Chapter 203: The Correct Way to Use the Fruit of Wisdom

Same posture, different state of mind, vastly different standing.

Gendo Ikari’s gaze trembled. Too many things defied his understanding, yet he couldn’t stubbornly insist this was an illusion. When he saw the boy interlacing his fingers before his face in the Chairman’s seat, for some reason, he suddenly wanted to laugh.

This person was shattering all his pride. From the stubbornness during their first meeting a year ago, to the boy lifting him off the ground with one hand in the Commander’s office, followed by step-by-step sidelining until he became a “commander in name only.”

Power, intellect, status—all were pulverized, and now, even his last card had been taken away.

Though he often complained about cleaning up messes, SEELE was actually Gendo’s foundation—the only place where he could prove his worth and retain his dignity as a father. Every “black pot” he carried was his way of demonstrating his own necessity. It was as if he were proving that some things could only be done by him.

But now, it was different. He didn’t know when SEELE had become the boy’s puppet. Gendo couldn’t even be bothered to ponder how it was done; he simply understood clearly that from this moment on, he had lost his bargaining chips, his last card, and his dignity.

The man’s gaze was vacant. He was still alive, yet he was as good as dead. He didn’t know if he felt regret for his past actions, as Kozo Fuyutsuki had suggested.

Shinji didn’t care what he thought. He felt another surge of pleasure rising from the depths of his heart. This father-son showdown reached its conclusion at this moment, and the ending, of course, was a total victory for the Emperor’s Angel. Men like Gendo Ikari had immense pride; they wanted to strive for everything themselves rather than accept charity. But now, he had nothing left to threaten Shinji with; his last shred of dignity had vanished along with his cards.

Death would be a relief to him, but Shinji didn’t intend to grant it. This man still had value to be squeezed dry.

“Do you know why I let you know the truth?”

‘To break me completely, to take revenge for everything I’ve done with means a hundred times more painful than death.’

Gendo wanted to say this, but he knew it wasn’t the reason. In his memory, the Shinji who returned never showed anger or the pleasure of a finished vendetta; there was only coldness and contempt.

“Why?”

“You’ve done well recently. Ritsuko told me you proposed several hypotheses regarding the Negative Universe. As a reward, you won’t have to live in fear anymore.”

“You call this a reward?” Gendo finally laughed. The scene of Chairman Keel yielding his seat and the true mastermind taking the stage had a greater impact than the last time he was lifted up by his collar. The hand of cards he had spent half a lifetime gathering were nothing but sandcastles in the boy’s eyes, easily destroyed.

“Of course. I said if you treated me as a tool, I would treat you as a tool. This fate was determined from the very beginning. Are you still surprised?” Shinji stood up and swept his gaze over the expressionless old men.

“Humanity’s fate can only be borne by the Emperor’s Angel. I don’t mean to target you, but everyone present is a ‘tool.’ It just depends on when I decide to increase efficiency.”

Gendo’s throat moved, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Shinji didn’t have much of a desire for revenge, but his role as a father was no different from these SEELE councilors.

“Why don’t you kill me?”

“I said, the moment for your death has not yet arrived.” Shinji flexed his wrists. He had personally killed hundreds of thousands of life forms; killing was simpler to him than breathing.

“I no longer have any meaning for living.”

“Your value of existence is not determined by you, but by the Emperor.”

“Utter cruelty—not even life and death are under my own control? You are a bit too arrogant.” Gendo’s eyes were filled with fury.

‘So you’ve decided that you’ve got me cornered?’

How ironic. What he craved now was not some plan or control over everything, but simple death. Yet, he couldn’t even fulfill that most basic request.

“Yes, life and death were never determined by the individual,” Shinji looked at him and added slowly:

“You can commit suicide, but you wouldn’t be satisfied with such a death. You haven’t even seen mother for the last time. If you die now, all your painstaking efforts over these years will have been in vain.”

‘Damn it.’

Gendo’s breathing became ragged. This was striking at his core weakness. Wasn’t every effort he made for the sake of seeing Yui? Now that the script was completely out of control, Shinji held the only path.

This was no longer just about reversing the order of heaven or father-son paradoxes. His dignity was shattered, his cards confiscated, and he didn’t even have the power to choose death. No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find a way out.

“Are you a devil?”

“I am the Emperor’s Angel of Death.”

‘Heh, what a cruel angel. Perhaps this is retribution.’

Gendo once thought about how to manipulate Shinji. Looking back, he was the one who looked like a puppet, with even struggling being an extravagant hope. Finally, he lowered his head and opened his withered lips.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just like our last conversation: do your job well. At the end, I will give you a reward.”

“The reward is death?”

“No. Everything is left to the Emperor to judge.”

The Gendo Ikari of today no longer dreamed of being the “god” of a new world. His lowest wish was held by Shinji. He could walk out the door and blow his brains out, but what would be the point? With SEELE controlled, he couldn’t even inflict a scratch on Shinji.

After a long silence, he stood up and bowed toward Shinji, his movements as stiff as a puppet.

“Yes, my Lord Inquisitor.”

If Asuka achieved “Instrumentality,” then at this moment, Gendo Ikari also met his end.

This man, who was the final boss in every world line, had completely broken down. Death should have been the most dignified ending, but even that ending was not under his control. Yet, in a sense, he had also attained his “Instrumentality.”

There was no group of people clapping around him, saying “Congratulations.” He had craved to treat others as puppets, and in the end, he got what he asked for—totally trapped in Shinji’s palm.

From now on, he was reduced to a tool. If he did well, Shinji wouldn’t mind giving him a relatively dignified end.

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“Shinji-kun, you’re in a very good mood?” Kaworu Nagisa saw Shinji returning from HQ and waved with a smile.

“Hmm. A pleasure from deep within the soul. Although it shouldn’t exist, but… never mind. I accept it.” Shinji didn’t have complicated feelings toward Gendo; only this pleasure transcended rationality.

‘Forget it. Consider it a tiny obsession of the fragile version of Shinji Ikari. That was the past me—no need to cut it off.’

“It seems Shinji-kun has accepted his past weakness?”

“That was me all along. There’s nothing to ‘accept’ or ‘not accept.’ Most Astartes struggle in the lower levels of hive cities before becoming recruits.”

“I am actually quite curious how you survived in that cruel world before becoming an Astartes.”

“That is a long story…”

Just as Shinji was about to explain that the Emperor’s protection was omnipotent, a figure jumped into the middle, separating him from Kaworu. There was no need to look—it was definitely Asuka.

“When exactly is the Angel going to attack!” She was full of fighting spirit, but her eyes were fixed on Kaworu, thinking, ‘If the Angel is going to come, this guy should just get lost.’

Asuka had been furious for the past two days. All the spotlight had been stolen by Kaworu. He was popular with both boys and girls alike, capturing the top spot on the First Middle School’s popularity chart in a mere two days. How could she possibly endure this?

“What fighting spirit! This is the quality I admire most in you.” Shinji seemed very happy. Regardless of Asuka’s motives, she was always eager for battle. As he walked upstairs, he explained:

“The subjective consciousness of the Negative Universe’s will is emerging. Based on Ritsuko’s hypothesis, it has reached the point of self-correction. It won’t send ‘noob’ Angels to their deaths anymore; it must be accumulating power, preparing for something big.”

“Does Shinji-kun mean it knows what you want to do?”

“Even if it hasn’t fully manifested, its computing power is at least a hundred million times that of MAGI. The Womb Angel didn’t fall as the script dictated; it can calculate countless possibilities in an instant. It’s not so easy to make it follow my script anymore.”

“A difficult game of chess. But it’s unwilling to kill you and cut off this shortcut. No wonder the ‘martyrdom’ instinct has weakened.” Kaworu stroked his chin. It wants to fatten Shinji-kun up, but he isn’t stupid either; he has found another path and refuses to eat the feed it provides.

“Pretty much. It’s a very subtle rhythm. Too fast, and I can’t open the door. Too slow, and it will be born. Once it’s born, the underlying framework of the Dead Sea Scrolls will be useless.”

“But it must fatten you up without leaving any hidden dangers. The best way is to breach Neo Tokyo-3, dismantle all your preparations, finish off the other Evas, and force Unit-01 to swallow the poison?”

“Right. I must fight. Even if I truly return to the Golden Throne, it won’t lose much. Its calculations are quite shrewd.”

‘Hey, I started this topic!’

Asuka opened her mouth several times but couldn’t get a word in. This stalker was too sinister, leading the conversation toward areas she couldn’t participate in with a single sentence.

‘What rhythm? Birth? Opening the door? Framework? I don’t understand any of it.’

She huffily opened the door and threw her school bag onto the sofa. Shinji, who had been deep in conversation with Kaworu, immediately shifted to “preaching” mode. He did not permit a barracks to be disorganized.

Usually, Asuka would look impatient, but this time she was quite happy. A few seconds later, she bit her lip in frustration.

‘Using a scolding to drag me back into the conversation—does this count as hurting myself to hurt others?’

Fortunately, Shinji’s lecture didn’t last long. He looked behind him and asked, “Where is Rei?”

‘That blockhead threw all the trouble to me and hid away. She’s completely heartless.’

Asuka didn’t know what Rei Ayanami was doing; she had skipped class today, mysteriously claiming she had something to do at HQ.

She couldn’t help but look at the calendar on the wall. March 30th was circled in a conspicuous red. It was Rei’s birthday. Everyone had agreed to use it as an excuse for a get-together. For some reason, Asuka had an ominous premonition.

‘That blockhead is ignoring it—could it be… she’s planning something big?’

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.

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‘Done.’

Underground HQ, pilot lounge. Rei Ayanami wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the item in front of her with satisfaction.

For this period, she hadn’t paid any attention to Kaworu, and hadn’t even gone to find Shinji at HQ—something that would have been unimaginable in the past. It was all for what was in front of her.

The walls were covered with various blueprints. The one in the center was an enlarged manuscript. Yes, Rei had been crafting “Power Armor.”

Although it was merely a prop—it had no functional capabilities and definitely no ceramite—the appearance was nearly identical to Shinji’s manuscripts.

The laurels, the iron halo, the Imperial Eagle emblem, and even the scars left from years of battle. Shinji’s artistic ability was exceptional; he could replicate his old partner with ease, but it had taken Rei an entire month to make it.

This was a massive engineering project. From carving and painting to rolling, she had learned everything from scratch by herself. The room was piled with discarded materials. When she saw the finished product, the girl’s eyes were shining.

As the class president said, one must try to satisfy what a boy likes. But when it came to buying game consoles or figures, she had actually handcrafted a Mark VIII Power Armor. This could no longer be summarized by “putting her heart into it.”

“It’s a few sizes smaller than Ikari-kun described. I don’t know what ceramite is, so I used a lightweight alloy. But Ikari-kun will surely be happy.”

There was longing in Rei’s eyes. She had used the wisdom of Lilith to its limit, spending months, but she had made it in time.

‘This is the correct way to use the Fruit of Wisdom.’

Ceremony. On a specific day, expressing her feelings to Ikari-kun. The class president said one must send the gift the other person likes most, and this was Ikari-kun’s favorite gift.

The girl’s way of thinking was different from the average person’s. Who knows how many people would roast this? People have heard of confessing with chocolates, rings, or even luxury cars, but no Earthling gives a set of multi-hundred-kilogram armor.

But Rei knew what Shinji liked. The solemnity during the New Year’s festival and his disappointment when it was rejected were still fresh in her mind. The most solemn ceremony, of course, required wearing the most sacred mantle.

“Next is finding the time. I must find a chance to be alone with Ikari-kun. The specific day cannot be changed.” The girl became troubled. This step had to be taken by her personally. She figured Asuka wouldn’t offer sincere blessings, and if she caused trouble then… I wouldn’t know what to do.

The red eyes lost their luster. If Asuka dared to cause trouble this time, she would definitely be filled with murderous intent and bury this annoying person. Not just her, but Misato, Dr. Akagi, and that Kaworu as well.

Actually, the first three were okay. Misato had guilt and wouldn’t dare cause trouble; Dr. Akagi was rational and should have guessed that Rei wouldn’t tolerate it. As for Asuka… if she really put her mind to dealing with this blockhead, leading her away wouldn’t be difficult.

The key was the Angel of Freedom. Rei couldn’t quite see through Kaworu, but she understood that he truly liked Shinji. That phrase “born because of you” wasn’t just talk, and his IQ was also very high, always looking as if he saw through everything in the world.

‘I can’t deal with this person. Even if I feel murderous, it’s useless…’

Knock, knock.

Just as Rei was troubled, there was a knock on the door. She became alert, quickly closed the door, and went to the outer room. She paused when she opened it.

Standing outside was Ritsuko Akagi, holding a cup of coffee and staring at her with a smiling gaze. Since Ritsuko had joined their little group, her eyes had always looked at Rei like this, as if admiring an artwork she had sculpted.

“Dr. Akagi, is something the matter?” The girl stood at the doorway, not intending to invite her in. Rei didn’t like these eyes, because her change originated from Shinji and had nothing to do with this woman.

“Rei, still can’t let go?”

“This has nothing to do with that.” Rei shook her head, correcting her: “Although you aren’t a pathetic person like Misato, in a sense, you are still my enemy.”

‘Oh? High vigilance, I see.’

“Misato is indeed pathetic, actually saying Shinji is a man old enough to be her father…”

“Ikari-kun said that a ‘father complex’ is a flavor of 40K one must experience, so she is also an enemy.”

“Heh. Misato would be overjoyed to hear that. What price should I sell this information for?” Ritsuko looked pleased and simply declared, “Is your stuff finished?”

Rei’s expression froze, and she was about to close the door, but Ritsuko pressed the lock on the outside.

“I’m the Chief of the Research Department and your guardian, after all. I have at least that much information. Rest assured, I’m not Asuka; I won’t cause trouble.”

Rei didn’t believe it. In her eyes, Ritsuko was a treacherous, evil woman. She didn’t speak, just stared at the other person with her lusterless eyes.

Unfortunately, Ritsuko didn’t buy the “yandere” act, coldly analyzing: “If I dared to cause trouble, and you drowned me or buried me in a pit, what then? Making stupid moves out of jealousy isn’t my style.”

“Then what is your style?”

Ritsuko blinked and squeezed into the room.

“Naturally, benefitting both myself and others. Rei, are you interested in knowing about the ‘Shinji Ikari Instrumentality Project’?”

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While Rei was preparing her combat plan, Shinji was reading the documents just sent over. Most of his energy was invested in the main quest. As for the rest of daily life, those were side quests; there was no need to spend too much thought on them. As long as he held the overall situation, he just had to make sure Rei didn’t actually slice anyone.

‘The Sixth Child, the Seventh Child?’

He flipped through the documents. Because of too many butterfly effects, the world line was unrecognizable. Currently, there were seven pilots formally registered by the Marduk Institute.

Rei, Asuka, Shinji, Kaworu (crossed out), Kensuke Aida, and then these two pilots selected by the European Branch.

The Sixth Child was a white boy, British nationality, named John Stone. In the photo, he had wavy brown hair and looked quite frail, like a shut-in otaku.

The Seventh Child was a girl from Russia, skin as fair as the snow of the north, with blonde hair and blue eyes, named Alexandra Petrova.

From the data, one could see these two were elites trained by the European Branch for a long time, belonging to Asuka’s backups. It had to be said, every branch of NERV was quite interesting.

Japan was mainly about nepotism; the North American branch was SEELE’s secret training camp; the European branch was good at “raising” people; and Shanghai was strictly selective.

The Eighth Child was named Ning Jing—”Quiet”—a quiet girl with long black hair.

“It’s them, huh? Tch. Now that there are more Evas, even second-rate goods like these have a chance to go pro.”

Just as he was reading, a head popped out from behind the sofa. Shinji rarely avoided these classified documents; if Asuka wanted to see, let her.

“?”

“Pilots are basically all born in 2001. The European branch collected a whole bunch of spare tires; how could I not know them? Of course, I don’t recognize this Eighth Child selected in Shanghai.”

Asuka rolled her eyes and said proudly, “By the time they join, I will have already obtained the qualifications to pilot Unit-02. You should know how long ago that was.”

“It was indeed very early. In your memory…”

“Stop, stop, don’t say that.” Asuka quickly stopped him. Having the deepest stories in her memory seen by others was always her black history. She pressed her hands on the sofa back and smoothly jumped to Shinji’s side.

“Anyway, these two are both lackluster. I won’t give them a chance to pilot Unit-02.”

‘Alright.’

Unit-01 and Unit-02 were very special machines, far exceeding other Evas due to the existence of the machine spirits. But Asuka’s reaction made Shinji understand something.

“You have a grudge against them?”

“Hmph. It’s just the jealousy of the incompetent toward the strong. Not a grudge.”

‘I doubt it’s that simple.’ Shinji knew very well how annoying Asuka’s personality could be. Before “Instrumentality,” she was quite disliked by everyone.

“Sharp-tongued, tsundere, bossy, haughty, loves to belittle others…”

“What are you saying? I don’t understand.” Asuka tilted her head, staring with her big blue eyes.

‘Alright, and add ‘lack of self-awareness’ to the list.’

Shinji was already used to Asuka’s awful personality. He asked casually, “You mean these two aren’t qualified, and you want me to replace them?”

“No. I just treat them as stepping stones… ahem. Regardless of how lackluster these two are, they are still better than the class president and the others. NERV HQ is really something, gathering all these pilots without training them—what are they thinking?”

‘Right, I’m interested in that too.’

Shinji really didn’t understand what Gendo was planning. There were still over 3 billion people on Earth, and it was obvious there were more pilots than just Class 2-A. Using them as hostages didn’t seem necessary.

“Pilots are necessary. The puppet system is, after all, developed based on Kaworu; it’s easily controlled by him.”

“What? Doesn’t that stalker kiss your boots every day? Surely he wouldn’t turn against you?” Asuka pricked up her ears instantly, her face full of joy.

‘What are you happy about? And Kaworu has been chased to the next room by you again? You’re just bullying him because he’s good-tempered.’

Shinji gritted his teeth slightly and explained with forced patience, “Kaworu is an Angel, after all. His freedom is fleeting. I have no intention of changing this relationship, because at the final moment, I need a ‘qualified’ enemy.”

‘Fleeting freedom? Qualified enemy?’

Asuka wasn’t stupid, but the information she had was truly too little. She couldn’t understand what Shinji was talking about for a moment, but a term popped into her mind.

“You and him… falling in love through mutual slaughter?”

Smack.

The moment the words left her mouth, her head received a tap. Shinji stood up, looking at Asuka, who was holding her head and squatting in defense.

“Watch less trashy stuff. By the way, Ritsuko just called. There’s a startup test tomorrow morning. Sleep early tonight; I don’t want to see you yawning.”

“Got it, got it. Wait… isn’t tomorrow that blockhead’s—oh no, my birthday?”

“Do the real work first.”

“That stalker won’t go together, will he?”

“Kaworu cannot go underground. He is still an Angel, after all.”

“Good. I will definitely sleep early tonight!” Asuka was instantly happy. With Kaworu joining, she missed the “trio” days even more.

‘Ahhh! Even if I lose to that blockhead Shinji, or that blockhead Rei, I absolutely, absolutely cannot lose to this stalker!’