Chapter 161 193: Just Hurry Up and Give Her a Beating!

Lacking the refined technique and crushing dominance of Unit-01, this battle appeared exceptionally primitive—almost like an internal feud between two Angels. Unit-02 had simply crushed Bardiel into pulp. As blood and minced flesh oozed through its fingers, the sight was enough to make one retch.

[Blue biological wavelength vanished. Angel silenced.]

The observers stared blankly, offering no cheers. This was entirely different from Unit-01; it looked more like one monster defeating another. Had Unit-01 gone berserk like this against the Third Angel, the nations of the world would never have deemed the EVA reliable, let alone increased their investments.

After all, a human-piloted biological weapon is worlds apart from an autonomous biological monster.

"But a win is a win. To think that after all this time, the EVA has finally revealed its true essence." Ritsuko Akagi calmly removed her glasses, finding the turn of events fascinating.

She knew exactly what the EVAs were. This was, in fact, Unit-02's true power. Unit-01 was the anomaly; its strength belonged to Shinji-kun. According to the original "script," the EVA should have revealed its true nature during the battle with the Third Angel, but Unit-02 had just stolen the spotlight.

At that moment, she noticed Misato trembling slightly by the window. "Are you scared?" she asked curiously. "Don't tell me you weren't psychologically prepared for this."

"Scared my ass. I'm thinking about how to write the report." Misato's scalp felt numb. Looking at Unit-02—crawling on the ground like a beast with nearly half its armor burst open by its own internal pressure—the repair costs would be astronomical.

Then there was the information control, the restoration of Tokyo-3, and soothing the UN forces...

"Forget it. Let Commander Ikari worry about that. As long as Asuka is okay." She turned her head toward the monitoring screen, which had returned to normal, only to see a certain someone sitting there stiffly.

"Oof, she's started questioning her life choices already."

.

.

.

Huh?

Asuka was indeed reflecting on her life. From the moment the power-depleted Unit-02 suddenly reactivated, her worldview had begun to shift. Right before her eyes, the Bardiel infection that had permeated her entire body was concentrated into a single mass and crushed by the predatory Unit-02.

She watched in silence until the neural link re-established itself. The slimy, disgusting tactile sensation in her palms finally brought her back to her senses.

'Scenario One: I'm dead. This is just another dream, a manifestation of my deepest desires.

Scenario Two: I'm alive. Everything before me is real. My mother really is trapped inside Unit-02, becoming what that idiot calls a 'Machine Spirit.' She actually communicated with me and used Unit-02 to protect me.'

Logic dictated that the first scenario was more reasonable, because the second was too beautiful—too beautiful for her to believe.

'Mama is watching me, protecting me, even stroking my hair and hugging me... that has to be a dream.'

"Asuka, are you alright?" Rei Ayanami's cold voice came through the comms.

"I'm not that fragile! I don't need you to weave such a realistic dream to bewitch me. If I'm dead, I'm dead. Fake is fake!"

"What are you talking about? Dreams are merely extensions of reality."

"Ha! See? How could this be reality? Next time you weave a dream, don't make it so sweet... Ouch! What are you doing!?"

Unit-00 had reached out and slapped Unit-02 right into the ground. The pain transmitted through the neural link made Asuka clutch her face.

"The books say that if someone thinks they are dreaming, it is best to give them a slap. Are you awake now?" Rei spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. For some reason, that slap felt incredibly therapeutic to deliver.

'Is this... reality?'

Asuka was dazed by the slap, finding the situation increasingly incomprehensible. She watched as Unit-01 slowly approached.

"Mental contamination is like that," Shinji said. "It makes it difficult to distinguish between dreams and reality, because on a soulful level, everything is ephemeral."

Shinji understood this feeling perfectly. He had been through the multi-layered illusions of those blue-skinned xenos. You think you're awake, but you're actually dreaming; the more beautiful and perfect the dream, the harder it is to believe it's over.

This was especially true for Asuka, whose personality appeared brash but was actually hyper-sensitive and wary of everything.

"Wh-What do you want?"

"Physical pain provides real-world feedback. When the dream stops being so pleasant, perhaps you will believe." Shinji was an expert in this field. He had considered using psychic lightning to give Asuka a jolt, but after being scolded by his mother, he simply waved a hand.

"Rei, hit her."

"Understood."

"Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I believe you!" Asuka surrendered on the spot. Regardless of truth or fiction, getting beaten for nothing was a raw deal. She slumped back in the cockpit, feeling that the Entry Plug of Unit-02 had never felt so warm or secure.

'Really? That dream was real? How?'

Too many questions remained. Had she truly entered the spiritual realm because of the Angel and reunited with her mother in that sun-drenched garden?

"Is... is this that 'psychic power' stuff?"

"Yes. Using Unit-01's Machine Spirit to trigger a resonance with Unit-02, we awakened Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu and allowed you to meet in the warp. You aren't a psyker; without the Angel's 'help' to bridge the gap, you couldn't have communicated with her. But she has indeed been watching over you all along."

"It still sounds like nonsense. That's not scientific."

"It's very scientific. It's the Negative Universe theory—the place where all human souls return. Only Unit-01 and Unit-02 are different; their souls did not go to the Negative Universe but are anchored within the EVAs." Shinji explained patiently, then pointed to himself.

"But everything regarding the Negative Universe is unobservable and untouchable for humans. In this world, only I—the sole psyker—can communicate with it. You were lucky; the exchange experiment we did before the battle gave you some experience, making the process smoother."

'Still so arrogant. That's definitely his flavor.'

Asuka nodded subconsciously. She knew Shinji wasn't a normal human, and that experiment was a major piece of evidence, as she had felt the contact with the Machine Spirit beforehand.

"So I wasn't dreaming? I really entered a spiritual world???"

"Still don't believe it? Rei, hit her."

"Wait! Why is your first instinct always to hit people!?" Asuka shouted hurriedly, then asked, "Then... who was that Yui Ikari I saw in the dream—I mean, the spiritual world?"

"My mother. The Machine Spirit residing within Unit-01. The presence you felt during the experiment."

'What? Asuka met Shinji-kun's mother!?'

Rei's pupils shrank. She immediately controlled Unit-00 to lunge forward. This time, she didn't even need Shinji's command; she pinned down Unit-02, which was running on backup life support.

"Why are you suddenly getting violent!?

Dammit, you're just settling a personal grudge! That idiot didn't tell you to hit me!

Mama, help!"

Hearing the noisy bickering, Shinji had zero intention of intervening. He had spent so much effort and wasted so much breath, yet Asuka remained stubbornly skeptical—she deserved a proper "tuning." Actually, he had a few things he couldn't hold back either.

"Stupid. You tried to self-destruct without knowing the outside situation. Weren't you afraid that if Unit-02 were transported back to HQ, you'd just blow us all up from the inside?

Utterly stubborn. How many times have I told you? When you can't distinguish between reality and illusion, you must open your heart and feel carefully.

Absolute clumsiness. Think with logic—Bardiel had no reason to waste that much energy weaving a dream. Do you think it's one of those winged freaks? Does it have a fetish for manipulating humans?

Dumb as a Gretchin. It could have broken your spirit just by making you repeat your childhood nightmare. What value do you have to be manipulated like that?"

One punch, one lecture. It continued until even Unit-02 couldn't take it anymore—its electronic eyes suddenly flared. Only then did the two stop, leaving the surrounding UN forces completely baffled.

'Weren't we told the Angel was dealt with? Why are they still ganging up on Unit-02?'

'You two... just you wait!'

Asuka curled into a ball, hissing in pain. But after Shinji's lecture and seeing Unit-02's sudden tendency to go berserk again, she finally dropped her guard.

'It's true? It's really true? Mama has actually been by my side all along?'

Her azure pupils trembled. She was overwhelmed with excitement—a hundred times more than a pauper winning the lottery.

'My hard work all these years wasn't in vain. Mama has been loving me... she's proud of me?'

It was too much happiness, almost surreal. Perhaps one day she would see the secret files of the German branch, but nothing could be as direct as this. Most importantly—

'Mama protected me personally!'

This was the ultimate expression of maternal love. Having opened her heart completely, she could feel that Unit-02 was equally excited; the bubbling LCL fluid felt like it was whispering to her.

The feeling was beyond words. She was happier than she had ever been, feeling a sense of absolute security.

'Mama just can't speak; she's been sleeping. And I don't have that psychic power, so I couldn't sense her. I needed that idiot to act as a bridge.

In that case... Shinji was the one who woke her up.'

Asuka suddenly remembered the boy's explanation, and her face turned bright red. This was a monumental favor that defied description—he had removed the lingering nightmare from her heart and mended the trauma that had twisted her life.

If she were a normal girl, she would already be thinking of how to repay him. But Asuka's mind worked in leaps; that flushed face turned pale in an instant.

'Oh no. That means... he knows everything about when I was little?

I'm doomed! Yui Ikari is his mother—so I let his mom see me making a total fool of myself without any preparation?'

Her heart skipped a beat. She was frantic, as if the beautiful dream had suddenly turned back into a nightmare. If she had known it would turn out like this, why had she hesitated? Now, every bit of her "fig leaf" had been stripped away.

He had seen everything clearly. It was humiliating—humiliating enough that she'd turn red just seeing Shinji's face and would have to take a detour to avoid Rei.

"Mama, you want me to open my heart? To show my feelings?"

Asuka watched the surging bubbles, seemingly reading a message in them, but she shook her head quickly.

"No, no, no! My priority right now is to shut his mouth. I absolutely cannot let Rei Ayanami find out. She already has leverage over me; I can't let her have more!

Mama, I have so much to tell you. How about this? From today on, I'll just stay inside Unit-02 until I can figure out a way to settle the score with him. Right! He let Rei hit me—so let's call it even!

Ha! I really am a genius. That way, I never have to worry about being embarrassed again."

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"Why isn't Asuka coming out yet? Did something else happen?"

Misato stood by Unit-02 with the medical team, looking confused. All the data was back to normal, so why was Asuka refusing to emerge?

"Perhaps she's afraid," Ritsuko said, standing nearby. She still needed to study Unit-02 thoroughly.

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Spiritual communication leaves nothing hidden. Shinji-kun likely saw right through Asuka—including the secrets she doesn't want to mention and the most fragile parts of her heart."

"Makes sense. But she should be thanking Shinji, shouldn't she?"

"That's Asuka for you. Some things are hard to change even after a knot is untied. It takes time." Ritsuko stuffed her hands in her pockets, wearing a "to be young again" expression.

"But this step forward changes everything. At least Asuka no longer needs to rely solely on her pride to survive."

'The glass cannon isn't so fragile anymore? That's good news.'

Misato nodded with relief. Although it didn't have much to do with her, seeing a problem child reach "Instrumentality" was gratifying. Just as she was about to order the logistics team to force the entry, she heard a clack.

The Entry Plug was forcibly ejected. The waiting medical team rushed forward. Misato saw Unit-02's four electronic eyes flicker for a brief moment.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but she felt she could read the message Unit-02 was transmitting:

'I don't care who does it—just hurry up and give this girl a beating.'

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