Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Nudity culture originated in Germany, dating back to the late 19th century. At that time, Germany was prosperous and the people were at peace. After achieving a comfortable standard of living, the upper and middle classes began to pursue a new lifestyle. People paid more and more attention to their nutrition, clothing, housing, health, and body maintenance, which led to the famous New Life movement.

But Asuka grew up in the United States and only received training in Germany, so of course she couldn't hang out with those Germans who were shouting about their natural bodies.

Seeing that the time was right, Shinji Ikari spoke gently with a slightly reprimanding tone, "However, barging into a man's room so early in the morning is not the behavior of a lady."

As expected, Asuka's originally radiant expression changed slightly, and she quickly raised her chin with displeasure.

"It was just to let you know about today's teamwork practice. I was urged to come by Misato. Honestly, why are Japanese rooms so small? Doors that can be pushed and pulled open like this make me feel so insecure. Honestly, I can't believe you live in a room without a lock. I want to live in a room like this from now on."

Shinji Ikari's strategy worked on Asuka; she was the most vivid embodiment of the phrase "saying one thing but meaning another."

Actually, Asuka didn't intend to wake Shinji Ikari up, because she thought it was too shameless.

But she came anyway, at Misato Katsuragi's urging.

More importantly—currently, only Asuka, due to practical considerations, must accept the fact that she is not the best pilot at headquarters. However, this operation plan is clearly an opportunity to prove herself.

The only remaining issue is the deepening of rapport with Shinji Ikari.

—But Asuka firmly believes that she will never lose to the number one girl in this regard.

If we compare courage, perseverance, and determination in demonstrating oneself, then one undoubtedly has the upper hand. Therefore—

After delivering the notice, Asuka resolutely turned and left, still in a good mood today.

After the tsundere girl's figure completely disappeared, Shinji Ikari stopped pressing Rei Ayanami's head down. Or rather, she showed no signs of moving at all, quietly resting against his chest.

Even with her detached demeanor and petite figure, she was undeniably a beautiful woman. To be so close to such a pretty and adorable girl was, frankly, quite dangerous. From her smooth, delicate skin to her soft, slightly rounded curves, every part of Rei Ayanami aroused male sensuality.

However, Shinji Ikari remained calm, simply lifting the covers slightly.

"Ayanami-kun." Shinji Ikari peered inside.

“I’m here.” Rei Ayanami slowly raised her head and met Shinji Ikari’s gaze. “Am I causing you confusion?”

"It's nothing really, but could I know why you're in my room?" Shinji Ikari asked calmly, without any sign of panic.

Whether as a noble knight or now as the Third Child, he has always been enveloped in overwhelming love. Shinji Ikari understands all too well the infatuation of girls; elegance and handsomeness are the flaws of noble knights. But what's a night raid? There are plenty of beautiful ladies who can't resist going to their rooms or balconies to rest while they're still dancing.

So many girls at school hoped for Shinji Ikari's favor, even knowing that the relationship might only last a couple of days. But they didn't feel regret. What they truly regretted was growing old, their wrinkles as deep as carved wood, without ever having dated the handsome young lieutenant, the legendary pilot—that would be their lifelong regret.

To Shinji Ikari's surprise, Rei Ayanami would actually do something like this.

“I want to be closer to you, beside you. I’m sorry if this causes you any confusion,” Rei Ayanami said.

Shinji Ikari gazed into Rei Ayanami's eyes, those similar eyes meeting without flinching. Finally, Shinji was certain of that inexplicable pull. Just being near her brought him a sense of security, enveloped in happiness.

Just like what happened when Misato Katsuragi asked me to return the new security card to Rei Ayanami's dorm. It didn't contain any of the messy things I was thinking about.

"It's alright, no need to apologize." Shinji Ikari brushed a strand of hair from Rei Ayanami's forehead and kissed it. "It's still early, we can stay a little longer. But remember to let me know in advance next time you come, men in the morning can easily turn into beasts."

Half an hour later, after a quick breakfast, Misato Katsuragi returned to the living room where she had been the same day. Arms crossed, she glared defiantly at the two people scattered around.

It wasn't referring to Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, of course. Rei went to class; Misato Katsuragi hadn't asked for leave for her. It was just Shinji and Asuka lying on the sofa watching TV, munching on potato chips.

"This can't go on. Your training is a complete waste of time. How can you possibly develop teamwork like this!"

"Actually, I feel fine. Understanding is something that's cultivated through the little things in life, right?" Asuka put her feet on Shinji's lap, then took a chip from his can of chips and put it in her mouth. "Why do I feel like your tomato-flavored one tastes better?"

"You just think that stealing other people's food tastes better, don't you?" Shinji Ikari retorted.

“But I really think yours tastes better, let’s switch.” Asuka earnestly took the can of potato chips from Shinji Ikari’s hands and then swapped it with her coriander-flavored can of potato chips.

Misato Katsuragi couldn't stand it anymore; she was still racking her brains to figure out how to counter the Angels. Meanwhile, the two pilots were completely careless, showing no regard for the Angels' threat.

"That's enough, you two come with me!" Misato Katsuragi snatched the potato chip cans from their hands, grabbed their arms, and led them to a specially prepared room next door.

Speakers, headphone stands, a dance machine… and a row of clothes racks displaying various couple outfits. This peculiar combination made Asuka wonder if Misato's synchronized training might be unreliable.

Chapter 58: Facing the Music Apostle

"What do you mean?" Asuka glanced at Misato Katsuragi.

“Last night I thought of a way to make nonsense more reliable,” Katsuragi Misato said, pulling two purple rectangular portable music players from her pocket with a serious expression. “To improve your teamwork, you need to choreograph an attack pattern based on the rhythm of this song. You have to finish it in the remaining five days, without a second’s delay.”

"It's just music, leave it to me. I'm a certified music critic in Amsterdam!" Asuka patted her chest, feeling confident.

"But that's not all, you also need to change your clothes." Misato Katsuragi opened a clothes rack, revealing various outfits.

"Matching outfits? You want me to wear matching outfits with him?! No way!"

“It’s not just couple outfits,” Shinji Ikari said, noting that he saw many unisex clothes that were identical in pairs on the right side of the clothes rack.

"Of course, it's not just about matching outfits. I've completely given up on your progress. Now you all have to follow my instructions." Misato Katsuragi said coldly, "Matching outfits, matching clothes, and even exchanging each other's everyday clothes to try them on."

Misato Katsuragi scanned the two people's faces, taking in every change in their expressions.

"Oh right, I need to get the test results this afternoon. Can Asuka drink alcohol? There are icebreaker games tonight, like guessing the changes, matching names, and the 'heart to heart' game. Of course, Rei and I will also participate because of the limited number of participants."

Upon hearing Rei's name, Asuka's expression gradually became serious.

There was no particular reason, but at least she didn't want to lose to that rumored illegitimate daughter of the commander, that kind of person who relied on favoritism and backdoors!

Music, cohabitation, training, games—five days passed in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the Tokyo area defense system at the end of NERV also detected the whereabouts of the fully recovered Eighth Angel.

An alarm sounded in the command post, but everything proceeded smoothly.

"The aircraft has been deployed on a dedicated transport plane and has arrived at the designated location."

"The objective is to break through Gora's absolute defense line and is heading towards the Third Tokyo City."

Gora, Tokyo's last line of defense and one of Hakone's newest developed areas, was once a barren wasteland covered in rocks until the last century. The name Gora is said to originate from these rocks, which resemble tortoise shells. With the discovery of hot springs and the construction of the railway, it gradually developed into a famous hot spring town.

However, the evacuation of personnel had already been completed, and at this moment, the figure of the peculiarly shaped Eighth Angel appeared on the large screen in the command room. Misato Katsuragi crossed her arms and stared at the Angel who had caused NERV to suffer a crushing defeat.

"It's finally here. This time, there won't be any mistakes."

Unlike Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, whose pairing lacked any chemistry, Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu had a very high level of synergy. Or rather, Shinji Ikari had a high level of synergy with both Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu. After six days of training, they had reached a new level.

"Shinji Ikari, Asuka. Deploy the AT Field immediately upon the start of the music, and proceed strictly according to the battle plan. In case of unforeseen circumstances, Shinji Ikari will serve as captain. Now, prepare for battle."

As the order was given, the two structures that were originally fixed below the transport plane also fell downwards at the same time.

Soothing music played in sync with the cockpit as Unit-01 flew over the scenery, while Shinji Ikari closed his eyes.

After their final landing, they made a giant leap—Unit-01 and Unit-02, with their massive ramming horns extending backward at sharp angles, trailed several plumes of cloud, their bodies emitting discordant high and low wind noises. At the same moment, they descended from the sky in a flying kick reminiscent of Ultraman.

Unit-01 extended its right foot, while Unit-02 extended its left foot.

The humanoid Eighth Apostle, resembling someone with arms raised, also sensed the change above its head. A tremendous sense of crisis enveloped it—an absolute domain rapidly unfolded above its head. A seven-colored, concentric, rhomboid, and octagonal domain transformed into a giant barrier to protect the apostle's safety. However, at the same moment, a warm white rhomboid field also appeared beneath the feet of the two machines.

—Apostle and machine, domain and domain—

The neutralization of the domains occurred immediately upon their collision, rapidly dissolving the Eighth Apostle's defensive force field, which was powerful enough to withstand the N2 landmines.

"Great! That's the spirit!" Misato Katsuragi clenched her fist, jumping for joy.

Seeing this, her initial anxiety instantly subsided. Although the probability calculated by the Three Sages System indicated that Unit-01 and Unit-02 had a 98% chance of annihilating the invading Eighth Angel in one fell swoop, the ultimate success depended on whether Shinji Ikari, with his superior combat skills and synchronization, could lower his stance and actively cooperate with his partner.

At the moment of the collision of the domains, the warm white force field under Unit-01's feet was completely consistent with that of Unit-02. This indicates that Shinji Ikari actively reduced the intensity of his domain to maintain consistency with Unit-02, which in itself foreshadowed that he had already won half the battle.

"Isn't a stronger force field always better?" Shigeru Aoba, who was acting as the liaison, couldn't help but ask.

"Not so. If Unit-01's force field is too strong, it will penetrate the force field before Unit-02, and the so-called synchronization will become a joke. This is the tricky part of the Eighth Angel," said Misato Katsuragi.

The Eighth Angel's dual-core mechanism forces the two pilots to achieve a tacit understanding. In this respect, Misato Katsuragi actually favors Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami more.

However, right now, the level of understanding between Shinji Ikari and Asuka is completely beyond her expectations.

Two mechanical legs simultaneously tore through the barrier and pierced the apostle's body. Then, with undiminished momentum, they slammed to the ground, instantly producing a thunderous sound that echoed through the mountains.

Immediately afterwards, the two machines slid sideways and slowed down, causing a piercing metallic scraping sound to echo throughout the Gora region.

The original Eighth Apostle was forcibly torn apart by the two machines, its core, resembling a yin-yang symbol, snapping in response, accompanied by a spray of blood. Two similar but distinct apostles regenerated from the torn and mangled bodies.

However, Misato Katsuragi was not angry but pleased, because the combined kick from Unit-01 and Unit-02 had successfully severely injured the Eighth Angel. Although the special mechanism of the dual cores allowed it to be resurrected and separate into two Angel forms, they were clearly much weaker than the two Angels on the Kii Peninsula.

"Excellent, this is the momentum! Let's take him down in one fell swoop!"

Misato Katsuragi issued the order to attack.

Unit-01 and Unit-02, maintaining perfect synchronization, resembled airplanes in the twilight, reflecting the last rays of the setting sun.

As the music reached another juncture, both machines simultaneously charged toward the apostle whose color corresponded to their own.

------

PS1: I originally wanted to copy the icebreaker game from my company team, but I thought it was too lame. Most importantly, it always reminded me of the dark and helpless memories of playing "Guess Who I Am" with Sister Wang, who was in her forties, wearing leopard print and had a large bottom and big breasts.

The memories are too painful, so much so that even while writing this part, I couldn't help but think of Sister Wang in the subsequent bonus scenes. Anyway, let's get straight to the part where we beat up Lao Yin.

Chapter 59: The Road to the Future Lies Beneath Our Feet

The same knee lift and leg raise struck the apostle in the abdomen.

The two enormous figures tumbled and crashed into the ground, causing the red rock layers in the Qiangluo Valley to suddenly erupt with magnificent spray, just like water.

—Amidst the spray, the two apostles soared through the air, breaking through the ground and crashing heavily onto the rock face. The countless massive rocks buried in this deep valley responded with a trembling, buzzing sound, a vibration caused by the two apostles.

As the wounds reached a certain point, the apostles instinctively healed together. But there was no time for pleasantries or embracing the return of life... The eighth apostle, now an independent individual again, heard a high-frequency vibrating buzzing hunting sound.

As if anticipating this scene, the two mechs that had come together simultaneously drew out the high-vibration particle blades mounted on their shoulder blades.

The pink and blue high-vibration particle blades were drawn almost simultaneously. With a lunge and a knee bend, chunks of rock and tree stumps from the cracked earth beneath their feet flew through the valley like cannonballs, while the two mechs shot towards their targets like arrows. The force field the apostle had just deployed was instantly dissolved, and then the sharp, gleaming blades pierced the apostle's core, resembling a yin-yang symbol, its two rotating eyes.

Life and death, yin and yang, balance—all were utterly shattered at this moment.

Unsurprisingly, or rather, if the weakness of needing to destroy the core to be overcome can be cracked, the Music Apostle Slaver isn't particularly strong. He isn't known as a destructive angel for superior performance; it's just that his immortality makes him incredibly troublesome.

The blood-red cross, symbolizing the Passion of Christ, rises in the valley, as if a sacred thing has fallen.

At this point, the so-called synchronization has ended. Asuka, as the pilot, is ready to receive the baptism of the shockwave generated by the death of the Angel.