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

Chapter 339 Urameshi and the others venture deep underground

"Thump!" A flying kick sent the slick-haired, effeminate-looking guy in front of Mari flying. Shinji Ikari didn't give him a chance to transform and unleash his power. A barrage of punches rained down on his body. This guy, who had just reached B-rank, didn't even qualify for the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. Even if he managed to get in, he'd basically be one of those ABCDEFG characters who would be killed as soon as they appeared...

Even if Shinji Ikari didn't have enough spiritual power and inner energy right now, he could still take down this guy with his powerful physical combat strength. A series of punches rained down on his opponent's body without any gaps. The moment he knocked the opponent into the air, he grabbed his foot and swung him around with enough force to blow an infantry fighting vehicle away. He smashed a decorative wall and finally crashed into a load-bearing column, making the whole building tremble.

"Humans... how could lowly humans..." The demon, stunned by the attack, had almost broken all the bones in his body. He lay on the ground in pain, looking at Shinji Ikari who was approaching him. Oh, he was still wearing the Eternal Emperor's coat. He said in disbelief.

"Thump!" Shinji Ikari didn't waste any words and kicked his head, smashing it. The person who had just escaped from the clutches of the Exorcist Queen had just revealed the biggest secret of their Eternal Society. Their leader actually wanted to rely on the power of a fierce god to build an "immortal" divine kingdom in the dream world.

This left Shinji Ikari speechless. "You bastard, have you been watching too much Naruto? You've even started playing with Infinite Tsukuyomi, huh? Are you kidding me? Do you think the God of Calamity is so easy to control?" Shinji Ikari immediately realized that the so-called leader of the Eternal Life Society, who came up with this outlandish idea, was very likely already driven mad by the power of the God of Calamity. He was just instinctively trying to drag more people down with him.

"Wow! Wanda-kun has indeed become much stronger! You've definitely made a breakthrough after the death battle!" Mari didn't mind the bloody scene in front of her and walked straight to Shinji Ikari's side. After Shinji Ikari caught her at the school last time, the two exchanged contact information on the deserted island.

"It's alright, but right now I'm in the period of declining strength before I become stronger." Shinji Ikari looked at Mari in front of him, a woman who was very likely to have accepted his mother's request to help him. She was a mysterious figure until the very end of the movie. However, Shinji Ikari was very suspicious that since he did not intend to follow the path his mother had pointed out to him, would she do everything she could to help him, just like in the movie, or... would she stop him by any means necessary?

"That's a real shame. I thought you'd be the protagonist of this adventure!" Mari said calmly, showing no surprise whatsoever. It was no surprise that Shinji Ikari had a life-or-death battle with his opponent. The fact that he was still full of energy and able to move around after such a battle meant that his mobility was already maxed out.

"This is the address. I spent a little time investigating it. I probably need to hurry, or I might really be in trouble." Mari rummaged in her inner pocket, took out a hand-drawn map, tossed it to Shinji Ikari, and then tried to leave.

"If you're only thinking about leaving now, it's really a bit too late." Shinji Ikari shook his head. To be honest, Mari's ability to act is absolutely top-notch, but she obviously knows a little less about the abilities of the underworld. Even Ritsuko Akagi knows that if you provoke these things, there are many things to deal with.

Clearly unprepared for this, Mari became bait used by the enemy, and Shinji Ikari seemed to be their target! At this moment, a target like Shinji Ikari would certainly be of great interest to many. A powerful S-class rank, seemingly injured, presented the perfect opportunity from any angle! Attack him! Whether it was killing him or forcing him to become their henchman, it would be a good choice for these ambitious demons.

The former can weaken the resistance of humans and be used as good material to intimidate other human powerhouses. Most importantly, even corpses have many uses in the Demon Realm. As long as the remains of the "Eternal Emperor" are returned, they will receive a heavy reward!

The latter, who are now infiltrating the human world, have even managed to get past the Spirit World's barrier because they deliberately dropped their rank. Even if their power is somewhat restored after arriving in the human world, they have all been confirmed to have perished, except for one, Yuzaki, who is still missing.

Therefore, they don't really have much combat power. If they could recruit an S-level expert, it would be of great benefit to their mission completion! This is an irresistible temptation for them!

"So the knight isn't going to escort me?" Mari's eyes flickered. She immediately realized what had happened. It seemed that although she had noticed whether there were any human tails, she hadn't noticed these guys in the shadows. It looked like she had caused Shinji Ikari a little trouble!

"No need, my sister found me a helper. If nothing unexpected happens, he should have arrived by now." Shinji Ikari shook his head. It was better for him not to go to Mount Hikami recently. He still vividly remembered his sister's Hulk attack last time. Although he could say that the other party was careless this time, there was no doubt that once he was caught by Kirie, it wouldn't be enough to just beat him up and let him go.

"Toguro-nii! What are you doing here!" Sure enough, a terrified scream came from below. Although Toguro-nii was not an S-rank and had been tricked by the Dark Martial Arts Tournament, his strength was stuck at the peak of A-rank, making it very difficult for him to advance further. However, his reputation among the demons who roamed the human world was absolutely legendary, and a group of special-grade curse spirits obviously found him very troublesome.

"Just cleaning up some trash." Toguro, still wearing sunglasses, sported a cool expression. His eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses, looked at the group of people before him as if they were garbage. He'd been stuck at the peak of A-rank for a long time, but some of Mei Isayama's actions alongside Shinji Ikari had given him some inspiration. Yes, his powerful physique had, in a sense, become a hindrance to his S-rank advancement, but it wasn't absolute! "To deal with trash like you… 20% of my power is enough!"

As long as I can combine demonic power and my own power again through martial arts, why can't I take that step?! To be extreme, Mei Isayama, who fused with the bloodline of a dragon under the manipulation of Himuro Kirie, is no better than me directly becoming a demon.

In particular, the Himuro Technique passed down by Himuro Kirie directly gave him this opportunity! And when the Totsuki Group made offerings to Himuro Kirie, they also thoughtfully included a portion for him, which allowed his body to have further potential!

"Ah! This guy is the enemy!" Seeing him charge forward, Toguro's fist, as big as a casserole dish, unleashed a series of punches, slamming four or five demons into the wall. Toguro's fist punched a series of holes in the wall, and blood splattered all over the surface. The once sturdy reinforced concrete wall instantly became crumbling.

Of course, some of these demons were skilled fighters, not the type to simply take a beating. Three or four powerful individuals immediately launched an attack on Toguro, who was clearly there to attack them. Undoubtedly, they were all very clear that Toguro was their enemy, and they had to defeat him at all costs! Otherwise, no one believed that Toguro was the type to simply retreat and let it go.

"Courageous, but not a smart move!" Toguro-nii unleashed 50% of his power, and in the next instant, his figure filled his clothing, making him seem to grow taller. He assumed a stance, one hand forward, then quickly retracted both hands, his demonic energy rapidly condensing. "Demon Spirit Wave!"

"!" The demons who rushed up were stunned. Toguro himself was a very famous strongman, and most of his moves were well known. Obviously, this move was not one of his famous moves.

A series of blue shockwaves shot out from Toguro's hand. These projectiles hit their opponents' bodies in an instant, and the demons' bodies were all destroyed under his attack without even leaving a scream.

"It seems... he's already preparing to cross over." Shinji Ikari glanced at the battle below, where the remaining small fry were frantically retreating in all directions, while Toguro's brother used his 50% power to unleash ki blasts, killing them one by one. "Are you sure this map is indeed the target's location?"

“I’m quite certain of that.” Mari, who was leaning against Shinji Ikari at the window watching Toguro’s younger brother sweep below, had a flicker in her eyes. Shinji didn’t say anything. They had already managed to summon such powerful helpers. She turned her head slightly to look at the “Eternal Emperor” who was standing there with his hands behind his back. “However, it seems that you have more than just a little thing to do here. Do you even have the energy to do it all?”

"From the very beginning... I knew the Demon Realm was up to something. They had a lot of ideas, like invading the Human Realm and then using it as a springboard to invade the Spirit Realm? These guys really have wild imaginations. The Spirit Realm isn't stupid..." Shinji Ikari shook his head with a smile, but after saying that, he suddenly hesitated. Was Koenma really so far-sighted...? If it really was a case of working backwards, did he really know Yusuke Urameshi's bloodline, which is why he chose Yusuke Urameshi and gave him a second life?

Of course, Shinji Ikari really wants to know a very crucial question: who is Yusuke Urameshi's father? He's so cuckolded, I wonder what he's thinking.

“Oh…” Mari tilted her head, her face full of amusement, then she suddenly realized something, “So, your other group of friends are already here?”

"Who knows?" Shinji Ikari smiled, not intending to say a word more. However, he wasn't sure whether Botan had received his message, whether she had informed them, or what Koenma was thinking.

Meanwhile, in the underground of New Tokyo, the answers to these questions had already been found. Yusuke Urameshi, Kurama, Hiei, and Kazuma Kuwabara were running at full speed. Botan's message arrived rather late, but since the four of them were already in New Tokyo, it didn't take them too long to get to their location.

"We're almost there, just in time to the location Shinji Ikari sent the message to," Kurama said quickly. Shinji's message briefly explained what he was currently tracking, so he was too busy to deal with the situation himself and had to ask them to go to this location to eliminate their opponent.

"Shh!" Fei Ying, who was leading the charge and acting as a scout, made a gesture to stop his teammates who were about to continue their advance. His hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword.

“There are a lot of people ahead.” Kurama frowned. “It seems Shinji Ikari guessed right. The other side really did start preparing a long time ago.” He rubbed his fingers together, and some powdery stuff floated over as he gently blew on it with his demonic energy.

"There are only four of us. What can we do?" Kazuma Kuwahara's face was filled with horror. He had originally thought that there would only be a few strong opponents, but now it turned out that they might have to face a lot of enemies.

"But there aren't many who can be called opponents; the rest are all trash." Hiei sneered. If Kurama hadn't already made his move, he might have chosen to tear off the binding cloth from his hands and crush them directly.

At this moment, some of the demons inside had already discovered that they were under attack. Some of the weaker demons on the periphery fell straight down. This situation was obviously abnormal. One of them did not hesitate to reach out and activate his demonic power, trying to destroy the attack in the air.

"Whoosh!" A bright flash of light appeared, and a huge longsword instantly severed his arm. The demon took a step back, and then he realized that his body had been cut to pieces by Fei Ying. At this moment, Fei Ying had already rushed towards his next target.

"Hey! Hiei's already gone up there!" Kuwabara Kazuma was stunned, then turned around and found no one left beside him. "Hey! Leave some for me!"

Chapter 340 The Path the Self-Defense Forces Had No Choice Of

"Damn it..." Kuwahara Kazuma, whose chest was wrapped in bandages, cursed somewhat. They had been fighting almost non-stop all night. Although things went smoothly at first, they soon found themselves in a situation where they were being ganged up on and even ambushed. Large numbers of demons emerged from every corner and kept attacking them.

Moreover, not only were there many of them, but the key issue was that there were quite a few powerful demons among them. In fact, during the crisis, several A-rank demons joined forces to ambush them. In addition, there were a large number of small fry who kept entangled with them. The four of them could only fight and retreat at the same time. Yusuke Urameshi even used up all of his Spirit Guns at one point.

After all, this kind of battle is not a performance-style martial arts competition, but a life-or-death struggle. As long as the opponent can be killed, the means are not a problem, and the method is even less so. If an overwhelming amount of power can be used to directly kill, then naturally no one will care! Especially Yusuke Urameshi and his few famous guys! The identity of Spirit Detectives basically means that they stand on the opposite side of all demons.

"I really didn't expect that you would be the one to save me in the end." Although Urameshi Yusuke was in slightly better condition than Kuwazono, he still had many wounds bandaged. He looked at Toguro's younger brother, who was sitting to the side, tearing bread and feeding the cat with a cold expression.

On their retreat, despite Kurama and Hiei being extremely cautious, their ambushing opponents were clearly very familiar with their habits and tactics. As a result, they faced a deadly threat just as they were about to leave the underground area! At that moment, Toguro arrived, and together they killed most of the A-rank enemies, with only a few escaping.

"The Genkai Sect is doing well; your skills have improved considerably." Toguro didn't say much. When he was guarding the Himuro Mansion, many people came to the mansion to challenge him. Just as Himuro Kirie said, he became a whetstone for others. However, while he was serving as a whetstone, weren't all the elites from various walks of life also honing him?

"Here, this is breakfast. Eat it quickly and then get some rest! Although Yusa Emi treated you, your bodies won't recover that quickly." Isayama Mei threw a paper bag at him rather roughly, making Sangyuan, who was standing to the side with a lewd look on her face and wanted to say something, wonder if her face had been dented.

"Thank you very much." Kurama chuckled as he took the plastic bag from Sangyuan's still twitching face. You can't even imagine how sharp Sangyuan's senses are; you actually dared to tease her secretly. You're getting your comeuppance now. Kurama casually pulled out a beef rice ball from the bag, tossed it aside without even looking, and Hiei's stiffly outstretched hand caught it.

Hiei glanced sideways at Kurama without saying a word. He took the rice ball from the first hand with his other hand, tore off the packaging, and began to chew. As powerful demons, he and Kurama could not accept Yusa Emi's treatment and could only rely on their own healing. However, they somehow obtained some herbs with cold and yin magic power, which, under the catalysis of Kurama's demon power, became a very good healing medicine.

However, this was very effective against Hiei who used the Black Dragon Wave. When he first ran out from underground, his hands were so badly burned that he couldn't even grip anything. The pain was constantly tearing at his nerves. Coupled with the rapid recovery using his demonic power, he gritted his teeth the whole way. Finally, the bandages made him feel a little better.

Because the Dark Martial Arts Tournament ended midway, both Hiei and Kurama were slightly weaker than their contemporaries. However, it seems that Yusuke Urameshi, for various reasons, not only did not become weaker, but also received some killings. So now, when they actually fight, it's really hard to say who is stronger.

"We've explored the underground area. Besides the demons, there are indeed several very powerful cursed spirits. If it weren't for the strength of the Black Dragon Wave, we might already be dead inside." The passage was only so wide, and Fei Ying's sudden release of the Black Dragon Wave was almost impossible to avoid, directly burning a large number of demons to ashes. However, the cursed spirits seemed to have found their own way to escape. Although they escaped, they didn't seem to have suffered much damage.

"This news has already been communicated to Miss through the Divine Mirror. The Spellcaster Association is aware of it. They are clearly targeting someone, but judging from the current situation, it seems to have nothing to do with us." The cat, having eaten its fill, rubbed against Toguro's legs without any fear. Toguro glanced at it and coldly reported on his side's movements.

"Basically, it's only a matter of time before it erupts. If there are no surprises, our enemies may be more powerful than we imagine!" Kurama analyzed simply. Yesterday, he planted a lot of carnivorous and demon-devouring plants underground. Although they couldn't eliminate them, they could still cause them a lot of trouble. Moreover, by monitoring the condition of these plants, he could see the activities of the demons underground.

"So where did Shinji go again?" As a Spirit Detective, Yusuke Urameshi understood the meaning of duty in this situation, but he also greatly admired Shinji Ikari's accurate judgment of the situation. However, where were Shinji's own people? He was somewhat speechless.

"Shinji Ikari went to get some information. He suspects that someone might be planning to create a secret dimension near Neo-Tokyo, pulling the entire Neo-Tokyo into it." At this point, Mei Isayama no longer hid anything, even though it was initially indeed to retaliate for almost killing Yuu Aso.

However, as Shinji Ikari's investigation and attacks unfolded in the open while she remained in the shadows, the information they gathered began to stray from the truth. Although it seemed that the upper echelons of the Immortal Society had been largely wiped out with the collapse of their building, the top leader of the organization had yet to be found.

"Someone else has such information?" Kurama was somewhat surprised. He roughly knew what the Immortal Society was, and he was surprised that they were playing such a big game. What intrigued them most was that Shinji Ikari and his team were able to obtain such secret materials from them.

“These are the notebooks I found last time. Originally, I only gave the Onmyo-ryo a photocopy, and I think you shouldn’t mind.” Yakushiji Ryoko handed several notebooks to Ikari Shinji. These were none other than her spoils from her investigation into the Evil Soul Group. Izumida Junichiro, who was standing next to her, looked at these notebooks with a very unpleasant expression on his face, undoubtedly triggering some terrible memories.

“I didn’t expect to find the information here.” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “So, what was the price?”

“I need the Eternal Emperor’s help…” Yakushiji Ryoko’s lips curled into a smile. “So how are you doing?” As someone who had once worked with Shinji Ikari, how could she not know about Shinji’s affairs?

It is precisely because of the high-pressure situation maintained by the Self-Defense Forces in New Tokyo during this period that the various actions of the Eternal Emperor in New Tokyo have not been widely reported. Otherwise, there would undoubtedly have been another wave of celebration, unlike now, where it has caused almost no ripples.

"It's not like I'm assassinating the Japanese Prime Minister, is it? But personally speaking, that guy is pretty unethical, so I'd be quite happy to oblige." Shinji Ikari's lips curled up. In one of the theatrical versions, regarding NERV's actions, although there might have been some instructions from SEELE, Japan itself took the lead, with the Self-Defense Forces deploying their main forces to launch the attack.

“Your imagination is truly remarkable.” Yakushiji Ryoko paused for a moment, then laughed. “If that day ever comes, I will come looking for you. It seems that Nagumo Shinobu has discovered the leader of the opposing side, and we might need your help to divert some attention to facilitate my operations.”

“No problem, I agree!” Shinji Ikari closed his notebook. “By the way, don’t go to the underground in New Tokyo lately. You know my guys caused a huge commotion yesterday.”

"Yes, now everyone knows that the humans on the surface are preparing to fight, and the demons and monsters underground are also preparing to fight!" Yakushiji Ryoko said with a smile. Because of the "assistance" of the Eternal Life Society in a certain sense, the Special Affairs Section has been doing a lot recently. Although the Self-Defense Forces, which have occupied New Tokyo for nearly 48 hours, are in a fierce mood, their morale seems to be slackening because they have not taken any further action. Moreover, the physical exhaustion of the soldiers is also a very real issue.

"Those guys in the military are oversimplifying things," Shinji Ikari shook his head with a wry smile. Yes, that's right! It was indeed because of the constant attacks from the Angels that the entire US military stationed in Japan was almost wiped out. In particular, the combined attack of the Fish Angels and Dorem had severely damaged the massive fleet that the US had used to suppress the seas and East Asia. Now, they could only retreat to Hawaii to rest and regroup, and the replenishment of new ships was still a long way off.

The United States has indeed experienced a significant decline in power, which has, in a sense, created a coveted vacuum on Japanese soil! The high-ranking officers of the Self-Defense Forces see this and believe they can fill the void! However, they have undoubtedly forgotten one thing…

That is, when it comes to treason, the abilities of civil officials far surpass those of the military...

No matter how weak and incompetent the military may be, they still have some fighting spirit. But the civil servants in the bureaucratic system often don't care about that at all!

So even though they contacted the US very quickly and began coordinating with them as soon as possible.

But you can't resist the conditions offered by others that are double theirs! What can they do? They are completely powerless and can only watch as the best opportunity gradually slips away.

“So you guessed it, didn’t you…” Yakushiji Ryoko laughed. “72 hours after they entered the city, this matter finally started to resemble a damn military coup. They are beginning to mobilize troops on a large scale. Having already occupied most of the ground transportation in New Tokyo, they are gradually shrinking their actual control over New Tokyo.”

At this point, Ryoko Yakushiji's expression suddenly turned sarcastic. "And you, at the time they least expected, in the direction they least expected, directly brought them a huge problem they never anticipated. In particular, quite a few daring Self-Defense Force soldiers went directly into the underground facilities to explore, and didn't that exploration directly discover the interesting things underground?"

“Phew…” Shinji Ikari shook his head and let out a long breath. “I don’t like the Self-Defense Forces. These guys are a bunch of lunatics. There’s nothing to say about them. But the fact that they did this at least deserves praise for their courage.”

"Yes, but their courage wasn't enough to completely overcome the carnivorous plants left by your friend. I heard that after confirming that many soldiers were injured, the higher-ups prohibited the soldiers from going any further into the underground section, leaving only a few control points to prevent anyone from escaping through the underground passages, that's all."

"So we missed the last good chance to control the situation." Shinji Ikari said with some helplessness. Yusuke Urameshi and the others had been instructed by Shinji Ikari to make things worse. Although the underground space was not suitable for powerful machinery to carry out offensive operations, there was no doubt that the Self-Defense Forces had more than just some simple tanks and armored vehicles. If they had really started to make up their minds to carry out a cleanup operation, then there was no doubt that the situation could have been brought under control.

However, these high-ranking Self-Defense Force officials who claimed to be acting in the name of the people and wanted to expel NERV and TERRA were quickly exposed as true to their nature. This was a coup d'état, and only a coup d'état, with nothing to do with justice.

"So you're planning to focus on resolving the remaining issues with the Eternal Life Society first?" Ryoko Yakushiji nodded. Shinji Ikari's expression spoke volumes. At the very least, Shinji genuinely wanted to bring things under control in New Tokyo, but now, several issues were beginning to surface. "So you can see from above... So it wasn't you who saw it?"

Ryoko Yakushiji wanted to ask what was so interesting about these notebooks she'd practically worn out, but before the notebooks even reached Shinji's hands for long, a chilling aura emanated from him. Shinji placed the Sacred Mirror aside, and Ryoko instantly understood what was happening. If there was anything similar between Shinji and Yamato Morishita, who had left the notebooks, it was that both were possessed by powerful female demons! And… Shinji was one of two malevolent spirits!

Although I don't know if Yang is feeling well or not, and it seems like I have no temperature, I feel a bit dizzy and have a bad cough. I'll just lie down for a day to rest. I haven't slept well in a long time, sorry.

I've already figured out the general theme for my new book. I hope it won't be the kind that gets me killed. *sigh*

I also hope everyone will take good care of themselves, because now one family is affected by a single outbreak. I wish everyone a safe passage through this difficult time.

I just woke up and wanted to let everyone know that I tested positive for the antigen at noon.

I have a fever of 38.7 degrees Celsius and am lying in bed like a corpse. I realized yesterday that something was wrong, but it was too late to lie down.

I'm currently experiencing extreme chills and a decreased appetite, though my sense of taste is still there. I initially thought it might just be a severe cold, but then I got two lines on my test results.

This thing comes on suddenly, much faster than a severe cold. I started coughing yesterday at noon, developed a fever in the evening, and am already dead today. I hope I can recover soon.

Please ask me to take two days off to reduce my fever. I'll resume updating once the fever subsides.

By the way, don't go to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. I arrived at the fever clinic of a top-tier hospital in Hangzhou at 9:30 am today, and there were more than a hundred people ahead of me... and they were out of medicine, so they could only give me two kinds of medicine. But while waiting outside, it felt like we were all sheep... Even with a severe cold, you can still test positive.

Chapter 341 Unit 2 Intrusion

"Distance 23600... A large structure is approaching..." A two-aircraft formation of F-15J fighters, the only ones in the F-15 family without any ground attack capability, is patrolling near Neo-Tokyo at a cruising speed of 920 kilometers per hour. After a strange power vacuum appeared in Neo-Tokyo, the Self-Defense Forces are gradually losing patience and are beginning to prepare to take over with their forces.

However, things have changed at this point. Many people are no longer willing to watch the Self-Defense Forces continue to hesitate and be indecisive. After all, no matter how many legitimate reasons the Ground Self-Defense Forces may have, the bad guys have already been almost completely dealt with by the other side, so the friends of justice will naturally come in response to the call.

"How big is this plane?! Even the strategic bombers to the north aren't this size!" the wingman pilot in the F-15 formation said softly in a very surprised tone. As the distance between the two sides closed, the imposing and awe-inspiring size of the other side was gradually filling their field of vision.

"Damn it! It's NERV's super-large transport plane!" Whether it was because they were too close, the transport plane's pilot finally activated the identification device, or the pilot's eyes finally caught sight of the NERV logo on the wings of this huge steel structure, making him realize that something was wrong.

Excluding all other factors, the Self-Defense Forces' top brass' current clear objective is to drive NERV, which possesses EVA, and TERRA, which possesses Yonex, out of Japan. This is their loudest slogan to date. Therefore, the appearance of NERV's super-large transport aircraft heading towards Neo-Tokyo at this time is definitely not good news.

"This is an air force base..." The pilot didn't even wait to report. He decisively put on his oxygen mask and began operating his F-15J fighter jet, preparing to fire a warning shot at the super-large transport plane in front of him, at least to drive it off its current flight path. Otherwise, he would have to make it understand that just because you're transporting EVA doesn't mean you're invincible like EVA.

As for whether they need to consult with their superiors on how to handle the current special situation, don't be ridiculous. The higher-ups have already decided to go it alone, so what's the point of consulting them? Anyway, the pilots of the Air Self-Defense Force have long held no liking for those who suffered heavy losses in previous battles against the Angels, always putting them at the forefront! If they could shoot down Unit-01 and make it crash into Tokyo Bay, this pilot felt he would genuinely laugh. What kind of bullshit S-class combat power is that! In the end, it still comes down to them!?

Whether it was due to overthinking or some other reason, the pilot failed to notice that a humanoid structure was rapidly approaching them from their 6 o'clock position. Of course, it was also possible that the F-15J's outdated radar simply couldn't detect the Vamilion's ability approaching rapidly from behind.

"Red Wildebeest! I've been hit!" Just as the lead aircraft was aiming its crosshairs at the massive, beast-like transport plane in front of it, its wingman let out a panicked scream like a pig being slaughtered, and a barrage of bullets swept across the F-15J.

"What! Inazuma, the real red one! Hold on! I'm going to..." The lead pilot squinted, released the pedals, pulled the control stick, and the F-15J yawed the fuselage to turn, pointing the nose towards the wingman.

"Whoosh!" Just as the F-15J veered, a barrage of projectiles shot out from the clouds swept across the centerline of the F-15J's fuselage. The lead pilot watched in despair as his fighter jet exploded in mid-air amidst the hail of bullets, without even giving him and his wingman time to eject.

"It feels like the villains." Asuka muttered to herself in the cockpit of Unit 2 inside the transport plane. Yes, it was Unit 2 that was being deployed, not Unit 00, which was in its best condition at the moment, nor Unit 1, which was being piloted around in New Tokyo.

After evaluation, Ritsuko Akagi concluded that Unit 2 was the most suitable for deployment in the battle. After all, the known hostile targets were the Self-Defense Forces and a small number of high-level demons. In their estimation, no large-scale cursed spirits had appeared so far, and even if they had, the sorcerers would have dealt with them on their own. Therefore, Unit 2, which had relatively high combat power, was sufficient at the moment.

"How could we be villains? We are the great heroes who saved the Japanese government from being controlled by the military alone!" Behind the super-large transport plane carrying Unit 2, four Vamilians broke through the sea of ​​clouds and rose from below. They belonged to the TERRA fleet and ultimately chose to stand with NERV on the side of the current Japanese government in this incident.

After all, the Self-Defense Forces are determined to expel them from the Japanese mainland. What's the point of them talking? The fundamental contradictions between the two sides cannot be resolved, so it's impossible for them to reach an agreement.

"Ha..." Asuka chuckled coldly. This joke was really too lame. NERV and TERRA playing the good guys? Come on, to be fair, the existence of these two organizations is a black hole for Japan's budget, and because NERV is headquartered in Japan, the Japanese government pays a particularly heavy price.

Putting everything else aside, even though Shinji Ikari dealt with Unit-03's rampage very quickly, it still caused billions of yen in damage to civilian property. This money has to be spent in real terms. What countermeasures can the Japanese government take? None... except to pile up Misato Katsuragi's desk with complaints! There's nothing else they can do, which is why the people below are so resentful.

"The opponent reacted quickly! Miss NERV, we're counting on you from now on!" Looking at the series of rising lights not far away, Valmillion, the flight captain of TERRA, said with a smile, then pulled the control stick and flew away. The other three followed closely behind.

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces launched a number of surface-to-air missiles in response, indicating that the enemy's attack had clearly begun. Fighter jets would likely arrive soon. For Vamilian, these weapons still possess considerable offensive power, so they need to be on high alert to deal with this situation.

"Is the scan finished?" Asuka switched communication frequencies and inquired about the follow-up situation on the internal communication frequency of NERV.

EVA has multiple airdrop options, and Asuka has received specialized training and is very proficient in using these devices. Therefore, if Unit-02 wanted to be airdropped, it could have done so long ago; there was no need to delay until now.

"Excellent data collection, thank you for your hard work!" Misato Katsuragi said with a smile.

The reason why Unit-02 hasn't jumped off yet is because NERV is very interested in the combat capabilities of these Vamilians created by the Babem Foundation. After all, they successfully destroyed an EVA activated by the Puppet System.

While the EVA activated by the Puppet System cannot compare to NERV's flagship Unit-01 in terms of combat power, it has been able to activate the complete AT Field, and its defensive capabilities seem to be close to those of Unit-01 piloted by Shinji Ikari (actually not).

“Well, at least I won’t be so bored anymore…” Asuka stretched her limbs, then gripped the control stick again. “I really didn’t expect that the battery pack, which was supposed to be for Unit-01, would end up being used by me first.” Her fingers flew across the control stick as she took a deep breath, her eyes sharpening in an instant. “Baka Shinji! Unit-02! Dispatch!”

As Asuka pulled the control lever, the fixing bolts on the transport plane immediately rose, and the brackets that had been securing Unit 2's shoulders also loosened shortly afterward. Unit 2 immediately glided out of the transport plane from behind by sliding on its knees.