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

"Let's go, the test is ready. If your data is fine, we'll be sending you a steady stream of missions from the Spirit World." Shinji Ikari smiled with a hint of helplessness. Yusuke Urameshi's combat power still seemed a bit low, but in reality, he was practically an absolute cheat code, the kind that gets stronger when facing stronger opponents. Whether it was his fight with Toguro's brother or Sensui Shinobu, he grew rapidly in battle, eventually revealing terrifying strength.

Furthermore, while the battle with Sensui Shinobu could be attributed to external interference, the battle with Toguro's brother was an astonishingly overpowered fight. He didn't use his full power simply because he didn't want to; that's utterly ridiculous. Who do you think you are...?

"When Botan told me, I couldn't believe it. You're a Spirit Detective too, and you've become incredibly powerful," Yusuke Urameshi said with a grin to Shinji Ikari. "What kind of test are we going to have this time?"

"Come with me." Shinji Ikari wasn't sure what to say. Koenma had only given him a videotape, which led Shinji to specifically go to a used electronics store to buy a VCR. Only then did he learn that Koenma's order was for Shinji to help test Yusuke Urameshi's strength, have Yusuke deliver the report to Botan, and then send it to the Spirit World. After this mission, Shinji would be promoted from "apprentice" to full-fledged, and specific tasks would be assigned to him. "To be honest, this news really scared me to death."

"Hahaha... You get scared too! Speaking of which, I was also very surprised when I heard your story! Piloting a giant robot to fight against a giant creature, that really shocked me when I heard it!" Shinji Ikari is no ordinary person, so when Yusuke Urameshi heard Botan tell him what Shinji Ikari had accomplished, Yusuke Urameshi sprayed Botan's face with water.

The two chatted and laughed, telling each other about recent events, as if they had returned to when they first met. Although they were not strong, they looked up at the sky and dreamed of what it would be like to stand on the clouds.

"Wow, this place is really outrageous." The two of them quickly arrived at the laboratory that Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama had half-demolished. After opening the broken protective door, Yusuke Urameshi stared wide-eyed at the ruined site in front of him. Although his own combat power had also improved significantly, he really hadn't expected the site to be so devastated.

For reasons unknown, the engineering department gathered all the Shinji Ikari and steel plates together in one place and even welded them together to create what could be considered a complex terrain.

“I think Peony has already told you.” Shinji Ikari tossed his coat aside.

“Ah, yes, I said I need to pass a test here before I can become a full-fledged Spirit Detective, and then I can…” Yusuke Urameshi was about to say something when Shinji Ikari interrupted.

“Yes, my mission is to give you a test to determine your level, and then I can be promoted,” Shinji Ikari said with a smile. He stopped Yusuke Urameshi from talking about resurrection. For the Spirit World, this is not difficult, but for humans, it is something that humans have been searching for for hundreds of years. If this matter is exposed, it will be too late. Shinji Ikari glanced at Botan, who was in ghost form. NERV's detection equipment had already detected her, but only because it involved the mysterious Spirit World, it did not make any exaggerated reaction.

Peony scratched her head awkwardly. She realized why Shinji Ikari had interrupted Yusuke Urameshi. It seemed that she had forgotten to tell Yusuke something before leaving, and Yusuke Urameshi wasn't a very thoughtful person. She would definitely give him a good talking-to when she got back! Even though she was thinking this, Peony still put her hands together and apologized to Shinji Ikari.

“Then let’s get straight to the point. The duties of a Spirit Detective are actually very simple: find and resolve things before they escalate to the worst possible state, which could affect both worlds! So, for a Spirit Detective, the most important things are two things.” Shinji Ikari looked at Yusuke Urameshi, recalling the teachings that Shinobu Sensui had given him, as well as Shinichiro Honda’s own views at the time. Shinji stared into Yusuke Urameshi’s eyes, which were full of fighting spirit.

"A belief formed by resolve and the power to act, Yusuke Urameshi, now, let me see these two things." Shinji Ikari slightly modified Shinobu Sensui's original words, after all, what Shinobu had told him was, "The belief in upholding justice, the resolve to protect humanity, and the resolute and decisive power to act." And then Shinobu herself lost her way...

"..." Peony was completely stunned. At this moment, she felt that the person in front of her was not some ghostly "trainee" spirit detective at all. What he said really sounded like what mature spirit detectives who had seen thousands of mountains and rivers would say.

"Why make things so complicated! Just defeat all the bastards who do bad things!" Yusuke Urameshi didn't think so much! He charged straight at Shinji Ikari, wanting to swing his fist at him.

“Yes, if everyone thinks like that, there’s nothing to struggle with!” Shinji Ikari nodded. This idea was really simple! It wasn’t sophisticated at all, but it certainly wouldn’t leave any psychological flaws! Kill all those who deserve to die, protect all those who deserve to live, who cares if you’re human or not! Such a simple principle, how could Shinobu Sensui not understand it?

What Sensui Shinobu couldn't understand wasn't this, but rather what kind of scum he had gone to so much trouble to protect! To kill without restraint for their own pleasure—this rage burned through Sensui Shinobu's reason! He wasn't unaware of these sordid things, but when these sordid things appeared before him in such a shocking way, even a god couldn't tolerate it!

A series of collisions occurred. The now-unchanged Shinji Ikari easily caught Yusuke Urameshi's fists repeatedly with his palms. Then, before the opponent could react, he delivered a powerful elbow strike to Yusuke Urameshi's waist. Just as Yusuke regained his balance, he suddenly realized that Shinji Ikari had already followed him and delivered a spinning kick that sent Yusuke Urameshi flying.

"It doesn't seem as powerful as I imagined..." Ritsuko Akagi frowned as she looked at the data recorded on the computer. It was indeed a physical ability much stronger than that of an ordinary person. In such a high-speed battle, if a security guard from NERV's security department were to go up there, he would probably only be able to last a few seconds. After all, Shinji Ikari had already demonstrated it when he joined the company.

"His strength isn't just about fighting skills." Mei Isayama, who was eating again, gave a simple assessment. She had a full set of tests yesterday, and Shinji Ikari's estimate was correct. Mei Isayama's body contained many things that Ritsuko Akagi couldn't explain. The activity of some cells taken from near the tattoo on her back was frightening. It is currently estimated that Mei Isayama's daily energy consumption is several times, or even ten times, that of a normal human. Note that this refers to non-normal combat conditions.

"Oh! They're here!" Isayama Mei put down the steamed bun in his hand and stared at the two people in front of him.

Yusuke Urameshi enveloped his fist with spiritual power, and in a short time, the fist shadows, almost invisible to the naked eye, bombarded Shinji Ikari layer upon layer. What was even more terrifying was that these fists were covered with layers of small spirit balls, which almost instantly covered Shinji Ikari.

"Hey!" Shinji Ikari didn't hold back and immediately began to rapidly mobilize his spiritual power. Then, Shinji Ikari kicked the purple aura bullet that had formed in front of him. The next instant, the equally overwhelming purple-red aura bullets collided with the spirit bullet, and the explosion resounded throughout the entire laboratory.

Meanwhile, some of the aura projectiles and small spirit pellets that didn't collide with each other bombarded the already dilapidated laboratory, creating a series of muffled thuds.

But this was not the end. The two of them made the same choice at the same time, and they crashed directly into the smoke and dust. A series of sounds of fists colliding erupted in the smoke and dust, and the turbulent airflow dispersed the bursts of smoke and dust.

"Thump!" Yusuke Urameshi was sent flying again. After all, Shinji Ikari's current state and combat power were much higher than Yusuke Urameshi's, so Yusuke Urameshi was obviously the one who suffered a loss.

"Tsk..." Wiping the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, Yusuke Urameshi, who was lying on the ground, struggled to get up and was about to rush up again, but unexpectedly Shinji Ikari waved his hand at him. Yusuke Urameshi stopped and took a defensive stance. Of course, this was an instinct taught to him by Genkai. In order to form such an instinct, Yusuke Urameshi had been beaten a lot.

"Your fighting skills are definitely up to par. Yusuke, how many Spirit Guns do you have left?" Shinji Ikari waved his hand. Yusuke Urameshi's fighting ability hadn't reached the point of explosive improvement yet. If they continued fighting, it would just be bullying him. Besides, his fighting training with Shinji Ikari was indeed somewhat discouraging.

"Two shots left, what's wrong?"

"Oh...another test?"

"you say!"

"A power test of the Spirit Orb, and... well, its performance under terrible conditions?"

"I've saved two for you to try. Tell me, how do you want to test it?"

"Understood. Now let me see its power, and then it will be time for the final evaluation."

"Okay..." Urameshi Yusuke was somewhat speechless, unable to continue the fight.

Chapter 194 Deep Feelings, One Bite

"Put in about half of the spiritual power?" Yusuke Urameshi scratched his head. Before, he was just a delinquent who was extremely good at fighting. He had never received any systematic combat training (but his resources were too great, being the prince of the Demon World from another generation, tsk tsk). Not to mention spiritual power training, no one had ever taught him.

Now, although he has learned the Spirit Wave Fist, he doesn't have a complete lineage like Shinji Ikari. Proper fighting skills training takes years and requires time to mature and refine. Therefore, even a fighter like Genkai couldn't pass on all the essence of the Spirit Wave Fist to Yusuke Urameshi in such a short time (later, Yusuke Urameshi was clearly stronger than Genkai, so there was no need for him to learn it).

"Yes, I'll just follow my instincts. I'll also gather about... one-fifth of my spiritual power and unleash it." Shinji Ikari shrugged, indicating that he would be acting as a reference group.

"No problem!" Yusuke Urameshi clenched his fists, stretched them out to the sides, and roared. Spiritual energy surged around him, stirring the air currents, and a blue-white spiritual energy glow shone around him.

"How interesting!" Shinji Ikari's lips twitched. This power was no weaker than his own when he first arrived. In fact, before joining NERV and experiencing so much, his spiritual power was probably only comparable to Yusuke Urameshi's. The Chosen One was terrifying! "I can't lose either!"

Shinji Ikari's spiritual power also began to erupt, and golden holy light rose from the ground. Shinji Ikari controlled his erupted spiritual power well, keeping it at a level similar to Shinji Ikari's, but it was equally astonishing. Botan, who should theoretically not be affected at all, subconsciously raised her position and looked somewhat blankly at the two roaring teenagers below.

"Ah... I'm kind of tempted to jump down and fight them both." With a slight grin, Isayama Mei, sensing the fluctuations in spiritual energy below, revealed his now quite sharp little fangs. After fusing with the dragon's soul, Isayama Mei had become noticeably more irritable. However, after Shinji Ikari's reminder, Isayama Mei began to control his temper and diligently intensified his training to expend some of his energy.

“Very impressive data.” Ritsuko Akagi looked at the screen in front of her with great pleasure. It was a stroke of genius not to rush to remove the surveillance equipment here. Now, Shinji Ikari and Yusuke Urameshi’s data were clearly visible. “That little rascal Shinji, he was obviously hiding things when he was being examined.”

"Because unleashing full power is incredibly taxing, I've been eating and eating until today before I finally recovered." Mei Isayama sighed. He'd been constantly teased by Shinji Ikari these past few days; the glutton was a complete glutton, all he did was watch Mei Isayama eating and eating. Mei Isayama himself was helpless, but the needs of a dragon within him were naturally considerable. "It's coming!"

"Spirit~" With Yusuke Urameshi and Shinji Ikari roaring in unison, Yusuke Urameshi, who was in a gun-like stance, saw the Spirit Gum in his hand rapidly inflate as if it were being inflated. Shinji Ikari, on the other hand, kicked it out, sending the two Spirit Gum, one gold and one blue, flying into the distance.

"Bang..." Before the smoke had even dissipated, feeling the vibrations throughout the underground facility, the engineering staff slapped their foreheads. Goodness, that was powerful! It was almost as strong as a heavy artillery shell.

However, their leader paused for a moment after the smoke cleared, then suddenly smiled, picked up the communicator, and broadcast into the laboratory, "Shinji, and this young man, you two move a little to the left or right next time. Thanks for your hard work. We'll make some adjustments here and set up a transport track."

Upon hearing the engineering department head's request, Shinji Ikari turned around and gave an OK sign, then pulled a sake bottle from his pouch and tossed it to Yusuke Urameshi across from him, "Try it, but don't drink too much..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Yusuke Urameshi had already heard Shinji Ikari mention that they were going to test if he could also accept Ryoko Sakaki's drink blessing. If he could, then perhaps Shinji should contact the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Onmyō), the Countermeasures Bureau, and the Jujutsu Association. "Ugh..."

"You're going to die... Can you still stand?" Shinji Ikari had only taken out half-diluted liquor, but it was still incredibly strong!

"Phew... I... I should be alright!" As a delinquent, how could Yusuke Urameshi not have drunk alcohol before? He just never imagined he'd drink something like this, swallowing a terrifying, lava-like liquid in one gulp (because it was diluted, the fruity aroma was less pronounced)! Like a raging fire, the liquid rushed straight to his head, almost instantly burning away his spirit. He shook his head, consciously following Shinji Ikari's instructions, and began circulating his spiritual energy...

"Buzz..." Spiritual energy, like burning flames, burst forth from Yusuke Urameshi's body, a wave of energy sweeping in all directions. It was several times more terrifying than when he condensed his spiritual energy before. The vast spiritual energy even generated absolute wind pressure, blowing away all the tiny debris on the dilapidated laboratory floor.

"Wonderful! Ryoko is going to make a fortune!" Akagi Ritsuko smiled. After hearing about the embarrassing situation that had occurred when Akagi Ritsuko drank her wine, Sakaki Ryoko specially brewed some brandy for Akagi Ritsuko using ordinary ingredients. Akagi Ritsuko hid these two bottles of brandy, showing no intention of sharing them with Katsuragi Misato.

Meanwhile, Yusuke Urameshi, whose mind was already in a daze, vaguely remembered that he had come here for some kind of test. Muttering to himself, he slowly raised his hand towards Shinji Ikari, assuming the posture of launching a Spirit Gun, amidst Botan's terrified gaze...

“Interesting…” Shinji Ikari took a sip himself, but he drank the undiluted original, so his veins were now flowing like molten iron. He couldn’t just sit there and wait. “Looks like I’m going to have to apologize to the older guys.”

"Spirit...hiccup...Maru!" Within Urameshi Yusuke's hiccup, terrifying spiritual power was forced in...

"Grandpa..." Shinji Ikari took a deep breath and slowly exhaled! "Watch closely! Style! Invincible East!" Shinji Ikari once again assumed the Crane Pose, and an invisible wind swirled violently around him, colliding with the wind pressure unleashed by Yusuke Urameshi.

Seeing Shinji Ikari strike this pose, everyone in NERV rushed to the dangerous observation window, staring intently at the field below. There was no other reason than that the last time Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01 with this move, it left a very deep impression on everyone. The towering, blood-red tornado had torn countless monsters to shreds within it!

"Shinji, that little bastard! I shouldn't have agreed to his request!" Ritsuko Akagi bit her finger, furious. She hadn't even recorded such crucial data! She was going to grab his ear and beat him up when she got back.

A violent vortex rapidly rose, and opposite Shinji Ikari, Yusuke Urameshi, as if he could no longer withstand it, poured all his spiritual power into his Spirit Gun, then flung it out. The violent Spirit Gun plowed a deep trench in the ground, tearing through the roaring storm, and rushed towards Shinji Ikari.

"Whoosh... Super! Overlord!" The storm suddenly materialized and slammed into the top of the laboratory, sending debris flying everywhere, including near the observation windows. This time, however, Shinji Ikari's performance was remarkably stable. Just as he had done before, under his ki manipulation, the storm remained perfectly still, steadily compressing inward and rapidly coalescing again on the ground, forming a near-tangible storm barrier around Shinji.

"Movie Bullet!" Shinji Ikari charged forward, crashing head-on into the massive Spirit Gun. In that instant, everyone in NERV felt their hearts skip a few beats, and when the two collided, it felt as if a hand was squeezing their heart, forcing all the blood out!

"Whoosh!" A strong wind arose! The Spirit Ball collided directly with the Super Overlord Movie, but soon several storms erupted within it, tightly binding the Spirit Ball and constantly consuming its power. Even Yusuke Urameshi himself was knocked into a corner crater in the laboratory by a tornado and fell into a deep sleep.

"Tch! That's why I absolutely hate so-called 'talented' players!" After weakening the Spirit Gun somewhat, Shinji Ikari gritted his teeth, pushed it into the air, and then twisted it, crushing it. The exploding spiritual energy swept through the entire laboratory. The thick bulletproof glass of the observation room shattered instantly, turning into a pile of fragments. If it weren't for the metal wires embedded in it, it would have completely collapsed. Naturally, the observation and testing equipment left in the laboratory was also reduced to pieces.

"Pah..." Shinji Ikari spat out a mouthful of blood. He felt he had lost out somewhat. He had only intended to give it a try, but he hadn't expected Yusuke Urameshi to gulp it down so hard that he ended up taking the full power of a Spirit Gun head-on. Yusuke Urameshi was indeed no ordinary student.

"Shinji... how are you feeling?" Just as Shinji Ikari caught his breath, Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi rushed down with the medical team's emergency personnel.

"I'm fine..." Shinji Ikari straightened up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "A little meditation will do." Shinji took a deep breath. "Misato-nee, can you help me?"

"You're giving this Urameshi Sasuke an identity, right? No problem, there's also a monthly allowance of 20 yen, is that okay?" Before Katsuragi Misato could answer, Akagi Ritsuko interrupted. The financially powerful technical department didn't care about such expenses at all.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Just make up any identity; he probably won't come here often."

"No problem, as long as he can come when we need him."

"...I have to ask."

“Okay! I won’t pry into his secrets,” Ritsuko Akagi laughed, “like his death in a car accident a few months ago.”

"Tsk..."

Chapter 195 A reminder to support good governance

"Yo!" Kaji Ryoji looked at Shinji Ikari as he came out of the infirmary. "Looks like you're not seriously injured this time, but you've almost completely destroyed the lab."

Yes, this time the engineering department doesn't need to worry about fixing anything! Let's just start over! The result of the collision between Shinji Ikari's "Super Overlord Movie List" and Yusuke Urameshi's full-power "Spirit Gun" is so terrifying that almost the entire underground base has felt the tremors. Naturally, this experiment, which was originally intended to be a small-scale experiment, could no longer be kept secret from anyone. Ryoji Kaji naturally needed to go and see for himself and give SEELE an explanation. According to Ryoji Kaji himself, even if he was just fooling around, he had to make it look convincing and not treat others like fools.

"I messed up. I only intended to do a test for my friend, but the result..." Shinji Ikari shrugged. The conclusion of the experiment was almost certain: he would be clinging to the coattails of Ryoko Sakaki, this rich woman, from now on.

Although the Totsuki Group had a vague idea about Ryoko Sakaki's situation, they had no intention of telling anyone. Ryoko Sakaki was Shinji Ikari's girlfriend, and the original intention of brewing this kind of sake was for Shinji Ikari. This was a recipe that belonged to Ryoko Sakaki alone. Out of the most basic respect a chef should have, no matter how valuable this recipe was, it should never be seen.

Not to mention the Totsuki Group, which has benefited greatly from Shinji Ikari. The protection of Himuro Kirie and the so-called "Himuro Style" that has begun to be promoted among senior students are undoubtedly benefits brought by Shinji Ikari. So the Totsuki Group is now quietly squatting on the sidelines, not saying a word.

At most, they would subtly give her a push from the side. For example, when they exchanged alcohol for Angel blood with NERV, the Totsuki Group happily offered to provide Ryoko Sakaki with the necessary venues, equipment, and materials, and to send workers to help her prepare for large-scale brewing. All of this would belong to Ryoko Sakaki.

So at the time, Shinji Ikari felt something was off. Looking back now, he probably thought that old fox Senzaemon Nakiri had been waiting for this move all along. Once NERV confirmed the efficacy of this beverage, wouldn't it be a natural thing to start production? If Ryoko Sakaki was willing to take charge herself, then Totsuki Entertainment would be her strongest backing and raw material supplier.

If... Ryoko Sakaki is willing to provide the formula to them, the Totsuki Group will not treat her unfairly. She will receive all the benefits she is entitled to, such as a share of the profits. Furthermore, as the research progresses, they will refine the product categories and leave one or two categories for her to control independently, ensuring that she will continue to be respected.

Shinji Ikari had finally figured out the old fox's scheme and suddenly wondered if he had given too much before. However, looking at it now, it didn't seem too bad; Ryoko Sakaki's interests were now guaranteed. Letting her build an entire brewery from scratch on her own would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but would also make her an easy target, which was not a good thing.

"I heard it was an order given to you directly by the most mysterious organization in the world so far? Is that young man who's fast asleep inside also from that spirit world?" Kaji Ryoji asked with a curious expression.

"Although I really want to give you an answer, let me ask you first: are you mentally prepared to be hunted down by multiple S-class powerhouses because you know some dirty secrets?" Shinji Ikari shrugged. Kaji Ryoji was trustworthy, but unfortunately, Kaji Ryoji himself was currently in a state of restraint and had to be careful in his actions.

"I understand. Are you alright?" Kaji Ryoji nodded. This answer could only be described as very "appropriate." Shinji Ikari's meaning was very clear: I'm willing to tell you, but the consequences may be severe. Are you mentally prepared to accept such consequences?

Was he just trying to inflate Ryoji's ego? That wasn't his main task; his main task remained the boy in front of him.

“I’m a spirit detective too. You should know that I went to get a VCR a couple of days ago.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Ryoji Kaji beside him. He couldn’t possibly not know that in order to figure out what orders Koenma had given him, he didn’t go to a used electronics store to tinker with things. Instead, he bought a VCR, then discovered that the new TV didn’t have a video cable interface for the used VCR. After searching online, he hurriedly ran to buy a video adapter. That day, he was almost driven to despair.

He ran around buying things without hiding anything, so not only the intelligence agencies but even the Countermeasures Bureau's shops probably knew. Oh, and the power strip really was bought from the Countermeasures Bureau's hardware store. They even offered to give it to him for free, but Shinji felt it wasn't appropriate, so he didn't get to enjoy the pleasure of having a free girlfriend.

"This is truly unexpected news." Kaji Ryoji sighed and shrugged. He had previously heard Katsuragi Misato complain that Ikari Shinji seemed to be collecting stamps, establishing relationships with all the prominent semi-official organizations in the underworld in Japan. Now it seems that he has even made connections with the most mysterious spirit world in the world, which is truly shocking.

"So I have no problem. The key is the one inside. It absolutely cannot have any problems." Shinji Ikari spread his hands. "I hope you can also tell the people above not to think too much about anything else, otherwise if something goes wrong, no one can cover it up."

Sensui Shinobu's strength wasn't fully demonstrated, but according to Yu Yu Hakusho itself, Toguro's brother is only a B-rank, while Sensui Shinobu is a lower-rank S-rank. Their combat power is simply incomparable. Toguro's brother can already slaughter ordinary demons like mowing grass in the Dark Tournament. Can you guess how strong Sensui Shinobu is...?

Even so, she was beaten up by Yusuke Urameshi, who was in a sense his father. Although Sensui Shinobu was already suffering from biochemical cancer and was on the verge of death, and her strength inevitably declined greatly, there was no doubt that Raichan, as one of the Demon Kings, was also weakened to a certain extent due to not eating for a long time. Moreover, she was using Yusuke Urameshi's body, and still showed terrifying combat power.

"Understood!" Shinji Ikari didn't say it explicitly, but how could Ryoji Kaji not be a smart man? So he immediately filled in the blank with a reason. Just like Shinji Ikari's importance to NERV, this boy named Yusuke Urameshi might also be very important to the Spirit World in some way. This was a very important message that he needed to convey, to make those who might have more than just water in their brains wake up and stop acting recklessly. "So I should say, thank goodness you didn't kill him, right?"

"By the way, how's Ayato Kamina, who came over for a day to clear his head, doing now?" Shinji Ikari asked in a low voice. They were no longer just nodding acquaintances, especially after they successfully tricked the TERRA staff that day. The two of them laughed heartily together, played ball, and watched the spectacular sight of the Third New Tokyo City rising up at night. Their relationship was quite good.

Although Misato Katsuragi and the others were closer, they had nowhere else to ask, so they could only ask this person in front of them, who should be considered quite resourceful.

“It’s much better than before I came. I heard that he has changed his residence and is living with a well-known scholar. He usually goes to a research laboratory. After returning, he fought against what appears to be a large biological weapon that came out of Tokyo Jupiter and won.” Kaji Ryoji looked at Ikari Shinji. “I’m sorry, I know that you know about Ayato Kamina’s daily life first, but unfortunately, that’s TERRA’s secret. I don’t know about it. But I think you can call Ayato Kamina herself to ask.”

"Good suggestion!" Shinji Ikari nodded. This was indeed a blind spot in his thinking. He always felt that such matters should be inquired about through coordination with higher-ups, forgetting that Ayato Kamina was not currently under house arrest and could be contacted directly.

"You're too kind. The one inside seems to have woken up. Speaking of which, are all exorcists' constitutions this terrifying? I checked the state of the lab; it looks like it's been bombarded by a large-caliber artillery shell." Kaji Ryoji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at Shinji Ikari beside him. "Could the power of EVA really be buried inside?"

"I don't understand EVA. You should ask Ritsuko, or even Misato Katsuragi, whose security clearance is much higher than mine. All I can tell you is that I just acted according to my habitual fighting style, and that's how the result came about." Shinji Ikari shook his head with a wry smile. What could he possibly explain to someone he didn't even understand himself? Unit-01 releasing a Super Overlord movie list—that kind of area-of-effect attack, tsk tsk…

"Oh, right, the latest news is that some weird stuff seems to have arrived on Earth. Things have been quite lively in New Tokyo lately." Kaji Ryoji reminded Ikari Shinji, "The Countermeasures Bureau and that exorcist lady you know seem to be working together to hunt down something. Anyway, things have gotten pretty big, so be careful."

"..." Shinji Ikari's lips twitched after hearing this. Goodness, so that's what was going on. Sonoko asked me to attend some kind of garden party. It turns out that something was waiting for me here. I thought some elementary school student had changed her personality. It seems that she hasn't.

"What's wrong?" Kaji Ryoji was very attentive to Shinji Ikari, so he immediately noticed Shinji's unpleasant expression and asked with curiosity.

"Oh? Nothing much, I'm going to Suzuki Group's garden party in a bit... in New Tokyo."

"This is really... fantastic, but Shinji, you shouldn't have to worry."

"Hopefully."

Chapter 196 Awakening and Gift

"Good morning!" Yusuke Urameshi opened his eyes and saw Botan standing guard by his window. He paused for a moment, then smiled brightly, as if it were a normal morning greeting to Botan. Botan, who was full of grievances, was stunned and didn't know where to begin complaining.

Just yesterday, Bodan thought she was doomed. This was no joke. Looking at the test arranged by Shinji Ikari, Bodan still felt it was very reliable. From the beginning, Yusuke Urameshi didn't seem very smart. So Shinji Ikari clearly positioned Yusuke Urameshi as a militant scout, the kind who was responsible for receiving clear orders from the Spirit World and just going to fight.

Botan was very happy about this. Finally, a reliable teammate brought her a sense of security. In the series of competitions between the two afterwards, Botan didn't feel anything was wrong. As a spirit floating in mid-air, she wasn't worried about being hit at all. Even when Shinji Ikari tested Yusuke Urameshi's Spirit Gun power, Botan didn't feel anything was wrong. Testing Yusuke Urameshi's ultimate method was perfectly reasonable.

However, things completely spiraled out of control after Yusuke Urameshi drank the beverage. The Spirit Gun aimed at Shinji Ikari displayed a power that shocked Botan, but that wasn't important; the real problem was what followed! Shinji Ikari's Super Overlord Gun unleashed a terrifying storm, a whirlwind brimming with energy that gave Botan no chance to dodge.

The moment Shinji Ikari's Super Overlord Movie Bullet clashed with the Spirit Gun, Botan was swept up in a violent gale, her whole body flying around wildly (like the scene in old anime where she was spinning around in circles like Doraemon's big eyes). Botan felt like she had been stuffed into a washing machine. Fortunately, she was already a spirit, otherwise, the fully spinning washing machine would have almost churned her brains to dust.

Even so, Botan was still dizzy all day! Apparently, she was carried back by Mei Isayama and dumped in the next room, and then she was here guarding Yusuke Urameshi. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and the longer she waited, the angrier she became. Before Yusuke Urameshi woke up, Botan had already decided to give the impetuous Yusuke a good scolding. If this guy hadn't chug so much wine in one go, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"...Let me catch my breath..." Peony rubbed her forehead, feeling the veins on her forehead throbbing. "Do you know how big of a mess you've made?"

"Ah, judging from the room now, NERV doesn't seem too angry. Shinji-san seems to be quite reliable after all." Yusuke Urameshi rubbed his head. He was still vaguely aware of what had happened. He hadn't expected to unleash such a powerful Spirit Gun. After firing it, he completely passed out. "This sake is really strong. If possible, I wonder if I can get some more from Shinji later."

Yes, Yusuke Urameshi instinctively sensed the benefits this drink brought him, so he couldn't help but wonder if he could get some. Even if he didn't drink it himself, he could give it to Sangen to try when he got home, and it could also be used as a means to turn the tide of battle.