Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

The mechanical female voice of the MAGI system pulled the two back to reality from the sacred solemnity of the medieval church. Shinji Ikari put away his security card and glanced at Rei Ayanami, gesturing for them to follow.

The test site where Unit 00 was originally located was the second test site.

However, the damage caused by Unit-01's rampage was far too extreme. Although it was repaired quickly, safety tests had not yet been conducted. Therefore, the First Test Grounds, where Unit-01 was located, were used for the time being.

At this moment, Shinji Ikari, along with Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi, stood in front of the glass of the control room, gazing at the massive yellow mobile suit before them. Meanwhile, Rei Ayanami had already loaded into the cockpit and, with the spinal cord system linking, successfully entered Unit-00's body.

"Rei, can you hear me?" Ritsuko Akagi's voice rang in Rei Ayanami's ear.

“Yes.” Rei Ayanami’s distinctive voice rang out in the control room.

"Okay, the auxiliary voltage is normal, the candidate's physical functions are normal, the candidate's psychological stress level is within the normal range, and the connection of all interface systems is normal."

Perhaps because of her first experience with the rampage, Ritsuko Akagi was exceptionally thorough in her inspection of Unit-00 this time, and only after confirming that all operations were normal did she finally speak.

"Very good, now begin the restart experiment of Unit 0. Initiate the first connection." Ritsuko Akagi gave the order.

"Main power supply is plugged in normally. Operating voltage exceeds critical value."

Reports from the technical staff at each stage indicated that the first phase was proceeding normally. This wasn't unexpected, as the previous outburst didn't occur in the first phase, but rather during the second phase of the connection with Unit-00.

The cause of the rampage remains unknown to this day. This is also a source of psychological trauma for many technical personnel.

However, they couldn't help but glance at the Third Child, Lieutenant Shinji Ikari, standing to the side. If he were there, even if Unit-00 went berserk again, they could still suppress it once more.

After receiving replies from the technical staff at each stage, Ritsuko Akagi nodded.

"Initiate the second phase of the connection," Ritsuko Akagi commanded.

At this moment, all the staff members on duty straightened up and began working in an orderly manner.

"Initiating connection between the pilot and Unit Zero."

"The circuit is connected, everything is normal."

"Pulsation and resonance are normal, and synchronization rate is normal."

Inside Unit-00's cockpit, Rei Ayanami's view shifted from the original red cockpit to a mosaic bathed in white light, resembling a warm white world surrounded by AT fields, ultimately forming the scenery of the external test field.

The first thing she saw was the man with black-rimmed glasses... and beside him, a boy in a white shirt.

"Shinji, aren't you nervous?" Misato Katsuragi asked Shinji Ikari curiously as she held her coffee.

"Why are you nervous? There's nothing wrong with this experiment," Shinji Ikari said.

"Are you so sure? Even Ritsuko-chan wouldn't be so sure." Misato Katsuragi blew on her hot coffee.

"Do you believe in gravity?" Shinji Ikari turned his head to look at Misato Katsuragi.

"Huh? What is it?"

Shinji Ikari didn't say anything more, because he could sense that the experiment would be successful.

Shinji Ikari's attitude towards Rei Ayanami was indeed inconsistent, sometimes warm and sometimes cold. No wonder Rei Ayanami would have wild thoughts.

However, Rei Ayanami is special to Shinji Ikari.

It wasn't the special kind of relationship between a man and a woman, but something closer to the level of the soul. Shinji Ikari still remembers the soul-stirring connection he felt when he was piloting Unit-01 against Unit-00.

And every time he faces Rei Ayanami, he can always vaguely sense something. For example, right now, Rei Ayanami, piloting Unit-00, is able to amplify this feeling.

The message conveyed to him was that there was no problem with the experiment.

"The nerve transmission pathways are all normal, and the central neurons are all normal."

"Recalculation error correction completed, 2950 items checked and passed."

"Unit Zero has started successfully!"

The team members who successfully launched the experiment concluded with a trembling voice. Although no one stood up to applaud, their emotions were almost identical.

After all, Rei Ayanami was the first qualified pilot recognized by the Marduk Research Institute's report, which was significant both in terms of her importance in experimental research and her piloting skills.

Rei Ayanami and Unit-00 have engaged in hundreds of simulated battles, and it would be difficult to find a more suitable candidate to temporarily replace them.

Moreover, with apostles appearing so frequently these days, where is there ample time to find new suitable candidates?

At this very moment—

It was as if some kind of destiny was at work, allowing for such precise timing—

Sharp alarms blared throughout NERV headquarters.

Misato Katsuragi's smile vanished instantly, and she switched into work mode. She opened her phone, where a notification from MAGI was displayed.

[Warning! The Aegis High Altitude Area Defense system has detected an approaching unidentified flying object, suspected to be the Sixth Angel!]

Misato Katsuragi instinctively looked at Shinji Ikari, only to see him calmly take a sip of the coffee she had just managed to cool.

"I can tell from your expression that you are the Sixth Apostle, right?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Unit Zero, Released!

The alarm that had been blaring throughout headquarters abruptly stopped, and the voice of Commander-in-Chief Gendo Ikari, devoid of joy or anger, came through the loudspeaker.

"The experiment is suspended, and all personnel are to enter combat readiness. The battlefield command will be overseen by Operations Chief Colonel Katsuragi Sanji, from the First Section of the Tactical Operations Bureau."

"Yes." Misato Katsuragi straightened her hat brim and replied sternly.

"Dispatch Unit-00 for the sortie, with Unit-01 providing support."

But the next order made everyone pause.

Sending Unit-00 to the battlefield was certainly the right thing to do. How could Shinji Ikari alone save this Earth from destruction?

Now that Rei Ayanami has recovered from her injuries, and the recent activation test showed that Unit-00 is functioning properly, dispatching Unit-00 to the battlefield is naturally necessary.

But he should never have been put in the position of main attacker.

"Unit-00 is in Phase Two activation mode. Prepare for sortie in 380 seconds," Ritsuko Akagi said. "Lieutenant Shinji Ikari of the Combat Division Third Squad is heading to the insertion point of Unit-01 to conduct pre-battle preparations."

The command room was utterly silent, but only for a moment, before returning to a flurry of activity as Ritsuko Akagi gave her instructions. After all, the Commander-in-Chief's orders were absolute.

At this moment, in the commander's office, looking at the busy crowd at the first test site through the screen, the deputy commander, Fuyutsuki Yukimasa, slowly walked to Gendo Ikari's side.

"Is it alright to let Li be the main attacker?" The tall, thin old man looked at Unit-00 on the screen. "Isn't that too risky?"

To many internal staff who learned of the news, it was likely just Commander-in-Chief Gendo Ikari showing concern for the First Child, Rei Ayanami. After all, the Commander-in-Chief's favoritism towards young girls was well-known. After Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01 and displayed his prowess in annihilating the Water Angel and the Day Angel, he then allowed Rei Ayanami, the First Child who was ranked even higher than Shinji, to complete this heroic feat.

After all, with the assistance of Unit-01, which had continuously defeated the Angels, their chances of victory were practically guaranteed.

However, only a few people could guess the commander-in-chief's true intentions.

“To be honest, I can’t see through his thoughts.” Gendo Ikari pushed up his glasses. “After Misato Katsuragi brought him from Tokyo 2, it was as if a different soul had taken over that weak body. When external interference and prejudice surrounded him, there was a heavy sound like the hammering of steel.”

“An anomaly related to the soul? An interesting conjecture.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo stared at the boy running towards the elevator where Unit-01 was on the screen. “But there shouldn’t be any problem, because Yui… accepted that child.”

Yes, Yui Ikari accepted him. This fact alone is enough to refute Gendo Ikari's outrageous conjecture.

“Let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand one another.” Gendo Ikari softly recited God’s words from Genesis.

Legend has it that in those days, all humankind spoke the same language and accent. Yet they planned to build a city and a tower, the top of which would reach the heavens, to spread the name of humankind.

But it aroused God's fear.

The Lord said, “Behold, they have become one people and speak one language; now that they have begun to do this, there will be nothing they will not accomplish.”

In order to control the fate of mankind, God there confused their accents, making their languages ​​incomprehensible to one another.

For Gendo Ikari, the Lightning Angel was irrelevant, as was Unit-00, and even the destruction of the entire Tokyo city was of no consequence.

"Shinji Ikari, let me see the quality of your soul." Gendo Ikari pushed up his glasses.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo nodded, indicating that he understood. He then looked down and saw the girl who had been ordered to pilot Unit-00. She was unaware of her role and simply sat silently in the cockpit, watching as Unit-00 was moved into the launch bay.

For some reason, Fuyutsuki Yukizou suddenly thought of Shinji Ikari from the past, and at this moment, their images overlapped. Both were equally thin and equally lonely.

…………

…………

A huge blue rhombus-shaped life form slowly approached in a floating manner. Compared to the Water Apostle and Day Apostle encountered before, this new apostle had a completely different appearance.

Both the humanoid water apostle and the day apostle, resembling a water cockroach, possess characteristics of living beings. But before us—

A blue, octahedral object drifted in from the other side of the ocean, its entire surface blue. Rather than an apostle, many would probably believe it to be an alien spaceship.

However, for these staff members who place more faith in data, ultimately, it is the facts that matter.

"Target analysis complete, blue icon, confirmed as an apostle."

"The monitored target is flying over the Odawara defense line and is expected to reach the warning line in one minute. Please provide instructions."

Misato Katsuragi nodded slightly. Now that she was confirmed as an apostle, there was nothing to worry about.

"Notify Rei Ayanami to prepare for battle and dispatch Unit-00," Misato Katsuragi said.

Ritsuko Akagi understood, raised her hand and pressed the earpiece hanging from her left ear, "Rei, get ready for battle, are you alright?"

“Yes,” Rei Ayanami replied.

Both Unit-00 and its pilot, Rei Ayanami, are perfectly normal together.

Inside the launch bay, Unit 0 was successfully armed. Perhaps because the second phase of activation had been completed ahead of schedule, there was ample time, and all parameters were rising steadily.

"The G-type equipment installation is complete, and air defense equipment is being installed. The launch bay mounting bracket has been secured," the staff reported.

In the control center of the command room, the indicator lights on the screen gradually changed from red to green, each signifying the completion of a task. Compared to Shinji Ikari, who had only piloted Unit-01 a few times, Rei Ayanami and Unit-00 had taken the longest to gel. The machine and the pilot were exceptionally harmonious. The moment Rei Ayanami slid into the cockpit through the open spinal cord system, Unit-00 welcomed her knight.

But Misato Katsuragi was still somewhat uneasy.

"Is Shinji Ikari in position?" Misato Katsuragi asked, but not to her assistant, but to the headquarters' supercomputer, the Three Sages Supercomputer System MAGI.

A mechanical female voice, with a tone very similar to Ritsuko Akagi's, answered in Misato Katsuragi's earpiece, "The Third Child is en route to the landing platform of Unit-01 at the Third Test Site, and is expected to arrive at its destination in one minute and seventeen seconds."

Perhaps it was because Shinji Ikari had been her partner for a long time, and because she had been promoted from lieutenant to colonel through his connections. Upon hearing that Shinji Ikari was about to arrive, the gloom that had been swirling in Misato Katsuragi's heart vanished instantly.

"The apostle has reached the airspace above Lake Ashibon and entered the warning zone!" the monitoring personnel nearby reported.

"Target in position, prepare for launch!" Misato Katsuragi gave the final command.

With a deafening roar, the partition on the ground—or rather, the steel valve weighing over ten tons—slowly rose, and Unit-00 and the Sixth Angel, Rai-Angel, finally saw each other. They were sworn enemies, but as if by a cruel twist of fate, these two behemoths were now placed mouth-to-mouth together.