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

"Commander, requesting a change of orders. The situation is still unclear..." Misato Katsuragi gritted her teeth. Shinji Ikari was facing a situation that was no joke. To put it bluntly, apart from Unit-01, which Shinji himself piloted, NERV's Unit-00 and Unit-02 did not possess the terrifying power that Shinji Ikari had when facing his sister.

Although Unit-00 had demonstrated some abilities, after that, no matter how much Rei Ayanami was asked, Mangu showed no signs of being able to use the Explosive Finger technique in individual tests. It seemed as if this power was borrowed from Shinji Ikari.

Therefore, even if NERV could deploy two EVAs, Unit-00 and Unit-02, their chances of winning against an enraged Himuro Kirie would still be extremely slim.

Moreover, even EVA might not be able to be deployed. Himuro Kirie once visited NERV, and the data she detected was extremely strange... 0, almost no data at all. Ritsuko Akagi, a top-tier story writer, proposed another possibility: that it exceeded the limits of the equipment's detection capabilities, in other words, it might be infinitely large...

Even without considering anything else, if Himuro Kirie were to launch a powerful invasion of NERV, NERV might not have time to prepare. A single demon could easily wipe out the entire NERV and then corrupt those few EVAs, leaving NERV completely powerless to fight back.

As the commander, Misato Katsuragi didn't want to see this happen, nor did she want Shinji Ikari, that amusing brat, to lose his life for no reason because of Gendo Ikari's decision! "This may sound incredibly stupid, but it's extremely important for Shinji. Please reconsider."

“This is an order…” Gendo Ikari looked at Misato Katsuragi, then glanced at Ritsuko Akagi, who was pushing up her glasses with her arms crossed, and finally uttered two somewhat cold words.

"..." Misato Katsuragi narrowed her eyes. "Is this the final decision? Sacrifice is a virtue, but it should be done by oneself."

“Good news! Shinji Ikari has reached a reconciliation with Ayase Kurosawa, and even Ryoko Sakaki has a good relationship with him.” Ritsuko Akagi, having just closed her phone, interrupted Misato Katsuragi, who was about to continue. “So recalling Shinji Ikari shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, and Shinji might even have to change his surname in the future, since the family of the Demon God is much better than his current one. Shinji Kurosawa? Sounds pretty good.” After saying this, she exchanged a glance with Misato Katsuragi, clearly both of them very dissatisfied with Gendo Ikari’s order.

"Ahem..." Fuyutsuki Kōzō coughed twice, interrupting Akagi Ritsuko, who was clearly taking advantage of Gendo Ikari's misfortune. "Let's focus our energy on the current situation. Since Shinji has resolved things, that's a good thing. Let's bring him back as soon as possible, and then all departments should cooperate fully to restore Unit-01 to combat status as quickly as possible."

Because there were too many things to do during this period, first the repair of Unit 2, then its storage, and then the preparation of Unit 3. Unit 00 and Unit 1 were not seriously damaged in the previous battle, so they were not immediately subjected to large-scale preparation, but only necessary maintenance.

However, now that Shinji Ikari is being recalled and Unit-01 is being prepared for potential unforeseen circumstances, there is no doubt that the preparation of Unit-01 will become an urgent matter for the engineering department. This is because the initial major inspection of Unit-03 did not uncover any fatal problems. In a sense, unless someone has missed some inspection items, it is highly likely that bringing it back and redoing it will not reveal anything. But now that lives are at stake, no one wants to suffer the same fate as their colleagues in the Nevada branch, so naturally, time is short and the task is heavy.

However, completing the inspection of Unit 01 at the same time meant countless sleepless nights for the entire engineering department.

At least that's how it is in the public eye...

"This is not a problem. The maintenance of Unit-01 has been ongoing, just at a slower pace. However, this means that the preparation of Unit-00 cannot proceed in parallel." The engineering department did not say anything, but Ritsuko Akagi glanced at the old man in the engineering department and took the initiative to explain the situation.

"Hey!" The old man smiled and stretched his body. "The overtime hours have been too long. We need to give the employees paid leave and sufficient overtime bonuses from now on."

“That’s not a problem.” Gendo Ikari readily agreed. Money wasn’t a particular issue for NERV. The various profits from the Dark Tournament had already begun to arrive, so NERV wasn’t short of money at all.

Not to mention, the Babem Foundation is already banging on the gates of NERV headquarters with their money, desperately wanting to know what's preventing them from possessing a powerful EVA. After all, judging from previous combat records, the combat power that Rahuse Yone has displayed so far is still somewhat different from the destructive power shown by Shinji Ikari when piloting Unit-01. Shinji Ikari's earth-shattering strike still shocks everyone, so the Babem Foundation really wants to possess it and understand its principles.

"Then we'll get back to work!" The head of the engineering department nodded to Gendo Ikari and immediately left with his group. They already had endless overtime to do, so why waste any more time here? The rest was up to other departments.

"Then we'll take our leave too." Misato Katsuragi left with a sour expression. She had many things to do and really didn't want to see Gendo Ikari's face again.

"The truth... is quite hurtful." After everyone left, Fuyutsuki Kōzō shook his head. Some of Gendō Ikari's decisions couldn't be revealed; morale had to be maintained. After all, Kaji Ryoji had previously predicted that SEELE wouldn't continue to stand idly by. With Shinji Ikari's fighting strength increasing, SEELE's script was nearing its end. The Shinji everyone was watching wasn't what they wanted.

“Their actions… were incredibly swift!” Gendo Ikari maintained his chin-resting posture. “Shinji may not be exactly what we expect, but he is exactly what we need right now, and we cannot afford to lose him. So, we’ll send him back to Third New Tokyo. As for what happens next, we can deal with that later.”

"I hope Shinji is alright." Kozo Fuyutsuki said with a hint of helplessness.

"Ah, yes!"

"Ah! You said you need to urgently recall me?" Shinji Ikari stood by the roadside, leaning against his Hayabusa, wiping his hands. "But I haven't completely finished dealing with things here yet... The Nevada branch exploded? Unit 4? Unit 3? Already at the Matsushiro test site? Hmm, I see. Should I go back to headquarters or go to Matsushiro? Okay, it's settled then, see you tonight!" After saying that, Shinji Ikari closed his phone, and a helicopter crashed down beside him, exploding into a fireball.

"You bastard! They were clearly after you, and you actually made a phone call! Have you no shame?" Izayama Mei landed on the ground. "Tsk, and my car got blown up too, you have to pay me back!"

"Brother Long seems to have gotten a few new Hayabusa motorcycles. If you want one, just go get it. I'll settle the bill," Shinji Ikari said with a smile. "But to be honest, I really didn't expect anyone to ambush me like this..."

"Who do you think it is?" Yusuke Urameshi looked at Shinji Ikari, who had just thrown a dying demon to the ground. The attackers were very decisive, and it seemed that they didn't even know who their backer was. Yusuke Urameshi didn't ask them anything.

"Who else could it be? Someone who doesn't want me to go. I should know the answer when I get to Tokyo-3." Shinji Ikari shook his head. He wasn't too sure either. He had too many enemies to deal with. "Let's split up and keep our distance."

“…Alright!” Mei Isayama glanced at Shinji Ikari’s small bag, which contained the Divine Mirror and a photograph, and then began to light candles for all the attackers.

Chapter 304 Kurosawa Aise's First Move

"These guys are really persistent!" Shinji Ikari looked down and saw another helicopter rapidly approaching behind him. "Is this the fourth or fifth helicopter already?" Shinji was a little tired! Although for them, the difference between being chased by ordinary people and being sent to their deaths wasn't that big, they couldn't stand the constant stream of trouble-making from the other side.

The first helicopter was shot down by Hiei with his Black Dragon Wave. The second was shot down by Shinji Ikari with his Purple Flame Bullet while he was on the phone. The third was taken down by Mei Isayama, who felt he had a chance, who jumped on and threw everyone off. However, because he didn't know how to fly, his attempt to steal a helicopter for free failed. The fourth helicopter, although he didn't throw the pilot off, was crashed into the ground by the pilot, so he still failed to steal it for free.

As for why they weren't chased by vehicles, please, these people are speeding at over 270 km/h on the road, how many drivers can keep up with them? Anyway, the manpower they can find is definitely not enough. Even if they intercept them on the road, because the speed is just too fast, these people will often pass by in the blink of an eye. In the end, the only thing that can reliably catch up with them is a helicopter.

“We’re not far from Tokyo-3 anymore. Are they still planning to keep following us?” Yusuke Urameshi frowned. They had been attacked several times along the way, and on several occasions they had simply shaken them off by using the highway. The attackers could only watch their taillights slowly disappear from sight.

"The final line of defense, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should have already begun sending people to meet us by Third New Tokyo unless they're completely blind." Shinji Ikari snorted coldly. Although he felt that SEELE would eventually lose patience with him, with him constantly shifting between sides, their script was practically nonexistent. Would these guys not take action against him who kept ruining their script?

In a sense, Ayato Kamina on the TERRA side achieved a similar situation. For SEELE's plan, Yonex RahXe wasn't just a formidable opponent; if Yonex RahXe succeeded, EVA would be irrelevant! They could also reboot the world lines! Whatever the world became then, SEELE could write whatever they wanted, it would all be a pile of waste paper.

However, TERRA has the exceptionally powerful Babem Foundation as their backing, so they are not afraid of SEELE's forces at all. To be honest, if this place were the infamous Babem Foundation hunting private soldiers in the underworld, Shinji Ikari and his team would not be facing the current situation of light helicopters with some mercenaries, but rather a coordinated operation of armed helicopters and drones.

Even if Shinji Ikari and his crew manage to escape using their superior driving skills and individual abilities, what awaits them is a barrage of bullets from a hunter force armed with general-purpose machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. What they are seeing now is simply not enough to withstand the onslaught!

"But I'm really getting annoyed!" Shinji Ikari took a deep breath, swerved the car, and brought it to a stop on the road. "These small fry..." He then reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a photograph. "Maybe this is a good opportunity! Let's give it a try!"

Previously, after Sakaki Ryoko was summoned by Kurosawa Aise, they whispered for a long time. Along with Himuro Kirie, who was constantly glaring at Ikari Shinji, the three seemed to have reached some kind of agreement. Given that Ikari Shinji's ability to cause trouble was getting stronger and stronger, Himuro Kirie agreed to let Kurosawa Aise strengthen the mark on Ikari Shinji. Kurosawa Aise's photo would become a channel for Ikari Shinji to borrow power, just like her Divine Mirror.

Since none of Shinji Ikari and his companions knew anything about sealing, Himuro Kirie, who knew Shinji had been causing a lot of trouble lately, directly kicked him off the mountain. However, Kurosawa Aise insisted on keeping Sakaki Ryoko and, imitating Himuro Kirie's style, had the Countermeasures Bureau send over various materials, asking Sakaki Ryoko to cook for them (the Totsuki Group quickly dispatched a chief to replace Sakaki Ryoko from Mount Hikami).

The on-site manager of the Countermeasures Bureau, Ling, with a strange expression, instructed her subordinates to do as instructed and scourned a massive amount of daily necessities to be sent to the mountainous area. This prompted the Onmyoji Bureau manager, who arrived shortly afterward, to exclaim that the Countermeasures Bureau was stealing their business! However, the Countermeasures Bureau quickly handed this powerful figure over to the Onmyoji Bureau, who were now looking on with dismay at Kurosawa Aisei! Not only could they not defeat him, but they also couldn't fight him. For an organization like the Countermeasures Bureau, which employed extremely extreme strategies in dealing with alien species, this was truly not a good thing.

"As for..." Mei Isayama looked at what Shinji Ikari had pulled out and knew that Shinji was really angry. But it made sense. Apart from Mei Isayama himself, who was eager to steal the helicopter, everyone else was annoyed by this guy who was sticking to them like a leech and constantly shooting at them. Even Kurama, who had the best temper, was already planning to use some floating demonic plants to teach them a lesson: being able to fly isn't necessarily a good thing.

Shinji Ikari's action undoubtedly signifies that, for the first time, he intends to summon the power of the evil spirits to deal with humanity. Previously, Shinji rarely summoned his sister's power, let alone the power of evil spirits to attack humans, or even to fight various demons and monsters. This action is clearly a show of force against SEELE, who believe they are hiding behind the scenes: if you continue to act recklessly, I guarantee I will act even more recklessly than you.

"I didn't expect you to call me so quickly." Kurosawa Aise's image appeared beside Shinji Ikari, about to say something, when the helicopter above suddenly drew everyone's attention. The side door opened, and a man leaned out, brandishing a machine gun and unleashing a hail of bullets at Shinji below.

The overwhelming fear brought by the arrival of the ferocious god caused the mercenary in front of him to quickly lose his mind. With his hands covered in blood, he acted almost subconsciously, wanting to eliminate the source of his fear!

"Hmm?" Kurosawa Aise turned his head. What was originally a bright and sunny noon quickly transformed into a twilight with the setting sun in everyone's senses. Then everything slowed down, and slowed down more and more...

"..." Although their thoughts were still coherent, Hiei and Kurama's movements became extremely sluggish, each action incredibly difficult. They could only stare wide-eyed at the backs of Shinji Ikari and Ayase Kurosawa. Time! This was time manipulation! Even though it was only slowing down the speed of time, it had already made Ayase Kurosawa invincible in many situations!

"I don't really like fighting, but... this kind of offense is also unpleasant!" Kurosawa Aise waved his hand as if swatting away mosquitoes, and after deflecting the hail of bullets aimed at him and Shinji Ikari, he looked directly at the people in the helicopter. These were just ordinary assassins, and under Kurosawa Aise's undisguised gaze, their life force was rapidly drained, and their hair immediately turned gray.

Then, Kurosawa Aise didn't intend to let them go. He reached out and flicked his wrist, revealing a paper fan he had taken from Shinji Ikari. He gently waved it (it was inscribed with "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance," which Shinji originally intended to use to tease Ryoko Sakaki. Ryoko thought it was too stupid, so she pinched Shinji a few times and refused to use it, and it ended up in Shinji's pouch for storing props). The seawater nearby quickly turned pitch black, and a column of water rose from the surface.

Amidst the helicopter pilot's terrified gaze, the seawater gently passed through the helicopter, its black surface caressing their bodies like a lover's fingertips, stealing their souls with a single flick of the wrist...

Then time and space returned to normal, and the seawater seemed to surge into the distant forest, drizzling down like a light rain in the woods.

"This is the power of the evil god..." Hiei gripped the handlebars tightly. Kurosawa Aise's power was distinctly different from Himuro Kirie's; it didn't possess that direct, visceral terror, but rather the silent fear of drowning. However, only after witnessing it firsthand could one truly understand the terrifying power it possessed, an irresistible, crushing force. Hiei suddenly realized that although his arrival in the human world was an accident, this accident had truly pointed him towards the distant mountain peak!

Despite towering into the clouds! Despite being unreachable! Despite being insurmountable!

But it was there! His target was there! He saw it! All that was left was to chase it!

"This paper fan is nice, but it's not specially for me. Remember to buy another one! Black one, with a river ink painting, okay? Preferably a high-quality one. Once you buy it, put it in front of my photo, then channel your spiritual energy into the photo." He subtly explained to Shinji how to worship him, implying, "Hey, next time there's no milk tea for me, I'll come looking for you tonight—literally, sleep paralysis!"

"Uh, I understand." Although Shinji Ikari wasn't exactly brilliant, he had already explained things so directly. If he still didn't understand, then he would truly be an idiot. Well, from now on, he would have to treat everyone equally. He would treat Ayase Kurosawa the same way he treated his sister, and who knows, he might even have to do something special for her.

"Hmm, your power can't sustain my projection for long. See you later." Kurosawa Aise seemed quite pleased, winking at Shinji Ikari before her figure blurred and disappeared, not forgetting to take the paper fan she found quite nice.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Yusuke Urameshi caught Shinji Ikari, who was swaying and about to fall to the ground.

"It's alright... but it took a lot of energy!" Shinji Ikari sighed. After all, she wasn't his sister, and she was willing to use her own power to help him despite the huge cost. Kurosawa Aise's arrival lasted at most half a minute, and Shinji felt completely drained! The moment Kurosawa Aise dissipated, Shinji swayed, his face turned pale, and he almost lost his balance on his motorcycle, nearly falling to the ground.

“You don’t look alright at all.” Kurama, carrying his motorcycle, walked over to Shinji Ikari and took out a pill. “Although it’s just a small medicine to replenish your energy, it should be more suitable for your current condition than that chocolate you had.” Shinji Ikari had previously taken Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi to his house, tricking his parents into believing he was a special recruit from NERV, and even paying him a salary comparable to Yusuke Urameshi, which greatly surprised his parents and helped Kurama solve some practical problems.

Adding to the matter of the Time Fruit, Kurama felt he owed Shinji Ikari a lot of favors, so the two had a pretty good relationship and he was naturally willing to lend a hand now.

"Thank you!" Shinji Ikari took the pill, popped it into his mouth, and as he chewed and swallowed it, besides a sour taste, there was a faint warm current that made his body feel very comfortable. "This stuff tastes amazing..."

"It works well, doesn't it?" Before Kurama could speak, Urameshi Yusuke laughed. While the things Shinji's girlfriend made were indeed quite helpful in battle, and that chocolate was now Totsuki Culinary's flagship product, Kurama's medicine often had very unique effects, as in the current situation.

“Yes…hmph…” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “Let’s keep going. NERV is pressing us so urgently, there must be something going on.”

"Alright!" A group of people hopped on their motorcycles and sped off again on the highway.

"Has something happened to Shinji?" Ryoko Sakaki looked at him as he suddenly closed his eyes, exuding a chilling aura. If it weren't for the coolness emanating from the bracelet given to her by Kirie Himuro on her wrist, which calmed her down, she probably would have been terrified.

"Yes, this guy is still as unlucky as ever." Kurosawa Aise's words carried a hint of amusement. He then put down his paper fan on the table, picked up the bowl of sweet fermented rice balls in front of him, and gently stirred it a couple of times. "I've wanted to try this for a while now. Hmm~ It tastes even better than I expected! As expected of Ryoko!"

"Why do you say you've wanted it for a long time? You only met Ryoko-nee today!" Misaki said, holding onto the last few dumplings, reluctant to finish them right away, glancing longingly at the ones in her sister's bowl.

"There's more!" Ryoko Sakaki filled Mimori's mouth with her own, and as she watched Kirie Himuro pull out a handkerchief to wipe Mimori's mouth, a strange feeling filled her heart... She was actually sitting with two fierce-looking people, eating afternoon snacks! Like a family! She must be going crazy!

"Because she's attached to Shinji Ikari, you could say she follows him everywhere." Himuro Kirie said irritably while eating her sweet rice balls.

"Eh!" Ryoko Sakaki was taken aback, then seemed to realize something, and her face turned bright red.

"Ryoko has a great figure!" Kurosawa Aise, blowing on the hot rice balls and putting them into her mouth, transformed into a white-clad bride just like in the photo, regaining her former beauty as she teased Sakaki Ryoko, whose face was blushing red.

"How much did you smoke to be able to withstand the pollution of Yomizumi?" Himuro Kirie glanced at her sideways. Yomizumi's pollution was no simple matter. She had been researching it for quite some time, but she had only just come up with a solution, which might be quite troublesome. However, the people from the Onmyo-ryo had just arrived, so there was no rush.

"Don't worry, it's not much, he can still walk." Kurosawa Aise snapped open the paper fan he had just acquired. Sakaki Ryoko stared blankly at the words "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance" on the fan. This thing was undoubtedly in Shinji's bag; when she snatched it and hit him, there was a tear in the corner of the fan...

"It's alright, you can be even harsher. This is also to urge him to work harder." Himuro Kirie tapped Misaki's head, telling the little girl to eat more politely, and said some very ruthless words.

"Um, you mean Shinji's Holy Light Aura?" Ryoko Sakaki hesitated for a moment, but still whispered in response. After all, she had heard Shinji Ikari say that Holy Light Aura was very magical and had many uses. If it were just ordinary aura, she could provide some of it as well.

"Yes, uh, not entirely~" Kurosawa Aise finished eating the sweet rice balls and gently put down the bowl. "Don't worry about him. I've taken care of all his enemies. He still has companions who will take good care of him."

"Yes, this little rascal isn't that fragile, Ryoko, don't worry!" Himuro Kirie, who had been monitoring everything, also offered a word of comfort. It wasn't surprising that Himuro Kirie summoned Kurosawa Ayase's power; Shinji must have wanted to see her attitude and her power. Cautious little rascal!

"Oh... okay, now he should be the one worrying about me!"

"Yes~"

Chapter 305 The Attack Inside NERV

"So you madman just summoned the power of the evil god right here on the street?!" After receiving the information, Izumo no Okuni called to question Shinji Ikari. Because Shinji's actions had caused some trouble, Izumo no Okuni shouted so loudly that Shinji had to hold his phone away from his ear.

As Shinji Ikari was being watched by multiple forces, news of him being pursued by an unknown force spread quickly. After all, the other side had already shot down 5 helicopters, which was no small matter! When the last helicopter crashed, the area around the first helicopter was already crowded with people.

The first to arrive at the scene were none other than the Special Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for handling all sorts of trouble that require heavy firepower. They had been extremely busy dealing with the increasing number of demonic intrusions, delivering a fiery greeting to these self-proclaimed physically strong and superpowered bastards. And because of their overwhelmingly successful operations, the Metropolitan Police Department had already approved the Special Affairs Division's assault rifles to use large drum magazines.

After a quick reconnaissance and learning that it was a group of young people riding motorcycles at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour, Yakushiji Ryoko didn't need to ask anyone else. She glanced at Miyuki and Natsumi beside her. Her two close attendants shrugged. Who else could it be? There were such crazy motorcyclists in all of Japan, and a whole group of them. Who else could it be? And the fact that they were being chased by a helicopter didn't seem surprising at all.

However, the countermeasures bureau agents who arrived at the crash site of the last helicopter almost had a mental breakdown on the spot. This feeling was too familiar; a fierce god had descended upon this place before! Her power still lingered on this land!

Now that we know the person being chased is Shinji Ikari, and that Shinji has a very good relationship with the two evil gods, and in the latest legend, his backer is no longer just one evil god, but also another evil god as his wife, we don't know whether to envy him or complain that he is risking his life to enjoy his good fortune.

The countermeasures bureau immediately sealed off the area and waited for the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang) to arrive. The Onmyōryō notified Izumo no Okuni, who usually communicated with Shinji Ikari, leading to this scene. Izumo no Okuni, who was happily drinking tea with Shinji, was immediately furious upon hearing the situation. Releasing the power of a malevolent spirit in a public place—to put it bluntly, if this place wasn't properly dealt with, a bunch of inexplicable strange things would follow, and a new urban legend would emerge. Perhaps a new, powerful malevolent spirit would be born here. Shinji Ikari is really unreliable!

"Eh... so I should just surrender?" Shinji Ikari said with a wry smile. If it weren't for the enemy's helicopters coming one after another to cause trouble, would he have needed to summon Ayase Kurosawa's power?

"Okay, five helicopters does seem like a rather troublesome thing, so... are you taunting me?" Izumo Okuni curled her lip. If it were her, she would have gone berserk too. Sending heavy aircraft like helicopters to chase her in broad daylight would be unbearable for anyone.

"Otherwise what?" Shinji Ikari leaned against the wall by the elevator entrance. If Misato Katsuragi hadn't insisted that Shinji enter the core area of ​​NERV headquarters as soon as possible, Shinji wouldn't have wanted to take the elevator. Elevators are a very versatile tool, and it's hard to say whether he'd guessed correctly.

Since they've already begun to be attacked by SEELE, Shinji Ikari needs to maintain a high level of vigilance in all areas where SEELE might reach out. To put it dramatically, for Shinji, the enemy's sphere of influence largely overlaps with NERV; in layman's terms, NERV is actually a subordinate organization of SEELE.

"Understood, be careful." Izumo no Okuni could only sigh. The upper echelons of the Onmyōryō were having another headache. The Himuro Mansion, Minakami Village, and Mount Hikami—each of these three places was more troublesome than the last! The Himuro Mansion, however large, was still just a mansion. Minakami Village was already a village. And Mount Hikami? It was an entire hill, and it had just been flooded by the Night Spring. Its area was expanding exponentially! Next time, should they just hold a Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) across all of Japan?!

Kuang, standing to the side, was already laughing. This little guy was really interesting. Even as the other party pressed forward step by step, he showed no intention of backing down. Instead, he laid bare his true intentions, bared his fangs, and made the other party think carefully about the consequences. This tactic suited his taste perfectly.

Of course, what they didn't know was that a certain nameless, malevolent spirit, wielding a fan, had allowed those unfortunate souls lurking in the woods to absorb her power, and then escaped alive, leading them directly to her safe house. Now, her power had erupted, and inside the safe house, a group of people were groaning in agony, gasping for breath as if they were drowning.

Although Shinji Ikari and even the shrine maidens of the Onmyōryō who later came into contact with her felt that Ayase Kurosawa seemed quite easy to talk to, much easier to deal with than the perpetually cold-faced Kirie Himuro, please don't forget that it was only when she wanted to talk to you nicely. When she was about to take action, no one wanted to experience the methods of a fierce goddess!

"Understood. I won't say any more. I'm going into the elevator first. If there's really a problem, message me." Shinji Ikari sighed, glanced at the elevator next to him that was open (there was no one inside), and then went in.

"Remember to set an alarm." Izumo no Okuni quickly added, meaning he wanted Shinji Ikari to set an alarm for her to stay safe.

"Hmm!" As the elevator doors slowly closed, Shinji Ikari suddenly felt a lightness under his feet... "Tsk, it's here after all!" Shinji Ikari lightly pushed off with his foot, flipped over and kicked the top of the elevator, kicking open a corner of the top. He then found the nearest floor, leaned against the elevator door, and squinted at the top. He didn't believe that the other party really thought that this would kill him.

"Huh? Cough cough... The cable of the No. 7 high-speed elevator broke!" At this moment, Hyuga Makoto, who was on duty in the headquarters command room, was drinking coffee with a McDonald's Eternal Emperor co-branded cup. He suddenly noticed the system alarm, and after switching to take a look, he almost spat out his coffee, but he had already choked on it.

"Number 7?" Ritsuko Akagi, busy writing a report, and Misato Katsuragi, equally busy making up a story, looked up almost simultaneously! Ritsuko Akagi immediately pulled up the still-running surveillance video; the elevator was empty, clearly Shinji Ikari had escaped. "Shinji was right after all; it looks like we've got rats inside."

"Security Department! This is Misato Katsuragi! Shinji Ikari has been attacked inside Elevator 7! Immediately cordon off the surrounding area. Yes, do not organize a rescue operation; Shinji can handle it himself." Misato Katsuragi immediately notified the security department. "Yes, with my authority, issue the order: Because EVA Unit-01 pilot Shinji Ikari has been attacked, NERV headquarters is on Level 1 alert!"

"Yes! Seal off the entrances and exits! No one is allowed to enter or leave!" Misato Katsuragi said fiercely. Before Shinji Ikari returned, Ryoji Kaji quietly reminded Misato that SEELE would not let them solve the problems so smoothly and methodically.

Misato Katsuragi simply told Shinji Ikari before setting off that they should try to fish out these guys. If they could find some weakness in SEELE, they could use that as evidence to try and get people outside the NERV organization to make some preparations.

It looks like the fish has taken the bait successfully!

If the other party acted inside NERV, then they undoubtedly possess NERV credentials! Although they did agree to the Babem Foundation's visit—after all, they offered hundreds of millions of US dollars in funding just for a visit, a deal they couldn't refuse—the Babem Foundation wasn't coming today!

All those causing trouble are undoubtedly NERV employees! There's no doubt about that! The only question is how many people were involved. That's why Misato Katsuragi only ordered the security department to seal off the surrounding area, instead of directly clearing out or assisting Shinji Ikari. After all, how many snakes are in NERV is always a mystery.

"What? Gunshots! Which floor?" Misato Katsuragi heard the report from the security personnel who arrived at the scene the fastest. In addition to sealing off the surrounding area, they also opened the elevator doors on their own initiative. As soon as the doors opened, they heard gunshots echoing in the small elevator room.

"It seems Shinji made a great impression on SEELE, but I bet he'll be even better after today." Ritsuko Akagi shook her head with a smile. A few guns and he thinks he can take down Shinji? Remember when Shinji wore that high-tech armor and single-handedly killed a fairly powerful demon at the Dark Martial Arts Tournament? The aura of that warrior on the battlefield was still vivid in Ritsuko Akagi's memory. This little kitten? Are you kidding me?

"Ah..." A person wearing NERV work clothes fell down in front of the security guards with a whoosh. Several people looked up and saw one of them being hit in the face by a NERV standard-issue submachine gun. Another person saw a figure flash by, it seemed that Shinji Ikari had smashed someone into the steel rails on both sides of the elevator shaft with an iron elbow.

"Shinji is here..." The team member was about to say something when his captain ripped off his microphone. "Captain?"

“It’s NERV uniform, and it looks like someone from our security department… We can’t reveal Shinji’s location, and we can’t even go and cause him trouble. We should just cover our heads and crouch down when we see him.” The captain decisively decided on their action plan of surrendering as soon as they saw him, with the main priority being not to cause Shinji any trouble.

“However, I have another suggestion,” another team member said quickly. “Although this elevator leads to the core, it’s not classified. In a sense, we can go to the lower level…” A team member suddenly interjected, “We can guard the bodies. Unless it’s a direct order from NERV’s higher-ups, anyone who tries to take them can be considered an accomplice of the attackers.”

"That's a good idea! Once we get to the bottom, we'll contact Katsuragi Ichijo immediately!" The captain pulled the bolt, and his colleagues nodded in agreement. They followed their captain and quickly entered another elevator, rushing downwards.

At that moment, Shinji Ikari landed lightly three floors above the security team, then tilted his head to look around. The footsteps coming from around the corner suddenly disappeared. Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly. There really were more than three. Shinji glanced at a pistol on the ground and gently picked it up.

"Shinji! We're from the security department. Katsuragi Ichisuke sent us to meet you!" The voice on the other end was sincere, as if they were genuinely there to help Shinji Ikari.

"Alright, throw your guns over here." Shinji Ikari replied simply, silencing the enemy for a moment.