Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the promised day that would never come. At the crossroads of the kingdom, different forces and individuals held different scripts, and fate would shift according to their choices.

SEELE adheres to the most orthodox Human Instrumentality Project, using the planet as a stage to throw bonfires and offering the children of God as sacrifices, in a ritual for the regeneration of closed humanity. Its ultimate goal is to remove death from humanity and to liberate humanity from the original sin and all its shackles.

Gendo Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa appear to be on the same side as SEELE, but in reality, they are both trying to change the script for one person; the former is for someone inside Unit-01, and the latter is also for someone inside Unit-01.

But what they have in common is that they both firmly believe that the only way to make the story complete is to write the ending themselves.

But no one wants to see the appointed day arrive before the time is ripe. The crimson wave that swept the globe in the parallel world was a mistake from the start.

"Human beings often need an equal amount of unhappiness in addition to happiness." Gendo Ikari clasped his hands together over his lips, wearing dark sunglasses that made it impossible to discern his true thoughts from his facial expressions.

“It’s over. Time to submit this report to SEELE.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo turned around.

Although the Angel of Power is not truly dead, in Yukimasa Fuyutsuki's view, it is over. Shinji Ikari is the kind of madman who leads war with a tyrannical attitude on the battlefield, but he has much less interest in ravaging those weaklings who cannot resist.

"No, what else is he planning to do?" Gendo Ikari suddenly sat up straight.

Unit-01 slowly straightened its body and took a step forward, but this very simple movement made Virtue tense up. Unit-01 didn't seem to care, and the look in its huge eyes became noticeably sharper, with an arrogant purple light shining deep in its golden pupils.

He pierced the body of the Archangel of Power with one hand, which was originally a very ordinary action. Even Fuyutsuki Yukimasa thought he intended to pierce the core of the apostle. But the result was that He simply grasped the crimson core in his palm and forcibly peeled it from the body of the Archangel of Power.

"The apostles who consumed the fruit of life vanished, yielded to our wisdom, and became the holy children of eternal life—" Only Fuyutsuki Yukimasa and Ikari Gendo could hear the voice broadcasting on the channel.

At that moment, even Gendo Ikari abruptly stood up from his seat. He saw that the imposing body of Unit-01 had turned its head slightly towards him, and looking into those eyes that shone with a deep purple hue amidst the brilliant gold, he had the illusion of looking directly at Shinji Ikari through a screen.

"—What does this sentence mean?"

This is a spell that Shinji Ikari saw in MAGI Level 4 Secrets. As he recited these words that contained the secret to becoming a god, a strange power surged within him.

He felt as if the blood vessels in his body had turned to iron and were being drawn to an external magnet. And that thing was the crimson core that Unit-01 was holding in its palm.

Meanwhile, the crimson core in Unit-01's palm seemed to be struggling consciously, spinning like a rock-cutting machine and enveloped by a blood-red aura.

The crimson airflow converging from all directions draws in more air, creating a narrow, elongated airflow resembling a small tornado. The tornadoes overlap, generating even larger, distorted air—all of which will gather and be compressed into the palm of Unit-01.

"How is this possible? Who told Him the secret?!" Gendo Ikari stared at the unbelievable scene before him. His first suspicion fell on the boy on the moon.

“He was originally the head of the Institute of Human Evolution. Even if he couldn’t uncover the deepest secrets, he might be able to piece together some of the truth through some fragmented information,” said Fuyutsuki Yukizo, his hands behind his back.

Although Fuyutsuki Kosuke remained outwardly calm, he was inwardly filled with mixed emotions. While there was indeed a step in the plan to awaken Unit-01, it shouldn't be now.

Is it really fate? The appointed day has finally arrived.

Not only their NERV, but also members of the Human Instrumentality Committee, thousands of miles away, watched the moment the Gate of Gaff was about to be opened through MAGI's network regarding the agreed-upon day recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Symbolizing the power of infinity and life, it was permitted only to be used by AINMA, who was free from original sin. Thus, the moment Unit-01 gripped the core before it, a realm transcending physical boundaries and continuing to increase the density of the soul ultimately transformed into the key to open the Gate of Gaff, and then began to devour space itself.

Even the myriad phenomena of the universe converged into Unit-01's palm, and its crimson core shone with true brilliance. The core, which began to roar like a living being, was firmly grasped by Unit-01—and pressed against its own chest without hesitation.

result--

Nothing happened.

Shinji Ikari, in the cockpit, felt a little embarrassed. Although he didn't hear any mockery, he shifted his hips somewhat awkwardly. Then, he repeatedly pressed Unit-01 against his chest several times.

Stop messing with me, friend! Hurry! Hurry! Everyone's watching! It's so embarrassing!

No matter how much Shinji Ikari prayed, Unit-01 remained unresponsive. In fact, new flesh and blood began to grow on the surface of its once-clean core, with white, skeletal material climbing its surface. The Force Apostle, stripped of its core, was not yet completely dead. It still sought to be reborn through the core in Unit-01's hands.

"You're such a show-off, aren't you!" But for Shinji Ikari, who was trying to cover up his embarrassment, there was indeed a sense of anger as he covered the core with his domain, erasing any matter he regenerated.

150: Shinji's Development Project

The scene before them was peculiar: the Angel Core, held in the palm of Unit-01, was consciously struggling and being drawn into the crimson currents.

The crimson airflow converging from all directions drew in more air, creating a narrow, elongated airflow resembling a small tornado. But this time, the wing-like tornadoes overlapped, generating even larger, distorted airflows that converged above Unit-01's head.

The crimson light emanating from here began to erode everything in the surrounding space, as if it were about to push open the door to the world itself.

But the problem is—it's stuck here.

"Isn't this supposed to be pressed into your chest? Give me some reaction, friend, don't embarrass me too much!" Shinji Ikari repeated the action expressionlessly.

He clearly remembered that in the parallel world, the new Unit-01 had an infinite supply of energy flowing into his chest, continuously supplying him with power. But what was going on now...? Shinji Ikari tried hard to recall the details, wondering if he had made some mistakes.

The steps to awakening, the qualifications of AINMA, the turning point of fate… as an apostle offered as a sacrifice, everything felt right, but why was there no reaction? It couldn't possibly be swallowed whole, that would be too absurd, Shinji Ikari thought wildly.

At this moment, Gendo Ikari and Yukimasa Fuyutsuki, who were standing in front of the screen, both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Indeed, I don’t know where he learned these secrets he shouldn’t have known, but he only pieced together the truth from fragments.” Gendo Ikari sat back down in his seat.

“But it’s also very dangerous. What if he tries to swallow the core whole?” said Fuyutsuki Yukizo.

“No, he’s a proud man. He wouldn’t think that such a simple method would awaken him.” Gendo Ikari pushed up his glasses.

Indeed, Shinji Ikari saw the first volume of the Dead Sea Scrolls in MAGI's database, and also saw the steps to awakening. He speculated that perhaps it required a specific time, a specific place, and a specific object as a sacrifice to make a specific character become a god.

However, he looked down at the Apostle Core that was still struggling in his hand.

He was not his possession; He was the core of the apostles known as the Angels of Power, and He was currently rebelling against him, which troubled him.

Or is some kind of secret code needed, thirty-six heinous souls or a trusted friend? Would it work if I sacrificed my own father?

A platinum-gold domain covered the surface of the core, gradually exerting pressure inward. A surging crimson aura swirled upward and gathered above Unit-01's head, seemingly about to awaken, yet also seemingly never to.

Until Shinji Ikari closed his eyes, his left hand, which was gripping the core, suddenly flipped downwards, and even the nature of the domain changed.

The authority that once belonged only to the Night Angels—the domain—has been reversed and reappeared in the palm of Unit-01.

The force that was originally repelling outwards began to attract inwards. With a crisp sound like shattering glass, the surface of the Angel Core in Unit-01's palm shattered, but it did not explode.

Like the feather-like air currents swirling around Unit-01, the crimson power converged along these currents onto the surface of Unit-01. Under the absorption of the Inversion Field, it was completely absorbed by Unit-01.

"What's going on now?" Misato Katsuragi turned to look at Maya Ibuki, who was in charge of monitoring the situation inside Unit-01.

"Report: Unit-01 lost contact with us as soon as the battle began, and we have no way of observing the internal situation of Unit-01," Maya Ibuki replied.

Misato Katsuragi pressed her temples, but she wasn't too nervous.

Because Shinji Ikari wasn't someone he worried about too much, he didn't panic much even when something completely unexpected happened.

But in reality, Shinji Ikari's situation is not so good.

His vision grew increasingly dim.

Evangelio was aware that he could devour the forms of Angels to complete himself, but under his control, the core of the Angel was absorbed by him using Unit-01's Flip Field technique. At this moment, the divine substance flowing through his veins was rapidly spreading throughout his body, as if the power of the Angel devoured by Unit-01 was converging on him.

That boundless energy is ravaging Shinji Ikari's body. Now his body has forgotten its human functions and has been transformed into a component used to achieve a miracle, becoming a circuit connecting the negative universe and the material universe.

"--call!"

His body groaned from the crushing force of energy, but Shinji Ikari coldly observed the changes within it. He was already used to pain, but his body was beginning to give out.

Until the very last moment, his eyelids drooped heavily, covering his pupils, as if he had fallen asleep.

Even after he closed his eyes, Shinji Ikari's heart continued to change rapidly, driven by other forces, independent of his personal will.

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In a parallel world, a ship of hope soars on the sea, in a room bearing the BM logo.

"Yo-ho, the last rosary beads, mission accomplished!"

Wearing her middle school uniform, Mari stood on one leg in the small room. Asuka, passing by, glanced expressionlessly at her messy belongings: a pentagram magic circle, statues scattered around, and a string of broken prayer beads placed directly above the pentagram magic circle.

There's no particular explanation for this ritual; it was just a hobby of Mari Makinami.

After obtaining the rosary from Unit-01's cockpit, Mari Makinami always tried to summon Shinji Ikari again. Although she might try dozens or even hundreds of times a day, she still enjoyed it.

"Hey, Princess, would you like to join us in waiting for the puppy-kun's arrival?" Mari stood in the center of the magic circle, hands on her hips, beaming. "This is the 1405th experiment, and I think it'll work!"

"No, I wish you success." Asuka put on her blindfold, turned and left indifferently.

That bastard has merged into the LCL liquid and can never come back... Well, this line sounds familiar. Asuka feels like she's said it many times.

Even if she were to return, it would only be during the process of reshaping her soul and materializing it within the LCL liquid in Unit-01's cockpit, or secondly, emerging from Unit-01's core. Therefore, although Misato always appears aloof, the fact that Unit-01's cockpit is always filled with LCL liquid suggests that she is merely a tsundere.

Hmph, what foolish humans.

As for Mari Makinami's hope to summon that bastard Shinji through various magic circles, Asuka can only say that if she succeeds in summoning him, she'll eat her own Unit-02 and drink the Indian Ocean dry.

Mari had no idea what Asuka was thinking. As she watched Asuka's departing figure, she felt a little regretful that she couldn't share the joy of her successful awakening with her.

151: The Return of the Mourners

Mari held a ruby ​​necklace in her mouth, the brilliance of the gemstone flashing at a heartbeat-like frequency.

This wasn't anything special; it was something she commissioned a friend in the development department to customize. If it had been before the Third Impact, it might have been a small toy worth only a thousand yen.

She was in a good mood, or rather, she had always been in a good mood. Although she had failed thousands of times, she had always treated each failure as a rite of passage towards success. And now, it was the 1405th time—a lucky number.

"The Joyful Goddess is holy and beautiful, her radiant light shines upon the earth."

"We come to your temple with the same enthusiasm."

"Your power can reunite humanity."

“Under your glorious light, we are united as brothers once again.”

Asuka, who hadn't gone far, also heard Mari's singing coming from the room behind her. She was such a crazy girl; she was a bit noisy as a roommate, but just right as a friend.

But suddenly, she noticed that the screw on the ground was vibrating. When she looked closer, the screw suddenly flew off the ground and landed on the wall, clinging tightly to the steel pipe. At that moment, her hair was disheveled, and white, spiderweb-like wisps of light flickered in the air around her, as if static electricity had broken down the air.

The familiar apostle's aura wafted over, the domain he possessed at birth tilting across the space, causing flammable materials within its coverage to emit white smoke. As if struck by a thought, Asuka instinctively bent her knees slightly and leaned forward, her hand slipping into her sleeve to grasp the hidden blade. Then she rushed towards the dormitory where she and Mari were.

The moment the door was pushed open, a blinding arc of electricity crackled in the center of the crudely made magic circle, with illusory figures appearing and disappearing. Books burned and plastic melted, but even before the heatwave, a boy's slap gently touched my cheek.

Mari stared in disbelief at Asuka lying unconscious on the ground, and at the naked boy who stepped out of the crudely made magic circle. A legendary phantom that had come from the other side, appearing with a whirlwind and a flash of light.

The way he knocked out Asuka after their long-awaited reunion with a wave of his hand—there's definitely something wrong with this development.

“Because she harbored malice,” Shinji Ikari explained softly.