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

“Of course it makes sense!” she raised her voice. “The strongest pilots deserve the most recognition! Only the strongest pilots deserve—only they deserve—”

"What do you deserve?" Shinji Ikari asked, his tone still gentle.

"I'm worthy... I'm worthy..." Asuka's face flushed even redder. "Anyway, it's very important! Are you going to accept me or not?!"

Shinji Ikari looked at her, his clear eyes filled with no mockery or contempt, only a gentle acceptance and compassion.

It's like a priest looking at a lost lamb, or a father looking at a child who never grows up and throws tantrums.

Asuka felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze, making her feel like an unreasonable child, rendering all her anger and competitiveness meaningless.

"You..." she gritted her teeth, "What kind of look is that!"

Shinji Ikari didn't answer, but simply turned his head slightly to look at her. Sunlight shone from behind him, casting a soft halo around him. The cross on his chest swayed gently, reflecting a warm light.

“Miss Shikibo,” he finally spoke, his voice soft, like the wind rustling through leaves, “you have worked very hard.”

"You're a hard-working person," Shinji Ikari continued. "You work very hard to prove yourself. You work very hard to become the best. Explore the infinite possibilities of the heavens, all at http://

“But,” he said softly, “you don’t have to try so hard.”

"What do you know?!" Asuka suddenly exploded.

Her voice boomed across the square, startling the pigeons on the rooftops. Her face flushed crimson, and her eyes practically blazed with fire.

"You know nothing! What gives you the right to say that! Who do you think you are?! You've only won two battles! You're just—you're just someone He chose—"

Shinji Ikari was initially taken aback, unsure of what he had done to offend Asuka. But upon hearing her mention Him again, in an instant, Shinji seemed to understand something, his eyes lighting up as he grabbed Asuka's hand.

"So you were also chosen by Lord Tsugumi!"

Having said that, ignoring Asuka's objections, he dragged her into the church and spoke to her in a very enthusiastic tone.

"Come, come, let me tell you all about our great Holy Spirit and Savior..."

"Asuka, is she alright?" Misato Katsuragi asked worriedly, looking at the town entrance that hadn't moved for a while.

As soon as she finished speaking, Asuka staggered out of the town. Misato Katsuragi immediately went to meet her and found that Asuka was muttering something to herself as she walked.

"Is everything alright, Asuka? Shinji shouldn't have done anything to you..."

Asuka shook her head, then raised it and said with grief and indignation.

"Three hours! He chanted scriptures to me for a full three hours!!!"

Yes, when the adventurous Asuka was dragged to the church by Shinji Ikari, she was met with a three-hour religious brainwashing session.

Although Asuka felt that she was Tsugumi's most beloved child, she now had to admit that at this moment, Shinji Ikari was stronger!

You just wait, I, Shikimura Asuka Langley Soryu, will definitely be back!!!

I will soon prove that I, Asuka, am Father's most beloved child!!!

With a disheveled Asuka in tow, Tsugumi sat on the cross, watching the retreating figure of the girl who had been so abrupt and fatherly tormentor, before looking up at the starry sky.

What a beautiful day! But why does it feel like the evil in this world has become even more intense?

Tsugumi sniffed. Why was the smell of evil so strong that he could clearly smell it now? What exactly were the people of this world, or rather, the bastards of SEELE, doing behind his back?

Or perhaps, what terrible things had these damned humans in this already damned world done before he arrived?

I don't know, I'm not sure, but this sin will probably haunt me soon—after all, this world itself is a huge heresy!

In fact, although the entire story of the EVA world may seem to have elements of Catholicism and biblical stories, this world can actually be regarded as a huge hodgepodge of Gnostic heretical doctrines.

In particular, the SEELE organization serves as the main 'villain' and is central to the plot.

The word "SEELE" itself means "soul" in German, but this "soul" refers not only to the human soul itself, but also to the core of a person's fundamental ideas or actions. Marx elaborated on this latter, more profound meaning, using it to describe the essential spirit of capitalism, which can therefore also be translated as "the whole spirit."

Therefore, SEELE can also be understood as the Seat of the Soul, which is the meaning of a collective noun in religion. Its meaning can be traced back to the Babylonian myth of Kingu, the second husband of the creator goddess Marduk, who was defeated and killed by the chief god, and used his material to create all mankind.

Because of this act, every human being possesses a separate divinity, that is, a soul. Only through complete unity can a single god be formed, a defeated god.

This is why God destroyed the Tower of Babel, which united humanity, and caused them to speak different languages, because a unified humanity would become one.

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The Lord believed God to be a defeated god, and thus a demon in God's eyes. Therefore, from the moment of birth, humanity bears the original sin of rebellion against God, which it must atone for.

The reason why SEELE is considered a massive Gnostic heresy is because the entire story perfectly fits the meaning of this sect, which once rivaled Christianity in its early days but was later condemned as a complete heretic.

So where does Gnostic heresy lie?

It says Jehovah is an evil god.

To be precise, this self-proclaimed branch of Christianity believes that the soul of the Mother Goddess after her death guided people to wisdom, thus enabling them to break free from the bondage of God.

The Mother Goddess sent Jesus to guide the world, which had been misled by Jehovah, and to make people believe that this goddess 'Sophia' was Jehovah's mother, that the Mother Goddess who created the world was the true ruler of the world, and that Jehovah was just a deceitful thief.

A religious branch that directly condemns the Father to be a demon, while elevating the Mother Goddess in mythology, who was beaten by God, to a divine altar, is no ordinary heresy!

Moreover, the very core concept of the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' originates from Kabbalah, a form of esoteric Buddhism that is actually an open secret religion. Or perhaps it can only be considered a form of biblical exegesis within Catholicism. To learn Kabbalah, one only needs to be Jewish; there are no other restrictions.

However, if you have any knowledge of Catholic or Protestant biblical exegesis, or even just a basic understanding of the fundamental tenets of orthodox religions, you will find that Kabbalah esotericism cites countless apocryphal texts, heresies, and other cults.

It can be described as heresy among heresies, and false scripture among false scriptures.

If you ask why these things are so heretical, you can only say that Gnosticism is a heretical sect that has drawn heavily on and reinterpreted the Jewish Old Testament tradition, combined with Greek philosophy and Eastern mysticism.

You can absolutely say that this thing originated from those Jews.

And then consider that the entire organization SEELE was founded on the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Jews, haha, doesn't it suddenly seem quite reasonable!

Tsurugi wasn't really concerned about these things; whether someone was a heretic or not was irrelevant to him.

But this world built on Gnosticism really made him feel very uncomfortable and disgusted!

But at that moment, Tsuruga did not realize that the evil he perceived was far from the limit of humanity in this world.

In a corner he couldn't see, or rather, a force prevented him from seeing, an even more nauseating evil was unfolding.

Even on the path to godhood, there will be endless killing! : 261. The Imprisoned 'Angel'

[Found...Miri...Go find...the church]

I... am still alive... save Him... He is... the key.

I am...in...the...underground...of...the...ruins of Rome

Misato Katsuragi woke up screaming from her dream.

NERV's field commander gasped for breath, her sensitive nerves tormented by intense thirst. She staggered to her feet, stumbling across the living room, which was practically a ruin, and picked up a half-washed glass to fill it with water from the tap.

Glug glug glug~~~

She gulped down the water, and as the cool tap water slid down her throat into her stomach, Misato Katsuragi's thirst was barely relieved, and she finally felt like she had come back to life.

As if utterly exhausted, she slumped lazily in the living room, which resembled ruins, staring at the dimly lit bulb above her head, holding her forehead in silence for a long time.

"Gurgle, gurgle?"

The refrigerator door opened, and a penguin cautiously peeked out, then jumped out worriedly and pattered to Misato Katsuragi's side.

"Panpan~~~~" Misato Katsuragi hugged her little pet tightly, buried her head in its fluffy body, and took a deep breath.

Misato Katsuragi, having calmed herself down by petting her pet, tilted her head back blankly. What had she just dreamt about? (Book Club Forum - Dedicated to providing the most comfortable reading experience.)

I can't remember exactly what I dreamt about, but the words I heard were very clear.

Whom are we looking for? Whom are we rescuing? Is she still alive? Underground, faith, ruins.

It's such a mess! Can't they just say things clearly?

But she had no idea what she was dreaming about. Looking out at the dark night, she glanced at the time, which was a little past four in the morning.

If I go there now... I should be able to get back to work in time.

I just don't know if the priest sleeps at night.

Italy, Rome, deep underground

The Vatican, along with Rome and half of Italy, was destroyed in the Second Impact, or rather, someone took advantage of the disaster and slaughtered the core of Catholicism fifteen years ago.

Countless precious books and relics have long been looted, and now only ruins remain, which are rarely visited by anyone.

So naturally, no one would bother to explore what lies buried beneath these deep ruins.

Please...don't...do this!

I am here to save you!

This... really... hurts!

"Sample #7 has been secured to the main control panel. Vital signs are stable, and the patient is conscious. The back has been forcibly extended and secured to the auxiliary support. It exhibits a rare warm golden sheen. The sample's emotional state is 'sadness,' and there has been no violent resistance. Today's objective: to collect live tissue from the scapular junction for inoculation with fusion culture medium."

The first incision, approximately 14 centimeters long, was made on the right side. The subcutaneous tissue exhibited a structure completely different from human anatomy, and deep muscle dissection was underway. The blade encountered resistance...

"Sample #7 showed a violent reaction to LCL solution after flesh separation, and exhibited some fusion after implantation into human cell tissue. A second experiment is requested to use Apostle Tissue Cells..."

"The experiment was a great success. After multiple control trials, the flesh and blood of sample #7 can produce an excellent chimerism effect between human cells and apostle cells. Side effects are unknown. We are applying to conduct in vivo experiments..."

In the dimly lit room, researchers dressed in heavy white lab coats were busily working around the same object.

They looked extremely tired, as if they hadn't had a proper rest in a long time. The table was covered with energy drinks and other stimulants, but everyone appeared energetic.

On the back of their clothes was a pattern of seven eyes and a snake entwined around an apple, which represented the symbol of stealing the fruit of the gods and comparing themselves to gods.

This is a symbol called SEELE.

Please...stop...this is...saving you!

Surrounded by people in white coats, something let out a weak but painful plea. As the chainsaw cut and the blade slashed, one of the people in a white coat quickly left, holding a piece of white, flesh-like substance that gleamed white.

I...love...humans...please...not

No one answered the voice; everyone was busy with their heads down, exhausted yet excited, exchanging countless whispers about scientific principles and the thrill of stealing divine power.

They are doing this for humanity; they are saving humanity! They are finding a way to save humanity from an inevitable catastrophe!

And the source of this method is—

It seemed that some important person had arrived, and the scientists quickly retreated. As the crowd withdrew, the things in the center were finally exposed.

It was a chilling 'corpse'.

He lay on his back, his body twisted at an impossible angle. The right half of his body was ruined—from his shoulder to his waist, the skin a deathly gray, cracked with countless fine lines, like a dried-up riverbed. The cracks were deep.

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