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

"Alright." Shinji Ikari took a deep breath. Generally speaking, in the normal course of events involving EVA, Ritsuko Akagi's guarantee should be very reliable. After all, even if Ritsuko Akagi and the others racked their brains, they would never have imagined that EVA, a weapon designed to combat Angels, could directly become an Angel. However, Shinji Ikari himself couldn't bring himself to say this directly. It seemed that Shinji Ikari couldn't avoid this battle.

Shinji Ikari clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times, took a deep breath, and decided that since it was unavoidable, he would just have to face it head-on. Based on the combat power shown by Unit-03 in the anime, Shinji felt that it wouldn't be too difficult to deal with. So he turned his attention back to the Himuro Mansion. After all, after lying there for a day, the situation there should have changed. "Is there any new situation at the Himuro Mansion?"

"Yes! Good news!" Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile as she looked at Shinji Ikari, who was wearing a suit. "Kirie Himuro might be really serious this time."

"..." Shinji Ikari twitched his lips, covered his face with a frustrated expression, "Speak, it couldn't get any worse."

"The entire Himuro mansion is shrouded in black mist, and lightning has been striking continuously. There is no longer a normal way to enter the Himuro mansion. However, the shrine maiden who was training at the Onmyōryō and Tsukasa Eishi from Totsuki Academy came out and described what was happening inside."

Not long after Yusuke Urameshi and the others began to sigh, a small-scale battle seemed to break out deep underground in the Himuro Mansion, and a terrifying pressure that was both familiar and unfamiliar to them instantly surged out from the depths of the Himuro Mansion!

Apart from Toguro's younger brother and Isayama Mei, who were still able to struggle and kneel on the ground, the others did not last long and collapsed to the ground. They had already retreated into the house to set up a barrier to withstand the upcoming impact and resentment pollution.

However, to everyone's surprise, the impact came faster than anyone imagined. In fact, it only took five or six minutes for Himuro Kirie's terrifying pressure to sweep over, allowing everyone to experience the pressure of a truly top-tier powerhouse in this world.

"This is impossible!" Toguro-nii had already unleashed 100% of his power, but even with his furious roars, he was being forced to the brink of collapse. However, the physical impact was nothing to Toguro-nii; what truly affected him was his astonishment at discovering that Himuro Kirie, who had easily defeated him before, hadn't used her full strength. Now, Himuro Kirie was displaying the true terror of a ferocious god, a difference as vast as an insurmountable chasm, allowing Toguro-nii to once again experience the feeling of despair.

The black mist rising from the Ice Chamber Mansion blocked out the midday sun. The endless darkness brought a sensory shock that was almost despairing. Countless sharp ghostly howls constantly hovered around them, and malevolent gazes swept over their bodies. Fear churned uncontrollably in their hearts.

By this time, even Yusa Emi, who had been protecting Tsukasa Eishi and the shrine maidens of the Onmyōryō, could no longer hold on. Her holy energy was rapidly depleting. She said to Tsukasa Eishi, "Get out of here quickly, as far away as possible! It seems that lady has truly shown us her real power!"

"..." Tsukasa Eishi glanced at Yusa Emi, but didn't say a word. He knew very well that his strength was weak, and staying would only be a burden. Leaving immediately was the right choice.

"Well... Shinji Ikari is really giving us a hard time!" Mei Isayama's injury, which she was caught off guard by, has been completely healed by the powerful regenerative ability of her dragon body. However, now that she is half-dragon transformed, she cannot stand steadily here. She can only lean forward as much as possible to keep herself as stable as possible. Even so, she is in the best condition among everyone.

"So we have to do something! Otherwise, we're doomed!" Fei Ying said through gritted teeth. The person at the Himuro Mansion had indeed given them a great opportunity to train. If they could withstand such pressure, at least when facing S-rank powerhouses later, they wouldn't be slaughtered like chickens due to the suppression of their rank. At least they would have a chance to fight back.

"What other damn method is there?!" Yusuke Urameshi gritted his teeth and stood up, directly conjuring a spirit ball with one hand and pointing it at the Himuro mansion in front of him!

"This is indeed a terrible method, but there is no other choice now!" Kurama also stood up, and his demonic aura began to surge. Everyone present began to unleash their power. Even Yusa Emi no longer hesitated. Although the power they released was different, it was roughly combined and then faced Himuro Kirie's power head-on!

"...Not bad!" Himuro Kirie, standing on the barrier rope before the Gate of the Underworld, glanced back at the area diagonally above. The power these guys unleashed had broken through the aftershocks of her own power release; it was at least considerable. Himuro Kirie nodded, casually snapping off a powerful A-rank demon she was holding.

Beneath the barrier rope lay layers upon layers of corpses…

That's right, it was the corpses of demons that swarmed in, sensing the aura of the human world! And at this moment, Himuro Kirie's aura far exceeded her original peak!

Chapter 296 Fearless Greed

"So someone's already eyeing Mount Hikami?" When Shinji Ikari received the call from Satoru Gojo, he heard that after Ayase Kurosawa's existence was exposed, many people rushed to Mount Hikami Shrine. Shinji Ikari was somewhat... not surprised at all by this situation!

When the Himuro Mansion was first revealed to have a stable and ruthless figure, countless people flocked to it, often carrying lavish gifts. These people desperately wanted to cultivate a good relationship with Himuro Kirie, hoping to successfully seduce her... which would be a sure win.

Unfortunately, the fates of these people were all very similar. After entering the Himuro Mansion, they all disappeared without a trace. Some of the items they carried were later sold in Isayama Mei's black market. As for the corpses... well, that car doesn't discriminate.

So now, when news spread from the Onmyōryō (the Yin-Yang Bureau) that a second, independently sentient evil spirit had awakened, everyone was excited once again. Last time, Himuro Kirie seemed to be burdened with the responsibility of guarding the Gates of the Underworld, but surely Mount Hinokami wouldn't have such a troublesome matter.

“Yes, most of the organizations kept this a secret. If it weren’t for a few notorious evil spirits gathering there, we wouldn’t have noticed the sudden surge in popularity at Mount Hikami.” Then, in the next instant, Gojo Satoru’s voice turned eerie. “So… Shinji, with your fiancée being so popular, aren’t you a little worried?”

"Heh..." Shinji Ikari sneered. If someone could kidnap Ayase Kurosawa, I would be very grateful! The problem is that Ayase Kurosawa, like Kirie Himuro, is the kind of person with a very strong sense of responsibility. If Ayase Kurosawa hadn't been on the verge of collapse, she wouldn't have made a move at all, silently enduring everything on Mount Hikami. As for why he ended up running into her, he can only say it was the malice of the world.

“Let them go.” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “You should know that my sister has been in a bad mood these past few days, so there’s no point in saying anything more.” Shinji Ikari roughly understood why Gojo Satoru had made that call. Everyone had seen how much the Onmyo Bureau had gained. The Countermeasures Bureau couldn’t waver in its determination to completely eliminate them, otherwise the entire Bureau would collapse. But the Jujutsu Association didn’t have that kind of burden. They might actually be interested in bringing one back to oversee things.

"This is indeed shocking news. A battle between two fierce gods may have never happened before..." Gojo Satoru's tone became slightly more serious, but only slightly. "Who do you think will win?!"

"Trying to give me a death trap? You're the one at their level. Asking me? I can only tell you, even I can't see the limits of these two fierce gods; I can only feel their astonishing power." Shinji Ikari shook his head. You think you can trick me with something like this? Ha, dream on!

However, Shinji Ikari was telling the truth. The power levels are basically like a pyramid, with fewer and fewer strong individuals at the top. A-rank individuals are already quite valuable combat forces for various factions. As for S-rank individuals who surpass A-rank, they are undoubtedly the ultimate fighting force, each with their own strengths. Even if Shinji Ikari knew this, he would keep it a secret for his sister.

The scenario depicted in some anime, where a previously top-tier powerhouse becomes just a nobody after changing maps, is actually quite rare. After all, if too many powerful individuals gather in one region, it's almost inevitable that they will spill over to weaker regions, otherwise, there wouldn't be enough resources for them to continue growing stronger.

"Understood, thank you for your judgment. Now I can report back! Okay, see you later!" Gojo Satoru snapped his phone shut. "You all heard Shinji's answer. The commotion his sister caused is no joke. If you really have anything you want to do, you'd better be prepared to face at least one fierce attack!"

"What do you think?" An old voice rang out from not far away. Shinji Ikari's words made perfect sense. It was normal for him, as an A-rank powerhouse, not to be able to tell the difference between an S-rank and a Gojo Satoru.

"Well... let's put it this way, during the Mountain God Festival, if I were to face those lightning bolts head-on, I probably wouldn't be able to withstand it. Running away with them would be the limit of what I could do, but... his sister did it. The defensive barrier made of the barrier ropes almost blocked all the lightning tribulations." Gojo Satoru said with a grin. He selectively stated the facts. Indeed, he would find facing lightning tribulations very troublesome, but that didn't mean that Himuro Kirie, who could block the lightning tribulations, was necessarily stronger than him. At the S-rank level, strength is determined only after a head-to-head battle.

"...But no one knows about Kurosawa Ayase's power yet." The senior directors of the Spellcaster Association looked at each other with headaches.

"So, I don't recommend that we get involved in this. After all, Shinji-san and we have a good relationship, but that's all. If we really mess with Kurosawa Aise, who knows if he will stand against us? And... in a sense, this also means Himuro Kirie's position! Especially now that the strong people in the Himuro mansion are not just Himuro Kirie!" Gojo Satoru laughed very happily.

"How dare you say that!" An old man glared angrily at Gojo Satoru. "You actually handed over the remnant soul of the demon god's descendant! Instead, you gave it to Shinji Ikari! If it weren't for that..."

"You can use it to create a powerful tool, right?" Gojo Satoru slightly lifted his mask. Although the Spellcaster Association and the Onmyodo are both very powerful exorcist organizations, there are still very big differences between the Spellcasters and the Onmyodo's exorcists.

Simply put, exorcism depends on opportunity and fate. Where the path leads and how far one can go is entirely up to the individual. The Yin-Yang Bureau can provide a lot of help, but ultimately it still comes down to one's own talent and hard work.

In fact, sorcerer sects are largely governed by bloodline inheritance. Everyone has their own path, and at birth, each person's ceiling is set; talent becomes the decisive factor in how far they can go. This easily leads to the formation of so-called powerful clans, who then become even more focused on self-interest!

Therefore, compared to the more inclusive Onmyōryō, the Spellcaster Association is relatively more extreme, and Gojō Satoru himself is very disgusted by this situation.

"..." Gojo Satoru bluntly exposed this trivial matter, leaving the person in front of him extremely embarrassed. He could only glare angrily at Gojo Satoru, "Who gave you the right to talk like that! Doesn't the existence of the association protect the vast majority of people?"

"I was just stating a fact. I entrusted it to Shinji because I felt he could fulfill the task entrusted to him by the evil god. Obviously, Himuro Mimori has proven that my actions were correct!" Gojo Satoru removed his eye patch. "After all, it was the karma I took on. I don't want to be cursed for no reason! No matter which evil god it is, they have always been the best at this kind of thing."

"..." Gojo Satoru's words silenced everyone with ulterior motives. Yes, the curse of the evil god is invisible and can even spread across generations. For sorcerers like them who rely on bloodlines and inheritance for their livelihood, this is something they absolutely do not want to see. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they are naturally restrained.

"And look how strong Mimori is now, so my choice was absolutely right." Gojo Satoru held up a finger and shook it in front of everyone. He was very proud of this stroke of genius. He handed it to Shinji Ikari, and Shinji Ikari, just as he had imagined, handed it to Kirie Himuro. In a sense, Mimori Himuro is now just one step away from becoming an A-rank powerhouse, and her achievements are no less than those of several people in front of him. It seems that the day will come soon.

“Gojo Satoru’s judgment is correct. The Himuro Mansion still owes us a favor in the future…” One of them looked up at Gojo Satoru in front of him, “So you also don’t recommend that we go, right?”

"But you've already gone, haven't you? I just don't think the outcome will be good." Gojo Satoru wasn't unaware that even Himuro Kirie had dealt with some people sent by sorcerer families, let alone them now. "Besides, to be fair, don't you think Shinji is like a vortex, connecting everything? We certainly didn't skimp on benefits at the Dark Martial Arts Tournament~"

Yes, Gojo Satoru didn't do much from beginning to end. He only protected everyone at the very end when humanity launched a full-scale offensive, and the Spellcaster Association gained a lot of benefits as a result.

“Hikami Mountain… it’s good to try, but we absolutely cannot anger Kurosawa Aise.” Zenin Naohito said with a serious expression, “We need power, but not enemies. Just like Gojo Satoru said, the evil god is far too dangerous for us. Alright, Gojo Satoru, you may leave now.”

“Okay! There are two really good little shops in Third New Tokyo area, otherwise the lines will be too long!” Gojo Satoru stood up, waved behind him, and said, “See you later~” The last thing he heard before leaving was…

"We can't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Shinji Ikari must be having a real headache with Ayase Kurosawa right now, and we're helping him out!"

"Foolish fools, Shinji already gave you a hint." Gojo Satoru quietly closed the door. Good advice was useless against these damned devils; Shinji's sister was extremely angry!

However, if Gojo Satoru, who had been teleported away by the spell, had listened a little longer, he would have heard the next sentence from the person behind him: "Saki Soga of the Onmyōryō has also arrived at the scene. I wonder what the Onmyōryō's attitude is. After all, it's almost certain that the news from Mount Hikami was released by the Onmyōryō."

"I'm quite surprised that you were able to trick so many people into coming to their deaths." Soga Saki was wearing a mask. Although the news of her coming to Mount Higashinaga was also released, she did not say when she was coming or what her purpose was.

“You should understand what a lie is. We were just stating the facts. It was their own greed that brought them here on their own,” said Kojiro-san with a smile. “It’s a pity that if Yakushiji Ryoko hadn’t been keeping such a close eye on things, we could have incited even more people to come here.”

"Then maybe others won't make any money, but the Eternal Life Society will never lose out, right?" Soga Saki glanced at her colleague beside her. As for the Eternal Life Society, although they had some ideas about Kurosawa Ayase, they estimated that they couldn't afford to take it. After all, back at the Himuro Mansion, they had played their biggest trump card and tried it out, and the result was that they basically stopped considering it.

So what exactly is the Eternal Life Society trying to achieve by spending so much effort and resources? It's nothing else... it's these powerful figures heading towards Mount Hyuga! Yes, after witnessing the Dark Tournament, the Eternal Life Society suddenly realized a very important issue!

They have no shortage of money, support, or supplies, but they lack sufficient power! Yes, they are beginning to crave power!

In particular, they discovered that their immortality ritual had a better effect on powerful individuals. For example, Mariaze had far more sensory experiences and retained more complete abilities than most of the unfortunate souls who were simply resurrected, bringing her closer to the true meaning of "eternal life" that they desired! Therefore, immortality would crave more test subjects!

The problem is, the test subjects they crave aren't ordinary people at all. Otherwise, they'd have plenty of unfortunate souls willing to pay to stay alive, even if it's just a facade. They need the strong! But clearly, those with power won't be so easily manipulated!

So the Eternal Society settled for second best: if the living couldn't handle it, what about the dead? Mariaze had already proven that even the most powerful individuals who loathed them, under proper handling, had no choice but to obediently submit to their control and fight for them! Therefore, after telling you about Mount Hikami, they keenly realized that their opportunity had arrived!

“You will regret your greed.” Soga Saki shook her head. There have always been many ambitious people like this in history, and the Eternal Life Society is just repeating the path that others have walked.

"We are fearless on the path of pursuing eternity."

"Fearless greed?"

"Hey!"

Chapter 297 He Wants to See You

"I don't know why, but I don't find it strange at all." Shinji Ikari held his phone, listening to Izumo Okuni's somewhat anxious voice, speechless but not at all surprised.

"You brat, do you even know what this means?" Izumo Okuni said irritably. The trouble your sister caused was at least confined to a small area. They could probably just seal it off. Although they would have to work overtime, it wasn't that troublesome. In fact, the group of people who went to seal off the area even took the time to start training their strength.

However, the things your fiancée has done are truly shameless. Perhaps she was really annoyed by the commotion caused by the large number of people rushing up the mountain. These people didn't have time to rush up the mountain and kept exploring the depths of Mount Higami, which greatly annoyed Kurosawa Aise.

Moreover, no one knew whether Kurosawa Aise had sensed Himuro Kirie's actions and had begun to draw power, preparing to have a good showdown with Himuro Kirie in the future. So when these people tried to advance into the shrine, the Night Spring erupted directly, and the entire Mount Hikami was filled with the mournful cries of the surging, dark spring water.

Driven by greed, those who wanted to gain an advantage at Mount Hikami were instantly dumbfounded. Most of them had already received news that a large-scale anomaly had broken out at the Himuro mansion. However, the Onmyōryō itself had already begun to seal off the surrounding area immediately (after the shrine maidens left the Onmyōryō, they very consciously began to work and call for help), so it was difficult to get in. And once inside, they would be immediately targeted by Himuro Kirie, and naturally, they would have no chance of getting out.

This led many to succumb to greed and head to Mount Rishang to try their luck. Mount Rishang itself has a significant legend about ghost marriages, so many people, though not particularly strong, felt they had a good chance and decided to go up the mountain to try their luck. However, when faced with the surging night spring water, these people were completely powerless to resist. At most, they climbed up the trees everywhere, trying to avoid the polluted night spring water.

However, after the Night Spring spread throughout Mount Hikami, a strange change occurred. Countless priestesses who should have collapsed into the Night Spring were resurrected. They wandered in the mountains and forests they knew well, and all the bandits who entered Mount Hikami became targets of these priestesses who were willing to die in order to suppress the Night Spring.

At this moment, Mount Hikami revealed its true terrifying appearance as a place guarded by a fierce god. Once upon a time, the Himuro Mansion also had such a terrifying configuration. However, when Shinji Ikari and his two companions entered, they basically cleaned it up. Later, with the help of Ayase Kurosawa, Shinji Ikari managed to sneak into the depths of the Himuro Mansion and danced a rhythmically touching cha-cha with Himuro Kirie.

But on Mount Hikami at this moment, things were completely different for these people. When facing one fierce god, there was no other fierce god lurking in the shadows, secretly guiding them on how to reach Kurosawa Ayase and then dance the cha-cha face-to-face with her! The cold embrace of the shrine maidens of Mount Hikami was their final, fatal experience that they could not avoid!

A large number of people who rushed up the mountain were dragged and pulled into the spring water of the Night Spring by the witches, and taken away with them. In a sense, the Eternal Life Society's plan was completely thwarted, because no one expected that the people of Mount Hikami would be so domineering, not even leaving you with a corpse.

“In the first place, they should have been prepared to face something terrible, a demon, when they went there, right?” Shinji Ikari shook his head. Since they had already staked their lives on the game, they shouldn’t utter any nonsense about the other side cheating after the results were revealed.

"You're really being heartless with your words." Izumo no Okuni covered her face and shook her head. She was currently training new recruits in Minakami Village, and because of a series of recent events, she was so busy that she had no time to cause trouble, which was really not a good thing. "You don't need to worry about the situation here for now. Soga no Saki and several powerful sorcerers from our side have already arrived. With them there, the situation should at least not escalate further."

“Saki Soga?!” Shinji Ikari’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the name. She was a woman with a tragic fate. When he first entered this industry, she had tried to dissuade him. After all, the profession of exorcist was accompanied by high rewards but also death and injury. It was too cruel for Shinji Ikari to live such a life at such a young age.

“If you are really having a hard time, I’m willing to help you, although I don’t have much money myself.” Soga Saki’s gentle smile at that time carried a hint of bitterness, which Shinji Ikari remembered vividly. So when he later heard that her twins were seriously ill and their lives were in danger at any time, Shinji was very surprised. He even went to visit them. After he had built up a good relationship with Himuro Kirie, he risked his life to take Soga Saki and her twins to the Himuro mansion.

Unfortunately, while Himuro Kirie is a fierce deity, she is not a god after all...

Perhaps out of female empathy, after carefully examining the two children before her, Himuro Kirie stated that their illness was not something she could reverse with her power. However, she did offer a suggestion: she could directly extract the souls of the two children and have them parasitize Saki Soga's body. Alternatively, she could create two puppet bodies, similar to what Himuro Mimori did later, to house their souls.

But as a mother, who could accept such a crazy idea? She wanted her offspring to live, to live like normal people, even if it was a fake life like the "immortality ritual" of the Immortal Society! As for Himuro Kirie's suggestion of extracting souls, not to mention anything else, the souls of two children who have been ill for many years are too weak due to the influence of their bodies. If they are unlucky, they will simply dissipate during the process. Even if a fierce god like Himuro Kirie were to personally perform the procedure, there would still be huge risks.

"It's been a while... I haven't seen Soga Saki." Shinji Ikari hesitated for a moment, not mentioning the two little ones. According to what Shinji knew at the time, it was quite normal for the two little ones to go to sleep tonight and not wake up tomorrow morning. But now, two or three years have passed, which seems a bit strange. But considering that Soga Saki is a strong person of her level, maybe she has obtained some good things to extend the life of her dolls.

"Oh, Saki has been working in the rear for a while now, apparently to focus on taking care of her child. But this time it seems she took the initiative to do it. After all, you should know more about the legends of Mount Hikami than I do, right? The son-in-law of the Great Priestess of Mount Hikami~" Izumo no Okuni could hardly contain her laughter, a wild laugh lingering on her lips. To be fair, almost everyone in the Onmyōryō has been praising her for her accurate judgment lately. Shinji Ikari's strength has improved at an alarming rate, and his influence is already becoming increasingly apparent.

If the three members of the Himuro Mansion don't move, and if Mei Isayama stays for a while, she will definitely enter the S-class category. At that time, it won't be a question of whether the Isayama family should consider accepting her, but rather how to retain Mei Isayama, who is determined to become the founder!

With NERV's support, Mei Isayama is no longer worried about funding. Third New Tokyo is a place of outstanding people and resources. Apart from the occasional disturbance caused by Angels, the rest of the time, the public security and everything else is very good. NERV has promised Mei Isayama that as long as she takes a liking to any piece of land within the Third New Tokyo area, she can draw it on a map, and the engineering department will be responsible for building her residence and dojo.

As for divine weapons and such, Mei Isayama used to covet them a bit, but now, ha, ordinary weapons are probably not even as sharp as her fingernails, so she really won't consider such things that wouldn't even qualify as nail clippers. As for top-tier divine weapons, they are rare and hard to come by. If she really comes across one, as long as she gets Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso together, she will most likely be able to acquire it.

Especially for Asou Yuu, as his photography equipment went into production, the camera divisions of Nikon, Canon, and Sony were practically begging him for a ride. Asou Yuu used all three brands at the time for easy modification. As a result, the Yin-Yang Bureau, which had the blueprints, produced the cameras exactly as they were based on the blueprints and samples. The sales of the cameras from the three brands were quite alarming. The living environment of spirits all over the world, especially low-level spirits, was rapidly deteriorating. After all, not every spirit could withstand your multi-angle continuous shooting like the shrine maidens of Mount Hikami.

Of course, the cost of exorcism has also dropped rapidly, and the main targets have now shifted to more powerful monsters and demons, which cannot be exorcised using a camera.

Therefore, Shinji Ikari's team now consists of two A-rank members with S-rank potential, and a three-person team with S-rank attack capabilities and special effects against spirits. Their combat power is terrifying and astonishing. In fact, NERV has gradually begun to actively support their operations. Not to mention, Unit-01, which landed on Onigashima, used very straightforward methods to strangle one of the demons' last resorts, Orochi. That's what confidence and a trump card are!

This operation by NERV perfectly fulfilled the expectations humanity had for it from its inception! It decisively defeated a massive monster, proving that EVA's combat capabilities are sufficient to quickly annihilate those few large monsters that humanity hesitates to attack!

"So you're not planning to go to Mount Hikami to stop all this right away?" Izumo no Okuni glanced at Rin, who was covering her face with a headache, and continued with a grin. The Onmyōryō was maintaining security around the Himuro Mansion, and with the Dark Martial Arts Tournament coming to an end, the manpower that could be mobilized was naturally very limited. Therefore, Mount Hikami was being guarded by the Countermeasures Bureau.

However, the countermeasures bureau seems to be very lenient towards these guys who want to go up the mountain to die. Just like the previous mountain god festival, they only stopped ordinary people. If those with backgrounds wanted to go up the mountain to die, they didn't stop them at all.

If it weren't for the sudden and widespread eruption of the night spring on Mount Rishang, which not only polluted the mountain but also caused massive pollution to the nearby rivers, this stuff would really be undrinkable. This gave the Countermeasures Bureau a huge headache. If it weren't for the help of the Sorcerer Association, which had inexplicably sent so many people, the Countermeasures Bureau might not have been able to handle it.

"Do you want to see my sister and Kurosawa Aise start fighting right away?" Shinji Ikari sighed, unsure of what to say. EVA Unit-03 was already on its way. According to Ritsuko Akagi's estimate, thanks to Asuka's cooperation, much of the preparatory work had already been completed. The remaining task was to inspect and debug Unit-03 itself, which would take about a week.

Although the Angels have no limit to their ability to appear, according to past statistics, they could arrive at any time if there are no unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, NERV must maintain a good state of combat readiness. Unit 3 was sent by the American branch for testing and did not have any supporting weapons. Although it could use the equipment that NERV itself possessed, the lack of adaptation training would inevitably lead to a decline in Asuka's combat power.

According to the information sent back by Isayama Mei, the group is being harassed and beaten almost every day, with every drop of their power being squeezed out by salutes. As a result, everyone has been greatly enhanced.

In contrast, Mimori was saying with a bitter expression that "my sister has become stronger," which made Shinji Ikari smile wryly. He knew that Himuro Kirie was serious, but he didn't understand why she was taking it so seriously! She was actually trying to strengthen herself in preparation for going to Mount Hikami.

"This is really not a good thing." Izumo no Okuni nodded. Shinji Ikari was right. Although no matter how they prepared, it was impossible to complete the preparations for the terrifying situation in front of them, it would be good to deal with the current situation at Mount Hikami as soon as possible or to make as many preparations as possible in the long run.

"So..." Shinji Ikari shook his head. Although he couldn't come up with a good solution no matter how hard he tried, he still hoped to think of as many countermeasures as possible if he had the time.

"Oh, by the way, there's an esteemed person who wishes to meet you; he's very interested in you," Izumo no Okuni suddenly said out of the blue.

"...An adult? Not a great person?"

"No! He understood the sword strike you made and found it interesting, so he plans to give you some pointers. You should thank me properly!"

"...At a time like this, you still want to cause trouble?!"

"Hey!"

Chapter 298 A Clear Mirror and Still Water! Open!

"I really didn't expect it to be such a beautiful place?" Walking on the mountain path, Shinji Ikari looked around at the surrounding environment. On the side of the stream halfway up the mountain, there was an old-fashioned Japanese-style building with fairly good decoration. Several elderly servants were sweeping the courtyard, and it looked like a peaceful atmosphere.

"What are you thinking about?" Izumo no Okuni tilted her head. She and Shinji Ikari had met at the foot of the mountain, and instead of taking any transportation, they had walked directly up the mountain. Izumo no Okuni found Shinji's words very strange. Although he had come from the past to this era for some reason and remained here for some other reason, he seemed to be having a very good time! "There's running water, electricity, and even internet here, okay?"

Because there are plenty of people here for him to wield his swords against, and many are willing to support him, in a sense, he is one of the biggest trump cards of the Yin-Yang Bureau!

Moreover, the conditions he asked for weren't actually that many. For a powerhouse of his level, good food and lodging were just the bare minimum.

"Where is the master now?" Izumo no Okuni stepped forward and asked softly. The servants in front of him were ordinary people, most of them were mountain people from the nearby area. They had been hired to serve the distinguished guests of the Yin-Yang Bureau.

"Lord Kyo went to bathe at the small waterfall behind the mountain early this morning," a woman said to Izumo no Okuni. "Is this Lord Kyo's guest? He instructed us to treat him well, and he will be back in a little while."

"Kyou...?" Shinji Ikari was taken aback. If he considered the true origins of Izumo no Okuni, then there was only one person whose name represented. Ancient memories began to surface in his mind: the Demon King with the red eyes, Kyou, a supreme powerhouse whose body was sealed. However, he didn't know whether the one in front of him was from the anime or the manga. Relatively speaking, the manga version was more powerful.

"Yes, you don't need to know his full name. Just know that he's called Madman," Izumo no Okuni said smugly. Although she had high hopes for Shinji Ikari's future and had always taken good care of him, when it came to true strength, Izumo no Okuni firmly believed that Madman was the strongest. Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to follow Madman to this era. "In this era, no one has yet spoken of being able to withstand a single sword strike from Lord Madman!"

"Ah Guo, don't exaggerate like that. I probably couldn't have withstood that sword strike." A young man with red hair and red eyes, dressed in casual clothes, carrying two large bottles of "Datsai" and exuding a somewhat arrogant European air, walked in from outside. If you ignored the stack of demon heads he was carrying, he really looked like a homebody going out to shop.

Why is Kyouka considered a typical otaku? Because his casual T-shirt features bold, bright red flame-shaped text that reads "Conquer the World!" Coupled with his red hair and red eyes, just one glance at him would make Shinji Ikari think his chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) level has reached its peak.

"Leave it in the usual place. It seems like there are more and more of these things lately." As Kuang spoke, several servants skillfully came up and took the demon's head, then brought him clean water to wash his hands and wipe them dry.

"Hmm..." Shinji Ikari frowned. Although it was just a few heads, the lingering aura on them made Shinji's heart skip a beat. "Who are these...?"