Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"Oh, still a bit weaker than you in combat." Kuang grinned, a bloodthirsty aura emanating from him. He wasn't a strongman like Mibu Kyoshiro who was willing to seal away his power. Power was something to be released when needed, to let those ants who dared to stand in his way understand that their survival was already a blessing. So, when he went down the mountain to buy sake, he casually killed the troublesome things. "A-Kuni did a good job. These idiots really came without any discernment."

"Thank you for your praise, Madman!" Izumo no Okuni revealed a... infatuated face, which made Shinji Ikari feel a chill.

“Little guy, there’s still some time before the banquet starts tonight. Come on, let’s go to the back mountain and let me see your sword.” After the servant took the bottle of sake from the Otsai, Kyo gestured for Shinji Ikari to follow. He hadn’t been interested in anyone’s swordsmanship for a long time.

"Um... I'm sorry, I probably only know that one sword move, and it was also a coincidence." Shinji Ikari twitched his lips. One of the perverse pleasures of the guy in front of him was to crush his opponent with a faster and stronger sword technique after a master swordsman had demonstrated his skills. Although Shinji had drawn his sword and swung it after drinking and in a state of enlightenment, it was also because his opponent's cooperation was too good. The wide-open mouth reminded Shinji of that sword move. Although he had practiced it afterward, Shinji's focus was not on swordsmanship.

“No problem, you just need to swing your sword.” Kyo already knew everything about Shinji Ikari’s situation through Izumo no Okuni. For him, even if Shinji Ikari just got lucky and swung his sword that time, it didn’t matter. He was also very interested in Shinji Ikari’s fighting skills, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a spar. “I’m also very interested in your fighting skills, don’t be shy! If your sword skills aren’t up to par, come at me with your fists.”

"And then you cut me down?" Shinji Ikari shrugged. Although he had many guesses when he met Izumo no Okuni, when the person in front of him actually stood in front of him, Shinji Ikari was somewhat... overjoyed. Perhaps other people's childhood was Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, but his favorite manga in his childhood was really this person in front of him, an existence more evil than evil.

"Hahaha...that's exactly right." Shinji Ikari's teasing immediately amused the madman in front of him. He was looking forward to Shinji's unreserved attack, and naturally, when he retaliated, he would at most ensure that Shinji's life was spared. "Don't disappoint me." After saying this, the madman gestured for Shinji to follow him.

"I can only say I'm starting to regret it! Why did I have to come to this deep mountain forest to get stabbed for no reason?" Shinji Ikari walked along with the man in front of him, who always wore a large katana at his waist, which seemed to be his personal sword.

"This is... a man-made waterfall?" Shinji Ikari said with some surprise, looking at the waterway that appeared to be man-made.

"Yes, the engineering equipment of this era is very convenient. They diverted the mountain stream in just two or three days and even built a pool. That's really impressive." Kuang looked at the pool in front of him. Every day after practicing his swordsmanship, he would wash his body here.

"Here you go! Don't embarrass me! Do your best and learn something from me! Didn't the NERV engineering department just forge a huge greatsword for you? Learn it well!" As he handed a katana to Shinji Ikari, he quickly whispered a few words of advice to Shinji, seemingly to express that he had helped Shinji a lot.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. How could this person in front of him have seen the sword he slashed at the angel fish? There's no need to ask that question. Someone has to hand this thing over to him. This troublemaker in front of him, Shinji Ikari really doesn't know whether to thank her or activate his Holy Light and smash her head in! What kind of time is this to still be thinking about this?

"Hoo..." Shinji Ikari looked speechless, took out a small bottle of alcohol from his pouch, drank it down, and then began to circulate the holy light energy around his body. A faint golden mist began to condense and rise from his body.

“…Interesting.” Kyo stroked his chin, a look of interest on his face. Shinji Ikari didn’t hide his actions; in fact, after seeing Kyo’s interested expression, he tossed a bottle of sake to him. Kyo caught it, unscrewed the cap, took a small sip, and nodded. He knew this stuff; the Onmyōryō had provided it to him before. It was a very interesting thing that could strengthen one’s ki for a short time, and the cost afterward wasn’t high. It was a good thing.

However, Kyo's view of Shinji Ikari drinking this stuff was that it was somewhat like absorbing external force. But that didn't matter. In the eyes of a swordsman like him, only those who survived the battle were true winners. Methods, utensils, and even fairness were irrelevant! Kyo greatly admired Shinji Ikari's approach of completely disregarding face and immediately getting to the point of preparation.

Little did they know that Sergeant Lancer, who had fought a long and arduous battle on Reach, had long since etched pragmatism into Shinji Ikari's soul. What did face matter? If the firearms were powerful enough, Shinji Ikari would never mind saying, "Sir, times have changed!" But hitting these strong individuals with firearms was simply too difficult; it was better for everyone to stick to their fists and land blows.

As Shinji Ikari took a deep breath, he slowly drew the longsword from his hand. Powerful energy swirled around the blade, and with the holy light attached to it, the katana seemed to be thickened like a sausage. Shinji closed his eyes and began to concentrate his energy and spirit, recalling everything he had thought about that day. The originally misty holy light began to recede and solidify.

"..." Kuang nodded. It was interesting, but it seemed to be far from the kind of aura that Kuang had witnessed that day, which could cut through everything and cleave through natural enemies. But it didn't matter. This was already worth drawing his sword for! The boy in front of him was indeed as Kuang had said. He was a very rare genius. Kuang himself did not realize that his talent, which was obviously not his main swordsmanship, was able to display such terrifying skills!

Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, and with a surge of holy light, it wasn't just his sword's edge that shone with golden light! The golden particles emanating from the corners of his eyes made Shinji Ikari look like a god! "My sword!" With Shinji Ikari's roar, the holy light attached to his katana instantly solidified into a blade, and the nearly ten-meter-long golden blade, carrying a terrifying aura, slashed down wildly, "Unbreakable!"

"No..." Kyou shook his head, hesitating at the very last moment! Clearly, Shinji Ikari hadn't unleashed his full power, holding back some as a backup plan, which displeased Kyou. "Then see my sword! Nameless God Wind Style! Flood Dragon!"

An invisible blade of air, carrying moisture, slashed horizontally towards Shinji Ikari! It collided directly with the sword that Shinji Ikari had unleashed! Like a wind blade, golden sword energy swept in all directions. Izumo no Okuni's eyes narrowed, and she jumped up, but she was still a step too late. Her skirt was torn to shreds by the sweeping sword energy.

"This is fatal!" The instant their swords clashed, Shinji Ikari suddenly felt a chill run through his body as a hazy sword aura surged towards him! Although Kyo's strike was merely a casual swing, the vast difference in swordsmanship between them meant that Shinji's attack was broken within moments! The dragon was extending its sharp claws towards Shinji, and in less than a second, he would meet his end, reduced to minced meat by Kyo's sword strikes!

"Is this... going to be the end?!" Shinji Ikari suddenly realized the situation. For some reason, all his distracting thoughts were blocked out. Thinking about anything was superfluous; everything was fading away!

"Hmm?" Kuang's eyes, which had been somewhat disappointed, suddenly narrowed, and for the first time, his mouth widened into a grin, revealing a maniacal smile.

“Mission, destiny, responsibility, obligation, fate—none of it matters anymore…” Shinji Ikari’s heart suddenly became incredibly calm. After this extreme calm, he seemed to have cleared his mind of all superfluous thoughts, entering a state far beyond meditation. Yes, this state was very familiar to Shinji Ikari…

"There is great terror between life and death!" Shinji Ikari gripped his katana tightly and began to spin the blade under almost impossible circumstances. "Ryoko... wait for me! Mirror of Still Water! Open!" The katana slammed into the ground, holy light was poured directly into the earth, and sword energy immediately erupted!

Shinji Ikari reached out and flicked his wrist, sending his sword flying and colliding with the dragon in front of him! The flying rocks and clods of earth were pulverized, but the wildly swinging "dragon" attack was still cleanly and decisively broken!

"Good! I didn't expect you to have reached such a level! I misjudged you!" Overjoyed at the sight of his prey, he completely disregarded the fact that his first move had been broken by Shinji Ikari, and charged forward with a flick of his sword!

Yes! This level of skill is what truly excites him, and now, Shinji Ikari has passed! "Kid! Well done! Take another strike from me!"

"Wow, Shinji actually caught it! That's amazing!" Sitting on a high tree branch facing Izumo no Okuni, he clapped his hands rapidly. "Congratulations to Shinji for regaining some of his power! But the fight was so intense that he couldn't even call a stop."

"Clang!" As the two swords clashed once more, dust clouds covered the entire area!

Chapter 299 Huge Gains and Nothing to Gain

However, a spirit ball crackling with golden lightning broke through the mist and collided with the dragon shadow before them. The exploding spirit ball shattered the dragon's head!

Immediately, a figure burst through the mist and charged forward. Shinji Ikari, waving his fist, fearlessly rushed into the location he sensed, and then kicked the figure.

"Hmm?" Shinji Ikari narrowed his eyes. He hit it! But he didn't feel any real impact on his foot. Instead, the figure in the mist seemed to dissipate like water vapor!

"Hey!" A cold light suddenly slashed towards Shinji Ikari from an odd angle. Without a doubt, if Shinji Ikari didn't dodge, he would have had one of his legs severed by Kyo's slash!

"Good!" Shinji Ikari twisted his body and used the force of his kick to flip over and perform a half-circle. The purple flame bullets that gathered on his body floated around him like drifting mines. The sheer number of them made Kyo click his tongue and stop his sword, which he had already swung out, to dodge slightly.

Of course, this was also because he was preparing to give Shinji Ikari some pointers. Otherwise, whether he used the White Tiger technique of the Nameless God Wind Style to pull Shinji Ikari over and attack him, or simply used the Genbu technique to make Shinji Ikari walk into the trap, he could have ended the battle in one strike. However, he did not do that.

Firstly, it had been a long time since Kuang had encountered such a pure martial artist. Although Shinji Ikari's performance seemed somewhat inconsistent at the beginning, after his dragon nearly killed him, Shinji's fighting style suddenly underwent a tremendous change. Not only was his fighting spirit unprecedentedly firm, but his fighting methods also became more flexible and varied, showing a hint of being unrestrained by form! How could Kuang possibly defeat such an interesting opponent in an instant? He definitely needed to spar with him for a while.

So after fighting for a while, Madman suppressed his power to a level similar to Shinji Ikari, and he basically avoided using his special techniques, thus restraining himself.

Shinji Ikari did not disappoint him. His swift reaction impressed Kyo. Just now, as Kyo retreated, Shinji Ikari tucked his hands to his waist, flipped over, and unleashed a flurry of kicks, sending out a series of purple flame bullets at high speed. These bullets indiscriminately covered Kyo's path of movement. Although Shinji Ikari knew very well that these purple flame bullets could not harm Kyo, who had regained his body, they could still interfere with his five senses and movement.

"Well done, but still too hesitant!" Kuang chuckled. In his opinion, Shinji Ikari didn't seem to be fully utilizing his physical fighting power. It wasn't that he was looking down on him or holding back, but rather that Shinji Ikari lacked experience in deathmatch, which allowed his skills and power to be perfectly unified. In a sense, it was the harmony of mind, skill, and body!

Given his good mood today, Kyo decided to teach Shinji Ikari a lesson. "In battle... if you don't unleash your full power, you're courting death!" Suddenly, Kyo, who had sheathed his sword, charged forward with all his might. Before Shinji could change his attack, Kyo rammed into him, without using any sword techniques, simply delivering a single, powerful draw slash!

"!" Shinji Ikari was stunned when he saw the sword-drawing slash that was almost point-blank. Cold sweat covered his entire back. If he hadn't been in a state of perfect tranquility, he probably wouldn't have had time to react and would have been forced to take the hit in shock.

But at this moment, the countless near-death experiences on Reach suddenly surfaced in his mind, flashing before his eyes like a revolving lantern. He narrowed his eyes and fell backward. At the same time, holy light energy rapidly condensed in his waist and abdomen, forming a thin protective layer that resembled leather armor.

"Quick reaction! But naive!" Kuang sneered, slightly deflecting the trajectory of his slash. Shinji Ikari was too late to dodge all the sword blades. Without a doubt, he was going to be disemboweled and there was no way he could escape!

However, this was within Shinji Ikari's expectations. He then channeled the remaining energy he hadn't had time to gather into his right hand and threw a punch, causing his body to flip to the right! The fist, filled with holy light, almost grazed the blade as it struck. The sharp blade even grazed the skin on Shinji Ikari's arm, and the bursting capillaries caused blood to splatter all over Shinji Ikari's right arm.

"Good!" For the first time since the start of the battle today, Kyo praised Shinji Ikari! This decisiveness! This resolve! This is the attitude that someone who truly possesses the ability to reach the gates of S-class should have! But that's all it will be. If Kyo's blade continues to strike, either Kyo will take a punch and cut off Shinji Ikari, or Kyo will cut off one of Shinji Ikari's arms!

However, it was clear that Shinji Ikari's displayed qualities and fighting spirit aroused Kyo's interest in talent. He flipped the blade and used the back of the sword to cleave Shinji Ikari away!

"Pfft..." Shinji Ikari, who had smashed a shallow crater into the mountainside, spat out a mouthful of blood. He then knelt on the ground, panting heavily. Shaking his head, he shakily leaned on the rock face to stand up. After catching his breath, he thanked Kyō profusely, "Thank you for your guidance..."

Shinji Ikari was naturally very grateful for Madman's help, because he had truly gained a lot from this battle! Putting aside everything else, the fact that Shinji Ikari had regained the most deadly technique of the Invincible East style, "Mirror Still Water," during the battle was enough to say that he had made a huge profit. Only by entering the state of Mirror Still Water could he fully control his powerful ki and unleash the powerful moves of the Invincible East style.

Instead of being able to unleash their strongest attacks like this... and even the first half of the Super Overlord Movie Bullet, which, to others, appears as a terrifying, towering tornado. But those within the group know their own limitations. They've seen the power unleashed when their master and junior brother, piloting the Grandmaster Gundam and God Gundam in their final battle, clashed with the Super Overlord Movie Bullets, causing massive terrain alteration!

Shinji Ikari couldn't even imagine the power he would unleash after piloting Unit-01 and releasing the Super Overlord Bomb. If he had been able to unleash this power when facing Orochi last time, he wouldn't have needed his mother to come and fight for him!

Therefore, Shinji Ikari must thank Kyō, who injured him and whose wounds were quite severe, for Kyō had truly helped him increase his strength by a significant margin.

"Now you know what you're lacking?" Kuang, carrying his greatsword, caught the sake bottle thrown by Izumo no Okuni, drank heavily, and then grinned, revealing his teeth. Looking at Shinji Ikari in front of him, his eyes revealed considerable excitement and satisfaction. "I'm having a great time today! Have a few more drinks with me later! It's a pity that someone like you didn't come out in my era, otherwise those four would definitely like you very much."

"Four? I might not like them." Shinji Ikari received treatment from a servant carrying a medicine box. The servant gently wiped the blood from Shinji's arm, gave it a quick look, and then quickly disinfected the wound. Perhaps because he had been injured quite a few times recently, Shinji was almost numb to the stinging sensation of alcohol. Suddenly realizing this, Shinji felt a sudden wave of sadness wash over him.

"Hahaha... Yes, those four aren't exactly likable either." Hearing Shinji Ikari's sarcastic remark, Kyō paused for a moment, then laughed and agreed with Shinji's assessment. It was indeed true. "Let's go, try out my servants' cooking. It's a pity you're late, otherwise I would have hunted a wild boar a couple of days ago."

"I really missed out, I'm so sorry I didn't get to enjoy this." Shinji Ikari sighed. If he hadn't been injured, he could have shown off his skills. After all, besides the desserts he was forced to learn, his best skill was probably grilling. Grilling is definitely one of the easiest dishes to prepare and enjoy by yourself.

"What a pity!" Kuang glanced at Shinji Ikari again, then turned and left. His "what a pity" wasn't about anything else, but rather that Shinji's fighting techniques were already well-established and unlikely to undergo significant changes. Moreover, it was clear from their recent exchange that Shinji's fierce close-quarters combat techniques (referring to the Invincible East style) and his integrated offensive and defensive, ranged spiritual energy techniques (Holy Light Aura) were already highly refined combat skills. Leaving aside the question of the significance of learning swordsmanship, Shinji was destined to go very far down that path in terms of time and energy.

Not to mention, even if Shinji Ikari didn't fully utilize these two techniques, Kyo could sense that they were indeed two very powerful and robust techniques. If examined closely, they might not be inferior to his own "Nameless God's Style Killing Sword," making it even more unnecessary. So, although Kyo was somewhat tempted, his pride wouldn't allow him to do such futile work.

"When you get back, hone your swordsmanship. You keep shouting that you want to be invincible, but you should know you're still far from it!" Kuang walked ahead, seemingly offering a casual remark. Although he had decided not to teach anymore, he still wanted to give some pointers, since he had thoroughly enjoyed today's competition. "Since you want to be invincible, you can't hesitate or look back! A perfectly good sword strike only unleashes half its power, wasting your energy."

"Okay... I understand!" Shinji Ikari took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. He had a bit of a flash of inspiration that day. As for what he yelled... well, it was totally cosplaying Daizenga. Anyway, he had a lot of fun doing this and didn't pay much attention to it afterward.

"This way, please. The meal is ready!" Izumo no Okuni, who rushed back ahead of the two, bowed to Kyo, then slowed down a couple of steps and moved closer to Shinji Ikari. "I deliberately avoided him just now. So, did Kyo-sama give you any pointers on the way back?"

"I gave a brief evaluation of my sword strike." Shinji Ikari glanced at the somewhat excited Okuni Izumo. "Thank you this time."

"That's it?!" Izumo no Okuni exclaimed, somewhat displeased. "Don't you even know what an opportunity is?!"

“Sister Kuni,” Shinji Ikari shook his head, “I can’t learn that, and what I’ve learned today… is extraordinary!”

"...Alright, remember you owe me a huge favor!" Izumo no Okuni tapped Shinji Ikari on the head and said somewhat irritably.

"Okay!" Shinji Ikari, who had already gained a great advantage, agreed very readily.

“No!” Soga Saki looked at a high-ranking “Eternal Life Society” member being dragged into the river by the arm in the Night Spring, shook her head, and with a flick of her sword, chopped off his head, giving him a quick death and a release. “If we break through now, there will only be one outcome…” After saying this, she gestured to the corpse below, “This is the only ending.”

"With your strength, you can't do it?" Gongzheng looked incredulous. When the night spring erupted, they were among the few who managed to leap into the trees to escape. Of the people who came up the mountain to try their luck, ninety percent were wiped out immediately. The rest managed to hide in high places to avoid the sudden flood.

However, they would then face an attack from the wandering spirits of Mount Hikami, and without any strength, it would be impossible to survive. Of course, Saki Soga was not among them; she even had the energy to set up a concealment barrier to hide herself and the surviving members of the Eternal Life Society, avoiding the priestesses' pursuit.

However, as time went on, most of the supplies had been washed away by the flood. Although the remaining supplies were not far away, no one dared to eat anything that had been soaked in the spring water. So, with only the few supplies they had managed to grab in the emergency, they were barely able to hold on.

“I can only take one person with me at most, and the concealment array will be ineffective within half an hour after we leave! Do you understand what that means?” Soga Saki said with a frown.

"I understand, of course I understand, but after some things, sacrifice will be unavoidable, for eternity! I will treat your families well!" When Kojiro-san said these words, Soga Saki's expression changed drastically. She wanted to stop them, but then she saw the remaining followers of the Eternal Life Society jumping into the dark spring below one by one!

"You're a madman! You..."

“I’ve taken the cost of your unwillingness to make a choice. Now, let’s leave. We’ve gained nothing.”

"Retribution will come sooner or later!"

"But not now."

Chapter 300 We can't spoil them.

"Who cut your hand...?" Sakaki Ryoko looked at Shinji Ikari, who had returned from the Mad Army, with surprise. Most of his arm was wrapped in bandages, and a strong herbal smell emanated from under the bandages, which made Sakaki Ryoko feel very uneasy! Moreover, the faint stinging sensation from her palm when she grabbed him also surprised Sakaki Ryoko. This level of sword wound was not something an ordinary person could do.

"I had a spar with a strong opponent and learned a lot," Shinji Ikari said with a wry smile. Such skill was indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people. Under normal circumstances, if there were still sword energy residue in Shinji Ikari's arm, the entire arm should have been a pile of rotten flesh. It would be strange if his arm remained intact.

"Come with me!" Ryoko Sakaki didn't care about anything else, grabbed Shinji Ikari's hand and started running deep into the Himuro mansion.

Yes, Shinji Ikari contacted NERV and learned that the full set of testing experiments for Unit-03 might not be completed for several more days. Not to mention the simultaneous sealing of Unit-02, NERV's engineering and technical departments were already extremely busy. Even Ritsuko Akagi didn't have time to help Shinji Ikari with another full treatment, and could only have the Onmyōryō doctors bandage him up and leave it for the time being.

"Ryoko, it's not time to cook yet... Who let you come! I don't want to see you!" Ryoko Sakaki walked directly into her temporary residence along the designated road. Kirie Himuro greeted Ryoko Sakaki familiarly at first, but then glared at Shinji Ikari.

Shinji Ikari could only awkwardly touch his nose. If Himuro Kirie didn't know he had entered the Himuro mansion, then she was really underestimating the fierce goddess. If Himuro Kirie really didn't intend to let him in, then he would have been whipped away by the rope the moment he approached the mansion.

Himuro Kirie moved to the Himuro Mansion on the ground because her previous residence needed to be cleaned before it could be used, since there were quite a few corpses and it wouldn't be able to be cleaned up in a short time.

Moreover, due to the excessive release of power, the area in front of the Gate of the Underworld is now filled with an aura of fear and slaughter. If an ordinary person were to accidentally enter this area, they would undoubtedly be turned into a mindless zombie within a short period of time under the impact of the death energy and resentment here. Of course, for Himuro Kirie, this was a great tonic.

"Kirie-nee, please quickly check Shinji. There's a very strong sword aura remaining in his body, but it doesn't seem to have caused him much harm." Sakaki Ryoko said anxiously. After holding Shinji's arm for a while, her palm was starting to sting. In Sakaki Ryoko's opinion, this was undoubtedly a very serious situation.

"Hmm?" Sakaki Ryoko's words shocked Himuro Kirie somewhat. She walked over and tapped Shinji Ikari on the head, then placed her hand on Shinji Ikari's arm. In the next instant, Himuro Kirie's eyes widened, and she quickly let go of his arm.

But it was too late. With a "rip!" sound, a small tear appeared on Himuro Kirie's sleeve, but the tear was perfectly smooth, like a mirror. Himuro Kirie's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her kimono, then she grabbed Shinji Ikari and hugged him tightly! "Who did you run into! How did you get back alive! Why didn't you use the Divine Mirror!"

"Ugh... Sister!" Shinji Ikari hugged Himuro Kirie tightly. Amidst the horrified gazes of the unfortunate souls who had been tormented by Himuro Kirie these past few days, he patted her back. "It's not as exaggerated as you think. A senior gave me some pointers and exchanged a few simple moves with me at the end. These sword energies are probably just a little bit left over from the battle."

"A little bit?" Himuro Kirie breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that her foolish younger brother hadn't gotten into any new trouble, but she immediately realized something was wrong. "You call this a little bit?" Himuro Kirie pointed to her cuffs. While it wasn't to say that Shinji Ikari couldn't tear her clothes, this high-class shrine maiden's robe, specially supplied by the Onmyōryō, had long been imbued with her power, and its defensive capabilities were far beyond what ordinary fabrics could match.

Shinji Ikari unwrapped the bandages from his arm and then glanced at Hiei, whose arm was also wrapped in bandages. Hiei paused for a moment, then looked at his own bandaged arm and suddenly began to think about how much damage his Evil King Flame Killing Black Dragon Wave could do to Himuro Kirie.

"If you want to try, you can, but I just hope you can withstand my counterattack." Himuro Kirie's eyes swept over her coldly, and Hiei's face turned pale visibly, with blood flowing directly from under the cloth covering his Evil Eye.

"Damn it..." Hiei knelt on the ground, the gap between himself and the other party was such a despairing chasm. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "I'm sorry, I offended you!" Hiei apologized not because of Himuro Kirie's power, but because they had indeed received a lot of care from Himuro Kirie during this time. His thoughts just now were indeed somewhat impolite.

"Hmph!" Himuro Kirie turned her head away from him. She had already given him a small punishment as a warning, so she had no intention of doing anything more.

"So, sister, you're not hurt, are you?" Shinji Ikari smiled somewhat awkwardly, after all, it was because he had glanced at Hiei earlier that Hiei had sensed something and thought of this question.

Himuro Kirie shook her head, released her hand, reached out and tapped Shinji Ikari's head. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Tell me in detail what kind of powerful opponent you encountered that could achieve such a feat. And it seems... this thing is an automatic counterattack mechanism. Perhaps it would be a very good subject for you to learn from."

"So... this is a gift?" Shinji Ikari felt his eyes had been opened. He really wasn't half a human, and he didn't do ordinary things. Then he sat down and, together with a group of guys who were resting, recounted the whole process of his trip to see the madman.

"One slash... almost killed you?" Yusuke Urameshi looked shocked. "With your speed... you couldn't dodge it?"

After Lin Shen and Su Xing, Shinji Ikari was not able to directly advance to S-rank as he wished, but at least his speed and agility increased significantly. Among them, only Hiei could keep up with Shinji's speed, but Hiei's attack power was obviously not as high as Shinji's. Therefore, Shinji had a great advantage when sparring with Mei Isayama and Yusuke Urameshi, which naturally left a deep impression on Yusuke Urameshi.

"Yes, you didn't dodge. The opponent's attack pattern manipulates water vapor, which has a wide range and is almost ubiquitous. When you hear the crisp sound of the wind, don't doubt it, you've already been cut to pieces." Shinji Ikari's words shocked everyone. Hiei, who was also a skilled swordsman, frowned thoughtfully.

"So how did you catch it?" Mei Isayama looked at Shinji Ikari. Although Shinji's strength had increased by leaps and bounds for various reasons during this period, especially after Sensui Shinobu appeared in front of him, Shinji's training was carried out with an unprecedented level of initiative, and the speed of his training increased rapidly!

However, if the opponent could defeat him in one blow under such circumstances, wouldn't they, who had been training diligently at the Himuro Mansion, also be unable to withstand a single move from the opponent? Naturally, this aroused Mei Isayama's curiosity about how Shinji Ikari was able to withstand the opponent's attacks.

“There is great terror between life and death…” Shinji Ikari reached out and pinched the bewildered Ryoko Sakaki’s cheek, and then his aura instantly changed. After all, he had mastered the state of mind of still water and clear skies before, so once Shinji Ikari decided on this technique, there was naturally no hindrance. “So I’m going to test the power I just awakened… no, should I say the power I’ve comprehended? I’m now standing on the threshold of S-class, or even halfway to S-class.”

"Oh?!" The first person to look up at Shinji Ikari was none other than Toguro, who had previously wielded the most powerful strength. He had been stuck at Rank A for a long time. When Shinji fought him before, Toguro had unleashed 100% of his power, and Shinji had been swiftly and decisively beaten to the ground. And now, not much time had passed, and Shinji suddenly claimed to have reached the threshold between Rank A and Rank S! How could this not excite him!

"Haaah!" Without any hesitation, Toguro's brother unleashed his full demonic power, shattering the stone slabs in the courtyard of the Himuro mansion. Then, like a T-series electric car whose brakes suddenly failed, he sped towards Shinji Ikari at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, as if he intended to crush Shinji Ikari in one blow.

"Just like that 'Madman' said, it's a pity!" Shinji Ikari's lips curled into a smile. The strongest among them was Toguro, but he was also the weakest! Because…

"The threshold of S-rank is none other than the fusion of mind, technique, and body!" Shinji Ikari suddenly appeared in front of Toguro, his left hand seemingly not moving much, but the scorching heat was already sweeping in all directions like a heat wave. "I'm sorry, Toguro... the stronger your body is now, the more it proves your lack of self-confidence."

Perhaps lacking the formidable strength of Toguro's younger brother, but empowered by the "Mirror of Still Water" state, it perfectly contracted, transforming into a muffled thunderclap that sent Toguro's younger brother, whose chest was charred black, flying away.

"Twelve Great Ace Chariots! Exploding Flame Fist!" Shinji Ikari showed no sign of stopping, unleashing a series of crimson fists that slammed wildly into Toguro's body. The blast sent Toguro flying, crashing through more than a dozen decades-old trees before finally slamming deep into the ground.

"Interesting! Take my dragon's roar!" Izayama Mei immediately donned her scale armor, and then, to the astonishment of the priestesses beside her, she mobilized most of her demonic power. Even before the powerful demonic power was unleashed, the air around her vibrated violently! This attack was bound to be earth-shattering.

But this attack is impossible to deliver!

Just as Mei Isayama opened his mouth, about to unleash his attack, he suddenly noticed that Shinji Ikari, who was dozens of meters away, had turned around and appeared in front of him, and it was clear that the other's series of powerful kicks were ready to be launched.

"You think you can take on all of us by yourself? Aren't you being a bit too arrogant!" Yusuke Urameshi laughed wildly as he lunged forward, his spiritual energy already enveloping his fists, unleashing a series of powerful blows directly at Shinji Ikari.

"There's a saying that goes, 'You can't fight city hall,' have you heard it?" Shinji Ikari's voice was so calm that Yusuke Urameshi felt as if Shinji was having a normal chat with him.

"Urahan! Get back!" Kurama suddenly shouted from the side, his expression filled with terror!

"Thump!" Urameshi hit it! But the next instant, as Urameshi Yusuke's expression froze, Shinji Ikari's body suddenly disappeared. His fist, full of spiritual power, directly hit a golden Spirit Gun, and Urameshi Yusuke was blasted away in the explosion.

Shinji Ikari's series of kicks sent Mei Isayama, who was trying to seize an opportunity to deliver a powerful blow, flying. However, Yusuke Urameshi's attack did somewhat restrain and affect Shinji, so its power was not as great as expected. After flying a distance, Mei Isayama steadied himself with a backflip and rushed forward, coordinating with Hiei to pounce on Shinji.