Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

As a lieutenant in NERV, Shinji Ikari, like Asuka, learned information from within the base that differed from what was taught in textbooks. However, witnessing firsthand the true form of the Giant of Light that was rumored to have triggered the Second Impact still gave him a feeling of confronting the legend directly.

Naturally, at this moment, Shinji Ikari recalled the real images he had seen in the Three Sages' database through his Second Lieutenant's access. It was the epicenter of the Second Impact, the current state of the crimson Antarctic continent. What were once glaciers were now replaced by pillars of salt, a desolate place where no life could exist, a deathly world even more extreme than the Red Sea—perhaps it should be called hell.

"If the Second Impact was Adam's awakening, then what happened in Antarctica on September 13, 2000?" Shinji Ikari asked this question.

The giant with enormous wings of light in the picture provided by the Three Sages System bears a striking resemblance to their own Evangelion Unit-01 in terms of size and shape.

But Shinji Ikari felt that the white giant before him didn't quite resemble him.

Gendo Ikari, hands in his pockets, said, “Back then, I was invited to work with Dr. Katsuragi for SEELE, to build a secret base in Antarctica, and to recruit the most outstanding scientists of the time. After many years of hard work, in the year 2000, Dr. Katsuragi’s S? theory perfectly explained the mysteries of God. After that, humanity couldn’t wait to conduct experiments to verify the S? theory. As far as your authority is concerned, you are qualified to know about the S? theory. But the moment the experiment started, disaster struck.”

What would humans do after finding God? They would, of course, try to become God themselves. Humanity already possesses the fruit of wisdom; if they could also obtain the fruit of life, they could achieve their ultimate dream of becoming gods.

The immense energy released by Adam's self-destruction caused Antarctic glaciers to melt, the Earth's magnetic field to shift, climate change to occur, economic collapse to occur, war to occur, and the world's population to plummet by half. This event is known as the Second Impact.

Shinji Ikari realized from Gendo Ikari's words that the apostles are the origin of life, and that the apostles were born from Adam.

As Gendo Ikari looked at Shinji Ikari's expression, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and he uttered the last sentence he had carefully prepared.

"And humanity is the last apostle to choose the fruit of knowledge."

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By the time they returned to Hakone from the final dogma area, the blackout had ended and power had been restored to headquarters.

Countless work and rescue efforts were carried out simultaneously, with red and green lights flashing frequently in the elevator shafts to control these long steel dragons; meanwhile, huge platforms were rising and falling on the longitudinal tracks, and mechanical equipment lifted the heavy remains of the Rain Apostle from the elevator shaft below, pushed them into the waiting fixed frame next to it, and then carried them to the Second District, which was responsible for studying and deciphering the mysteries of the Apostles.

As for Unit-01, which is currently stuck deep in the S36 elevator shaft, we can wait and see.

At this moment, the staff and researchers in the development department were all amazed by the pilot of Unit-01's exquisite control over the absolute force field. Possessing immense power is terrifying enough, but to be able to execute it with such precision is even more breathtaking.

They had already prepared themselves for the extensive destruction of the Hakone base during the final cleanup. However, the shockwave from the Angel's death was completely contained within Unit-01's Absolute Terror Field until it self-destructed. Although there had been records of this happening when confronting the Music Angel, it was still a relief to witness it firsthand, as the strongest Chosen One, Shinji Ikari, was stationed at headquarters.

Ritsuko Akagi, the head of the development department, was extremely busy at the moment.

The period following the war was always the busiest time for Ritsuko Akagi. She didn't even have the energy to search for the missing Gendo Ikari and Shinji Ikari, because she trusted her friend Misato Katsuragi to handle everything.

Whether it's cleaning up the mess, taking in the seriously injured but still alive intruders, or finding the missing eligible individuals, she will do her best.

As the train sped up and the elevator shaft creaked, Ritsuko Akagi turned around as if sensing something. The moment the elevator doors opened, she saw Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari appear before her at the same time.

Something's very wrong, even nine-tenths wrong.

It's perfectly normal for other fathers and sons to be in the same frame, but Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari... well, Ritsuko Akagi couldn't imagine their daily life like that of a normal father and son. Even the sight of them with such gloomy faces made her instinctively take a half-step back, even though she should have stepped forward to greet them.

But the atmosphere at hand clearly didn't need her to disturb it.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Shinji Ikari strode away, his expression gloomy, as if he couldn't breathe even in the same room as Gendo Ikari. She then learned from her subordinates that Lieutenant Shinji Ikari had driven Misato Katsuragi's Mazda, which was still under repair, away from Hakone.

What happened?

"Notify Misato Katsuragi, isn't that what she's good for?" Gendo Ikari resumed his cold demeanor and gave the order.

Even as an extremely close partner in both life and work, Ritsuko Akagi could detect a very subtle secret joy in Gendo Ikari's indifferent attitude.

Then, Ritsuko Akagi looked at Gendo Ikari's bruised left cheek and his obviously broken right arm, which was still bleeding. Despite his disheveled appearance, he was actually feeling joy.

What exactly did Gendo Ikari and Shinji Ikari do down there?

"Yes." Ritsuko Akagi nodded.

Although she was full of doubts, she knew very well what she should ask about and what she shouldn't.

—Mount Takao, near the outskirts of New Tokyo.

In the very place where she first went for a drive with Shinji Ikari, Misato Katsuragi once again found this third boy.

"Humans are the last Angels?" Shinji Ikari turned his head, his gaze piercing.

“Yes, at least according to the Dead Sea Scrolls, humans are the last apostle, Lilin.” Misato Katsuragi looked nervously at the boy in front of her, but still answered honestly. “But do you want to take it to heart? Because apostles and humans are ultimately two species that cannot understand each other. Just like humans and apes are both primates, if we really follow this logic, African Americans and Da Zhangwei might even be related.”

Misato Katsuragi intended to lighten the mood with some dry jokes, knowing Shinji Ikari's mindset in facing the Angels. But instead... she heard a boy's laughter.

"Hahahaha, Ni Ge and Da Zhangwei are relatives... Why aren't you laughing? You came here so anxiously, are you worried about my mental state?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. If I panic over a small problem, wouldn't that be like letting those with ulterior motives watch the show?"

Such sentimental attitudes were completely corrected a decade before the Kamen Rider world.

What remains is my disgust with all those complicated formalities, my pondering where to fight and who to fight, and how beautiful the girls from the Tyrell family are.

"Are you alright?" Seeing Shinji Ikari's smile, Misato Katsuragi felt a little relieved.

"Why would anything happen to me?" Shinji Ikari pouted.

Misato Katsuragi carefully examined the boy in front of her, while Shinji Ikari smiled brightly and used a pebble in his hand to knock the leaves off a maple tree not far away.

"When I learned that humans were also apostles, I did feel a brief moment of panic. But it was only brief. At least I still know whether I am human or not. Is it because humans are also apostles? Who decided that? Rather than worrying about that, I'd rather worry about whether chocolate crispy dumplings still count as dumplings."

“Of course it counts! Just because of the filling, does that mean we should be kicked out of the dumpling family? Chocolate crisp dumplings are delicious!” Misato Katsuragi immediately became serious when this topic came up.

"What about the Banlangen instant noodles?" Shinji Ikari asked again.

"This is absolutely heretical and evil!"

Chapter 79: The Horizon of Records

Shinji Ikari gazed at the sky, squinting as the dawn light was too dazzling.

For someone with sleepy eyes that have just opened, the morning sunlight is particularly dazzling.

It was entirely because of the intertwined and overlapping dreams of his past experiences that Shinji Ikari woke up feeling rather listless. The dreams were a jumbled mess: a train car shrouded in mist at dusk, millions of salt pillars standing tall in the Red Sea of ​​Antarctica, the black giant Almaros, mutated mecha, a god-slaying ship, a higher-dimensional universe, the final unit… The chaotic dreams left him feeling disoriented all night.

If the previous dream, in which only I and Asuka remained, symbolized a certain world, then what world is the scene I dreamed of today?

The ultimate machine capable of freezing time in the universe, destroying galaxies is not just empty talk. You transform, I transform; he becomes super, I become super; with a roar, I evolve again... There is no logic to the dream scene alone. Shinji Ikari always feels like he is watching Dragon Ball with popcorn.

Of course, such an absurd dream is something to be wary of. But Shinji Ikari knew very well that his predecessor did not possess any psychic abilities, and his home world had no subspace, so it was just a dream.

"This is really reckless." Shinji Ikari raised his right hand and placed the back of his hand on his forehead.

He wasn't referring to a dream, but rather the current situation.

The moment he woke up, Shinji Ikari felt a smooth, familiar touch against his skin.

Between her legs was another pair of slender legs, and the two bodies embraced each other. Although the blankets concealed their faces, there was only one person who could make her psychological defenses fail.

"Korea."

A muffled sound came from under the covers. "It's good that she's in there. Doesn't she have trouble breathing?" Shinji Ikari thought to himself.

Rei Ayanami crosses her arms behind her back, hugging her body, and holds this position, possibly for the entire night—

Although the body lacks contours, the subtle bulges are particularly noticeable.

This is a charm possessed only by graceful ladies, like that of a mysterious fairy. Rei Ayanami is like a glass work of art; because she is fragile, she appears exceptionally precious.

Chest, waist, hips, thighs—whether intentionally or unintentionally, traces of Shinji Ikari remain.

As the person in the bed called out, the girl peeked out halfway, revealing her cool and aloof face.

"Shinji, good morning," Rei Ayanami greeted him crisply.

Shinji Ikari couldn't help but stare at Rei before him. Rei's eyes, reflected in Shinji's, seemed to possess a warm, moist luster, an expression entirely his own. Perhaps it was the indistinguishable connection between their bodies causing their body temperature to rise, but the fragrance emanating from Rei was intensely alluring, almost tempting Shinji.

However, Shinji Ikari knew that Rei's intimacy did not imply anything further. Just as she once said, having her by his side felt like being loved by the world, giving her a sense of reassuring happiness.

She simply wanted to be with herself, to immerse herself in the atmosphere around her. Like a lonely flounder, she was only complete when she found half of herself.

"Get up, we still have a mental resonance test experiment today." Shinji Ikari patted the girl's smooth back.

“But I want to stay with Shinji a little longer,” Rei honestly stated her true feelings.

Shinji Ikari gazed into her eyes, but ultimately chose to yield, smiling wryly as he brushed aside his blue bangs and kissed her eyes.

"Okay, then I'll sleep a little longer. The experiment is at 10:30, so there's no need to rush."

At 9:20 AM, in Hakone Ward 2, at the development department's test site.

Shinji Ikari sat in the carriage in the tunnel, looking out the glass at the huge humanoid machine in the test site. The three-meter-diameter internal nuclear reactor was slowly being taken out of the machine. A large group of staff in white protective suits were working around it, like ants next to a piece of cheese that had fallen to the ground.

It's not EVA, but a JA machine from the Japan Heavy Chemical Industry Corporation. It was once intended to be an unmanned, large-scale robotic weapon to fight against the Angels, but it went berserk on the day of the opening ceremony and was forcibly stopped by Shinji Ikari piloting Unit-01.

Later, Shinji Ikari belatedly realized that the JA mobile suit's rampage was actually orchestrated by NERV. And now, this ace mobile suit of the Japanese heavy chemical industry conglomerate, along with all its assets and personnel, has been swallowed up by NERV.

"How tragic," Shinji Ikari said softly, it was unclear whether he was referring to the headquarters or the community that had been dismantled and absorbed.

“There’s no need to feel sorry for them; they deserve what they got,” said Misato Katsuragi.

"The previous blackout was orchestrated by the Japan Heavy Chemical Industry Community. Now that the industry community has collapsed, most of its remaining debris has been absorbed by headquarters, which can be considered a fitting end." Misato Katsuragi also looked out the window, thinking of the still active remains of the Fetus Angel that had been killed not long ago. "If this JA machine can be used in the fight against the Angels, it can be considered a way for those people in the Heavy Chemical Industry Community to atone for their sins."

At this moment, Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi were thinking the same thing, but Shinji didn't think of the Marduk Project, which involved modifying the Angels. Instead, he recalled a scene from his dream. In the dream, the aircraft carrier Miracle, which was said to possess the power to kill gods, appeared, and its core seemed to have been modified by the Angels.

Returning to the current topic, the fact that the Japan Heavy Chemical Industry Community was the mastermind behind the blackout makes Shinji Ikari chuckle.

Shinji Ikari doesn't know whether the Japan Heavy Chemical Industry Community was involved in the attacks following the blackout, but he doesn't believe he was the mastermind behind it. However, his size makes him a suitable scapegoat.

"Then he's still unlucky." Shinji Ikari pursed his lips and looked away.

Misato Katsuragi said, "That's right, if you make a mistake, you have to pay the price."

—Development Department, Deep-sea Driving Simulation Test Site.

Three brown cockpits, engraved with the symbols 00, 01, and 02, slowly sank into the crimson water as the command was given. This was a deep-sea driving simulation test field specially developed by the development department.

Similar to the pilot's aircraft, it can measure the pilot's physical and mental condition during deep-sea diving.

"Speaking of which, the best deep-sea simulation result so far was achieved by Asuka." Standing in front of the control panel, Ritsuko Akagi, wearing a white lab coat, suddenly said this.

“Because there were only two pilots in the simulation,” Misato Katsuragi said, knowing who Ritsuko Akagi was referring to. “But now, we can look forward to Shinji Ikari’s deep-sea diving results.”

“The first and second Child have entered the contamination warning line, while the mental fluctuations of the third Child are still very stable,” said Maya Ibuki, Ritsuko Akagi’s assistant.

Chapter 80: Visitors from Outer Space

"All qualified individuals have reached the dangerously contaminated depth. Should we continue the dive?" After thirteen seconds, Ibuki Maya asked again.

Ritsuko Akagi stared at Rei Ayanami and Asuka on the screen, their brows furrowed and silent, while a sharp alarm blared from the control panel.

"01 continues to descend, 00 and 02 end the experiment."