Countries like North America and Oceania were suddenly under scrutiny too.
All eyes turned to the Prime Minister of Australia, who waved anxiously and looked deeply uncomfortable. He feared becoming an obstruction everyone targeted—after all, even with four EVAs assigned, Australia wouldn't stand a chance if the world turned against it.
The U.S. President, however, smiled and nodded approvingly:
"Fine, fine—Secretary-General's plan is fair. I fully endorse it."
But other leaders glared coldly at the U.S. leader's satisfaction. Everyone knew that Canada, a neighbor and satellite of the United States, would silently follow U.S. policy. In effect, America would receive four EVAs—and Canada would collect nothing.
Seated beside the U.S. President, the Canadian Prime Minister remained silent, his thoughts inscrutable.
The Chinese delegate spoke next, nodding quietly in agreement:
"This arrangement is indeed more equitable. If any nation objects, I believe the Asian, European, and African alliances will not remain silent."
Gradually, consensus formed. While absolute fairness is impossible, this plan appeared to have relative balance—and once China nodded, leaders from Africa and Europe followed suit.
Allocation across continents:
Europe: countries like Germany, France, Italy would share multiple EVAs.
Japan: given its status as the "Angel-struck zone," it was assigned three units.
The remaining one EVA in Asia was designated—after consultation—to China, which had previously been slated to receive Unit‑10 in the original Evangelion universe.
Only Russia's president remained visibly displeased.
He suspected the Bethany Base explosion—which destroyed Russia's EVA facility—was deliberately carried out by the United States, aiming to weaken Russian influence. As such, Russia had arguably lost an EVA due to sabotage, while European nations now stood to receive theirs. That left Russia at a disadvantage.
In reality, his frustration became evident to perceptive observers: Russia was the biggest loser at the Vatican summit, while the United States emerged as the biggest winner.
Even if the Russian leader wanted to protest further, it was pointless. Continued objections risked provoking global backlash against Russia—especially since it had no EVAs to defend itself.
After several days of debate, the treaty was finalized:
On the third week of the Vatican Summit, world leaders signed the agreement.
As they exited the hall, smiling and shaking hands before international press—posing like old comrades—the earlier tensions suddenly seemed forgotten.
Amidst the afterglow, the Russian President did not attend the press conference. Instead, he retreated to his official car, headed toward the airport.
Inside the vehicle, his aide spoke with a furrowed brow:
"Sir, we remain untrusting of the others. I still believe Bethany was orchestrated by America and Italy."
The Russian President snorted:
"They're the ones who stood to gain. I have every reason to think so."
"Of course," the aide sighed.
"Even if we knew it was the U.S. and Italy, there's little we can do. The global balance has already shifted."
"Damn them!"
The president gripped his fists tightly.
"They dared destroy Bethany. We must respond. Our national interests are non-negotiable."
"Sir, do you have a plan?"
The aide asked, suddenly alert.
"Yes," the president replied calmly.
"If executed properly, we may reclaim EVAs—and undercut U.S. influence. But we must tread carefully. If exposed, we risk more than war—we risk our nation's existence."
He paused, then instructed:
"Connect me now to the Foreign Intelligence Service. I will speak to the director immediately."
The aide nodded sharply and moved swiftly into action.
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