Does this work too?

"How come..."

Swish!

Shinji stared blankly at the situation before him. Before he could finish speaking, a white light flashed, and then Unit-01's massive head began to spin in the air.

Pfft——!

Unit-01's blood splattered everywhere once again, and a rain of blood fell.

"Huh? Unit-01? Kaneki?"

Shinji witnessed all of this, his pupils dilated in shock, and he was still in a daze.

Then, Unit-04 walked up behind Unit-01 and pierced through its chest with lightning speed.

That location is exactly where the cockpit is!

Pfft——!

"Oh no!! Kane-ki!"

Upon seeing this, Misato Katsuragi in the command center screamed and shouted, "Quick! Eject the cockpit!!"

"..."

"..."

However, there was complete silence around them; no one spoke.

"What are you doing?! Launch it!"

Misato Katsuragi screamed in terror, but all she got in return was...

"The cockpit... is completely destroyed..."

"What...? Where's the pilot?! Where's Kaneki?!"

In an instant, Misato Katsuragi asked in pain.

Just then, Kaneki's voice came through the communicator.

It was a very hoarse and weak voice.

"Everyone……"

"Kaneki! Hang in there, we're coming to save you!"

"No, it's no use. Listen to me... Run! The enemy is not only an Angel... but also our nemesis... Tell Shinji to believe in himself, just as you believe in me and I believe in him."

"Kaneki!? Don't die!"

Misato Katsuragi screamed loudly, her face filled with despair and sorrow.

I don't know when it started, but everyone felt that the apostles were no longer dangerous. However, everyone overlooked a terrible thing.

People die when they are killed.

Such a simple truth... yet we forgot it because of our previous victory.

The next second, Kaneki's roar resounded.

"You won't die, because of me! Kaneki Ken will protect you!!"

"Art is an explosion—drink!!"

Boom——! !

In an instant, a huge shockwave rose from the ground, and the violent explosion overturned everything, even the underground base trembled violently.

Everyone stared at the epicenter of the explosion, the self-destruction caused by Unit-01.

After the explosion, Unit-04 disappeared without a trace, while Unit-01 was left behind only fragments.

But... Kaneki is nowhere to be found.

"..."

"Aaaaaaah! Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me?!"

Shinji stared in despair at the gray and white metal frame in front of him, roaring furiously and howling in grief.

Homura Akemi, Madoka Kazuma, and others around her were all so grief-stricken they could barely contain themselves. Kazuma, in particular, was wailing and crying out loud as he looked at Kaneki's portrait.

"Kaneki! You died such a terrible death... Aaaaaah!!"

He actually spat out a mouthful of saliva without actually consuming the pearl, almost bursting out laughing, but thankfully Shinji didn't notice.

Homura Akemi's face was filled with sorrow as she watched Shinji without saying a word. She was grieving for Shinji, not Kaneki.

Madoka, however, patted Shinji on the shoulder with a sigh and said sadly, "Shinji, please accept my condolences. Kaneki knew from the beginning that this would happen. Our battle has already begun."

"..."

Shinji clenched his fists, too grief-stricken to speak, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Chapter 670 RMN! There's a mole!

"Why is this happening... Everyone was clearly..."

Shinji stared at Kaneki's portrait with tears in his eyes. He didn't know what to do. Everything was going well, but then it all suddenly turned out like this.

Kaneki's funeral was simple because his body was never found.

Shinji, however, had a sense of unreality, even subconsciously at times.

You might feel that Kaneki appears the same way as before.

But in the end, they all realized with a start that Kaneki was really gone.

He could only stand in the yard watering the flowers and plants, but his eyes held less ease and more sadness.

This absolutely cannot continue!

Shinji was filled with grief and resentment, thinking back that if he had been able to participate, things would never have turned out this way.

Realizing this, he turned and walked towards the house behind him without looking back, full of awareness, and left.

When Shinji saw Kazuma, he immediately shouted:

"I want to pilot an EVA!"

A sudden remark startled everyone, then they saw Shinji's unwavering resolve.

With that sudden realization, he understood everything.

Kazuma immediately stood up and said earnestly, "No!"

"What!?" Shinji's face immediately paled in shock. "Why!"

"We're not dead yet!" Kazuma retorted without room for argument.

"What??" Shinji was incredulous at this question and stared wide-eyed at Kazuma.

Kazuma took a deep breath and said seriously, "This is no longer just a battle with the Apostles; there's something far more terrifying behind it. You're too naive to go into battle right now. At least until we're all dead, you absolutely cannot go!"

"What a joke!" Shinji roared in frustration, his eyes filled with anger as he looked at Kazuma.

"You're the one joking, Shinji!"

Kazuma said without any politeness, his expression full of seriousness.

Shinji seemed to understand something, and retreated in despair. If even Kaneki couldn't defeat the enemy, he, a boy who had only just become a magical girl, was even less likely to be a match for him.

So, he was the one joking.

"Isn't there any other way?" Shinji asked, biting his lip, on the verge of tears.

Upon hearing this, Kazuma's expression softened, and he placed his hands on Shinji's shoulders.

He said earnestly, "Don't worry, we are invincible."

"Will you win?"

"It will win."

He spoke with utmost sincerity, his eyes seemingly radiating light.

"..."

Shinji nodded heavily, putting away his immature thoughts.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. How could my strength possibly be a match for veterans like Kazuma? Only by having them take the lead can we have any hope.

...

After that, Shinji would occasionally familiarize himself with the magical girl's powers in the backyard.

When Rei Ayanami passed by and saw Shinji's situation, she couldn't help but show her doubts, but seeing how hard Shinji was trying, she couldn't help but feel a little touched.

The little skirt is so pretty.

However, Shinji was unaware of all this.

... .....

three days later.

The new NEVR, a flute melody from afar.

"Unidentified life form detected!"

"Firm wavelength: Blue! It's an apostle!"

An alarm sounded in the base. This time, the previous ease was gone from everyone's faces; instead, there was a solemnity, a solemnity born of a threat.

Misato Katsuragi's face was covered in cold sweat as she stared intently at the scene before her.

"Is everything alright, Kazuma?"

The next second, a real scene appeared, revealing a dashing smile. He gave a thumbs-up and laughed, "No problem."

"Alright, attack!"

"Kazma! Ikemasu!"

boom-!

In an instant, Unit-00 was launched into orbit, and everyone watched its launch with trepidation.

The moment Unit-00 touched down, Kazuma sensed an overwhelming aura ahead. There was no mistake! It was Unit-04, the one that killed Kaneki!

The driver... made Kazuma feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

"Kaneki's revenge! I'm going to avenge him now!"

The moment Kazuma saw Unit 4 appear, he immediately sprinted towards it with a hand chop.

As he ran, he recalled his conversation with Leng Mo.

"Kazma, you're next."

"Eh? Me?"

"That's right, remember to look handsome."

"Yosh! I get it!"

"You'll escape before the explosion, but remember to be careful not to get discovered."

"No problem, I'll definitely use some cool lines!"

At that moment, everyone's face was filled with a funny smile.

The instant the flashback ended, Unit-00 and Unit-04 collided.

Boom!

The first thing they encountered was the AT field, and the opposing force fields neutralized each other in a straight line.

The next second, Unit 4 disappeared and suddenly appeared behind Unit 0. Its hand chop was as fast as lightning, leaving no time for anyone to react.

"Die!"

A sound came from Unit 4, a sound blurred by multiple layers of noise, which no one could recognize.

"It's now!"

Kazuma's eyes narrowed, flashing with a sharp light; he was already on guard.