Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

But the protagonist of the story is not Moses, nor Ramses II, but Nefertari, Ramses' favorite wife. The story recounts how, as a member of the royal family, she disagreed with the Pharaoh's system of treating all people as private property, and chose to marry the young Ramses to change his mind.

The final outcome was naturally a happy family reunion. A significant change was made to the character of Moses, who was also a woman and loved Nefertari, her close friend. The story concludes with Moses understanding Nefertari's feelings and offering her a blessing.

The queen was elegant, charming, and lovely; she was the most beautiful and graceful singer among all the queens after Upper and Lower Egypt.

All your commands will be obeyed, and all good things will be as you wish.

Your words bring satisfaction, and your voice is pleasing to all.

Of course, historically this blessing originated from Ramses II, but in the stage play, it seems that to emphasize Moses's unrequited love, it was changed to her offering this blessing of wishing them a happy marriage.

The lights dimmed, the curtain fell, and the lead actors bowed slightly to their respective sides before exiting the stage. Those who hadn't had time to present flowers threw their bouquets up, which landed on the gold and red curtain. They called out Qin Yin's name.

Incidentally, Ryoumi Kotone, played by Nefertari, is also his classmate. Looking at that girl with a face similar to his own, Shinji Ikari couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Could it be that his face, like Takeuchi's next door, also carries some kind of meme? Why are they everywhere?

"You mean Ramses II and Moses were friends in this play?" Shinji Ikari turned to look at Mari Makinami.

"In their youth, Ramses II and Moses were certainly friends. It was only later, due to differing moral principles, that they parted ways." Mari lay on the sofa, tapping her legs together. "Thinking back to their first meeting, the excitement is still there, as clear as the rings of a tree. That woman named Nefertari was a torch that ignited the flame in their hearts."

“But in reality, the three of them have absolutely no connection,” Shinji Ikari said.

“Not entirely. At least Moses and Ramses’ daughter had a good relationship. There are rumors that the sage eventually married his daughter.” Mari winked at Shinji Ikari.

A light rain fell over New Tokyo, but the music in the dance halls continued unabated.

Mari is soft and warm, and the collar of her shirt exudes the scent of high-end perfume. Compared to the girls in school, she is much better. Asuka is independent and unconventional, but she can still send an adult man flying and crashing into a wall with a side kick.

When they parted, Mari kissed the boy's cheek and then waved goodbye.

Shinji Ikari touched his cheek where he had been kissed, wondering if he had been flirted with.

Two days of calm followed, and on August 29th, Misato Katsuragi received another message from the Uterus Angel.

It's still in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Japan and northeast of Hawaii.

A giant, bright yellow transport plane departed from Yokohama Port, sweeping over the town below like a behemoth, crossing the sea, and soon the outline of the United Nations fleet came into view in the distance.

Although Misato Katsuragi respects Shinji Ikari's choice, when facing the Angels, she still has to place him in the first battle order. Past battles have proven one thing: without Shinji Ikari, nothing can be done.

“At least when it comes to the unique ability of the Uterus Angel to erode the body and fuse with EVA, only Shinji Ikari can handle it alone,” Ritsuko Akagi said from the side. “Although we don’t know if it’s because he is a biological male, we have to take it seriously. Nobody wants the tragedy of the Araragi Angel to happen again.”

The Seraphim is a lingering shadow for both NERV and Neo-Tokyo. It not only caused irreparable damage to Neo-Tokyo III and Neo-Tokyo II, but also caused NERV to forever lose Unit-03 and the Fourth Child, Toji Suzuhara.

Misato Katsuragi sat in the passenger seat, her long hair flowing in the sea breeze.

"This place must be familiar to you and Asuka, right?" Misato Katsuragi turned to look at Shinji Ikari sitting in the back row. Of course, Asuka wasn't there.

Shinji Ikari lowered his eyes, gazing at the familiar UN fleet in the distance. Five aircraft carriers and four battleships—they've recovered quite quickly.

"It's still because of the Fish Angel, isn't it? We should have thought of that a long time ago," Shinji Ikari said.

When the Uterus Angel encountered the seabed west of Cape Shio at the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, it was not necessarily a coincidence that She chose the site where the remains of the Music Angel and the Bird Angel had fallen as her incubator. As a pregnant woman, She naturally needed a lot of nutrition, and in this era where the ocean has been purified, the sea could not provide her with much nourishment.

--------

P.S.: Sorry, I forgot to mention Suzuhara Toji. Mari Makinami and Kaworu Nagisa will be moved down one rank; they are the fifth and sixth Child.

211: Your man is very moist.

Moreover, compared to ordinary marine life, the apostles who had fallen at Li Lin's hands were more suitable.

“But it’s also difficult for the angels of the womb. The value of each fallen apostle’s remains is immeasurable to humanity. As of now, most of them have been completely recovered, except for the bird apostles floating in outer space and the fish apostles that are arguing over geographical reasons.” Misato Katsuragi said.

Including the recent return of the remains of the Thunder Angel by the German NERV branch, Misato Katsuragi lowered her gaze upon hearing this, which meant that... the internal strife among humans had actually given the Angel an opportunity to exploit.

But thinking of the boy beside her, Misato Katsuragi's heart calmed down again. No matter how strange the Angels that appeared one after another were, as long as he was there, everything would be alright.

However, when Misato Katsuragi turned to look at Shinji Ikari, she saw him leaning precariously against the hatch, chewing almonds. Misato recognized the bag of almonds in his hand; he had bought them on the way there.

"What are you thinking about?" Misato Katsuragi moved closer to Shinji Ikari, took a handful of food from her pocket, and put it in her own hand.

“The Angel of the Womb is indeed searching for the remains of the other Angels. But do the Angels really need something like nutrition?” Shinji Ikari stared at the undulating sea below.

Being ultimate life forms, they are the angels closest to God. Sent by the Lord and granted authority, they possess the fundamental abilities of infinite evolution and infinite energy. Even the weakest fetal angels can adapt to magma and high pressure in a short time after hatching, and their life force is inexhaustible before the N2 apparatus is destroyed.

“Indeed, this new apostle’s behavior is a little strange.” Misato Katsuragi stuffed her cheeks with almonds. “The other apostles all went straight for that thing under NERV, but He is searching around for the remains of the other apostles, but not completely.”

While most of the Angels tried to reach Lilith, who was disguised as Adam, a few took a different path. For example, there was the Fish Angel, whose remains were assimilated by the Womb Angel; the Terror Angel, which eroded the MAGI system; the Scatter Angel, which parasitized EVA to complete its form; the Third Angel, whose abilities and origins were unknown (the one that was sealed away at the Bodani base for research); and the most free-spirited Kaworu Nagisa.

"But there's no use thinking about that now. We'll be there soon. This time you can go all out and take him down," Misato Katsuragi said, feigning nonchalance.

Staring at the brilliant sun shower, his old acquaintance, Commander Robert, stood on the deck, cigar in mouth and umbrella in hand, the dripping water from the umbrella's edge resembling a dense silver curtain. He gazed at the horizon, his eyes revealing anxiety.

After being defeated by the Fish Apostle, he realized that only Evangelion could deal with these mythical apostles. He hasn't been able to sleep since learning that there is another apostle lurking next to his fleet.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the huge silver MiG transport plane come into view.

However, Misato Katsuragi had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with him and immediately took command, announcing that everyone should move to the first-level combat position and prepare for the battle against the Angels.

The result is now clear: the Uterus Angel came for the remains of the Fish Angel. But for some reason, Misato Katsuragi suddenly felt a sense of unease.

A light drizzle fell across the sea, the raindrops tinged with silver in the silvery light of the lamps. The sea breeze mingled with the drizzle, and the temperature dropped rapidly. Misato Katsuragi turned up her collar to shield herself from the wind. Looking down at the undulating black sea, she felt a constant fear, a sense of dread as if she were staring into an abyss. She had never had thalassophobia before, but perhaps due to the nuclear wastewater discharge, the once dark red ocean now appeared a deep, somber black.

It wasn't until the familiar sonic spear tore through the air with a deafening roar that broke the sound barrier that Misato Katsuragi's mind was pulled back to reality. She looked at the purple Unit-01 standing majestically on the deck, watching the red hue rise from the seabed to the surface. "As expected of the legendary Third Child, it took down the Angel so quickly," Commander Robert's flattery was the first to erupt. He was also in the command room, watching the behemoth gradually lose its vital signs through the monitors.

“It’s just an empty shell. We’ve been fooled.” Shinji Ikari’s voice rang out from the command room. “It’s quite interesting that they managed to lure the enemy away with a mindless Angel.”

"What do you mean?" Commander Robert didn't understand.

The purple machine did not respond to him again, but simply walked to the edge of the deck. The corpse of the creature that had been lurking on the seabed had already floated to the surface. Unit-01 pulled out the sonic spear from its spine and cruelly used the spear tip to slowly pierce the abdomen of this enormous creature that still showed signs of life.

Seeing such a cruel scene, Misato Katsuragi couldn't help but frown, but soon her eyes widened as she saw that there was nothing inside but a stark white skeleton and the outer layer of pinkish-white skin.

Even with only these remaining elements, it remained alive. Its pale eyes were perfectly preserved, their surfaces gleaming like white marble, giving Misato Katsuragi the illusion that a corpse was looking at her.

This is an empty shell, hollowed out inside, yet it still maintains an angelic appearance in front of humans.

--------

--------

Third New Tokyo City, NERV Hakone Headquarters.

Your application has not yet been approved; it will have to wait until the formal mental health assessment is completed.

[Furthermore, it's not entirely up to us; Europe still retains control over the official Unit 2. Matters concerning you and Unit 2 require negotiation between both parties.]

Don't count on Misato Katsuragi or Shinji Ikari. Misato is fair and impartial and won't give you special treatment; Shinji will only go with the flow and won't push someone unqualified into power based on personal feelings.

[EVA is a weapon of war; everything has a backup. Demonstrate your value as much as possible, Second Child, Captain Asuka Soryu.]

Asuka strode towards the elevator shaft leading back. Just moments ago, Dr. Akagi's merciless words pierced her heart like knives and forks, and he coldly rejected her suggestion.

She felt she had matured a lot emotionally. If those words had been spoken before, she would have been furious; hearing them now, well, she still was angry!

But he won't take extreme measures; that's growth. Having surpassed even the idiot Shinji, do you think he still has room to grow?

However, thinking about the backup, its value, and her current driver's license, Asuka's expression darkened again. As the elevator doors slowly opened, Asuka paused slightly.

Inside the elevator was another girl. She had dark purple pigtails, wore old-fashioned square-framed glasses, and was quite pretty. She stood there quietly, smiling; someone unfamiliar with her would easily mistake her for a college student, or a relative visiting Hakone with their family.

However, the pink combat uniform she was wearing revealed her true identity.

"Hmph," Asuka snorted, letting out two streams of cold air. She lowered her chin slightly, her gaze sharp, and walked straight into the elevator.

"Oh, hello, which floor are you going to?" Mari greeted Asuka with a bright smile.

"The seventh floor," Asuka replied indifferently, not wanting to say anything more.

Mari didn't think much of it and pressed the button for the seventh floor for Asuka. The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only a slight feeling of weightlessness inside.

"You're the new pilot, right?" Asuka's voice rang out first in the enclosed space.

“If no new Child is coming, then I should be the new one.” Mari Makinami turned around, looked at Asuka, and extended her hand. “Mari Makinami Illustrious, the fifth Child of the Marduk Organization, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Soryu.”

Faced with Mari's kind intentions, Asuka merely scrutinized the bespectacled girl before her with sharp eyes, her first thought being—

"The surname Ilantrias means you're from England. It seems you're the new Unit 2 pilot dispatched from the European branch."

Looking at the hostile Asuka, Mari pouted, thinking to herself that she was in trouble for being in a private place with this princess under such circumstances. But she answered lightly, "He is British, but not exactly a pilot from the European branch. I was trained at the Bethany base in the Soviet Union for the past few years."

“But you still piloted Unit 2 to fight the Angels twice, didn’t you?” Asuka raised an eyebrow. “Don’t deny it, I know you piloted my Unit 2 when we were fighting the Angel of Power and chasing the Angel of the Womb.”

"My second machine..." Mashiro laughed out loud, instantly understanding the source of the intense hostility the second Child had towards her.

"why are you laughing?"

Seeing Mari's barely concealed smile, Asuka frowned even more.

"Miss Soryu, your Unit 2 is yours, but it doesn't belong to you."

“My things don’t belong to me, do you know what you’re saying?”

"To gain recognition from others and find a place for oneself in this world, most people can only rely on patience and steady progress after adulthood, like worker ants. That's what I think... But there are also choices where one must abandon grand principles and submit to fate."

"The choice of fate...?" Asuka suddenly felt as if she had heard something similar before.

Mari glanced at Asuka's unconsciously clenched fist.

"Take this privilege of being a suitable candidate, the qualification to pilot Unit 2, for example. Only a very few people possess it. Many times, what people can do is not necessarily due to their own efforts. It transcends personal will and manifests a kind of divine will. That's my idea... In other words, what you call 'your thing' is this."

Asuka didn't respond. She just gritted her teeth and muttered to herself. Her azure eyes, radiating twisted hostility, stared at Mari. But the only response she received was Mari's enigmatic smile. This smile made Asuka's clenched fists tighten even more.

But with a ding-dong and a click, the elevator, which was descending rapidly, suddenly stopped.

"Huh? Is there a power outage?" Asuka looked up at the elevator button marked as stopped on the sixth basement level. In that instant, a strong sense of déjà vu washed over her.

At that very moment, she finally remembered that it was Shinji Ikari, who had said something similar.

As if that omen was being fulfilled, the warm white elevator lights overhead instantly switched to dark red alarm lights, and a long, sharp siren sounded above them.

And this also means—the arrival of the apostles.

“An apostle has invaded, huh? So it’s a diversionary tactic?” Makinami adjusted her glasses as she listened to the mechanical female voice on the radio reminding employees to take emergency evacuation. “So His target was those things in the graveyard? This is a bit tricky.”

Although it sounded a bit complicated, a slightly manic smile crept across the lips of the girl named Mari. She hadn't forgotten the pain the angel of the womb had inflicted on her. She could endure physical pain, but that damned bastard shouldn't have impersonated Yui Ikari to deceive her.

For Mari Makinami, this was a capital offense!

What the heck? Asuka hates this kind of rambling nonsense. They never finish what they're saying, it's so annoying! Just like the works of Hideaki Anno, the animation director she's currently watching, they always leave things unsaid. She really wants to punch them!

But whether it was an illusion or not, it seemed as if a similar, enormous sound was echoing from inside Hakone, traveling upwards from the tunnel entrance. It was as if a gigantic monster was crawling deeper into the elevator shaft.

"Bye-bye, my lovely little princess, let's chat again sometime!" Mari glanced at the text message notification on her phone, waved slightly to Asuka, and turned to run out of the elevator.