> "This is bad—his intestines have been completely perforated!"
"Quick! Get him to the OR—he's the Commander's son!"
In a chaotic blur of motion, doctors, nurses, and several men in uniforms swarmed around a blood-soaked stretcher, rushing it through the operating room doors at full speed.
Just next door, in a neighboring hospital room, Liu Zhenxin lay in a hospital bed. The commotion coming through the walls made it hard for him to relax.
He frowned slightly, bothered by the noise—and even more by the cold, mechanical voice echoing repeatedly in his mind:
> "Host Name: Liu Zhenxin
Age: 20
Current Dimension: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Current Identity: Student, Class 2-A, First Municipal Middle School of Tokyo-3
Registered Name: Ryota Kitazawa
Current Physical Age: 14
Beep! Initializing War God System...
Binding host...
Host successfully bound.
Language interface switching—current language: Japanese."
When Liu Zhenxin fully regained consciousness, the flood of information hit him like a freight train. It took a long while before he could even begin to process what had just happened.
> Unbelievable... I actually ended up in the world of Evangelion...*
He couldn't calm his racing thoughts. The system's voice alone had shaken him to his core—and there was no denying it: something had definitely changed within him.
Then, the voice in his head returned again:
> "Congratulations, Host. You have successfully bound the War God System.
Final Mission: Alter the fate of this dimension.
Mission failure penalty: Human extinction."
> The War God System...?
Liu Zhenxin was stunned.
Apparently, this so-called "War God System" operated like a multidimensional ability enhancer. As its host, he would gain access to powerful advantages and upgrades.
Of course, this wasn't the time to dig through every detail. Outside his room, the shouting and noise continued.
> So that's it... Shinji Ikari has already died in the battle with the Fourth Angel.
Good. If I'm here now, then I won't let history repeat itself.
Liu Zhenxin—no, Ryota Kitazawa now— clenched his fists tightly, muttering to himself with grim resolve.
He slowly opened his eyes.
> "From this day on, there is no more Liu Zhenxin.
Only Ryota Kitazawa remains."
It had only been four years since Second Impact. Humanity's population had dropped to less than one-third of its former size. The Fourth Angel had just appeared...
> Good. There's still time. This tragic script—starting today—will be rewritten by me.
He made that vow silently in his heart.
Reborn with the power of the War God System, the future Human Instrumentality Project would no longer be what it was.
There would only be one version now—Ryota Kitazawa's version.
But as he lay there, wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling and lost in thought, he didn't notice someone nearby.
> "Kitazawa-kun… you… you're awake?"
A surprised and delighted voice rang in his ear.
> "Hm?"
Ryota turned his head and saw a girl in a school uniform sitting beside his bed, her face lighting up with joy.
She looked genuinely relieved to see him awake.
> "Name: Hikari Horaki
Role: Class Representative, 2-A
Age: 14"
As soon as his eyes landed on her, the system instantly supplied him with her profile.
> "What… happened to me?" Ryota asked weakly, faking confusion.
> "You've got some nerve asking that!" Hikari snapped, her joy quickly turning into frustration.
"If you hadn't snuck out, you would've been fine! You almost got yourself killed!"
> So that's how it is…
Ryota nodded slightly. Thanks to the War God System, his memories had seamlessly merged with his new identity. He knew exactly what had happened, but played dumb to avoid suspicion.
After all, he was still unfamiliar with this world. Better not raise any red flags just yet.
But then—
> "Kitazawa Ryota! I can't believe you're still alive!"
A harsh, angry voice cut in from the hallway.
> "Huh?"
Ryota turned to see a large, broad-shouldered boy standing outside the door, his expression twisted with fury. His glare looked as though he might leap in and tear Ryota apart on the spot.
> "Suzuhara-kun, what kind of attitude is that?! Kitazawa nearly died! How dare you speak to him like that—apologize!" Hikari immediately stood up and shouted at him, her tone sharp.
> "Hmph! I wish he'd died! If he hadn't run off, my little sister wouldn't have gotten hurt! It's all his fault!"
Toji Suzuhara spat the words with venom, fists clenched, looking moments away from lunging into the room.
During the battle with the Fourth Angel, the collateral damage had reached a civilian shelter. His sister had been caught in the blast radius.
But what did any of that have to do with Ryota Kitazawa?
> "I always knew you were unreasonable," Ryota said calmly, looking Toji straight in the eye.
"But I didn't expect you to be a coward too."
> "What the hell did you just say?! You wanna die?!"
Toji's expression hardened. His eyes gleamed with barely contained rage.
This wasn't the Kitazawa he knew. Normally, the guy was just some quiet background character. His sudden defiance only made Toji angrier.
> "Did I stutter?" Ryota said coldly.
"You know damn well your sister's injuries were caused by the Angel—not me. But you still blame me anyway. You know the truth, but you refuse to face it."
His voice was sharp, edged with mockery.
> "You lash out because you're powerless. Because you can't change your own fate.
So you scream and punch and look for someone to take it out on. But that just proves one thing—"
Ryota narrowed his eyes, smirking.
> "You're a coward."
> "Admit it. That's what you are."
He said it all without raising his voice. Just a faint smirk at the corner of his mouth, quiet and scathing.
In the original anime, Toji Suzuhara lashed out at Shinji because of his sister. But Ryota Kitazawa wasn't Shinji.
And seeing Toji act this way only filled Ryota's heart with contempt.