EVA: Daybreak

As the progressive knife sliced downward, it was immediately repelled by the massive AT Field enveloping Sachiel.

But then… everything changed.

Sachiel's movement shifted.

Its long, powerful arms veered away from the ground and swept sideways toward Unit-01 instead.

It was clear: if those arms made contact, they would inflict catastrophic damage—perhaps even triggering a small earthquake.

But inside Unit-01 was not Shinji Ikari...

It was Ryota Kitazawa.

As the Eva was struck, Ryota reacted with astonishing speed. The machine leapt, spinning into the air and delivering a devastating kick that struck Sachiel.

This was no ordinary movement—it was a soaring, spinning kick more fitting for a taekwondo master.

Every observer was stunned, watching Ryota execute such a difficult feat in Unit-01—bigger, slower, and far less agile than its pilot.

Even Rei Ayanami, considered the default top candidate for piloting, could not have pulled this off.

> How could Ryota, on his first piloting attempt, manage such finesse?

> These reflexes… these instincts—how could they emerge so naturally?

Thunder rolled.

Sachiel was sent tumbling across the ground by the impact, then rose again with its roar of fury:

> "AOOOHH!"

The Fourth Angel charged again.

At first, Unit-01's movements were jerky and hesitant.

But within moments, its limbs moved with astonishing grace and speed.

It was as if pilot and machine had fused into one.

Back in NERV's control room, everyone's breaths caught in their throats.

Ryota, however, was relishing the fight—his mind blinking back to those days in the Cosmic Forest, where brutal, bloody skirmishes were his daily reality.

> This is nothing.

There, he'd become more than a warrior.

He'd become a silent predator, born of darkness and discipline.

Now, Unit-01 moved with his will—nimble, brutal—pushing Sachiel to retreat.

Technicians like Fuyutsuki and Misato watched in disbelief.

Even after witnessing two previous miracles, Misato still questioned—

> Is this really happening on his first time piloting Unit-01?

This was beyond talent.

It was legend unfolding.

Meanwhile, deep inside Ryota's mind, the War God System's voice cut through the adrenaline:

> "Congratulations, Host. Task 'Eternal Battle' completed."

"Condition met: Piloted Evangelion during initial combat for 15 minutes."

"Reward unlocked: Opportunity to upgrade Evangelion. Confirm usage?"

> "Confirm."

Without hesitation, Ryota accepted. He wouldn't waste this chance to enhance Unit-01.

He'd fought long enough not just to adapt… but to improve.

After all, even though Unit-01 was a copy of Lilith—the First Ancestor—it was still just a copy.

> Even a copy can evolve.

A brilliant beam of light exploded upward—piercing the sky, stretching into the heavens.

It blotted out the clouds—spreading across the horizon in radiant gold.

Unit-01 was bathed in divine light.

Two luminous wings unfolded from its back—

like golden blades of truth, cleaving the sky.

It looked… transcendent. Almost holy.

> "Oh, my God…"

All those watching—Ritsuko, Misato, Fuyutsuki, Gendo—were speechless, their eyes wide with awe.

They had never seen anything like this.

But Misato… she trembled.

Because she'd seen those wings before.

And those two majestic wings—

They weren't unique to Ryota.

They were the very same wings she'd seen in her nightmares.

Ritsuko, Misato, Fuyutsuki, and Gendo—they knew all too well what that meant.

For years, their hopes, their fears, their plans… had been building toward this moment.

---

God created heaven and earth in six days, and in His own image He created man. He gave man dominion over Eden but forbade him to take the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, warning that to eat it was to die. Yet man ate it.

Many years later, someone discovered an ancient scroll—what we now call the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The text speaks of the Tree of Life, bearing eighteen fruits—seventeen of Life, one of Knowledge.

God created two beings: a male, Adam, and a female, Lilith.

When their forbidden union culminated, Lilith gave birth to eighteen children.

The first seventeen consumed the fruit of Life—and gained immortal power.

But the eighteenth ate the Fruit of Knowledge—and was blessed with shame.

Shame… the very gift we call God's Power.

Yet such a being could not remain in the world.

Because even God's Power cannot abide in creation unchanged.