Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

If my blood can cleanse their sins, then let me shed it all, and leave not a drop.

Just as you crucified your beloved son because of my transgressions, now cover their transgressions with my shame.

Shinji Ikari murmured a psalm that did not belong to any Bible, and he stepped out of the towering Cross of Light. Under the light that pierced the night, he manipulated the colossal giant into a kneeling posture.

This scene was deeply imprinted in the eyes of every Nerv member. Even Gendo Ikari couldn't help but soften his breathing, as if unwilling to break this sacred moment.

It wasn't until Unit-01 completely lost power and came to a standstill that Misato Katsuragi, as if waking from a dream, ordered the recovery of Unit-01.

Inside the command center, cheers erupted as they defeated the first invading Angel, and applause was given to the young warrior who had achieved such a victory in his first battle, even though they couldn't understand Shinji Ikari's seemingly magical performance.

But with the Angel right in front of them, they simply didn't have time to think about that. Now that they had time, many researchers were practically beaming with excitement, eagerly awaiting to examine Shinji Ikari's body!

However, from a higher vantage point, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki Kozo's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Gendo Ikari, who remained silent beside him, his hand still pressed against his nose.

"This is truly an unexpected performance. I must say, he is indeed worthy of being Ikari-kun's son."

"But such proficiency in using AT fields cannot be mastered through daily training, and it doesn't even seem like something a human could learn. And what about those strange 'magic tricks'? Won't the elders at Seele have any objections to this?"

"As long as we can eliminate the Angels as the script suggests, they won't do anything more," Gendo Ikari said in a deep voice.

"Victory is only to be expected!"

The cunning Gendo Ikari was well aware of the inevitable victory that Unit-01 would achieve, because even if his son was a useless person, his mother and wife would spontaneously tear apart anything that tried to harm their son.

Ultimately, his plan was simply to have his son act as a living, wet component inside Unit-01 to ensure its activation. He even had the idea of ​​completely abandoning Shinji after developing the puppet system.

This ridiculous man was jealous of his wife's love for their son, but he never expected that his wife's love for their son was so profound that she would not hesitate to sacrifice her life, nor would she hesitate to leave him, her husband.

But Shinji's unusual and powerful transformation made the plan seem bizarre—Gendo Ikari hated anything that deviated from the plan, especially this incomprehensible power!

—It seems we need to strengthen our ties with Li and send the second suitable candidate as soon as possible.

Pieces that cannot be controlled should not be allowed to occupy too much space on the board!

Gendo Ikari was thinking to himself, while Shinji Ikari, who had already left Unit-01, walked calmly to the foot of Gendo Ikari's platform amidst cheers, applause and stares from the crowd, refusing the doctors and researchers who came up to examine him.

358

"Speak, what do you want?" Gendo Ikari looked down at his son, seemingly regaining his dignity as a father.

"Money, food, resources."

Shinji Ikari gazed at his father, suppressing the agitation he felt when facing him alone, but the request he made yielded a startling answer.

"How much do you want?"

Gendo Ikari seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, after all, these things wouldn't be a problem for him—for NERV, which can access the world's resources, as long as the excuse is right, money and resources are as plentiful as they want.

Then Shinji Ikari announced an astronomical number, and Misato Katsuragi, standing next to him, gasped and exclaimed...

"Shinji-kun! I won't even mention how much money you want, but what do you need so much food for? You could never eat it all in your lifetime!"

After saying this, Misato Katsuragi was met with stares from her best friend and Shinji as if they were looking at her like she was crazy. Realizing what had happened, Misato blushed and whispered...

"Shinji, you wouldn't happen to be...?"

"Just providing aid." Shinji Ikari's fingers twirled the gleaming silver cross on his chest as he looked at everyone present and said softly.

"Help those lost, innocent lambs, help those far from the city, help those who are not included in your salvation plan."

“God loves the world, and I will also do this righteous thing. I will walk among them, far away from the Tower of Babel.”

For some reason, the gaze of this fourteen-year-old boy possessed a clarity and compassion far beyond his years. The moment he looked at them, countless people in the Nerv lowered their heads in shame.

“Okay, but from then on…” Gendo Ikari was about to agree when Shinji Ikari interrupted him.

He looked at his father and gritted his teeth.

“I will never join this Tower of Babel, which is full of evil. I will help you drive out the apostles, but I will put a price tag on each one!”

"We spare no expense in redeeming good people, but we must pay a price for helping evil people!"

Gendo Ikari and Misato Katsuragi were about to open their mouths and categorically reject this absurd claim—Nerv was a secret organization, a semi-military organization, and EVA was a rare secret weapon for decisive battles! He had to join Nerv; this was a demand that could not be refused!

However, they all seemed to deliberately ignore the fact that Shinji Ikari was a fourteen-year-old boy, and their conscription of him was not legitimate. Moreover—it seems that they did not issue Shinji Ikari a military rank, nor did they provide him with any allowances or wages.

Tsk tsk tsk, NERV is truly heartless. They make kids work for them illegally, and then they don't even plan to pay them!

Shinji Ikari is no longer that love-starved child; it's absolutely impossible for this unscrupulous company to exploit him for free. His value in the political arena is earned through force! As for using violence to subdue him...

Haha, come on if you dare!

"You know where I live, so please bring me what I need!"

Shinji Ikari took out the Bible, flicked his wrist, and amidst countless glowing Bible pages fluttering in the air, he vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a wildly arrogant statement.

"Amen!!!"

In the mountains outside the Third New Tokyo City, there is a forgotten church.

To say it was forgotten might not be accurate; at least according to survivors in the surrounding area, it was never forgotten. The Second World War fifteen years ago destroyed most of the buildings in this town, formerly known as Hakone, but this stone church miraculously survived.

Although half of the roof collapsed and most of the stained glass was shattered, the main structure remained sturdy.

As the pages of the Bible fluttered down, Shinji Ikari returned to this place.

He moved here from his relatives' house more than half a year ago. Of course, he also had to return to being monitored from time to time, which is why he has not been discovered for a year.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the broken rose window into the church, casting dappled shadows on the floor. The incomplete portraits of saints seemed to come alive in the slanting sunlight, their empty eye sockets gazing down at the worshippers below.

They call themselves believers, but they are really just a group of homeless and pitiful people.

The church pews had long been removed, and the space was filled with all sorts of supplies. Dozens of civilians stood among them, including the elderly, women, and mostly children. Hearing the door open, they all looked up, their cloudy eyes instantly lighting up.

"The priest is back!"

A little girl cried out first, and she took off running towards the door, but was grabbed by her mother. The woman hurriedly tidied her disheveled hair and pressed her daughter's shoulder to prevent her from bumping into the adults.

Shinji Ikari's glasses had been removed, revealing his eyes, which had been somewhat blurry from wearing non-prescription glasses for a long time. His eyes held weariness, the bloodstains of the battlefield, but even more so, gentleness.

A gentle smile that you would never find in NERV.

"I am back."

He spoke softly, his voice not loud, yet it silenced the entire church. Then, like a pebble thrown into still water, ripples spread outwards.

Even on the path to godhood, there must be killing! : 252. Compassion and a Bloodstained Dream

"Father!"

"I'm so glad you're alright!"

"There's been a lot of commotion in the city today, we're all worried..."

When Shinji returned, people gathered around him, but then stopped abruptly two steps away. It wasn't out of fear, but out of respect, as if they were facing a truly holy and great person, not to be profaned.

With a gentle smile, Shinji Ikari pinched the cheek of the girl who had tried to rush over, then walked through the crowd to the altar at the deepest part of the church.

The cross on the altar was long gone, replaced by a simple wooden cross, nailed together by Shinji Ikari himself. Beneath the cross were piles of supplies—rice, flour, canned goods, and bundles of old clothes and blankets.

It's clear that their lives are very difficult.

But this is the norm. Or rather, even today, after the disaster fifteen years ago, humanity has still not recovered from that terrible catastrophe.

The destruction caused by the Second Impact was close to apocalyptic. Its destructive power was not only due to the people killed by Adam's anti-AT stance, but also due to the disasters caused by the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and the shift of the Earth's axis!

First, coastal cities in various countries were submerged, followed by worldwide earthquakes caused by violent geological changes. Countries were in chaos, and governments were on the verge of collapse.

Oh, and the winters that were taken away, due to global warming caused by Antarctic melting and the Earth's axial tilt, some of the original temperate regions were directly...

358 >>

It's become a living hell!

The old man who orchestrated all of this wanted this situation. He used it to seize power in the world and turn almost all the leaders of the countries rebuilding after the disaster into part of their Human Instrumentality Project.

Those who lost their homes in the disaster wandered in the ruins of the city, and even after fifteen years, the world has not been rebuilt at all.

Seele has concentrated almost all its resources on developing its military power and EVA, to the point that the ruins of the city still stand to this day. As for the people's livelihood? They don't care at all!

The impact of the Second Impact caused many lands around the world to lose their ability to grow food, so the current number of three billion is actually the limit of the planet's carrying capacity!

Therefore, far too many people are not even qualified to live in a 'good place' like Tokyo-3. They can only wander on the edge of the city and in deserted ruins, surviving among countless outlaws and ruins.

They live in a hopeless environment, on one hand...

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359

Humanity's elite use alien technology to create all sorts of miraculous technological creations, while on the other side of the wall, a group of children are starving to death every moment, and children sell themselves to survive, abandoning all shame.

The town surrounding this small church is home to nearly a thousand people, all of whom are homeless and wandering. They live near Tokyo-3, yet can only gaze at that technologically advanced city from afar; they are not even allowed to approach the border.

“Father, we old folks have discussed it and decided to leave together before winter arrives…”

An elderly woman, trembling with fear, approached Shinji and took his hand, saying that they were leaving this place not for any other reason than to ensure their family could have more food to eat.

Their lives have come to an end; more food and resources should be given to more promising young people.

This is certainly contrary to human ethics, but it is indeed a wise choice made by humans as biological beings when faced with a harsh environment.

Shinji glanced at them; their silent bodies trembled slightly. Shinji gently took her wrinkled hand and said softly...

"No need for that, Grandma Yuhua, and all the grandpas and grandmas. You don't need to worry about the food problem. Soon we will have plenty of food here."

"I will also lead everyone to build a better home." Shinji stood up, looked at the people, and said in a gentle voice.

"The future will be better, please believe me. I will not deceive you, please believe us."

The people in the church looked at the handsome young priest before them and believed him, of course they believed Shinji's words!

Because it was this very young man who had traversed those dangerous and desolate places, and it was he who united them, using his inexplicable charm to bind them together under one faith.

The boy with incredible power might truly be a messenger of God.

At least compared to the governments that abandoned them, these scattered, unrecognized poor people were more willing to believe in him.

The old woman beside him was in tears. Shinji reached out and supported her trembling shoulders, gently patting her back. He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the tears on the old woman's face, speaking softly.

"Alright, alright, it's nothing now," he said. "You and the other elderly folks can take an extra portion of rice and noodles later. Summer is almost here, so take care of yourselves. I'll check your legs later."

The old woman nodded vigorously, and after comforting and seeing the people off, Shinji let out a sigh of relief, knelt down facing the cross, and prayed softly.

"How are you feeling? How does life here compare to the future where you were surrounded by beautiful girls in Nerv?"

A voice filled with interest rang out in front of Shinji. He looked up and saw the handsome, black-haired angel sitting on the cross, swinging his legs beneath his white robe, and smiling slightly at him.