Chapter 152 184: The Turning Point.

"As expected, the great upheaval has arrived."

Shinji sat quietly in the cockpit, his eyes scanning across the various data readouts. He quickly analyzed the heart of the problem.

The 13th Angel was strong—unprecedentedly strong on a physical level—but that was manageable; it would just require a bit more effort. What made this truly bizarre was that it wasn't heading toward Tokyo-3. This completely deviated from SEELE's script.

Even if they were meant to be defeated one by one, how could the Angels simply choose not to show up? If they didn't play by the rules, how was this play supposed to continue?

It could be said that without the Dead Sea Scrolls, humanity would never have been able to resist the Angels, even with EVA units. With only a few units, how could they possibly protect the entire planet?

"You don't seem surprised at all?"

"Hmm, I anticipated this long ago. In tens of thousands of battles, I have never seen a foolish enemy that only plays according to a script. No idiot would just crash into a steel defense line one by one."

Shinji was indeed unsurprised; he had already noticed some clues regarding Kaworu Nagisa.

If the Angel of Free Will could control its instincts, why couldn't the others? Because they lacked intelligence? That made it even easier; a single will originating from the Negative Universe could guide these mindless puppets.

Yes, his return had triggered a butterfly effect. Originally, the Negative Universe should not have possessed "will"—at least not yet. As for the origin of this butterfly effect, it didn't even start with his return; it started with why he had gone to the 40K universe in the first place.

"But it doesn't matter. I've already made arrangements for this situation; I won't be caught helpless."

Shinji remained unshaken. Annexing the JA Project and prompting SEELE to manufacture more EVAs were all for this exact moment. What kind of battle conditions hadn't he seen? What kind of enemies hadn't he executed? Being proactive was the very definition of professionalism.

"Without energy batteries, EVAs cannot maneuver outside of Tokyo-3. Just laying down power cables would be enough to paralyze the logistics department. Furthermore, this change has its limits; the attack range won't exceed the Japanese region, and I have already manufactured a large number of Raven transport aircraft in advance."

"You really have grown up."

Yui Ikari was gratified by her son's reliability. He wasn't like some people who looked competent on the surface during peacetime but were instantly caught off guard the moment an Angel exceeded the script. If they had to rely on him, humanity would likely be finished.

But then again, if Shinji hadn't gone off for "further studies" and returned, the script wouldn't have been rendered unrecognizable.

"What a blend of fortune and misfortune. Thanks to you, my plan has also spiraled out of control."

"What was Mother's plan?"

"To protect you, and then to entrust the fate of humanity into your hands. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

Shinji pursed his lips. He felt the depth of her maternal love, not knowing that in the original timeline, only Yui Ikari's plan had succeeded.

"Your plan hasn't spiraled out of control. The fate of humanity was always meant to be shouldered by me."

His tone was relaxed and unanswerable. Shinji had already taken on the burden of the five continents and seven oceans, so firm that even Yui Ikari found it hard to ask, "Aren't you tired?"

As a mother, she felt a poignant ache, yet she was filled with immense pride.

"But why? Why let the Angels exceed the framework of the Dead Sea Scrolls?"

"Simple. It no longer needs to preserve the population of humanity."

Shinji said without hesitation. This upheaval verified the "Emperor Conjecture."

If one could predict through the "Emperor Conjecture" that the Human Instrumentality Project was a necessity for the birth of a God, then the size of the "Fruit" was significant.

Four billion souls becoming one, versus four million souls becoming one—these were two entirely different concepts.

"It has set a different kind of necessity. The Angels will be very strong; I will slaughter the Angels, and the Negative Universe projection will become increasingly intense. You can think of it as a form of parasitism."

"Skipping the necessity of the Human Instrumentality Project, to be born faster and better through you?"

"Yes, it is a solar conspiracy with no solution. I will not evade it; I will surely eliminate the Angels and grow alongside 'Him'."

Shinji took a breath, showing no signs of distress. "That is why I spared the Angel of Free Will. I cannot let 'Him' continue this necessity."

"Racing against time?"

"Yes. Before the framework of the Dead Sea Scrolls is completely shattered. I am not worried about multiple Angels attacking, nor am I worried about whether there are 17 or 170 Angels. Even the most powerful enemies will die by my hands. But 'He' has also completely destroyed the rituals left behind for the Human Instrumentality Project, which is the only way to be in an invincible position."

This was what Shinji worried about. Early growth was mutually reinforcing, but once they passed a critical threshold, there would no longer be any comparison—just like a primitive planet being helpless against the orbital bombardment of an Imperial Navy.

Yui Ikari fell silent. This was like dancing on a tightrope; who knew where the critical point lay? The control of such timing was extremely difficult. At the same time, she gained a fuller understanding of her son's heart of steel.

Such a heavy and difficult mission hadn't interfered with his normal life; his personality complementation was continuing. Even if all those old men in SEELE were added together, they would either be in denial or driven to madness.

"Do it. Your plan is my plan."

Yui Ikari didn't discuss the significance or the difficulty, nor would she question his conjecture. There was only this short sentence, but that was the essence of maternal love: even if it meant being enemies with the world, she would stand firmly on Shinji's side.

But she also knew Shinji was holding something back. When will arises, it is irreversible. As it expands step by step, it is far more than just a simple increase in numbers.

What is a God? Only one who can intervene in reality and bestow blessings upon the faithful is worthy of the title.

"Thank you."

Shinji nodded gently. As expected, his mother was different from everyone else, and she was irreplaceable.

This understanding filled him with strength, much like a blessing from the Emperor.

"Idiot Shinji! Say something! What are we actually doing?"

When the psychic connection faded, a sharp voice suddenly entered his ears. Asuka was clearly panicking. This was normal—with so many Angels coming down, she had long formed a habit. When an enemy exceeded her habits, she was at a loss.

Shinji didn't answer her. He projected his face onto the command center screen. In that instant, the chaotic noises stopped, leaving only the sound of incessant telephone ringing.

"Thank goodness, it's Shinji. We're saved!" Such words, which seemed like jokes, had become truth through the lives of nearly ten potential Angels. Shinji Ikari was the irreplaceable banner

of humanity, a steel-like leader; this face alone was enough to stabilize the hearts of the people.

If SEELE saw this, their scalps would tingle.

Gendo Ikari, who had just finished talking to the Prime Minister of Japan, looked up. His scalp was tingling, too. At the very least, in the field of dealing with Angels, one word from Shinji was worth a hundred from him.

"Do not panic. Any changes in the enemy are within our counter-measures. The EVA Upgrade Project exists for this very reason."

Shinji, as always, had no wasted words, yet it wasn't a case of forcibly stabilizing morale.

"No wonder you were so obsessed with high-energy batteries. You were prepared for this all along?"

Ritsuko's eyes flickered, and she suddenly realized.

"Of course. I could have handled those previous Angels with internal power alone. As I said, one must always overestimate the enemy. The 12th Angel didn't get to use that equipment; it just so happens to be perfect for the 13th Angel."

Clearly capable of crushing the Angels, yet he continued to strengthen their combat power, preparing for unknown enemies. Could this be the legendary "this pilot is super strong but overly cautious"?

Ritsuko Akagi loved this scientific attitude. But before she could offer her praise, Misato Katsuragi chimed in ahead of her.

"Shinji, how should we fight?"

"Intercept them halfway, of course. Tokyo-2 has a population of millions and no perfect underground shelters. If we wait until the Angel enters the city, we'll be hamstrung."

This was natural. Two behemoths fighting in a city would cause massive losses, regardless of who won. This was the reason Shinji always sought to engage the enemy outside the city.

"Fine. I'll arrange the Air Wing."

"Just arrange for Unit-01 to sortie. Set the operation location at the eastern suburbs of Tokyo-2. Calculate the Angel's movement speed and evacuate the battlefield residents in advance."

Shinji arranged things calmly, then turned to look at Asuka, who had just opened her mouth.

"Unit-00 and Unit-02 will remain at headquarters."

"Why?! The Angel is only a few hundred kilometers away, and there won't be a second Angel appearing."

"That was the previous Angels. No one knows how great this upheaval is."

Shinji blocked her with a single sentence. His brain was constantly formulating conjectures, striving to choose the most secure plan. "This is a turning point. Caution is the top priority."

'So, it really does have something to do with him.'

Gendo Ikari was a clever man; he understood immediately. He knew Shinji and Ritsuko Akagi were together all day, though he didn't know what they were researching.

'Upheaval? Turning point? How come I didn't know? What exactly happened with the 12th Angel?'

The Commander of NERV felt his perception had been blinded. At this very moment, this was also a "great upheaval" for him. The Human Instrumentality Project he had painstakingly crafted seemed to have been replaced by some other plan—and yet, everyone else was being kept in the dark.

In a sense, kidnapping Ritsuko Akagi now would yield extraordinary results. But the problem was, who had the ability to kidnap Ritsuko Akagi while she was under Shinji's wing?

Just as Gendo was thinking about how to extract information, he felt gazes gathering on him, making him feel somewhat depressed.

'So you only remember I'm the NERV Commander when you need authorization, right?'

"Do as he says."

"Understood. Authorization granted. Issue orders to the assigned Air Wing: Unit-01 will be dropped at X-coordinates at 22:10."

Misato immediately gave the order, then turned back as if thinking of something.

"Commander Ikari, I'll take charge of the front-line coordination. Why don't you and Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki handle the diplomatic affairs?"

Governments of various countries knew part of the truth. When Zeruel didn't play by the rules, NERV's lines were blown up. If Tokyo-3 couldn't hold the aggro, how many EVA units would other countries need to manufacture to protect themselves? And was there even time to build them?

NERV was invested in by the UN; if it lost its utility, wouldn't their investment be down the drain? Therefore, handling these "complaints" was very troublesome, and there was no avoiding the grumbling from the clients. SEELE was also constantly urging him to participate in online meetings. Just thinking about it made his head spin.

"Commander Ikari?"

Gendo Ikari looked at Misato Katsuragi, who was already packing up her data, and could only nod heavily.

"Very well."

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