EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 33 32. Because I am Shinji Ikari

The break wasn't long.

Misato Katsuragi explained to the two pilots what to do next.

"Positron cannon?"

"Yes."

Misato Katsuragi explained the use of this new weapon.

On the top of a mountain at a certain distance from the apostles, a large-scale technological weapon called a positron cannon was deployed. Although it is difficult to move, it can gather the electricity of the entire Japan and use its extremely powerful force to forcibly break through the apostles' AT force field and then destroy the core.

Commonly known as the force that makes bricks fly.

"Ms. Misato, I have a question."

Shinji Ikari raised his hand like a student asking a question.

"please say."

"Can't we use the computer in the headquarters to pull the trigger? If we use a computer, it will be more accurate than a person, right?"

"This is a newly developed weapon. It has not yet been connected to the computer."

How new is it? By the way, where did such a powerful weapon come from?

Why haven't I seen this before, Ikari Shinji thought quietly.

but.

Such a bulky weapon.

It is only effective against apostles like these who are just digging holes in the same place and not moving at all.

"Shinji-kun, you will pilot Unit-01 with a special shield to defend against possible counterattacks from the Angels." The female captain looked at the two pilots, "Asuka will pilot Unit-02 to deliver the crucial blow."

Ikari Shinji nodded.

She then warned:
"Asuka, since the firing of the positron cannon will be affected by the rotation of the earth, the magnetic field, and gravity, it will not move in a straight line. Don't forget to correct these errors and accurately penetrate its core."

"I know. Shooting is a piece of cake for me."

"Don't underestimate the apostles."

After the two left.

The only sounds left in the command room were the staff's reports.

Suddenly a question was raised.

"is this okay?"

The blonde woman in a white coat was looking at the scene in the command room leisurely.
"Shinji-kun's synchronization rate is much higher than Asuka's. The person operating the trigger needs to have higher precision when aiming, and only a pilot with a higher synchronization rate can do it."

"I know that, but if we leave the defense to Asuka, it will be difficult to handle the follow-up."

Misato Katsuragi thought of that proud girl.

She had a headache.

"If it doesn't work, just fire a few more rounds. You said before that Shinji-kun is quite capable and asked me to trust him more. Now I have to say it back to you. Trust Asuka more. The strength of the European Air Force ace should not be underestimated. He will definitely not lag behind in pulling the trigger. The pilots only need to fight, and those of us in the rear have a lot to consider."

"I think you trust Shinji-kun more now." Ritsuko Akagi said casually.

"..."

Ok.

Totally seen through.

It is precisely because Shinji has always been so reassuring that she wants to give Asuka more opportunities.

Misato Katsuragi looked back at the repeated downward drilling of the Angels on the screen. It was as if they were looking for something. Even the dumbest person would react after encountering the same thing three times in a row... She fell into deep thought.
"By the way, Ritsuko."

"Ok?"

"No, it's nothing."

In any case, since she is the Minister of Operations, she should take responsibility first and cannot fail.

……

……

The first battle failed.

My whole body still hurts. I'm so depressed.

Asuka thought so.

At this moment, she even had some unspeakable hope. It would be best if someone… for example, a minor character who only appeared in one or two episodes in a TV series, jumped out from a corner that no one noticed and laughed loudly at the failure of the protagonist. She would be very angry and maybe lose her mind. But then she could naturally fight back, vent her frustration, and then hit back the ridicule after the battle.

She glanced at Shinji Ikari, but he ignored her. Instead, Asuka felt a little disgusted by her own idea.

Both were waiting for the positron cannon to be completed.

That boy.

He looked at the apostles who were still drilling into the underground city in the distance, wondering what they were thinking.

This is the third apostle.

Shinji Ikari thought that there might be more Angels coming. Unit-0 is already able to start up, and Unit-02 has also come to Japan for support. Even if he is temporarily missing, it shouldn't be a problem. He originally drove Unit-01 only because it was a matter of life and death, and for the responsibility on his shoulders.

later.

The confusion of having just returned from another world made me drift.

Because Rei Ayanami is still injured and I am the only pilot, I can't just give up.

But after piloting Unit-01...

far away.

The positron cannon is drawing power.

The lights of the entire city gradually went out, losing its vitality, and the Third New Tokyo City seemed to have fallen into a dead silence. It was a rare spectacle. The lights of human civilization temporarily disappeared at this moment, and a desolate atmosphere came, reminding people of the loneliness in the distant ancient times when there was no human being.

If I stop here, maybe the lights in this city will never be turned on again, maybe I will never see those people I know again, and maybe I will miss the meal with everyone.

The two machines are in their respective positions.

Everything is ready.

The positron cannon on the mountain began to charge, and a few seconds before it was about to fire, someone suddenly reported, "——There is a high-energy reaction in the apostle's body!"

Misato Katsuragi in the command room changed color.

"This is……"

It was like a repeat of what happened before.

Before the positron cannon was fully ready, the apostle launched an attack, completely disregarding the turn-based rules.

At that moment, the blue octahedron apostle's charged attack had arrived.

Unit-01 stood in front of the mountain and held up its shield.

It's incredibly hot.

As soon as the particle cannon hit the special shield, the whole mountain shook due to the strong impact. Shinji Ikari could feel as if his hand was holding something hot. Fortunately, the shield might have been specially treated for heat conduction and could barely withstand the heat. However, he soon discovered that the body of Unit-01 was being melted along with the shield.

There was a sizzling sound of skin being burned, and Shinji Ikari seemed to be able to smell the burnt smell.

Familiar pain.

He did not urge them in the communication channel, but continued silently. He could not distract the attention of his teammates and snipers in the back at this time. And just a few seconds later, a strong light came out of the muzzle of the positron cannon. Asuka controlled Unit 2 and pressed the trigger. A beam of light rushed straight to the apostle, blazing like the sun in the dark Third New Tokyo City. The confident first strike of the European ace -

——Missed.

The first shot.

Just hit the edge of it.

It seemed that the apostle's attack just now caused a strong interference and the whole mountain was shaking. This was an understandable mistake, and even Shinji Ikari, who was carrying it in the front, could understand it. Even so, he still grimaced in pain.

But Asuka doesn't seem to think so.

"I'll destroy this damn thing with the second shot!"

She shouted defiantly into the communication channel.

So the positron cannon was immediately reloaded.

The twenty-second reloading time passed in a flash, but to Shinji Ikari, it seemed like a very long period of torture. During this period, the Angel's particle cannon never stopped. He felt that the shield might have completely melted. Now it was entirely up to Unit-01 itself to hold on. He felt like he was taking a bath in boiling water.

It hurts so much, he thought unconsciously, what is that guy doing, why doesn't he fire the second shot -

Second shot!
The positron cannon fired an attack with a slightly different trajectory from the previous one. The bright beam of light made the distance between the entire mountain and the apostle as bright as day. This time Asuka had taken the deviation value into account. She was absolutely confident that if the apostle did not abandon the drill under it and remained motionless, this shot would definitely hit the target.

Everyone in the command room subconsciously held their breath, and everyone was looking forward to the result.

The third round is also being loaded.

Regardless of whether the last shot was successful or not, we must be prepared to save the situation in the event of failure. And it all depends on the trigger in the hands of the European ace... Can that girl do that, hit the target with just two shots?
But Ikari Shinji already knew the result.

because--

The pain did not intensify, and the blue octahedron apostle stopped all movements. It seemed that it had never given up the drill below, even at the cost of its life.

Cheers broke out in an instant.

apostle.

——annihilate!
Compared with the previous two apostles, this time the apostles do not need to fight life and death at close range.

It was too easy to destroy it from a distance using a positron cannon. Shinji Ikari took a deep look at the remains of the Angel in Unit-01. The drill was like a nail that imprisoned it in place, which also led to its easy destruction. It was a bit too weird.

The two EVAs completed their respective tasks.

Shinji Ikari came out of the cockpit and watched the transport personnel busying around.

At this time, he saw the face of an exquisite Eastern European girl, it was Asuka. She looked hurried, with a little sweat on her pretty face.

Both of them looked at their EVA bodies.

He suddenly said,

"About the question you asked me before."

"W-what?" Asuka asked confusedly.

"At first, there were no other drivers, so I had to take over. I treated it as an unavoidable job."

"Work?"

Shinji Ikari complained without hesitation,

"That's right, driving an EVA is a never-ending job. You won't get a promotion or a raise even if you do your best. You can't escape or ask for leave. There are life-threatening situations but no days off. You spend all day in the LCL. You might get rheumatism when you get old. Even the working hours are irregular. Working in the early morning like now will probably be a common occurrence in the future, which will seriously affect the health of young people."

"It's meaningless to try to show off your talents in this area."

The German lady's face wrinkled.

No wonder.

The things I have always insisted on were denied by someone I just met and even hate a little.

She wondered if this person was looking for a fight with her.

"When I was young, I watched an animation on TV. It was a story about a common villain who wanted to destroy the world and the protagonists who wanted to save the world. I was very addicted to that animation..."

"Are you some kind of baby who hasn't been weaned yet?"

"Shut up and listen to me."

He said.

These words.

Perhaps I can only speak out without restraint when facing the unfamiliar Asuka.

If the person he was facing was Ayanami Rei, he would just smile at the girl and say, "Leave it to me, don't worry, I will protect you"; or if he was facing people like Katsuragi Misato, Akagi Ritsuko, Suzuhara Sakura, Touji, Kensuke, he would just say, "Please trust me"; and when facing Ikari Gendo, he would remain silent.

"..."

"When I watched the animation at that time, I also wanted to be a hero who saved the world, but later I found that there is no big devil in the real world. In reality, I am just an ordinary, lonely person. Even if I was put into that animation, I would just be a simple passerby character."

"Until then, I always thought I was a very special person,"

"But at that moment, I realized that things were not like that at all. I didn't have a mother, my father didn't want me anymore, and no one needed me to be a hero. When I realized this, I suddenly felt so lonely. Everyone has their own family, only I don't have a home. Everyone is living an extraordinary and interesting life, only I am alone playing with myself,
I want to escape from this kind of life.
I want to live a different life.

I know that there are so many people in this world, and there must be people among them who live extraordinary and interesting lives, but why not me? "

This world is so boring.

There are no half-bloods, no Cassel, no Dragon King, no respectable teachers and reliable predecessors.

but--

With the presence of apostles and EVA, one has his own exclusive responsibilities.

"Why can't that person be me? Why can't it be Ikari Shinji?"

"So because I'm Shinji Ikari," he said firmly, "I'm one of only three people in the world who are qualified to pilot EVA. I have to pilot Unit-01, just like a hero defeating a great devil. I have to face reality. This is real. It's my responsibility. If I can't defeat the Angel here, the human beings in this world, including those I know, will really be destroyed. If not today, then in the next Angel's attack."

“Maybe this is what’s called a hero complex.”

"When I see those innocent people who were saved, see them smile at me, and see their gratitude towards me, I will be spiritually satisfied. I have been driving EVA until now just for this reason."

After this long speech that sounded like a university lecture.

There was a long silence.

Asuka was stunned for a moment.

She suddenly showed a relaxed and playful smile, and Shinji Ikari only then realized that this girl was quite cute without that arrogant attitude.

She laughed and scolded,
"Are you stupid? Why are you suddenly saying something so cool and serious?"

There is another plan behind Ayanami’s smile, which I won’t spoil here.

Thanks for the monthly ticket that is not available yet, and thanks to King Julande for the monthly ticket.

This chapter is almost 4k words.

I haven't found any information about the ESV shield of Unit 0, so I will temporarily refer to it as a heat-resistant special shield. If anyone knows, please tell me. I will change it.

Fuck, Neon Genesis Evangelion Company is bankrupt

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(End of this chapter)