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

"Do you feel like you're one step closer to heaven, Shinji?"

A gigantic, pale Rei Ayanami, a bleeding planet, countless crosses shooting into the sky, and orange liquid flowing across the world.

Countless souls shrieked in my ears, merging together and becoming indistinguishable from one another. Souls opened themselves to one another, and hearts opened themselves up. There was no longer any distinction between you and me, no longer any secrets.

—But I reject that kind of life. I long for others to understand me, but the feeling of being intertwined with others and becoming one with them still disgusts me.

Humans are like porcupines, covered in quills, wanting to get close for warmth but afraid of hurting each other. Yet, this closeness is when humans feel most at ease.

Everyone has their own secrets, right? Everyone should have an independent self, right?

Even the father, driven mad by his desperate desire to find his mother, harbored a secret about her.

So I refused to complete it, broke away from the one where countless people were intertwined, and became that independent existence, washed ashore on the white sand.

Looking at the nearly destroyed world, and at the girl beside him with lifeless eyes, as if to confirm that he was still alive, he reached out and tightly gripped her neck.

"...That's disgusting."

The harsh words stung his heart, but at this moment he felt incredibly at ease. He was still alive, alive as himself, alive as Shinji Ikari.

They live in a world utterly devoid of life, destroyed by their sins.

This is not Shinji Ikari's memory; he didn't have time to create such a ridiculous and laughable ending of total annihilation in this world.

But Tsurugi awakened this memory in him, forcing him to confront the future that would have happened without Tsurugi.

Shinji Ikari was stunned. Logically speaking, having experienced such a 'rebirth,' Shinji should have embarked on an overpowered life leading to a perfect ending!

Perhaps such a world exists, but since Tsurugi is here, it's unlikely to go in that direction.

Tsugumi awakened some of Shinji's memories of the future, but he was ultimately not a 'reborn' in the true sense, but merely someone who had acquired those future memories. For him, it was nothing more than watching a first-person movie.

Even this memory was deliberately altered by Tsurugi with a touch of mockery.

He was terrified, he was afraid, he cowered. His experience of being abandoned as a child made him instinctively want to run away, but unfortunately, Tsurugi was not the kind of person who would spoil a child.

He then subjected Shinji to a rigorous training regimen that could be described as hellish, both physically and mentally.

Mentally, Tsugumi forces Shinji to confront his omnipresent father in his dreams every day, and then show him the messes he himself has made.

Physically, Tsugumi's training of Shinji was aimed at a level that could kill people.

It must be said that although both are considered useless characters by some, Shinji Ikari is definitely much better than that good-for-nothing guy named Ru.

One is a useless coward with cheat codes and abilities, while the other is a man who appears cowardly but is as tough as steel and always stands up in crucial moments!

Realizing he had nowhere to retreat and understood he had to do something, Shinji Ikari adjusted himself and quickly turned the tide.

It's unclear whether something went wrong during his instruction, but Shinji Ikari has started to idolize Tsugumi.

But that's quite normal.

In his previous understanding, Adam, Eve, Lilith, and the like were simply a group of aliens and biological weapons disguised under religious names.

But Tsugumi's arrival made Shinji truly see that there are angel-like things in the world.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, it's enough for Shinji Ikari, who is eager to find spiritual sustenance.

Tsugumi, with her twisted sense of humor, continued to mold Shinji Ikari in the image of Father Andersen, resulting in this final form.

But it's not bad either; it's much more interesting than the same old shou (bottom) and yang (hero) types.

"Congratulations on finally taking the first step towards atonement. It's something to celebrate." Tsugumi crossed her legs and clapped for Shinji with a smile.

Upon seeing Tsugumi, Shinji's face immediately lit up with joy, then he lowered his head, somewhat unsure of himself.

"Lord Tsugumi...did I do a good enough job?"

"Good, very good. I greatly admire your firm stance." Tsugumi jumped off the cross, smiled, patted Shinji on the shoulder, and said affectionately.

“Even your father should not show any kindness to someone who has committed heinous crimes. Sins must be paid for, and mistakes must be corrected!”

"But in the battle to come, I will not intervene to help you unless absolutely necessary. Are you confident, Shinji, my saint?"

"Your mission is of utmost importance. Only by bringing all the sinners in this world to justice can you atone for your own and your mother's sins!"

Shinji Ikari nodded with utmost seriousness.

359 >>

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360

When he looked up again, Tsurugi had vanished without a trace—he was always like this; Tsurugi could not appear in front of him for long, only when she was guiding him.

Shinji gently pressed his hand to his chest, a sense of loss emanating from him.

The person who descended upon him, Tsurugi, was a stern and devilish Holy Spirit.

But undeniably, he made him feel the meaning of his existence. Like a stern father, he pointed out the path he should take, the correct path of atonement.

He turned around, looking at the small town laughing under the twinkling lights of the night, then back at the simple wooden cross, and finally, he looked towards the brightly lit steel city in the distance.

These self-proclaimed wise men, using supposedly divinely inspired technology, have ruthlessly brought countless sufferings and tragedies upon their fellow citizens.

However, faiths that are outdated in the modern era have united abandoned people to help each other and support each other as they move forward in this difficult world.

Who truly represents humanity's greatness, and who is the most correct?

But in helping these people and uniting them under the banner of a shared faith, Shinji Ikari felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment and responsibility.

Being admired, worshipped, and relied upon—this was a feeling he had never experienced in his 'memories' of piloting EVAs to fight Angels and save the world for Nerv time and time again!

Perhaps this is the right path, and this feeling of being enveloped by belief filled Shinji Ikari with confidence.

He, Shinji Ikari, the one who serves the true angels and messengers of the Lord, the redeemer of Escalius, will never disappoint him!

"Lord, I will surely spread your grace throughout the world, and I will also free the angels imprisoned under the Tower of Babel and save this hopeless world!"

Shinji Ikari gazed at the distant Third New Tokyo City and murmured...

'You have obtained a fragment of the Water Angel Sakiel's genes, unlocked part of the First Progenitor's genetic information, and your power of jealousy has increased!'

In the lava fields of Asama volcano, a newly conceived apostle embryo stirs restlessly, while Tsugumi, who casually transferred her soul to this unborn eighth apostle, tallies her harvest.

"Tsk, is it really necessary to collect them all?" Tsugumi said with some dissatisfaction, fiddling with Sakir, who had been stuffed into the body of a baby penguin doll.

"Coo coo coo~~~"

The little water angel, now only a tiny body and the core of its soul, rolled around in Tsurugi's hands, seemingly very close to him.

And around him were many such little apostles.

That year, he not only controlled Shinji Ikari, turning him into his proxy, but also searched far and wide for the whereabouts of the Angels.

It can be said that he has already controlled all the apostles who have appeared in the story and whose whereabouts have been confirmed.

These Angels who consumed the Fruit of Life possessed formidable physical bodies, but their souls were not necessarily stronger than those of an ordinary human. After all, in the TV series, the Night Angel, which devoured Unit-01 and Shinji Ikari, spent over ten hours failing to break through Yui Ikari's soul defenses within Unit-01 and truly defeat Shinji.

While the Apostles' AT stance was indeed very strong, this stance protection was almost completely ineffective against the infiltration of 'All Spirits', and Tsugumi easily controlled most of the Apostles on Earth.

And for some reason, these little creatures were unusually affectionate towards him.

Unfortunately, controlling them did not allow Tsugumi to fully unlock what she wanted.

The most precious thing these apostles possess is the fruit of life within them—not the bright red core that most closely resembles the concept of 'fruit'.

The so-called Fruit of Life, also known as the S2 mechanism, is a non-material genetic product of the Apostles. These DNA-sized biological superconducting coils, combined with the genetic structure, can generate near-infinite energy by simulating particle annihilation reactions.

It sounds scientific, but Tsurugi doesn't understand it anyway. In short, it's just a simple and straightforward 'unlimited energy'!

Although Dongjiang already has quite a few of these things, who would complain about having too many? Unfortunately, a single apostle cannot obtain all of this organism's genes by using their powers to analyze it, and cannot even access its core information.

Even if Tsugumi had mastered all the Apostles, she still wouldn't be able to truly grasp the true source of the technology behind the S2 organization.

Considering that the creators behind the Apostles, namely the First Ancestor who created Adam and Lilith, are a race with no difference between technology and metaphysics, it is likely that only by analyzing the genes of all the Apostles can Tsugumi obtain what he wants.

After all, what he sought was not merely a mere S2 mechanism.

Revenge must be taken, TuTu must be done, and making profits for oneself cannot be put aside. Killing three birds with one stone, that's what makes it sound!

"No rush, I'll get you bodies that are even more like 'angels' later."

Tsurugi teased the little red apostle, taking it out with a smile.

"You can lead the next scene."

On the road to godhood, there will be endless killing! :253. Shinji Ikari, I really have to control you!

"Let's lift the freeze on Unit 0; we need to invest new resources."

Standing before the yellow giant, bound and sealed by heavy bandages, Gendo Ikari calmly said...

"Is this really appropriate?" Ritsuko Akagi frowned. "Although Rei's health has recovered very well, but..."

“This is necessary.” Gendo Ikari interrupted Ritsuko Akagi, turning around and speaking calmly.

"The third candidate is too uncontrollable. His personality is too unruly. We need more obedient and controllable people to pilot the EVA."

—Is it a bit much for a father to say that his son is too uncontrollable?

Ritsuko Akagi didn't voice her inner thoughts, but simply continued along the line of conversation.

"Your son has demonstrated an unusually strong grasp of AT's position, and the reopening of the investigation into his situation over the past year has yielded results."

Ritsuko Akagi handed over a report signed by Kyoya Kenzaki, head of the First Division of NERV's Intelligence Department. Gendo Ikari glanced at it, his gaze slightly narrowed.

"You mean he's been engaging in religious activities all his free time?"

"It can't really be called a religious activity; to be precise, it was just helping some people who were stranded outside the city..." Ritsuko Akagi carefully chose her words, speaking tactfully.

"Although it is unknown what made him choose to devote himself to the extinct Catholic faith and create such a strange branch, he was mostly just helping these poor people."

"I understand, you may leave." Gendo Ikari closed the report and said calmly.

Shortly after Ritsuko Akagi left, Gendo Ikari immediately entered a sealed, black space. As the door closed, all the light immediately disappeared, and what appeared in front of Gendo Ikari was an image projected into the air.

Five people sat around a long table, surrounding the Human Instrumentality Project conference chairman, Kiro Lorenz, and four members from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. They were the official representatives of the SEELE will, wielding supreme power even within the United Nations.

But in reality, Seele has a total of twelve members of parliament, and the five who appeared are just the five most powerful figures on the surface. It can be said that they have already arbitrarily controlled the entire world.

Gendo Ikari was the last to join, becoming the thirteenth member.

“Ikari, your son’s excellence has truly exceeded our expectations.”

"Defeating the apostle was a prophecy that had been established long ago, but to do it so easily is truly a pleasant surprise for your son."