Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"What the heck? EVA went to space?!"

—Earth's Biosphere Monitor—

There's no need to look back; the horizon, visible from the daytime side in 360 degrees, forms a closed curve in the foreground.

Two EVAs orbiting in orbit looked down at the blue planet with a pinkish blush, like gods.

There are three of these external space-environment type EVAs. However, only Unit 00 and Unit 2 fly on the same orbit at a 120-degree interval, forming a forward and reverse loop configuration that surrounds the Earth.

The pilots are the First Child, Rei Ayanami, and the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu, along with other Child who is temporarily residing on the moon and not participating in this operation.

These middle school girls, however, lacked the qualities of astronauts, but EVA protected the pilots' safety. They remained in their respective insertion plugs, half-asleep.

—A tranquil world where time seems to stand still.

The life-giving fluid, filled with inserts, flows slowly to supply oxygen to the girls slumbering inside, causing their hair to sway. The chest of the combat suits covering their bodies, through artificial skin made of resin, repeatedly tightens and relaxes in sync with their breathing, assisting with the demanding task of fluid respiration.

And so the two machines, one yellow and one red, floated in outer space, serving as monitors of Earth's biosphere, overlooking the planet.

"That's really nice." In this tranquil world, a man's exclamation could be heard.

Inside a satellite floating on the moon, the faces of Fuyutsuki Kosuke and Ikari Gendo appeared.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo gazed at the EVA floating in space. At that moment, he recalled what he had said to his students years ago: even if humanity disappeared one day, the EVA would exist forever in the universe.

"It's truly astonishing that they could come up with such a plan. I really underestimated Katsuragi Hideaki's daughter," Fuyutsuki Yukizo remarked.

“Indeed, Misato Katsuragi got her inspiration from the Sky Apostle.” Gendo Ikari habitually pushed up his glasses. He was also shocked when he first learned of the plan, but he was quickly captivated by Misato Katsuragi’s ideas.

For NERV at present, the upgraded Seraphim is extremely terrifying; it is the perfect product of the Marduk Project. If the previous Seraphim was only equivalent to a Water Angel in terms of combat power, its return will reach the threat level of a Thunder Angel.

After losing Shinji Ikari, is NERV truly capable of dealing with such cruel angels?

However, Misato Katsuragi boldly proposed a new plan: to launch EVA into space, where it would operate in orbit and recharge its power at the nearest base every two hours.

After the MAGI system detected the twelfth apostle, the Seraphim, it was just like the Sky Angel before, protecting the machine with an incredibly powerful AT field, and then dropping the sword of Damocles belonging to humanity from the sky.

Nothing can stop such a divinely devastating blow except for Unit-01 and Gendo Ikari's mouth; even the earth would be shattered.

However, similar to the predicament faced by the Angel before, due to time constraints, the two mobile suits could only hover over Tokyo. If their guesses were wrong and the Angels landed in other areas, then the EVAs would be completely lost.

Secondly, there's the issue of insufficient power. While installing an external power supply has somewhat overcome the operational time bottleneck, allowing for up to six hours of standby time in hibernation mode, it still lacks sufficient power for combat.

But all of this can be compensated for by its terrifying power.

About ten seconds after receiving MAGI's command, Unit-00 and Unit-02 will awaken their pilots; about thirty seconds later, EVA will awaken from its idle state to combat output mode; ninety seconds later, Operation Divine Punishment will begin.

Even now, many people still firmly believe that if Shinji Ikari hadn't been there for the Angels, humanity would have inevitably lost.

“Although the idea is bold, the more carefully we think about it, the more feasible it seems. We have all underestimated what EVA is capable of,” said Yukizo Fuyutsuki.

"We don't have time to carefully refine and polish it now, so we have to bite the bullet and go for it," Gendo Ikari said.

The Seraphim, parasitizing Unit-03, also has its limitations. Despite its overwhelming power, its target is clear (Hakone), thus restricting its operational range. Misato Katsuragi's decision to send the EVAs into low orbit effectively forced everyone to relinquish air superiority, leaving other countries with no grounds for complaint even if they claimed it violated their sovereignty. However, faced with the military threat posed by the Seraphim and NERV's promise to only hover over the island nation, the various countries temporarily agreed.

At the beginning of NERV's documents explaining the defense concept, it was repeatedly mentioned that the purpose of this move was to stop the advancing Seraphim; however, on the other hand, they can do much more than that.

Looking at Gendo Ikari's expression, Fuyutsuki Yukizo knew, as his longtime partner, what kind of plan the Commander-in-Chief was brewing up.

To be honest, this nascent Angelic Detection System has many problems, but the most serious one is insufficient power. Will Unit 4, which is currently attempting to overcome the operational time bottleneck, still proceed with its planned sabotage?

The question had barely arisen when Fuyutsuki Kosuke provided the answer.

Since the Seraphim can be dealt with now, there is no need for the American branch, which could potentially affect his power and plans.

At this moment, the satellite reached its closest point to the moon. Behind them, the massive machine lay on the silver planet. Gendo Ikari glanced at it briefly before looking away. He knew that SEELE would not allow him to approach the lunar base.

However, in this vacuum of space, there are people living on the surface of the moon without any protection.

It wasn't Chang'e, nor Kaguya of Hourai Mountain, but a silver-haired boy with a bare upper body.

The creature, perched on the index finger of the massive machine, emitted sounds completely defying the laws of physics. Even its very existence defied common sense. But Fuyutsuki Yukizo, seeing the boy for the first time, widened his eyes in astonishment. "A human? No, how is that possible…!"

Despite being a human boy, his demeanor reminded Fuyutsuki Yukizo of an apostle brimming with divine aura, even more sacred than any apostle of the past.

At this moment, the silver-haired boy also turned his head. His handsome face had a pair of blood-red eyes exactly like Rei Ayanami's, but they did not inspire fear. Because, like the sea today, they were the color of life.

The silver-haired boy smiled at Gendo Ikari, who was staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Father."

-------------

"At this point, we have to retract our previous statement. Gendo Ikari might actually be able to wash away his shame." Shinji Ikari laughed heartily.

Shinji Ikari was impressed for the first time when he learned of Misato Katsuragi's plan.

At this time, the Seraphim, which occupied Unit 3, sank into the sea after the battle and its whereabouts became unknown. For a world that had not fulfilled the Instrumentality Project, this became the biggest security concern.

Shinji Ikari imagined EVA hovering above his head, traveling through the universe, and the mere thought of it excited him immensely.

Ironically, even with such a high offer from IPEA, Shinji Ikari remained unmoved, but this one did. Ultimately, noble knights still belong to the lonely, dark universe.

But Shinji Ikari immediately realized that the key to carrying out such a long-term, long-range solo operation was the energy problem. It was either a decisive kill or a swift defeat. The second battle against the Seraphim would be much, much shorter than the first.

At this moment, Shinji Ikari recalled what IPEA had mentioned that morning: that the infinite energy contained within the Divine Machine No. 4 could belong to him with his own consent, and that it was the EVA that was truly suitable for this kind of operation plan.

But Mana Kirishima was somewhat puzzled by Shinji Ikari's hearty laughter.

"Aren't you worried? Worried that you'll win like this?" she asked.

"What's there to worry about? If NERV really wins without me, I'll celebrate for them too."

Hearing Shinji Ikari speak so casually, Mana Kirishima raised her eyebrows slyly.

"But if that's the case, Gendo Ikari will wash away his shame, and NERV will prove to the world that they can still defeat the Angels without you."

“That would be for the best.” Shinji Ikari smiled.

Victories gained through trickery alone cannot last. What if one encounters an angel soaring freely, or an Angel whose AT field rivals Shinji Ikari's? In the end, a pilot's character should be determined by their actions.

Mana Kirishima fell in love with Shinji Ikari at first sight, but Rei Ayanami, who also fell in love at first sight, would not ask such a question.

She just misjudged it.

What was misjudged was not the true form of Shinji Ikari as a knight.

Whether he was a pilot or not, Kirishima Mana, who had always lived in the cracks between lies and betrayals, did not understand what a knight was.

—I don't know Kirishima's real name.

Sacrifice and celebration of human glory are the qualities a knight should possess on the battlefield, one who must restrain pride and complacency.

However, if he fails, Shinji Ikari's inherent arrogance will not prevent him from mocking and ridiculing him.

Noble knights are such contradictory individuals.

For the first time, Shinji Ikari, who was not piloting Unit-01 to fight the Angels, began to look forward to the battle.

Perhaps due to the power of the fused fetus apostle, the Shalcan did not keep him waiting long.

On that very day, a sharp alarm blared through the port, signaling the reappearance of the Angels.

--------

This EVA space mission has a real-life counterpart. In the neighboring spirit world, Misato Katsuragi, as the commander-in-chief, used this plan to forcibly seize air superiority, thereby intimidating the entire world with force, successfully expanding her authority to promote defense plans, and even making Third New Tokyo and the Hakone volcanic crater area surrounding Lake Ashi her territory, which is a special zone with extraterritorial rights.

Enraged, the Self-Defense Forces brought their own AKASIMA (a mobile suit developed by the Self-Defense Forces) to block the door.

So this plan isn't outrageous; it's just a prototype. Because there are no Ayanami sisters, only three EVA units, the units don't have the S2 engine installed, and the monitoring and interception system is incomplete.

108: The Second Counterattack

Earth, in the command center in Hakone, an alarm sounds.

At this moment, the Japan Aerospace Defence Ground Environment Network detected an anomaly, and MAGI, which was on high alert, quickly uploaded the information.

The headquarters was in chaos because the target's location was completely unexpected.

After the first counterattack, the enemy moved from Nobeyama in Nagano Prefecture toward the coast, eventually entering the ocean from Uozu City and disappearing from surveillance.

But to appear in Minato Ward at this time makes no sense at all. Since one is in the north and the other in the south, why would they go almost halfway around Japan just to land in Minato Ward? It's like George H.W. Bush visiting Japan, only to eat sushi and become a jetpack fighter – it's completely baffling.

"Unable to transmit messages to the telemetry device! Target status unknown!"

"Suspected radio interference!"

"What's the panic? The assignments will proceed as usual. What's the situation now?" It was Misato Katsuragi who spoke. After receiving the notification, she was still eating dinner when she rushed over from the cafeteria. With her arrival, the command room quickly quieted down.

The commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief disappeared again at a crucial moment, but the staff had already gotten used to it and were waiting for Misato Katsuragi to give orders.

Misato Katsuragi stopped the communications officer who was turning to look at her, walked to the large screen in the command room, and then asked Makoto Hyuga downstairs in a clear voice. After pointing the satellite at brightly lit Tokyo, Japan, she noticed something flickering.

"It does look like one of the Twelve Angels who has taken over Unit 3, but we can't determine if it's an Angel from the spectrum," Hinata Makoto quickly replied.

"Damn it, it's similar to the Sky Angel's radio wave interference, but the range is only fifty kilometers centered on him. Why do these apostles always have such strange abilities? Wouldn't a simple AT field be better?" Aoba Shigeru slammed his fist on the desk.

“We’ve found the information. It’s not a new ability of the Angels. It’s the effect of the prototype F-type armor installed on Unit 3 by the US branch. It can release a powerful EMP from the shoulder blades, causing the surrounding electronic equipment to malfunction.” Hinata Makoto pushed up his glasses.

"Honestly, these white pigs are really no help at all!"

For a brief moment, the entire command room fell silent. Only Misato Katsuragi impatiently gave the instructions.

"Switch to the outdoor camera! And wake up Unit 0 and Unit 2!"

Awakening EVA and the pilot before it's confirmed whether they are Angels is a risky move, but the port area is too close to Third Tokyo City, practically adjacent to it. If it really is an Angel, there simply isn't enough time.

It's already too late.

The completely unexpected location of their appearance disrupted all the battle plans. Perhaps, as Gendo Ikari said at the Human Completion Committee, the Angels are gradually gaining intelligence, and the Seraphim are one such example.

Upon receiving the order, the observation team contacted the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission, and soon, the communications officer transmitted the images to the main screen.

"As expected, it's an apostle...!"

It was clearly visible on the screen. The white giant emerging from the waters near the port was none other than Baldell, the Seraphim who had recently disappeared from surveillance. However, Unit-03, which had originally appeared entirely black to the world, now displayed a somewhat nauseating dirty white as its representative color.

“He has fully absorbed the power of the Angelic Fetus, and now He has risen to the rank of Chief Seraphim.” Looking at the white giant on the screen, Misato Katsuragi uttered words similar to Shinji Ikari’s.

Her face showed neither joy nor sorrow, even though, in terms of time, the two machines still in space were too late to stop the apostles from landing. But she still had Plan B.

"Notify the Self-Defense Forces; it's time for them to set off," Misato Katsuragi instructed.