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[Gil. Snap out of it.]

Ah, damn it, my head is ringing.

Gilbert clutched his head, struggling to regain consciousness from the pain that felt like he had smashed his head against a steel wall multiple times.

In reality, due to the excessive physical impact, he had indeed smashed his head against the cockpit walls several times, so it wasn’t an exaggeration.

Finally coming to his senses after repeated calls from CT, Gilbert wiped the warm liquid flowing down his face with the back of his hand. Looking at his hand, he saw sticky blood.

He shook his head a few times, but the dazed state persisted. Judging by the stiffness in his neck, it seemed he had suffered a mild concussion when his head hit the cockpit.

Even if he tried to put it nicely, his condition was far from normal, but considering he had been hit by a club swung with full force by a monster ogre, it was relatively fortunate.

At the very least, the fact that the cockpit hadn’t been torn apart was nothing short of a miracle.

“CT. Current… status?”

His voice cracked. It wasn’t just his head that was injured; he could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

[The Colossal Mech is inoperable. It’s completely destroyed.]

“What’s the best course of action I can take right now?”

[Analysis. The best option in the current situation is to use your Characteristic Skill. You must board Commander Ian’s Colossal Mech.]

His mind wasn’t working properly, but he understood what CT-777 was saying. Beyond the screen, which was entirely painted red, he could see Ian’s Colossal Mech embedded somewhere.

Seeing that, Gilbert remembered why he was in this state.

He had pushed Ian aside when the latter suddenly charged at the monster ogre, taking the full brunt of the club himself. That was why he was in this sorry state.

Gilbert gritted his teeth.

The variable he had been so wary of, Ian, had finally exploded.

Leaving Ian to his fate might have been the right decision, but he couldn’t do it. Ian was an ally in the punitive force, and as a soldier and a knight, leaving a comrade in danger was something his personality couldn’t allow.

– Kwaaaah!

The howling of the monster ogre pushed Gilbert’s thoughts about Ian aside. The ogre, perhaps not recognizing the immobilized Colossal Mech as a threat, was roaring in victory.

There was no telling when the ogre would finish him off, and the retreat of the punitive force wasn’t complete yet. To resolve both issues, Gilbert had to board Ian’s Colossal Mech.

Even if his body wasn’t in perfect condition, with his Characteristic Skill “Your Mech is Awesome,” CT-777, and the super artificial spirit Fressia inside Ian’s mech, he might be able to pull it off.

Taking a short breath, Gilbert grabbed only CT-777, opened the cockpit, and jumped out.

– Krrk?

Sensing human mana, the ogre’s fierce eyes turned toward Gilbert. While the ogre was assessing the situation, Gilbert had to switch to Ian’s Colossal Mech. He poured all his mana into his body.

Ugh, damn it.

The aftermath of being hit directly by the mana-infused club seemed to affect his mana road. As he drew out his mana, he felt a pain as if his body was being stabbed with knives.

Of course, if he complained about the pain, it would only be a matter of time before the ogre made him its snack. Suppressing the pain, he sprinted toward Ian’s Colossal Mech.

– Kwak!

The monster ogre, having assessed the situation, began to move.

This was the worst possible scenario for Gilbert, who hadn’t yet reached Ian’s Colossal Mech. Given the ogre’s size, it would be upon him in the blink of an eye.

Gilbert decided to gamble once more.

“Limit Break.”

[Initiating Limit Break.]

[Warning! Using Limit Break may result in permanent stat reduction.]

– Thump!

“Kuhk!”

Unlike usual, as soon as he activated Limit Break, a crushing pain surged through his heart.

Using Limit Break, which was already taxing on the body, in his current battered state was bound to cause problems.

But the effect was remarkable. The pain in his heart was matched by the increase in his running speed.

Dodging the ogre that was now right in front of him, Gilbert reached the cockpit of Ian’s Colossal Mech.

With no time to explain, he grabbed the external handle, intending to rip the cockpit open, but to his surprise, the cockpit door opened.

He doubted Ian had willingly opened it, but it didn’t matter.

Entering the cockpit, Gilbert pushed the unconscious Ian aside and squeezed into the pilot’s seat.

[You rascal. You brought the artificial spirit, right?]

Gilbert chuckled at Fressia’s sharp voice. She was asking if he had brought the artificial spirit from his original mech, unaware of his Characteristic Skill.

“Support me, CT.”

[Confirmed. Syncing with Characteristic Skill.]

[You rascal! What are you talking about… Huh?!]

[Characteristic Skill “Your Mech is Awesome” is activated.]

[Special conditions for “Your Mech is Awesome” have been confirmed.]

[Skill Limit Break activated… Confirmed.]

[Skill “Beast Master” acquisition status… Confirmed.]

[Synchronization rate with super artificial spirit Fressia… Initial activation confirmed.]

[Special conditions for “Your Mech is Awesome” partially met. Limited release of higher Characteristic Skill ???.]

[Conditions for Skill “Beast Master” confirmed. Limited release of higher Skill ???.]

As the Colossal Mech began to move, numerous system messages flooded Gilbert’s vision.

Though there were many incomprehensible messages, the priority now was defeating the monster ogre.

Dismissing the distracting system messages, Gilbert gripped the mech’s controls.

His red eyes burned with golden mana as the Colossal Mech rose.

Despite the pain in his heart and the blood he was coughing up, Gilbert smiled.

A path to victory was in sight.

***

[Ian! Snap out of it!]

Fressia shouted to wake the unconscious Ian, but there was no sign of him regaining consciousness.

After Gilbert had taken the hit from the ogre’s club meant for Ian, Ian had been muttering to himself in shock before collapsing from the ogre’s subsequent attack.

Fressia, well aware of the ogre’s danger, tried everything to wake Ian.

She called out to him through their spiritual connection and even used a small electric shock.

But Ian wouldn’t wake up. It seemed his body was refusing to recover from the shock he had received just before losing consciousness.

What to do?

Fressia, being intangible, could do nothing.

There was a way to activate autonomous mode, but with Ian unconscious, the mech’s operational capacity would be halved. Without a contractor to supply mana, this was inevitable.

Moving the mech at half capacity would only draw the ogre’s attention. For Ian’s safety, that option was out of the question.

There was only one thing left.

Fressia examined Gilbert’s fallen Colossal Mech. Based on the visible damage and her analysis magic, Gilbert’s mech was inoperable.

She didn’t know Gilbert’s condition, but to escape safely with Ian, they desperately needed that rascal’s help.

If he could somehow bring the artificial spirit and board Ian’s mech, escaping wasn’t impossible.

Fressia detested Gilbert, the infamous rascal, but she couldn’t deny his skills.

He had already grown into a full-fledged Colossal Mech Knight, and he was looking beyond that.

Perhaps her desperate prayers reached the heavens.

The cockpit door of Gilbert’s mech opened, and he jumped out. Surrounded by golden mana, he sprinted toward them, clearly thinking the same thing.

Though the ogre had started to regain its senses, Gilbert’s physical stats and overall abilities had skyrocketed, likely due to something he had done. His eyes burned with golden mana as he reached the mech’s cockpit in an instant.

Thinking he might rip the door open, she quickly opened it.

[You rascal. You brought the artificial spirit, right?]

Fressia asked about the crucial artificial spirit. Instead of answering, Gilbert took his seat and placed the artificial spirit’s core beside her.

“Support me, CT.”

[Confirmed. Syncing with Characteristic Skill.]

[You rascal! What are you talking about… Huh?!]

Before she could scold the rascal for talking nonsense without disconnecting her from the mech, she was overwhelmed by an unfamiliar sensation.

But she couldn’t regain her composure from this strange feeling she had never experienced before. This was something even Fressia, who had existed for centuries, couldn’t comprehend.

Gilbert grabbed the controls.

At that moment, Fressia felt as if her soul had been seized by Gilbert.

“Let’s go.”

[You… What on earth… Huh?!]

As he pulled the controls, her mind went blank. This was another new emotion.

From ancient Atlantis to the present, no Colossal Mech Knight, not even Ian, had made her feel this way.

If she had to categorize it as good or bad, it wasn’t bad.

No, it was the opposite.

It was… rather good.

But Fressia quickly denied it.

There was no way she could feel good because of that rascal.

[Gil. Starting sync with the current artificial spirit.]

“Got it. CT, change the target settings.”

[Confirmed.]

[You… What on earth did you do to me?]

“No time to explain.”

At his firm words, Fressia gritted her teeth.

She struggled to regain her composure, not wanting to be swayed by this sensation.

“Target is complete silence of the monster ogre.”

[Confirmed. Target set. Complete silence of the monster ogre. Supporting.]

[What on earth are you talking about without meee?!]

Her barely regained composure immediately scattered in all directions.

As Gilbert pulled the mech’s controls and poured in mana, Fressia, connected to the mech, felt something even more intense than before.

A strange sensation as if her soul was being torn apart and then reassembled.

It engraved something deep into her soul that she had never known.

Fressia, who didn’t need to breathe, panted as she watched Gilbert fight.

After some time, Fressia grew accustomed to the bizarre sensation. Being a super artificial spirit, she quickly adjusted and began to control it skillfully.

Returning to her usual self, she coldly analyzed Gilbert’s piloting skills.

Reluctantly, she had to admit it was excellent.

Unlike Ian, he eliminated unnecessary movements, focusing on efficiency and displaying extreme piloting skills.

Flexibility, boldness, and both orthodox and unorthodox movements.

His piloting was flawless, with no room for criticism.

And this guy…

At first, she was too flustered to notice, but now she could see it.

Even the most skilled Colossal Mech Knight would have some delay, but there was none in his movements.

It was like watching Ian’s Characteristic Skill, Synchronization.

More precisely, it resembled the fully matured Synchronization.

Fressia was puzzled.

How could this rascal achieve such a feat?

Of course, finding the answer wasn’t difficult.

Gilbert Lion Heart possessed a Characteristic Skill related to Colossal Mechs.

That was the analysis Fressia could make.

Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that skill was.

Fressia looked at Gilbert, who was struggling fiercely, with new eyes.

She had judged him based on preconceptions from Ian, but now she wondered if that was fair.

Of course, the past Gilbert she had heard about from Ian wasn’t entirely false.

According to the information she had gathered, he was once the worst human, a disgrace to the Count family.

A rascal with no redeeming qualities.

That’s why she disliked him. He was the epitome of everything she despised in humans.

But at some point, he had changed.

Fressia didn’t believe it.

She thought he had become more cunning, deceiving people.

Until this very moment, she had held onto that belief.

She fundamentally believed that human nature doesn’t change. Having contracted with countless people over the centuries, she had naturally come to this conclusion.

But was it right to judge someone who was desperately trying to save others, walking to the brink of death, as a rascal?

Could the man before her, who was trying to save Ian and fighting the monster ogre with a battered body, truly be an irredeemable scoundrel?

Even Fressia, who had existed for so long, couldn’t easily answer. This was a type of human she had never seen before, and she lacked sufficient information to compare.

“Kuhk!”

[Warning. Signs of the monster ogre’s rampage detected.]

Fressia snapped out of her thoughts at the violent shaking of the mech and the urgent cries of the artificial spirit.

Though she didn’t know how he was handling her without a formal contract, the priority now was to escape this situation.

[You rascal. I’ll support you, so keep up.]

“All you’ve done so far is talk.”

[What did you say? Do you know who I am to talk like that?]

“Do I need to know? All I need to do now is tear that monster ogre apart. Nothing else matters.”

[Ha! If you’re so confident, why don’t you finish it quickly?]

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. Can you keep up?”

Fressia scoffed at Gilbert’s provoking smile.

It was laughable that he was challenging her to keep up. She had been quietly observing, thinking he was using a decent artificial spirit, but it seemed he was underestimating her.

[You rascal. That’s my line. Can you keep up? It’s the other way around. You’re the one who needs to keep up with me!]

Fressia spread all of Gilbert’s mana throughout the mech. The current mech was a generic model, not particularly outstanding, but Fressia had one method.

Originally, it would require Ian, who had fully mastered the Synchronization skill, but with Gilbert, who had a similar Characteristic Skill, she judged it possible.

[Gil. The mech’s output has exceeded its limits.]

Here it comes!

At CT-777’s words, Gilbert smiled.

If Limit Break could be applied to a person’s body, Fressia could use a similar ability on the mech.

Though it would severely strain the mech, it was a technique that could push the mech’s performance beyond its limits.

“Good. Then, it’s a match. Fressia.”

[…Do you know me?]

“Focus. Don’t mistake the priorities.”

[I don’t like you.]

Fressia clicked her tongue at Gilbert’s words and activated all the mech’s mana.

Overheat.

Fressia’s unique skill.

***

“Ugh!”

Gilbert vomited blood and looked at the screen.

His vision blurred from vomiting too much blood, but he could still smile.

[You monster of a rascal.]

Fressia’s scolding voice reached him, but it didn’t matter.

He had lost a lot of blood, but he had survived.

[Hey! Rascal, snap out of it!]

[Gil. Snap out of it.]

Gilbert blinked and then lost consciousness.

Before passing out, he saw the system messages filling the screen.

[Achievement “Monster Ogre Slayer” unlocked.]

[Noble Spirit! All unit members witnessed your sacrificial efforts to buy time while the punitive force retreated. Your noble sacrifice will spread across the continent.]

[Achievement “Noble Spirit” unlocked.]

[Due to exceeding limits, your mana road is severely damaged.]

[Reaching physical limits has awakened the Regeneration ability.]

 

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