Chapter 520: Destruction and Creation
After intense and secretive internal deliberations among the higher-ups, NERV ultimately could not abandon the specific lethality the catalytic particles demonstrated against the Angels, which could be described as "divine punishment."
Although Gendo Ikari and SEELE were deeply wary of its boundaries of effect, especially the potential threat it might pose to the EVAs.
However, under the strong appeals of combat-oriented commanders like Misato Katsuragi, and simultaneously pressured by the United Nations demanding technology sharing based on this, a cautious compromise was eventually passed.
The weaponization research of the catalytic particles was officially launched, but it had to be placed within the highest level of regulatory and restrictive frameworks.
As a manifestation of this resolution, Ryo was granted a higher level of security clearance and resource support far exceeding the previous phase, including limited authorization to requisition NERV's exclusive advanced materials database and cutting-edge manufacturing facilities.
A weapon development project codenamed "Sword of Cherubim" was launched deep within Headquarters, with Ryo serving as the chief technical director.
This name, full of religious metaphor, not only hinted at its positioning as a "sword of protection," but also revealed the contradictory mindset of NERV's higher-ups—both expectant and apprehensive.
However, when negotiating the project details, Ryo displayed unexpected persistence.
He successfully ensured the integrity and independence of the Ninth Research Institute and its marine ecological restoration plan, saving it from being completely swallowed by the new weapon project.
After several rounds of consultation, the final operational model formed was: Ryo would arrange most of the routine research and development, testing, and data processing work for the "Sword of Cherubim" project in a highly classified laboratory specially established for this purpose within Headquarters; meanwhile, he himself would maintain a work rhythm of frequently commuting between Headquarters and the Ninth Research Institute.
This arrangement seemed to divide his energy, but in reality, it perfectly aligned with his deeper needs.
At Headquarters, he led a new team with complex backgrounds assigned by various parties, strictly advancing the weaponization research according to plan.
The technical data he provided was sufficient to make the project show "steady and promising" progress; the data from every test was meticulously designed to be both reasonable and encouraging.
But at critical junctures, he would always use "technical sensitivity" or "instability of the synthesis process" as excuses to firmly keep the core synthesis pathways and critical threshold parameters under his own control, ensuring the core technology remained sealed within a "black box" that only he could fully decipher.
This semi-detached method of participation both satisfied NERV's requirements for project progress and preserved ample space for his own technological autonomy.
Shuttling between the two research facilities every day, Ryo seemed to be playing an exquisite game of chess, where every move was within the established rules yet harbored profound meaning beyond them.
While fully advancing the "Sword of Cherubim" weaponization project, Ryo opened another equally remarkable research front at the Ninth Research Institute.
Based on the Genesis Particle technology obtained from the Death World, he conducted deeper localized improvements and successfully developed a new generation of special catalytic particles.
This new type of particle, named the "Seed of Metatron," while maintaining excellent purification efficacy, displayed a characteristic that shook all of NERV—it could catalyze the generation of the most primitive life structures capable of self-replication within the purified, nutrient-rich waters.
When the waters of the Ninth Research Institute first detected a brand-new primitive microbial community, the monitoring systems of NERV's Technology Development Department immediately captured this anomalous signal.
Ritsuko Akagi stared at the pulsating life signal data on the monitoring screen, a rare look of shock appearing on her usually calm face.
She immediately convened an emergency technical assessment meeting. The holographic projection in the conference room clearly displayed images of those single-celled organisms undergoing division and replication.
"This is absolutely not the result of natural evolution," Ritsuko Akagi pointed at the multiplying microbes in the projection. "The detected genetic sequences are completely alien, and both their speed of emergence and distribution patterns explicitly point to artificial intervention. Dr. Ryo's 'Seed of Metatron' is not just performing environmental restoration; it is creating life from nothing."
The tremor this discovery caused within NERV even surpassed the previous weaponization project.
If the "Sword of Cherubim" symbolized the power of judgment and destruction, then the "Seed of Metatron" directly touched upon the core mystery of the origin of life.
At the supreme decision-making meeting chaired by Gendo Ikari, SEELE's representatives actively participated in the discussion via encrypted communication.
"To create life from the void—this has already stepped into the realm of God."
"Metatron is the angel who records the book of life; this naming is profoundly meaningful."
"We must assess the potential impact this technology might have on the Human Instrumentality Project."
Facing the inquiries from NERV's higher-ups, Ryo appeared exceptionally composed.
At the technical hearing, he explained in a calm and professional tone: "The 'Seed of Metatron' is indeed capable of catalyzing the formation of primitive life, but this is fundamentally a necessary extension of the environmental restoration engineering. To rebuild a healthy ecosystem, it must be constructed from the most foundational biological chain; the formation of microbial communities is an indispensable link."
He precisely set the exhibition boundaries of the experiment—these catalyzed primitive lifeforms were maintained only at the foundational evolutionary stage. They could perform basic metabolism and reproduction, constituting a simple microscopic ecological foundation, but they would not spontaneously evolve into more complex forms.
This controlled creation both demonstrated the astonishing potential of the technology and ingeniously avoided triggering excessive panic.
Now, Ryo had established a unique rhythm between the two equally important research fields.
At times, deep underground within the isolated experimental zone of Headquarters, he supervised the weapon system testing of the "Sword of Cherubim," watching the energy focusing parameters displayed on the screen; at other times, he appeared on the coastline of the Ninth Research Institute, observing the microscopic life forms catalyzed by the "Seed of Metatron" through high-powered microscopes.
These two projects, named after angels—one symbolizing the sacred power of judgment, the other bearing the mystery of life's origin—were like the two core components of a precision instrument, maintaining a delicate synergy and balance under Ryo's coordination.
This shift in research focus was not a simple allocation of time, but rather more like a conductor smoothly transitioning between two vocal parts.
When he was in the enclosed laboratory of the "Sword of Cherubim" project, he was surrounded by the energy hums and data streams characteristic of weapon testing; and when he returned to the Ninth Research Institute, he faced the signs of life quietly sprouting in the cultivation pods.
Two entirely different research environments, two opposing yet complementary forces—under his unhurried orchestration, both jointly advanced their respective processes.
In this world full of opposition and contradiction, Ryo seemed to have mastered a certain unique art of balance.
He could delve deep into the technical details of weapon development, ensuring every parameter was impeccably accurate; and he could turn around to plunge into the exploration of life's origins, recording the subtle changes in every new life form.
This effortless shuttling between destruction and creation resulted in the two projects not only not hindering each other, but instead forming a bizarre symbiotic relationship.
While reviewing the progress reports of the dual-track projects, Misato Katsuragi couldn't help but sigh to Ritsuko Akagi beside her: "Is he exactly a genius, or a madman? Forging a sharp sword to slay Angels on one hand, while sowing the seeds to create life on the other."
Ritsuko Akagi pushed up her glasses, staring at the logos of the two projects displayed side-by-side on the screen, and responded softly: "Perhaps, this is exactly what's most unsettling about him—we can never be sure whether he is truly repairing this world, or reshaping it according to his own blueprint."