Chapter 1358
Reputation
Ultraman Jack reached out, grabbing the carapace protrusion on Sgateon's back with one hand and holding onto the twisted and deformed body of the Sky Angel with the other.
Use both arms to exert force.
Finally, Sgaten and the Sky Angel were thrown away by Cui Ming.
The silver giant traced a perfect arc in space, like throwing a shot put, hurling the 200,000-ton steel monster and the half-dead apostle into the depths of space.
The immense kinetic energy carried them tumbling away, turning them into two small black dots in the starry sky in the blink of an eye.
Sgaten was very happy.
It adjusted its posture as it rolled, its white eyes fixed on the orange geometric shape beside it that was still twitching, its carapace opening and closing with excitement.
We can be happy for a while now.
It finally found a new "lover," although this "lover" seemed reluctant, but that didn't matter.
The important thing is that the feeling is back.
The ethereal angel is in despair!
It tumbled in space, the ATField shattered into pieces, its orange body covered in burns and indentations, with droplets of liquid gushing out from the wounds and condensing into eerie orange ice crystals in the vacuum.
Its spiritual fluctuations broke through the vacuum of the universe, so shrill they seemed to be tearing at the soul.
"Damn it, help me!!!"
"Where are the other apostles? Help me!!!"
"Lady Lilith! Angel of Freedom! Help me!!!"
"I don't want to be taken away by this steel monster! I don't want to be its wife! Aaaaaaah!!!"
On the ground in Tokyo-3, Rei Ayanami looked up, her red eyes reflecting the silver figure of Ultraman Jack.
She stood quietly, her fingers still gripping Cui Ming's clothes, even though he had become a giant over fifty meters tall. She knew he could hear her.
Come back soon.
She repeated it again, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself.
Ultraman Jack glanced down at her, nodded slightly, then turned and flew back to Earth. His silver body pierced through the atmosphere, leaving a long trail of light in the sky.
The screams of the ethereal angels still echoed in the universe, but no one could hear them anymore.
Except for Sgateton.
It joyfully spewed flames, hugged the angel of the sky even tighter, and slowly drifted into the depths of the universe.
"Wife... let's go home..." "No!!!"
That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying...
In the NERV headquarters command center, everyone watched the last image shown on the big screen and fell into a deathly silence.
Sgateon's 200,000-ton steel body pressed down on the Sky Angel, its back armor opening and closing, spewing scorching flames. The Tenth Apostle, powerful enough to destroy a city, was utterly ravaged, letting out pitiful howls, struggling helplessly like a trampled insect. The scene surpassed everyone's comprehension; the Apostle's majesty, its terror, its invincible AT Field—all shattered into dust before that steel monster.
Anyway, humans have gained a new understanding of monsters...
Misato leaned back in her chair, clutching the now-cold coffee cup, her knuckles white. She recalled the despair she had felt facing the Angels, the absolute powerlessness inflicted by those ATFields, and compared it to the scene of Stigton crushing the Sky Angel like a toy. Her worldview was completely shattered. She realized there were beings more unreasonable than the Angels, and that each of those monsters wandering from the depths of space might harbor chilling fetishes and powers.
so horrible.
The young technician swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as if he had walked in the desert for three days: "What if... what if another monster like this comes along?"
The person next to him didn't answer, but silently turned his gaze toward the door of the command room, where the aura left by Cui Ming before his transformation still lingered.
Meanwhile, everyone is waiting to dissect the sextant as soon as possible; let's make good use of this inhumane contraption.
It's unclear when it started, but this idea began to spread throughout NERV headquarters. Rokubungi Gendo lay on a metal bed in the laboratory, his body wrapped in bandages, steel pins in his legs, and Angel cells implanted in his body—a walking treasure trove of experimental subjects. Before, everyone was mindful of his identity, his status as the former commander, and the reaction from SEELE. But now? Who cared? That guy had transformed himself into a half-human, half-Angel monster, colluded with SEELE in anti-human projects, and even used his own son as a tool. Keeping such a beast around was a waste of air.
"Let's dissect him quickly," an old employee muttered as he ate his food in the cafeteria. "His apostle cells might yield some useful antibodies."
“Exactly, it’s about making use of waste,” someone nearby chimed in. “He’s just suffering anyway, so he might as well contribute to science.”
Even Hikari didn't think much of it.
When someone cautiously asked him whether it was humane to study the sextant Gendo slides, Hikari, who was fiddling with test tubes with his head down, replied without looking up, "Oh, that? Whatever."
His tone was as calm as if he were discussing how to dispose of an expired petri dish, and there was not a ripple in his eyes behind his glasses.
Hikari also found Sextant disgusting.
Hikari had encountered many evil beings—space pirates, invading aliens, monsters that destroyed civilizations—but Rokubungi Gendo, this anti-human madman who used his own son as a tool, the fate of all humanity as a bargaining chip, and his own body as experimental material, filled him with a deep-seated disgust. That twisted madness that would stop at nothing for his obsession, that chilling scheming that lurked in the shadows, that despicable bravado despite being weaker than Spike—even Hikari, an alien scientist, found it nauseating.
“His apostle cells are quite interesting,” Hikari added, locking the test tube in the safe. “As for him… cut him out, I don’t mind.”
This is Cui Ming's reputation.
Throughout NERV headquarters, from top management to the lowest ranks, from scientists to janitors, everyone tacitly accepted this approach. No one questioned it, no one objected, and no one stood up for Rokkaku. Because Choi Myeong demonstrated through his actions that he protected those worthy of protection, treated his comrades with kindness, but was ruthless towards enemies and merciless towards beasts. He beat Rokkaku to a pulp, handed him over to Hikari for research, and tacitly allowed everyone to wait for the dissection—everyone considered it perfectly justified, even applauding it.
“Mr. Choi is right,” a female employee said coldly as she passed by the laboratory door with a cup of coffee in hand, glancing at the Rokubungi Gendo still humming inside. “This kind of inhumane thing should be put to good use.”
In the corridor, Cui Mingzheng walked over from a distance. Upon hearing this, he did not pause at all, but simply nodded and then pushed open the door to the command room.
His back was tall and steady, like a knife stuck in the ground; everyone knew—following him meant safety; betraying him, or betraying humanity, would be the fate of Rokubungi Gendo. (End of Chapter)