Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Rei Ayanami, still with a cool expression, stood up from the bed. The sheets and clothes on her body slowly fell off.

Her shoulders were exposed, followed by her slender arms, her not-so-full breasts, her hourglass waist, and the curves of her hips, all of which were displayed in the boy's view.

Her lower body was completely naked, as if she had left her pants behind in a dream, revealing her snow-white skin and slender legs.

Shinji Ikari's gaze shifted downwards, but what was most striking was the white socks she was wearing.

The attraction of the mind is relative. At this moment, even though Shinji Ikari didn't ask the question, Rei Ayanami still answered softly.

"Because it seems like Ikari really likes it."

Chapter Sixty-Eight: A New Stairway to Godhood

Shinji Ikari wanted to say that this was slander, but lies were meaningless in front of Rei Ayanami.

Everyone in this world speaks indirectly and evasively. We futilely guard against others, constantly scheming and manipulating them. Most people are simply forced to go with the flow, unless they encounter another kindred spirit.

Shinji Ikari was unaware of the connection between himself and Rei Ayanami, a pull that seemed to disregard the barriers between their hearts. Although Rei's perception of the mind was inferior to Shinji's, she could still sense his emotions at this distance.

“There’s no need for that. Ayanami, I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but more than others, you should be living to redeem yourself.”

"...Myself? I don't dislike this." Rei Ayanami lowered her eyes to meet Shinji Ikari's gaze. "If Shinji is happy, I'm happy too."

Shinji Ikari looked at the girl standing on the bed and beckoned her to sit down. Looking at Rei Ayanami, who was kneeling quietly in front of him as if being scolded by her parents, he gently lifted her calf and pulled down her white socks from her ankle.

“But it will smell really bad if I wear it all night. You should at least consider my feelings,” Shinji Ikari said softly.

"Does it smell bad?" Rei Ayanami wondered, looking at Shinji Ikari, who was clutching her left foot. She hardly sweated, so her odor was probably milder than other girls her age. More importantly…

“But Shinji doesn’t dislike it,” Rei Ayanami said.

Shinji Ikari almost covered his forehead, realizing he'd forgotten that Rei Ayanami could also sense his emotions, even if her perception was far less acute than his own.

However, Rei Ayanami could also sense Shinji Ikari's confusion.

She deliberately avoided the topic that made him a little embarrassed, and was about to get dressed and have breakfast when she saw Shinji Ikari grabbing her ankle with a serious expression.

"Is this blue one okay? Lift your foot up a little."

Very much like Yukari Ayanami, Rei Ayanami didn't understand Shinji Ikari's thoughts.

Then they saw Shinji Ikari take the underwear that was scattered on the edge of his bed and put it over his raised left leg.

"Lift up your other foot too, I'll help you put it on."

--------

--------

Hakone is simply a description of the underground portion of the Third Neo-Tokyo Fortress City. However, most buildings are not always underground; they are only temporarily retracted when encountering the Angels.

The blue Mazda drove into the underground section, and on the smooth dedicated road, it felt as if it were flying.

Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari, still wearing their school uniforms, sat in the back seat, while Misato Katsuragi, dressed in a purple leather jacket, drove in the front. At that moment, a huge shadow swept overhead, and as the shadow gradually revealed its outline, Shinji Ikari finally saw its full form.

"Is there any need to bring this piece of junk back?" Shinji Ikari looked up at the enormous object being transported over his head.

Above them, the remaining remains of the fetal angel, like a twisting bony fish, were safely loaded onto the transport machine and slowly transported into the interior of Hakone.

“At present, the research value of the Angel of the Womb is the highest among all the Angels.” Misato Katsuragi, driving with one hand, also witnessed this behemoth. What was incredibly terrifying was that the right forelimb of this Angel, which had clearly been pierced through the core by Unit-01, suddenly rose several meters high before falling back down. “It possesses the strongest adaptability among all the Angels. Even though it is dead, its remaining body retains a considerable degree of vitality. According to our research, it can even react to a certain extent.”

"Just like a dragonfly with its head removed can still move." Shinji Ikari looked at the alien in front of him, a chilling malice on his lips.

For Shinji Ikari, all aliens, regardless of their type, should share the same fate: death. Yet, even their remains after death can create terrifying value.

As the remains of the Angel of the Womb disappeared into the dark tunnel, Shinji Ikari followed Misato Katsuragi into the depths of Hakone.

The development department, with its makeshift medical examination site, was the pilots' destination. For NERV, the pilots' health was as important as the maintenance of the EVA units. The work atmosphere in the development department was obviously much more relaxed than in the operations department; some were chatting with colleagues over coffee about yesterday's fun, while others were yawning, looking like they hadn't slept well.

"Any recommendations for SUVs under 150,000 RMB?"

"There are no good SUVs under 150,000 yuan. If you disagree, come and argue with me."

"It was so painful. Someone stole the bacon from my breakfast pancake while I was on the subway."

"Minister Katsuragi's Mazda is in for repairs again. Why does it always have problems? She still has eleven months left on her loan, right?"

Misato Katsuragi, briefcase in hand, strode past the employees with a dark expression. It was here that Shinji Ikari spotted Asuka, who had been waiting with her arms crossed. She always rushed ahead, even for trivial things like medical checkups.

"You idiot Shinji, you're too late!" Asuka said triumphantly.

But even earlier than her was Ritsuko Akagi, who was already sitting in her seat, having finished Asuka's physical examination.

"Go fill out a form first. Have you eaten breakfast? If you have, go get your blood tested first. There will be a medical staff member with you. You don't need to wait in line."

To cover their tracks, Fuyutsuki Kosuke even arranged for all employees to undergo a medical check-up. This was solely to obtain information about Shinji Ikari's current physical condition and to avert his suspicion.

In the end, they got what they wanted.

Ritsuko Akagi looked at the medical report and the carefully preserved blood sample. Following his recovery ability and life extension, his hematopoietic function and nervous system had begun to transform. Divine substances were rapidly eroding his previously mediocre body through his blood vessels. Shinji Ikari always felt that he was full of energy and spirit, but he only attributed it to the Emperor's blessing and the effectiveness of his physical training.

"The test results also represent an elevation of his life level, a stairway to godhood that is different from the Key of Nebuchadnezzar," Ritsuko Akagi sighed softly.

Ritsuko Akagi never explained one thing to Shinji Ikari: the physical changes she experienced while piloting an EVA were permanent, just like that eternally crimson ocean.

Standing beside her, Fuyutsuki Yukizo offered no rebuttal. He stared at the blood in the test tube as if it were the crimson Philosopher's Stone.

“Compared to the stairway to godhood, it’s more like a gift from the devil. Once you’re familiar with using His power, He will take over your body. Even if you’re unaware of His existence, He will silently change your body. He is both a fragment of the fruit of life and a poison that erodes the soul,” Fuyutsuki Kozumi said quietly.

Both Ritsuko Akagi and Gendo Ikari were perfectly clear about this principle.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Rain Angel Mathilde

Ritsuko Akagi finally understood why the Dead Sea Scrolls recorded him as the point of destiny, and therefore she never dared to reveal a single thing to Shinji Ikari.

Because power is best when it can be controlled. If it belongs to an uncontrollable god, it's like a time bomb. You never know whether it will kill the enemy first or yourself.

But what truly terrified her was his unchanging spirit, as if protected by an invisible force, making his soul as solid as a rock, unrestrained.

Behind him, Fuyutsuki Kosuke let out a soft breath. The old man stood silently by the window, gazing at Unit-01 in front of him, as if he too were an ancient, unyielding rock.

At this very moment, on the shores of Lake Windermere in the southeastern United States, the sun shines brightly, bathing a suburban mansion in its golden light.

This is an estate that was started before the bursting of the US housing bubble. Its exterior was inspired by the Palace of Versailles and it covered an area of ​​90,000 square feet. Unfortunately, the US housing bubble burst midway and the owner had to abandon the house. It was not until recently that it was bought by a wealthy and powerful guest.

However, compared to the bright sunshine outside, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate into the council chamber inside the room.

Anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to visit Commander Gendo Ikari's office will be surprised to find that even the ceiling inside the dark room is engraved with blood-red patterns.

However, compared to the solemn and sacred Tree of Life, what lay before them was an inverted triangle inlaid with seven eyes.

At this moment, a voice came from the nine standing blood-red stone tablets.

"Have you seen that boy's medical report? It's astonishing."

"It seems that EVA can also serve as a signpost, connecting the spirit to the gods."

"The only special thing is Unit-01, just like the only special thing is Shinji Ikari."

"Gendo Ikari still wants to try to hide it; it seems he's not going to listen."

“He’s never been an obedient dog; we just need him to get the plan going for now.”

These were the whispers of the elders, the highest authority in the world. Yet, when they gathered together to talk, it was as if demons had come together, and the once magnificent mansion had become a gathering of the abyss.

Similar to Gendo Ikari's office, the only one whose true form is revealed is surrounded by these stone tablets.

"Why don't we release Matrier first? At least the internal structure and reaction capabilities of NERV need to be tested in actual combat," one of the voices suggested.

"Is this really a good thing? That's a rare individual." Number Four was somewhat reluctant.

“We did not capture Him, we merely guided Him. Moreover, His structure is not suitable for the Marduk Project.”

"Hehe, and the still-active remains of Sanda Maple might be a more suitable candidate."

After these elders reached a consensus, a conspiracy, or rather a test, targeting NERV headquarters was launched.

--------

--------

At the Hakone elevator entrance, Shinji Ikari waved goodbye to Rei Ayanami.

A physical exam is a physical exam. In this country, even if you are the savior of the world, after defeating the demon king who will destroy the world, you still have to go to school.

“Rei Ayanami is also involved in the second extended operation experiment of Unit-00, so she can’t attend class for the time being.” Shinji Ikari, back in the elevator, turned to Asuka beside him to explain.

Rei Ayanami is temporarily unable to attend classes because she needs to cooperate with an experiment. Seeing that there was no one in her way, Asuka was a little happy, but instinctively tossed her hair and let out a cold snort.

"I'm not interested in the Commander's beloved daughter, and speaking of the second extended operation experiment, do you know who it was for?" Asuka said with a sarcastic smile.

"It's me," Shinji Ikari answered frankly.

"You know?" This time, it was Asuka who looked surprised.

“It’s too obvious. I’m the one who’s been constrained by the power the most.” Shinji Ikari spread his hands helplessly. “But from Headquarters’ perspective, I and Unit-01 are not worth taking risks with. So we can only have Unit-00 conduct the extended operation experiment. If it’s successful, we can apply it to other mobile suits.”

"It really tastes sour." Asuka looked at her toes.

"I'm not just being sarcastic, I'm not satisfied with this either. It feels like I have to shift my responsibilities onto others."

“I was talking about myself,” Asuka said. “Actually, I’m quite envious of your relationship. Although you’re not blood-related siblings, you have a very good relationship.”

Shinji remained silent; he always felt that Asuka had misunderstood something from the very beginning.

“But I won’t be jealous, because only cattle and sheep travel in herds, while wild beasts always roam alone. Have you heard of a famous quote by Lu Xun, the great writer from Seris?” Asuka stared intently at the boy in the elevator.

Although Shinji Ikari might want to say that the sword isn't sharp and the horse is too thin... let's not use some meaningless, lame jokes at this point.

But with a ding-dong and a click, the elevator, which was rapidly ascending, suddenly stopped.

"Huh? Is there a power outage?" Shinji Ikari looked up at the elevator button marked as being stopped on the eighth basement level.

"How could this be? It's impossible." Just as Asuka waved her hand and said it was impossible, the elevator lights above her head suddenly went out and were replaced by dim, warm red emergency lights.

"The power really went out. Am I jinxing it?" Asuka stared in astonishment at the scene, instinctively looking in the direction of Shinji Ikari in the darkness.

The light was dim, and she couldn't see Shinji Ikari's expression clearly, but she was worried about something else: "Could it be that there's something wrong with Dr. Akagi's experiment? What about Rei?"

But at this moment, all the lights in the first test site also dimmed. Silently, a wave of power outages, covering the entire underground city, spread throughout Hakone.