At last, the shrewd Director of the CIA spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of experience:
"Humanity can no longer endure a Third Impact…"
"Hmph!" The President of the United States cut him off coldly. "So what—you're suggesting we let our nation be humiliated, destroyed? That we just sit here while others trample us—defecate and urinate on our heads? And what of the safety of our people? How are we to guarantee that?"
His words silenced the entire room. They were all Americans. While the fate of humanity as a whole weighed heavily, the survival and honor of the United States came first.
Now that there was irrefutable evidence—the Russians had dared to openly annihilate a major city on American soil. If the government did not respond, the American people would never forgive them.
Already, public opinion across the nation was inflamed. Ever since the incident outside NERV Headquarters in Japan, outrage had been spreading like wildfire across the globe. Now Americans filled the streets, demanding justice, demanding Russia be punished.
This was no longer the rhetoric of "a shared human destiny." It was a cry against a war on humanity itself.
When it became clear that no one else in the room had words left to argue, the President let out a cold snort.
"Enough. The decision is made. Russia must pay the price. The destruction of Carson City is a crime against humanity. If we take no action, neither I—nor the American people—will ever accept it!"
He raised his hand sharply.
"Bring me a pen!"
The officials exchanged uneasy glances. It was clear—the President would not back down this time.
They watched grimly as he signed his name upon the document. With the stroke of a pen, the die was cast. Once this executive order left the Oval Office, the international order would reach the point of no return.
And so it was: the signed directive passed to the military, and through the media, to the people of the United States, and soon, the world.
It was a declaration of war.
In response to the escalating crisis and the fury surrounding Carson City, America mobilized. Troops, aircraft, warships—and, of course, Evangelions.
Even with Unit-04 destroyed, and Unit-03 trapped in Japan, the U.S. still possessed two Evangelions.
Weapons designed to fight Angels had now been reduced to mere instruments of war.
On the other side, Russia too rallied its armies, its fleets, its artillery. The two great powers now faced one another down. A new world war was on the verge of breaking out.
But the balance was skewed—America had Evangelions. What did Russia have that could stand against them?
Only at NERV Headquarters in Japan did life seem untouched. In the Commander's office, Gendō Ikari and Kouzou Fuyutsuki sat as if insulated from the madness consuming the globe.
"A U.S.–Russia war… Gendō, it seems your plans won't be easy to execute," Fuyutsuki remarked lightly. He raised his cup of coffee, blowing gently on its steam, and allowed himself a thin smile. "Tell me—does this mean our Human Instrumentality Project is nearly ready to begin?"
"This war will serve as a test," Gendō answered, his voice calm, distant, a man cloaked in shadow. "SEELE's will must be carried out. The Instrumentality Project will proceed as scheduled. The ritual is complete. All that remains is for the performers to take the stage."
"So the dancers must finally appear…" Fuyutsuki mused, shaking his head. "The Human Instrumentality Project—SEELE's ultimate desire. The rest of the path… depends on us alone. I suppose, if Yui were here, she would be pleased. Human technology daring to challenge, even surpass, theology itself. And perhaps, Gendō, the culmination of it all may be realized in you and me."
"The music has already begun," Gendō replied. He rose from his chair, moved to the far side of the desk, and switched on a monitoring device.
On the screen appeared an enormous garden—cold, vast, isolated. Under a towering tree sat a man and a woman, quietly working, living, speaking with one another.
Yet the image radiated an uncanny chill. To the ordinary eye, the scene would evoke an instinctive dread, a place cut off from Earth, a hollow imitation of peace and purity that chilled the soul.
Fuyutsuki, however, showed no alarm. He merely answered with composure:
"To witness the final miracle—that is an honor in itself, isn't it?"
"Then let it begin," Gendō declared, his voice low, resonant, almost demonic. "The Human Instrumentality Project is now in motion. Humanity's self-determined fate—since the moment of its birth—will be utterly rewritten."
His fingers drummed lightly against the tabletop. The sound was like the devil's laughter.
The hollow tapping echoed through the office, seeping into Fuyutsuki's ears as well as his own.
Years later, lying frail upon a hospital bed, Fuyutsuki would recall that sound—and it would only bring sorrow.
When Ryota Kitazawa later learned of it all, he too could only sigh.
For this was the moment. From here, everything would begin.
Everything would end.
With war officially declared, the United States struck swiftly. Backed by two NERV-built Evangelions, their forces crushed Russia's armies, driving them into rout after rout. Even on the seas of Japan, naval clashes ended in one-sided American victories. Russia's fleet was forced back into its harbors.
But then came the true horror.
As America prepared for its final assault, Russia made a stunning announcement: they would use nuclear weapons.
The declaration sent shockwaves through the globe. Nuclear war would not merely mean the destruction of a single nation. It would mean the extinction of humanity.
Instantly, the world cried out in protest. One by one, governments denounced Russia. If they unleashed nuclear arms, the international community—even the United Nations itself—could not stand idly by. Action would be taken.
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