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

"So you stood in front of me simply for Shinji Ikari? That's somewhat surprising." Saki Soga dismounted, extending her arms as far as possible. Her demon sword, named Blood Sea, pointed at the ground, its long blade gleaming with a cold, sinister light. The injury of Sensui Shinobu not only invigorated Saki Soga, but the blood of a powerful warrior also awakened the demon sword in her hand. A strange and chilling aura began to emanate from the blade.

"It seems he's indeed a worthy opponent to take seriously." Sensui Shinobu's posture was no longer as casual as before; she seriously assumed a fighting stance. Up to this point, the probing between the two had come to an end, and now it was time to unleash their true skills.

"Swallow Return!" Soga Saki narrowed his eyes, and the sea of ​​blood in his hand seemed to twist. A diagonal slash from the lower right, a horizontal strike, and a backhand vertical slash almost completely blocked the space in front of Sensui Shinobu. The three sword beams slashed towards Sensui Shinobu almost simultaneously! The fierce slashes seemed to cleave the air. The purple sword beams arrived in an instant with a sharp whistling sound. Space and distance seemed to not exist.

"Interesting!" Sensui Shinobu's holy light aura suddenly erupted, completely different from Shinji Ikari's misty holy light aura. His holy light aura condensed into a fighting spirit armor in an instant! Both in quantity and quality, it was something Shinji Ikari could only envy. Then, a Spirit Gun rapidly condensed in his hand! However, slightly different from the previous Red Ball Wave, the spiritual energy within Sensui Shinobu's Spirit Gun was highly compressed and violently rotating! "Heh!"

The moment the blade clashed with the spirit ball, the resulting vortex of spiritual energy shattered the blade. As Sensui Shinobu became serious, the power of his techniques increased dramatically. The shattered blade then flew in all directions, shattering the already fragile floorboards.

"Hmm!" Soga Saki, who originally wanted to further develop her swordsmanship after unleashing her sword technique, and use a series of continuous slashes like a storm to give Sensui Shinobu no chance, could only retreat and create distance while wielding her sword to shatter the flying sword light in the face of the suddenly exploding spiritual energy and scattered sword light.

The judgment was correct, but the movement was slightly too hesitant… a fatal flaw! With a crisp explosion, a golden foot gleamed and struck her directly in front of her! Soga Saki's eyes narrowed to pinpoints! He knew Sensui Shinobu was strong, but the Sensui Shinobu before him seemed to be from another dimension, giving her absolutely no chance!

"Pfft!" After crashing through the floor and shattering the glass, Soga Saki flew out of the building and spat out a mouthful of blood! Almost instantly, a golden stream of energy followed her down, raining down a series of kicks on Soga Saki as she fell to the ground!

This isn't some damn turn-based game where everyone reads their action bars. Sorry, this is real combat. If you make a single mistake, your opponent will relentlessly pursue you, unleashing a barrage of attacks to send you to your doom! Just like now! Just like this moment! In front of the collapsing building, a series of golden bursts of energy suddenly turned the ground crimson.

Just like the Purple Flame Bullet that Shinji Ikari unleashed with all his might at the Dark Martial Arts Tournament, this Immortal Society building was now struck by bad luck. Explosions erupted continuously from the ground floor and lower floors, and each flash of golden light easily shattered the floorboards and crushed vehicles.

The battle between S-rank fighters possesses such terrifying destructive power. Neither Soga Saki nor Sensui Shinobu have the energy to care about the fate of the ordinary people nearby. That's a problem only the victor has time to think about! If one is distracted in such a battle, the opponent will seize the opportunity to turn the tide of the battle in the next second!

"Move! Move! Move! Eh!" Soga Saki gripped her longsword tightly. Her decades of honing her skills, her tireless training day and night, had made her an S-rank powerhouse. It wasn't some kind of magical bloodline! Nor was it some kind of inheritance! Yes, her uncle was merely a B-rank exorcist. The reason Sensui Shinobu remembered him was mainly because he had cleaned up after Sensui Shinobu and his disciple Honda Shinichiro on many occasions, nothing more!

"Flowing Blade, Ice!" The longsword, suddenly swung out, carried a terrifying chill, and frost adhered directly to the blade. In an instant, a huge ice blade shot straight at Sensui Ninja.

If Kyo were present, he would greatly admire Soga Saki's move, because this technique is truly reminiscent of a dragon! It utilizes the ubiquitous moisture in the air! And it also possesses the destructive power of both a tangible and an intangible blade!

"Not bad!" Seeing the chilling aura emanating from him and the almost bone-piercing blade light, Sensui Shinobu also highly approved. "But it's still a little short!" The magnificent battle aura steel armor suddenly dimmed! It dimmed like an old suit of armor. With a stomp in the void, instead of retreating, he advanced. A massive amount of spiritual power condensed into a vortex, and scorching flames suddenly appeared on his fist.

The instantaneous collision of fire and ice shattered half of the building! The powerful shockwave swept away almost everything around it. The Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers watching the road below hid behind armored vehicles in terror, listening to the clanging and banging of the armored vehicles behind them as they swayed and were struck by various wreckage.

A poor Type 98 robot was impaled by a series of ice bolts and shattered. Although the pilot was lucky enough to survive, he was still terrified when his colleagues dragged him back to the back of the armored vehicle.

"Huh!? This is Shinji Ikari's technique!" Saki Soga recognized the move. She was somewhat surprised. Although the Onmyōryō knew that Shinji Ikari and Shinobu Sensui had met a few times, the time was short and the two sides hadn't even sat down to talk. How could Shinobu Sensui know Shinji Ikari's technique?

Without a doubt, after the Sensui Ninja Rebellion, everything about the Sensui Ninja was investigated and revealed. The Spirit Detectives at the time included many powerful individuals, and their complete annihilation exposed almost all the techniques of the Spirit Light Rending Fist to the world! As a high-ranking member of the Onmyōryō, Soga Saki naturally knew this information!

Countless people have analyzed this intelligence in countless ways, resulting in millions of words of analysis. After reading some of it, Soga Saki basically thought it was all nonsense. To exploit the "weaknesses" these people "analyzed," the minimum requirement is to be stronger than Sensui Shinobu! At least stronger in some areas! Isn't that obvious?

Is the Spirit Light Rending Fist strong? Yes, it is. But is it truly the strongest fist technique? Not at all. There are countless powerful fist techniques. In Soga Saki's opinion, the only reason the Spirit Light Rending Fist is considered the strongest is because it was used by Sensui Shinobu! That's all!

Both Shinichiro Honda and Shinji Ikari can use the Spirit Slash Fist, but are their versions the strongest? Are you kidding me!

Soga Saki was certain of one thing: even without Sensui Shinobu's arrival today, she could have killed Shinji Ikari and his two companions! This wasn't arrogance, but rather the bare minimum confidence of a strong individual who had honed their skills in the S-rank for so long!

Today, Soga Saki confirmed one thing: it was only they who grew up through countless battles. Sensui Shinobu, the epitome of that era, was also growing! No one knew what exactly happened in that fierce battle between Honda Shinichiro and Sensui Shinobu. The fastest to arrive only saw the slowly dissipating Demon Realm passage and Honda Shinichiro lying lifeless in front of it.

So they didn't know that during that battle that shattered the mountain peak, Honda Shinichiro had already used the Simultaneous Training of the Invincible East Style! And clearly, some of its techniques and self-created techniques had been learned, or rather, imitated, by the Sensui Shinobu in front of them.

"Formless. Eternal Calamity!" There's no point in dwelling on it now! An S-rank battle is a fight to the death! Because neither of them has reached their full speed limit, neither can escape! The battle will only end with the death of one side, so Soga Saki used her forbidden technique! She knew very well that even without injury, using this technique would cause her considerable damage; in her current state, it might be a mutual destruction! However, the gap between her and Sensui Shinobu was too great; she could only fight for survival!

Standing atop the massive rubble of a fallen building, the strong winds of the fall whipped Soga Saki's long hair wildly through the air. She spat blood onto the blade, then lightly traced a line with her finger, releasing the sealing technique on the demon sword and unleashing its full power. A sinister and eerie aura erupted from its tip as Soga Saki poured all her spiritual energy into it with a do-or-die determination.

"..." Sensui Shinobu kicked away the debris that was blocking the way, and looking at the woman in front of him, another figure slowly merged with the woman in front of him.

"Master Sensui, this is my last move! Get ready! Super Overlord Movie Bullet!" Honda Shinichiro's roar seemed to echo in his ears like a hallucination.

"Ah..." Sensui Shinobu didn't hesitate. He clasped his hands together and then separated them, and his ultimate technique began to rapidly condense. The huge spirit ball took shape in an instant, but in Sensui Shinobu's hands, the terrifying spiritual power did not appear violent at all. Instead, it was like a docile sheep being condensed and compressed during high-speed spinning! Even the aura steel armor on his body slowly disintegrated, turning into golden spiritual power, which was drawn away by this spirit ball. "This is also my last move! Rending Kick. Heavy Spiral!" After throwing it up, Sensui Shinobu used a backflip to whip it with all his might towards Soga Saki in front of him.

"Slash!" Soga Saki, completely unafraid, transformed into a streak of light and flew rapidly toward his Spirit Ball, directly swinging his longsword with an ordinary, simple strike!

In the next instant! The pitch-black demonic blade suddenly slashed down with an aura that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart!

"Pfft..." Sensui Shinobu, who had only suffered minor injuries so far, spat out a mouthful of blood. The remaining fighting spirit steel armor that had been gathered on his blocking arms disintegrated, and a knife mark appeared on his body as it exploded, with blood spraying out as if he didn't care about his life.

"Ha..." After unleashing this sword strike, Soga Saki, completely exhausted, looked at Sensui Shinobu, who was at least severely injured, and a relieved smile appeared on her lips. Then she silently closed her eyes.

"Buzz!" The entire city turned in terror in that direction! As if a golden sun had risen from the ground, it instantly dispelled the darkness of Neo-Tokyo! Then, as it slowly dissipated, a scorching, strong wind carrying endless dust swept through Neo-Tokyo like a sandstorm!

Perhaps the real storm is about to arrive...

Chapter 337 The Secret of the Immortality Ritual, Turbulent New Tokyo

Standing a block away, Shinji Ikari silently swallowed, his eyes filled with confusion... To be honest, Shinji Ikari was quite experienced in demolishing buildings, but that experience was given to him while he was riding in an EVA. Back then, a large part of Tokyo-3 was severely damaged in the battle between Unit-01 and various Angels.

However, when Shinji Ikari witnessed the aftermath of the battle between Shinobu Sensui and Saki Soga, which directly led to the complete destruction of a building, he finally understood why Yusuke Urameshi was so shocked by Toguro. Moreover, it was clear that compared to Toguro, who was at the peak of A-rank, the destructive power of Shinobu Sensui and Saki Soga was even more astonishing to everyone.

"Wow... I'll treat you to dinner later, thank you! But could you put me down?" Tenshiro Hoshizuki, being carried by Mei Isayama, looked surprised and, without saying much, sincerely thanked Shinji Ikari and the others, especially the one holding him.

Mei Isayama and Shinji Ikari were interrogating, or rather questioning, Shizuka Tenshino. Knowing that Shizuka was either in a bad mood or simply too lazy to resist, she was basically just going to answer whatever they asked. The moment they sensed the two powerful figures below were getting serious, Mei Isayama lifted Shizuka up, and Shinji Ikari immediately kicked through the glass and jumped out, giving Shizuka a high-altitude bungee jump experience. Shizuka initially thought she was going to die, but then discovered that the two of them had somehow managed to kick each other in mid-air, landing on the tall buildings on either side. Emi Yusa had a spell to slow her descent, and the three of them immediately continued running away, reuniting two kilometers away.

"That's all minor now. It seems to be over. I'll go check on the situation." After the outburst subsided for a while, Shinji Ikari, leaning against the door, glanced in the direction of the Eternal Life Society building. Good, that towering building that gave off a huge sense of oppression was completely gone.

Shinji Ikari gave a wry smile. Since Sensui Shinobu didn't intend to kill him, he couldn't just abandon the guy. Moreover, although Soga Saki hadn't actually helped him, she had in fact intended to lend him a hand. However, the outcome was unlikely to be any different, so both morally and logically, he had to go and see the final result of their battle.

“Your outfit wasn’t just conspicuous in the past.” Yusa Emi pointed to Shinji Ikari’s attire. He was still dressed as the Eternal Emperor, and there was no doubt that if he appeared there, he would be a very conspicuous presence, and might even cause some misunderstandings. After all, at this time, Sensui Shinobu and Soga Saki were most likely to be injured in a fight, and Shinji Ikari, oh no, the seemingly majestic Eternal Emperor, might very well be regarded as the culprit who ultimately destroyed the building.

"Let them misunderstand. What does the Eternal Emperor have to do with me, Shinji Ikari!" Shinji Ikari said with a smile, not taking it seriously at all. The Eternal Emperor becoming famous would only make the production team preparing to make a new movie ecstatic, but it would have absolutely nothing to do with him, Shinji Ikari. At most, he would run back to Tokyo-3 and have Misato Katsuragi prove it to him, while he stayed at home.

Having made up his mind, Shinji Ikari leaped from the rooftop, his dark figure disappearing into the night. Yusa Emi was right; if Shinji wasn't careful, he would undoubtedly be affected. While the consequences might be negligible, it would still cause some trouble during his actions, so it was best to avoid it if possible.

"However, relatively speaking, his identity is a minor matter. After all, there are many forces stirring up trouble in Tokyo right now. Although the Eternal Life Society has lost a lot of intelligence due to being targeted by him and the Special Affairs Section, they still know that many people have gone missing in Tokyo recently. Originally, Yakushiji Ryoko might have been led in that direction, but before that plan could be implemented, Sirius summoned the Self-Defense Forces." Shizuka said some things she hadn't mentioned earlier, and very smoothly earned eye rolls from Isayama Mei and Yusa Emi.

“You should have said something sooner,” Mei Isayama said with a wry smile. Although New Tokyo wasn’t as developed as Old Tokyo, it still had a vast man-made underground space. Seriously, it was enough to house everyone above ground. But given what this guy was saying, there was no doubt that their group simply couldn’t possibly complete the search of the underground space.

"Knowing it won't help, because this matter is either meaningless, just another of the usual ghost stories. After all, there are plenty of monsters and ghosts in New Tokyo, and missing persons always exist, it's just a matter of how many. If something really is going to happen, you don't need to do anything futile. We've been observing this situation for quite some time now, and whatever they want to do, they should have already made pretty much all the preparations," Jingyou said quietly.

"And now, the Countermeasures Bureau is restricted to giving you New Tokyo, and exorcists from other organizations have also been withdrawn from New Tokyo on a large scale because of the Libyan National Army's actions. So, it's just bad luck, isn't it?" Mei Isayama sighed. The Libyan National Army's actions can be said to be the result of long-standing grievances, but this action has caused many variables to be triggered. First, there are cursed spirits planning to eliminate Shinji Ikari, and then demons are appearing in many places in the city. Although it seems calm at first glance, the atmosphere of impending storm is already very heavy.

"So, there is one advantage to your army's actions," Yusa Emi and Isayama Mei said with a shrug and a hint of helplessness.

"Yes... at least most people realized something was wrong immediately after the public transportation stations were taken into custody, so the personnel have already evacuated." Yusa Emi's meaning was immediately understood by Isayama Mei. Since daytime, a large convoy had been continuously driving out of the city. In a sense, this was a side effect of the panic caused by the Self-Defense Forces taking control of the city.

“He’s the biggest variable.” Jing leaned against the wall, too lazy to move. He had seen through some things, but that was all the power he had in the Eternal Life Society. After all, if you don’t get involved in things, even if you have authority, people won’t take you seriously. “Squeezing some pustules might not be a bad thing.”

"What else do you know? Feel free to tell me." Isayama Mei looked at the person in front of him with a rather creepy smile.

“No, you won’t let me go.” Jing laughed. “Your relationship is better than it is described outside. I opposed the cult leader targeting Kurosawa Rei from the beginning, and unfortunately, Kurosawa Rei is indeed the best vessel to bear the power he desires.”

"Kurosawa Aise said that's the power of another evil god! But there shouldn't be a place in Japan where there's no third evil god." Isayama Mei stared at the man before him. He was a smart man; he'd understood from the beginning that Isayama hadn't brought him out to save him, but he was still open to answering all his questions, only refusing to say more if the question didn't hit a nerve…

"The cult leader didn't specify where it is, and you're right, there really isn't such a place on the ground." Jing's lips twitched, as if she had remembered something unpleasant. "But it's not in the real world. To be precise, it's a passage between the human world and the underworld, or rather, the demon realm, a world in a dream. The cult leader believes that one can entrust their soul here and ultimately achieve immortality."

"To put it bluntly, it's just about becoming a spirit!" Jian Shanming shook his head. It seems that although this cult leader has indeed researched some things, he is still a half-baked expert, lacking some basic knowledge. For most people, the physical body and the spiritual body cannot be separated because the spiritual body is sensitive and fragile, and is easily polluted and becomes a vengeful spirit. The physical body is the foundation for ensuring that the soul is not polluted.

“But isn’t that why he’s not bound by the inertia of conventional thinking?” Jing shook her head, then noticed the road beneath their feet, where a steady stream of vehicles seemed to be approaching. “It seems that the Eternal Emperor’s actions have already attracted the attention of the Self-Defense Forces?”

“It might not have been him who drew attention.” Mei Isayama glanced at the endless stream of large vehicles and armored vehicles below. There was no doubt that the Self-Defense Forces had mobilized heavily armed troops. There was more than one road they could see, and trucks with their hazard lights flashing were lined up in long queues on the road, almost continuously.

"Aren't we going to help him?" Shizuka looked at Mei Isayama. He already knew very well who the Eternal Emperor was. At such close range, he had already recognized Mei Isayama, who was a prominent figure in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. In addition, they had offended Shinji Ikari and the others to death during this period, so who else could it be?

"One last question, who is your leader, and what kind of person is he?" Izayama Mei looked down at Jing, who was a rich young master. The reason he joined the Eternal Life Society was just for fun. Such an answer left him speechless.

“I don’t know. Nobody knows his true identity, but he seems to be an ordinary person, always acting mysteriously. It’s said that his wish is to gain eternal life, but I don’t think that’s quite right. I think he’s more like searching for someone, or something or someone.” Jing shook her head. “So, can you just give me a straight answer?”

"Do you have any last words?" Mei Isayama asked, looking at him.

"Oh, if you could pass on a message to Ryoko Yakushiji, were you happy about standing me up last time?" Shizuka said something that surprised Mei Isayama.

"Hmm?" Isayama Mei stopped what she was doing. "It seems you've managed to save your life. I'll hand you over to Yakushiji Ryoko. Good luck."

"I don't want to face her, can I just take action?" Jing said, utterly speechless.

“No.” Shinji Ikari looked at Sensui Shinobu, who was squatting on the ruins he had created. “Even if you only have a third of your fighting strength left, you are still much stronger than me. If Gojo Satoru were here, I would invite him to fight with me, but now, forget it.”

"Is that so?" Shinobu Sensui looked at Shinji Ikari and smiled. "You seem to be more rational than Shinichiro, but someone like you is very easy to be wary of." Shinobu Sensui pressed on his wound a few times. He had sealed the wound with Holy Light Aura, so it shouldn't worsen in the short term, but he would still need to heal slowly. Saki Soga's last desperate attack had indeed taken him by surprise. His condition was actually a third worse than Shinji Ikari had guessed.

"So, can you tell me why you're here? Why did you want to help me...? You could have just watched those guys kill me that day, and you would have created trouble for yourself." Shinji Ikari looked at Sensui Shinobu, who had stood up, and asked the question that had been troubling him the most. Every action should have a reason, even a crime of passion should at least have a pretext, but Shinji Ikari simply couldn't understand Sensui Shinobu's actions...

"It seems you and Shinichiro have a really good relationship. You positioned yourself as my enemy from the very beginning?" Sensui Shinobu didn't say it directly, but just casually said, "Think it over slowly, think it over carefully. There's still a lot to do, so I won't waste my breath on you. Good luck." After saying that, he leaped away into the distance.

"..." Shinji Ikari watched his departing figure and muttered to himself, "Can I not put myself in Shinichiro's position..." But he didn't have much time to ponder before a series of bright lights suddenly shone down on him, illuminating Shinji Ikari, no, the Eternal Emperor, who was standing on the wreckage in deep thought!

"..." Shinji Ikari's lips twitched. He hadn't figured out Sensui Shinobu's actions before, but now he understood why she was leaving at this time despite her serious injuries. He didn't bother to say anything to the Self-Defense Force members who were about to say something, and simply leaped onto the nearby building.

"Should we fire?" a mech pilot whispered over the radio.

"Is he an enemy?" A sergeant shook his head. "Investigation isn't our mission. Quickly search the area and see if there's anyone else here." The sergeant sighed. He figured he'd repaid this favor. He hoped this guy wouldn't get involved in this matter any further. The previous Japanese government, though corrupt, at least had some governing experience. What good could this bunch of incompetents do now? Japan was already running a deficit for years, supporting both the TERRA and NERV headquarters. If things continued like this, collapse was only a matter of time! And these timid cowards still only knew how to keep fulfilling their demands! That's why they stood up.

"It looks like a lot of people won't be able to sleep tomorrow."

Chapter 338 Mari Discovers a Little Secret

"The situation in Neo-Tokyo is changing rapidly. The Self-Defense Forces have already engaged in battle with some demons... TERRA asked them if they needed support, but the Self-Defense Forces refused." Kozo Fuyutsuki calmly watched the scene before him. The intelligence agency had just withdrawn from Neo-Tokyo under orders, and this was the last batch of intelligence they brought back, which described a rather pessimistic situation.

“It’s alright, this information is enough for us to make a judgment. The Yin-Yang Bureau has confirmed that a large number of demons have appeared in Neo-Tokyo. The reason why the Self-Defense Forces entered in the early stage, plus…” At this point, Gendo Ikari’s lips curled into a strange smile, “The destruction by the Eternal Emperor has instilled fear in people, making it impossible for them to enter more quickly. With SEELE already too busy to pay attention to us, this is truly an unexpected scene.”

"But the Self-Defense Forces' movements are still unclear. They can't figure out their specific movements either. If it's a coup, they haven't arrested those bureaucrats. If they're carrying out government orders to suppress the region, they've seen the Immortals being defeated... Perhaps they know something too?" Fuyutsuki Kozo mentioned some of the Self-Defense Forces' strange movements. He also had some strange feelings about the Self-Defense Forces' actions.

“Because they are communicating with the Babem Foundation and the United States, that’s very clear. Their superiors are very clear that some things, once agreed upon, are agreed upon.” Gendo Ikari’s smile suddenly became very sarcastic. “But they don’t have much time left now. TERRA’s goal will be achieved soon.”

"Speaking of TERRA, what about those two little guys hiding in Tokyo-3?" Fuyutsuki Kozo thought of something else. Ayato Kamina, who had returned on Shinji Ikari's motorcycle, ended up hiding in an abandoned building in the Tokyo-3 reconstruction area. If it weren't for the fact that Ryuji Danma would occasionally go there with a lot of food and daily necessities, they probably wouldn't know about it. The engineering department hasn't had the energy for reconstruction work there lately, so things have been delayed. In addition, the dilapidated buildings all over the place are indeed uninhabitable, making it a real blind spot.

"Let them go. Shinji Ikari probably has more friends in this city than we do! Watching the show is fine, but we can't offer help—that's a matter of principle. And Shinji is clearly helping in his personal capacity. Given his current status, TERRA wouldn't dare do anything to him." Gendo Ikari, striking his classic pose, no longer concealed the wicked smile on his lips.

Although his relationship with his son wasn't particularly good, Gendo Ikari genuinely acknowledged and admired Shinji Ikari's abilities to some extent. For someone as socially awkward as him, Shinji was a veritable social butterfly. He had essentially infiltrated all three underground organizations in Japan. When NERV's support forces showed some displeasure, he immediately stopped summoning NERV's support and instead relied on his own channels to gather reinforcements. Ritsuko Akagi was the one who complained the most about this.

Because Shinji Ikari brought her more than just a little surprise. According to Ritsuko Akagi, if the Angels and EVAs respectively represent the unknown and the current pinnacle of human technology, then Shinji Ikari brought her possibility! A deadly possibility! No scientist could possibly deny such a situation.

Putting everything else aside, when Asou Yuu was brought in, according to the medical department's normal physical examination report, it could be basically concluded that it was only a matter of time before he died. Although it is quite impolite to say this, there is no doubt that Asou Yuu was already doomed. His organs had begun to show signs of failure on a large scale, and there was no way to treat him.

Now, Aso Yuu is not only alive, but her physical condition has also begun to gradually improve. She even reached the limit of waking up. This has only been a few days. It is not an exaggeration to call it a medical miracle. However, Aso Yuu is only at the stage of showing signs of waking up, and then she continues to be unconscious.

“That’s true. Shinji Ikari is a good lad, so it’s not surprising that he has many friends.” Looking at Gendo Ikari’s face, Kozo Fuyutsuki spoke the truth, but for some reason, he suddenly added, “Perhaps he’s also trying his best in his own way. Although there’s still a huge gap between his current intelligence and ours, there’s no doubt that he’s working hard. And who can ignore his existence now?”

"Relying on other people's efforts is not something to be encouraged," Gendo Ikari said coldly. There is no doubt that Shinji Ikari's actions have their own purpose, but as of now, neither he nor Kozo Fuyutsuki are very clear about Shinji Ikari's true purpose. This guy seems to have mentioned to many people that the current world is not a normal world at all, but he has not mentioned what he wants to do.

"Is that so..." Fuyutsuki Kōzō shook his head. "Unit-01 is ready, Unit-02 is basically ready, and Unit-00's arm has been basically repaired and can guarantee mobility." Seeing that Ikari Gendō's tone was very firm, Fuyutsuki Kōzō changed the subject. He couldn't continue talking, or he himself would waver!

Because from any perspective, what Shinji Ikari is doing is more just than what they are doing!

Clearly, he knew that Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi were giving Shinji Ikari the green light within their capabilities. As for Yuu Aso, she had all the support in NERV. Many of NERV's lower and middle-level employees were very concerned about Shinji Ikari's affairs. They would even voluntarily extend their working hours to help Shinji Ikari when they were working overtime repairing EVAs.

"..." Fuyutsuki Kozo sighed as he left, "Perhaps it's because we've never been heroes." Fuyutsuki Kozo looked up at the flashlight, glanced at the streetlight, shook his head, and turned to leave.

"You bastard, you've been found out by Vice Commander Fuyutsuki!" Katsuragi Misato kicked someone hard, and Kaji Ryoji winced in pain, but couldn't make a sound.

“Gendo Ikari knows about our actions. In a sense, you should thank Shinji Ikari. If it weren’t for him, our actions wouldn’t have received this level of tacit approval.” Ryoji Kaji straightened his coat. “Let’s hurry back. Shinji Ikari needs support in Tokyo too. However, this time he has truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

"Oh? Is there any news?" Ritsuko Akagi asked curiously. Having obtained the necessary information, the two strolled back leisurely, chatting about Shinji Ikari as they went.

"He eliminated a veteran S-class powerhouse, which surprised many people. What surprised me was that just over half a day later, the Eternal Emperor reappeared and seemed to display powerful strength, destroying the Eternal Society's building." Kaji Ryoji's smile had a somewhat serious tone, which surprised Katsuragi Misato.

Then she suddenly pondered the meaning behind her boyfriend's words and realized that, in the traditional sense, the definitions of each level are clearly defined, but although the S level has a general range, it is not very clear. This is because, in general, the so-called S level is a general term that surpasses the A level, with a vague lower limit but no clear upper limit.

Therefore, becoming an S-rank is extremely difficult. Generally, one can only become invincible in some sense, or a veteran powerhouse. Both paths are long and arduous. Therefore, there is a very simple and clear method: kill an S-rank powerhouse, regardless of their race!

However, one cannot suffer too severe an injury! This is extremely important! Otherwise, it might just be a fluke, and such a victory cannot be considered as crossing the threshold of A-level and entering the ranks of the top experts.

Now, Shinji Ikari has killed an S-class powerhouse, and not long after, the Eternal Emperor has reappeared, displaying terrifying power...

To others, the Eternal Emperor might just be an urban legend, some bored powerhouse playing around with life. But for Misato Katsuragi, who had attended the film crew's dinner together, it was truly a case of "Even you, Ryoji Kaji, know who this guy is, so how could I not know who he is?!"

“This guy…” But Misato Katsuragi was still quite surprised. “Shinji Ikari said that S-class is not easy to get into. He thought he would be stuck in A-class for a long time until one day, he made a decision and then naturally crossed the threshold.”

"It seems he's made up his mind." Kaji Ryoji smiled. Shinji Ikari's words were very interesting, but that was all. After all, judging from the situation, Shinji Ikari might not have overcome this hurdle because of any kind of determination. From Kaji Ryoji's own experience, Shinji Ikari was the most mature-beyond-his-years young man he had ever met.

"Buzz..." At this moment, Kaji Ryoji's phone suddenly rang. He reached into his pocket, opened the phone case, and saw a photo of Mari Makinami playfully winking, sticking out her tongue slightly, and making a V-sign next to her face. The whole composition was a picture of a youthful, invincible, playful, and cute beautiful girl.

Kaji Ryoji raised his head slightly and, as expected, saw Katsuragi Misato looking at him like he was trash. This made Kaji Ryoji's lips curl into a very helpless smile. He didn't know how to explain to the woman in front of him that his relationship with Mari Makinami was really just a colleague relationship in a certain sense. The most ambiguous thing between them was that they teased each other a few times.

"Hurry up and answer the phone, your reporter on the scene is getting impatient." Misato Katsuragi tossed her head and left. She knew her boyfriend's character perfectly well, and she also knew that Ryoji Kaji had a business partner. It seemed she'd stumbled upon what the partner looked like today, though it appeared to be a little girl…

Misato Katsuragi probably understood that such a photo couldn't say much, and who knows, after answering the phone, it might be a deep, middle-aged man's voice. After all, it was a very simple and effective way to mislead people.

"Hey! Your call earned me a cold shoulder from Misato. If you don't have any good information, I might be quite upset." Kaji Ryoji didn't mind; he knew that Katsuragi Misato knew what was important.

"Oh! Adults who mess around with men and women during the day are really filthy!" Mari teased. Although her partner seemed like a playboy, he was actually quite devoted. However, now wasn't the time for her to say more. "Check your email, there's some new perk coming your way~"

"Oh, I understand." Kaji Ryoji took a deep breath. Normally, after the last phone call, Mari should have already been preparing to evacuate from New Tokyo. During this process, she shouldn't have broken the silence and contacted him. At least, this way, she wouldn't be discovered so quickly that it would seem like something major had happened or some huge discovery that made her feel she had to notify him immediately! "Then you should also be careful, don't get tricked by those weird uncles."

"Don't worry! They can't afford my price." Mari chuckled as she hung up the phone, peeked out slightly to check the situation outside, and sighed, "It really does seem like we've had a bit of bad luck and things have gone wrong?"

"Little girl, what do you mean by 'capsizing the boat'? I'm very interested!" A person suddenly appeared across the table where Masami was sitting, looking at Masami with a smile. For him, this was an interesting digestive exercise after dinner, and perhaps also a late-night dessert. The beautiful girl in front of him had discovered a little secret of theirs that had to be eliminated. But he was also quite lucky; she really did whet his appetite in every sense of the word.

"It means there will be some ungrateful bastard who suddenly thinks he's strong and can bully me at will!" Mari answered the guy's question with a charming smile, completely unafraid.

"Oh~" The demon narrowed his eyes. The girl in front of him wasn't afraid at all? "I'm very interested. What do you rely on to dare to speak to me like that?"

"Because you're just a cowardly coward too," Mari said with a charming smile. "And I have a trump card up my sleeve!"

"Oh! What is it?"

"Wangda Knight~"

"what?"