Passing through the Gate of Gaff, formed from the entanglement of red and black, the world instantly lost all sense of direction.
This is the Negative Universe.
Physical laws failed, quantum probabilities collapsed, and only soul anchors carrying will and memory could define the dimensions of existence.
"Wow, is this the other side of the gate? It's like jumping into a giant kaleidoscope!"
Mari Makinami Illustrious's voice rang out through the Divine Power Link.
At this moment, the three radiant, Deified EVAs had transformed into pure streams of energy light, protecting the souls of the girls within.
Hansen floated in the void, his body wrapped in platinum brilliance that burned like a torch.
The surging flames formed an indestructible barrier, shielding the followers who had come with him.
"Boss, is it really okay for us not to bring Puppy-kun along to play?"
Mari Makinami appeared beside Hansen, her gaze tinged with complexity. "That child gave his all for this world, you know."
"He is different."
Hansen replied indifferently, his eyes fixed on the extremely distant shore, where a faint blue glow flickered.
"Shinji belongs to the future, to that new world without EVAs. But you..."
Hansen turned his head, looking at the three stunning girls surrounding him.
"You have become my messengers and will eventually leave with me."
Asuka and the other two subconsciously glanced at each other and nodded thoughtfully.
Becoming a God-Awakened didn't just mean being purified and enhanced by divine power on a physiological level to gain strength far beyond ordinary people.
They had also learned Hansen's unknown secrets through the Divine Power Link, so they didn't seem particularly surprised by their god's words.
After all, the girls had already made up their minds the moment they made their choice.
The determination to dedicate their bodies, minds, and everything to their god.
As they went deeper, a pale blue phantom imbued with maternal radiance approached them from the boundless darkness and silence.
That was the soul governing eva unit-01, and also Shinji Ikari's mother—Yui Ikari.
Sensing Hansen's arrival, the massive phantom began to shrink and condense, eventually transforming into a gentle woman wearing a flowing gown.
Her face bore a seventy percent resemblance to Rei Ayanami, but with an added touch of the fullness and tolerance unique to mature women.
Her shoulder-length short hair drifted behind her, and her eyes were filled with maternal love and wisdom.
Seeing Hansen, Yui Ikari bowed respectfully.
"You have finally arrived, my Lord."
Yui's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze over a lake, echoing directly in the depths of everyone's souls. "I have been waiting for this moment."
"You've worked hard, Yui." Hansen stepped forward, not putting on the airs of a god, but nodding as if to an old friend.
"It was no trouble, my Lord." Yui looked up, her eyes sparkling with sincere gratitude. "It is I who should thank you. You were the one who helped that child, Shinji, find his true courage."
"Shinji is a good boy; I only helped him stimulate the potential hidden beneath his cowardly exterior." Hansen smiled and looked around at the three girls. "In comparison, there are still a few lost lambs here who need to find their home at this destination."
Following Hansen's words, the surrounding space began to distort violently.
The original quantum ocean receded instantly, replaced by a vast space that seemed to be pieced together from countless surrealist paintings.
Massive crosses spanned the sky, countless trains sped along Mobius-strip-like tracks, old desks and chairs were piled up like mountains, and the background consisted of memory fragments playing on a continuous loop.
The deepest part of the Negative Universe—the Katatante.
This is the intersection of reality and illusion, the backstage where imagination can directly rewrite the world.
Upon entering this place, the Imaginary Divine Power within Hansen's body felt as if it had returned to its mother's womb, letting out an unprecedented roar of joy.
The Imaginary Willpower accumulated by human souls across countless cycles was purified and absorbed by his divine power, within which a new authority was gestating, about to be born.
The divine power was evolving!
"This place is..." Asuka looked around, the constantly flashing images making her feel a wave of dizziness.
In the images, there was her younger self in a yellow dress, crying in despair after finding her mother had hanged herself;
There was the indifference of being part of the Shikinami series of Clone, watching countless companions die in incubation tanks;
And there was the tragic end in old cycles, being torn apart by Mass-Production Models and submerged in the Red Sea.
"Don't resist, Asuka."
Hansen's voice rang out like a stabilizing force, and a warm, large hand pressed down on the top of her head.
"Here, all possibilities will converge. Whether it's Shikinami or Soryu, they are all you."
Buzz—!!!
Divine power erupted.
Under the blessing of the Katatante's rules, phantoms of Asuka from countless parallel timelines stepped out of the void.
They were some proud, some fragile, some lonely, and some insane.
They slowly walked toward the Asuka in the center, and then—overlapped.
"Ugh..." Asuka let out a soft groan, her body trembling involuntarily.
But this was not pain.
It was a sense of fulfillment, of the soul being filled.
As countless soul fragments merged into her, Asuka's appearance underwent a startling transformation.
She was still that fourteen-year-old girl with twin tails, but her originally somewhat youthful body lines now radiated a breathtaking perfection.
Her skin became like the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing with a divine luster.
Her features, once sharp due to her competitive nature, now became soft and profound—a calmness and grandeur settled after experiencing countless cycles of life and death.
If the previous Asuka was a reckless flame, the current her was an eternally burning sun.
"Is this... the complete me?"
Asuka slowly opened her eyes, the platinum divine light in her right eye and the Angel's blue glow in her left eye reflecting each other.
She raised her hand, looking at her long, perfect fingers, her lips curling into a charming, confident smile.
"Doesn't feel too bad, Teacher." She looked at Hansen, the anxiety of gain and loss no longer in her eyes, replaced by a deep attachment and love. "No, should I call you... my Lord God now?"
On the other side, Rei Ayanami's transformation was even more divine.
This girl, who once considered herself a replaceable part, was now floating in mid-air.
Countless phantoms of Rei Ayanami, wearing plugsuits or naked, stepped out from the massive Tree of Life totem, returning to the original body like a pilgrimage.
That massive Lilith mask shattered.
Rei Ayanami's long hair grew wildly in the energy storm until it reached her waist.
Her originally light-blue hair now turned a silvery-white as bright as moonlight, with the tips tinged with a dreamy deep blue.
Her body became fuller and more sacred, and her originally sickly pale complexion now showed a healthy flush.
In those red eyes, there was no longer an empty void, but a calm and gentle embrace of all phenomena in the universe.
She landed barefoot, each step creating ripples in the void.
"Teacher..."
Rei Ayanami walked up to Hansen, her voice still cool but carrying a trace of water-like tenderness.
She gently took Hansen's hand and pressed it against her warm cheek. "I feel... complete, like never before."
No longer Yui's shadow, no longer Lilith's vessel.
She was an independent individual, Rei Ayanami.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"