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

"They've figured him out, and I didn't even know someone like him had been here. How interesting!" Maou Sadao's eyes flickered. He picked up the photo and looked at it. Ha, his shop was in the picture. Judging from Shinji Ikari's clothes, it probably happened not even a few days ago. But... "Ae, bring out the ladder. The signboard is covered in a thick layer of dust." As for whether Maou Sadao went to wipe the dust or fix a blind spot in the surveillance, only Maou Sadao himself knows.

"Oh! Okay!" Ya Hui, who was wiping the table, turned around and walked towards the tool room at the back.

"Phew... This is really boring." Shinji Ikari was somewhat speechless. He had only recently broken through his bottleneck, and his strength was growing rapidly. The photo was taken not long ago, probably right after his breakthrough... Shinji suddenly noticed the thing in the silly girl's hand in the photo, and sighed. He knew the time frame now; it was probably a few days after their trip to the amusement park. It seemed that the Spirit Gun he had kicked hadn't frightened these ignorant demons, but it had brought him a huge problem.

"Um...I...I...have I caused you any trouble?" The salesperson looked at Shinji Ikari with a surprised expression, seemingly at a loss for words.

"You didn't answer the last question. Why did you bring this letter for him? You should know the risks of coming here," Shinji Ikari asked the very simple question, looking at the nervous salesman in front of him.

"He said you'll buy three," the salesman said in a low voice, looking up at Shinji Ikari with anticipation in his eyes.

"Three units?" Shinji Ikari looked at the salesperson in surprise. "How much is one unit?"

"Oh! Our company offers a variety of styles and models, with the highest grade even guaranteeing that you can pour water directly into the sewage treatment plant, and the outlet will also be of the highest quality drinking water." As if suddenly excited, the salesperson began to speak rapidly, while taking out promotional brochures.

"Hmm...it does look pretty good." Shinji Ikari glanced at it, stroking his chin. Three platforms...why three platforms...could it be home, Ryoko Sakaki's dorm, and then the Himuro mansion? Heh, I always felt that the old Sensui Shinobu wouldn't have so many ulterior motives. Right, in the original story, he went mad, and multiple alternate personalities were born from his mind at once, so doing something like this seems reasonable...

“Look…” The salesman looked at Shinji Ikari with shining eyes.

"Is this 150,000 yen unit the most expensive one?" Shinji Ikari asked a question that made his heart flutter.

"Yes!" the salesperson replied instantly.

"Buy... 8 units, and deliver them to these addresses." Shinji Ikari wrote down all the addresses listed: the Onmyoji Bureau in the shopping district, the Countermeasures Bureau, the Jujutsu Guild headquarters (the jujutsu shops seemed to have just opened), Sadao Maou's Demon King's Castle, the Polaris Dormitory at Totsuki Academy, a certain shady shop, Fuyumi Mizuhara's Ristorante F Italian restaurant, and his own residence. "Extended warranty period."

"Don't worry, it comes with a lifetime warranty and consumables at half price!"

"can!"

Chapter 271 The Demon King's Appointment

"Thank you so much! Please rest assured about extending the shelf life of your order by one year! If it fails, I will commit seppuku to atone for my sins!" The salesman bowed repeatedly before leaving McDonald's. 45 was a very sincere gesture. It was clear that Shinji Ikari's million-dollar order had greatly excited him. At the very least, he was the top salesman for the week! Back at the store, the manager would have to treat him to dinner!

"You're welcome. Hurry up and send the things over." Shinji Ikari waved his hand dismissively. The other party had originally wanted Shinji's contact number, but Shinji, without any hesitation, registered the phone number of the dagashi shop run by NERV's intelligence department downstairs. Shinji didn't want to be driven crazy by their sales calls.

"Okay! I'll urge them to ship the goods right away!" the salesman said sincerely, then politely said goodbye to Shinji Ikari. He felt that he had really had good luck today. The Shinji Ikari in front of him was such an easy person to talk to. Sure enough, the rumors were all false. Those guys were talking nonsense about how this guy could slaughter thousands of demons with ease. That was definitely a lie.

"I heard from Aya and I know. Thank you for the water purifier." Sadao Maou carried the stepladder back from outside. Aya took it and carried it back to the tool shed. Then Sadao Maou listened to the gossip in their shop, Raiko, recount what Shinji Ikari had just done. Coincidentally, their shop only had one water purifier. Before, when they used the food cart, they bought bottled water. Although it wasn't expensive, it was still an expense.

"You're too kind. Anyway, I don't have any urgent need for money right now, and everyone can use a water purifier. This brand is also pretty good, so I just decided to get them all." Shinji Ikari said with a smile. The key point is that apart from lending a large sum of money to Ryuji Danma, he really doesn't have any other need for money. However, recently, for some inexplicable reason, rumors have spread that cars produced by Ryuji's car dealership can protect people from encountering evil spirits.

However, this matter doesn't seem to be entirely wrong, because all the vehicles were repackaged by Danma Ryuji, and they would indirectly come into contact with Himuro Kirie's aura while eating. Although the amount of aura they absorbed was small, it was enough to make ordinary ghosts avoid them.

"I roughly understand it. It seems to be a letter that your grandmaster asked him to deliver. He's a clever man." Maou Sadao snorted coldly after listening. How could such a simple and boring idea possibly succeed? When two groups begin to draw boundaries between each other based on race and covet everything the other has, this matter cannot be peacefully resolved by simply considering each other's difficulties.

"Yeah... a deliberately chosen unlucky guy." Shinji Ikari could tell that the guy in front of him was definitely not having a good time in the Demon World, let alone in the Human World. He was a cowardly but honest and hardworking guy. Not to mention anything else, look at how happy he was when he signed the contract for 8 top-of-the-line water purification devices with him. It was probably the biggest deal he had ever made.

Sensui Shinobu brought him to her not to offer him food, but to share his insights with Shinji Ikari as a senior: humans are not necessarily good, and demons are not purely evil!

Isn't that obvious?

As human beings, we must have a stance! As human beings, we must generally stand on the side of humanity. However, when we encounter disgusting creatures like Chuijin Quanzao, we should let them experience their nauseating tricks themselves! Although Chuijin Quanzao was not thrown to be fed to demons, which does not conform to the most basic stance, the Countermeasures Bureau still gave him three days to repent after squeezing out all his information. In reality, this was to let him experience the fear of death to the maximum extent after knowing that he would die in three days, and then send him away with a peanut before he could figure things out on his own.

It has to be said that Rin's decision was remarkably in line with Shinji Ikari's ideas. It's no wonder she could outmaneuver the enemy with just a few simple pieces of information. However, because Rin recently hinted to Shinji that something was very wrong when they were blocking the passages, neither the Demon World nor those who benefited from these passages remained silent, just watching quietly.

Ling judged that the other party was either preparing something big, or... had really encountered something deadly. In short, it was definitely not a good thing. It was just a pity that they hadn't caught anyone alive at this time, and what's even more deadly is that...

This judgment was beyond fatal; it was not only completely beyond Shinji Ikari's expectations, but also decisive and swift, greatly increasing the anxiety of Shinji Ikari and the various powerful figures.

Then today, this anxiety was amplified by a nuclear bomb. Yes, Sensui Ninja, who once nearly slaughtered a powerful figure in the Spirit World and various martial artists, has returned to the human world! No one knows what happened to him after he disappeared for the past ten years or so. There is also little news about him in the Demon Realm. But his sudden appearance has naturally made everyone's heart tighten.

"So, what brings you here?" Maou Sadao put down the rag in his hand. "I haven't congratulated you yet on breaking through your original bottleneck. Your killing intent seems to be getting a bit purer now." Maou Sadao looked at Shinji Ikari. There was a time when he had no shortage of warriors with killing intent under his command, so he could see the changes in Shinji very quickly.

"Hmm, sit down and let's talk, Manager. Hmm... Aya, two cups of coffee, the highest-class set meal." Shinji Ikari sat down again in the seat he had just been sitting in. The letter in his hand had been snatched away by Izumo no Okuni, who had rushed in like a whirlwind. After snatching it, Izumo no Okuni rushed out, obviously to find a specialist to do handwriting analysis.

"Okay!" Aya nodded in satisfaction. It's good that you have good taste, not that you're looking for Raiko. Maou Sadao, who had been turning his head away, struggled to suppress a laugh, since Raiko had just been pointing frantically at Aya beside him, giving Shinji Ikari frantic winks.

"You've gone to such lengths, tell me, what trouble have you run into?" Sadao Maou had a good impression of Shinji Ikari, otherwise he wouldn't have helped stop those bastards who wanted to rush into Tokyo-3 and grab a share of the pie several times. However, he was also a little curious. What trouble could Shinji Ikari, who had just broken through, possibly have? Did he want to become stronger? He could give him some advice and help, but he guessed that Shinji was unwilling to follow the path of his female companion.

"Do you have any expertise in time-space reincarnation magic?" Shinji Ikari sighed. This incident had given him a wake-up call. Perhaps he could use another method to cheat. After all, he had once been among the top tier in all realms and power levels. Especially in his previous life as Shinichiro Honda, he was already a formidable character who could go toe-to-toe with Shinobu Sensui. And that was even with his relatively low talent in his previous life.

Based on the previous events, if it were truly possible to recall one's past self, then one's past and present selves would inevitably overlap in some way, leading to a rapid increase in strength and a return to the power one once possessed. In the face of an era that is already foreseeably becoming even more chaotic, Shinji Ikari truly needs the powerful strength of his bloodline to protect and care for him.

"Hmm?" Sadao Maou looked at Shinji Ikari. "Without exception, these spells are all extremely dangerous. No one can guarantee that casting such a spell won't cause another version of themselves to awaken inside their own body." Maou didn't directly answer whether or not, but instead gave a warning. He clearly understood something. "You've encountered one?"

“It wasn’t magic, it was a kind of tool. There was a scoundrel at the martial arts tournament who released a tool that awakened my past life.” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “Then I awakened a consciousness and memories called Lancer.”

"Oh!?" Maou Sadao tilted his head, looking at Shinji Ikari. "You seem to be quite lucky. It's not that another personality has been born, but rather that you've absorbed these memories. Interesting. It seems the killing intent on you comes from him." Maou Sadao took his cappuccino from Ae and examined Lancer with great interest. "Do you want me to help you awaken this personality again? Or annihilate it?"

“Annihilation? I am him, why should I be annihilated?” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “In that instant, I sensed that there were some fragmented contents in the awakened memories, some of which… well, they answered some of my long-standing questions. But if possible, I hope to awaken more, so that I can not only become stronger, but also no longer have any questions. Otherwise, I can only try my luck with some shady merchant.”

Shinji Ikari then described to Sadao Maou the general events of the battle, including how he transformed into Sergeant Lancer, a former UNSC Hell Paratrooper, and beheaded a demon in the arena, leaving Sadao Maou utterly astonished.

"...I'm sorry, I've thought of all the relevant spells, and there's probably none that can achieve that. At most, it would allow you to witness your past experiences, but that's clearly not enough for you." After listening to Shinji Ikari's story, Sadao Maou pondered for a moment, then picked up his coffee, finished it in one gulp, and shook his head. This was beyond the scope of his magic. "Although there are a few possession spells with similar effects, the probability of you dying instantly after using them is too high. The effect you described is very difficult to achieve."

"Eh, it doesn't work here either? Then there's probably no need to ask around." Shinji Ikari shook his head. He had already asked Yakuza and various other forces, and the answers he got were basically the same. Everyone was secretly researching forbidden techniques with similar effects, but obviously the difficulty was too high, and they were powerless to do it.

After all, Riura Island, who used this Tamatebako, wanted to regress Shinji Ikari's age to a defenseless infant state. However, they never expected that the liquefied Time Fruit would have such a powerful effect, directly recalling a long-lost soul within Shinji Ikari. Moreover, according to Shinji Ikari's words, Maou Sadao also seemed to recall the equipment he was wearing when he died, but it was time-limited and quickly disappeared.

If it were just about recalling a soul and having it attach to a body, then Sadao Masao felt he could manage it. But to recall the equipment that was on the body at the time of death was anything but magical. You see, people of their level all have several top-tier pieces of equipment. If all that equipment could be recalled, then it wouldn't be a soul recall spell, but rather a more mysterious time-related spell.

Moreover, it requires cutting a segment from the long river of time, accurately attaching it to a specific person's body, and ensuring that the person's body can bear it without bursting. The difficulty involved is unimaginable.

"However, I'm starting to get interested in the Demon Realm you mentioned! When are you going to see that swindler? Why don't you take me with you? Is it called the Fruit of Time? Can something like that really exist?" Maou Sadao's curiosity was completely piqued. This was something he couldn't do. How could a simple fruit do this?

There are countless natural products that can achieve magical effects. In fact, many strange spells used by humans in his world are derived from studying these things. Herbalism and mineralogy are compulsory courses for every mage. The reason why becoming a mage is so difficult is that there is so much knowledge to absorb in a short period of time. Magic and other things can be modified through rituals, but every mage must master a large amount of knowledge. In a sense, this is the fundamental reason for the low success rate of becoming a mage.

To become a fully-fledged monk, one needs not only a degree in botany, mineralogy, or zoology, but also some knowledge of medicine and pharmaceuticals. A bachelor's degree might not be enough; a master's degree is often the minimum requirement. This is why a scholar isn't necessarily a monk, but monks are almost always scholars.

As the Demon King, Sadao Maou was naturally among the top tier, and he was naturally very interested in how such a difficult task could be accomplished! So, he naturally asked to go and see for himself.

"Oh?" Shinji Ikari thought for a moment, not mentioning that he had actually obtained a sample. Sadao Maou's willingness to go along would naturally save him a lot of trouble. "In the next few days, I'll let you know in advance once I've confirmed it?"

"it is good!"

Chapter 272 You're really hitting me?

“This reason for taking leave is not bad…” Gendo Ikari sat in his office, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at his son, Shinji Ikari, who was almost a complete stranger to him.

"Tch..." Shinji Ikari lowered his fist. To be honest, Yui Ikari, his mother in this life, had already spoken up, not wanting Shinji to have too many conflicts with Gendo Ikari, including things like him punching his father twice with all his might. So Shinji really decided to let it go. After all, his mother had taken good care of him, and he couldn't afford to offend her. He'd at least put up with it for now, and he'd get his revenge on that bastard eventually.

But what's interesting about this whole thing is that after Shinji Ikari, who wanted to go to some unscrupulous merchant's place, submitted his leave request, he was suddenly taken directly to Gendo Ikari's office by Misato Katsuragi, who was holding the report with a serious expression, as if she were sending Shinji to his execution. Ritsuko Akagi, seeing Misato Katsuragi's serious expression as she held Shinji's shoulder, as if she were sending him to his execution, simply smiled, grabbed a report, and followed behind.

To be honest, this unexpected surprise caught Shinji Ikari somewhat off guard, but an even bigger surprise was yet to come.

"Didn't you say you had something to do when you saw me?" Gendo Ikari, who had replaced his original tinted glasses with strange ones, didn't know what he was thinking, but he decisively started mocking Shinji Ikari.

Misato Katsuragi felt a blur before her eyes. When she turned her head to look at where Shinji Ikari had been, she heard a muffled thud and then the sound of something hitting the wall. When she turned back, she saw Gendo Ikari lying on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Looks like we'll have to postpone Grandpa's share." Shinji Ikari, whose actions were faster than his thoughts, shook his head. This punch was so powerful that even a normal ordinary person, let alone a regular cultivator, would definitely fall to the ground and be unable to catch their breath for half a day after being suddenly attacked by him. This was the minimum confidence Shinji Ikari had as an A-rank warrior.

but!

Although Gendo Ikari was in a very sorry state, he was still able to stand up by leaning against the wall. With Misato Katsuragi's help, he sat down in a chair. Despite vomiting blood, which was relatively bright red, Gendo was still able to speak normally after sitting down. It seemed that he had not suffered large-scale internal bleeding due to severe internal organ damage, and his mobility was almost unaffected.

Ritsuko Akagi, who was supposedly his secret lover, remained completely still, instead watching everything unfold with a suspicious smile, which made Shinji Ikari somewhat suspicious. To be fair, after joining NERV, he had given Ritsuko Akagi many strange and unusual things, whether openly or secretly. Shinji Ikari absolutely did not believe that Ritsuko Akagi had not figured anything out.

So, judging from Gendo Ikari's current performance and Ritsuko Akagi's strange reaction, surely they haven't come up with something deadly and are just using it on Gendo right now?!

However, Shinji Ikari glanced at the 3D-like glasses Gendo was wearing and roughly understood that the person in front of him had probably been injected with the Nebuchadnezzar Key. Even after Ritsuko Akagi smashed his head open and splattered his brains, Gendo was still lively and energetic. Although the injection may not have been administered for very long, it seemed reasonable that he could withstand a punch that Shinji hadn't used at full strength.

"..." Gendo Ikari hesitated for a moment, but still maintained his usual posture of crossing his hands in front of his face, a gesture that effectively concealed his expression. He seemed to take a deep breath before speaking in a tone clearly intended to soften his tone. "People grow up through their own efforts; only children learn by relying on others..."

"It must be hard for you to say such obviously bullshit! I've never relied on a loser like you!" Shinji Ikari crossed his arms. "I was raised by my grandparents. When I was 4 years old, I was abandoned by them, and since then I've been earning my own living."

Shinji Ikari crossed his arms. "As a son, I am unfilial; as a husband, I am incompetent; as a father, I am derelict in my duty. The only thing I can say about NERV is that it was built with massive resources invested by the United Nations. Your role is probably not as important as Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, who is standing on the sidelines laughing happily."

"Cough...cough..." Fuyutsuki Kōzō coughed lightly twice, signaling to Shinji Ikari not to help him stir up trouble, even though he was indeed enjoying listening to Shinji Ikari's crazy attacks on Gendo Ikari.

"...You will understand that some things cannot be done without sacrifice..." Gendo Ikari seemed to sigh. Shinji Ikari's sharp retort seemed to have touched a raw nerve in Gendo's heart. The man before him was not as ruthless as he appeared on the surface.

Why did he show a gentle expression when he saw Rei Ayanami, and why did he rush to her aid without hesitation when she was in danger? And why did he arrange for Rei Ayanami to live in a remote and dark apartment? The reason is actually very simple: Rei Ayanami looks almost exactly like Yui Ikari, if not exactly.

Gendo Ikari... has feelings! He understands what he owes, and the debt is enormous, but he has no choice but to do this, otherwise all the sacrifices and abandonments will be without question.

“Here we go again, sacrifice, dedication, how ridiculous…” Shinji Ikari put his hands on his hips and looked up at the space behind Gendo Ikari. “Do you deserve it? Is all of this worth their sacrifice? Some people die more than Mount Tai, some people deserve to die a thousand deaths, which one are you, Mr. Gendo Ikari?”

"Shinji, he is, after all, your father. This is quite rude." Misato Katsuragi had been looking forward to this face-to-face meeting, but when it actually happened, she was truly surprised by how awkward the scene was. Thinking of the last image her father left her, Misato unconsciously reminded Shinji Ikari.

“No need. What he said is true. There’s no need to deny it, Shinji. I’m sure I’m doing the right thing.” Gendo Ikari looked at his son, who had become an indispensable force to him, and he couldn’t deny it.

“Just admit it. Everyone has a bunch of reasons to justify what they’re doing.” Shinji Ikari looked at his blood father and sneered. “You don’t need to convince me. NERV is still working hard for humanity. I hope you continue to do so!” Shinji spread his hands and glared at Misato Katsuragi, who was sticking her tongue out at him from next to Gendo Ikari, realizing what she had just said.

"This is my report for today." Ritsuko Akagi stepped forward, placed her report on the table, then casually took Shinji Ikari's leave slip from Gendo Ikari's hand, picked up a pen and wrote her name on it. In principle, she and Misato Katsuragi did have the right to approve Shinji Ikari's leave slip, since Shinji Ikari had only asked for one day off.

While doing this, Ritsuko Akagi was also complaining about Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari, saying, "One of you doesn't act like a father, and the other doesn't act like a son. You should talk to each other more when you have time. Both of you have bad tempers." Then she turned around and slapped the leave slip on Shinji Ikari's chest, saying, "You've seen them all. It seems like you two don't have anything to say to each other, right?"

"Yes." Shinji Ikari glanced at his leave slip. Ritsuko Akagi had interestingly added two horizontal lines above and below the date on his leave slip, turning it into a three-day leave. This was indeed great news for Shinji, as he could go and play with Ryoko Sakaki.

“Alright, Misato, you can take what you brought back. My lab is pretty close to the infirmary, I'll take Gendo Ikari there. I'm counting on you, Misato.” Ritsuko Akagi patted Shinji Ikari on the shoulder and then gestured for her best friend to come over quickly.

“Actually… I don’t need to go to the infirmary.” Gendo Ikari said after Shinji Ikari was dragged away by Misato Katsuragi who walked over quickly.

"You ran really fast. Looks like Misato's really afraid Shinji will punch you again." Instead of responding to Gendo Ikari's words, she lit a cigarette and leaned against his massive desk with her back to him. "So you did use it after all? Shinji did say something wrong." For some reason, Ritsuko Akagi's words suddenly became more than just sarcastic; they were clearly very provocative. "Mr. Gendo Ikari, hmph..."

"...You personally presided over Isayama Mei's surgery, so what's so strange about you?" Fuyuki Kōzō sighed. He didn't know how he felt when he learned of Gendō Ikari's decision, but as Gendō and Shinji Ikari had just said, some sacrifices were necessary.

“Oh! Yes, in the end, it was Shinji Ikari who asked his sister for help to finally complete it. I must say, Mei Isayama gave up her human body, but she didn't give up her right to be human, and most importantly, her humanity.” Ritsuko Akagi tilted her head back and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Shinji once said that sometimes judging whether someone is human isn't about what race they are, what blood flows in their veins, or whether their values, their stance, or whether they are truly human. I quite agree with that.” After saying that, Ritsuko Akagi packed up her cigarette case. “Good luck to you, and good luck to us, Gendo Ikari…sir!”

"..." Gendo Ikari watched as Ritsuko Akagi swaggered out of his office without ever glancing at him directly, and made no attempt to help him up to the infirmary. He paused for a moment, then said, "She's changed."

“Yes, they’ve become untrustworthy teammates, but we should be thankful that we’re still all in this together.” Kozo Fuyutsuki’s expression was completely hidden in the darkness, but his burning gaze revealed his unwavering resolve. “But today, you seemed to hesitate when facing Shinji, which isn’t like you.”

"Ah..." Gendo Ikari responded simply, then rested his head on his hand, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing this, Kozo Fuyutsuki also walked slowly toward the electronic door with his hands behind his back, preparing to leave. However, Gendo Ikari suddenly spoke up, saying, "Shinji's power... has become truly indispensable."

“Ah… After all, this could very well mean that Yui has accepted Shinji.” Fuyutsuki Kozo turned his head slightly and glanced at Ikari Gendo. He felt that this man, who seemed to be able to remain calm even if the sky were to fall, now looked not only a little gloomy and very ugly, but also exceptionally lonely.

"Thank you for your hard work." Gendo Ikari hesitated for a moment, then simply said, "Please take care of things when we go to SEELE headquarters in a few days."

"Yes, don't worry about that." After saying this, Fuyutsuki Kōzō turned around and left the room.

"Seriously! How could you actually hit him! Commander Ikari could really be killed by you!" Misato Katsuragi, who had shoved Shinji Ikari back into the command cabin, said this with some annoyance. After all, she was the one who brought Shinji there. If something happened to Gendo Ikari, wouldn't she also bear joint responsibility?

"!" Before Shinji Ikari could even retort, his words had already caused a huge uproar. Everyone looked in horror toward Shinji Ikari, who was being scolded by Misato Katsuragi!

Shinji Ikari has been clamoring to give Gendo Ikari two laps without holding back, as a way of disciplining him on behalf of his deceased grandparents. This isn't a new thing. As NERV's representative of combat power, Shinji naturally can't be punished just for making a few noises. Almost all NERV members know that Gendo Ikari would never normally appear in the same place as Shinji.

So many people were curious whether this scene would really happen! Now it seems that everything has been settled. Shinji Ikari threw a punch at Commander-in-Chief Gendo Ikari! And it looks like Commander Gendo is at least injured.

"Tsk!" Shinji Ikari clicked his tongue. "You heard it too, he asked me if I wanted to do something when I saw him."

"You can't just go up and shoot! He's your father after all! Do you know how scared I was?" Misato Katsuragi recalled the scene just now, her forehead still covered in cold sweat. She was almost ready to pull out her gun.

“They’ve already let him off the hook, otherwise he wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”

"Alright, alright, we all know you're amazing! But don't let it happen again!"

"Next time definitely!"

Chapter 273 Unit 3 is Coming

"Baka Shinji!" Asuka angrily took off her combat suit, her face full of displeasure. She had just received a notification that NERV had raised its alert level. Asuka, who was meditating in the lounge, immediately put on her combat suit when she heard the increased alert level, and then waited for Misato Katsuragi to explain the combat mission.

After all, Shinji Ikari's Unit-01 is undergoing maintenance, so Shinji is temporarily unable to launch an attack. The only ones who can immediately engage in combat are her Unit-02 and the honor student's Unit-00! And right now, the honor student isn't here; she seems to have gone to the command center. So, the only one who can prepare for an immediate attack in a short time is her.

After waiting and waiting, Misato Katsuragi didn't arrive. Instead, a group of people were whispering amongst themselves, their thoughts completely unknown. Finally, while the engineering department was happily gossiping, they noticed Asuka seemingly preparing for a strike. They came over to greet her and asked what was going on, whether she was doing training.

"Didn't they say they were raising security?" Asuka asked with a puzzled look. What else could raising security levels at NERV mean? It must mean an Angel or some large monster has appeared, like Shinji suddenly got into a fight with some kind of Yamata no Orochi.

"Um... there's a reason for raising the alert level this time." Several employees from the engineering department looked like they were struggling to suppress their laughter. After one of them took a few deep breaths, he managed to give a rough account of what had happened. Asuka was completely dumbfounded by the story.

"Shinji Ikari... he really hit him?!" Asuka asked incredulously. She knew Shinji Ikari's personality to some extent. If you said that Shinji Ikari was dissatisfied with Commander Gendo Ikari, that was almost a certainty, without any doubt. After all, everyone has some emotions. Even if it was his nominal biological father, if he treated him like that, even a clay figure would get angry.

However, in Asuka's impression of Shinji Ikari, he is also quite rational. After all, many of the things Shinji Ikari does seem a bit chaotic, but when you look at them in hindsight, they are all foreshadowed. You never know how many important figures in the organization he pulls out of his phone have in his contacts. He can mobilize enormous power with just a few phone calls.

Especially this Dark Tournament, which turned what was supposed to be a contest for demons to show off their muscles into a huge and successful battle for humanity to wipe out the demons and monsters. The scene of mountains of corpses (because of the presence of the Yamata no Orochi, it really was literally true) was truly shocking when I saw it on video.

But now, hearing these engineering department people say that the reason NERV raised its alert level is because Commander-in-Chief Gendo Ikari was attacked, something that seemed to have happened before, and Sonoko Suzuki even brought her parents to apologize to Gendo Ikari in person.

However, upon hearing that Shinji Ikari had actually put his words into practice and directly attacked Gendo Ikari, his father, a very absurd feeling lingered in Asuka's heart... So, without asking about Commander Gendo Ikari's health, Asuka angrily returned to the lounge.

Shinji Ikari really made his move, so even if he held back, it certainly wouldn't be enough for half the people to withstand it. Normally, she should be thinking about how big the funeral offering should be. But there's something wrong with this situation—these guys are all grinning! Clearly, Gendo Ikari isn't dead. This infuriated Asuka. "You two, father and son, if you're going to cause trouble, can you at least stop dragging the entire base into your mess?"

Now, because Gendo Ikari was attacked, the alert level has been raised, and everyone has to stay at their posts and remain on guard. Although everyone is happily gossiping here, it doesn't stop it from feeling like everyone is awkwardly working overtime with this father and son!

"Yes, you idiot Shinji!" Rei Ayanami said irritably as she walked in. She probably didn't have much of a problem with working overtime, but what annoyed her was something else. Working overtime wasn't a big deal for her; it was about calling Nagase Nagase later. He was inexplicably angry about Shinji Ikari hitting Gendo Ikari.

"Hey, hey, it's not nice to talk badly about people behind their backs like that." Shinji Ikari walked in and sat down in his usual spot, taking out a few cans of drinks that he usually kept in his cabinet.

"Why are we attacking Commander Ikari?" Asuka sat down next to Shinji Ikari. "Is there some special reason?"

"Hmph..." Shinji Ikari shook his head. "To be honest, I feel a bit angry about this guy's indifference towards his family. It's not just me, but also his father and mother. They are basically ignored by him. Although he may have various reasons and difficulties, this is the final result. And, you know what? Just now when I was taken away by Misato Katsuragi, he was the one who provoked me first."

"Huh?" Asuka was stunned. This was more than just a little crazy. She had witnessed Shinji Ikari's skills more than once, and it was no joke to say that he was very strong. Instead of saying a few nice words to calm things down when they met, Gendo Ikari started mocking Shinji right away? This was really interesting. It seemed like he deserved to be beaten up.

"So you killed him with one punch?" Asuka clutched her head, feeling a throbbing pain in her brain. What kind of person was this, to do something so crazy? Asuka felt that in this whole situation, her serious preparation to confront the possibly attacking Angel or a large monster made her look like a ridiculous clown.

"He threw a punch, and although he stopped, normally an ordinary person without any training would be seriously injured and would need several rounds of emergency surgeries, and would have to stay in bed for at least six months." Shinji Ikari described the general situation. Asuka smoothed her long hair and agreed with what Shinji said, after all, she had personally witnessed Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama fighting each other.