Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

The Third New Tokyo City, above the old Hakone.

"The New Tokyo Operational Fleet is fully operational, and has descended to the previous city's zero point." Aoba Shigeru's voice rang out in the channel.

"All ships, adopt a defensive posture and advance at a slow speed. Gravity control, autonomous movement, and remote control are all normal," Ibuki Maya announced.

"Everything is normal over the Third New Tokyo City, and the Tokyo Tower and similar structures are in a state of core formation," said Makoto Hinata.

Familiar voices, familiar companions, familiar rhythms—at this moment, standing on the battle bridge of the Ship of Hope, they seemed to have rediscovered the orderly state they had when facing the Apostles, as if they had become the same combat unit they once were.

"Verifying spaceship coordinates, we have arrived at the starting point of the operation." The voice of the new member, Kitakami Midori, joined the channel.

"Received. All ships are to be deployed in alert mode." Ritsuko Akagi gave the final order.

A massive sealing pillar descended from the center of the eight spaceships, containing an anti-L system. Successful deployment of this system would allow for the reconfiguration of Tokyo-3, bringing the city back under human control.

Of course, the remnants of NERV wouldn't allow Wille to succeed so easily. Ritsuko Akagi was well aware of this and continued to issue orders.

"All spacecraft, switch to screening formation. EVA Unit 8 and deep-sea rescue submersible, dive to target location."

"Understood." Mari's voice rang out in the channel.

As Unit 8 landed, the landing gear in its hand quickly secured the sealing pillar, while the deep-sea rescue submersible also landed rapidly, analyzing the atmospheric composition, oxygen concentration, and carbon dioxide concentration to determine that it was in a workable zone.

"Alright, let's get started." Ritsuko Akagi's voice rang out in the channel.

Ritsuko Akagi, wearing a close-fitting light green life support suit, walked to the top of Tokyo Tower. To everyone's surprise, this second-in-command of Wille was not under the protection of the Ship of Hope. Wasn't he afraid of being beheaded by Yukimasa Fuyutsuki?

"Here's the information you requested, about the Sealing Pillars." Ritsuko Akagi approached Shinji Ikari and handed him a hard drive. "It's actually a Hollowfication device with an internal anti-L system."

This isn't a newly developed technology; it's been around for a long time. Shinji Ikari is familiar with it, and Mari Makinami is even more so. At the Bethany base, where the Marduk Project was once researched, this type of ethereal device with an internal anti-L system was encircled in a circle within the permafrost. And there are also miniaturized ethereal devices at the Wailing Wall in Hakone.

But what Shinji Ikari wanted was a customized version of this Hollowfication device. In this world, Asuka Shikimura had already stepped one foot into the realm of an Angel, and could transform into a true Angel at any moment. But why was Wille still willing to let her pilot Unit-02? Wasn't he worried that she would go out of control and contaminate the entire Unit-02?

The answer lies in the miniature, custom-designed ethereal device in her eye socket, resembling a small insertion plug. This keeps the Angel's power within an acceptable range; any occasional leaks will at most alter Asuka's body and soul, preventing any contamination of the machine she pilots.

Shinji Ikari frowned as he listened to Ritsuko Akagi's explanation after taking the hard drive. What he wanted was not this kind of temporary solution, but judging from Ritsuko's expression, this was already the limit.

"It's heartbreaking to see Tenjo City reduced to this state," Ritsuko Akagi said softly, looking at the familiar, crimson city before her. "But Third New Tokyo City is Misato's second hometown. I can only imagine how much she's suffering."

Shinji Ikari put away the hard drive and pursed his lips. What's going on? Do all the old friends in this world like to act as middlemen?

222: No retreat, I will face the mass-produced apostles head-on!

A lost city, frozen land, defection from NERV, the sacrifice of Yoshiji Kaji, the joining of the rebels, and a psychological journey of fourteen years.

Ritsuko Akagi, dressed in her combat uniform, stood next to Shinji Ikari, reminiscing about the past as if they were having a casual chat.

One was the organization's deputy commander, and the other was a key member of the organization, but these two crucial figures were talking about things completely unrelated to combat on Tokyo Tower.

However, she revealed that she did not intend to follow Misato Katsuragi's contradictory statement, and then she shifted the focus to explaining her true intentions in more detail.

Shinji Ikari stared blankly at the busy workers at the central intersection of Tokyo-3.

Ritsuko Akagi, with her short blond hair, raised an eyebrow. Seeing that Shinji Ikari didn't react, Ritsuko Akagi could only say bluntly, "Don't resent Misato. Although she pretends to be tough, she is very happy about your return."

When faced with Ritsuko Akagi's straightforward statement that she "wanted to ease the tension between you," Shinji Ikari, who repeatedly entered and exited the positive and negative universes with near-godlike authority—and after triggering the Third Pseudo-Impact, reappeared in this era as the strongest pilot—responded with remarks that showed little interest.

"Just do your job. Acting on emotions will only bring trouble. You need to understand that."

This time, Ritsuko Akagi didn't speak again. Just when Shinji Ikari thought that his old friend had come to terms with reality, a surprised voice came from beside him.

"Misato said the exact same thing as you."

"What do you think those two are talking about?" At that moment, in the temporary control room atop the sealing pillar, Shigeru Aoba turned his head to look in the direction of Tokyo Tower.

“Mind your own business,” Ibuki Maya’s voice was cold beneath her life support suit. “As the proposed site of the Third Impact, Tokyo-3 has an excessively high L-force field density. Repair work at the Hakone headquarters in Tokyo-3 should take no more than 720 seconds.”

Everyone says that Shinji Ikari's personality has changed drastically since returning from the Negative Universe, but the person whose personality change is even more exaggerated than Shinji's is Maya Ibuki, the former assistant to the head of the development department.

No one knows what happened fourteen years ago that caused her personality to change so drastically. The soft-spoken girl who always had a shy smile has completely disappeared. In its place, Wille has grown into a capable maintenance chief who can stand on her own, acts cleanly and efficiently, and is good at mocking those young lads with a cold face.

Oh, and there are also her two old friends, Aoba Shigeru and Hinata Makoto. They're also the targets of her daily teasing and sarcasm.

"Hehe, isn't it because of that invincible Shinji Ikari? Why worry about not having enough time?" Midori Kitakami buried herself in her work, but didn't forget to purse her lips in the direction of Tokyo Tower.

Although she didn't dare to mock Shinji Ikari to his face, it didn't stop her from being sarcastic and sarcastic in private.

"Idiot, the density of the L-field has no effect on him at all. The ones who are truly affected are us. As humans, we can only last for twelve minutes!" Ibuki Maya reprimanded mercilessly.

The ground was shaking, as if a legion of thousands of female fans dressed in wedding gowns were dancing wildly in the city. The yellow room on top of the sealing pillar was shaking violently like a pendulum. At this moment, the notebooks in front of the four cadres who were working intensively were also shaking and about to fall.

"It's here! It's the custom-designed air combat type EVA 44A, attacking from the four o'clock direction!" Kitakami Midori looked up and warned.

After Ibuki Maya was promoted to maintenance chief, Kitakami Midori replaced her in that position.

Those were mass-produced aerial combat EVAs, square-shaped like aircraft. Wille would be familiar with them; they had led the charge in several attacks. However, this time, each carried a crimson replica of the Spear of Longinus in its mouth. They were heading towards the sealing pillar from the four o'clock position.

In terms of both quantity and quality, it far surpasses any previous event.

"Mary, I'm counting on you. Only you can intercept them now and buy the technical team an extra 560 seconds." Misato Katsuragi's voice rang out in the cockpit of Unit 8.

"I've been itching for this for ages! Let me entertain these adorable, oddly matched juniors!" The No. 8 unit, suspended in mid-air by two invisible threads, turned to face the oncoming mass-produced air-combat aircraft. "In the name of No. 8, I swear, this hand burns like a blazing red fire, it commands me to grasp victory firmly!"

The nearest mass-produced air combat aircraft had arrived. Like a bloodthirsty bat, it tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound as it flew towards the central sealing pillar. But before it could even reach within a kilometer, a bullet pierced its fuselage, turning it into a ball of fire crackling with electricity. It crashed into the crimson Wutiao Great Xia beside it, shattering into a shower of bright sparks and leaving behind a jet-black mark.

But the remaining air combat aircraft were fearless, gathering in groups like a swarm of bloodthirsty bats rapidly approaching.

"Air combat type?" Mari scoffed. "Compared to real mass-produced machines, your stuff is nothing more than crudely made imitations!"

At this moment, two slender, dark brown rifles were already mounted on the arms of Unit 8. These were EVANGELION's dedicated 209mm large-caliber rifles (Type MM-99 209mm AU Assault Rifle). They would be familiar to former NERV employees; they were a modified version of the electromagnetic rifle, a railgun that used electromagnetic principles to fire bullets, boasting excellent burst fire performance. The bullets used degraded uranium, which has a higher density than iron, giving them high penetrating power.

The square-shaped air combat aircraft's remains turned into a golden rain of fire before the degraded uranium bullets, falling onto the crimson earth. Ritsuko Akagi looked at the golden rain of fire before her, without showing any joy.

"Such a huge number, such an orderly arrangement, they have formed their own community, like a new kind of creature," Ritsuko Akagi sighed softly.

If humans truly disappear, they will roam more freely in the new world. Perhaps millions of years later, they will gain sentience and become the new masters of the Earth.

"Although there's nothing particularly noteworthy about them except for their considerable quantity, they're quite dazzling as fireworks, haha."

Shinji Ikari was generous with his praise, but it was directed at the magnificent spectacle they displayed at the moment of their demise. After all, those mass-produced Mark series mobile suits that had landed on the Ship of Hope had been instantly destroyed by his Unit-01; inferior products unable to deploy their domains, no matter how numerous, were merely insignificant weaklings. What truly captured his attention was Unit-08, soaring through the sky and engaging these air combatants in combat—it could actually fly.

“It’s the anti-gravity flight device of the Hope Ship. The Hope Ship can control the gravity direction of Unit 8, provided that the distance is not too far,” Ritsuko Akagi said after thinking for a moment.

The engagement between Unit 8 and the massive number of air combatants was quite aesthetically pleasing. Four waves of air combatants were successively annihilated under Masumi's deliberate guidance. The pink aircraft flying through the sky, like a string of candied hawthorns, strung the last batch of air combatants together, and flung them to the ground in the distance just before they were about to explode.

As these fighter jets landed on the ground, they were instantly assimilated into crimson sculptures by the purifying power, but the cross-shaped rays of light bursting through their bodies from within restored their brilliance.

The white cross beams, so different from those of the Angels, overlapped with each other, creating a dazzling sun that instantly engulfed the soil and buildings on the ground. Gale-force winds and dust spread outwards from there, as if countless cross-shaped shockwaves from air combat aircraft had been superimposed. Even Shinji Ikari, standing atop Tokyo Tower, felt the strong winds blowing against his face.

Each time an air combatant dies, a cross blooms, and dozens of air combatants falling together are like the sun falling to earth. Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow at the mythical scene before him, "These Mark series mass-produced EVAs, although they have the name EVA, are essentially closer to Angels."

Whether it was due to Mashiro's malice or not, the mini-sun formed by the air combat planes she flung and threw to the ground was less than two kilometers away from Tokyo Tower. The impact, heat, and strong winds simultaneously assaulted the world-famous tower before the impact, yet a thin layer of energy enveloped the entire Tokyo Tower.

“The Mark series was originally a new series based on the Apostles, a new application of the Marduk Project,” Ritsuko Akagi said, tapping a button on the left side of her helmet. “How about it, Mary? Can you handle it?”

[There are too many! Taking them down one by one isn't an option, so we have to use this move from Mary's Secret Manual: the master-disciple collaboration, the Super Overlord Movie Bullet! How about that! Pretty cool, right, meow!]

Mari's voice came from inside the helmet. It was only at this moment that Ritsuko Akagi felt like a middle-aged person. She couldn't understand what Mari was saying at all. She guessed it was a line from an anime, game, or movie. Ritsuko Akagi couldn't help but glance at Shinji Ikari. He should be able to understand what Mari was saying.

"The puppy is right next to you, let him evaluate the power of my move... Huh? Oh no! We've fallen into the Japanese trap!" Makinami's voice was unusually panicked.

A crimson warning appeared on the screen in front of her—the camouflage network was materializing.

Her strike to the ground had shaken the entire Third New Tokyo City, simultaneously revealing the hidden demons and monsters. Less than 300 meters ahead, the crimson world faded, revealing a true white, diamond-shaped honeycomb barrier.

At this moment, the enemies hidden behind the barrier were forced to reveal themselves.

"...It really was a trap set by a fake apostle. It seems the vice commander knew we were coming all along." Ritsuko Akagi instinctively tried to push up her glasses, but her fingers touched the glass mask instead, so she could only awkwardly withdraw her hand. "It's a military EVA that's explicitly prohibited by the Vatican Treaties, but in his eyes, there are no taboos!"

“Not necessarily. After all, this is Tokyo-3, and I would also have a unit lying in ambush here,” Shinji Ikari said. “I think I already know where Vice Commander Fuyutsuki is.”

Shinji Ikari jumped directly from Tokyo Tower, but did not fall to the ground due to gravity. He had already been an apostle long before he sacrificed the Archangel to take His place before God, and he naturally learned the ability to float freely in mid-air like Kaworu Nagisa.

Before Ritsuko Akagi could say anything to stop him, he had already disappeared into the horizon.

"Oh no! This time we're going to face the enemy leader head-on!" Kitakami Midori's voice rang out in the channel. "Where's the Third Child? Help!"

Ritsuko Akagi pressed her left hand against a spot on her helmet. "We don't need to wait for him anymore. This time, we'll have to solve this ourselves."

"How can we fight against this irregular combination of a Type 444C equipped with a positron cannon and a customized Type 44B with a land-based variant power supply! Even if we brought the Hope Ship over, we couldn't stop it if a single positron cannon shot came!"

It wasn't just Kitakami Green who panicked; everyone was in a state of panic. Although they had been complaining, they had always believed that Shinji Ikari would intervene, which was why they were able to carry out their tasks efficiently.

"Shinji Ikari has launched a raid on the NERV remnants' stronghold. All we need to do is stall him until he captures Vice Commander Fuyutsuki," Ritsuko Akagi's voice rang out in the channel, sternly rebuking, "Don't you even have this much confidence?!"

Although Ritsuko Akagi was full of vigor, she couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. This was going to be a real test of her abilities.

"That's right, let's show this puppy our tenacity!" Mari's laughter rang out in the channel. "Dragging it out until the end of the battle is just a coward's idea. What I'm going to do is—take care of these pieces of junk before he catches Fuyutsuki-sensei!"

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Shinji Ikari was unaware of what Wille and the others were thinking; at this time, he returned to Hakone.

The pyramid that once stood in the underground world of Hakone was pushed into the stratosphere by a black pillar after the Third Impact, and was then destroyed in the battle between Unit-01 and Unit-03.

Shinji Ikari never expected to return. At this point, it could no longer be called Hakone, Tenjo City, or District 1. It was just a corner of the ground that had fallen after the NERV headquarters was destroyed.

Shinji Ikari encountered no protection or obstruction along the way. The once dark commander's office now offered a clear view of the sky. Behind the central desk stood an elderly man in military uniform, his hands behind his back, standing upright at the edge of the ruins, gazing at the still Third New Tokyo City.

"Cities are like paradises created by humankind. In the past, those who were driven out could only escape to the earthly world where death was their neighbor," Fuyutsuki Kozumi murmured softly.

Fuyutsuki Yukizou turned around and looked at Shinji Ikari. "You've come, Third Boy. You're slower than I expected..."

With a thud, Fuyutsuki Yukinobu was physically hypnotized by Shinji Ikari. Shinji rubbed his right wrist, glanced at the fallen Fuyutsuki Yukinobu, and pouted.

"Save your breath, you guys talk too much nonsense. If you have something to say, go say it to them."

223: Oh, Ritsuko Akagi, a hero on the spaceship!

The Third New Tokyo City contains a central sealing pillar with an anti-L barrier—

"Huh? No way?" Mari looked at the motionless mass-produced machines in surprise. "Is Puppy-kun this fast? I was planning to take down these mass-produced machines before he found Fuyutsuki-sensei."

"The 444C model with the electronic cannon and the customized 44B model with the power supply for the land-based variant have both completely stopped!" Kitakami Midori looked in surprise at the row of mass-produced land-based military aircraft that had stopped operating in front of her. "It must be him..."

Although no names were mentioned, everyone present could roughly guess that the sudden shutdown of these mass-produced MARK series machines was due to Shinji Ikari.