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Ian was almost out of his mind.

The reason was that he had lost Fressia, the most precious thing to him, in the previous battle.

The day before, blinded by jealousy toward Gilbert, Ian had failed to properly follow Fressia’s instructions.

Overwhelmed by sticky, dark emotions, he recklessly charged into the heart of the enemy lines despite Fressia’s protests.

As a result, his Colossal Mech’s limbs were completely destroyed, and he found himself in a life-threatening situation. The frustration of yet another failure and the helplessness of not being able to defeat Gilbert caused Ian to lose his grip on reality, literally giving up on everything.

Fressia activated an emergency teleportation spell to save him.

Even as the spell activated, Ian was in a state of despair. By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late to retrieve Fressia’s Artificial Spirit Core.

He reached out for her core at the last moment, but his body had already arrived at the designated teleportation point in the rear.

Overwhelmed with anxiety at the thought of leaving Fressia behind, Ian expressed his desire to sortie again immediately, but he was flatly refused. The situation had reached a critical point, and Ian’s unstable mental state made it impossible to send him back out.

When Ian was informed that a re-sortie was impossible, he tried to go retrieve Fressia on his own, but even that was stopped. The medics, judging him to be in an abnormal state due to post-battle stress, restrained him.

It wasn’t until he regained his composure and could think clearly that the restraints were removed.

By then, it was already late at night, and the thought of retrieving Fressia seemed nearly impossible.

“It’s my fault. Because of me, Fressia…!” Ian didn’t blame anyone else. Even with his sky-high self-esteem, he couldn’t help but blame himself.

Fressia, being intelligent, surely knew what would happen if she fell into the hands of the New Resistance. Yet, until the very end, she acted only with Ian in mind.

Ian, burdened by guilt, couldn’t sleep. Even the news of the Allied Forces’ victory couldn’t bring him joy, and he remained holed up in his barracks.

If Prince Richard hadn’t come to find him, Ian might have spent the entire night trembling with self-loathing and anxiety.

Prince Richard brought up the topic of the next day’s battle, emphasizing that Ian needed to take the lead and perform as impressively as Gilbert.

Ian didn’t refuse the opportunity to prove himself. After all, surpassing Gilbert was what he had always wanted, so he welcomed Richard’s orders with open arms.

However, Ian had no intention of charging into the enemy lines like Gilbert. While he was asked to lead the vanguard, he wasn’t expected to penetrate deep into enemy territory like Gilbert.

This dissatisfaction stemmed from the feeling that it was as if Gilbert was capable, but he wasn’t.

Though Ian bowed his head in agreement in front of Prince Richard, he spent the night in his barracks, torn between his dissatisfaction with the orders and his anxiety over Fressia.

As dawn broke, Ian, with hollow eyes, boarded his Colossal Mech and gazed at the generic Artificial Spirit Core. The voice of Fressia, who always nagged him, echoed in his ears, but she was no longer there.

Growing increasingly anxious, he bit his nails, waiting for the sortie signal. Suppressing the urge to rush out immediately, he felt like he was at his limit.

After several attempts to restrain his impulse to charge forward, the sortie order finally came.

“[Ian, Commander! Don’t act recklessly!]”

Other commanders tried to stop Ian as he surged forward using his Mana Booster, but he was already at the forefront.

Ian frantically searched for the location of the red Colossal Mech.

The reason he had to make an emergency escape was due to Horizon, who piloted the red Colossal Mech.

Horizon, known as the Great Sage, was aware of Fressia’s existence. He clearly knew she was an Artificial Spirit and had ambushed Ian to seize her.

Ian, who never imagined anyone would know about Fressia, was caught off guard by Horizon and only managed to escape thanks to Fressia’s sacrifice.

If Ian hadn’t tried to retrieve Fressia, he might have been blown to pieces.

Therefore, it was highly likely that Horizon now had Fressia. Ian vividly remembered Horizon’s Colossal Mech trying to tear open the cockpit just before the teleportation.

“Just wait a little longer, Fressia. I’ll definitely save you…!”

With this determination etched in his mind, Ian charged into the New Resistance’s ranks.

Driven by the single-minded goal of rescuing Fressia, Ian moved his Colossal Mech with unparalleled precision.

Despite his earlier impatience, Ian now displayed incredible focus, dodging all the Mana Bullets and Magic Armaments that would have destroyed him under normal circumstances.

As seconds and minutes passed, his Piloting Skill reached new heights. His latent potential, combined with his intense concentration, began to bloom.

His Characteristic Skill’s proficiency also skyrocketed. From the moment he boarded the Colossal Mech, his Characteristic Skill, which activated upon entering the mech, began to grow alongside his potential.

“[What the hell is this guy?]”

“[He’s… a monster!]”

Despite the mix of heavy and light Colossal Mechs, Ian used everything at his disposal to eliminate the enemies. The New Resistance members tried to encircle and destroy Ian’s Colossal Mech, but they failed repeatedly.

Ian always moved a step ahead before the encirclement could be completed.

He deflected incoming Mana Bullets using his Magic Barrier, significantly reducing Mana consumption since they weren’t direct hits.

A smile began to form on Ian’s lips. His earlier impatience had vanished.

He was in a state of pure focus, tearing through the enemy lines with unparalleled skill.

“If this keeps up, I can save Fressia and even surpass Gilbert.”

Even the deep-seated inferiority complex he had felt began to fade as Ian envisioned a hopeful future.

But then…

[Warning: Battery level below 10%.]

If only he had enough battery, it might have been possible.

Ian’s eyes widened as the red warning lights flashed inside his Colossal Mech.

His Piloting Skill was still rapidly improving, but the conditions to support it were no longer there.

Even Gilbert, who had refrained from charging alone, had been cautious about depleting his Mana Battery.

No matter how skilled Gilbert was, he couldn’t pilot a Colossal Mech using only his own Mana.

The same was true for Ian, even though he had more Mana than Gilbert.

After all, a Colossal Mech was a Mana-devouring monster. No matter how skilled a knight was, it was impossible to pilot one using only their own Mana.

Even if they could, the operational time would be extremely short.

In that sense, Ian had been too careless with his Mana Battery distribution. Precise Piloting Skill meant moving the Colossal Mech with finesse, which consumed significantly more Mana than normal operation.

Inexperienced as he was, Ian had overlooked this.

But now, deep within enemy territory, Ian couldn’t stop. Even as his Mana Battery drained in real-time, he pulled the control stick.

When the battery level hit single digits, Ian grew anxious. His concentration broke, and his rapid growth came to a halt.

[Warning: Battery level below 5%.]

Ian gritted his teeth. A complete shutdown was imminent.

“[Ian! Snap out of it!]”

Just as Ian was about to close his eyes and give up, a familiar voice came through the Magic Channel.

“Fressia!”

At the sound of the voice he had longed to hear, Ian’s eyes shot open. He quickly turned his attention to the connected Magic Channel.

But on the other end of the channel, Ian saw the last person he wanted to see: Gilbert.

“What… is this…”

“[Get a grip! I’ll buy you time to escape. We’ll talk details later, just get out of there!]”

“Fressia. Why are you with Gilbert…?”

“[No time!]”

“Tch.”

Ian clenched his teeth at Fressia’s shout and gripped the control stick. As she said, the remaining battery was dangerously low.

Filled with questions and indescribable emotions, Ian retreated. He couldn’t repeat the same mistake as the day before.

But even as he retreated, his eyes remained fixed on Gilbert’s Colossal Mech. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

***

Gilbert watched as Ian retreated.

He was reluctant to open the Magic Channel, but the situation left him no choice.

Fortunately, Ian, visible through the Magic Channel, seemed too shocked by the fact that Fressia was with Gilbert to think about anything else.

At least there was room to hide the existence of his Characteristic Skill.

“[Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save Ian.]”

“I just kept my promise.”

“[A pro…mise, huh…]”

Fressia’s voice trailed off as she recalled the forgotten promise. Her confident tone wavered slightly.

Gilbert realized he had caused another misunderstanding but didn’t bother to correct it. There was no time for that now.

“Brynhild, lead the troops and join me here. I’ll cause as much chaos as possible.”

“[What do you think you’re doing, charging into the heart of the enemy alone?]”

“I had no choice.”

“[That’s no excuse…! You should come back first and discuss this.]”

Brynhild, with an angry expression, abruptly cut off the Magic Channel.

Gilbert couldn’t help but feel like he was being scolded by a nonexistent wife.

Shivering slightly, Gilbert composed himself. Despite the temporary lull caused by his sudden intrusion, they were still deep in enemy territory.

“Fressia.”

“[Ah, yes! What is it?]”

“There’s no time to waste. Even if it’s a bit reckless, understand that it’s necessary.”

“[Are you going to do what you did yesterday again?]”

Fressia asked in dismay.

Gilbert nodded silently.

“[Do as you please. It’s not like I can stop you even if I wanted to.]”

Gilbert couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.

“It couldn’t be helped back then. There was no time to ask for your consent.”

“[I said it’s fine. Do as you like. I have to keep my promise too.]”

Fressia spoke with determination.

Gilbert still couldn’t shake the odd feeling.

“Then, here I go.”

Gilbert activated Limit Break.

[Special Condition for Characteristic Skill ‘Your Mech is Awesome’ confirmed.]

[Skill Limit Break activated… Confirmed.]

[Skill ‘Beast’ acquisition status… Confirmed.]

[Compatibility with Artificial Spirit Fressia… 70% confirmed.]

[Special Condition for ‘Your Mech is Awesome’ partially met. Limited release of higher-tier Characteristic Skill ???.]

[Condition for Skill ‘Beast’ confirmed. Limited release of higher-tier Skill ???.]

So, I was right?

Gilbert smiled as he felt an overwhelming sense of power coursing through him.

As he had suspected, the release of the higher-tier Characteristic Skill and Skill seemed to require two conditions: the activation of the Characteristic Skill through Fressia and the use of Limit Break.

By forcibly unlocking his potential with Limit Break, the conditions were met, and the skills were unlocked.

“[I… won’t lose…!]”

Aside from the pained voice, everything else was perfect.

But even considering that, Gilbert felt like he could accomplish anything now.

Piloting the Colossal Mech felt as natural as moving his own body.

Gilbert grinned fiercely, feeling a sensation he had never experienced even in games.

His Colossal Mech began to move, breaking the lull in the battle.

Instead of moving flashily like Ian, Gilbert focused on breaking through the encirclement and reuniting with the main forces. He minimized his movements, acting only when necessary.

Two light Colossal Mechs tried to block his path, but he easily broke through.

“[Gilbert. I’m joining you!]”

After buying enough time, Brynhild arrived with the main forces. Gilbert’s Colossal Mech, which had been moving cautiously, suddenly launched an aggressive assault.

“[Rear Magic Armament Explosion deployed!]”

With Fressia’s shout, Gilbert used the explosive force of the Explosion to gain propulsion and tore through the encirclement.

After causing chaos in the enemy lines, he reunited with Brynhild’s main forces.

“[You’ll have to answer for this when we get back.]”

With Brynhild’s sharp words, the real war began.

“[1st and 2nd Squads, break through the enemy lines with a wedge formation!]”

Gilbert immediately opened the unit’s Magic Channel and deployed Colossal Mech squads into the encirclement he had just broken.

The New Resistance forces, their formation shaken, couldn’t stop the wedge formation. They panicked, creating gaps in their lines.

The Allied Forces weren’t about to let this opportunity slip.

“[Charge! We must split their formation!]”

The Allied Forces surged forward like a tidal wave, targeting the gaps. Despite their numerical advantage, the New Resistance forces couldn’t mount a proper defense.

The Allied Forces poured everything they had into the assault. Colossal Mechs that needed resupply fell back, received additional supplies, and were immediately redeployed to the front lines.

Outnumbered, the Allied Forces adopted a rotation strategy, made possible by their highly skilled knights.

Among them, Gilbert and Brynhild were at the forefront, cutting down or exploding any Colossal Mech that stood in their way.

They were adept at retreating at the right moment for resupply, making excellent use of Obitus positioned at the rear.

Two hours into the battle, the New Resistance forces, which had numbered in the thousands, were reduced by half.

***

“This… this is impossible!”

Horizon, cutting down the incoming Allied Forces’ Colossal Mechs, trembled with rage.

He had thought the preparations for this battle were perfect.

The day before, the momentum had shifted due to Gilbert’s unexpected actions, but this time, he had arranged the formation to prevent such a performance.

As expected, Ian’s Colossal Mech, which carried Fressia, was effectively blocked. Although they suffered some damage due to Ian’s unexpected Piloting Skill, Horizon believed that eliminating a knight with such potential was worth the cost.

Until then, everything had gone according to Horizon’s plan. If he could kill Ian, Fressia’s contractor, and forcibly break the contract, he would have a chance to obtain the Artificial Spirit.

He would need to retrieve Fressia first, but that didn’t seem too difficult. It was clear that Gilbert, the variable, had her, and winning the war would solve everything.

But once again, Gilbert intervened.

Just as Horizon was about to finish off Ian, Gilbert’s sudden appearance changed the course of the battle. With Piloting Skill that even Horizon found astonishing, Gilbert bought time to reunite with the main forces and turned the tide in favor of the Allied Forces.

As a result, the New Resistance suffered losses far greater than the day before.

Looking back, it had always been this way.

From the moment Gilbert had shown his audacious attitude at the Demia Empire Academy, he had begun to disrupt Horizon’s plans.

During the academy raid, the monster incident, and even when revealing his true identity—each event had built up to this battle at Obitus.

“Damn inferior scum!”

Unable to contain his anger, Horizon’s eyes burned with rage as he searched for Gilbert’s Colossal Mech. Gilbert was still wreaking havoc at the forefront.

Horizon realized that now was the time for him to act.

He needed to eliminate the biggest variable and obstacle in his path.

With that decision, he gripped the control stick.

“Arrogant brat! Your opponent is me!”

Horizon’s red Colossal Mech surged toward Gilbert’s Colossal Mech.

 

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