Chapter 98 130: I Am the Strongest.

Shinji was right. As a conspirator, Gendo Ikari always kept a contingency plan in reserve. More terrifyingly, he bore the label of "cold-blooded"—willing to discard anyone to reach his goal. He was the perfect archetype of a villain.

This was clearly a pre-arranged strategy. If Fuyutsuki was taken away, he didn't need to explain, nor could he; he simply needed to pin the blame on Ryoji Kaji and Ritsuko Akagi to extract himself. Moreover, his logic was grounded and well-reasoned.

Ryoji Kaji had indeed mysteriously vanished. The man was a double agent by nature and was indeed the last person to see the Adam embryo.

His deep connection with Ritsuko Akagi could be proven by countless people. Before his disappearance, he frequently visited the Research Department to find her. As the person with authority to modify data, she had the opportunity to place the embryo on Unit-01 and the specialized knowledge to execute such a feat.

She was, after all, the foremost expert on Angel research. Such a risky operational plan could not bypass her regardless; the only question was the distinction between the mastermind and the accomplice. As for motive? You'd have to find those two first.

'A perfect emergency escape. But he just sold me out to SEELE like that?'

Ritsuko's pupils were trembling. Had she not heard it with her own ears, she could not have imagined she would become the sacrificial lamb.

Once this "black pot" of blame was placed on her, she would never be able to shake it off. SEELE would never let her go; they would use the most forceful methods to dig out her secrets. When that time came, she would truly be in a state where she could neither live nor die.

'But I really don't know anything! Am I supposed to make up stories? There's no one else left to take this fall!'

Her breathing became heavy. Anger, doubt, resentment, and sorrow intertwined. She recalled many details—for instance, when she had mentioned Kaji's activities, Gendo told her not to worry. Looking back now, that was a foreshadowing prepared long ago.

As a woman who gravitated toward power, she had admired Gendo Ikari's capability and once believed that his decisiveness and coldness were virtues. But when she herself became the discarded pawn, she found it impossible to accept.

'Gendo Ikari is a significant figure, but he is not a decent human being.'

Shinji watched her quietly. Ritsuko Akagi had stopped struggling; her face was filled with a despair that suggested her world had crumbled.

"I know you have a deep relationship with him, and even harbor feelings of admiration."

The youth spoke quietly, his voice like a whisper from the Warp.

"But haven't you realized that you are already useless? Dr. Akagi."

Ritsuko's head snapped up. Her mind raced at full capacity, and after a long silence, she became even more dejected.

Yes, she was useless now. All the tools were prepared. To deal with the Angels, Shinji alone was sufficient. Her only remaining function was to maintain the MAGI—but judging by the current state of war, the MAGI was not irreplaceable.

"I know too much. Better to throw me out as a pawn at the critical moment?"

"That is precisely your function. Since you admire the strong, you should know that the strong do not care for emotions. Even the closest people are merely tools used to complete a goal."

Shinji's words were highly persuasive because he himself was the most critical "tool"—simply one that was too powerful to be controlled.

Ritsuko was no ordinary woman. After regaining her composure, she shook her head slightly: "Is he not afraid I'll 'break the fishnet' and tell SEELE everything I know?"

"Does he do things in a way that leaves you an opportunity to break the net?"

Shinji beckoned, and the two agents spoke.

"Belonging to the Sixth Section of the Intelligence Department. Our mission is to monitor Dr. Akagi. If SEELE shows intent to move against her, we are to act first—taking her out of sight to create the appearance of a flight from guilt."

Ritsuko's entire body began to shake. This had been planned long ago; it was indeed that man's handiwork, without a single loophole.

If she hadn't been listening in, and these two agents had taken her away under the guise of "protection," she probably wouldn't have even suspected anything. By the time SEELE's attention shifted, wouldn't the time have been bought?

As for the outcome? No matter how sky-high SEELE's power was, they could not find a dead person.

"I take back my previous words. Gendo Ikari still has some feelings for you, since he chose to wait for SEELE to act rather than dealing with you in advance."

Shinji's words were harsh, but Ritsuko no longer had the heart to argue.

She fell into the greatest existential crisis of her life. Countless thoughts and emotions intertwined in her mind; she no longer possessed her usual passion and rationality. She was simply a betrayed woman.

"These are his people. How did you win them over?"

"I told you. This is the Emperor's might."

"Heh. The Emperor's might."

Ritsuko laughed miserably. She stared at the boy with eyes that had lost their luster, as if she no longer cared about her fate.

"So, will you deal with things in advance? Are you even more ruthless than him?"

"No. I never sacrifice any comrade, even the lowest-ranking soldier. He is not my tool."

Shinji answered firmly. This was the will he had always maintained.

'All are the Emperor's currency. No one is more noble than another. The only one who can use the people of the world as tools is the Emperor.'

A bit of light returned to Ritsuko's eyes. She realized that coming from Shinji, there was no way to refute this.

He truly acted this way. It was perfectly reflected in Rei Ayanami; the latter had been forcibly transformed from a useful tool into a human being.

"You really are a bit different from him."

"Of course. Because I am stronger. So-called coldness, cruelty, and heartlessness are all because one is not firm enough, requiring the discarding of emotion. A truly strong person will simply—"

The youth leaned forward, slowly clenching his fist.

"—Take everything into his palm."

Light returned to Ritsuko Akagi's eyes following his words. It was like a leaf being removed from her vision; when the leaf named Gendo Ikari was taken away, she felt as if she saw a supreme power standing right before her.

Correct. Mighty strength, absolute decisiveness, all-controlling intelligence, a will of iron...

Gendo Ikari was far inferior to this boy. His so-called cold ruthlessness was merely an excuse for his own weakness.

'Why is the effect so surprisingly good?'

Shinji noted those burning eyes and felt a bit puzzled. He wanted to use this opportunity to bring a genius as valuable as Ritsuko Akagi to his side, but the Psychic Seed was growing faster than imagined.

It took several seconds for Ritsuko to calm down. She asked curiously: "How do you plan to end this? Do you want me to go and confront Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki?"

"No need. I only wanted you to know the truth. I will not interfere with any of your decisions."

"Heh? Playing hard to get?"

"There is no need for that. I have known about the Human Instrumentality Project for a long time. You don't need to worry about me using this to threaten you."

Shinji tilted his head, his face carrying a sense of confidence. "You can even act as if nothing happened. SEELE won't act; they will only receive a 'suitable' investigation report."

'What? Nothing happens? How is that possible?'

Ritsuko Akagi was lost once again. She looked at the one-way glass and suddenly stood up.

"This isn't 'Owl.' You found people to act for us?!"

Everyone had been fooled. This was a performance. His people had kidnapped Fuyutsuki and lured out Gendo's plan. What a meticulous mind; the one who could create such a plan was a genius conspirator.

The causes and effects were all linked together. But just as Ritsuko thought her IQ had regained the high ground...

"No. This is Owl."

The youth leaned back. Looking at Ritsuko's confused gaze, he spoke word by word.

"But this is my Owl."

-

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-

Ritsuko Akagi left with a face full of daze. Fuyutsuki Kouzou was also released. Both carried different moods; it would likely be a long time before they could truly process what had happened.

This was not a performance. "Owl" had indeed received orders from the Committee. But from start to finish, the director was simply Shinji.

Perhaps SEELE's eyes were watching, but those old men could never imagine that a boy who should have been enjoying the daily youth of a school festival—a boy who should have been dancing with girls before a bonfire—was quietly manipulating everything.

"The effect was better than I imagined. Ritsuko Akagi's Heart's Wall collapsed directly. Hmm, an admiration for the strong? No wonder she got mixed up with Gendo Ikari."

Shinji thought as he looked at the investigation report handed over by Robert. This report wasn't exactly "truthful and detailed"—it was completely nonsensical.

There was no mention of a "black pot" for Ritsuko Akagi. It had been turned into an entirely different theory:

All EVAs are clones of Adam, except for Unit-01, which originates from Lilith. NERV utilized a portion of Lilith's flesh from Terminal Dogma to forge an Adam-like wavelength, using it as a lure to trick the Angel into changing its trajectory.

It was risky and violated the rules, but theoretically, it worked. After all, the First and Second Angels are creations of the same level. Precisely because Adam vanished, the Angels would mistake the Lilith beneath Neo Tokyo-3 for Adam, running one after another to their deaths.

"Go find Dr. Akagi to perfect the theory. Send it to SEELE just like that. She is the authority in this field; scientists in other branches won't find any flaws."

"Ritsuko Akagi did not agree to cooperate. Should we use Option Three?" Robert reminded him woodenly.

"It's only a matter of time. Having received such a psychological shock, I will allow her two days to recover."

Shinji was confident and satisfied. Since he had decided on the goal of utilizing the Human Instrumentality Project, he needed helpers. Who was more suitable than Ritsuko Akagi?

But this woman's Heart's Wall was very thick, and she had an ambiguous relationship with Gendo Ikari. He let Gendo provide the assist himself, piercing that wall in one stroke.

'Betrayal is a blade sharper than fear.'

Gendo Ikari is truly useful; he helped a great deal this time, allowing me to harvest a powerful helper.

Shinji felt zero psychological burden about "pitting" his father. He had only played a small trick with the Adam embryo. Everything was the result of Gendo's own karma.

As for why he could manipulate him so thoroughly? Did he feel any shame about using cheats?

'An Astartes utilizing the Emperor's might—isn't that only natural?'

"Right, contact Saionji. Propose at the meeting that the investigation results be kept secret from Gendo Ikari."

Shinji crossed his fingers, speaking quite pleasantly:

"Let panic and doubt torture him a little longer."

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