Chapter 131 163: The Dual Gaze of the Emperor and Mother

Is this the power of a mother?

Sitting in the cockpit, Shinji had never felt the LCL fluid so warm. It felt like returning to his mother's amniotic fluid—well, in a sense, he truly had returned to his mother's body.

Love was only one part of it; the more terrifying aspect was the power.

The synchronization rate had actually reached 300%. Even with the power supply exhausted, Unit-01 could still move...

For the first time, Shinji sensed the true might of an EVA—or rather, the might of Unit-01. It defied all logic. To use a Warhammer analogy, he was piloting a Psyker Titan with an infinitely ecstatic Machine Spirit. It had transcended common sense.

To hell with "Berserk" mode; that was an expression of maternal love. I didn't need my mother to save me; it was simply mother and son joining hands to annihilate a powerful foe.

This was Unit-01.

He stroked the control levers as if holding his mother's hand. His heart had never been this quiet. Looking at the sea of blood surrounding him, he offered a faint smile.

'Thank you.'

"Stupid Shinji, are you still alive?"

"Ikari-kun, are you okay?"

The other two EVAs came sprinting over, seemingly unafraid of the blood-soaked, terrifying silhouette of Unit-01. Shinji suddenly felt a wave of an emotion called "happiness," before clutching his forehead.

His psychic powers had crossed a threshold, allowing him to clearly perceive the Machine Spirit's thoughts:

Yui Ikari was ecstatic, looking for all the world like a mother-in-law extremely satisfied with her prospective daughters-in-law.

'Mother, it's not that I'm resisting or stalling; it's that these two are like fire and water. I have to ensure the unit's cohesion first.'

Just as he was about to explain, his screen went black. A surge of inertia threw him backward, and with a thud, he felt himself land in someone's hands.

'Manual Entry Plug ejection?'

Shinji thought to himself: 'I was just about to answer and you ejected me? Didn't I say to confirm multiple times before using the manual override?'

After a few seconds, the hatch was wrenched open. Murky LCL fluid gushed out. This time Shinji didn't move; he was actually somewhat stunned.

That moment then was exactly like this moment now. He hadn't expected to one day receive the same treatment he'd given Rei. He wondered if he should return the favor with a smile, but after another two seconds, he realized this was nothing like the incident with Rei.

"Don't push, I'm going in first to check the situation."

"Why do you get to go first? I clearly got here first."

"Be-because I have a first-aid certificate from the German Red Cross! Do you really think I want to see him looking like a dead fish?"

"Then why are you holding a camera? You want to harm Ikari-kun, I can't let you pass."

"Taking one photo won't kill him! Don't you want to see what he looks like unconscious? It's a rare sight. I'll give you a copy later, okay?"

"Fine. It's a deal."

Shinji's eye twitched. He understood immediately. Ritsuko Akagi must have told them that his fainting would allow Unit-01 to take over and go berserk, so they had rushed over to see him in an embarrassing state.

Asuka had brought a camera, clearly having planned this for a long time. Even Rei had been corrupted, forming a cooperative alliance in an instant.

[Mother, listen to this. Neither of them is a pushover.]

Shinji transmitted the message via psychic energy and quickly received feedback, causing his eye to twitch even harder.

Yui's response was simple:

[Isn't that adorable? I was worried Rei was a bit slow, but she's actually quite lively. And Asuka is definitely a 'tsundere'—she's clearly worried about your safety but insists on finding an excuse. That's just how girls are.]

'Uh, she might have a point.'

Shinji ignored questions like "Didn't that Emperor teach you how to date?" and sat upright in the cockpit like a conqueror. A moment later, two heads—one red, one blue—poked inside.

Six eyes met. The worry on Rei and Asuka's faces vanished instantly. Catching Shinji's razor-sharp gaze, Rei quickly pulled back, while the remaining Asuka blinked.

"Uh, you didn't faint?"

"What? Were you hoping to see me in a weak state so you could keep a souvenir to desecrate me with later?"

Shinji's gaze shifted downward, landing on the camera in her hand.

The pressure from his anger was staggering. Asuka's mind went blank. She suddenly stuck out her tongue and tapped her head.

"Ah! I forgot to grab something. I'll be going now!"

She pulled a "cute-and-clumsy" act on the spot and fled. Shinji didn't chase her, because he felt his mother's indignation.

[Can't you learn a bit of tenderness? Why are you scaring them?]

This was perhaps the only being on Earth who could scold him. Instincts buried deep within his genes forced Shinji to listen obediently. Unlike with Gendo, he couldn't muster even a hint of annoyance.

'Fine. Now that the Machine Spirit has awakened, things are going to get much more 'interesting.''

But how to put it?

Fighting under the dual gaze of the Emperor and his mother was... truly a blessing.

-

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[Twelfth Angel Annihilated]

Inside Central Command, cheers erupted. Looking at his subordinates embracing one another, Gendo Ikari stared at Unit-01 on the screen, his expression unreadable.

Unit-01 had awakened. Yui had protected Shinji.

The man's first reaction was jealousy. This is a universal truth for married men: no matter how much a couple loves each other, once there is a child, the woman transitions into the role of a mother, spending all her time with the child until even sharing a bed becomes a luxury.

Yui Ikari had merged with Unit-01, becoming an existence unobservable by humans. If he knew that Shinji could speak directly to his wife via psychic power and had seen the figure he dreamed of day and night, he would likely go mad with envy.

Indeed, Gendo didn't care about the world, the future of humanity, or immortality like the old men of SEELE. This man's entire conviction was built on resurrecting Yui to see her again.

"Regardless, Unit-01 has awakened. The next stage of the plan can proceed."

"Ikari, I've always wondered... what it will be like when you see Yui again after doing all this."

Fuyutsuki asked an irrelevant question. In the past, Gendo would have scoffed—who cared what it would be like, as long as he got to see her—but this time, he fell into thought.

"The scene probably won't be very beautiful. But if I don't do this, I'll never have the chance to see her. Besides, look at the situation now. Who is the one truly suffering?"

Taking all the blame, becoming a commander with no loyal subjects—it seems I'm the one suffering, doesn't it?

"Forget it. I still have to clean up his mess, whether I want to or not."

Gendo stood up and left. Shinji issued orders recklessly, leaving all the aftermath to him.

Take this incident: the Twelfth Angel's connection to the Negative Universe couldn't be hidden from SEELE. There was a big difference between being accidentally swallowed and preparing to jump in voluntarily.

SEELE would definitely want intel on the Negative Universe and the anomalies with Unit-01. But Ritsuko Akagi had already turned against him and wouldn't help him explain. How should he respond to their questioning? Say he knows nothing?

The key was that he had to speak; he couldn't very well sell out Unit-01.

He looked at the screen. Several teenagers were surrounding Shinji; the latter looked somewhat impatient as he told them to calm down, but he couldn't break the warmth of the scene. Gendo Ikari walked silently into the darkness, going off to take the fall alone.

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"Congratulations, Ikari. You have defeated the Twelfth Angel, bringing the first stage of the script to its end."

It was the same dark meeting room, the same old men represented by five-colored lights. Gendo sat opposite Chairman Keel, fingers interlaced in front of his face to hide his surprise.

The Committee hadn't questioned him about why he threw the precious Unit-01 into the Sea of Dirac. Instead, they seemed intent on mending the relationship.

"What is it? Do you want a material reward? Fine. We have approved the infrastructure budget you requested."

The committee member shrouded in red light, Julian, said with a smile, his French humor easing the tension.

Gendo narrowed his eyes and asked in a heavy voice, "Does the Committee not require the combat records?"

"Procedures must still be followed. Submit them later. Tell us about what happened after Unit-01 was swallowed."

"You must be more careful in the future. Try to leave the scouting work to Unit-02 and Unit-00. Their values are not on the same level."

"I understand your confidence in Unit-01's combat prowess, but do not forget—this unit has a great purpose later."

As each member voiced their opinion, Gendo's expression became strange.

SEELE seemed to know the battle intimately, yet they knew nothing at all. Or rather, they had received false intelligence, with certain key parts humanly obscured, leaving them believing Unit-01 was swallowed by Leliel during the heat of combat.

'How is this possible?'

He knew NERV was riddled with spies from top to bottom; his every move was monitored. One or two spies defecting was understandable, but they couldn't all have gone blind.

Looking at those confident old men who thought they controlled everything, Gendo hesitated to speak.

In this moment, he finally understood who was truly pulling the strings. But how was it done? These are people I don't even dare to contact; I can only pretend I don't see them.

"Ikari? Is something on your mind?" Chairman Keel asked suddenly.

"Yes. I am thinking about how the subsequent script will unfold."

"As long as you do nothing outside of the plan, the script will proceed smoothly, and humanity will receive its salvation."

Gendo's lips twitched. Fortunately, his hands hid his smile; even he almost couldn't hold it in.

These people were being toyed with and didn't even know it, yet they believed they were in control. It was a hilarious sight.

But soon, his smile vanished. Wasn't he exactly the same?

"That is good. Even though many accidents have occurred, the ending remains correct."

"There have been some accidents. I have something to task you with. EVA Unit-03 will be assigned to NERV Headquarters. The Fourth Child will arrive ahead of schedule."

'Shouldn't it be the Sixth Child? Wait, SEELE doesn't know about those two boys either?'

Gendo's expression shifted slightly. It felt as if a white veil had been draped over SEELE's eyes, allowing them to see only what others were willing to show them.

"You want me to look after the Fourth Child?"

"We want you to monitor Him. This is His personal request. I do not want Him to know too many secrets. Try not to let Him stay at NERV Headquarters; find an excuse to send Him elsewhere. In a few days, the promised time will run out."

"Protect Him. Do not let Him fulfill His mission out of instinct. Once the gears of fate begin to turn, there is no stopping them."

Chairman Keel's words were strange. He clearly didn't want the Fourth Child to appear now, yet he felt he had to. Gendo understood immediately.

The "secrets" referred to Lilith in Terminal Dogma. And "Him"...

The vessel for Adam's soul, the Angel of Free Will named Kaworu Nagisa?

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