After getting everyone up with some key lines of dialogue to tag them into the story again, the battle actually starts up again, the Angel 'announcing' himself to everyone. After some brief narration depicting Cirus' frustration and inward rage at failing to protect Ayanami-sama, it's established that Misato misled Rei, and Cirus' condition is still quite serious. I, personally, would question the value of lying to someone about the safety of a loved one, but it struck me as something Misato would do with Rei's best interests at heart (and Cirus'). The reader, by now, likely predicts Cirus stoic response to her pleading to stop fighting, and his violent reaction to the Angel's 'taunting'. This is basically an excuse to demonstrate Cirus' skills again, especially with his mid-hop grasping of the second sword, and spinning attack of death.

But this time the Angel doesn't fall to Cirus' brave, ruthless assault. Instead, Cirus is put on the defensive again, and Rei charges to the rescue. This part is meant to panic the reader, who, hopefully, not only fears Cirus has finally made his lethal mistake, but is now seeing Ayanami-sama dive into a situation, which rapidly becomes lethal for her. Before he can become guilty for getting her killed with his brashness, Cirus is back in defense of Ayanami-sama... and nearly gets cut in half for it. Personally, the image of Rei's face, wide-eyed, numb, and mildly manic (not nearly to the extent Shinji has demonstrated in the series, of course) is very clear to me even from the simple description of 'mute shock' in the context of a bloody explosion. I hope it works that well for the reader.

I quickly establish the fact that Cirus is not dead, and can, in fact, still fight, because the real point is the pain. I have a personal theory that if a person knew damage was impermanent, they could suffer through exponentially greater pain than s/he would be willing to normally. Take a person who's already more tolerant of pain than normal, and it produces an almost invincible warrior, all the more terrifying (for everyone) for his ruthless, relentless striving. I also think that this scene, and the sheer violence of the battle from here on out, brings Kenosis much more in line with the series' view of combat (Brutal, violent, and bloody), especially with the idea of Maya getting sick at what she's seeing. I found her 'squeamishness' quite fitting for her, and never found it annoying during the series, so I consider it simply an aspect of her character and a very useful reference for anyone who's seen the series for this scene.

I deliberately had Cirus speak in a very polite way during his excruciating pain for a few reasons. First, he's not a native speaker of Japanese, and would probably revert to more polite forms he remembered more instinctively. Second, he's so focused on ignoring the pain, he has no time for actual emotion. And third, he really does need some help in that moment. If the reader senses a bit of 'pleading' in his manner, that's intended. If not... well, something for me to consider adding in explicitly.

As if this wasn't enough, the reader may consider me downright monstrous when the massive blast sends Unit 14 careening off into a building with, as is later described, half of its armor scorched clean off. To appease readers while remaining dramatic, I, again, make it clear quickly that he is not dead. I also believe the repetion of 'sensory overload' is a bit much, and I may revise one of the two out completely. If alone, I think this mixture of Ritsuko, Misato, and Hyuga uses the idea much better than the original, happening to rely on Maya.

I couldn't resist the poetic satisfaction of having Rei, the 'emotionless doll', react with anger at a witty remark from the Angel over her beloved's near-murder. Not only does she react, she practically 'pulls a Cirus' and goes right after the Angel. This starts the more heart-wrenching part of the battle, where Rei herself gets injured in some gruesome ways (Unit 00 anyway). The claws digging into Unit 00's stomach was inspired by that 'devilman' anime (I only saw the previews). Rei takes the pain, however, (like Cirus) and uses both of their weapons to seriously harm the Angel for the first time. Cirus is with her in a way, even in that moment, but it's because of her own strength that she realized that and made it happen. Again, I'm moving her from dependence on Cirus through the benefits she's gained from him.

The Angel's transformation into a 'demon dog', and the battle resulting, may simply drive the reader over the edge of exhaustion, for which I am sorry. I wanted to really draw this out, make it harsh on an instinctive level so the characters' behavior would immediately have richer view in the reader's mind. I also, specifically, let Asuka use the positron rifle as a counter-balance to the mind-torture sequence from the series, where she failed to use the blaster effectively at all, and then fell into her deep depression. I am showing that she has come full circle, with growth, and actually puts the Angel at a stand-still in the finish with the gun. And, again, I show off Rei's 'most powerful AT field'. I find it especially fitting that the 'girl without a soul' not only has one, but has the strongest 'soul wall' of any that can make them.

The idea of actually having Rei go through the pleading cycle with Misato over staying in the fight or not, exactly like Cirus, was irresistable to me. It really shows how much Rei has changed, yet retains her indellible mark of personality. When it is clear she is fully determined, Misato caves, and the part ends with the Angel waiting for some opening. Read on.