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

"What...does this mean?" Rin, a cigarette dangling from his lips, stared at the distant, shimmering sky, at what appeared to be a mirage in the night sky. "A mirage? No, Tokyo Jupiter hasn't unfolded yet. Tokyo Tower, huh..." He suddenly crumpled the cigarette pack in his hand, because he saw himself driving home in the image he was looking at, his face clean-shaven, beaming with the smile of someone returning home from get off work. Rin's expression instantly darkened.

"This is...the future?!" Unlike them, Izumo no Okuni, as the pillar of the Onmyōryō, only took a few glances before realizing that it was similar to the prophetic function of many sealed artifacts stored in the Onmyōryō's underground treasury, only this time she could see it more clearly.

Izumo no Okuni saw herself sitting in her office, rubbing her temples with a headache, as if troubled by something. A group of young women stood respectfully beside her, seemingly waiting for her decision. Finally, a product brochure flashed by, which appeared to be from an underwear company.

With a pursed lip, Izumo no Okuni could only give such a future a "good" rating, but that was all. For her, power and money were not as important as strength, so it was nothing special. Not to mention, he didn't even see Kyo's figure. How boring!

"The future?" Yakushiji Ryoko looked at Izumo Okuni, who was not far away, with a strange look. She and the officers of the Special Affairs Division had spent another sleepless night. After taking over some equipment from the Self-Defense Forces, the Special Affairs Division was preparing to upgrade into a formal police force. However, the formalities were not yet completed. But when that time came, Junichiro would take over.

Because of her contributions during the previous Tokyo turmoil, Yakushiji Ryoko was promoted again, becoming a true powerful figure in her own right.

However, the fact that this procedure wasn't completed today also has its advantages. Ryoko Yakushiji easily mobilized her subordinates to seal off the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Once the procedure is complete, a wave of mobilization restrictions will inevitably follow, making it virtually impossible to maintain the current situation.

Ryoko Yakushiji's suspicions stemmed not from anything else, but from the scene she witnessed... well, it was similar to her current situation: going to work every day, then causing trouble for Junichiro Izumida, then taking him out to wander around, followed by dealing with all sorts of messy, trivial matters... wait, why was her rank reduced to inspector?! This future is anything but lovely!

"I guess you could say this is our possible future." Gojo Satoru looked at a cube that resembled a Rubik's Cube, a smile of excitement spreading across his face. This was truly interesting. Could it be that someone had successfully defeated him? And even sealed him away? Come to think of it, during this Tokyo incident, it seemed that there really was a group of madmen who wanted to seal him away, but they were just one step behind and didn't even have a chance to get close to him before he took care of them all.

"In other words... it's just a possibility." Ling sighed. "Even if this future happens, it won't have anything to do with us, right?" What an enchanting future it is, but oh well, he's a person who lives in the present. Since he can have such a good life in the next life, then let him live it to the fullest in the next life.

"But what's behind Shinji?" Izumo no Okuni frowned. To be honest, it wasn't that she didn't understand, but rather that she understood it perfectly. If the huge, colorful EVA represented a warm and gentle future for most people, then Unit-01, which was entirely black and exuded an aura of death and malice, was constantly sketching a terrifying future.

War, fire, death! The ravaged city burned fiercely, and countless people fled in panic. Only a few armed humans resisted something. Soon, warplanes flying overhead dropped a large number of incendiary bombs before crashing down, causing the city, already engulfed in flames, to wail even more amidst the rising flames.

Even a single glance at the scene conveys a brutal sense of tragedy and despair. Yes, humanity is fighting, and humanity is still fighting!

"Hahaha... Interesting! Very interesting!" Kuang laughed first. He liked this possibility, yes, he liked it! This junior named Shinji Ikari had not disappointed him! He made his choice, yes! He didn't run away! Nor did he sit there muttering to himself to cheer himself up! This little rascal chose to face the worst possible future and fight on resolutely.

Look at this damned future, in the midst of the battles, those who are lost like straws are not just humans, but all sorts of strange things in the shadows, aren't they also falling to the ground in agony? Oh, he saw it, in the very center of the city, that dazzling golden light is fighting with another huge monster that he doesn't know what it is!

"Yes! That brat!" Ling crushed her cigarette forcefully. Yes, "He chose to fight!"

"But... won't something bad happen?" Yakushiji Ryoko tilted her head and looked at Tsubasa Seine, who was standing in the distance and looked somewhat dazed. They basically knew what had happened to him. The Babem Foundation never disappointed when it came to being ruthless!

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, unlike Shinji Ikari's battle, which was clearly filled with blood and fire, the other EVA represented, at least on the surface, a much more peaceful world, perhaps even devoid of these monsters and demons! Their world would be very stable.

“I did hear Shinji Ikari mention something.” Mei Isayama touched her tail, her expression somewhat conflicted. “Even if Rahula Yonex and EVA share some common characteristics.”

"Oh?" Mei Isayama's story immediately attracted the attention of most people. As Shinji Ikari's best friend and teammate, Mei Isayama obviously knew more about Shinji's little secrets than anyone else present, so they were naturally curious about what Shinji would say.

"The Human Instrumentality Project is destined to fail." Isayama recalled the day he, Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Sakaki, and Ryoko Sakaki were drinking beer on the rooftop, which disturbed the neighbors and got them scolded. Shinji Ikari recounted the information he and Misato Katsuragi had gathered together, "To be precise, it's the worst possible outcome for humanity, because the object of Instrumentality isn't humanity! What's worse is that it's using the power of EVA, so the final result is that we'll be trapped in a similar cycle from which we can't escape."

"So that's... such an explanation? That makes sense then." Helena Barbem strolled over, and everyone instantly became wary. Even after Isshiki's true form died, Shinji Ikari, though not immediately attacking as he had predicted, said, "We've found what appears to be prehistoric civilizations in many places. It's as if human history is a cyclical wheel."

"Why are you here?" Even Yakushiji Ryoko, who was closest to her, frowned. There was no doubt that the woman who suddenly appeared in front of her was currently the farthest hand of the Babem Foundation in Japan. She controlled a huge amount of resources and manpower and was a monster who could stir up a huge change at any time.

"Don't be nervous. If it really were going to be a fight with you, I couldn't possibly come up here alone." Helena rested her chin on her hand and said casually, "The Babem Foundation has found relevant political situations in many places. Ironically, before our era, these giants called EVA were born in all of them."

"If this is conclusive evidence, then why are humans repeatedly trapped in this trouble and unable to escape?" Mei Isayama frowned, somewhat incredulous at what she had just heard. Shinji Ikari's guess was merely a conjecture based on partial information, but what Helena Barbem was saying made her take it seriously.

“Almost repeating the same history? That’s unlikely.” Hearing Helena’s words, it wasn’t just one or two people who found it hard to believe; most people thought it was absurd.

"Someone is deliberately distorting history like this?!" Ryoko Yakushiji was the first to realize a blind spot. "Just like how you control America from behind the scenes, are you manipulating the entire world in secret?! Who are they?"

“That’s a really unpleasant thing to say,” Helena shook her head. “SEELE!”

Chapter 422 Breaking the Cycle of Reincarnation!

"Face reality... or choose to have another chance..." Ayato Kamina stared blankly at the scene before him. The arrow of light that Winged God Seine had been holding high, ready to assist Shinji Ikari at any moment, slowly lowered and then dissipated.

Everyone saw a different scene. Yes, Ayato Kamina saw it too. He saw that he had returned to that school, that nothing had happened, that he still had a busy mother who was never home, a childhood friend, and a very good playmate.

For Ayato Kamina, although he had grown rapidly after experiencing a series of events, his age and experience were still there. Although he had experienced many surprising things after the sudden change, he did not immediately realize, like someone as worldly-wise as Rin, that even if such a thing had happened, it would not happen to him, but rather to his next life in some sense.

Ayato Kamina merely watched indifferently, captivated by the future concealed by Gendo Ikari. Yes, because Haruka Shito hadn't revealed his identity in time, Ayato Kamina and his childhood friend Hiroko Asahina had gone through many things together. They had fled together, evaded capture together, gone hungry together, and shared a brief period of what could be described as a happy life before absolute tragedy. This experience had etched Hiroko Asahina deeply into Ayato Kamina's heart. If he hadn't yet completed his revenge against the Babem Group, Ayato Kamina would probably have made his choice without hesitation by now.

“You can choose anytime.” Ishrit gently embraced Ayato Kamina, her expression tender as she stated a simple fact.

"I understand... I understand..." Ayato Kamina sighed. Although he didn't realize that this wasn't something that happened in his current reincarnation, as a martial artist who was already quite skilled, Ayato Kamina understood at least one thing: every choice comes with a price, and nothing is without a cost. The former sweeper monk of the Himuro mansion, Guro's younger brother, had demonstrated this perfectly through his own experience, and Ayato Kamina, as a practitioner of the Spirit Wave Fist, understood this very well.

"What do you understand?" Ishrit seemed to have no intention of letting Ayato Kamina off the hook, and continued to ask. For her, fulfilling her mission and helping Ayato Kamina realize her dream was everything.

“There’s still one more battle…” Ayato Kamina raised his head, and Yōne Winged God also raised her head, their gazes fixed on Unit-01 not far away. Although he knew he shouldn’t, under the influence of this dreamlike reality, Ayato Kamina at least clearly understood what he wanted, and that his dream didn’t need Gendō Ikari to help him achieve it!

Winged God Seine is the power that makes his dream come true!

Ayato Kamina took one last look at the two EVAs locked in fierce combat, then Yōne Wing God spread her wings and rose into the air, disappearing from the land.

"Hmm?" Helena looked at Winged God Seine taking off from the ground and took a deep breath. "It seems that Ayato is still furious. This is really troublesome."

"Anyway, that's your Barbem's problem." Isayama Mei glanced at Helena Barbem, shook his head, and said, "Every single one of the Barbem family members deserves to die! Ayato Kamina is in this situation because of you bastards, so stop crying over nothing." "However..." Isayama Mei turned his gaze back to the battlefield, "Hasn't this been going on for too long?"

“Yes, judging from the situation, Unit-01’s condition is indeed declining, but its opponent is in a worse situation.” Rin looked at the scene and suddenly smiled. “I’m not going to stay here with you guys in the wind.” With that, she turned and walked down the hillside.

“There’s really no need to watch any further.” Kuang took a small sip from his wine gourd, then turned to leave.

"Huh?" Yuto Itadori looked at everything in front of him with a strange expression. He couldn't see at all that the two giants in front of him were still fighting fiercely, and there was no sign that the battle was over or nearing its end. Even though he could instinctively sense that the two EVAs were declining in power, judging from the way these big shots were acting, it seemed that the battle had already reached a conclusion.

“What’s so hard to understand?” Gojo Satoru, who had finished eating his potato chips, took off his mask and looked into the distance. “At this point in the battle, it’s all about the quality of the two sides. Although we don’t know how Shinji Ikari’s father obtained the power to fight against Shinji, there is no doubt that it is not his power. He is almost exhausted now.”

"And Shinji's power hasn't been exhausted yet?" Yuto Itadori watched as the EVA Unit-01, pierced through with the Spear of Calithis, was sprayed with blood onto its now-black body. Its bright yellow eyes stood out starkly in the night.

“Yes, that’s the huge gap between one’s own power and borrowed power. Not to mention, if he really wanted to borrow, Shinji Ikari could borrow the power of two fierce gods.” Gojo Satoru stood up. “Moreover, Shinji Ikari has been controlling his own power while trying to exhaust his opponent’s power as much as possible. This show should be coming to an end.”

"Pfft..." The feeling of being pierced through the body by the Spear of Calithis once again was almost unbearable for Gendo Ikari. A mouthful of blood gushed from his throat, staining a large area of ​​LCL liquid red.

Both divine spears possessed terrifying power, and currently, propelled by this power, the duel between Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari was rapidly depleting their strength. Shinji Ikari could still hold on, while Gendo Ikari… the flames on his face had begun to dim.

Unit-01 flicked its spear lightly, and Shinji Ikari calmly watched as the bloody holes in his body stopped healing quickly. His aura began to circulate rapidly, and for some reason, the Spear of Calithis in his hand suddenly began to thrust wildly like a storm, relentlessly stabbing at the EVA in front of him.

The EVA in front of him had no time to react to this sudden action. By the time Gendo Ikari started to try to block with the Spear of Longinus in his hand, the EVA he was piloting had already been pierced with more than a dozen bloody holes. The huge difference in skill between the two made it impossible for Gendo Ikari to resist.

However, Gendo Ikari quickly made up his mind and charged directly at Shinji Ikari. Covered in blood, EVA used his last strength to prepare to perish together with Shinji.

"Have you forgotten something?" Shinji Ikari sneered. In the next instant, the resentment and death aura that was already overflowing on Unit-01 instantly gathered together. The crimson spear, which was originally the same color as blood, turned into a black like ink jade under the influence of this layer of death aura. Then, it softened strangely and turned into two ribbon-like things.

"Old Master Dongfang, sometimes, we really have to thank you! You taught us so diligently back then!" The jade belt swung up! Like a long whip, it wrapped around the foot of the EVA piloted by Gendo Ikari, and with a gentle tug, the EVA, which had lost its balance, fell heavily to the ground.

Gendo Ikari struggled to get up, but in the next instant, he felt his body become light, as if he had been thrown into a washing machine, and began to spin wildly.

Another ribbon was already tied to the foot of the EVA he was piloting, and then Unit-01 began to exert force wildly, which is to say, it started spinning like a giant windmill.

As it spun rapidly, Gendo Ikari could barely control his EVA. Soon, the part of him that was still human began to lose control due to the reverse flow of blood, and the collisions along the way only worsened his injuries. The EVA was also Gendo Ikari's!

"Whoosh...whoosh..." The sharp whistling sound of the strong wind generated by the rotation began to ring out. Although the Super Overlord Movie Bullet was not activated, its power at this moment was no less than the noise when the move was launched.

"Boom!" A mountain that had already cracked due to the fight between Rahula Goddess Seine and Unit-01 became the last lucky one to be chosen. This time, the entire mountain exploded, and on the other side, countless rubble mixed with soil and shrubs shattered.

At this point, Gendo Ikari was still able to struggle a little, but even with the extra power he had borrowed, his human side could no longer hold on. He only had the strength to struggle a little more, and the EVA that Gendo Ikari was piloting seemed to be in an even worse state.

"You lost!" With a thought, Shinji Ikari reunited the ribbons on his hands, transforming them back into the Spear of Longinus. Unit-01 then slowly stepped forward, picked up the Spear of Longinus that had somehow appeared on the ground, and walked over.

"..." Inside the EVA's insertion plug, watching Unit-01 rapidly fading its dark, deathly aura on the broken plug's display, Gendo Ikari's blood-blurred eyes stared at the image, no longer struggling...

Unit-01 stepped on the EVA, which was now larger than itself and had ascended to godhood. Raising the Spear of Callis in one hand and holding the Spear of Longinus in the other, it declared, "Humanity... needs no reincarnation! And no so-called guidance! We will forge our own path! Rest in peace!"

Two spears slammed down! Blood splattered! Then came a deafening roar!

Chapter 423 Welcome Back

Unit-01 slowly descended from the elevator platform. After continuous battles, it had suffered considerable damage. The armor plates on the front of its body were tattered, and according to the engineering department's current experience, with the assistance of the two evil gods, all the fragments removed from Unit-01 could be considered cursed objects and required special treatment. With the cooperation of the Yin-Yang Bureau, it was finally something that could be solved by working overtime.

However, all the employees of NERV are now looking worried. They have done nothing to stop the invasion of the Demon Realm, kill the Angel of Power, or thwart the joy that should have come with the series of victories against the SEELE invaders.

Because in the very end, Unit-01's opponent was none other than the Commander-in-Chief of NERV, Shinji Ikari's own father. They witnessed Unit-01 pierce through that mysterious EVA!

Despite the busy dismantling operation to be carried out, everyone felt a heavy atmosphere, a mixture of shock and anger at being betrayed! Although Shinji Ikari's actions had secretly begun to favor him, Gendo Ikari remained the Commander-in-Chief of NERV. It was because of him that NERV headquarters was in its current state. Even Shinji couldn't deny that, aside from being a bit wasteful, Gendo had done a really good job in this regard.

"I have to say, Shinji Ikari did a really good job..." Looking at the data panel in her hand, Ritsuko Akagi showed no pain at all for the death of her former lover. Instead, she calmly watched everything in front of her. Perhaps when Gendo Ikari chose to give up his human identity, Ritsuko Akagi had already parted ways with him in her heart.

"Ah... at least the UN didn't blacklist us. They just asked us to wait for review, instead of us not realizing that the airborne troops from China and Russia had already joined forces with the US forces stationed in Japan and were heading towards the Third New Tokyo City." Misato Katsuragi leaned on the railing, looking utterly hopeless. "We're going to be unemployed after today. But don't worry, the most valuable things in NERV right now are the three EVAs and the stuff in the technical department's hands."

"Didn't Ryoji give you any inside information? Logically speaking, he deserves the most credit this time; he practically single-handedly took over NERV headquarters. The entire United Nations should think highly of him, right?" Ritsuko Akagi looked at the data on the panel. "By the way, do you know how strong the Angel of Strength is?"

"Hmm?" Akagi Ritsuko's words caught Katsuragi Misato's attention. She turned her head to take a look. "Wow... this looks even more terrifying than the energy impact of the previous Raikou." The tablet was playing footage of Shinji Ikari and the Rikou in the Demon World.

Because Ritsuko Akagi had been watching for a while, Misato Katsuragi only saw it after the energy of the Angel of Power had swept around and attacked everything. To be fair, after Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01 to lure the Angel of Power to the Demon World, the number of various powerful figures in the Demon World that the Angel of Power killed was indeed a very terrifying number, and it was not easy to calculate.

Although the Third New Tokyo City did not confront all the Angels, the vast majority of the battles against the Angels took place in this fortified city. The previous Angels had also used energy shock attacks here, including the most terrifying attack observed so far, which came from the bombardment of the Thunder Angel.

Back then, the Thunder Angel's charged attack melted half of a mountain, which had already shocked them greatly! But now, the Power Angel's violent output, which directly wiped a city off the ground and blasted through the earth, turning the city into a lake, was something they had never seen before!

"Although the impact isn't as strong from a distance... it seems Shinji created hundreds of enormous lakes for the Demon World?!" Misato Katsuragi exclaimed, looking at the cratered landscape on the screen. "There might not only be lakes, but also large rivers..."

"So in a sense, we should thank Shinji for moving the battlefield away from Tokyo-3. Otherwise, what do you think would have happened if we had faced the Angel of Power directly in Tokyo-3?" Ritsuko Akagi quickly jotted down some things on her tablet, including some blurry images of a group of people who dared to watch the battle from close range. Ritsuko Akagi didn't even need to ask; these were the top-tier powerhouses of the Demon World. She just didn't know if any of the Demon Kings were among them.

“That’s right. Although I’m not entirely sure, the base is protected by 24 layers of thick, specially made armor plates. It shouldn’t be able to be penetrated in one hit.” Misato Katsuragi said somewhat uncertainly. After all, their thick armor plates were one of their greatest sources of confidence in facing the Angels, ensuring the safety of the base. Even a nuclear strike might not be able to penetrate these thick armor layers.

But now, watching the Angel of Power's devastating attack, Misato Katsuragi is a little less certain. This explosive energy shock could easily tear apart even Shinji Ikari's tornado. After the battle, the entire terrain of the Demon World has undergone fusion due to the clash between Unit-01 and the Angel of Power, two behemoths. I just don't know if the demons have the skills to catch fish.

"That requires some answers from the parties involved, as well as specific calculations," Ritsuko Akagi replied frankly.

"Ding!" The elevator arrived at EVA's maintenance room and slowly opened the door. The noise outside suddenly entered the ears of the two people in the elevator. Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi stepped out of the elevator and saw the big boss of the engineering department scratching his head.

"The situation seems alright..." Ritsuko Akagi glanced around and saw that Unit-00, Unit-01, and Unit-02 were all in good condition, at least the worst-case scenario could be avoided.

"But that's just how it looks." The head of the engineering department glanced at the two people behind him with a headache. Although none of them were missing any limbs, all three EVAs had multiple injuries all over their bodies, making repairs a huge problem. "You're here to see Shinji, right? You'll have to wait a while. They're sawing through the door. Both the automatic and manual systems are broken. We can only wait until it's cut open."

"The situation seems to be worse than we thought?" Ritsuko Akagi raised an eyebrow. This was quite an unexpected situation, or rather, it seemed to be the first time she had heard of such a situation since Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01, where mechanical force was required to forcibly break through.

"We just removed the back cover of the insertion plug, thanks to Tori's help. Fortunately, Unit 0 and Unit 2 were able to withdraw the insertion plug relatively smoothly." After saying this, the head of the engineering department suddenly noticed something, pushed off the railing, and jumped down to the next floor to reprimand people.

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Misato Katsuragi gently rubbed her face. After all, judging from the appearance, Unit-01 just seemed to be a little darker.

"It's even more exaggerated than I imagined. Have you confirmed the location of the original Longinus?" Asuka and Rei Ayanami had just changed out of their battle suits and came out of the changing room.

“With the final dogma firmly in place, barring any unforeseen circumstances, starting tomorrow, we will lose our oversight of Lilith.” Kaji Ryoji emerged from another elevator nearby. “We just changed the access permissions as required by the United Nations; all the original permissions are now inaccessible.”

"This is really good news." Misato Katsuragi glared at Ryoji Kaji. Although they did have such a conspiracy to make the bigwigs of the United Nations realize that there was a group of people secretly trying to control the direction of the world, the opportunity that Ryoji Kaji seized made Misato Katsuragi feel like she had been stabbed in the back.

"Shinji was really lucky to win all of them this time." Kaji Ryoji looked up at the EVA Unit-01, which was already strapped to the restraints. The engineering team was frantically struggling with the insertion plug on the back of the EVA Unit-01, and sparks kept falling from the platform onto the surface of the LCL liquid.

"Yes, those mass-produced EVAs with self-repair capabilities are such a hassle!" Asuka said, clearly annoyed. But after saying that, she glanced at Rei Ayanami. For a fleeting moment, a human face appeared on the head of a mass-produced EVA, and that face... was Rei Ayanami's face. However, it seemed to disgust Shinji Ikari, who immediately punched it back.

"..." Rei Ayanami glanced at Asuka. For some reason, she suddenly felt a sense of novelty, and even a little bit of excitement. However, Rei Ayanami herself could not figure out the source of this feeling, so she just glanced at her and did not say anything.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Shinji is going to kick the door down himself!" The construction crew above suddenly shouted, and then four or five engineering staff members ran down the scaffolding.

"Although it's a bit crude, it does seem to be a good solution." Everyone present looked at Ritsuko Akagi, who shrugged. "In a sense, Shinji, an S-class rank, is no longer someone we can deduce from using common sense, is he?"

“No…” Rei Ayanami suddenly spoke up at that moment, “It’s human.”

"?!" Asuka and the others glanced at Rei Ayanami. They were clearly surprised by Rei's proactive defense of the order.

"Clang!" A crisp metallic clang rang out.

"Oh! It's out! It's out!" Cheers and applause erupted from the platform.

"You brat, stop dragging your feet!" Although she was still a little annoyed, Misato Katsuragi managed a smile. "Shinji-kun, oh garinase!"

Chapter 424 New Name

"You look quite disheveled, Shinji. What happened to you?" Misato Katsuragi said with a teasing look as Shinji Ikari landed in front of her.

I don’t know if it was because of the fierce battles, the all-out bursts of energy, or the ferocity of the demons. Not to mention anything else, the oxygen consumption alone was already at a huge level, and there were even some unknown changes. In short, the LCL liquid gushing out of the insertion plug was a viscous, scarlet liquid, and it was more like blood in texture than LCL.

So the moment the hatch fell, it was as if a sea of ​​blood gushed out from the insertion bolt, and Shinji Ikari himself seemed to be walking out of the sea of ​​blood, like a demon from hell.

“It was absolutely terrible.” Shinji Ikari looked at his hand, which was trembling slightly from overexerting his internal energy, and clenched his fist. “However, this experience of narrowly escaping death may have some benefits for me.”

"This seems to be the first time you've been this disheveled since you started piloting EVA?" Asuka said with a mischievous grin.

"..." Shinji Ikari stared at Asuka until she started to get nervous and looked around to see if there was something wrong with her. Suddenly, Shinji stepped forward, pinched Asuka's cheeks, and pulled them from side to side. Asuka's face instantly showed a shocked expression. She just stood there blankly as Shinji pulled her cheeks for a while, and then hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

"Hmph!" Asuka stomped on Shinji Ikari's foot, then shoved him aside, proudly raising her chin. "Don't think you can solve all the problems by yourself all the time. We're very strong too!"

“Yes, but…” Shinji Ikari looked up at EVA Unit-01 behind him, as well as Unit-00 and Unit-02, which were also restrained in straits a little further away, waiting for emergency maintenance. Because of the order of combat power, Unit-01, which Shinji Ikari was piloting, was naturally at the front.

Previously, NERV would have considered ensuring one EVA could be quickly deployed in preparation for a potential attack by Angels. In that case, Unit-02, with the least damage, would have been the first to be repaired. However, now they are almost certain that they no longer need to maintain such a high level of readiness. Therefore, the current priority is to repair Unit-01 and prepare for any unforeseen events.

(In the old theatrical version, it was clearly mentioned that NERV knew that all the Angels had been wiped out. At that time, Maya even asked, "What should we do now that there are no more Angels?" Then the Japanese Self-Defense Forces attacked them.)

"If I'm not mistaken, the United Nations should have already begun emergency consultations on how to deal with us." After glancing at his Unit-01, Shinji Ikari sighed, rubbed his face, and looked at Ryoji Kaji with a serious expression. Although NERV was still operating according to inertia, there was no doubt that if it really encountered another full-scale attack from SEELE, it was hard to say whether NERV would still have the will to put up a strong resistance.

After all… their commander-in-chief had just betrayed them, crossing numerous red lines set by the United Nations, and directly attacked Shinji Ikari, who was currently fighting on the front lines. No one knew how the United Nations would deal with them next. After all, most people working at NERV just treated it as a job, and a rather honorable one at that, which is why they were able to create some crazy engineering miracles on many occasions.

"It should be said that the conclusion has been reached. If there are no surprises, we will merge with a series of related organizations..." Kaji Ryoji said with a smile. It was a very special time. Humanity had just solved a huge problem, but that did not mean that all the problems had been solved.

To be honest, it seems that a powerful organization in the entire human world has been able to free up its resources from its original formidable enemy! Shinji Ikari has used very practical actions, using the demons of the Demon World as a comparison, to show the leaders of the United Nations a possibility, a hope!

Although as a top-tier nation, they don't need to worry about attacks from demons and monsters, it doesn't mean they are oblivious to these potential threats. To be fair, in the early stages of the spiritual energy revival, humanity did try to strike with their most powerful weapons, nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, the process of spiritual energy revival is irreversible, and killing as many as needed wouldn't help, unless... humanity is prepared to plow the entire Earth's surface with nuclear weapons. But if that happens, humanity itself will be picking up bottle caps.

But now, a completely new choice is placed before them, and Shinji Ikari has done it! NERV, which has risked everything, has done it! The Demon World invasion, which was already imminent and whose timing was clearly chosen by the enemy, broke out just as the Japanese government was temporarily rendered incapacitated by the coup.

"If Shinji can't stop this wave, a massive number of demons might already be breaking through the Spirit World's defenses and rushing in. Even without any B-rank or higher powerhouses, it would still be a terrible situation." Ritsuko Akagi simply described the consequences of failure. Don't underestimate those below A-rank. Think about the vast majority of people in the Dark Tournament; they are mostly B-rank. These powerhouses are not easily dealt with by modern armies. And if hundreds or thousands of such powerhouses flood into the human world, even if they can eventually be suppressed, it will definitely cause enormous destruction.

Not to mention... they seem to have actually found a way to bypass the spirit world barrier and allow A-rank and above powerhouses to enter the human world. Before Yusuke Urameshi and the others sealed off the passage on the other side, the other side only had one last problem, which was the gatekeeper guarding this side of the door, the powerful evil god!

It was precisely because Yusuke Urameshi and his team successfully sealed the passage that Kirie Himuro and Aise Kurosawa were able to draw their power from their respective sealed areas and project it onto Unit-01, piloted by Shinji Ikari, forcibly elevating Unit-01 to the same level of combat power as the deified EVA.