer. I'm getting rather tired of him ignoring my calls, and I'd rather not resort to less...
cordial means of getting his attention." With those words said, he turned around and departed without another word.
As the helicopter slowly rose, Mana looked at her comrade with an arched eyebrow. "Any idea what
that was about?" When he shook his head in response, Mana couldn't help but snort. "Feh...either way, I don't like him."
Shinji nodded in agreement. "Yeah...I think we can head back to Nishiawakura now..."
It was at that precise moment that her stomach growled
very loudly. "...mind if we stop somewhere to eat, first?"
"...um, sure..."
She didn't much mind as Unit-01 picked her up in one large hand, cradling her within its palm; her utter exhaustion was sufficient to ward off any primal dread that remained.
(Besides, it was Shinji Ikari. He wasn't going to hurt her...not anymore, at least, right?)
(
Is it really a strange thing, if you feel like you can trust him...?)
She was asleep before Unit-01 even left the ground for the cloudy skies above.
