Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Asuka made a shushing gesture, then turned on her phone, from which came MAGI's mechanical female voice.

"Ms. Asuka, the Second Child, your leave has ended according to wartime regulations. Please return to Third New Tokyo immediately to fulfill your duties as a Child. Please report to the new command post at 17:20 that day. If you are unable to reach the designated location, please explain the reason to Ms. Misato Katsuragi in advance and obtain her consent."

"Have no hypocrisy, no lies, no arrogance, remember hatred, maintain hostility, and gather up anger, and give it to the unclean, the aliens, and the apostles."

"Thank you for your blood and sweat for humanity and Terra. It is an honor to grow together with you."

“Your loyalty, MAGI.”

After speaking, the call ended automatically. Immediately afterwards, Asuka's phone received a text message with specific instructions for action, which were even more detailed than Hikaru's travel guide.

"But that tone... it sounds just like yours." Asuka frowned, recalling the mechanical female voice from before, but quickly her brows relaxed again. "Never mind all that, it's the Angel here! Finally, it's my turn to take the stage!"

Shinji Ikari looked at Asuka's flushed face, which was red with excitement. His face showed neither joy nor seriousness, but only a hint of worry.

He had noticed Asuka's recent fluctuating mental state, and the root cause of her mental distress was her doubt about her own abilities as a Child of Heaven. This trip was actually Shinji Ikari's way of taking her away from headquarters, temporarily setting aside her identity as a Child of Heaven, to embrace life.

After all, even disregarding her status as a chosen one, Asuka is a remarkably talented young girl.

The change in his mental state over the past two days was clearly visible. Shinji Ikari had thought that after a week of travel, he should be in a better state. But unexpectedly, the Angels arrived.

Asuka is actually quite lucky; many people have helped her. But the feeling is strange... It's not love, and no help brings her happiness; it just maintains her fragile balance on the edge of loneliness, as if she were an adopted child unloved by the world.

Although she may occasionally enjoy the same treatment as her real son, when her true destiny arrives, pain will embrace this girl more fiercely than happiness, cruelly tearing away her feigned strength.

“Let’s go, I’ll go back and get the car,” Shinji Ikari said.

He also received Asuka's text message, which was even more detailed. The sudden appearance of the Angel interrupted their travel plans, forcing Shinji Ikari to drive to the designated assembly point. A special plane would arrive at the location, and the Angel would appear, but the Third Child was not at headquarters, causing great unease among many.

"Don't you really care about the ranking of the top student (Rei Ayanami) among the girls?" Hikaru Toki leaned closer to Shinji Ikari.

Shinji Ikari didn't turn around, talking about something completely unrelated, "Collecting information on girls in the school and ranking them as the cutest girls I most want to date. It wasn't just Makoto Isshiki's achievement; most of the boys in these classes participated. He just took the blame for the other boys."

As for Rei Ayanami, Shinji Ikari's expression was cold, and Rei Ayanami was not ranked.

She was like a ghost in the class, exuding chill even in the middle of summer. When the rankings were made, everyone ignored her, or rather, consciously did not include her in the list.

----------

PS1: I've noticed that some readers don't quite understand the Dead Sea Scrolls. Well, let me put it this way.

Assuming a transmigrator were to arrive in the world of EVA, even if they were familiar with the plot, it would be difficult to alter it without any special abilities. This is because there's another group of powerful and influential individuals who are equally familiar with the plot – the old guard from SEELE.

In ANIMA, the spectacles worn by Chairman Kira are a sacred relic that can transmit information from the previous cycle of reincarnation.

The original text states that this mechanism ensures memories remain even across time loops, preventing the repetition of past mistakes when starting anew.

The amount of information it stores is staggering; Kaji Ryoji was instantly brainwashed the moment he put it on. Its effect is able to overwhelm the user's self-awareness, turning them into a complete observer carrying out the Human Instrumentality Project.

Therefore, they are more familiar with the events that will happen in the future than the time travelers, so what use are the Dead Sea Scrolls, which can only record a limited future?

Because the events recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls will actually happen, and their accuracy is guaranteed. Whether you call it the choice of Steins;Gate or the Jade Disc of Creation, these things have this effect.

It's like God's outline for this world (not really).

PS2: However, ANIMA's setting can only be used as a reference, because like the new theatrical version, it is a completely new world with changes to the world setting and even the original character designs. It is no longer a separate world.

Chapter 173: The Missing Deputy Commander, Internal Strife at the Top

The Third New Tokyo, the new command post, is shrouded in continuous rain.

The elite security personnel stood ramrod straight to the side, while Ritsuko Akagi waited nearby, without an umbrella, water droplets clinging to her golden hair. She stared intently at the end of the road until a dark figure appeared in her field of vision.

A convoy drove into the parking lot, led by a black Lexus, followed by two rows of Toyotas, which acted as guards to protect the lead car.

Ritsuko Akagi stomped her heels, shaking off Hitomi Kaga who was holding an umbrella for her. She strode to the car, and Shinji Ikari rolled down the window. "You guys seem to be in a hurry. It's only been three hours. Is NERV alright?"

"Why ask about NERV? Shouldn't we ask about the Angels' movements first?" Ritsuko Akagi took the umbrella that Hitomi Kaga handed her.

“If the problem were with the apostles, you wouldn’t be waiting here; you would be calling me to tell me what to do. The fact that you’re just waiting for me at the door with this umbrella suggests that some things might not be suitable to be said over the phone.”

Shinji Ikari looked at the solemn security personnel, and then at Ritsuko Akagi who came out to greet him. His eyes lowered slightly. "It's Misato Katsuragi who's in trouble, isn't it? Tell me, what happened?" He opened the car door, and someone immediately held an umbrella over his head.

“Two hours ago, the Internal Affairs Management Division took Misato away.” Ritsuko Akagi took a deep breath and followed closely behind Shinji Ikari.

"The Internal Affairs Department? They have the authority to take Misato away?" Shinji Ikari's brows furrowed slightly, and he quickly realized that someone higher up had intervened. "Forget it, what exactly happened? Why such a fuss? And at this time!"

At the same time, in an unknown location.

Based on the timeline, Misato Katsuragi should still be in the Third New Tokyo.

This was a completely dark room, with rough cement walls on three sides. Only a narrow horizontal window at the top let in light, and Misato Katsuragi sat at the iron table in the center. This treatment made her feel like a prisoner being interrogated.

However, she was taken away from the command center. Although she wasn't handcuffed, her situation made her feel like a prisoner.

She only widened her eyes when she learned the reason from the head of the intelligence section in front of her.

"The vice commander has been kidnapped?" Misato Katsuragi's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, he went missing at 11:13 in the 8th Administrative Region of western Hakone." The head of the Second Intelligence Section, standing opposite Misato Katsuragi, was wearing a sharp dark purple suit and sunglasses, his face expressionless. "We invited you here to discuss a rescue plan for the deputy commander."

"The Eighth District, isn't that the area we manage? What are you intelligence agencies doing?" Misato Katsuragi demanded sharply.

“I’m sorry, but we have a spy within our ranks, and a high-ranking one at that.” The head of the intelligence department adjusted his glasses. “According to the surveillance video from the scene, the deputy commander was completely unprepared for the person who kidnapped him. And we fell into that person’s trap.”

“He can fool the people in Intelligence Section 2, and Professor Fuyutsuki wasn’t on guard against him either.” Misato Katsuragi sighed, then thought of someone. “I see, so you suspect him.”

“Prosecutor Yoshiharu Kajiki suspects he is the mastermind behind this incident,” he said.

"So that's why you brought me here, right?" Misato Katsuragi composed herself, understanding the situation.

"It's so kind of you to understand us." The head of the intelligence section bowed slightly to Misato Katsuragi sitting in front of him. "It's not easy for us as colleagues to doubt the head of the operations department, but it's our job."

As for the minister of the operations department in front of him, the person in charge during wartime, he could only hope that she would cooperate with his work.

"Don't worry, I will cooperate with your work. To find the vice commander, we must first find the defector, Kaji Ryoji."

--------

--------

"The kidnapping of Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, the discovery that Ryoji Kaji is a spy, and the interrogation of Misato Katsuragi—how interesting!"

In the new command post, in the central command room, Shinji Ikari listened to Kenzaki Kyoya's account, who was wearing sunglasses, and gave a forced smile. It was truly unexpected that something like this would happen upon his return from just two days of vacation.

Upon learning that Shinji Ikari was about to return, Kenzaki Kyouya, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately went to greet him and offered him a towel and a hot drink.

Shinji Ikari handed the small bowl of pear soup to Asuka beside him, then turned to look at Kenzaki Kyoya in front of him. He did not immediately ask about the situation of the vice commander and Katsuragi Misato, but asked about his situation instead, "I heard that you, Akagi Ritsuko, Kaji Ryoji, and Katsuragi Misato are also university classmates."

“Yes, but I only have nodding acquaintances with Minister Katsuragi and Minister Akagi,” Kenzaki Kyoya quickly replied.

“But you’re friends with Kaji Ryoji, right? Don’t be nervous. Speaking of which, as the head of the inspection department, I’m also Kaji Ryoji’s superior.” Shinji Ikari straightened his collar, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at the camera next to him. “So, maybe his defection was ordered by me, his direct superior, because he just didn’t like certain people in headquarters.”

“You’re joking. There’s absolutely no way you would lay a hand on Lord Fuyutsuki, and you have no reason to do so.” Kenzaki Kyouya quickly lowered his head.

"But then again, if Mr. Kaji really is a spy, it would be very difficult to catch him now," Shinji Ikari said after thinking for a moment.

“Indeed, he’s a man with three burrows. He’s probably escaped to a place beyond NERV’s reach by now.” Kenzaki Kyoya thought for a moment and narrowed his eyes. “But no matter how difficult it is, we must find the vice commander. He cannot be lost.”

To be precise, every GEHIRN (head) is indispensable. Just like the Human Completion Committee's position in SEELE, the five members of the Artificial Evolution Research Institute are also the heads of the special agency NERV, belonging to the core of the core.

Asuka crossed her arms and coldly spoke up from the side, "The idea that all countries in the world should work together to help NERV fight the attacking Angels is written into the Vatican Treaty. To drag us down at this crucial moment is utterly despicable!"

"Yeah, it's really not good." Shinji Ikari pressed his temples, his smile fading. "Never mind, I won't waste any more time."

Seeing Shinji Ikari's smile fade, Kenzaki Kyoya knew the crucial moment was approaching, as taking Misato Katsuragi away was a necessary hurdle to overcome.

“I don’t really care about your infighting among the higher-ups, but you shouldn’t have intervened at this time and caused such a huge mess.” Shinji Ikari said the last sentence to the camera. He knew that both Gendo Ikari and SEELE were watching his reaction.

Although the words weren't very polite, there was no need to be overly polite. After all, they had caused this mess while fighting the Angels, so Shinji Ikari didn't want to give them a pleasant look.

As for Kaji Ryoji, Shinji Ikari didn't want to get involved. After all, people always have to pay the price for their actions. Shinji Ikari then turned his gaze to Kenzaki Kyoya, "The usual questioning process is fine, but I hope Katsuragi Misato can call me before 4 PM."

"I'll try my best." Kenzaki Kyoya lowered his head.

“You don’t need to try, this has nothing to do with you. I’m just talking about the guy behind it all.” Shinji Ikari took off Kenzaki Kyoya’s sunglasses, looked at the somewhat restrained face of the young man behind the glasses and smiled, “Don’t wear this kind of thing, it doesn’t suit you.”

As for Ritsuko Akagi, seeing the meek and submissive Kenzaki Kyoya, she couldn't help but smile. Finding Shinji Ikari was definitely the right decision; only someone with his exceptional strength and reckless attitude could be truly useful.

"Let's go back?" Shinji Ikari said to Asuka.

"Go back? Aren't we going to abandon this apostle?" Asuka asked in surprise, pointing at the glowing bird-like life form on the screen.

“It has nothing to do with this matter, it’s just that this apostle is beyond our attack range,” Shinji Ikari said. “It looks like it won’t be able to move for a while, so we don’t need to pay attention to it for now.”

35800 kilometers is far beyond the attack range, even if equipped with a cation cannon.

If it were Unit-01 awakened in a parallel world, it could easily deploy the Angel Ring, break free from the constraints of gravity, and rush into satellite orbit, letting the bird-shaped apostle above it understand that distance does not guarantee safety.

However, in this world, the object of awakening on the appointed day, sacrificed as a powerful angel, was not Unit-01, but itself. Therefore, even the invincible Unit-01 could not escape the constraints of gravity, nor could it beat people up at will.

"Now we can only wait for the target to come to Earth on its own before we can truly begin the subjugation plan," Shinji Ikari said. "Let's go, I'll treat you to cream puffs when we get back."

Asuka watched the fifteenth apostle on the screen, and in the end... she felt a sense of relief.

She was determined to fight the new Angel with a do-or-die spirit. If she succeeded, she would prove herself to NERV; if she failed, she might be stripped of her status as the exclusive pilot of Unit 2 and wait for a new suitable pilot to appear.

However, the apostle did not arrive as expected, and problems arose within the upper echelons.

Then, one's own do-or-die mentality is naturally out of the question.

"Let's go then, and bring some for Miri too. She'll definitely be hungry when she gets home."

Hamburg, Germany, NERV branch, conference room.

The room was completely dark, except for the central seat, which was illuminated by a lamp. There sat an elderly man with his hands bound; Fuyutsuki Yukimasa, NERV's vice commander and also SEELE's liaison.

The old man, who had been brought here by his trusted friend, did not panic in the face of this situation. Instead, he smiled as he looked at the deep darkness before him.

"Long time no see, President Kir. That's quite a blunt way to invite you."

“I have no reason to apologize for my rudeness. We had to resort to this method in order to have a proper talk with you.” The number one stone tablet lit up red in the darkness.

Even though he was tied to the chair in this way, Fuyutsuki Kozō remained calm. He glanced at the ropes binding him and said, "You guys really haven't changed at all. Don't you care about my convenience?"

“Because this issue is urgent, this is a last resort,” the third stone tablet said.

“I hope you can understand,” said the No. 7 stone tablet.

Upon seeing the appearance of the seventh stone tablet, Fuyutsuki Kosuke closed his eyes.

"I just didn't expect it to be SEELE, not the Human Completion Committee."

The Human Completion Committee is the core organization of SEELE, and SEELE is the true controller behind the world. Before them, only the thirteenth stone monument representing Gendo Ikari is dim and lifeless, symbolizing that all members except him have joined forces.