Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Hakone Ward 2 is a district with a strong industrial focus, specializing in EVA and Angel research. It's one of the most secretive wards, second only to the Central Dogma District. Numerous research institutions related to Angels are scattered throughout the area, and these research facilities, belonging to the development department, frequently generate tremendous noise. As a result, the ward is surrounded by towering soundproof walls, and it even possesses equipment capable of emitting reverse-phase sound waves to eliminate noise.

Meanwhile, in Ritsuko Akagi's office, Shinji Ikari had finished dressing. The series of checks had just been completed.

After finishing her inspection, Ritsuko Akagi kept scanning Shinji Ikari's data on the computer. "I understand your current situation. In a sense, you have taken the most crucial step on the ladder to godhood. Do you know ANIMA?"

“It’s probably… the soul’s aura, the self’s essence, the feminine side of a man, anima?” Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

Of course, he knew that Ritsuko Akagi wasn't referring to it literally. Within the Level 3 classified information of MAGI (Level 4 classified), there was a fixed term, ANIMA, which signified someone qualified to become an Angel.

There are as many as two Level 4 classified documents related to ANIMA.

As expected, Ritsuko Akagi replied, "That's not what I meant literally. You are now a member of the Institute for Human Evolution and have Level 1 authority in MAGI. The explanation of ANIMA there is that you are someone who has the qualities to become an Apostle."

"Is it an object? Not a human?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

Seeing Shinji Ikari feign confusion, Ritsuko Akagi grunted and fell into deep thought, then listlessly uttered, "From a biological perspective, humans are apostles, but we're not discussing such metaphysical things. Rather, we're talking about the ones qualified to replace true, complete apostles as children of God, and that is ANIMA."

Compared to weak humans, EVANGELION is the embodiment of God.

“Of course, everyone possesses the physical qualities to become an apostle, but what truly determines whether an ANIMA is qualified to stand before God as a son in place of an apostle is their heart, or rather, their soul. This is the concept of the ANIMA’s soul.” Ritsuko Akagi spoke in a detached tone, her eyes revealing an extremely rational and intellectual brilliance regarding all things in the world. She gazed at Shinji Ikari before her, as if looking at some kind of miracle sculpted by the hand of God.

“ANIMA itself also has a hidden meaning. It is not merely a decorative existence, but often the source of salvation for everyone. It is a weak character in daily life... You should understand what I mean at this point. According to statistics—before you came to Third New Tokyo, the hidden part of your soul had already revealed its glorious side. Before that, you had already completed the salvation of your soul.”

“Compared to your frail body, your soul has already taken the form of a child of God. I am undoubtedly prying into your secrets, but I am just very curious, very curious.” Ritsuko Akagi emphasized repeatedly, not wanting Shinji Ikari to misunderstand.

Shinji Ikari remained silent for the time being, and Ritsuko Akagi did not press him. His memories traveled to that dark, oppressive, and suffocating world, yet it was full of redemption. It turned out that from that time onward, his heart had already been mended.

At that moment, Shinji Ikari heard once again the chanting of the sacrificial text by the elderly sacristans (holders of mystical technologies) of his family—

The Emperor is our guiding light, the beacon of hope for humanity in this dark galaxy. We serve him; he is our greatest servant. We pray to him; he thinks only for us. In this approaching darkness, the Emperor is with us, in our souls, and above all truth.

144: The Apostles' Tomb

Simply looking at MAGI's materials only provides a partial understanding of the knowledge about ANIMA. It was only through an explanation from Ritsuko Akagi's professional perspective that Shinji Ikari was able to sort out all his thoughts.

The relationship between humans and apostles, the relationship between soul and body, one's current state, and the location of one's soul.

After sorting out the problems, the path forward became very clear.

Ritsuko Akagi took off her glasses and placed them on the table. "And your body is gradually becoming an Angel while piloting the EVANGELION. Now you've reached a critical juncture: choose to return to being a normal person or become an Angel. Of course, you only have one choice."

That is to become an Angel. Even if Ritsuko Akagi didn't say it, Shinji Ikari would understand.

"First, you need to achieve unity of mind and body. Here I have compiled books on yoga, meditation, Shintoism, etc., but you will have to rely on yourself for most of this." Ritsuko Akagi brought over a large pile of materials.

Of course, she was lying, because there was another object that could help Shinji Ikari complete this step directly.

The Key of Nebuchadnezzar, this beacon connects the spirit to the divine, and its holder will open the door to the Human Instrumentality Project. It is the most perfect token.

Shinji Ikari, who possesses the highest authority in MAGI, also knows about this item and that Ritsuko Akagi is lying. However, he doesn't say anything, and he is already quite grateful that Ritsuko Akagi has helped him to this extent.

"If one becomes an Angel, can the integrity of the skull and body still be guaranteed?" Shinji Ikari suddenly asked.

“Humans themselves are apostles. In a sense, as long as you want to maintain your human form, your AT field will keep your form from changing,” Ritsuko Akagi said.

"That's fine then." Shinji Ikari nodded slightly.

Seeing that Shinji Ikari truly didn't care about Ritsuko Akagi, she breathed a sigh of relief. Since Ritsuko now possessed the same level of authority as her, he could find information about ANIMA if he so desired. Similarly, if he so desired, he could also find clues about the Key of Nebuchadnezzar.

Although the Key to Nebuchadnezzar is part of Level 4 Secrets, its existence is mentioned in many Level 3 and Level 2 Secrets.

But Shinji Ikari didn't care, because he had a more suitable token than the Key of Nebuchadnezzar.

That is proof of every true nobleman, and also the covenant he signed with the knight mech.

That is, the incarnation ritual—

The Knight Mech is more than just a war machine; it is a relic from a lost era, an armored behemoth from a forgotten age. Clearly, one cannot control such a sacred artifact in the traditional way; therefore, the pilot must connect with it. Only those noble individuals born into ancient knightly families are capable of receiving this honor. Through a strange and somewhat terrifying ritual called the "Incarnation Ritual," these nobles concentrate their energy and connect with the Knight Mech's soul, ultimately forging a sacred alliance between flesh and metal.

A new sacred alliance of flesh and metal was forged. From beginning to end, the key to the ladder to godhood remained in one's own hands.

The dismantling of Part C is expected to be completed in 45 minutes.

The samples from Part B will all be transported to the second location after confirmation.

[Part D-3 has been dismantled. Please submit all data to the Analysis Team of the Development Department.]

At that moment, the mechanical system's female voice issued a notification over the loudspeaker. As if sensing something, Ritsuko Akagi looked up and put her glasses back on the table.

“The Night Apostle has completed its initial analysis. By now, Misato Katsuragi should have arrived as well. Let’s go.” Ritsuko Akagi also stood up.

“Dr. Akagi, there are still two things we haven’t figured out,” Shinji Ikari said.

While the most crucial element is still the key to the stairway to godhood, Shinji Ikari has three other important matters: first, his suspected infertility; second, the Night Angels; and third, Rei Ayanami.

“I know about your question, but I need to see the information they uploaded before I can give you an accurate answer. Let’s talk as we walk.”

Arriving outside the office, we followed the rough elevator—or more accurately, the transmission chair—to the spacious research base.

This is the true Hakone Second District, a secret area second only to the Central Dogma District. It contains the remains of all the Angels defeated by NERV throughout history.

The value of the apostles themselves is immeasurable; even their remains after death contain something extraordinary.

Shinji Ikari learns from MAGI's access that SEELE has developed an artificial S2 mechanism, but he doesn't know if it's true or not.

Misato Katsuragi was standing next to the crane, wearing a navy blue work uniform, silently smoking a cigarette beside the huge lathe.

The dismantling of Part F will now take place in ten minutes. Please be aware of the time.

[Development Department, Technical Section 4, Class 7, please assemble at the designated location immediately.]

"Is this where the Angels are kept?" Shinji Ikari thought, watching the colossal machine hurtle overhead. Huge platforms rose and fell along the longitudinal tracks, mechanical equipment lifting the heavy remains of the Angels from below and carrying them to their next destination. The machines roared like thunder.

From his direction, Shinji Ikari could only see the dismembered remains of the Night Angels. Even the parts in front of them still possessed an almost sacred beauty when viewed up close.

"Shinji, you were too violent. The Night Angel is already fragmented, but it is still a high priority as a sample because its authority is of great research value among the many Angels." Misato Katsuragi, wearing a yellow helmet, also stood with her hands on her hips, watching the shocking scene before her.

The priority of the remains of the deceased apostles is not determined by their combat strength in life. For example, a very powerful Thunder Apostle would have very little research value. It is more important to consider what they can bring to humanity.

For example, the Embryo Apostle and the Third Apostle, which align with Marduk's plan, belong to the most valuable category. Theoretically, as long as no errors occur, they can achieve the ultimate creation that perfectly unifies EVANGELION and the Apostles.

Secondly, there are the Night Apostles and the Apostles of the Seraphim. Their abilities or authority are very unique, enabling humanity to take a giant leap forward in the field of science.

The worst of them all is naturally the Rain Apostle, a disgraceful piece of trash, completely at the bottom.

The second branch of the German dynamics analysis team will arrive within five minutes.

The mechanical female voice of the system raised its voice, and this time, upon hearing the news, Katsuragi Misato raised her eyebrows in displeasure and couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth in a sarcastic smile, "Really, we are the ones who are fighting, but in the end we have to share the spoils with them."

“Only by sharing can we go further, and some of the Apostles are not particularly valuable for research. The plan was to open the study of the Rain Apostle and Sky Apostle remains to them today, but actually the people from the Second Branch's development department arrived three days ago?” Katsuragi Misato asked.

“Yes, the development manager of the German branch is very much looking forward to this collaboration, so he decided to conduct the research himself,” Ritsuko Akagi said. “Moreover, the results will be shared with us, so it’s definitely something to look forward to.”

Misato Katsuragi nodded slightly: "Then there's no problem. Have you found anything about the Night Angel samples that you keep so secret?"

“Of course, you can see this.” Ritsuko Akagi said, showing the data on the screen to Misato Katsuragi and Shinji Ikari.

"What is this?" Misato Katsuragi rubbed her nose, admitting she didn't understand it at all. "It's just a bunch of gibberish!"

"This truly represents undecipherable code. For the Night Apostle, who possesses the ability to condense the Dirac Sea within itself, this ability is quite unique among the many apostles that have appeared."

"So you still don't understand the Night Angels? They've already been dismembered to that extent," Misato Katsuragi said.

"Yes, the apostles are made of matter with wave-particle duality, just like light."

"Even though the apostles have been defeated by most of them, there are still so many mysteries."

“This world itself is full of mysteries, like this—something that you’re also curious about, Shinji.” As she spoke, Ritsuko Akagi opened another page on her tablet. “This is the inherent waveform diagram of all the Angels themselves. You should be able to understand this, right?”

Misato Katsuragi, holding the iced Americano that Makoto Hyuga had let go of, squeezed past Shinji Ikari and moved closer to the tablet. "Huh, this isn't...?"

"Yes, although the constituent elements are different, the arrangement and coordinates of the signals are remarkably similar to human genetic material, with a similarity of 99.89%. This once again reminds us that human intelligence is still quite limited."

At this moment, Ritsuko Akagi turned her gaze to Shinji Ikari, "Or rather, humans are the Angels, but the Angels also represent the possibilities of humanity."

Finally, Ritsuko Akagi answered Shinji Ikari's second question.

"So your current situation is similar to that of a liger. Lions and tigers have the same number of chromosomes and are similar in size, so they can produce offspring like ligers. Because their chromosomes are different in shape, ligers themselves cannot reproduce."

Ritsuko Akagi answered Shinji Ikari's question with a simple sentence. Given Shinji's current situation, the only irreversible option he had was to become an Angel.

But then another problem arises: if he chooses to become an apostle, but using the liger's birth rate as a reference, it's still only one percent. His offspring will then face the same problems as the liger. Choosing again to become an apostle or a human remains an unsolvable dilemma.

Misato Katsuragi, standing beside her, nodded as if she understood, until Ritsuko Akagi's gaze shifted to her. As if provoked, she jumped up and shouted, "What are you looking at me for?! It has nothing to do with me!"

Misato Katsuragi would tremble with anger at this time, her body covered in cold sweat and her hands and feet freezing cold even in the sweltering heat.

Is NERV ever going to get better?! How are we, their guardians, supposed to live to dispel your doubts? Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. This organization is filled with oppression; when will she ever be able to truly stand up for herself?

Chapter 145: The Most Powerful Apostle Strikes

“I didn’t say it was related to you. You’re being too sensitive,” Ritsuko Akagi said calmly. “But speaking of the newly acquired Night Angel remains, according to the study of the samples, the Night Angel is the only Angel that can reverse and unfold the Absolute Territory. This may also be the key factor that allows it to contain the Dirac Sea within its body.”

The concepts of anti-absolute domain and absolute domain inversion are completely different.

Anti-Absolute Territory is a substance similar to Absolute Territory, and its properties are also similar; it can be considered another form of Absolute Territory. Anti-Absolute Territory also has the function of making Absolute Territory disappear. But what Ritsuko Akagi really wanted to talk about was the inversion and unfolding of the latter's Absolute Territory. Her index finger scrolled through the data uploaded by the Development Department's analysis class ten minutes earlier on the tablet. After briefly organizing it, she said—

"You both know that the AT field is a spatial barrier that can repel everything; while the reverse AT field pulls everything into the center that releases the AT field, only in the opposite direction. The anti-AT field is completely opposite in nature to the AT field, just like positive and negative charges. One is a property, and the other is a direction; they are different concepts. The Night Apostle's domain reversal expansion can pull any surface that comes into contact with its absolute domain toward the center. The Apostle selectively pulls external objects into the Dirac Sea in this way."

She was speaking to two people. As the head of the operations department, Misato Katsuragi naturally needed to be familiar with the Angels' information. As for Shinji Ikari, "I'll upload the information to MAGI later and set it to Level 2 Secret. You can view it directly with your access permissions then," Ritsuko Akagi said to Shinji Ikari.

Shinji Ikari nodded slightly; now only Rei Ayanami's question remained.

But at that moment, he suddenly raised his eyebrows. Ritsuko Akagi also noticed the change in his expression, but before she could ask, the tremors around her gave her the illusion that she was standing on a cruise ship. The pebbles on the ground kept shaking, as if something big was about to happen.

"Was it an earthquake?" Misato Katsuragi grabbed the railing next to her.

“It’s not an earthquake.” Shinji Ikari raised his head and suddenly felt a sense of oppression similar to that of the Sky Angel’s descent, heavily pressing down on every inch of Hakone’s land above him.

Compared to the physical sensations, his spiritual perception made him realize that some creature was about to descend. Although he couldn't hear it, he could feel the immense pressure brought by its arrival. Shinji Ikari instinctively tightened his grip on the rose rosary in his arms. At that very moment, a deafening roar shook the entire Hakone.

Hakone, too, was plunged into an even deeper darkness.

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Never before had there been such a violent apostle. From discovery to arrival, it took only four minutes, appearing over the Far Eastern island nation like a meteor piercing the atmosphere.

The sirens ripped through the night, their high-decibel roar echoing from station to station. The regulatory authorities promptly sounded the air raid sirens, and for several seconds, the piercing sirens reverberated throughout the vast city of Third Tokyo.