The Trash Returned from Warhammer

EVA Unit-02, assembled and tested by NERV’s European branch, equipped with B-type close-quarters armor, is the first production-model EVA. Its data is...

The Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu, 14 years old, of Japanese-German mixed heritage, already a university graduate...

Shinji leaned back in his chair, recalling various top-secret files in his mind. As a fellow pilot, it was naturally impossible for him to obtain Asuka’s detailed records through official channels. But what did that matter to a Blood Raven? He simply stole—no, ”borrowed in advance”—them directly from Ritsuko Akagi.

An excellent warrior, quite loyal, and practically chomping at the bit to start a xeno-slaying competition with me.

He nodded with satisfaction. Although they hadn’t met yet, his impression of Asuka was very positive.

Compared to a submissive, soft-spoken girl, a sharp-edged iron warrior with an unyielding will was much more to his taste. Take Rei Ayanami, for instance—if it weren’t for her death-defying resolve, he wouldn’t have stepped in to help her.

The sound of rotor blades whirred loudly. The Mi-55D heavy transport helicopter was already flying over the boundless ocean. Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara, who rarely went out to sea, were making a noisy racket. Misato Katsuragi, dressed in her full NERV uniform, stole a glance at the boy and finally couldn’t help herself.

”Uh, Shinji, Asuka is a bit difficult to get along with. Be the bigger person later, okay?”

She had interacted with Asuka and knew her awkward personality; she feared these two would clash like a needle against a whetstone.

”Misato, what are you afraid of?”

Shinji opened his eyes and stared at her curiously.

Yeah, what am I afraid of? It’s your fault, kid; your presence is too oppressive—stronger even than Commander Ikari’s.

If Asuka provokes you, you won’t kill her, will you?

Misato suddenly felt uneasy and gave a dry laugh.

”Well, you’ll be colleagues from now on. You need to maintain a good relationship in private.”

”Rest assured. The Second Child has proactively contacted me several times. Her vigorous fighting spirit is commendable. We will surely become battle-brothers who can entrust our backs to one another.”

Huh? Are you talking about Asuka?

Misato blinked, never expecting Shinji to hold her in such high regard. He didn’t look like he was joking. Asuka was stubborn, proud, direct, and overbearing—a classic aggressive personality. Even Misato found her tricky to handle, but then again...

She looked at the expressionless Shinji. This one was even more of an outlier. If Asuka had an aggressive personality, this boy was simply no longer a human of Earth.

Fine, I’ll just leave it to him.

”Wow, that’s the Pacific Fleet!”

Following Kensuke Aida’s exclamation, black dots appeared at the edge of the horizon. As the tilt-rotor aircraft approached, massive steel warships could be seen churning up white spray on the azure sea, fully displaying the shocking power of human technology.

”Three Ticonderoga-class cruisers, two Slava-class cruisers, three Sovremenny-class destroyers, eight Perry-class frigates, four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers, one Kuznetsov carrier... Wow, and four Iowa-class battleships!”

Kensuke shouted excitedly, reciting the names like a pro while filming everything with his DV camera. For a military enthusiast, the sight of this steel fleet made him tremble with happiness. Even Toji, who usually showed little interest, stared with wide eyes.

The forest of turrets, the chocolate-bar-like vertical launch systems, the fighter jets on the decks, the rotating radars—this was every man’s romance.

Shinji also looked out the window with some interest, then shook his head slightly.

These ships were too primitive; there was no comparison to the Imperial Navy stationed in the sector. Only those few battleships somewhat fit his aesthetic—heavy armor and massive turrets. It was just a shame they lacked holy ramming prows.

But overall, it was quite good. The more turrets, the more loyalty; the larger the caliber, the more sacred.

”Is that Unit-02?”

He glanced at the transport ship in the center of the fleet, its deck covered with thick tarpaulins. ”By the way, when will Unit-01 arrive at the designated coordinates?”

”Ah, in about two hours.” Misato, who was admiring the fleet, turned to ask: ”Is this really necessary? Deploying the ’Raven’ once costs a huge amount of money.”

Unit-00 remained to guard Tokyo-3, while Unit-01 was being transported by air. She hadn’t expected Commander Ikari to agree to such a wasteful plan. If nothing happened and they just did a dry run, the UN would go ballistic.

”Just in case. Never underestimate any enemy. Also, your combat plans are very problematic. You always like to let the Angels into Tokyo-3. You should build the most perfect monitoring network and fully utilize this fortress’s firepower.

Truly, letting an Angel break into the fortress is incredibly foolish. The powerful N2 depth charges become completely unusable.”

Shinji began his lecture. No matter how impatient Misato felt, she could only listen quietly, grumbling in her heart.

It’s not like I want to let the Angels in. And why is this kid sounding more and more like my old man? I don’t even get a chance to talk back.

It’s great when you’re barking orders, but I’m the one who has to stay up late writing reports. How did my promotion and raise turn me into a workhorse?

Misato muttered to herself but still obeyed until the aircraft landed on the carrier. The hatch opened, and she ran out as if escaping for her life.

”I’m going to coordinate with the Fleet Commander. Don’t wander off!”

The woman held her beret with one hand and ran fast. Kensuke and the others also hopped off the helicopter, looking around curiously. Only Shinji remained in the cabin for a moment, inhaling the salty air.

The ocean?

The Blood Ravens Chapter had no homeworld and primarily sailed through the sea of stars. Shinji had rarely seen a blue ocean. He watched the dancing seagulls; even after the Second Impact, this world remained vibrant.

Beautiful.

Shinji stood up slowly and gave the pilot a chest-thumping salute. The pilot hurriedly returned the gesture, feeling that this boy was the most stable and mature person on this flight.

Just as he stepped out of the cabin, he heard a slightly shrill female voice from the deck.

”Eh? So which one of you is the legendary Third Child? It couldn’t be you, could it, four-eyes with no world experience?”

”Who are you calling inexperienced! This is every man’s dream!”

”Che, what’s there to see in these old relics? Flatter me more, and later I’ll show you something even more shocking.”

”Alright, alright. Let me introduce you. This is the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu. Where’s Shinji? Why hasn’t he come down yet?”

Shinji frowned and stepped out of the cabin with his head down. He immediately saw a young girl in an apricot-yellow dress with orange-red hair. she tilted her chin up slightly, her azure eyes filled with confidence and pride.

Without needing Misato’s introduction, she was already looking at Shinji as he stepped out. Her mouth moved, but she swallowed the evaluation ”utterly unremarkable” back into her throat.

The boy’s unique aura was something even a blind person would notice. No matter how stubborn Asuka was, she couldn’t utter a word of disdain.

Long-term training had filled out his muscles, filling out his white shirt. His back was rod-straight, and his gaze was cold and firm, sweeping over her like a blade.

Asuka immediately felt a sense of oppression. She had felt this before from Special Forces instructors during self-defense training, but this was ten times heavier—like a humanoid beast. Her eyes instinctively shifted away. A split second later, she was startled and defiantly met his gaze again.

Not bad.

Shinji nodded approvingly. Although he no longer had the hulking physique of an Astartes, his psychic presence and aura remained. That fierce gaze was something even Misato didn’t dare to meet, yet this girl could resist her instincts.

He walked over, his fists clenched, each step as precise as if measured by a ruler.

”Wh-What are you doing?”

Asuka took a half-step back, only to see the boy walk up to her and extend his hand.

”I am the Third Child, the pilot of Unit-01, Shinji Ikari. We finally meet.”

Ah, I...

Asuka looked at Shinji’s extended hand, then at his face, her mind in a muddle. This bastard could break her composure with just a few sentences on the phone every time. She had recently racked her brain to come up with countless ways to strike back, but now that she met him in person, she couldn’t carry out a single plan.

Danger.

This was her instinct sounding an alarm. Humans act recklessly before the weak, but in the face of a butcher, instinct makes you speak properly.

Unique.

This was the judgment made by her brain. Meeting him for the first time, Asuka found she couldn’t describe the boy before her, but she was certain he was nothing like a peer.

But I... I’m holding it in so painfully!

Asuka pursed her lips. Shinji had said only one sentence, yet she felt like she was suppressing a mouthful of old blood. She was angry, unwilling, and afraid—like what? Like a brat who

wants to vent their emotions, but standing before them is a two-meter-tall muscle-bound giant. She wanted to be willful, but didn’t dare.

”You, you, you... Hmph! Until you earn my recognition, I won’t shake your hand!”

Asuka was Asuka, after all. She held her ground before the ”muscle giant,” gave a cold snort, and tilted her head.

She actually managed to act arrogant, though this arrogance was a bit weak and flimsy; she secretly used her peripheral vision to stay on guard against Shinji.

If he... if he dares to hit me, I’ll go find Kaji-senpai.

Misato smiled bitterly. This Asuka was truly something. It was the first time she had seen someone dare to proactively provoke Shinji; an ordinary person under that pressure would have had their ”eyes cleared” long ago.

Shinji was visibly stunned for a moment, then lowered his hand and actually smiled.

”You’re not angry?” Asuka’s eyes darted around. Could it be this guy has a good temper and just has scary eyes?

”Why should I be angry? You’re right. Recognition is forged in blood. When you witness with your own eyes as I dismember the Angels, tear their flesh, and crush their cores, you will recognize my loyalty.”

His words rang out powerfully, his fists clenched, a wave of iron and blood aura hitting her face. Asuka’s eyes twitched. She had witnessed it, of course—she had watched the footage secretly countless times.

”Seltsame Leute (Strange people).”

”What did you say?”

Shinji was taken caught off guard. He understood German, of course, but didn’t understand why this person was cursing him.

Eh? He doesn’t understand German. Right, he’s just a fourteen-year-old brat; of course he wouldn’t.

The corners of Asuka’s mouth curled up. She seemed to have found a way to resist. She put her hands on her hips: ”I said you’re okay. You’ll be helpful in the future.”

A lie. That’s not what it meant at all.

Shinji’s gaze turned strange. Looking at the girl who had regained her confidence and high spirits, he didn’t quite understand why she said the opposite of what she meant, but he didn’t expose her.

Having been back for so long, he knew humans in this world were very fragile, and the pilots were all eccentric. If his presence suppressed her, it would be detrimental to combat.

Fine, I’ll just let it be an emotional outlet for her.

He didn’t call her out. He gave a slight bow of the head and gestured gently.

”Let us go. We will coordinate with the Fleet Commander and return to Tokyo-3 at maximum speed.”

”Yes, Brother.”

”By your command.”

A group of people followed him as he left, including Misato Katsuragi in her red uniform. However, after a few steps, she turned back.

”Asuka, aren’t you coming with us?”

The girl was dazing off, but immediately noticed something wrong.

”Misato-san, you are the Operations Director! Why are you following his orders?”

Uh, that’s so direct. As expected of her.

Misato scratched her cheek, feeling she was losing face. She could only shrug with a bitter smile.

”It’s not just me. You’ll find out later. Shinji-kun is much more than just a pilot.”

What else can he do besides pilot an EVA?

Asuka was even more confused. Looking at that upright back, she bit the bullet and followed, accelerating her pace to overtake the others.

I don’t care about this or that—I’m walking in front!

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