Chapter 566: Clone Asuka
In an instant, Asuka felt the blood throughout her entire body freeze solid.
She stared fixedly at the screen, her mind a total blank, followed immediately by a wave of tsunami-like dizziness and nausea washing over her.
So—just like Rei Ayanami—she wasn't the "only one"? The synchronization rate she took absolute pride in, her uniqueness as an "ace," and even her very existence itself—were all just mass-produced "products" that could be easily replicated?
"No... this is impossible... this isn't real!" She abruptly stood up from her seat, her face as pale as paper, her body trembling uncontrollably as she knocked over the chair behind her, making a sharp, grating noise.
Everyone in the conference room froze. Misato Katsuragi wanted to speak up to explain or comfort her, but Asuka could no longer hear anything. It was as if all her strength had been abruptly drained away, or as if she was being pursued by an invisible monster. Staggering, she rushed out of the conference room, leaving behind a heavy silence and worried glances.
When Ryo found Asuka, she was curled up in the corner of her dormitory room, her arms tightly hugging her knees, her head buried deeply within them. Her shoulders heaved violently as she let out suppressed, whimpering sobs like a wounded little beast.
The proud girl of the past was completely crushed at this moment.
Ryo did not speak immediately, merely standing quietly at the doorway. After a long time, when Asuka's emotions had quieted slightly and turned into silent tears, he finally walked over slowly and crouched down.
"You saw it?" he asked softly.
Asuka did not raise her head, merely sobbing out in a blurry, muffled tone: "...Why... is it me? What exactly am I?"
"You are you, Soryu Asuka Langley," Ryo's voice was steady and absolute. "Your memories, your emotions, your pride, and your struggles—these are what constitute the unique you. A cloned physical body is merely a vessel; what decides who you are is the soul and the experiences within. You and those 'backups' inside the cultivation vats parted ways onto completely different roads the exact moment you attained independent consciousness."
He reached out his hand, gently placing it upon Asuka's trembling shoulder.
"If this fact brings you agony, and if the memories this world left you are far too heavy..." Ryo gazed into her eyes, his voice sounding significantly gentler than usual, "you still have another choice. Leave this place with me, and come to the world where I reside."
His words were gentle, yet they carried a grounding stability: "There are no threats of the Angels there, nor are there any shadows of SEELE. You can lay down everything of the past; you don't have to face these truths that wound you ever again."
"There, you can live peacefully and start anew, just like an ordinary girl."
Asuka snapped her head up, looking at Ryo through tear-filled eyes, her gaze filled with shock, struggle, and a trace of... captivation. Escaping all of this? Going to a brand-new, unknown world? For her whose heart felt like dead ashes right now, this temptation was far too immense.
"...Am I... really allowed to?" her voice carried a heavy nasal tone and uncertainty.
"Of course," Ryo nodded. "You possess the right to choose. This is my promise to you."
Meanwhile, outside the isolation ward of the medical center, Shinji Ikari's situation was similarly far from optimistic.
He guarded Rei Ayanami's life-support chamber almost around the clock, completely indifferent to everything else happening in the outside world—including the establishment of WILLE, the partnership with the alternate universe, and even the catastrophic upheaval that had struck Asuka.
The only thing in his eyes was the slumbering blue-haired girl inside the chamber, repeatedly asking the medical staff the exact same question: "When will Rei wake up?"
But the answers he received were always disappointing.
Although Rei Ayanami's body had preserved its basic vitality under the purification of the "Cherubim" weapons, her spiritual plane had sustained exceptionally severe damage. The possibility of her awakening was microscopically low, and even if she did wake up, whether she could retain her original memories and personality remained entirely unknown.
Ryo arrived at the medical center as well. Looking at the hollow yet obstinate gaze in Shinji's eyes, he knew conventional comfort would be useless against him.
"Shinji-kun," Ryo spoke, drawing the youth's attention, "In this world, with the existing medical technology, the possibility of allowing Rei Ayanami to fully recover is exceptionally low."
Shinji's gaze instantly dimmed, nearly retreating back into his shell once more.
"However," Ryo shifted the topic, "in my world, there exists a completely different technology tree. There might be a way to repair her damaged spirit and body."
Shinji jerked his head up, an unprecedented light exploding in his eyes as he tightly clutched Ryo's sleeve, like catching onto a final lifeline: "Really? Doctor! Can you really cure Rei?"
"I cannot guarantee absolute success, but the possibility is far higher than here," Ryo stated honestly. "However, the treatment requires transporting her to my world to be conducted. Are you... willing to go together with her?"
Shinji exhibited virtually no hesitation. Leaving this world? Going to a strange location? None of those mattered. His sole obsession was to rescue Rei Ayanami back.
"I'll go!" He nodded forcefully, his gaze leaving nothing but pure, reckless hope. "As long as it can make Rei well again, I can go anywhere!"
The news that Ryo intended to take Asuka, Shinji Ikari, and Rei Ayanami away quickly reached Misato Katsuragi.
The WILLE commander, who had only just stabilized the internal situation, felt a surge of un-repressible irritation and deep powerlessness wash over her after the initial shock passed. She directly sought out Ryo, who was currently arranging the transfer protocols, her tone carrying an undercurrent of suppressed anger: "Doctor! I understand you provided them with a choice, but you are taking away our only two experienced pilots all at once! This will cause WILLE's combat effectiveness to sustain a massive blow! We are surrounded by enemies on all sides right now; if we lose them, what are we supposed to use to counter SEELE's oncoming offensives?"
Ryo was not at all surprised by Misato's reaction.
He responded calmly: "Miss Katsuragi, I understand your concerns. But please look clearly at their current states. Asuka learned the truth of her being a clone, and her spirit is teetering on breakdown; keeping her here will only cause her to be continuously tortured by agony, and she might even completely lose her will to fight. Shinji-kun's entire focus is tied to Rei Ayanami; keeping him in this location filled with sorrowful memories offers no benefit to either his or Rei Ayanami's recovery. Forcing them to remain is far from a wise move."
Misato opened her mouth to argue, but found herself completely at a loss for words.
How could she not understand that these two children had already borne far too much? The truth of Asuka's origin left even her shocked and heartbroken; choosing to flee, while regrettable, was far from incomprehensible. As for Shinji—allowing him to leave this world that had inflicted countless traumas upon him might truly be a form of release.
Watching the complex expression surfacing on her face, Ryo continued: "Furthermore, I am not taking away all of WILLE's combat assets. Regarding the piloting of the EVAs, I have already formulated a solution."