Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

However, even the most skilled players—even those using the latest research in professional shogi—will have boring games that can make one's heart cool down.

On the contrary, it is the bizarre shogi that ignores the latest research from the beginning and deviates greatly from the established patterns, or the fierce battle in which both sides make mistakes, that is more exciting.

No matter how eloquently one speaks, words without sincerity cannot move people, and shogi without genuine dedication cannot touch anyone's heart. But the boy before him—and he was definitely a boy—was a novice, judging from the way Fuyutsuki Yukimasa observed Shinji Ikari holding the board.

However, the situation before him made him feel as if he were facing a national champion with a 9-dan ranking.

“The flying car, is that right?” Shinji Ikari looked up and smiled at Yukizo Fuyutsuki.

As Shinji Ikari stated, he moved the flying car to the center, clearly indicating the central flying car tactic.

The later the better. For someone playing second, this is a matter of course... But to Fuyutsuki Yukimasa, the boy before him possessed a commanding presence that belonged only to a national champion. He picked up a chess piece with a frank and clumsy gesture, and with a loud, clear sound, he revealed his battle plan on the chessboard.

Or rather, it wasn't the demeanor of a national champion, but Yukimasa Fuyutsuki realized it was Shinji Ikari who exuded that unique aura of a strong person in any field.

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PS: The world is different, and as the apostles deviate, the impact should change.

In the TV series, the world-building can be summarized as follows: the First Angel, Adam, and the Second Angel, Lilith, collided with Earth, triggering the First Impact. Their descendants evolved into Angels possessing the Fruit of Life and Lilin (humans), possessing the Fruit of Wisdom, respectively, and fought for the right to become complete life forms. During this process, the appearance of the Angels proved Dr. Katsuragi's Super Spiral Management Theory (S2 Theory) regarding the Fruit of Life. To fight the Angels, humanity, guided by this theory, reverted Adam back to an embryo. In this process, the anti-AT field neutralized the molecular forces between matter, causing a Second Impact with immense physical impact. This also transformed the soul of the First Angel, Adam, into the independent individual Kaworu Nagisa, who was also endowed with the life originating from Adam as the 17th Angel. Humans, originating from Lilith, were explicitly designated as the 18th Angel.

In the new theatrical version, the concept of the First Angel Adam is absent. Instead, there is a very similar-looking ADAMS, which is also translated as Adam's container. The Second Impact refers to ADAMS opening the Gate of Gaff, causing the souls of marine life to become cored (Red Ocean). Kaworu Nagisa directly acts as the First Angel, but there is no plot that can be associated with Adam or the Adams.

To strictly correspond to the 12 apostles of God, neither ADAMS nor humans can be classified as apostles in the new theatrical version (I will still refer to them as apostles for the convenience of readers). Therefore, the new theatrical version and the TV version are not consecutive stories, but rather different worlds where the rules of the world have changed.

Even the old theatrical version, which is the soul of the series, still follows the "IF" storyline of the old TV version, while the new theatrical version is a completely new story.

234: My mom is the big boss?

When Dongyue Xingzeng sat upright, his tall and straight back resembled an old pine tree, and the board quickly surged with turmoil.

Just like in a previous match against Gendo Ikari, Kosuke Fuyutsuki's Aizawa Hiken's track setting was not yet complete, which made it easy for a chaotic battle to break out.

Shinji Ikari's playing style is quite adept at chaotic battles.

Although he lacked systematic shogi training, his brute-force analytical skills allowed him to quickly dismantle unclear situations. This was typical of his style of doing things; everyone who had interacted with him had likely experienced Shinji Ikari's sheer power.

Despite feeling pleased, Fuyutsuki Kosuke still captured the corner and responded with an inevitable move.

As long as he continues to defend, it seems that Shinji Ikari's offensive will be cut off. He wants to see what Shinji Ikari will do.

But Shinji Ikari's offensive did not stop.

Attack. A continuous, relentless attack.

The changes on the board are dizzying. Every time Shinji Ikari moves a piece and exchanges pieces, the piece that the owner changes to will instantly move to a completely different place.

It's like shogi from another dimension.

As if lost in the subspace, even maintaining a sense of balance was difficult. For Fuyutsuki Yukimasa, a member of the biker gang, this was truly chaotic.

Feelings deeply ingrained in the mind cannot be easily erased. Generally speaking, this is true.

"Focusing on something and dedicating yourself to it wholeheartedly—that's the quality of becoming a national champion."

Fuyutsuki Yukizo picked up the jade pendant, deliberately avoiding the sharp edge, and said, "Have you considered becoming a shogi player? You have outstanding talent in this area."

"I'm not thinking about these things right now; it's better to focus on the present." Shinji Ikari placed his piece, already aware that he was about to lose. He would likely be checkmated in about thirty-one moves.

Fuyutsuki Yukimasa said he had a talent for shogi, which was natural. Or rather, as an apostle, he possessed terrifying talent in most professions and fields. His understanding of shogi came from occasionally grasping the rules while watching TV and from the explanations given by his teachers in school.

However, Fuyutsuki Yukizo is a true national champion, a 9-dan shogi player. His playing style is defensive, and he places great importance on the safety of his own turret. He is skilled in the Flying Rook and Burrow strategy.

Of course, the focus that Fuyutsuki Kozō mentioned is also key to his talent.

Inviting Shinji Ikari to become a professional Go player was just a casual remark by Yukimasa Fuyutsuki. After all, even if Shinji Ikari agreed, the general public wouldn't. This was just a prelude to his next important point.

"Thank you for catering to this old man's interests. A vibrant young man like you should indeed be doing more energetic things." Fuyutsuki Yukizo used the corner he had entered to eliminate a defensive gold, thereby breaking through Shinji Ikari's enemy formation.

"I'm a coward too. I've always wanted to talk to you, but I need a decent excuse to speak to you here." Fuyutsuki Yukizo used the eleven-sided Go board unfolding in his mind to precisely predict future moves. At this moment, countless past Go records, completely different from the current situation, should have appeared in his mind.

"Do you still remember your mother?" Fuyutsuki Yukizou replenished his pieces, used them, and replenished them again during his offensive. In the process of repeating this action, he eliminated Shinji Ikari's defensive pieces one by one.

“My memory of her is very faint because she passed away when I was very young. And after she left, Gendo Ikari threw away all her belongings,” Shinji Ikari said frankly.

Just when Shinji Ikari was about to be checkmated, Yukimasa Fuyutsuki didn't make another move. Instead, he handed Shinji a photograph.

It was a photo taken in a classroom. A young Professor Fuyutsuki, along with his colleagues and a student who looked remarkably like Mari Makinami, were all gathered around a woman with short, dark brown hair. Although her name wasn't mentioned, her face, which bore a striking resemblance to his own, was enough to identify her.

“That’s your mother, Yui Ikari, who is my student,” said Yukizo Fuyutsuki.

--Mother.

—Yui Ikari.

buzzing...

That incredibly familiar sound, like the fluttering of bee wings, began to echo once more in the depths of Shinji Ikari's mind, its lingering resonance profound.

The sharp sound was ignored by Shinji Ikari with his strong willpower. He stared at the photograph in front of him, his fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the photograph.

"And now she has become the pilot interface for EVA Unit-01."

The blue lights overhead flickered in different ways, followed by a click from the light bulb. The room plunged into darkness, and after a few breaths, an ominous crimson light shone in from in front of Shinji Ikari and behind Kozo Fuyutsuki.

An image of a bound Unit-01 is embedded inside a blood-red cross, but what is terrifying is that Unit-01 has countless dark red lines on its body, like the meridians and blood vessels of the human body, or like the roots of a giant tree taking root in its body.

"This is the original EVA control system. The only suggestion is to go directly into the core and test it yourself as the experimenter."

“As a driver, you should also know what the synchronization rate values ​​represent at the neuronal synapse level,” Yukimasa Fuyutsuki said softly.

"A 10% or higher means that the pilot can normally pilot the machine for combat, and the speed of brain nerve reaction is greatly improved; a 40% means that the pilot and EVA's absolute territory can be released extremely naturally; a 100% means that the pilot and the machine can be perfectly synchronized, without any delay, and at the same time, the pilot can use himself as the soul to pilot this divine body, allowing the machine's existing and potential power to be fully released, showing godlike power."

The speed at which electrical signals travel on neurons is the speed of light, making the time difference negligible. However, neurons need to release a medium to transmit signals, which introduces a delay. For pilots whose brain reaction speed is greatly enhanced after synchronizing with EVA, the combat power boost from a high synchronization rate is immense.

"And you, as the most outstanding pilot in history, can even reach over 200%, which is impossible in the eyes of many employees in the development department. Therefore, many people believe that you are a divinely appointed savior, a messiah, an anointed one, and a mediator of God. It is only natural that miracles have been fulfilled in your case." At this point, Fuyutsuki Kozumi paused slightly.

"But no one ever tells you what happens if you go over 400%..."

“The pilot will dissolve inside the EVA,” Shinji Ikari looked up at Yukizo Fuyutsuki, his crimson eyes reflecting a ghostly light under the ominous crimson glow. “I know.”

The room was deathly silent, as if it had fallen to the bottom of the sea.

"Then my mother, Yui Ikari, she also volunteered to become the core of Unit-01, right?"

Although it was a question, Shinji Ikari said it with an affirmative tone.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo shook his head. "I don't know."

He really didn't know, but based on Fuyutsuki Kosuke's feeling, Ikari Yui must have volunteered to become the core of Unit-01.

"But in the end, Yui disappeared here, with only her information remaining in the Ayanami series."

"The Rei Ayanami you know is simply a combination of Yui Ikari's genes and Lilith's genes; Lilith's soul resides within her. She is the same kind as the boy on the moon, but since artificially created life forms are not perfect, they still have many flaws."

"These are all part of your father Gendo Ikari's plans."

Fuyutsuki Kozumi spoke so much after so long, as if he were at the very end of his life, telling all the secrets he had been hiding to his juniors.

“Destroying the world is not difficult, but rebuilding it is not so difficult. The world, like time, is irreversible, as is the human heart. So now, Gendo Ikari has made all the sacrifices to realize his wish, including his own soul.”

Fuyutsuki Kosuke made his final move, saying, "I just want to tell you some truths about what happened to my father and mother back then."

Shinji Ikari placed his hand on the board and bowed his head to indicate that he had lost.

The outcome of the game is no longer important. Shogi is just a tool for Fuyutsuki Yukizo to start a conversation. Looking at the boy's face that looks so much like Ikari Yui, his thoughts become somewhat scattered.

"Shogi is one of my few special skills. Whether as the son of an old friend or as a hero of our headquarters, this is just a small token of my respect. I won't take up any more of your precious time. Thank you for keeping this old man company while he spends his time playing this game." Fuyutsuki Yukimasa lowered his head.

Shinji Ikari silently rose to return the greeting, and the boy left the dark and eerie room with the photograph in his hand.

The sliding door closed behind him, and Fuyutsuki Yukizo looked up at the image on the control panel of Unit-01 in front of him, lowering his voice: "What a thankless job, Yui. Is this what you wanted to see?"

—At the same time, the Central Dogmatic Region.

As the uniformed man appeared before the white door bearing the image of the Tree of Life, the door transformed into crimson spiral lines that contracted into the doorframes on either side.

The man waded through the passageway, while Gendo Ikari, wearing sunglasses, also gazed at the sacred object before him—

"The final moment of our contract is approaching. We'll see each other soon, Yui."

Just like the scene Shinji Ikari saw in the Promised Land, the white giant who was originally bound to the blood-red cross now takes the form of Unit-01.

But the moment Gendo Ikari took off his sunglasses, he reverted to Lilith's persona.

—On the other side, in the Central Dogma Sub-area, Shinji Ikari, who had just come out of the vice commander's room, held his security card to the door frame, and the door opened with a click.

Shinji Ikari stepped out of the oppressive area and pressed his temples while standing on the escalator. The biggest difference between the old and new worlds was revealed.

That was the cause of death of his mother, Yui Ikari. During the Human Instrumentality Project guided by SEELE, he had also broken into the ritual and interrupted the sacred ceremony.

However, his mother, Yui Ikari, undoubtedly dissolved inside EVA Unit-01 in that world due to a technological error that exceeded the synchronization rate of 400%.

In this world, however, she actively became the core.

"Stop messing around, Mom. Please don't be the final mastermind." Shinji Ikari pinched the top of his nose with his index finger and thumb, revealing a helpless wry smile.

"If that's the case, I'll be in a difficult position."

Regardless of which world he's in, Fuyutsuki Kosuke always serves as Gendo Ikari's right-hand man. But is he truly that loyal to Gendo?

Everyone has their own wishes. SEELE hopes to complete the Human Instrumentality Project and eliminate the barrier between hearts. Gendo Ikari hopes to see Yui Ikari again, Kaworu Nagisa wants to find his own happiness, but what about Kozo Fuyutsuki? Is he just Gendo Ikari's tool?

He may be a tool, but he also has his own ideas.

What he truly wanted to achieve was not Gendo Ikari's or Seele's plans, but rather his deceased mother, Yui Ikari.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo said that all of this was his father Gendo Ikari's plan, but Shinji Ikari expressed doubt about it.

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Tokyo at night is like a sparkling jewel box, dazzling and colorful.

Near the tranquil Senso-ji Temple, the temple buildings, illuminated by lights, appear even more solemn and elegant at night. In a traditional vegetarian restaurant, tatami mats are laid out, and on a long table sits a massive chunk of 200-kilogram mandarin fish. The exceptionally skilled monk chef skillfully slices the fish with a honya-yaki knife and carefully arranges the meat on a plate. Surrounding this main dish are vegetarian hot pot, sesame-dressed tofu, boiled goose, and flying dragon head (a type of tofu dish).

In Japan, vegetarianism is no longer a label for Buddhists. On the contrary, the ability to eat meat and alcohol has become one of the most striking features of Japanese Buddhism. There is an old Japanese saying, "Those who attain enlightenment at every turn are heroes," which means that monks should also keep up with the times, marry, grow their hair, and do other things that are permissible (permissible things: all at your discretion).

In Japan, there is a cuisine called Shojin Ryori, a name derived from the culinary system, one of the six perfections in Buddhism. According to Japanese legend, when the Japanese Zen master Dogen traveled to Song China and became a disciple of the Caodong Zen master Rujing at Tiantong Mountain, he brought back the Caodong Zen tradition and its cooking methods with him.

Japanese Shojin Ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) is very similar to vegetarian food, their most distinctive feature being the ingredients used in their cooking. All actions related to "food" are a crucial part of Buddhist practice. Therefore, Buddhist practitioners spend so much time and energy preparing a meal because cooking itself is a form of spiritual practice for them. But Shinji Ikari sees this as a bald monk trying to steal a nun's place from a Taoist priest. The people sitting next to him—Asuka and Misato Katsuragi are taking pictures with their phones, Ritsuko Akagi looks like she's just lost her husband and is filled with sorrow—only Rei Ayanami seems to be in deep meditation, which brings him some comfort.

When I went to Senso-ji Temple in the afternoon, a monk with a surprised look pulled Ayanami aside and whispered, "Female benefactor, you are extraordinary. From a distance, I saw you radiating a Buddha-like light. You have Buddha-nature." Then he took out an 88,000 yen amulet and said, "It is destined for you. Take it home and worship it day and night. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will bless you."