Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

At that moment, Kaji Ryoji, who was meeting with spies from the Ministry of Home Affairs' Investigation Department, suddenly stood up and looked out the window, wondering what had happened. Air raid sirens are the most serious city alarms; activating them means that warning citizens via television and radio is too late, and danger could strike in an instant.

"What happened? Could it be an apostle invasion?" The middle-aged woman with a bucket-shaped waist and a headscarf revealed the sharp eyes that only a top agent could possess. She was the spy from the Ministry of Home Affairs' Investigation Department who was in charge of meeting with Kaji Ryoji this time. This was their second collaboration.

The last time was in Kyoto, Japan, when she revealed the true nature of the Marduk Organization to Kaji Ryoji.

"Logically, that's impossible; the time was too rushed." Kaji Ryoji drew back the curtains, not having time to reveal his identity.

Because of the existence of MAGI, who oversee the world, there is always four hours of preparation time from the discovery of the Angels to their attack, even in the most rushed situations (except for the terrifying Angels whose records have been erased). This is unless there is another major power outage.

This reminded Kaji Ryoji of the eleven apostles. Even the most powerful Sky Apostle moved to the skies above Tokyo, Japan, by rotating with the planet, giving NERV ample time to prepare.

He couldn't see anything except the blinding sunlight that stung his eyes. Then he saw a shooting star fall into Tokyo Bay not far away.

"Just as I suspected!" Kaji Ryoji's eyes widened; his guess was correct.

An apostle has descended, and in a manner similar to that of the Sky Apostle. Compared to the Sky Apostle, who sees himself as a bomb, this guest is even more ferocious. He has absolute confidence that even with such a massive descent from the sky, his absolute domain can protect him.

Such a powerful presence even reminded Kaji Ryoji of Shinji Ikari.

"Find cover! With such a massive object falling, a tsunami is coming!" While thinking, Kaji Ryoji didn't forget to pin the middle-aged spy next to him under the bed.

A few seconds later, a faint, deafening roar came from the horizon, booming like thunder, and all other sounds could be heard. It really was the sound of the ocean waves; Kaji Ryoji's guesses were always accurate.

Then, the tsunami indeed arrived. The hundred-meter-high wall of water advanced with a thunderous roar, lifting cars, trees, and sheds to the top of the waves. Several-story buildings looked like pebbles on a beach in front of it.

Above the waves, a magnificent, humanoid figure in black and white seems to ride the waves and land on the land of Hakone.

The building where Kaji Ryoji was meeting with spies was fairly sturdy. He got up from under the bed, still wet, and looked at the fourteen apostles who had arrived in the Third New Tokyo City much faster than his brothers and sisters. Their magnificent figures were like human-shaped calamities.

He didn't do anything special; he simply retracted his small head into his body and locked it onto the ground beneath his feet. Then, a white object resembling toilet paper suddenly shot out from his empty arms.

With a single strike, the defensive wall of the twenty-one floors below was cleaved open as if by an unparalleled colossal weapon, leaving a scar hundreds of meters long. What the Thunder Apostle couldn't accomplish in a day and a night was so effortless before Him; the massive chasm seemed to lead straight to the deepest underground space. Kaji Ryoji's ears were filled with muffled roars as he watched the enormous figure gradually disappear into the chasm. He knew that the truly fatal blow was about to come.

"This is bad. Now we'll see what NERV does." Kaji Ryoji instinctively pulled out his cigarette case. The case was well-sealed and hadn't gotten wet, but his lighter wouldn't light. He sighed and didn't put the cigarette case back in his pocket.

"The fact that it descended to Earth in such a manner indicates that its absolute domain is extremely powerful. More importantly, it didn't give NERV any sufficient time to prepare." The elderly spy from the Ministry of Internal Affairs standing next to her also realized this.

Is it really possible to successfully intercept something within such a tight timeframe?

All they could do was pray.

"Where are you going?" The spy woman watched as the other man walked across the knee-deep water in the living room toward the kitchen. Kaji Ryoji waved his hand. "I'm checking if the gas can still be lit. I want to have a smoke to calm down."

Whether the world ends or not, he's determined to smoke this cigarette.

In Hakone, Ward 2, a place jokingly called the Apostle's Graveyard, the earth-shaking roar finally reached us.

Misato Katsuragi gripped the railing tightly, and the entire Hakone area shook as if thousands of elephants in high heels were tap dancing overhead. The central support pillar of the second section swayed precariously.

At this moment, MAGI's mechanical female voice finally came on the radio.

The Fourteenth Angel has attacked, issuing an emergency warning to all members of the Hakone area.

"How could it be so fast?" Ritsuko Akagi's eyes widened. "It's only been five days! According to the timeline in mythology..."

"Stop with the mythology. If we're really going to follow the mythology, we should refer to the Jewish belief that the world was created by God in the form of light from nothingness and darkness. Therefore, in terms of the order, night comes before day. In fact, a day has already passed, and the order of the apostles has long been messed up," Shinji Ikari said coldly.

After learning that the Angels might be related to mythology, Shinji Ikari consulted many religious materials. He discovered that Judaism's unique way of counting days might not have much impact on ordinary days, but it makes a huge difference to holidays, especially their celebrations. Because of this system, all Jewish holidays begin on the evening of what most people would consider the "previous day."

Thus, certain special days should also begin in the evening. For example, although the Sabbath falls on Saturday according to the general calendar, according to Jewish day-keeping, it should begin on Friday evening.

At this moment, only Shinji Ikari remained remarkably calm, or rather, he had always maintained composure when facing the Angels. If he were to become truly fanatical, it would be they who would suffer.

Shinji Ikari's phone was vibrating in his pocket, but Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi, who were wearing earphones, had already heard the message from MAGI.

"The pattern is blue, confirming it as the Fourteenth Apostle. It has already breached the defense layer and is about to reach the underground space!"

"There's no time!" Ritsuko Akagi's face turned deathly pale.

The sharp sound of the iron bar scraping against the railing brought them back to calm. Shinji Ikari threw the iron bar on the ground, and seeing the women no longer making noise, his furrowed brows relaxed. He said, "Shut up and think it over. There's another machine that can fight back in time. It's a special machine that was left to deal with this kind of emergency."

Actually, he had intended to slap both of them, but he doesn't usually hit women when he's dressed. So he used the sharp scraping sound of the iron rod to calm them down.

"You mean MK.06?" Ritsuko Akagi's pale face immediately flushed red. "Yes, there's also MK06! It's the only machine that still retains the simulated insertion plug."

Unit-06, the invincible first unit of the Mark series, is the perfect unit! It differs from the experimental Unit-00 and Unit-01, and the standard Unit-02. The Human Instrumentality Committee calls it the true EVA; all previous units, including Unit-01, were paved the way for it.

Furthermore, it is equipped with a simulated insertion plug developed by Ritsuko Akagi, allowing for immediate commencement of combat.

However, Ritsuko Akagi did not expect that the simulated insertion plug she developed, and the debut of the first Mark series machine, would face such a terrifying Fourteenth Apostle in their first battle.

"Shinji Ikari, where are you going?" Ritsuko Akagi suddenly saw Shinji Ikari stride towards the elevator shaft.

"Go pilot Unit-01, I won't disturb your conversation." Shinji Ikari waved his hand.

Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi were stunned by the sudden arrival of the Angels, losing their usual composure. Shinji Ikari, however, was not nervous, because he still had Unit-06 to buy time, and he did not think that Gendo Ikari and the Human Perfection Committee would be so negligent.

Indeed, Unit-6, equipped with a simulated insertion plug, arrived at the underground space beneath Hakone immediately, awaiting the arrival of the Fourteenth Angel.

Deeper inside, in the experimental testing grounds, a hatch bearing the NERV half-fig leaf logo slowly opened.

"Achoo!" The girl in the pink combat uniform sneezed, then slowly raised her hand. "Damn it! It's so cold! It looks like a whole red-clad mess, why isn't there air conditioning!"

At this moment, she, who was standing on the mobile platform, had been transported to the front of the crimson mech at the bottom.

As the exhaust whirred around her, the once loose pink combat uniform instantly clung to her skin, and the girl with glasses looked at her new clothes with a hint of joy.

"Hehehe! The new combat suit is pretty good, and it fits my chest really well!" As the girl intentionally moved her body, the curves of her chest bounced up and down with her swaying.

Everything was ready, and the crimson Unit 2 slowly rose onto the mobile platform.

For Gendo Ikari and his ilk, who had long since seen the script of fate, two plans had already been prepared before the arrival of the Angel of Power.

The first is that the Angel of Power appears at the correct time, at which point the fully armed Unit-01, Unit-00, Unit-02, and Unit-06, controlled by a simulated insertion plug, will naturally confront it.

Secondly, the Angels might appear earlier or later due to a delay, and the sixth unit simulating the insertion plug and the fifth Child, Mari Illustrious, who is waiting for orders here in advance, serve this purpose.

"I'm a painter, and I'm a master painter! I have a new organization that will help me make her even more beautiful!"

At the same moment, the tremors in Hakone continued. In the underground space, it was as if a purple glow was tearing through the sky. Before the glow arrived, the commotion in Hakone reached its climax, as if a huge gap had been torn open in the world, and a magnificent behemoth descended into the underground space with tremendous force, causing the earth to shake as if in an earthquake.

The Angels fell to Earth, and at that very moment, Unit-6, which was ready to go, charged forward with its sonic spear the instant it received the order.

Compared to the pilot-controlled aircraft, Unit 6, suspended in mid-air below the simulated insertion plug, was more stable and showed no hesitation.

146: The appointed day arrives

"All personnel, take your positions and prepare for the Hakone counterattack," Shigeru Aoba said in a deep voice, wearing headphones.

"Where is the target?" Gendo Ikari's voice came through the earpiece.

"We've already breached the defenses. Given the current situation at headquarters, we can't effectively stop them before they reach the interior of Hakone," Aoba Shigeru replied.

“It’s alright, let’s meet Him inside Hakone,” Gendo Ikari said, hanging up the signal.

At that moment, the hatch behind him opened, and Misato Katsuragi rushed over. Shinji Ikari had no say in Ritsuko Akagi's affairs; as the head of the operations department, she should fulfill her duties.

"There's no time for a blocking battle, so let's proceed directly to the Hakone interior. What about the Mark series' first advance unit, Unit 6?" Misato Katsuragi asked.

Makoto Hyuga immediately replied, "Unit 6 has been deployed in the underground space, equipped with a close-combat F-type mecha, and is ready."

Misato Katsuragi nodded slightly and continued, "Notify Asuka to activate the dormant Unit 2 and deploy it in the underground world to protect the headquarters facilities."

"Minister, Unit 2 has been activated and is being transported to the underground space," Hinata Makoto replied.

"Hmm? Is Asuka the pilot?" Misato Katsuragi frowned. As the head of the operations department, she was unaware that the sealed Unit 2 had been activated. This meant that a higher-level administrator had bypassed her and issued orders.

The operations department is the top department, and the only two commanders have higher authority than oneself.

"It was Commander-in-Chief Gendo's order, and the pilot was not Asuka, but the former pilot of Unit 5, Mary Ilantrias Masumi."

"The pilot of Unit 5? You mean that slightly crazy Mari Mami?"

Misato Katsuragi's first thought wasn't about Mari's exceptional combat abilities, but rather, what about Asuka if Mari were to pilot Unit-02? Given Asuka's timid personality... Misato's primary concern was Asuka's mental state.

Before anyone could think, a deafening roar erupted as a pink curtain of light, like a sunset, fell from the sky above the underground world. At the same time, boulders the size of small mountains also crashed down upon this world, and billowing smoke splashed across the underground space, as if the sunset was washing the world clean.

The first thing that catches the eye is the apostle's lower body. Although the situation is quite serious, many people still want to laugh the moment they see him. While the apostle maintains a humanoid form, his legs appear to have been amputated at the knees, consisting only of the thighs. If judged by human standards, his thighs are even only half the size of a human's.

But He did not walk on two legs. With the movement of the base of His legs, the pink Absolute Territory unfolded beneath Him, supporting the Apostle's massive figure as He slowly floated in mid-air, looking down upon the underground world.

To be precise, it is the pyramid in the center of the underground world.

The image shown on screen depicted countless swaying pink ribbons of light swinging their long tails beneath the Angel of Power, whose body was illuminated by the glow of the sunset. It was utterly impossible to laugh at.

The fourteenth apostle, the Archangel Serul, is the only apostle who reached the underworld through his own power. He is the angel who proclaims death and the calamity of humankind.

"Unit 6's simulated insertion system is connected to MAGI. Operation commence!" Misato Katsuragi announced.

Even faster than Misato Katsuragi's words. The instant it connected to the MAGI network and received the attack command, Unit-06 gripped its sonic spear and, with the magnificent momentum of subsonic attack, charged towards the newly arrived Angel of Strength.

While sprinting forward, other tasks were also underway... Domain expansion, domain neutralization, the sonic spear pushed forward with all its might, green high-frequency vibrating blades unfolding on both sides of the spear, as if piercing through tattered leather, breaking through the first layer of the crimson absolute domain.

This is the EVA controlled by the simulated insertion plug, possessing a stability and precision that human pilots could never achieve. Both the deployment and neutralization of its domain are perfectly timed, allowing the sonic spears responsible for the attack to penetrate the Angel's domain defenses with maximum advantage.

Even if he is the peerless Shinji Ikari, so what? In terms of obedience to orders and precision and stability, even the most outstanding Rei Ayanami cannot compare.

The simulation of an EVA being manipulated under the insertion plug can be done perfectly! This is what Ritsuko Akagi is so proud of!

"Very good, let's keep going like this!" Hyuga Makoto clenched his fist. "Perhaps we can defeat this Angel without even needing Unit-02 or Unit-01!"

On the monitor he was using to track the internal situation of Unit-06, the progress bar for the expansion of the domain was flashing a blinding red light, rapidly advancing from the left side of the screen to the right. Unit-06's domain instantly reached its limit. At this moment, MAGI's preliminary results indicated that it would break through to the core of the Angel of Power in eight seconds.

Unit-06, struggling to neutralize the crimson domain, thrust its spear towards the core of the Angel of Power. The Angel of Power, floating in mid-air, did not struggle; the crimson ripples were delicate, and the surface of the domain resembled a silver ingot with fine patterns. As the spear tip drew closer, the pulsating crimson ripples gradually solidified, and Unit-06 became completely immobilized.

And only then did the Angel of Strength begin its first action.

It simply extended its arms, and those white, thread-like objects, resembling toilet paper, pierced through Unit-6's body without any resistance, sending it flying back in the opposite direction at an even faster speed than it had come.

When He first descended, everyone secretly mocked Him, seeing Him as a mutilated human form made into a pig. But when He truly began His attack, it was as if a divine judgment had descended, and there was no way to resist Him.

"Unit 6 is incapacitated!" Makoto Hyuga announced the result with a trembling voice. "We failed! Even if we erase humanity and treat it as a purely war machine, it is powerless."

Unit-06 might be able to deploy its domain again, but the machine itself couldn't withstand the impact. A terrifying tearing sound emanated from the mech, and the supposedly strongest melee F-type armor was deforming at a visible speed. The Angel's attack had inflicted irreparable damage on Unit-06's outer shell.

But the next second, a blinding crimson light pierced through His abdomen once more, and blood gushed from His body like a fountain.

"Activate the underground city's self-defense system," Misato Katsuragi said. She had never been as optimistic as Ritsuko Akagi from the beginning. From start to finish, she had been executing a delaying tactic, waiting for the strongest humans to confront the strongest Angels.

To the world, Ritsuko Akagi, head of NERV's development department, was the creator of MAGI, a genius of unparalleled talent. But she knew that MAGI was actually the work of her mother, Naoko Akagi. Only the simulated insertion plug system was her true creation. Ritsuko Akagi placed too many expectations on it.