Aozaki Aoko [608-609] (Patreon)

Chapter 608 Promised Happiness

Aoko and Touko's figures abruptly appeared in outer space above the lunar graveyard, without the slightest prior sign.

The two of them looked down from on high at the boy sitting on his own coffin, saying nothing at first.

On either side of the boy's coffin, more coffins stretched all the way to the edge of the lunar horizon. Half stood open, the other half remained sealed.

The boy smiled at them as if he were looking at long-lost friends.

"You've seen the records in each of my other selves, haven't you?" the gray-haired boy asked Aoko and Touko. "Any thoughts?"

"Nonsense."

Aoko stared at him coldly and spoke her mind. Yet her voice went straight into the gray-haired boy's heart; her lips didn't so much as twitch.

"It's just a middle-aged man-baby who lost his wife and is dragging the whole world into his breakdown," Aoko skewered him. "If anything, Yui was more like Gendo's mother than his wife!"

The gray-haired boy froze at that. It was clearly the first time he'd heard such a take, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.

"...That is certainly a novel assessment," the boy said. "But you're not wrong. At times, the roles of wife and mother do overlap—especially when it comes to embracing certain lonely souls."

"Let's not repeat pointless lines," Aoko said crisply. "I don't know how you found us, but this contact—does it come from your own will, or from SEELE's orders behind you?"

"The priests of Lilin can't see this conversation. You two can rest easy," the gray-haired boy replied, pleased. "My reason for reaching out is that I saw a new possibility to break the cycle."

"Let's hear it."

"See that headstone?" The boy raised a hand and pointed at a spot on the lunar surface where a solitary stone slab stood. "Because the White Moon isn't affected by the resets of my other selves, every time a cycle passes, the people here add a few years to it..."

"This is the thirteenth Millennium I've experienced since the initial cycle," the gray-haired boy went on. "Time and again the King of Lilin reaches the place of God, and time and again he gives up everything and starts over. That's why I'm still here."

"What do you want?" Touko, intrigued by the gray-haired boy's account, asked. "What do you want us to do?"

"To end this," the gray-haired boy said, expression tinged with sorrow. "At the very least, to let Shinji-kun attain true happiness."

"That's awfully vague..." Aoko couldn't help but grouse. "Happiness is a highly subjective feeling. Is leaving that messed-up father of his forever supposed to be happiness?"

"Maybe," the gray-haired boy smiled. "As beings truly outside what the 'Dead Sea Scrolls' recorded, you can surely make that happen, can't you?"

Aoko didn't answer directly; she shot back with a question. "What do we get?"

"Everything," the gray-haired boy said without hesitation. "Whether it's the legacy of the Adams or the crystallized wisdom of Lilin—if you can take it, you can have it. After all, in a world where Shinji finds happiness, none of that is necessary, is it?"

"Oh?" Aoko arched a brow. "Sounds nice enough. And the method?"

"However you like," said the gray-haired boy. "I'll move forward according to my own plan. I'm a character in the script too... so I'm not exactly free. But you are."

"Though your circumstances differ from ours, I can tell you two are humans post-Completion—existences not bound by God's fetters, aren't you?"

"...Why, in the past twelve millennia, has no one tried to wipe out all EVAs?" Touko asked. "Among your other selves, it should be doable, shouldn't it?"

"Because they were unwilling to accept never attaining 'true happiness,' I suppose," the gray-haired boy replied vaguely. Aoko nevertheless understood what he meant. "But sometimes, with intervention from outside, imperfection itself can be a kind of perfection. You, at least, should understand that, no?"

Of course, Aoko wouldn't gamble with her own soul. The agreement was unequal; only the First Angel—the gray-haired boy—would be bound. Even if this artificial body of his were destroyed, the contract would stand.

The gray-haired boy didn't hesitate. He extended his arm, and a wound opened on its own in the center of his palm. Bright red blood welled out and soaked into the surface of the self-compulsory oath-text.

The contract was thus concluded. The parchment ignited, and its ashes became two currents of mana. One flew into Aoko, and the other entered the gray-haired boy's body.

"For now, leave the Moon," the gray-haired boy cautioned. "I can only screen us from the priests of Lilin for so long. Before the plan begins, you'd best not expose yourselves to them... at least not here."

…

…

…

"This is practically a sea of blood," Touko clicked her tongue, gazing at Earth's crimson ocean. "Second Impact purified the seas... Is that why we saw those souls in the Anti-Universe?"

"What's borrowed must be returned—that never changes," Aoko said. "Life on Earth was granted by Lilith. In the end it will be reclaimed by someone, one way or another. Second Impact was just a rehearsal."

"So, where do we start?" Alice asked after a sip of tea. "Japan?"

"No, not yet," Aoko shook her head. "For all the harm SEELE's done over the years, they do have plenty of good stuff. Let's start in Europe."

"Oh?" Artoria's eyes moved. "From Britain?"

"Sadly, this world's Britain was wiped out in Second Impact," Aoko said bluntly. "Touko and I plan to start in Europe. France is a great entry point. SEELE has quite a few subordinate institutions there—it's perfect for us to muddy the waters and slip into their interior."

"How about it—come with us, Alice?" Aoko smiled at the girl she shared a home with.

"...Mm."

Chapter 609 Enchanted Paris

Before the demiplane magic ship officially entered this world's atmosphere, Aoko carefully concealed it with both Magic and magecraft.

Approaching the Moon earlier had, in fact, been rash. Aoko hadn't expected that with such a small exterior footprint on the demiplane, someone would still detect them. Fortunately, that double-crosser Kaworu covered for them, or SEELE would have noticed them right away and they'd have started this arc with a brawl...

Entry went smoothly. No satellites, telescopes, or anything else spotted the demiplane magic ship.

After discussion, they chose Paris, France as the landing site. The first action team would be Aoko, Touko, and Alice. Irisviel, Artoria, and Melusine would remain aboard on standby.

First problem: identities.

The three spent a morning finding the Paris City Hall data center, then used magecraft suggestion to control a few unlucky civil servants and fabricated entirely new identities in the database, complete with histories.

Those records aren't bulletproof. If SEELE made a serious investigation, they'd spot the anomalies in their files. But for living and working in Paris, there'd be no problem.

"Near-future Paris, huh?" Touko walked the streets, studying the surroundings and the passersby. "This world's human technology is really advanced... And by the way, Aoko, why are you so familiar with all this? It's like you used to live in a place with exactly this level of tech."

Touko gave Aoko a scrutinizing look, but Aoko was unfazed. Please—what does a previous life as a transmigrator have to do with the Aozaki Aoko of this life?

With a completely unflustered demeanor, she deflected her sister's suspicion. Not a shred of guilt—after all, she hadn't actually lied, had she?

"In a sense, it doesn't feel like the Paris I know at all," Alice said, looking around the streets and alleys. "At the very least, it's very clean. Even the little side alleys don't have much waste or garbage. It's incredible."

"That it is," Aoko smiled, then said, "This world's Paris is like one of those magical scenes you see in tabloid puff pieces praising the comforts of Europe—exquisitely prosperous, clean and beautiful. It's just a pity..."

She turned toward the Seine. Flowing along the riverbed wasn't fetid sewage but a blood-red.

According to the information recorded by the other selves, the red seas and lands are the purification aftermath of Second Impact induced by the Adams. The bodies of all lifeforms within range, humans included, were decomposed by a force called the L-Field, reduced to souls and inert matter. That's why the remaining marine creatures can't survive in this Red Sea.

"This world still holds many secrets and valuables we don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Since we made a contract with the First Angel, we should make damn sure to get our share of the reward into our hands... Right, Alice—this is for you."

Alice took the small vial from Aoko, puzzled. She held it up. Inside was a completely transparent liquid—it looked like plain water. "What is it?"

"Water from the Fountain of Youth," Aoko winked. "Drink the whole bottle and you'll gain fifty years of youth and lifespan. A nice thing I picked up in Faerûn—I forgot to bring it out before."

"...You do know that as a witch it's hard for me to grow old, right?"

"Not the same thing," Aoko shook her head. "You're not a Magician yet, so your lifespan, however long, is still finite. Drinking this won't hurt you."

"Hey! Don't ignore me, you two!" Touko complained from the side. "And where's mine?!"

"That Fountain-of-Youth whatever—give me a bottle too!" she said, hand outstretched toward Aoko as if it were only natural. "Don't you dare save my share just because I'm immortal!"

"Fine, fine—here, don't rush..." Aoko sighed and pulled out another bottle from her Imaginary Number pocket, handing it over. Touko snatched it and stuffed it into her coat.

Bickering amiably, the three settled lunch on the streets of future Paris, then caught EVA world's standard city program—the transformable architecture.

As one of the cities with a NERV branch, Paris's urban defense system is designed to match Tokyo-3's: buildings rise and sink on a schedule according to function and time period.

The trio watched in silence as massive structures ascended while others withdrew underground; in moments, the city had transformed.

They marveled at the awe that large-scale technology and engineering can inspire, while quietly discussing their next steps.

As ill-intentioned visitors from another world, their main goal was to infiltrate SEELE's inner apparatus. The easiest way in was academia—make SEELE's people come recruit them on their own.

Given fields of study, Aozaki Touko—whose achievements in the materialization of souls had reached the level of a Magician—would be the most attractive to SEELE. Alice, adept in fairy-tale magecraft, would be the safest to present.

As for Aoko, she had her own specialty: artificial intelligence.

Drawing on her previous life's knowledge of computing, coupled with this life's formidable intellect, Aoko could introduce an AI paradigm entirely different from EVA world's track and open a whole new lane. She could shake up the AI academy with ease and thus enter SEELE's sights.

Strictly speaking, the MAGI system developed by Dr. Naoko Akagi isn't really artificial intelligence. Its basis isn't an abstract deep neural network algorithm, but an electronic copy of her own brain.

Running machines on a human will is impressive, but it plants the seed for disaster when it comes to key decisions.

Bear in mind: as a woman, Naoko Akagi is hardly a paragon of rationality. Someone who could kill Rei Ayanami and then abandon her daughter to commit suicide is not someone you trust to make sound calls at critical moments.

Her computing system composed of the threefold personas—"mother, daughter, scientist"—may look balanced and prudent, but in essence it's a fully mechanized duplication of her own brain structure with vast black-box mechanisms.

The base computations are still carried out by conventional computers; the special brain-mimicking hardware is only responsible for assigning computational tasks and making the pivotal decisions on major issues.

From the nature of this tech, you can glimpse a measure of Naoko Akagi's madness: the MAGI system is equivalent to copying Naoko Akagi countless times and installing herself in key institutions across the globe—to have herself work for the whole world.