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

"Thanks, Shinji!" It wasn't that Shinji didn't want to dodge this time, but he really couldn't hide from the one behind him, Yuu Aso, who was almost finished setting up the camera. Shinji slid back a few meters against the rocks, and while Yuu Aso thanked him, her hands didn't stop moving. With lightning speed, she inserted the last section of the cable into the slot.

After its completion, Aso Yuu's pioneering equipment, which had never been put into use, was of course not to be called something as degrading as "3000-shot Spirit Camera." Shinji Ikari proposed the name, which was approved by Mei Isayama: "Wide-area Annihilation Type Soul Strike System," and it was put into operation for the first time today.

Under the illumination of three large sun lamps and three powerful ultraviolet lamps, the cave, which may have been dark for thousands of years, was brightly lit. In just that instant, all the weapons in front of Kurosawa Sashige were dispelled, and Kurosawa Sashige, dressed in a pale white kimono, had to shield her eyes with her hands in the face of such intense light.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama quickly found cover to hide. This thing was no game; who knew if it would attack their souls as well? They didn't want to try a soul attack modified from 3000 Type-0 film reels.

A specially designed high-speed camera, resembling an old-fashioned film camera, slowly unfolded and wobbled slightly. Then, in the next instant, amidst the sound of the machine operating, Asou Yuu aimed the device at Kurosawa Sage, who was screaming.

Kurosawa Sae was no fool. They could see that Shinji Ikari and the others had a purpose in suddenly hiding, and the strange machine in front of them gave them a great sense of threat. For the first time, she took the initiative to call upon the power she had cursed. As a creation of the Great Compensation, the Hollow responded to Kurosawa Sae's call.

A substance even darker than darkness suddenly surged out of the void, gushing outwards wildly. Enveloped by this darkness, Kurosawa Sa let out a piercing scream. The blackness sprayed towards Asou Yuu directly in front of her, as if a water pump had been turned on.

"..." At this moment, Asou Yuu, who was as calm as a machine, pressed the start button with a serious expression. A series of cameras started operating rapidly, and powerful spiritual energy flowed from the cameras.

The thick, dark fog in front of them immediately launched a massive attack. In an instant, the surging fog was pushed back, and even the figure of Kurosawa Sage, who was shrouded in the dark fog, was revealed once again. Under this wave-like mutual attack, the ancient void was actually suppressed by modern technology in a short period of time.

"Does this thing really possess immense soul power?" Shinji Ikari looked at the thing in front of him with astonishment, clearly being suppressed. This was beyond his imagination. He had originally expected that he might have to go and rescue Yuu Aso in a short while, but he did not expect that he could suppress the other party in such a short time.

“We’ve been working day and night for a month or two, and whenever we have a spare moment, our spiritual energy is being drained. It’s actually quite useful!” Watching the attacks launched by the motor, Kurosawa Sashige tried to dodge the attacks by constantly changing her position. However, there was no doubt that her dodging was quite futile in this space, because the machine was designed for wide-area attacks, and as long as she shifted her position slightly, she could be included in the attack range.

"5, 4, 3..." Asou Yuu suddenly started counting down. At that moment, Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama sprang up without hesitation and rushed forward. Just as the two of them rushed into the frame, the last few frames were used up.

The crimson palm completely tore through the last layer of thick fog that had enveloped Kurosawa Sashige. Then, it withdrew its fist, which was full of spiritual power, and unleashed a frenzied barrage of blows on Kurosawa Sashige's body. This was not to kill her, but to deprive her of her chance to hide.

"Swoosh!" A bright blade of light slashed down vertically. Isayama Mei poured all his spiritual power into the blade and slashed down fiercely.

Kurosawa Sage's eyes were completely occupied by the cold glint of the blade as it struck. In that instant, she seemed powerless to struggle and was about to be killed by the blade. At this moment, her eyes silently glanced at Amakura Mio, who was stunned by the battle not far away, and then her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Buzz!" With a roar, Kurosawa Sae was dragged directly into the pit where the Hollow was, as if she were being grabbed by the power of the Hollow...

"Isn't that what I've been waiting for...?"

Chapter 146 Sealing

"Shinji!" Yuu Aso swung the barrier rope from behind, sending it flying far away. However, it wasn't Shinji Ikari who caught it, but Mei Isayama who grabbed the rope and wrapped it around several points, quickly tying knots and securing it to a nearby rock. Then, Mei Isayama began running around the Hollow's giant crater.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shinji Ikari leaped forward and, to Saki Kurosawa's surprise, grabbed her hand. He then channeled his spiritual energy into his hand and unleashed a series of powerful punches at the dark resentment behind her, temporarily dispelling some of the Hollow power. Finally, he struck Saki Kurosawa in the back, nearly shattering the resentment on her body.

At this moment, Mei Isayama successfully tied a knot at the starting point after wrapping the barrier rope around once, and a very simple barrier was barely formed. In that instant, the oppressive feeling outside the barrier began to dissipate. The shrine maidens who were entering the area clearly felt a different sensation, and the various spirits wandering on the streets also dissipated in large numbers after that instant. Many of them showed shock in their eyes at the very end, but also a sense of relief.

"This is... the spirits are fading?" Izumo no Okuni naturally noticed this. The villagers of Minakami Village were warm and friendly, and the battles hadn't stopped since they entered. But in an instant, everyone clearly felt a huge difference, and these vengeful spirits suddenly disappeared without a trace, their whereabouts completely unknown.

"Let's go, hurry up! Shinji Ikari, that brat, does have some ability after all." Although we don't know exactly what happened, there's no doubt that this massive hidden place is starting to show signs of being resolved! What a lucky bastard.

Shinji Ikari was naturally unaware of the enormous changes that had occurred outside. After all, this place had been ravaged by the resentment of Hollows for over a thousand years. Furthermore, so many years had passed since the Great Retribution. The entire cavern was already permeated with the power representing Hollows. The receding Hollow power could not immediately cause such a significant change.

"Isn't it strange? But I think you felt it too! The person you've been waiting for has arrived!" As the Hollow's power was restricted, and Kurosawa Sashige was momentarily stunned, Shinji Ikari seized the opportunity to grab her and toss her away (at this moment, Kurosawa Sashige was attached to the body of Amagami, theoretically possessing a physical body). Shinji Ikari stared seriously at the large crater in front of him, his hands rapidly condensing a Spirit Ball, intending to gamble all of his remaining spiritual power on this one Spirit Ball.

"Sister!" As she watched Kurosawa Sage being thrown over, Amakura Mio could no longer hold back and rushed forward to hug her sister. Due to the repeated heavy blows, the resentment in Kurosawa Sage's body had revealed the body of the possessed object, Amakura Mio, and she pounced on her sister to hug her.

"Take this!" As Shinji Ikari's spiritual energy filled the Spirit Ball in his hand, it grew to the size of a person. Shinji mobilized all the energy in his body and slammed his foot into the Spirit Ball. The huge, crimson Spirit Ball, with the force to shatter everything, shot into the Hollow—no, to be precise, into the crater in the Hollow. The booming sound of the explosion only came from underground more than ten seconds later.

Shinji Ikari's idea was simple: blow up the Hollow in front of him. He probably couldn't do that with his current spiritual power. Perhaps Sensui Shinobu could try. However, he could blast down part of the rock wall below and physically bury the Hollow. Although this was not even a temporary solution, it would at least reduce the overflow of resentment and make the subsequent sealing process easier.

"Buzz!" The void was in turmoil, and the dark resentment was still surging into the sky from the giant pit. It looked like another great retribution was about to occur, but this wave of resentment immediately crashed into the basic barrier formed by the barrier rope. Himuro Kirie's barrier rope played its expected role. Although the resentment rushed left and right, it was unable to break through directly.

"Sashige!" As if hearing a voice behind her, Mio Amakura, who was holding her older sister, almost looked up in fright. A red butterfly was slowly transforming into a woman dressed in the same style as Kurosawa Sashige, but with symmetrical red knots on her body, and she was standing right behind her.

"Yae! You've come!" Tensouko looked down, and good heavens, she was truly terrified. The person she was holding on her lap wasn't her older sister, Tensouko, at all. The person with that joyful expression was clearly Kurosawa Sae. She had just thought that Kurosawa Sae, who had been attacked repeatedly and temporarily cut off from Utsuro, should have been at least severely injured. How could this be...?

Instinctively hugging her sister tightly, Amakura Mio stared blankly at Kurosawa Sage, who had been chasing her around the village earlier, now standing right in front of her. Although she wasn't exactly stupid, her little brain was now completely blank, and she had no idea how to describe what was happening before her eyes.

"Retreat quickly!" Just then, Izumo no Okuni, who was leading a large group of shrine maidens down, twitched his face. This was the most powerful evil spirit they had seen today. It was almost an A-rank evil spirit. Why was it blocking the doorway?

As Izumo no Okuni brandished her sword, the string of shrine maidens behind her also neatly assumed attack stances towards the person in front of them, and even consciously spread out to the sides, ready to attack.

"Let's put it aside for now. It's really not easy for the sisters to reunite." Shinji Ikari stood up. Kurosawa Yae's spirit came from the Himuro Mansion. He had met her before, so he was willing to lend a hand in helping her fulfill her obsession.

"The Hollows below... we just sealed them off briefly. You all prepare the necessary tools to strengthen the seal. As for the pair... I'll talk to them." Shinji Ikari shook his head. He genuinely didn't know if there was a passage leading to the Underworld or some other hellish place below, but Hollows should normally fall into the Underworld, but clearly that hadn't happened here. "Mio, you and your sister go stay to the side for now. We'll discuss the specifics after everything is resolved."

"Take it easy, everyone. I'll lead the naginata dance!" Izumo no Okuni nodded and led his group past Shinji Ikari. You could tell what was going on without even looking. Although Shinji Ikari had managed to seal the barrier with the rope given to him by Himuro Kirie, he was clearly not very stable with the constant swaying. Their priority right now wasn't to slay demons, but to strengthen the seal as quickly as possible.

Not being a professional, Mei Isayama was almost completely drained from maintaining the barrier. The arrival of these shrine maidens made her, who was drenched in sweat, feel that she was saved!

"You!" Kurosawa Sage, having regained her senses, recognized Shinji Ikari, who had severely injured her. Frowning, she shielded her sister, whose spirit was extremely fragile and likely unable to withstand a fight against this madman! In all her years in Minakami Village, this was the first time Kurosawa Sage had witnessed a physical exorcism!

"You should dissipate soon, although your sister will too." Shinji Ikari shrugged, stating a very realistic situation. The disappearance of Minakami Village was probably the last line of defense left by the village's former guardians. Moreover, they cleverly combined this disappearance system directly with the power of Hollows. Once the power of Hollows gets out of control, Minakami Village will disappear, at least preventing the disaster from escalating indefinitely, thus protecting the vast majority.

However, now that the Hollow has been successfully sealed, the spirits of Minakami Village will likely disappear, and Minakami Village will return to the real world. The spirits that were able to wander in Minakami Village in the form of evil spirits because of the Hollow's power will also re-enter the cycle of reincarnation and all disappear. This is a good thing for most people, but it may not include Kurosawa Sae and her sister Yae.

"What does this have to do with you?" Kurosawa Sae still didn't have a good impression of Shinji Ikari. Although she was able to regain her senses now, most of the credit should be attributed to Shinji Ikari for nearly exhausting the Hollow's power.

"It's nothing. It's just that if someone could guard the seal, the effect would be much better. And you are the best choice. Of course, if you are willing to enter the cycle of reincarnation, I have no objection. After all, that is the proper choice," Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

“How can this be? Although the deaths of the people in Minakami Village can be considered not in vain, what about Masumi and Miyako? She has to bear responsibility for their deaths.” The bad cop arrived. Mei Isayama walked over with a serious expression on his face, as if to say, “You should pay the price.”

"So if we act as sealers here, you can overlook Sae's mistakes?" Yae glanced at the shrine maidens behind them who were singing songs, slowly dancing, praying, and beginning to strengthen the seal. The roar of the void was noticeably suppressed.

"Hmph, even if you can suppress it, how long can you suppress it? As time goes by, the power of the Hollows will only accumulate and become stronger, and in the end, they will still go back to the old ways!" Kurosawa Sashige snorted coldly, unconvinced. She thought Shinji Ikari was not a good person, so she did not intend to believe what Shinji Ikari said.

“You can be together, and because your body has been overly tainted by the power of the Hollows, you can actually absorb their power to cultivate. So in a sense, the seal is being strengthened.” Shinji Ikari glanced back. “I don’t want to say anything like ‘for others,’ but you should understand that this is the best choice you have right now.”

"Okay! I promise."

"elder sister!"

"Don't worry! We will definitely not let you suffer any losses. The Yin-Yang Bureau will officially enshrine you. From now on, you will be worshipped as twin gods."

“That doesn’t matter, Saeshita! What matters is that we will never be apart again.”

Yes! We will never be apart again.

Chapter 147 Epilogue

"Your mouth is sharp!" Looking at the shrine maidens who were holding hands and silently standing within the range of the barrier rope, surrounded by the naginata dance and beginning to seal the void, Mei Isayama sat down weakly next to Shinji Ikari. A series of intense battles had left her sweat sticking to her body.

"Wipe it off." Shinji Ikari reached into his pocket, and Ryoko handed him a tissue she had stuffed inside. "I would say... that the two of them are willing to do this, after all, they are both still bothered by what happened in the past. Now the biggest problem is the couple next door. It seems that the older sister has been corrupted quite a bit."

Shinji Ikari was naturally referring to the Amakura sisters. The younger sister seemed to be doing well, and her performance along the way had already surpassed most novice exorcists. With that camera in hand, she already exuded an aura of dominance. But the older sister... her inspiration was stronger than her younger sister Amakura Mio's, but this time, being possessed by Kurosawa Sashige for too long caused her inspiration to cause her enormous trouble.

"That's not our concern. A beautiful girl like this, whose inspiration and spiritual power are stronger than mine, the Onmyo-ryo will definitely like her." Asou Yuu said with a smile. Such a girl would naturally not be simply put back into a normal life. Their constitution would attract all sorts of troubles, but for the Onmyo-ryo, she was simply the best reserve of a shrine maiden.

"Look how beautiful it is! The Onmyōryō's shrine maiden naginata dance. Tickets for a single performance cost tens of thousands of yen, and that damned woman, Okuni, can't even dance it." Mei Isayama nudged the two who were looking back at their sister, Mio Amakura, who was holding her unconscious body with a tense expression, signaling them not to miss the sight before them. A group of little girls dressed as shrine maidens were gracefully dancing with naginatas. Moreover, according to Shinji Ikari, Okuni's naginata dance could even help restore the functional impairment of someone in their seventies or eighties.

As the ceremony proceeded, the Hollow below violently surged, but the rock layers that collapsed due to the bombardment of the Spirit Ball were, in a sense, burying the Hollow. And this burial seemed to be getting thicker and thicker due to the collapse of the inner rock walls.

"Ha..." Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso exchanged a glance with wry smiles. They just didn't dare to watch too much, especially Izumo Okuni, who was leading the dance. That woman was definitely a vixen reincarnated. Mei Isayama's reminder to them was just to see them embarrass themselves.

At this moment, the ceremony reached its final stage. Kurosawa Sae and Kurosawa Yae slowly walked onto the barrier ropes. These two barrier ropes were not the ones that Himuro Kirie had taken out, nor were they the barrier ropes that had her power enhanced. However, they were barrier ropes made using the secret methods of the Onmyōryō, and were definitely of the highest standard. They were sent along with the shrine maidens and were fixed in place one by one by the shrine maidens during the naginata dance.

As the intersecting barrier ropes slowly covered the surface, the vibrations of the Hollow below gradually diminished, and everything was turning for the better. This scene made Shinji Ikari breathe a sigh of relief, as the dark mist representing the power of the Hollow was being pressed back into the ground little by little.

"Phew... Looks like it's done?" As Kurosawa Sae and Kurosawa Yae stood in the center of the barrier rope, the dazzling red ropes around their waists slowly floated up and then connected together. A surge of air swept by, and the barrier ropes in the space swayed for a moment. The void below let out a few more unwilling roars before falling silent.

At that moment, all the girls performing the naginata ritual dance shouted in unison, plunged their naginatas into the ground, slashed their wrists, and splattered their blood onto the barrier rope and the naginata, ending the entire ceremony. Then, the group of girls quickly retreated in all directions and skillfully began to bandage their wounds.

"Thanks~" Izumo no Okuni walked over, and Isayama Mei took the initiative to bandage her wound. Izumo no Okuni naturally thanked Isayama Mei in front of her, then kicked Ikari Shinji away from the bag he was sitting on, and sat on it herself. "I'm exhausted. It's been so long since I've danced a naginata dance for such a long time." Izumo no Okuni complained loudly, her shrine maiden clothes clinging to her body because they were soaked with sweat.

"But at least it's over." Shinji Ikari glanced at the two girls chatting on the barrier ropes and sighed. "Can the invisibility be maintained?"

"It probably won't last much longer." Izumo no Okuni didn't speak, but Asou Yuu gave his judgment. The ability to maintain the invisibility was due to the use of Hollow power, so once the Hollow was sealed, the invisibility would naturally be lifted. "I estimate that soon, this place will be full of tomb raiders and explorers."

"Oh right! My loot!" Remembering the loot he had collected along the way, Isayama Meijin was no longer tired and was full of energy. Completely ignoring the fact that he had been jumping around for half a day in the previous battle and that his spiritual energy and physical strength were almost exhausted, he ran away in a flash.

"That money-grubbing woman! How did you two end up together?" Izumo no Okuni glanced in the direction where someone had disappeared, looking speechless. Ever since being ripped off by Isayama Mei last time, Izumo no Okuni had a very direct understanding of Isayama Mei's love of money.

"What are you burning?" After finishing bandaging, a shrine maiden seemed to want to chat with Izumo no Okuni, but halfway there, she was attracted by Asou Yuu's actions of lighting a fire and tearing paper to add to it.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't know." Izumo no Okuni had just walked over when he saw Asou Yuu tearing paper. He gave her a brief explanation, telling her to curb her curiosity. The girl nodded, gave Izumo no Okuni a quick report, and then turned and left.

"So it was that person who came not long ago?" Izumo no Okuni had just seen the cover, and now the cover was burning fiercely. There was nothing else on it except the two characters "Morishita", which were relatively glaring.

“Yes, he came, you know. It seems that the two things he researched... were actually supposed to be one thing.” Aso Yuu said.

"...What nonsense are you spouting?" Izumo Okuni sat up abruptly, stared at Asou Yuu for a moment, then lay back down, assuming Asou Yuu was talking nonsense. Asou Yuu also received a glare from Ikari Shinji. How dare you spout such nonsense? You, the only person in the world who has access to this information, don't you know the meaning of death? "Burn it clean," Izumo Okuni said in a soft, sarcastic tone.

It's best if this kind of deadly information doesn't appear in the world. What Shinji Ikari destroyed on Mount Kintoki already astonished Izumo no Okuni to an extreme degree. Able to quickly devour and strengthen evil spirits?! While it's true that devouring some spirits can make an evil spirit stronger, if it devours them indiscriminately, the only outcome will be the collapse of its own spirit body! This is an ironclad rule derived from countless pieces of evidence.

But now, this ironclad rule has been proven not to be an ironclad rule; someone has done it! Although no one knows how they did it, for the vast majority of ordinary people, this is definitely not good news, which is why Shinji Ikari and his group have decided not to report it and have started burning these things directly.

"By the way, how do you plan to manage this place from now on?" Shinji Ikari leaned against the rock wall. This place needed to be set up as a base, and then they would often use the guise of offering sacrifices to observe the two sisters. Therefore, whether it was the Onmyōryō or other organizations, they all had to send people to be stationed here.

“A maze has been set up outside. If nothing unexpected happens, not only will we be stationed here permanently, but jujutsu masters are also very interested in this place.” Izumo no Okuni shrugged. Who wouldn’t be interested in this place? The Hollows below have enormous potential. Although it has been hidden by Shinji Ikari, for jujutsu masters, this place full of resentment has become an excellent training ground for them.

Previously, the Onmyodo (Yin-Yang Bureau) had taken over the Himuro Mansion, and those sorcerers were incredibly hostile towards them. They felt that the Onmyodo guys lacked martial ethics and used honey traps—utterly shameless! So, before Shinji Ikari and his group arrived, the sorcerers made a very clear agreement with the Onmyodo: if they tried to monopolize the mansion again, they would turn around and leave immediately! Without the slightest hesitation!

The Onmyōryō (the Bureau of Yin and Yang) was powerless against their shameless and straightforward behavior, and could only agree to their shameless demands. This time, their shrine maidens would be leading the charge, and the contributions of you sorcerers would not even be as great as those of the Countermeasures Bureau on the side. It was simply an forced performance!

"Is that so? Then I can rest assured. It's basically impossible for them to steal from each other." Shinji Ikari shrugged calmly. He and Yuu Aso disassembled his new toy and then put it away. "Oh, right, I just had an idea."

"Speak!" Izumo no Okuni looked like he didn't want to move, but he still managed to give a reluctant reply.

"Are you going to fill this hole?" Shinji Ikari looked at Izumo no Okuni beside him, his expression blank. He was exhausted today and would probably have to go and explain to Himuro Kirie when he got back. Otherwise, he would be beaten up again the next time they met, which would be truly horrific. After all, Shinji couldn't guarantee that Himuro Kirie would use her delicate little fists this time, but next time she might hang him up with the barrier rope and whip him.

“Fill it in…right, that’s right, it should be filled in.” Izumo no Okuni nodded; it was indeed a very practical suggestion.

"Then pour in cement and throw in a few steel plates. It shouldn't cost much money."

“We can even carve some Buddhas or something on the steel plate, great idea! I’ll report it as soon as I get there, and I’ll give you a share of the profits later.”

"That's not what I meant."

"Either?"

"Of course I want it!"

Chapter 148: Innocent People

"Can you stand up and walk by yourself?" Shinji Ikari walked up to Mio Amakura, who was still holding her older sister and was at a loss in the very end.

Before leaving, Izumo no Okuni gestured to Ikari Shinji to use the same smooth talk he had used to persuade Kurosawa Sashige to go to the sealing platform, to comfort the girl next to him and help her win over the hearts of the people. If he couldn't bring such a promising talent into the Izumo Taisha later, Izumo no Okuni would definitely be nagged to death by the old guys in the Onmyōryō!

Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes. This woman was probably getting revenge on her sister for ordering the Onmyōryō priestesses to go to this dangerous place. But they had indeed put in a lot of effort today. Shinji Ikari took the initiative to walk towards Amakura Mio, who was sitting blankly to the side, looking somewhat at a loss. He had done her some favors before, so he should be able to communicate with her. Jujutsu masters are too dependent on bloodlines. Countermeasures Bureau... well, never mind. Her parents are alive and well, there's no need for her to be so pitiful. So the Onmyōryō is actually a good choice.

Because of ample supplies, and because her spiritual energy camera was far superior to the original spiritual energy camera that Asou Yuu had collected, the girl truly swept through at least half of Minakami Village with sufficient supplies. Such an amazing record was worthy of her status as the protagonist, and naturally, no one could ignore her talent.

After the incident, Amakura Mio recovered from her previous high-energy pursuit of her sister. Now, she seemed to have lost her senses and looked dazed, as if the adrenaline rush had subsided.

"Ah..." Mio Amakura snapped back to reality, looked down at her sister, then at Shinji Ikari's face, "Are we safe now?"

"You seem pretty brave, don't you? How come you're so confused now that everything's over?" Shinji Ikari flicked Mio Amakura's forehead like Itachi, then grabbed Mayu Amakura's wrist, channeling his energy into Mayu Amakura's body and circulating it around. "You seem to be physically fine, but you're mentally exhausted."

"Th-that..." Amakura Mio looked up at Kurosawa Sage sitting on the barrier rope, unsure how to begin. Her sister had been possessed by Kurosawa Sage for so long, and in the end, she was... Amakura Mio hesitated and secretly glanced at Ikari Shinji. This boy, who looked about her age, had been ruthless and merciless when they fought, splitting rocks and stones without any restraint. She had been terrified that her sister would be beaten to death by him.

The young Amakura Mio was completely clueless about hiding her thoughts; her expressions and eyes betrayed everything she was thinking.

"Don't worry, your sister is in good health. We'll take her upstairs first, and then the shrine maidens from the Onmyōryō will give her a physical examination. As for your concerns, they are professionals. After the examination, there won't be any hidden problems left." Shinji Ikari said with a smile. He was certain that if this person went to the Onmyōryō and they still couldn't keep her, then it wouldn't be Shinji Ikari's fault.

"Okay! I understand, thank you!" Although she felt that such stories about gods and monsters were still very far removed from her life, she had learned a little about them due to her natural interest as a girl. She was familiar with the names Onmyōryō and Izumo Taisha and knew roughly what these places were for. Naturally, Amakura Mio felt that Shinji Ikari was not fooling her with such "professional" advice, and that it was a good solution.

"Take her and her sister to the Onmyōryō for a checkup." Shinji Ikari gestured to a young shrine maiden nearby (the one who had been left outside). The young shrine maiden was taken aback, but at least she recognized Shinji Ikari. In the gossip among the Onmyōryō shrine maidens, the exorcist Shinji Ikari (whose reputation Shinji probably didn't care about) who had been seduced by Izumo no Okuni (though Shinji probably didn't care about that reputation), obediently came over to help Amakura Mio carry Amakura Cocoon on one side as they walked towards the Onmyōryō bus.

"I must be going crazy to suddenly think that Minakami Village is actually quite nice here." Shinji Ikari looked up at the sky as the three of them walked away. He suddenly realized that the sky was no longer as gloomy as it used to be in Kagami Village. Although it wasn't exactly sunny, the sunlight filtering through the clouds still provided ample illumination.

Seeing the bright sunshine made Shinji Ikari, who had been busy in complete darkness for half a day after entering the spirit world, feel somewhat unaccustomed to it. He shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity...

"Doesn't it seem strange?" A specialist from the Countermeasures Bureau walked up to Shinji Ikari and handed him a bottle of water. Shinji took it but didn't drink it right away; he just held it in his hand. The specialist wasn't angry. "Miss Mei Isayama is counting her spoils over there. It seems she's a bit upset because someone... took quite a bit of her earnings."

“Mei has been short of money lately.” Shinji Ikari shrugged. Ever since Mei decided to become independent, his focus on money had reached a level that even Shinji, the instigator, couldn’t believe. Needless to say, Mei, who had been scavenging for supplies the whole way, would be furious when he discovered that the resources he couldn’t take with him had been taken away. If that person were in front of him, Mei’s naginata wouldn’t hold back. “Is there any news I’ve missed?”

Shinji Ikari didn't need to guess the purpose of the agent's visit; he was there to confirm Shinji's status. Having already been placed on the agent's list, Shinji knew very well that if the agent's assessment was unsatisfactory, assassination wouldn't be an option—that wasn't the style of the Countermeasures Bureau. They would have a serious talk with him: "For the sake of humanity's well-being, as a destabilizing factor, could you commit suicide?" If he refused, then it would be an exceptionally brutal assassination attempt.

"The news...it's all bad news. All the news is just the aftermath of the previous mountain god festival. I'm tired of seeing it." The commissioner shrugged, sat down next to Shinji Ikari, and without any hesitation, turned on a device in front of Shinji, placed it next to him, and then gestured to his cigarette.

Shinji Ikari made a gesture indicating that it was alright, and then he lit it. Although he didn't smoke himself, Yuu Aso did, and he was already used to secondhand smoke.

"Everyone's digging deep, competing to see who's fastest, trying to get more information on Morishita Yamato. Everyone involved is being hunted down. Hey, speaking of which, I heard from the surviving guys the other day, 'You guys actually ate that dish!'" The commissioner stared into Shinji Ikari's eyes, seemingly chatting casually.

"I ate it. It's a dish made by a near-demon god. You don't get to have this opportunity very often." Shinji Ikari shrugged. "The taste is not bad. He's a very skilled chef."

"He is indeed a formidable figure. He almost single-handedly turned the whole world upside down." The commissioner glanced at Shinji Ikari. "Even if you weren't quite that exaggerated, you still stirred up a global trend. EVA went from being ridiculed as a tax collector to becoming a potentially super S-class national treasure overnight!"

"So, which unlucky souls got caught up in this?" Shinji Ikari shrugged, looked at the commissioner beside him who was spitting out smoke, and shook his head. Although he had concealed it well, there seemed to be a faint smell of blood on the commissioner, as if his injuries had not yet healed.

"The latest news is that several small companies that frequently take orders from the Evil Soul Group have experienced large-scale disappearances. Basically, anyone with a sound mind has already hidden in some remote mountain valley, otherwise..." The commissioner sneered. They didn't care about the lives of these people at all. To put it bluntly, these peripheral companies were accomplices in the evil deeds committed by the Evil Soul Group. Since they had taken the dirty money, they were completely unworthy of sympathy when faced with such things.

“These guys…” Shinji Ikari frowned. “You know what, they might actually have something up their sleeves.”

Shinji Ikari's words immediately made the agent choke, "What do you mean? What information do you have?"

"It's not exactly intelligence. A few months ago, I went on a mission. The enemy's strength was... well, not bad. It was a B-rank mission. It was at Mount Kintoki. When we went there, Izumo no Okuni and I discovered their laboratory." Shinji Ikari shrugged, not expecting to end up in this mess.

"Kinshisan? The laboratory?" The specialist from the Countermeasures Bureau frowned, first looking at the data on the completed testing instrument. "Looks like you've been working really hard down there."

“Of course, it’s their home turf.” Shinji Ikari dusted himself off and stood up. He saw that Mei Isayama had already returned with his pack, and Yuu Aso had also finished packing. To be fair, Yuu Aso’s high-speed spiritual energy camera was really impressive. “When Izumo no Okuni and I entered the lab, it had already been cleaned up by those bastards from the cleaning house. We didn’t get anything.” Shinji Ikari said this and turned to leave.

"..." The commissioner's face darkened instantly. As someone who had come specifically to contact Shinji Ikari, he was very familiar with Shinji's recent activities. Shinji had only mentioned it once, and he had already remembered this matter: the Jade Zunyi arriving incredibly fast, the cleaning house arriving at the perfect time...