Chapter 202: I Shall Bear All the Blame of This World!

In the dim NERV Commander’s office, the atmosphere was never relaxed, but heaviness didn’t necessarily mean anything.

Gendo Ikari’s signature posture—fingers interlaced before his face—used to be intensely oppressive because everyone knew the Commander’s capabilities and his profound wisdom. But now, he was nothing more than a MADAO (a “hopeless old man”). No matter how cool the pose, it carried no weight. Recently, Gendo had become too lazy to even head to the Central Command, preferring to stay in his office with Kozo Fuyutsuki to work on research projects they had abandoned long ago.

The two were scientists by trade; they actually managed to make some headway in their research. But sitting in this position, certain troubles remained inescapable.

“Gendo, is there really no problem?” Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo, who was tidying his attire before a full-length mirror, his face full of worry.

Today was the general meeting of SEELE. The agenda was the interrogation of the NERV Commander. Even with their superior intellect, they could find no excuse. Shinji Ikari had become increasingly outrageous, and the “black pot” (the blame) they had to carry grew higher and higher, until it finally reached a point where even the two of them couldn’t bear it anymore.

But what could they do? Shinji was full of rebellion, absolutely refused to take orders, and had effectively sidelined them. Meanwhile, SEELE had to be placated. This “sandwich” position was not a pleasant taste.

Fortunately, this torture was ending today.

“There are no excuses. Everything was planned by me, including the fact that I secretly retrieved the Spear of Longinus. It was all to deal with this cataclysm.”

“SEELE won’t believe it. Saying that will mean certain death.”

“And what else can I do? If I say Shinji is the one controlling everything, I’ll still die, and I’ll also be branded as incompetent.” Gendo turned his head coldly, opting to give up on trying to save himself. “Besides, NERV HQ is already his property. If SEELE wants revenge and a purge, let them deal with him directly. I’m not playing along anymore.”

“You don’t care about others’ evaluations at all, do you? Because the script is impossible to realize, you’ve chosen to take a shortcut.” Fuyutsuki immediately exposed him.

Gendo could be considered a “True Love War God.” He’d stirred up so much trouble just to see Yui Ikari one last time. If possible, pulling her out of Unit-01 was ideal, and there was a shortcut right in front of him.

“Do you think using atonement will evoke Shinji-kun’s pity? And thus realize your wish? That child doesn’t buy that.”

Gendo clenched his fists. This was what he was most depressed and worried about. That brat Shinji was even tougher than the composite armor of the Terminal Dogma area—he truly didn’t buy the “redemption” routine.

‘But what can I do? I have no power to fight back, I’ve carried the blame, I’ve worked like a beast of burden—what else do you want from me? If I had known it would come to this, I should have acted like a loving father years ago, even if I had to fake it.’

“I want to see Yui too much. Even if it’s a desperate gamble, I have to take it. So I won’t die. At least, not until I see Yui.”

Fuyutsuki looked at the slightly agitated Gendo, and only one thought crossed his mind: ‘If you had known then, why act like that in the first place?’

He patted the other man’s shoulder with full understanding, his tone relaxing. “I have already arranged the follow-up. Even in the worst-case scenario, you will be able to hide until the day Shinji-kun changes his mind.”

This sounded harsh, but Gendo had to accept it bitterly. There was no choice; the initiative was held tightly in Shinji’s hands.

‘Mutual destruction? Flipping the table? It doesn’t exist.’

He had to keep his back straight and carry the blame firmly.

The two walked out of the office toward the secret meeting hall. They didn’t return the greetings of the staff they passed; in their eyes, these people were all “owls,” and a great battle would inevitably break out shortly.

Gendo walked into the meeting hall with the mindset of someone walking to the scaffold. It was a pitch-black room. As he sat in the central chair, encrypted data began to transmit, and soon, over a dozen gravestones bearing identification numbers and the SEELE seven-eyed logo appeared around him.

The silhouette sitting there was surrounded by these tombstones. The scene looked quite obscure and theological.

“Gendo Ikari, you are still punctual.”

Chairman Keel’s voice was the first to sound. Before Gendo could speak, the gravestones spoke one after another.

“Does he dare not be punctual? This is his last chance. Once the committee decides, he will have no place left on Earth.”

“How many times have I said not to act on your own? Let’s see what excuse you have this time.”

“Hmph, do you think that just because you are the biological father of the Third Child, you can act recklessly?”

“No matter what, you must give a reasonable explanation this time.”

These voices—some sharp, some dull, some aged—mingled together, creating immense pressure. Gendo remained silent; he had no way to explain.

‘Where did I act so recklessly? Seizing the Spear of Longinus amidst the chaos, opening the gates of Terminal Dogma without permission… do they really think this group of old men is easy to bully?’

“I have read your report.” Chairman Keel spoke again. His authority silenced all discussion. Then, his voice carried a hint of mockery: “Stealing the Spear of Longinus on your own, conducting the Angel capture operation without authorization, and sealing the Angel in the Terminal Dogma area—all just to pull the script back onto the correct track?”

“Yes. I believe that after the Great Cataclysm, the original ‘Human Instrumentality Project’ became ineffective. If the first phase cannot be completed, the subsequent rituals are worthless. Therefore, I could only strengthen the defensive forces of Neo Tokyo-3 to ensure all Angels are annihilated.”

Gendo was expressionless, showing no panic or sophistry. He was the proposer of the “Human Instrumentality Project,” so he naturally had the right to explain, and he brought out plenty of data as evidence.

“The strength and number of the Angels now are extraordinary. Eliminating them is the first priority. To achieve this, it must be executed by Unit-01. I have previously submitted formal requests, but they were all rejected by the committee.”

“Oh? Do you think we were too stupid, which is why you took it upon yourself to act?”

“Of course not. But as the Commander on the front line facing the Angels, I understand the terror of the Angels better than any of you. Dealing with Unit-01 and executing the second step must come later.”

The meeting hall fell into a dead silence. Gendo could feel his heartbeat accelerating. This environment was clearly a form of torture, and he knew the old men were communicating privately.

‘There’s no other way. This is the only explanation I could think of: utilize the old men’s obsession with the ‘Human Instrumentality Project,’ and use submissive words to secretly threaten them, reminding them that finishing off the Angels is mandatory, and Unit-01’s power cannot be discarded.’

How ironic. He had even resorted to using Shinji’s shadow to protect himself, much like a thug bluffing.

‘If you touch me, you’re tearing up the agreement with Shinji Ikari. Without Unit-01, let’s see how you fight the Angels.’

“Makes sense. Unit-01 ensures humanity will not be destroyed at the hands of the Angels. Only by surviving is one worthy of dreaming of anything else. We should strive to enhance Unit-01’s strength.”

‘Huh?’

Gendo’s gaze turned eerie. That logic was sound, but was SEELE being too easy to deal with? Was it letting him off too easily? He waited for a few seconds, and sure enough, the tone shifted.

“However, can you tell me what is going on here? Why has the ‘Angel of Freedom’ appeared in Neo Tokyo-3?”

A projection suddenly appeared in the darkness. It was a handsome boy sitting in Class 2-A, laughing with his peers, occasionally looking at the camera and flashing a smile. Except for the boy being overly handsome, it was a very ordinary scene. But when Gendo saw this, his scalp went numb and his heart stopped beating.

‘What? The Angel of Freedom is here? And he’s going to First Middle School?’

He saw a girl walk up to the boy, hands on her hips, saying something—wasn’t that Asuka Langley Soryu? And an ice-blue-haired girl holding Asuka’s hand—wasn’t that Rei Ayanami?

‘Hiss. The incident at the First Branch… that brat collaborated with the Angel of Freedom to pull that off…’

Some problems that had bothered him for a long time suddenly made sense. Gendo was stunned on the spot; even a shred of anger was hard to muster.

‘You can’t screw your father like this. I racked my brains to clean up the mess, risked my life to take the blame, and before I could even finish cleaning up the ruins, you go and make an even bigger mess.’

The man who possessed unparalleled intelligence and was considered the final boss in every world line felt his face go ash-gray. He felt everything had lost its meaning.

‘What kind of sin did I commit? That brat is truly trying to run me into the ground.’

For a moment, he didn’t even bother thinking about why Shinji and Kaworu were working together, or whether it would cause the world to end. He could only maintain silence. Any explanation would only make him look like an idiot.

“Well? Don’t you have an explanation?”

“No explanation needed.” Gendo shook his head blankly. Then, as if thinking of something, he straightened his back. “This was also my arrangement.”

He had already borne all the blame in this world. Since he was a dead man anyway, he might as well be dignified. If he broke down in tears now and told the truth—that Shinji was the one

pulling the strings and he had no idea—the outcome wouldn’t change, and he would only be looked down upon by these old men.

“Since you already know, I won’t bother hiding it.” Gendo looked coldly at the gravestones and said in a deep voice: “I have my own script. SEELE was merely being used by me. The entire ‘Human Instrumentality Project’ is only the second step. I have never been loyal to you.”

He laid his cards on the table. He wasn’t pretending anymore. But he didn’t hear the expected verbal abuse; the old men were strangely calm.

“You want to take on all the responsibility and clear Shinji Ikari out of it?”

‘Otherwise what? If I told the truth, you wouldn’t believe it anyway.’

“He is merely a pilot. He doesn’t have the capacity to plan such a massive project. I am the Commander of NERV, controlling all the resources of Neo Tokyo-3.”

“Are you not afraid of death?”

“I am. But if you want to tear up the agreement, the elite divisions stationed around the city are not enough. Angels can strike at any time. Do you want to go to war with NERV?”

“There is no need for war. We can simply cancel your command authority and have both you and Kozo Fuyutsuki die.”

“You can try. We’ve worked together for so long; you can’t possibly think I haven’t made any preparations. Unit-01, Lilith, the Adam embryo, the Angel of Freedom, the Spear of Longinus—they are all in my hands. There is no reason for me to fear you.”

Gendo was instantly filled with imposing spirit. The leader who had built NERV from scratch was back, even though he didn’t actually control a single one of the things he mentioned; that didn’t stop him from using them to bluff.

But as he spoke, he realized what a massive amount of power Shinji actually possessed. Just laying it out was enough to make SEELE afraid to act rashly.

‘Right. The First Branch fell, the direct-reporting forces suffered heavy losses—is there any need to fear SEELE? Can I contact the Japanese government and go rogue?’ Gendo stopped the fantasy after a moment. The logic was simple: this wasn’t up to him. But this was the only path to survival.

“I am prepared. Even if you have several Evas and can manipulate the troops of various countries, you still have no advantage in combat power. Moreover, it is not yet time for NERV to exit the stage.”

“Threatening us? You might as well say you have the Adam embryo, have captured an Angel, and can launch the Third Impact at any time—threatening all of humanity.”

Gendo paused. Of course, he knew that using the threat of the Third Impact would be simpler and more brutal, but after so long, he had gradually realized that some things could not be said.

“I will not threaten all of humanity. That is meaningless.”

The meeting hall fell into dead silence again, leaving Gendo feeling suspicious. He waited for a while, and then suddenly heard crisp applause.

Clap… clap…

The man was confused. Had SEELE lost their minds? He was clearly threatening them—why were they applauding? Surely they weren’t praising his courage? But at that moment, his pupils contracted sharply.

From behind the gravestone marked “01,” a familiar figure walked out. The black-haired boy was clapping. His physique was even more robust than Gendo’s. He looked down at Gendo with the gaze of a superior looking at an inferior.

‘Sh-Shinji Ikari!?’

What was going on? How could he appear in this top-secret meeting?

For a moment, Gendo sat there blankly, feeling as if his head were about to explode. He knew what this place was: the true core of the world, an existence that the heads of state of various nations could not resist. Any one of these old men stamping their feet would cause an earthquake in a nation. He had spent half his life struggling just to join SEELE.

Shinji was no longer the puppet from the script that could be molded at will, but it wasn’t easy to seize control of the script either. SEELE was not like the Angels; they could not be defeated by brute force, as they represented the order of the world.

“You hacked the classified line to test me?” Gendo quickly steadied his mind and found the most likely reason.

‘This brat must have hacked the meeting to figure out in advance if I would sell his secrets. That makes sense. To deal with SEELE, I am essential; otherwise, how would he make contact with those old men?’

This was the biggest possibility. But then he saw Shinji clearly pause for a moment, and then those eyes were filled with pity, as if looking at a clown performing. This made Gendo unable to maintain his composure any longer. His interlaced fingers dropped.

“If you hate me this much, why not just kill me? There’s no need for these nonsense games.”

“Wrong. As far as I know, death is a form of relief for most people. I have at least 137 ways to torture you until you break. The reason I don’t use them is that I don’t hate you in the first place, and you aren’t qualified to make me hate you.”

There was no hysterical roar. That indifference hurt Gendo even more. He unbuttoned his collar and pointed at the surrounding gravestones.

“Isn’t this torture?”

“Wrong. The organizer of this hearing was me in the first place. I wanted to see if you even have the qualifications to continue living. If not, then I will grant you relief. Mother won’t say anything more about it.”

‘Mother…’

At the thought that Shinji could often see Yui, Gendo felt twisted with jealousy. He took a deep breath and asked back, rather indecisively:

“You want to say that you have taken control of SEELE?”

“Otherwise? Do you think I have the time to let the MAGI create a fake meeting room just to listen to your nonsense?” Shinji couldn’t be bothered to explain. He raised his hand and pointed at the gravestones. “Chairman Keel, British representative Commissioner John, French representative Julian…”

He called their names one by one. With each name revealed, Gendo’s cheeks trembled uncontrollably. The gravestones were a means to hide identities; other than “01” representing Chairman Keel, the numbering of SEELE members was chaotic. Gendo had spent a lot of effort to figure out which councilor corresponded to which number.

Shinji knew them like the back of his hand and could even state their real names. This was truly terrifying.

“Did Kaji Ryoji find this for you? How did you convince SEELE to cooperate with you?” Gendo wasn’t a man who buried his head in the sand, but he couldn’t understand the scene before him. This was like a group of world-controllers holding a meeting when suddenly a boy broke in and spouted nonsense, and the bigwigs had no reaction.

“Convince? Cooperate?” Shinji shook his head and waved his hand gently. The gravestones reverted back into individual seats.

The old men remained expressionless, staring at Gendo in the middle. Every councilor was exactly as he had collected in his secret data. Just as Gendo was using his full mental capacity, Shinji walked to the head of the table. With another wave of his hand, Chairman Keel obediently stood up and yielded the seat.

In Gendo’s stiff gaze, Shinji sat down, interlaced his fingers, and struck the pose he liked to use every day.

“It wasn’t that troublesome. I’m just their master.”