Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"When will the target reveal its core?" Rei Ayanami asked.

At this moment, the Thunder Apostle finally underwent a new change.

Whether it was the swarm of armed helicopters flying overhead or the Japanese ground troops, Rai Shitu remained unmoved. He simply extended a golden drill from below, attempting to penetrate Hakone's defenses.

But the moment Unit-00 was in place, the Ray Apostle finally sensed the threat.

In just a moment, the apostle retracted its hundred-meter-long golden drill, returned to its blue cube form, and revealed its attack mode in the direction of Unit Zero.

The sniper position was immovable, meaning Unit-00 was completely exposed to the Thunder Angel's gun barrel. Yet, even so, Rei Ayanami's expression remained unchanged.

The next moment, the gate to the road opened from the side of the Thunder Apostle. The purple machine, trailing two streaks of condensed steam, charged towards the Thunder Apostle, its charging posture resembling that of a bloodthirsty beast.

An even stronger sense of threat compelled the Thunder Apostle to instantly switch to defensive mode, causing the roaring chainsaw sword to slash across the seven-colored Absolute Domain, leaving behind dazzling sparks.

At that moment, a chilling red light seemed to flash in the orange-yellow eye sockets of Unit-01.

"Rei, don't panic. Evangelion will be in charge of defense, right?" Misato Katsuragi wasn't entirely sure either.

Unit-01's mission was to create an opportunity for Unit-00 to attack the core, but the safest option was to defend. However, it was clear that Shinji Ikari, piloting Unit-01, might not actually obey orders.

“No, this is good. Unit-01’s even more ferocious attack will force the Thunder Angel to expose its core.” A familiar voice sounded from the side. Misato Katsuragi glanced at Ritsuko Akagi, who was wearing a white lab coat and standing next to her. Ritsuko was also staring at the Thunder Angel being fiercely attacked by Unit-01 on the screen. “Seeing Unit-01 made me think of a very crucial point.”

"What?" Misato Katsuragi asked.

"The reason why the Lightning Angel can resist the field neutralization is because of its most special phase mode, the strength of its absolute field changes with the change of form. But if it maintains the defensive mode, the anti-field neutralization property brought by the phase mode will fail, and sooner or later the barrier will be torn apart by Shinji."

“But if He changes form, then His core will be exposed.” Misato Katsuragi then stated the most crucial point, her face beaming with joy as she punched her other hand. “That’s right, that’s how I plan my battle!”

At this moment, on the high platform of Kannagawa, the converging current resembled the rising sun. Rei Ayanami, however, gripped the control stick tightly, ignoring the system's warnings.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Divine Return

"Voltage is stable! Grid frequency is stable at 50 Hz!"

"The fifth phase of power supply has been connected, and all power is being directed to the newly added substation at Shuangzishan, Shennachuan!"

"Power transmission intensity remains at its maximum; the superconducting battery pack is already 78.6% charged! It is expected to be fully charged in sixteen seconds!"

"The driver's functional capacity has exceeded the danger threshold, but the first qualified person is mentally stable and still within the normal range."

The current flowed through the cable into the 100-meter-long cation cannon, and golden electricity crackled across the surface of Unit-00's left arm. The pain was palpable to Rei Ayanami, who was piloting Unit-00, but she remained expressionless.

On the system panel that displayed the 100% charge status, the charge bar, which was green just moments before, instantly turned red, a passing grade. As a result, Rei Ayanami's heart rate and blood pressure rose another notch.

Even though the charge indicator showed 100%, Rei Ayanami still gripped the control stick tightly.

Just as Shinji Ikari's chainsword was about to tear apart the Lightning Angel's defensive field, the Lightning Angel finally activated a new phase mode.

But at that very moment, it suddenly sensed something about to descend. Though it couldn't hear a sound, it could feel the blinding light. Instinctively, it tried to dodge, but a beam of light shooting from the southeast ripped through the night sky, hurtling straight toward its revealed core.

--boom! ! !

In an instant, the absolute defensive field that had withstood the barrage of attacks from Unit-01 crumbled, and semi-molten blue fragments formed a dense network of cracks that covered the entire body of the Thunder Apostle. Then, jets of blood tens of meters high shot out from both sides of his body, and the gruesome sight made everyone in the monitoring room hold their breath.

Joy, tension, elation, worry, and astonishment were evident on the faces of many staff members.

"Did it hit?" Misato Katsuragi asked softly.

There was no response, because even Ritsuko Akagi couldn't provide an answer.

But the next moment, the Thunder Apostle, whose body was covered with dense network cracks, quickly recovered and returned to its original cube state, declaring the sniping a failure.

"Sniping failed! A surge in energy detected within the target's body!" a warning was issued from the monitoring room.

"Notify Rei to prepare for defense! Notify Shinji Ikari to activate the Absolute Terror Field! Everyone prepare to meet the impact!" Misato Katsuragi said.

Suffering such a horrific blow, even the Apostle could not suppress his burning resentment, let alone the Soul King who awaited the day of resurrection. An unprecedentedly terrifying high-energy reaction generated within his body, and the moment he transformed, a deafening chainsaw severed one-third of his limbs.

"Hey friend! Are you ignoring my presence? I'm going to be very sad!" Shinji Ikari in the cockpit smiled as he forcefully tore the chainsaw sword embedded in the Lightning Angel's body downwards.

Shinji Ikari prefers offense to defense.

Under the roar of the chainsaw sword, the shape that originally resembled a cross medal was instantly torn into an incomplete individual.

At this moment, Shinji Ikari, wielding the chainsaw sword, unusually refrained from uttering a fervent wartime prayer; he didn't even continue his attack. Instead, he spoke into the channel.

"Notify the First Child to continue attacking. There's no need to worry about the Lightning Angel." Shinji Ikari manipulated the chainsaw sword, forcing the Lightning Angel back into a defensive stance.

"Oh, okay!" Misato Katsuragi responded.

However, the moment Shinji Ikari's voice rang out on the channel, everyone who had been tense immediately relaxed.

“There’s a feeling that it’s already over.” Ritsuko Akagi took off her glasses and smiled. “Actually, it’s pretty much like that, even if we could have secured the victory in advance.”

She wasn't naive enough to think that simply interrupting the apostle's attack would guarantee victory.

However, in a truly imminent battle, the difference between being able to retaliate while being attacked and being forced to simply take the hit is a completely different concept.

The strength of the Thunder Apostle was evident to all, but even after exhausting all the means He could muster, He was still unable to mount any resistance.

Attempting to attack Unit-00 will result in Shinji Ikari, piloting Unit-01, tearing apart the Absolute Field. However, if one merely maintains a defensive stance, they will be met with a second, third, or even fourth round of attacks.

Victory was already secured the moment Unit-01 appeared.

After realizing the situation on the battlefield, Ritsuko Akagi became certain of this.

“However, we can’t be careless.” Misato Katsuragi said with a serious expression, “Only when the core is penetrated can we celebrate victory.”

The Thunder Apostle, which was originally about to destroy Tokyo, is now powerless to resist.

"Readjusting the discharge system... Replacing the fuse, barrel cooling complete... Power delivery system maintaining maximum current... Final sniper parameter data input complete, Three Sages system correcting ballistics..."

Without the oppression of the apostles, and even without the pressure of time, the Lightning Apostle finally met its destined fate the moment Rei Ayanami pulled the trigger again, even faster than the first time it was charged.

A thunderous blow that would be fatal to an ordinary apostle was launched repeatedly with ease and cruelty.

In contrast, the Thunder Apostle tried his best to resist the penetrating lightning, altered the physical appearance given to him by God, and created countless layers of colorful AT fields.

But the cation cannon, powered by Japanese electricity, roared in response, its barrels unleashing a torrent of lightning that once again distorted the world.

His absolute domain was pierced, his body was pierced, and his core was pierced.

"We won!" At this moment, Misato Katsuragi was finally able to declare victory.

Unit-01 was once again bathed in blood rain, and a familiar rainbow appeared behind the purple machine, like the halo of merit behind the Buddha's head.

Kanagawa Twin Mountains.

Rei Ayanami, in the cockpit, also witnessed this sacred scene from Unit-00's perspective. Unconsciously, a genuine smile appeared on the girl's lips.

…………

…………

Hakone, the central dogmatic region.

In the pitch-black room, the tall and thin Fuyutsuki Yukizo stood in front of the screen, witnessing the same scene.

"Well, can you tell the result? What is Shinji Ikari's soul like?" the tall, thin old man asked.

"While taking on responsibilities, one should also demand corresponding honors, but one should also be able to share those honors with others."

"He's very confident. Based on his conversation with Rei in the surveillance footage, do you think he can really kill the Thunder Angel with just Unit-01 if the sniper operation fails?" Fuyutsuki Yukimasa raised an eyebrow.

"At least after the absolute domain was pierced by the cation cannon, the Thunder Apostle no longer posed a threat to him. In that brief gap, he could have killed him outright."

"He was willing to share the honor with others, he sounds like such a good kid... it's just a pity."

Gendo Ikari adjusted his glasses. To be honest, he couldn't see through the son he had summoned from Second Tokyo. It was as if that weak body had been replaced by a soul of steel.

"Then let's proceed according to the original plan after the failure. First, send a psychologist to create a profile of his personality and behavior. In any case, we can't let him remain outside the plan."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Facing the Giant Robot

Ota Ward, Tokyo City 2.

While piloting giant robots to fight against the Angels who would destroy humanity isn't exactly rare news for the world, especially for the citizens of Tokyo, witnessing the appearance of such a massive robot still shocked many. Especially considering that this nearly 100-meter-long behemoth was being overwhelmed and defeated.

The grayish-white humanoid mecha was charging forward recklessly. The setting sun seemed to be chasing after lost youth.

"On such a cold day, I wanted to smoke an e-cigarette, but Runke is out of power—"

"But Snow, the Leopard has lost its connection and can no longer see your bridge lies—"

Humming a childlike lullaby, Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01 into a collision with the gray-white machine before him. Unit-01's right arm locked onto the machine's neck, the force in the mechanical hand exploding instantly, sparks flying from the gray machine's neck, and then—

Shinji Ikari grabbed the right arm of the mecha and, smiling, ripped it off. Amidst a flash of electricity, the gray-white mecha before him lost its balance.

Arriving in a hurry, Unit-01 didn't bring any equipment, but for Shinji Ikari, there was no need to bring any equipment. It was just a cheap mobile suit that was out of control, and it wasn't even as challenging as the weakest Angel of the Day.

It didn't take much effort for the gray-white mecha, whose limbs had been removed by Shinji Ikari, to kneel helplessly on the ground. Misato Katsuragi then climbed into the hidden cockpit and, a few minutes later, finally shut down the out-of-control mecha.

but--

Misato Katsuragi, who crawled out of the machine, did not show any sign of happiness, and it was as if the cheers of the people around her had nothing to do with her.

"Here, have a beer. You can pay with your ID card."

Familiar footsteps stopped in front of her. Ota Ward—after getting rid of the other people's entanglements, she hadn't attended the so-called victory celebration. Katsuragi Misato looked up and saw Shinji Ikari's indifferent face.

"You already knew?" Katsuragi Misato asked.

Her words were incoherent, but Shinji Ikari somehow knew exactly what she was referring to.

"You mean the JA mecha going out of control? More or less." Shinji Ikari withdrew his arm and opened the aluminum tab of the beer can. "When you came, you questioned the design and performance of the JA, but they mocked the EVA for its poor functionality, while Dr. Akagi just laughed. As for the subsequent loss of control, Akagi's expression was too indifferent. Even when your friend offered to go into the cockpit to shut down the mecha herself, she remained unmoved."

"With you here, I'm confident that you, as an ace pilot, can stop the machine from going out of control." Misato Katsuragi had returned to normal and snatched back the beer can.

The JA machine, short for JA (Java Machine), is a large, unmanned robotic weapon with an internal nuclear reactor, designed to combat the Angels. Developed by the Japan Heavy Chemical Industry Community, it aimed to counter NERV's dominant power. However, during its first public unveiling ceremony today, it went out of control, nearly causing a major disaster; ultimately, the entire project was abandoned.

Ultimately, they had to rely on the EVA they were prepared to fight to stop the rampage, which has undeniably made them a laughing stock worldwide.

Shinji Ikari stood with his hands in his pockets, a broad smile on his face.

"But that's a nuclear-powered machine. If a nuclear leak occurs, you'll definitely die. The reason Akagi trusted you to stop the JA machine is because she knew exactly when it would stop operating. And this out-of-control incident was caused by NERV headquarters..."

"Shinji-kun, I'm hungry." Misato Katsuragi suddenly raised her voice, interrupting Shinji Ikari. The moment she looked up again, she was all smiles as she grabbed Shinji's hand. "I want some bread. Go buy me some."