"…What the…"
The members of the Black Dragon Gang exchanged looks, faces pale and stunned. No one moved. Not a single one of them knew what to do.
Kitazawa Ryota had taken down their top enforcer, Takei Munoi, with just one strike.
His strength… was terrifying.
No one had seen clearly how Kitazawa had attacked—his movement had been too fast. Even Takei himself hadn't reacted in time.
Now, the entire gang stood frozen, shaken to the core. The thought that crossed every mind was the same:
So this is the strength of humanity's hero…
His reputation wasn't an exaggeration. His combat ability was beyond terrifying. Many of them were witnessing Kitazawa Ryota in action for the first time—and what they saw shook them to their core.
Their feet began to inch back.
Kitazawa Ryota, standing alone, had shaken the will of an entire gang.
"Kill him! Avenge Takei Munoi!!"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted. The voice cracked like thunder, snapping the others out of their daze.
Their fear vanished—replaced with rage and bloodlust.
They had brought over 300 fighters this time, all for the singular purpose of killing Kitazawa Ryota on behalf of a powerful backer.
They'd heard stories of people taking on ten, maybe even a hundred enemies—but three hundred? That was simply impossible.
They roared in unison, brandishing steel blades, and charged at Kitazawa Ryota like a black tidal wave.
The entire school was thrown into chaos. The grounds were surrounded on all sides by Black Dragon members. Kitazawa had nowhere to run.
All the students and teachers, huddled together on the field, could only watch in horror.
Kitazawa Ryota… please don't die!
Inside a nearby car, Hattori Narumi and Kishimoto Ishiki turned their heads toward the commotion.
They saw the Black Dragon Gang rushing the building like a black flood, blades gleaming.
Narumi grinned wide—he was certain he would soon witness Ryota's lifeless body.
Kishimoto nodded calmly.
If he survives this, then there's no justice left in the world.
But there was no doubt—Kitazawa was now in the fight of his life.
Hundreds of enemies charged at him with bloodthirsty abandon, swinging steel blades, unafraid of death. Their one goal: kill Kitazawa Ryota.
But Ryota stood his ground, fists clenched, unleashing blow after blow.
Each strike was a direct hit—each one followed by a scream and a body hitting the floor.
Yet it wasn't enough. For every man he dropped, more came charging in, blades flashing.
One man against three hundred?
Even the best elite soldier couldn't possibly survive that.
The black tide continued its charge—
---
WEE-OO WEE-OO
The shriek of sirens rang out across Tokyo-3.
At the same time, an emergency broadcast echoed across the city:
> "Emergency Alert. Emergency Alert. All citizens return home immediately. Anyone found on the streets will be treated as hostile."
The loudspeakers blared nonstop, blanketing Tokyo-3 with urgency and dread.
The once-busy streets were now completely deserted. Not a single civilian remained—only patrolling officers and fleets of police vehicles weaving through the city.
Sirens wailed. Lights flashed. Officers stood stone-faced on corners, scanning their surroundings with grim vigilance.
The entire city was under lockdown.
Anyone caught outside would be dealt with—harshly.
Amid the chaos, two figures wove through the shadows:
Ayanami Rei and Asuka Langley Shikinami.
Their faces were grim.
Just in a matter of minutes, the whole city had been sealed. It was too clean, too swift—too deliberate.
"Rei… don't you think this is strange?" Asuka whispered. "This kind of total lockdown… it's like the whole city's targeting Ryota. Could it really be that…?"
She trailed off, her face suddenly pale. A terrifying thought had just struck her.
Could all of this really be just to deal with Kitazawa Ryota?
The sheer scale of it chilled her to the bone.
"Probably," Rei replied calmly. "But that's not something we're meant to know."
Her voice remained steady.
"Right now, our top priority is to return to NERV. Only then can we reach Misato and organize a rescue."
She could see the storm in Asuka's eyes and added gently:
"We can't help him from here. But at NERV—we might still be in time."
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