Chapter 201: The Invincible Kaworu Nagisa

In no time, the Misato household became even livelier. Gradually, Kaworu Nagisa became an invincible existence.

This invincibility wasn’t due to his high emotional intelligence or overwhelming power, but his mindset.

The so-called “as long as I don’t feel awkward, it’s others who feel awkward” was his forte. He genuinely felt that such awkwardness was a blissful thing. Even when Asuka tried every trick in the book to ridicule him, he viewed it as a joyous occasion compared to the tragic fates he had witnessed. Usually, a few sentences from him were enough to break Asuka’s defenses.

“I am very happy to see you so lively. A happy girl like you shouldn’t be swallowed by inner gloom, losing all your choices and ending it all yourself.”

That gaze made Asuka’s scalp tingle because it was filled with genuine relief—he was truly happy for her.

‘Hey, are you a prophet? Just how miserable am I in your prophecies?!’

Asuka roared in her heart. She already felt miserable enough—being lectured by the blockhead Shinji all day, persecuted by Rei Ayanami, and having to keep her spirits up while watching one rival after another. One could say she had broken her heart over this household.

Yet, this Kaworu was actually happy, looking like he was witnessing her salvation.

‘Ending it all myself? Am I really that fragile?’

Thus, in addition to “stalker” and “sycophant,” Kaworu received the nickname “charlatan.”

Kaworu didn’t care at all. He had finally achieved his long-cherished wish: going to school like an ordinary human, experiencing a peaceful daily life, making more friends, being showered with love letters from girls all day, and tasting Shinji’s cooking after school.

Occasionally, he would rest his chin on his hand, appreciating the emotional collisions between Rei and the others, watching Misato and Asuka bicker.

‘Another non-Earthling has arrived. No, wait, this thing isn’t human to begin with.’

Misato Katsuragi felt immense pressure. It was truly hellish; this small group, including Ritsuko Akagi, totaled only six people, yet four of them had abnormal worldviews. In comparison, Asuka was actually the most normal one.

Kaworu’s arrival caused ripples in their otherwise calm life, but Shinji couldn’t care less. A mortal vessel had limited energy; where would he find the time to focus on such trivialities?

The house was empty as everyone had gone to school. He received a message from Kaji Ryoji and spent the entire morning telling him exactly what to do.

Shinji had no desire for power, but he wouldn’t occupy a latrine without defecating—he took over SEELE to allocate resources more efficiently, so he naturally wouldn’t leave it unattended.

Facts proved that an Astartes was also an expert in governance. He had no selfish motives and always prioritized efficiency. Under his control, the entire world operated, and even the number of people dying of hunger decreased significantly.

SEELE’s organizational structure was excellent, like a shadow government from a novel. Every country knew there was someone at the top, but aside from “messengers of justice” or journalists looking for a scoop, no one dug deeper. The reason was simple: SEELE wasn’t some club for old men; every single one of them was a ruthless figure whose name was recorded in history books. Being cunning, deceitful, and cold-blooded were basic requirements.

Any one of them could serve as a villain in a Hollywood movie—the kind that serves as the final antagonist of a trilogy.

Every country was filled with spies; various intelligence agencies, criminal syndicates, and assassin organizations formed a tight outer defensive perimeter. Anyone trying to probe for information was met with death. It had taken Kaji Ryoji several years just to uncover a fraction of the truth.

As the head of a massive interest group, it was no wonder that in the world lines Kaworu had seen, no one dared to think about taking on SEELE.

Shinji was very satisfied with this “tool.” Through offline, one-on-one communication, he inherited SEELE’s entire organizational structure. Far from causing chaos, even the leadership of various nations didn’t know that their masters had a master above them.

“You’ve done well recently. SEELE’s basic foundation has been inherited, the United Nations is operating smoothly, and resource allocation is very fluid.”

“I’m just a messenger and an errand boy; I don’t deserve your praise.” Kaji Ryoji was very humble, showing no signs of inflation despite essentially becoming the “ruler of the world.” Or rather, he feared Shinji even more.

His greatest contribution was finding the offline locations of the SEELE elders—a merit that was actually enabled by Shinji.

Shinji had triggered a major cataclysm, and that upheaval kept the elders from remaining composed. Through continuous, long-duration meetings, he used the MAGI’s computing power to locate them—no, even the MAGI itself was authorized by Shinji.

This was just the beginning. The subsequent operations were even more magical. It wasn’t as if SEELE hadn’t considered the possibility of their locations being found; they had prepared successors, dissolution, and concealment measures. But none of them had been of any use.

Who could have imagined that Shinji would cooperate with an Angel, smash through the First Branch to neutralize Chairman Keel, and then follow the trail to control everyone else? This control wasn’t achieved through benefit exchanges, kidnappings, or coercion, but through a much simpler and more brutal method.

Kaji Ryoji looked at Chairman Keel sitting nearby like a puppet. His vital signs were more stable than before, and brainwave tests showed no issues, but he knew this bigwig’s soul was already under Shinji’s control.

That was the scariest part. To overthrow an order requires iron and fire to establish another, and humans today had no spare energy to do that. But inheriting and mastering the old order was simple—just follow the script.

That was why Kaji Ryoji was so humble. He was now in a position to cause the US President’s brain to “expand” with a single sentence, yet he knew doing so would lead to his death—no, or perhaps he was already controlled just like Chairman Keel, and he simply couldn’t perceive it.

His heart trembled, sensing an inexplicable fear, and then that fear reached its limit at Shinji’s next words.

“Don’t worry. The psychic seed I planted in you is mild—it’s even an optimized version of Gendo Ikari’s. However, manipulating mortals is ultimately a violation of the Codex. That feeling of pleasure, in particular, will attract Chaos corruption. Therefore, I hope for your self-loyalty.”

‘What? I really was compromised.’

Kaji Ryoji’s mouth twitched, his smile uglier than his tears. However, he had excellent psychological resilience and was very clever; he heard the subtext.

‘The Emperor is above. I said that if such a superman were left to his own devices, the world would be in chaos. So, you had a whole set of restraint systems prepared.’

“I will be loyal, Master Astartes. You don’t need to do it yourself.”

“That is best.” Shinji nodded with satisfaction and asked, “Has the aftermath been handled?”

He wasn’t a god; achieving global control in such a short time still left quite a few loopholes.

“They have all been captured, and the spread of relevant intelligence is under control. I was just about to ask how you would like to handle them.”

“Kill them. It’s the most efficient way.”

Kaji Ryoji’s heart shuddered. He had complained that Shinji enjoyed his daily life while making him work like a beast of burden, but he knew this Astartes’ nature was hard to change—he remained a cold-blooded man. Even as a psychic puppet, one had to have “existential value.” For enemies with no value, an Astartes usually pulled the trigger before they could even finish their defense.

“Since SEELE is now under my control, the old order must be maintained until the day it no longer has any meaning.” Shinji stated his stance. He was acting on behalf of the Emperor’s will; he only cared about efficiency.

As for the trope of “the boy who killed the dragon becoming the dragon”? Sorry, the old order and the desire for power to control a planet were not even worth a second glance to him.

“Understood.” Kaji Ryoji couldn’t do anything but believe. He reported a few more situations.

For example, under Shinji’s instruction, the military-industrial complex began adding budgets to the Ito team; countries began revising the “Vatican Treaty,” allowing the “small matter” of over-deploying Evas in a single country; then, the conversation shifted back to the Final Solution.

Experts in imaginary numbers, quantum mechanics, and high-energy physics from around the world were summoned. Under Ritsuko Akagi’s leadership, they would contribute their talents to the Final Solution.

Regulations at NERV headquarters and its branches were amended, allowing Misato Katsuragi to mobilize the armed forces of all branches, and incidentally promoting her to the rank of First Colonel—letting a certain someone who was always nagging experience the feeling of “when a man gains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.”

“Unit-05 and Unit-06 are entering combat-ready status. Unit-07 and Unit-09 will select new pilots after repairs are completed. Unit-08 is being tested in Shanghai, and Units-10 and -11 are being accelerated in production.”

Formal combat-type Evas were also vital assets. Because Unit-01 performed so well, the quantity was comparable to Kaworu’s dream; when truly brought up, there was a sense of having “strong soldiers and sturdy horses.”

A total of 11 Evas—what immense power. Originally, these were insurance policies prepared by SEELE, poured with massive resources and controlled by confidants; NERV headquarters couldn’t mobilize them at all. But now it was different; humanity had become a single entity in Shinji’s hands.

“Now you know why I had to keep SEELE, right?”

“Yes. A warrior has a warrior’s duty, and a politician has a politician’s role. If one relied solely on brute force, these Evas would become your enemies.” Kaji Ryoji held his breath. He had participated in the entire plan, so he certainly knew how terrifying the boy was.

There was no burning passion, no thrilling intellectual battles. This was just a hunter silently tracking and pulling the trigger at the most appropriate moment. If one had to use a word to describe it—it would be “precise.”

“Executing a plan with the precision of a clock, and inheriting SEELE’s entire legacy at the lowest cost. Shinji-kun, you have truly opened my eyes.”

“That is not worth mentioning.” Shinji wasn’t touched in the slightest.

‘Look at how well Kaworu knows how to flatter—every single thing is ‘the Emperor’s protection.”

“By the way, send me the profiles of the pilots for Units 05 and 06. Is there anything else? I need to go to the supermarket to buy daily necessities. Discount promotions—it’s the perfect time to save on military expenditures.”

‘How can the same person say two sentences that aren’t even in the same dimension?’

Kaji Ryoji digested this well. He actually had many other things to say, such as whether it was really okay to keep the Angel of Freedom by his side, but he knew that wasn’t for him to manage, so he didn’t bring it up. Before hanging up, however, he remembered one thing.

“Oh, right. The inquiry meeting for Gendo Ikari is about to begin. Preliminary investigation shows he did not reveal your secrets.”

‘Conscience? No, just forced into a corner?’

Shinji didn’t care about the thoughts of his biological father, and he was well aware that he held the shortcut to fulfilling Gendo’s desires. How should he put it? In the deepest part of his heart, there was a rather blasphemous sense of pleasure.

He wanted to see the man’s incompetent and bewildered state. This pleasure was perhaps even greater than Gendo Ikari’s existential value. As for his mother’s task?

‘I promised, but I didn’t say when I would execute it.’

“Prepare a classified channel. I want to give him a surprise.”