Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Compared to the sensory network that extends from the five senses, Shinji Ikari's spiritual sense detects the malice carried by the newcomer first. Although it may also be mixed with many other emotions such as "longing for kindness and resentment", Shinji Ikari doesn't care what you think. It's enough for him to sense that you have malice. He will only use his fists to calm down his enemy or friend.

Friends who have been approached by him with his loving and corrective fists will suddenly realize their mistakes as if they have been inspired, and they will weep and repent for their sins in front of him.

Only Gendo Ikari could endure another beating and still relentlessly provoke him.

Now, there's one more person.

Neither of their two reunions was particularly friendly. The first time, she piloted Unit-02, bringing with it a storm, only to be paralyzed by a punch from Shinji Ikari, who hadn't controlled his strength. The second time they met, nothing changed; Shinji, alerted by her malice, slapped Asuka, who had transformed into an Angel, and knocked her unconscious again.

Judging from Asuka's decisive and efficient manner, she must be a mature adult who wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

The passage of time is a healing, and perhaps even a redemption, that is equally bestowed upon everyone.

Asuka's roommate, Mari, didn't care about the matter. Instead, she looked at the boy in front of her and asked, "Can you still call him 'Little Dog' now? Or should you say 'Woof-chan'?"

Although he is still Shinji Ikari, he is completely different when he is dressed and when he is shown to the public in his original form.

Beneath his clothing, muscles bulged and twisted, yet every muscle fiber and every drop of blood flowing through his veins was imbued with a pure power that could be described as divine. Compared to humans, this awe-inspiring, sacred aura was closer to that of an apostle. He could dominate the atmosphere with his mere presence, and in a few seconds of his words and actions, he could make those who witnessed him understand the extent of his sacred and solemn existence.

"What kind of outfit is this?" Shinji Ikari stared at Mari Makinami in front of him.

He certainly wouldn't forget Mari, the paratrooper girl who had deliberately crashed into him on the sports field. However, judging solely from her age, her figure and appearance were probably somewhere between a college student and a working professional, yet she was wearing the uniform of the Third New Tokyo Municipal Junior High School.

Honestly, her middle school uniform was still too small for her. A plaid skirt that barely covered her hips revealed two beautiful legs clad in purple stockings. She wore a white shirt with a dark green tie, which accentuated her shapely figure. Mari, however, quite satisfied, adjusted her glasses.

"Because Wang-chan has only met me once, I have to wear the clothes you wore when you first met me so that you will remember me."

"It left a deep impression, it's hard to forget. But why do you call me Wang-chan?"

"Because we can't call him Little Dog anymore, and we can't call him Wolfhound either, it sounds too formal."

Speaking of which, Asuka is truly a perfect roommate; she loves giving people nicknames and I've almost never seen her call anyone by their real name.

"Actually, I don't think calling him 'Wang-chan' is very endearing. Never mind, let's not dwell on this. Get me some clothes to wear," Shinji Ikari instructed Mari, who was standing next to him.

"Alright, is the combat suit okay?" Mari excitedly turned around and opened the wardrobe. Looking at Mari's back, and then looking up, you could see the girl's middle school skirt fluttering, swaying gently with her hips, her straight legs hidden in the lingering smoke.

"Clothes don't matter, just try to get it done as quickly as possible," Shinji Ikari said.

“And this one?” Mari pulled out a combat suit from the bottom of the wardrobe. It was clearly very familiar, with its familiar blue and white color scheme, so old that Shinji Ikari squinted slightly. And the 01 logo was printed on the chest.

It was his first combat suit, as subsequent suits were all changed to a pure black color scheme.

"Your old combat uniform, Asuka still keeps it, saying it's a spare. Actually, she's always missed you, but she's not very good at expressing it."

“Perhaps, but she’s not the only one who’s not good at expressing herself,” Shinji Ikari said. He pulled on his combat suit, the familiar exhaust whirring as it clung to his skin, completing the outfit. “Fear, anxiety, but at least on the surface, I can maintain a respectable facade and engage in polite conversation.”

"What do you mean?" Mari sensed that Shinji Ikari's words had a hidden meaning.

"Speaking of which, your New NERV is an armed group, right? Don't you think it's a bit too quiet? Such a lot of smoke and not even a fire alarm was triggered. Should I say your equipment is outdated, or that your personnel have already gathered at the door?" Shinji Ikari said calmly. He was quite satisfied with his old combat suit. Although his body shape had changed somewhat, its excellent stretch made it very comfortable to wear.

"You should have picked out a casual outfit for me, because if I'm wearing a combat uniform, you might be mistaken for one of my accomplices."

Despite being surrounded, Shinji Ikari still wore a frank smile. It was as if he wasn't the one who had fallen into the enemy's lair, but rather a flock of sheep that had locked a tiger in their pen.

At this moment, in front of the room marked BW, combat personnel holding tranquilizer guns and riot shields stood ready.

It was indeed very quiet, so quiet it was unsettling. But they still didn't make a move, because they were waiting for the commander—that was the order from Captain Misato Katsuragi of this ship of hope.

Misato Katsuragi was also rushing over, unsure of her own feelings. However, while she was overjoyed that Shinji Ikari had returned, he was in too much danger and needed to be brought under their control.

But the next second, a deafening roar came from ahead of the road.

Misato Katsuragi's expression changed drastically, because that was the dormitory of the chosen ones, and also the place where the transplanted Three Sages System detected the appearance of the third chosen one.

Could it be that they launched the attack without her orders? Just as Misato Katsuragi was thinking this, she arrived at the front of the battlefield, where the thick smoke obscured her vision.

Heavy footsteps echoed repeatedly, accompanied by the sounds of gunfire and muffled shouts from the personnel.

Then, an unexpected repulsive force emanated from the center of the smoke, pressing everyone firmly against the wall, rendering them immobile, like humanoid murals. It was the Absolute Territory, Misato Katsuragi realized instantly.

Only then did she see Shinji Ikari floating in mid-air, his combat suit glowing faintly red on the chest.

Those piercing, burning eyes immediately made Misato Katsuragi tense up. The moment their gazes met, her biological instincts were frantically sending a warning to her master: don't provoke him, stay away from him, obey him!

The walls exploded, and through the holes piercing the reinforced concrete, one could glimpse the rooms further inside. Misato Katsuragi didn't know what could have caused the walls to explode.

But the only thing that can be certain is—

This possesses considerable power, and the boy before them holds absolute power of life and death over them.

"Now you should be able to think clearly about the problem, right?" Shinji Ikari remained extremely indifferent to the groans and cries of the combatants on the ground. He arrogantly raised his delicate chin and looked at Misato Katsuragi in front of him.

"Come on, lead the way. I have many questions to ask you."

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WILLE, Ship of Hope, Central Command Room.

"Resupply loading is 86% complete. The operating N2 reactor is maintaining 90% power output."

"No fleet was seen within a 2000-meter radius, nor were any unidentified flying objects observed."

"Prioritize the transfer of D Group's crew members. Find more people to move food and supplies. Hurry! Hurry!"

"The compass check between No. 3 and No. 5 on both sides has been completed, and there is a deviation."

At this time, the central command room was still in the midst of a flurry of activity, a state that was disrupted by the arrival of a certain teenager.

Although he was indeed to be brought here after his detention was completed, the method was completely chaotic. At this moment, they felt as if they were the detained criminals, even though that might be the truth.

The people working at the time all stared wide-eyed at the figure walking at the front.

"Impossible? Damn it? How could it be him?!" someone whispered.

"Why aren't you wearing the DSS collar?!" Kitakami Green suddenly stood up from her seat.

But as Shinji Ikari's sharp gaze swept across the entire arena, looking at everything familiar or unfamiliar around him, everyone who inadvertently met his eyes couldn't help but feel an urge to kneel down. At this moment, with his gaze, that terrifying aura completely enveloped them, and that spiritual pressure, almost like facing an Angel, could practically bend their spines.

If this boy were to make a move, they would certainly be powerless to resist. Furthermore, whatever the apostle intends to do, they would undoubtedly accept his actions because they are certainly righteous.

The crew of the Ship of Hope were so captivated by the perfect divine appearance that appeared before them that they even fell into such delusions.

Shinji Ikari didn't target anyone in particular; he simply glanced around the room indifferently before sitting down in Misato Katsuragi's seat. He didn't intentionally take Misato's place; it was just that the seat was at the highest point and offered a panoramic view of the entire three-story command building.

He didn't need to speak; his mere presence was enough to calm everyone down.

Shinji Ikari smiled and glanced sideways at the middle-aged woman sitting next to him, who hadn't stopped working at all because of his arrival. "Oh, Dr. Akagi, your new hairstyle suits you very well."

That was an old friend with short blond hair, Ritsuko Akagi, the former head of NERV's development department. As Shinji Ikari gave her a simple greeting, she couldn't help but turn her office chair to face the familiar yet stereotypical boy in front of her.

"Really? Asuka always says I look too masculine after I cut my hair short." Ritsuko Akagi fiddled with her earrings, tilting her head and smiling at the familiar young man in front of her. "You seem unchanged, but you also seem to have changed a lot. Does your old combat uniform still fit you?"

"It's not bad. Wearing my old clothes occasionally gives me a feeling of going back to the past."

"Could you give me some of your body tissues, such as your teeth or hair?" Ritsuko Akagi asked.

"Why?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

"Although you appear to be the third suitable candidate based on your appearance, you seem to deviate quite a bit from the expected profile. Therefore, we need to carefully compare you with previous samples to confirm your identity."

The boy standing before Ritsuko Akagi possessed a breathtaking presence; she could even sense the divine aura emanating from his muscular, powerful physique. Whether he was human or an apostle, he was an irresistible presence to them, these frail humans.

Or rather, there's no question that he is an apostle.

After Shinji Ikari's last appearance, Ritsuko Akagi knew that the boy she once knew might have become a humanoid Angel. However, seeing such a real person appearing before her brought Ritsuko an unimaginable sense of oppression.

The reason she could speak so calmly with Shinji Ikari was entirely because she was trying her best to imitate Gendo Ikari's demeanor. If she were to actually talk to Shinji Ikari like this, she would probably be crushed by the heavy psychological pressure first.

152: Just like an old friend coming

In this crimson world, time seemed to freeze. Enormous humanoid creatures were solidified in the crimson as if by sculpture, and occasionally, towering figures would wander deep within the black pillar-like barrier, their numbers astonishing.

But in this dangerous place, there is a huge crack, and at the end of the crack, a black, columnar object lifts the current NERV headquarters to the clouds. In the deepest part of this pyramid that still maintains the appearance of the old era, Gendo Ikari, wearing dark red sunglasses, stares at the six blood-red stone tablets before him.

"SEELE still hasn't responded to you?" Fuyutsuki Kozō's voice sounded from behind.

"The Human Instrumentality Project is being carried out according to the Dead Sea Scrolls. They have no need to talk to us." At this moment, all his humanity had been erased, and only pure divinity remained within this body.

The six blood-red stone tablets before him represented the remaining six members of the Human Completion Committee, excluding himself. All the tablets glowed with a blood-red light, proving that they were not dead after fourteen years. They simply refused to speak with him.

“Ikari. Your son, Shinji Ikari, has reappeared,” said Yukimasa Fuyutsuki.

"Let Rei go and pick him up. He's an essential part of the plan, so make sure you bring him back," Gendo Ikari said.

From the perspective of identity, the combination of Rei Ayanami, who carries the soul of Lilith, and Kaworu Nagisa, who carries the soul of Adam, is obviously a better match. But the fact is that no matter how it is adjusted, Shinji Ikari is indispensable.

Whether it's breaking the contract with Lilith and making a pact with Adam; or Unit-01 XIII being a spare for Unit-01; or the choice of who will pilot Unit-01 XIII. But in the end, it all comes back to Shinji Ikari.

He's like an anchor point. No matter how you deviate, you eventually return to things related to him.

“Let me do it. Lilith might not be able to bring Shinji back.” A clear, youthful voice rang out from behind the two old men.

Compared to Fuyutsuki Kosuke and Ikari Gendo standing in the darkness, a silver-haired boy in a white shirt stood in the doorway, bathed in sunlight, holding a large bouquet of lilies.

It seems like it's meant to be given to someone.

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On the shimmering, blood-red sea, two ships on each side cleaved through the waves, escorting the central, god-slaying vessel that carried humanity's last hope. The sky was overcast, dark clouds gradually obscuring the sun. The fleet continued its march as always, unaware of what was unfolding beneath the surface.

"Whether it's Shinji Ikari or not, what can you do now?" Shinji Ikari tapped the table with his index finger.

If conversation were sophisticated, Shinji Ikari would definitely be a stubborn bronze-level player, summarizing the topic in a single sentence. The stark reality before them made them realize their utter helplessness in the face of the boy.

Perhaps Asuka would still be awake at this moment, and she could break the deadlock. Because she can't stand Shinji Ikari's arrogant attitude. She would recklessly rush out to punch Shinji, regardless of whether she could win or not.

But no, the others, even Midori Kitakami who seemed to hate Shinji Ikari the most, just lowered her head and trembled. Because of what happened on Itoman Island, she realized that the boy sitting in the captain's seat really could kill her.

Or perhaps he should have died long ago, but the soldiers who were ordered by him to detain him died in his place. It was both fortunate and cruel.

“Alright, it seems you’re not very interested in talking.” In the command room, Shinji Ikari’s gaze shifted from the short-haired Ritsuko Akagi. “And I’m not happy either. Your words are too cautious, always testing my limits and identity. To avoid things ending badly, let’s each get what we want.”

"How can we each get what we want?" Misato Katsuragi finally spoke.

In this situation, only she is qualified to speak with Shinji Ikari. Anyone else who speaks rashly will only anger him.

"I need you to answer some of my questions. In that case, I'll need you to grant me advanced access to the Three Sages System, and I'll also need a friend to answer some of my questions. In return, I won't interfere," Shinji Ikari smiled.