EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 187 I can't be an enemy of Ultraman!

"Fire...!!"

At a single command, whether it was main battle tanks, armed helicopters, or light infantry running on the ground, they all uniformly aimed their dark gun barrels at the completely fallen forward command post, and at the boy who walked out of the command post.

Perhaps... some soldiers would feel puzzled because they are pointing their guns at a child who is obviously a minor at first glance.

Perhaps... some soldiers were surprised from the very beginning that they would be going against an organization that had always been dedicated to saving the world.

Perhaps… some soldiers felt apprehensive about the Tokyo TV reporter still hovering overhead, shining a huge searchlight into the center of the battlefield…

But no matter what the soldiers think... orders from superiors are absolute; the moment they become part of the army, they are destined to have their individual consciousness erased...

Fire!

Like a roaring mountain and a tsunami... with the muzzles of guns and cannons spewing fire that turned the entire night into day... a saturation barrage that seemed to want to cover the entire sky, swallowing up everything in sight.

There was no chance of survival... The forward command post, so narrow that it could only accommodate one or two platoons, was instantly engulfed by artillery fire that could have leveled the entire hilltop.

No human… no, I should say… no carbon-based life form could survive this torrent of steel.

That's how it should have been.

Until... humanity saw the Giant of Light!
"It's... Ultraman!?"

That was the cry of soldiers who had read the report about Tiga protecting humanity and fighting against the Angels.

"Why...why is it Ultraman Tiga?!"

That was the roar from a video that witnessed Tiga's battle with the Sky Angel in outer space.

"...How could this be! To be an enemy of God!!"

Those were the soldiers who had joined a cult founded on the purpose of worshipping Ultraman... slamming their rifles onto the floor in resentment.

As the giant of light suddenly appeared on the earth, all the soldiers were stunned by this unexpected scene... For a moment, no one noticed...

It was noticed that the explosion and fire that should have occurred were all gone.

No, it's not that it disappeared... it's that it never happened at all.

The Giant of Light simply stretched out his hand slowly... and all the fruits of human civilization's highest civilization were frozen in front of Tiga, as if a video had been paused.

Whether it's a warhead or explosives... the most basic laws of physics are easily overturned and trampled upon by this guardian of humanity.

"Unbelievable... This is absolutely unbelievable!! Was it recorded?! Was the whole thing recorded?!"

A Tokyo TV helicopter hovering in mid-air... the host of a special program and the dedicated cameraman who recorded everything from beginning to end with a shoulder-mounted camera... no one could help but be speechless at the scene before them that almost overturned human values.

"It's recorded! Of course it's recorded!!"

Both the photographer and the host... their voices were filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

Because... risking my life to believe in Kaji Ryoji's words and come here was indeed worthwhile! Even being threatened and shot at by those bastards in the military with anti-aircraft machine guns... it was all worthwhile!
"Breaking news... This is huge news! It's even comparable to the arrival of the Angels! It will divide human history into two phases from this day forward! It's an epic news story!!"

The host was trembling with excitement… She deeply understood that, on more than one occasion, it had appeared in the hearts of people around the world during humanity's most perilous times…

Like a god, he defeats the Angels and protects humanity... Just what kind of being is Ultraman Tiga?

However, because they all disappeared after defeating the Angels, many people couldn't fully understand the difference between Ultraman Tiga and the Angels.

There are even absurd claims that Ultraman should only exist as the natural enemy of the Angels, appearing only to hunt the Angels, and having nothing to do with protecting humanity.

But today, without any apostles or alien enemies, Ultraman Tiga has appeared!

In order to protect NERV! They appeared before the foolish Japanese military government's Self-Defense Forces...!
"What are you standing there for! Attack!!"

The first volley of shells came to a standstill in front of Tiga... and then lost all kinetic energy... falling calmly under the influence of gravity without causing a ripple.

The operations director at the front command roared in exasperation... So what if a monster that looks like an apostle appeared? His subordinates were so scared that they couldn't even speak.
"Attack!?"

The soldiers' tone changed upon receiving the order... If attacking NERV was one thing, then attacking Tiga was another... Not to mention that the other side was a guardian deity who had saved the Earth countless times.

You want me to use this 155mm scrap metal to attack Ultraman, who can withstand a gigantic apostle weighing tens of thousands of tons in satellite orbit... Are you even awake?
"Shut up!! You bunch of spineless cowards!! Obedience! It's a soldier's duty!! Open fire! Attack!!!"

Enraged, the operations director drew his officer's katana from his waist and brandished it at his subordinates.

"Eee-ya...!"

The soldier, whose shoulder had been slashed and left a bloody gash, knew that the war maniac behind him was the largest supervisory team. In order to avoid being sliced ​​to pieces, he had no choice but to turn the tank's cannon back and point it at Ultraman Tiga, who was standing still and had not attacked the human army.

"Attack!! No matter if the opponent is an apostle or some Ultraman... as long as we receive the order... we must attack... Huh?!"

However, before this madman's orders could even reach the entire army...

Ultraman Tiga slowly extended his hand once again... as if to punish these stubborn and foolish humans before him... and then suddenly clenched his fist!
"Waaaaaah!!"

In an instant, shrill screams rose and fell in waves... one after another... a mysterious force invisible to the naked eye acted on every armed helicopter and every tank in the entire Self-Defense Forces.

and……

"W-What's going on!?"

It did not harm humans... it simply applied this strange power directly to tanks and airplanes.

Under the influence of Ultraman's telekinetic power, invisible to the naked eye... every single tank running on the ground was instantly disassembled into its smallest components...

Even the cannon barrel
They were reduced to several oval pieces of sheet metal... and then fell helplessly to the ground.

"Ouch!!"

Because their vehicle suddenly disappeared... but the momentum of running was still there, the soldiers inside the tank were all thrown out by the momentum, one by one kissing the ground like dogs falling face-first.

"Commander! What...?!"

The tank commander looked up blankly, and then realized that the main battle tank he was riding just a second ago had now been reformed into a round iron ball.

The air was no exception... Those armed helicopters that were originally soaring in the sky disintegrated instantly, just like tanks... scrap metal that had lost all ability to fly could only fall miserably under the influence of gravity.

"Help me!!!"

Compared to tanks… airplane pilots weren't so lucky… because humans can never truly fly on their own. Having lost the wings bestowed upon them by civilization… they could only tragically perish, and then…

"…!?"

The expected impact on the ground and destruction did not occur.

Because… from the color timer on Ultraman Tiga’s chest… countless brilliant rays of light burst forth, gently enveloping every soldier falling through the air.

The soldier, enveloped in light, experienced a rapid acceleration due to gravity that slowed down... and finally, landed gently on the ground. He didn't die from the fall, nor was he even injured...

"Was it... Ultraman... who saved us?"

Even after landing, the dazzling light spots still lingered around him, emanating from the color timer. Even the most obtuse person wouldn't misunderstand why he was saved.

"Has the live stream started!?"

"Yes!! It's already started!!"

At that moment... a signal came from Kaji Ryoji—the nationwide live broadcast had begun.

Previously… it took some time to secure the TV station's signal… but now, with the help of MAGI from other branches…

MAGI at NERV headquarters has finally regained its computing power... With the assistance of this super-powerful central processing unit, seizing control of the local television station is a piece of cake.

"Dear viewers! Breaking news! Emergency! The Special Operations Division of the Self-Defense Forces stationed in Tokyo-3... launched a surprise attack on NERV headquarters in the early hours of this morning! And... even more astonishingly... the one who protected NERV and prevented the Japanese military government's atrocities from succeeding... is... Ultraman Tiga!!"

Having lost all their main weapons, the Self-Defense Force soldiers could only stand there blankly, holding their last remaining rifles, staring helplessly at the colossal giant of light before them.

"...I...I can't do it!"

Until… finally, the first person spoke out and expressed everyone's feelings.

"To be an enemy of Ultraman! I can't do it...!! I'll be punished by heaven!!"

Then... he slammed the rifle in his hand onto the ground.

"Yeah, yeah! Even the tanks and planes are gone...! How can we possibly win?! In the end, why are we even fighting against Ultraman?!"

After the first person did it, voices of resistance followed one after another... rising and falling.

"My wife and children are from Tokyo-3! When that apostle called the Thunder Angel invaded... even their shelter couldn't be saved! Ultraman protected them! How could I possibly fight Ultraman?!"

"I can't fight Ultraman! I just can't do it!"

"Hey! You bastards...! Are you trying to disobey orders?! We're going to be court-martialed!"

The supervisory team stepped forward and set up machine guns... but, although they made a lot of noise... they had no real confidence at all... it was just bluster.

"You guy..."

Faced with the cold muzzles of the supervisory team behind them, most of the soldiers were somewhat apprehensive, but a very few... still chose to pick up their guns and point them at the supervisory team behind them.

"You're rebelling... Huh?!"

Just as internal conflict among humans was about to erupt...

Another beam of light shot out from Ultraman Tiga's chest, this time enveloping the soldiers of the supervisory team.

As the light curtain descended, these vicious and desperate villains... all lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground in a daze.

"Amazing...!!"

"Diga!!"

"Ultraman...!!"

"Our guardian angel!!!"

In an instant, cheers and shouts, like a tsunami, spread among humanity once again.

Now they are no longer soldiers of the Japanese military government or special operations divisions... Now, they are just ordinary humans who have nowhere else to turn, saved and impressed by Ultraman Tiga.

"........."

Seeing how easily the riot had been quelled… Tiga glanced at the helicopter from TV3 New Tokyo, which was still circling overhead… After giving the photographer a close-up shot and nodding…

Ultraman Tiga flew upwards in his signature pose and disappeared into the distance in an instant.

…………

...

"How about it?"

Since there was virtually no energy expenditure this time, Shinji Ikari was able to return to the rear of the forward command post very quickly... inside the mobile tool vehicle that served as the base.

Kenzaki Kyouya was inside frantically analyzing the terminal he had obtained from the Self-Defense Forces division commander.

"Ah, Shinji-kun... everything is going as you predicted. Kaji has also settled things with the TV station... everything you just did should have been broadcast live nationwide."

"Eh, just the whole country?"

Seeing Shinji Ikari's somewhat dissatisfied face, Kenzaki Kyoya gave a wry smile.

"After all, NERV's MAGI can only cover Japan... It's a bit too much to expect it to have an impact overseas."

"Yeah... let's leave it at that. Kenzaki... how are things going on your end?"

Kenzaki Kyoya nodded in response to the question.

"The coordinates of the MAGI that assisted SEELE have been confirmed... because the other party seems not to have considered the possibility that the terminal might be captured... it is very easy to reverse-engineer the coordinates."

"Okay—find me the coordinates of the NERV branch in Berlin, Germany..."

"Are we going now... Shinji-kun?"

"Of course... Gendo Ikari must think that since SEELE pulled this stunt tonight... I'll definitely stay and handle things here. In that case... I should definitely take this opportunity... to give my father a good surprise!"

(End of this chapter)