They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 182 The Distance Between Hearts
"How can this be……"

Looking at the line on the screen that represented the synchronization rate, Ritsuko Akagi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Zhang Qi had told her the truth about EVA: in order to activate these soulless giant humanoid weapons, NERV implanted real human souls into their bodies.

Inside Unit 2 lies the sleeping soul of Asuka's mother.

This is precisely why the selection of the right person is unique and absolute.

Only children with a specific connection can resonate with the soul within EVA and awaken the sleeping EVA.

But now, why is Shinji Ikari, this boy who should have no connection to Unit-02,...?

Ritsuko Akagi's gaze abruptly shifted to a close-up of Shinji Ikari's face on the split screen.

That childlike face now held only a pure and unwavering determination.

Is that so?

An absurd yet seemingly the only explanation struck at her cognitive barrier.

Was it because of...love? Was it that strong will to save his comrades that crossed the barrier of the soul and forcibly gained the approval of Unit-02's soul?
"Shinji-kun..."

Seeing this, Misato Katsuragi breathed a sigh of relief, her tense nerves seemingly injected with a powerful stimulant. She grabbed the communicator and said,

"The rest is up to you!"

"EVA Unit-02, sortie!"

"EVA-02, lift off!"

With a series of urgent commands, the massive restraints were loosened layer by layer.

The crimson giant was slammed into the ground by the powerful electromagnetic catapult, hurtling toward the battlefield shrouded in despair.

……

Meanwhile, in another world, devoid of light and sound.

Asuka looked at her hands in confusion; they were fair and slender, yet felt so unreal.

She remembered that she was lying in the insertion plug of Unit 3, waiting for the start of the experiment.

But where... is this?
Before her was a long and familiar corridor. The color of the walls, the chandelier on the ceiling, and even the faint smell of disinfectant in the air all gave her a sense of familiarity and fear that ran deep in her bones.

My body moved forward uncontrollably, my footsteps echoing in the deathly silent corridor, hollow and lonely.

She finally stopped in front of a tightly closed door, a door she recognized, the boundary between heaven and hell in her childhood.

His hand, uncontrollably raised, pushed open the door.

squeak-

门后
A woman in a long white dress hangs silently from the roof beam, her feet off the ground, swaying gently with the faint airflow.

That was her mother… the woman who once held her tenderly but then abandoned her.

"what--!"

A piercing scream finally broke free of her throat. Asuka suddenly crouched down, clutching her head tightly with both hands, as if that would drive the horrific image out of her mind.

Long-buried memories surged forth like a flood bursting its banks.

After her mother died, her father quickly abandoned her, regarding her as a burden.

From that day on, she vowed to herself that she would never rely on anyone again and would live on her own.

Excellence, pride, and strength are the armor she has forged for herself.

Until... that person appeared.

The scenes in her memory flowed by, and the man who always had a gentle smile seemed to see through all her pretenses the first time they met.

When she achieves excellent results, he will look her intently into her eyes and say, "You did a great job." He will acknowledge her efforts and, like a real child, gently pat her head with a warm hand.

So that's how it is... Is this feeling of being acknowledged, needed, and treated gently what "humanity" is all about?

A cold, unfamiliar consciousness, like a ghost, quietly emerged in her mental space, carrying curiosity and a desire to explore.

Then, the scene changed again.

Black suits, white wreaths, somber funeral music.

That was Zhang Qi's funeral.

The only person who would acknowledge her, the man who could see through her disguise, would never appear again... The world had returned to the cold wasteland where she was all alone.

Despair, like the deep sea, swallowed her whole.

The next moment, in the real world, the black EVA Unit-03 suddenly burst forth with a scarlet light from its eyes!
Above its head, a twisted and ominous force field halo composed of dark red energy slowly condensed and took shape, like a crown of thorns.

"Om-!"

An AT field several times stronger than before suddenly spread out, no longer a simple defensive barrier, but condensed into an invisible, extremely sharp blade!
Unit-00 couldn't dodge in time, and the invisible blade instantly sliced ​​across its left arm. There was no violent explosion, only a slight cutting sound.

The next second, the huge blue and white arm was severed at the shoulder, arcing through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

"This is……"

Ritsuko Akagi stared at the images transmitted back to her on the main screen, utterly speechless.

A fear stemming from a life-or-death instinct gripped her heart.

"EVA..."

Misato Katsuragi clenched her teeth so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force.

Why would an apostle also exhibit such an attitude?
"Have you obtained the fruit of wisdom?"

On the top floor of the command center, Fuyutsuki Yukizo, who had been silent all along, looked at the screen. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes behind his glasses. He turned to Gendo Ikari beside him, his voice solemn.

Humans originated from Lilith and, in essence, also possess the fruit of wisdom.

Body, wisdom, soul, will... life is incomplete without any one of these.

There's only one explanation for this situation...

Before he could finish speaking, a terrified report from a communications officer echoed throughout the command room.

"Unit 3's synchronization rate has exceeded the critical value! Inside the insertion thrombus, the pilot's vital signs... have disappeared!"

"No way? Could it be..."

Upon hearing this, Ritsuko Akagi instantly understood what had happened.

The essence of the AT field is the mental barrier that defines the self and others.

It is precisely because of the existence of this barrier that humans are individual beings.

The disappearance of Asuka's life signal in the cockpit does not mean death, but a more terrible ending—her AT field and her mental barrier have completely collapsed.

In other words, Soryu Asuka Langley has completely merged with that parasitic apostle.

On the battlefield, the awakened Unit 3 let out an inhuman roar. It stretched out its twisted and eerie long arm, its sharp fingertips flashing with cold light, and aimed at Unit 00, which had lost an arm and was staggering backward, ready to launch a fatal blow!
At this critical moment——

A red afterimage descended from the sky like lightning!

"boom--!"

The violent impact shook the earth as Shinji Ikari's Unit-02 slammed its entire body into the side of Unit-03 in an almost savage manner.

The immense impact sent the black demon flying, escaping the battlefield with Unit-00...

(End of this chapter)