Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"The Third Apostle of Bethany, along with the Apostles of Water, Day, Thunder, Fish, Music, Rain, Sky, Night, Sleet, Power, and Bird, are all here."

All of them were embryos about two meters long, floating in the life support pod. It was obvious that Ritsuko Akagi had specifically moved them here. Any researcher would experience a mental orgasm upon seeing such a breathtaking scene, but only Hitomi Kaga, who possessed a similar emotionless nature to Rei Ayanami, did not.

“There’s no Adam or Lilith, no Terror Apostle or Fetal Apostle,” Hitomi Iga pushed up her glasses. “But it’s still quite astonishing. Could it be that if the Fetal Angel is allowed to grow, it can really regenerate the fallen apostles?”

Ritsuko Akagi looked at her deputy minister with satisfaction, noting that even under such circumstances, he could still maintain the inquisitive mindset of a researcher.

"The embryo of the Angelic Embryo has been destroyed by Unit-02, piloted by the Fifth Child, Mari Makinami, while the reason for the Terror Angel is still unknown," said Ritsuko Akagi.

"Then these embryos won't be easy to deal with either," Kaga Hitomi asked.

“Based on the Vatican Treaty, NERV can keep the remains of the Apostles for research, but the results must be shared with the League of Nations and SEELE. You can probably guess that NERV and SEELE are the biggest beneficiaries of the Vatican Treaty. The four arks currently under construction—the Confession, the Original Sin, the Redemption, and the Prayer—are all being modified based on the remains of the Apostles,” Ritsuko Akagi said softly. “If the outside world knew that the Angel of the Womb had left behind eleven embryos, even if they were stillborn without souls, it would cause enormous turmoil.”

"The racial war against the Angels isn't over yet, and various countries and forces have already begun to divide up the Angels' legacy? Is even NERV already a piece of cake that can be divided up?" Kaga Hitomi said quietly.

“That’s politics. Wherever there are people, there is politics. Some say that the war between humanity will begin the moment the last Angel is killed, but we are fortunate to have managed to turn the Self-Defense Forces, which have the most intense conflicts, into allies through the data from Project E.” Ritsuko Akagi took out a cigarette case from the inside pocket of her white coat. “That’s why headquarters hid the news that the Terror Angel had been annihilated, just to create a time difference.”

Kaga Hitomi frowned and refused the cigarette case that Akagi Ritsuko offered her. Akagi Ritsuko didn't seem to mind; she took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, but didn't light it or say anything, giving Kaga Hitomi time to think.

Although Hitomi Kaga was purely a researcher, she wasn't oblivious to the implications behind it. She shuddered slightly; it all boiled down to the distribution of benefits. While NERV was at the forefront of humanity's fight against the Angels, the resources it had consumed over the years had become an unbearable burden for various countries.

They are not facing a single nation, but the League of Nations, the world's behind-the-scenes controller SEELE, and possibly even factions within NERV. Unless NERV possesses the power to subdue the entire world, or SEELE disintegrates, war is inevitable sooner or later.

"So what are you going to do with these embryos?" Kaga Hitomi asked.

"I haven't decided yet. Right now, only you and I know," Ritsuko Akagi said calmly.

Kaga Hitomi suddenly looked up, quite surprised. "Just you and me? Isn't the Commander-in-Chief here?"

“I didn’t tell them,” Ritsuko Akagi said, without explaining why. “I want to ask you to do something for me.”

Kaga Hitomi didn't speak, but quietly gazed at her senior and mentor with her dark brown eyes. Akagi Ritsuko resisted the urge to smoke and said, "If I disappear one day, you can do whatever you want with these embryos. Whether you hand them over to some organization or develop them yourself, you'll most likely be the new head of the development department. I just hope you can take care of Ibuki Maya for me."

"You should tell Misato Katsuragi, or seek refuge with Shinji Ikari. If you really run into trouble, they are the ones who can protect you," Hitomi Kaga said earnestly.

Ritsuko Akagi laughed. "If he knew what I did, he would probably just execute me himself. But there's no rush now; you have some time to think it over."

As the phone rang, Ritsuko Akagi pulled out her phone and her expression gradually turned serious. After softly saying "I understand" and "I get it," she looked at Hitomi Kaga.

"Let's go, it seems that the second suitable candidate is fine now."

—Hakone Fifth District, Simulation Experiment.

"Okay, the auxiliary voltage is normal, the candidate's physical functions are normal, the candidate's psychological stress level is within the normal range, and the connection of all interface systems is normal."

"Main power supply is plugged in normally. Operating voltage exceeds critical value."

Reports from technical personnel at each stage indicate that the first phase is proceeding normally.

This was Asuka's third test, and even the development staff, who were there to serve the candidates, were starting to get impatient.

"Aren't you worried about Asuka's test results? There's a high chance she's been contaminated by the Angels." Inside the monitoring center, Ritsuko Akagi looked at Shinji Ikari, who was calm and collected beside her, and asked, "Even if she didn't come for the test, it would be fine, she just wouldn't be able to pilot an EVA anymore. This time she volunteered for the test, so she must be under a lot of pressure."

"Although I think worrying is useless, you should still take a look at this first." Shinji Ikari handed the hard drive to Misato Katsuragi.

"Another new hard drive? I really don't know where you get all this weird stuff from." Ritsuko Akagi glanced at Shinji Ikari with a complicated look, then connected the hard drive to her laptop.

"Oh, the ethereal device technology from NERV's Bethany base in the Soviet Union, with its built-in anti-L barrier system, originally a special device used to suppress Angels... Ah, and it even has miniaturization technology for ethereal devices, I see!"

Shinji Ikari shrugged as he sat at his desk. "Don't even mention Angel corruption. Even if there's an Angel inside her, this technology can seal it away and reduce its power to a manageable level. It just deepens the Angelification."

"Do you think Ava's transformation into an Angel is a curse or a blessing?" Ritsuko Akagi glanced at Shinji Ikari.

“Calling it a curse is just being pretentious,” Shinji Ikari sneered. “A significantly increased lifespan, a body that remains forever young, a physique far superior to that of ordinary people, and freedom from illness—each of these is something that ordinary people dream of.”

At this moment, Ibuki Maya, who was in charge of this simulation experiment, exclaimed in surprise, as if something had happened.

Shortly after, she hurriedly handed the lab report to Ritsuko Akagi. Ritsuko glanced at it and then passed it to Shinji Ikari, saying, "You already knew the results?"

Shinji Ikari said, "If I had known, I wouldn't have needed to prepare this miniaturization technology for the Hollowfication device... Asuka Soryu, the second pilot, the ace of the European branch, the pilot of EVA Unit-2, her physical fitness test results are abnormal... 87% synchronization rate, good psychological test, neuronal breakthrough 0.29 seconds, psychological stress value of the pilot... harmonic deviation range 0.5..."

The data is outstanding, except for the striking red "abnormal results in the physical function test of the qualified individual." After all, both the significantly increased synchronization rate and physical skills indicate that Asuka's current condition is unusual.

But that's all there is to it. After all, as long as it's proven that the Second Child no longer carries the contamination of the Angels, everything will be fine. Even if some people might be interested in her unusual transformation, it depends on whether Shinji Ikari agrees first.

Shinji Ikari suddenly remembered the Ayanami combat suit from the New World that he had brought back last month. Perhaps the distance between the two worlds wasn't so far after all—

“Her apostle transformation has progressed a lot,” Ritsuko Akagi said.

"This is a good thing. Apostleification itself is an apostle power that can be controlled by humans and should not be regarded as pollution."

As he finished speaking, Shinji Ikari seemed to notice something and looked towards the doorway, where he saw members of the intelligence department, dressed in blue suits and wearing sunglasses, walking towards him.

The staff of the special intelligence departments, except for the general affairs department, were filled with both disgust and fear. They were like the Eastern and Western Depots or the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the ancient dynasties of the Western Continent. They were subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief and, when authorized, could even detain and interrogate the minister of any department.

Seeing these men in suits and sunglasses, I knew bad things were about to happen.

"Minister Akagi, we would be grateful if you could come with us." They approached Ritsuko Akagi and bowed slightly.

Although she maintained her usual Japanese humility, a sense of foreboding crept into Ritsuko Akagi's heart.

Not far away, after finishing her check-up and celebrating with Asuka who had just emerged from the cockpit, Ibuki Maya looked back as if touched by something. She saw her long-admired senior looking forlorn, taking off her glasses and putting them in her pocket, before being escorted away from her sight by three intelligence officers in blue suits.

231: The Clown

In a dimly lit room with images of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life printed on the top and bottom, Gendo Ikari, as usual, interlaced his fingers and placed them against his lips.

“Those old folks at SEELE are urging us again to transfer the problematic Unit-01 to the Tabuga base for inspection.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo stood beside him with his hands behind his back, looking at the expressionless Gendo Ikari, and said the last sentence, “Or perhaps we should put Unit-01 back into storage.”

The previous part was merely a test by SEELE; they knew Gendo Ikari wouldn't agree. The latter was their true objective.

“Sealed in the restricted area at the bottom of Hakone, even if there’s an emergency, it would take an extra hour to temporarily activate Unit-01,” Fuyutsuki Yukizo said softly.

For some who have seen the Dead Sea Scrolls or are in the know, only one Angel remains who is hostile to humanity, and the international situation is very delicate. However, for Gendo Ikari and other leaders of NERV, the Terror Angel has been concealed from them, and apart from the one on the moon, it can be said that the war between humanity and the Angels is over.

It is absolutely unacceptable for Gendo Ikari to seal their most relied-upon Unit-01 in the restricted area at the lowest level of Hakone.

"Is there anything else?" Gendo Ikari asked.

"There's a lot more. The old folks at SEELE are very dissatisfied with you. There are even countless anonymous complaint letters within NERV. But the only things that are truly noteworthy are Unit-01 and the European branch discussing the return of Unit-02, and Rei Ayanami being noticed by them. They want to ask Rei Ayanami some questions."

“Ignore the European branch; they are merely pawns for SEELE to test the waters,” Gendo Ikari said. “The control of Unit-01 remains unchanged, as do Unit-00 and Unit-02.”

“But if Chairman Kiro finds out, those old folks will be very nagging.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo watched Gendo Ikari’s reflective glasses from the side.

"It's alright, I'll give something else to those old folks, don't worry."

It was still in Hakone, but now in a subordinate area of ​​the Central Dogma. In a dimly lit room, a beam of warm white light shone from above onto a black circular platform in the center, where Ritsuko Akagi stood upright, as if she had just been born.

In front of Ritsuko Akagi, thirteen stone tablets stood before her.

“We also want to resolve this peacefully and do not want to cause you any more humiliation or pain.”

Unexpectedly, the words uttered by Chairman Kiru from the No. 1 stone tablet were unusually gentle. Equally unexpectedly, Ritsuko Akagi, despite her condition, maintained a remarkably calm demeanor and answered expressionlessly.

“I feel no humiliation, Your Majesty,” said Ritsuko Akagi.

"Wow, what a strong woman. No wonder Ikari wants to keep you by his side."

"However, do you know that the person who handed you over to us was none other than—NERV Commander-in-Chief, Gendo Ikari."

At that moment, Ritsuko Akagi's face, which had been as resolute as a stone statue, suddenly changed.

"He refused to allow the pilot of Unit-00 to be questioned, refused the request to recall Unit-02 from the European branch, and also refused to handle the abnormal Unit-01. Instead, he chose to hand you over to us as his agent, Dr. Akagi."

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"The wind is blowing and the clouds are flying, how can I find brave warriors to travel to all directions!"

"Bandits must be eradicated at all times, there's no other way! Just imagine, you're out of town with your wife, enjoying hot pot and singing songs, and suddenly you're robbed by bandits! So, the days without bandits are the good days!"

Shinji Ikari sat on a soft sofa, while the television played lines from a classic Western Continent film. The man with a small mustache who was speaking was the soon-to-be magistrate of Goose City, but on his way to his new post, while enjoying hot pot and singing with his wife, he was robbed by bandits. At this moment, his speech was tinged with genuine emotion.

The sofa belongs to a guest room at the Tamamo-no-Mae Grand Hotel. This famous hotel is located next to Tokyo Bay, where you can see white cruise ships slowly passing by on the water. On the bow of the ship, a beautiful and enthusiastic tour guide is introducing the local culture that a group of middle-aged and elderly tourists from Seres want to hear.

"It's a bit annoying that we can't eat seafood," Misato Katsuragi said, drawing the curtains. "It's a bit of a shame that there's no seafood at Asuka's victory celebration."

"I'm not picky about seafood, and if you're not afraid of radiation, you can eat it if you want. Anyway, we pilots who have been cursed by Ava don't care about these things." Asuka stuck out her tongue. "It's not really a celebration party, it's just about getting rid of our own troubles. But you guys just want an excuse to go out and have fun, right?"

"Soryu-chan, you're making me sad. You actually doubt our sincerity towards you." Misato Katsuragi leaned forward and touched Asuka's cheek.

"Hehe, whatever, it doesn't matter. School starts again soon, so I'll just treat this as a break," Asuka said, shaking her hair vigorously before taking out her phone to take pictures on the balcony. "But why is summer vacation in Japan so short? It's only a little over a month. Is this the monster education system of the four East Asian countries?"

"You guys are already considered to have it easy. The academic pressure in those two populous neighboring countries is even more terrifying, but it doesn't matter to geniuses like you."

Asuka thought about it and realized it was true. She glanced unconsciously at Rei Ayanami, who was sitting on a recliner on the balcony reading a book. In such a luxurious hotel, simply reading a book would seem staged to others, but it looked perfectly natural on Rei.

She glanced again at Shinji Ikari sitting on the sofa, and for no apparent reason, she suddenly thought of Mari Makinami, whom she had greeted not long ago. Her first impression of her hadn't been good, but for some reason, she felt a sense of nostalgia emanating from her.

If there are any plans, I should invite her to hang out. Although there's no reason, Asuka feels that she might get along well with her.

Asuka's thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang. She was planning her upcoming trip, even though she could only stay around Tokyo-3, there were still many fun places to visit.

The moment the door opened, Ibuki Maya, her hair disheveled and soaked from the rain, came into view.

"Maya, what are you doing here? What happened?!" Katsuragi Misato, who was wearing a face mask at the moment, was also surprised to see the figure standing at the door.

Misato Katsuragi wasn't surprised that Ibuki Maya had come here. After all, she was the third-in-command of the development department. But what surprised Misato was Ibuki Maya's condition. She was still wearing NERV's uniform, but her hair was disheveled and she was soaked to the bone, looking like a stray dog ​​that had fallen into a sewer.

Moreover, even if an emergency occurs, it is inappropriate for her, a senior executive in the development department, to come in person.

"Minister Katsuragi, she hasn't returned for twelve hours! Something must have happened!" Ibuki Maya grabbed Katsuragi Misato's hand. "Although, but I..."

Ibuki Maya didn't say it aloud, because even though she was extremely anxious, she found it difficult to bring herself to speak. She wanted Katsuragi Misato to rescue her; only a high-ranking official like herself had the authority to intervene.

But the other party was SEELE...

Until Misato Katsuragi placed her right hand on the back of her hand, applying gentle pressure, her gaze piercing.

"It's alright. Ritsuko is also my good friend. If she suffers an injustice, I will fight to the end!"

Returning to Hakone, the Central Dogmatic Sub-region.

Rei Ayanami and Asuka had already gone back. Shinji Ikari looked at Maya Ibuki, who was leaning against his chest and crying softly. He patted her back skillfully and then took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

He had no intention of seducing this little moss flower from the development department; he was simply the only one best suited to comfort the bewildered and helpless girl in this situation. Seeing Ibuki Maya sobbing softly against his chest, showing no intention of taking the handkerchief, Shinji felt somewhat helpless.

His helplessness wasn't due to Ibuki Maya's uncontrollable sobbing, but rather the fact that his sweater was completely soaked with snot, tears, and drool. He wasn't distressed about the sweater's cost; watching the translucent snot connect his chest to Ibuki Maya's mouth… Shinji Ikari gently put his arm around her shoulder and led her to a nearby bench, glancing sideways at the closed white gate not far away.

Several tens of minutes later, Misato Katsuragi, also supporting Ritsuko Akagi, walked out from behind the white door.

The moment Ibuki Maya saw Ritsuko Akagi, she was instantly invigorated. She threw herself into Ritsuko's arms, tears streaming down her face, and refused to let go, completely ignoring Shinji Ikari who had been taking care of her.