Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

At that moment, Misato Katsuragi felt that she might be like Rei Ayanami, only able to find value in NERV.

"What? Now it's your turn to comfort me." Misato Katsuragi tidied a strand of hair behind her ear, looked up, and her gaze was somewhat evasive.

"Because you're not paying attention. Your mind is running ahead, and your body is chasing behind, that's how it is. Maybe giving yourself a break and taking a hot bath would be nice," Shinji Ikari said.

"Shall we go back and have dinner, take a bath, and rest?" Misato Katsuragi smiled.

"Okay, I have some things to do. Is this still the staff apartment in Ward 7? You should go back and rest first, I'll cook for you when I get back." At this moment, the elevator doors opened, and Shinji Ikari waved and walked out.

"That's nice." Misato Katsuragi watched Shinji Ikari's departing figure until the elevator doors closed again, then sighed very softly, "He's really grown up."

But where is he going if he's not going home?

To everyone's surprise, Shinji Ikari once again left Tokyo-3 and headed to the seaside.

This is the world after all the Angels have been defeated. After the last Angel of Freedom, Kaworu Nagisa, was defeated, the remaining humans no longer have to worry about the risk of extinction. Life is peaceful and stable, and there seems to be no reason to fight anymore.

Shinji Ikari believed that his arrival was inevitably accompanied by some kind of responsibility and obligation.

“I have not come to call for peace on earth, but for war,” Shinji Ikari said softly.

In the unfathomable darkness of his heart, a pair of scarlet colors covered his originally brown-black eyes. Images flashed before his eyes like lightning, those chaotic lines that seemed to be drawn with ink twisted like snakes, forming one picture after another... Asuka, who suffered a mental breakdown and attempted suicide after fighting the Bird Angel, chose to perish together with Rei Ayanami, who was under mental attack from the Sixteenth Angel, the Angel of the Womb, during the battle against the Angel; Kaworu Nagisa, the last Angel of Freedom, was strangled by the Evangelion Unit-01 that he controlled not long ago.

At that crossroads of the world, Shinji Ikari didn't know what Rei Ayanami was calling out for, but he knew that there was one person who definitely knew.

A dead body by the water.

If it were Kaworu Nagisa, perhaps he would understand his own arrival and be able to leave himself with an answer before he dies.

Although the idea was absurd, Shinji Ikari had no reason to believe it.

"The Holy and Beautiful Goddess of Joy shines with radiant light upon the earth, and we come to your side with the same passion."

"Your power can erase all traces, and under your radiant light, people unite as brothers."

"Your power can reunite people, and under your radiant light, people will unite as brothers."

This was the tune Kaworu hummed when he first appeared in this world, or in a sense, some encounters are destined to be as fleeting as falling cherry blossoms. He had come full circle, returning to where he began.

Behind the white seagulls circling and taking off, he found a decapitated statue with its lower body submerged in the water.

At the severed head of the gray sculpture by the water, Shinji Ikari saw a line of neat, small characters.

Go find her; you and she are the key to everything.

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"The appointed time has come. Now that we have lost the Spear of Longinus, it is impossible to make up for it through Lilith."

"Only through EVA Unit-01, which is an avatar of Lilith, can one fulfill one's wishes and exercise authority."

In the dark space filled with towering stone monuments, the only human sitting was Gendo Ikari, who placed his hands folded over his lips. He listened quietly to all of SEELE's requests without uttering a word.

Fuyutsuki Kozo, standing behind him, delivered the lines in his place.

"Although this is different from SEELE's script, humanity exists to give birth to EVA."

This statement is so absurd, it's as if it's a logical fallacy that humans only exist because of products like computers. Yet, none of the many "Kings of Li Lin" present had any objection to this absurd theory.

Perhaps in their hearts, only EVA is eternal.

"Humanity must move towards a new world, which is why you built the EVA mass production units," Gendo Ikari finally spoke.

"We did not voluntarily abandon our human forms to board the Ark called EVA. It was merely a ritual to allow the regeneration of humanity from its stagnation," the first monument spoke.

"The destiny of destruction also contains the joy of new life," the number twelve stone tablet said.

"So that God and all human life may ultimately be united as one through death," the sixth stone tablet spoke.

"Death cannot give birth to any life." Gendo Ikari spun his words calmly. "Death, you can have it."

As the button for the winter harvest was pressed, the twelve enormous black stone tablets dimmed, signifying an unpleasant end to the event.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo knew that this outcome would mean the beginning of turmoil, and that countless NERV employees would be slaughtered, eliminated, and killed because of their decision.

However, he also had his own convictions: "Human beings truly exist because they have the will to survive. And this is also her wish to stay in EVA willingly," said Kozo Fuyutsuki.

Kozo Fuyutsuki never chose to stand with Gendo Ikari because of his grand plans; he simply wanted to fulfill Yui Ikari's wish.

"What about Shinji Ikari? Have you found him?" Gendo Ikari asked.

“Having already returned to Hakone on his own initiative, he can only find his value in others.”

“That’s settled then, no need to pay too much attention to it anymore,” Gendo Ikari said.

Even after all the Angels have been defeated, Shinji Ikari still has a role to play, but now his more important role is—

The cool blue moonlight shone into the room through the open window. Rei Ayanami opened her eyes, but she did not immediately look at the bright moon that was hiding behind the light gray clouds.

Her gaze was fixed on a spot in the room, on a figure also bathed in moonlight.

It was right to my right, in the last seat of the row by the window. Perhaps I hadn't noticed it earlier because of the backlighting from the window when I was in front of the room. Even if Rei Ayanami moved her head from side to side, the backlighting wouldn't change, making it impossible to see who was sitting there.

For some reason, the "dazzling light" didn't feel quite right to her at that moment. Half of her figure was enveloped in the light. What she saw was like a shapeless shadow, or perhaps the back of her heart.

It made one feel as if darkness lurked within the light… Rei Ayanami blinked repeatedly, her heart brimming with anticipation, watching the blinding color. Then, the shadow gradually took shape, slowly beginning to expand… Finally, the dazzling moonlight was no longer so glaring, allowing Rei Ayanami to clearly see the true identity of the shadow—

"Long time no see, Li; or should I say, nice to meet you?"

The figure in the moonlight stood up, walked to his bed, and wore a familiar yet unfamiliar cold smile.

“Shinji Ikari,” Rei Ayanami said softly.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you home first,” Shinji Ikari said.

188: The Ended World, Invasion Begins

Why should I go with him, and where are we going? Rei Ayanami didn't know, but she obediently got out of bed.

It's like believing without reason, needing no reason at all; you can completely trust the boy in front of you.

"Hurry back and tell Misato Katsuragi that you're going home to cook dinner tonight. She's probably starving by now," Shinji Ikari said, tossing her the paper bag from Kenzo Takada.

"You should change out of that gray rag that looks like a prison uniform. If someone sees you on the street, they might think I'm abusing a child... But in this world's third new Tokyo, there aren't any ordinary residents anymore, are there?"

After all, not everyone is so interested in the so-called war to save humanity; heroes who take it upon themselves to fight the Angels are still different from ordinary people. No matter how good the shelters are, most citizens cannot endure the destruction and danger of battle for long. If it were an unparalleled savior like Shinji Ikari who could suppress all Angels, that would be fine, but this world is clearly not very supportive.

So the citizens who were originally relocated through the plan also began to move out on their own. In many cases, behind the beautiful urban construction, there was an atmosphere of ruins, and it became a real ruin after Unit-00's self-destruction not long ago... About 90% was submerged and destroyed. Except for the underground city of Hakone, which is still relatively intact, the rest has been basically destroyed and has completely lost its ability to function as a fortress city.

The desolate atmosphere he encountered made Shinji Ikari think he had arrived in a world after humanity had disappeared.

Rei Ayanami unabashedly undressed Shinji Ikari. Shinji turned around, took two bottles of high-calcium milk from the refrigerator, drank his own in one gulp, and handed the remaining bottle to Rei Ayanami, who had already put her clothes back on.

He pushed open the door, looked up at the pale gray clouds under the moonlight, and took off his coat, draping it over Rei Ayanami's shoulders. Rei Ayanami only belatedly turned around when she reached the doorway.

Those were black-rimmed glasses that had fallen to the ground. When Shinji Ikari was holding my hand, I accidentally stepped on them, and the lenses shattered into a dozen or so pieces of varying sizes. The original stainless steel frames were also twisted and deformed.

Feeling as if she was carrying some kind of mission, Rei Ayanami wanted to think it over carefully, but then she saw Shinji Ikari already walking into the moonlight, and she instinctively followed him.

Courtyard City, staff apartment, downstairs.

The moonlight was completely blocked by the tall buildings, and a chill permeated the empty, narrow street. At the end of the road stood a huge square building with no windows on its towering walls, only a row of large exhaust fans slowly turning near the top.

That's the light-collecting building that supplies power to Hakone. It's a system building that transmits light through optical fibers to the underground city. Its structure uses huge concave light-collecting mirrors that move left and right in accordance with the angle of the sun. Hakone uses it to transmit light here through optical fibers, thus providing Hakone with a continuous supply of electricity.

Shinji Ikari doesn't understand the world's power system at all. Despite its advanced energy technology, it always gives Shinji the feeling of a 1990s manga artist sketching a futuristic city that gets adopted by the government.

In its own world, a similar light-gathering building also existed, but it was completely destroyed during the Water Apostle invasion. However, it turns out that even without these things, the antimatter generator technology inside Hakone was perfectly adequate for the headquarters' operation.

Shinji Ikari didn't go home immediately. Instead, he went to the convenience store downstairs and got two boxes of fried dumplings and glutinous rice balls. Then he put a case of beer into the shopping cart.

It was late at night when they got back to the apartment. As the two of them opened the door carrying large bags, a smell of beer mixed with fermenting food wafted out.

The intense sense of déjà vu made Shinji Ikari feel as if he had returned to the time when he first arrived at the apartment.

"You brought Rei back... I'm sorry, the house hasn't been cleaned yet. Never mind, come on in!" Misato Katsuragi stepped aside somewhat apologetically.

Rei Ayanami walked calmly past Misato Katsuragi without greeting her or saying hello, as she was completely ignorant of social etiquette. But as Shinji Ikari passed by her, he noticed the outline of a pistol in her left hand, which was in her pocket.

"Is she on guard against something?" Shinji Ikari wondered, but he asked aloud, "Are you planning to go out?"

"There are still some things to finish at headquarters, but there's no rush. Rei has come all this way, so let's eat first." Misato Katsuragi scratched the back of her head awkwardly, not wanting Shinji Ikari to worry either.

Dinner consisted of pan-fried dumplings and glutinous rice balls that Shinji Ikari had bought, as well as herring and beer specially prepared for Heihei.

“His name is Pingping.” Shinji Ikari bent down and touched the tuft of red feathers on the penguin’s head.

"You've always called her Pingping, right? Are you suggesting I call her Pianpian? That sounds awful." Misato Katsuragi was still sitting cross-legged on the chair in her uniform, and she hadn't opened a single can of the beer that had been specially bought for her.

"And what about the Vice Commander Fuyutsuki? Is his name Fuyutsuki Yukimasa?" Shinji Ikari asked again.

“We’ll start farming in the winter,” Rei Ayanami said.

Although each world is similar, there are always some differences. For example, there is Shikinami Asuka and Soryu Asuka, the Red Ocean and the Blue Ocean, the Tenjo City and the Third New Tokyo City, and the Moon and the Moon.

Who is the only one who remains unchanged? Shinji Ikari thought for a moment, and it seemed to be only Kaworu Nagisa.

The arrival of Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami slightly disrupted Misato Katsuragi's plans, but enjoying this rare moment of leisure was not bad. Just as Shinji said, he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.

After showering, Misato Katsuragi soaked in the bathtub, closing her eyes as she reminisced about the past. Since the end of *Angel of Destruction*, she'd been having recurring dreams. Her therapist explained that the intense stress had triggered childhood trauma, causing minor lingering effects, and that she would gradually heal if she looked forward. But Misato didn't hate her past.

The knocking on the door startled Misato Katsuragi from her dream.

"Are you alright, Misato? You've been soaking for three hours." Shinji Ikari's silhouette could be vaguely seen through the frosted bathroom door.

"It's nothing, I just fell asleep by accident." Misato Katsuragi pulled a towel over her body and opened the bathroom door. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Looking at Shinji Ikari in front of her, Misato Katsuragi forced a relaxed smile, just like usual. "Ah, what a sweet dream. I feel so much better after a good night's sleep."

"Tell me what's wrong." Shinji Ikari looked carefully at Misato Katsuragi and took her hand.

After arriving in this world, Shinji Ikari's strongest feeling was that everyone was burdened with worries but trying their best to smile. However, this smile was like the last calm before the storm.

"It seems like there are no rooms available since Rei suddenly came over. If that doesn't work, let her sleep in Asuka's room... But that won't work either, Asuka will probably throw a tantrum." Misato Katsuragi reached into her bath towel and rubbed her bottom with some distress.

Asuka had already suffered a mental breakdown and committed suicide. If she came back and found that her room had been taken over by Rei Ayanami, who knows what else might happen.

“It’s okay, she can sleep at my place,” Shinji Ikari said.

The apartment in this world is still in the same place, but it is no longer a large single-level apartment that combines three dormitories. It is just an ordinary three-bedroom apartment of 92 square meters.

"Your room? It's just a storage room, isn't it?" Misato Katsuragi looked at Shinji Ikari with suspicion upon hearing this. "Never mind, it's almost the end of the world, do whatever you want. But you should still take precautions. If you haven't bought condoms, there's a 24-hour convenience store downstairs."