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Gilbert’s Colossal Mech, wielding an iron sword, was unstoppable.

Facing Ian’s Colossal Mech, which stood boldly as if to cut down anything in its path, Gilbert gave no room to breathe, relentlessly pushing forward with continuous attacks.

This was different from the matches Gilbert had shown until the finals. While previous matches had been played with consideration for the cadets’ growth, now he was solely focused on crushing his opponent.

In fact, Gilbert was filled with the intent to destroy Ian’s Colossal Mech. The reason was simple: it was for the cold assessment of Ian he had decided on before the match.

Though it was his first time facing Ian, who was charging at him with all his might, Gilbert quickly began analyzing Ian’s piloting habits and patterns, thanks to his extensive experience in Tactical Combat.

Adapting his own patterns to counter his opponent’s piloting was always his forte. This wasn’t just something he developed through Tactical Combat—it was a natural talent he had always possessed.

It was this talent that had allowed him to survive countless aerial battles.

Of course, Ian was no pushover. As a playable and protagonist character, Ian had exceptional abilities and talents compared to his peers. Just as Gilbert was reading Ian’s piloting patterns, Ian was doing the same to Gilbert.

No matter how skilled Gilbert was at improvisation, as a human, he couldn’t avoid having certain habitual patterns. Ian tried to exploit these to gain the upper hand.

Thus began the high-speed maneuvering battle using Characteristic Skills.

Ian’s Characteristic Skill, Synchronization, was a skill that significantly improved the sync rate with his Colossal Mech, far beyond what others could achieve. Even with an Artificial Spirit, the skill minimized the gap between thought and action, giving him an edge in controlling the massive Colossal Mech.

This always gave him the upper hand in high-speed maneuvering battles, and he had no doubt it would be the same this time.

He opened his shoulder armor and scattered Multi-shot Fireballs. Gilbert’s Colossal Mech easily dodged the fireballs, but hitting wasn’t the goal.

The goal was to obscure vision with the dust from the explosions caused by the fireballs hitting the ground. Even with the Artificial Spirit’s search magic, pinpointing the exact location would take time.

Flowing like water, Ian quickly turned around and targeted the defenseless back of the Colossal Mech.

“Still can’t keep up with my speed, huh?”

A confident smile spread across his face as he unleashed all his Magic Armaments.

Ice, fire, lightning, and wind swept through the arena.

“What? Is it over this easily?”

“Did Gilbert lose?”

The audience, feeling a sense of emptiness from the abruptly ended match, looked at Ian with awe for defeating Gilbert, who had shown incredible piloting skills.

“This is it. This is the protagonist’s entrance.”

Feeling all eyes in the arena on him, Ian was filled with satisfaction. This was the attention he had always wanted and deserved.

But before the dust settled…

“Look over there!”

“It’s not over yet. Gilbert’s Colossal Mech is still intact!”

“As expected!”

The audience erupted in excitement as the silhouette of the Colossal Mech became visible through the dust.

The majestic Colossal Mech, unscathed by the bombardment, stood with its iron sword drawn, embodying everything the audience could cheer for.

As the crowd began chanting Gilbert’s name, Ian snapped out of his delusions. He couldn’t understand how his Colossal Mech remained unharmed after his surprise attack.

No matter how skilled Ian was, it was impossible to come out unscathed from such a situation.

“You truly are the biggest obstacle.”

To become the protagonist who commands the world’s attention, Gilbert had to be removed. With this conclusion, Ian charged at his destined rival.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who had blocked Ian’s bombardment with just an iron sword, coldly observed Ian’s approach. While Ian’s quick maneuver to attack from behind was commendable, that was all it was.

The targeting was sloppy, and few of the attacks posed a real threat. Gilbert easily parried them. He acknowledged Ian’s natural piloting skills and superior senses, but such individuals weren’t rare.

And most importantly…

Clang!

Ian’s movements were monotonous. At the start of the semester, Gilbert had once advised Ian on the importance of Physical Training. Though Ian had seemed to take the advice seriously at the time, it was clear from their clashes that he had ignored it.

Top-tier knights on the continent never neglected Physical Training.

But Ian, who had focused solely on Mana Training, had a Mana capacity far surpassing Gilbert’s. In a prolonged battle or one decided by Mana, Gilbert might have lost.

With his Characteristic Skill specialized for Colossal Mech combat, Ian could have easily pulled it off.

But neglecting Physical Training made the difference.

No matter how high the output, without the physical foundation to support it, there was a limit.

And Gilbert judged that Ian’s limit lay precisely there.

Deflecting Ian’s iron sword with ease, Gilbert pushed forward, using a shoulder charge to knock Ian’s Colossal Mech off balance. He then unleashed Lightning Bolt, the fastest-firing Magic Armament.

The flash of light struck Ian’s Magic Barrier. At such close range, Ian had no way to dodge. No matter how skilled his Synchronization was, he couldn’t completely defy the laws of physics.

Even Gilbert’s three-dimensional maneuvers weren’t entirely beyond physical laws—they were simply his real-world movements translated into Colossal Mech piloting.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The relentless barrage ended, and Ian struggled to stabilize his Colossal Mech. He tried to focus on the screen and prepare for the next attack, but even in a stable position, defeating Gilbert was impossible.

Let alone in an unstable one. Gilbert easily dodged the ice-based Magic Armament and thrust his iron sword into a small opening.

Boom!

The full force of the iron sword’s damage was transferred to Ian’s Magic Barrier. Unstable from the attack, Ian’s Colossal Mech was sent flying, and Gilbert quickly followed with high-speed maneuvering.

“This is impossible!”

Ian shouted in desperation for the first time since the tournament began. Even as he was sent flying, he activated his Magic Barrier to minimize the damage.

But Gilbert wasn’t one to sit back and watch.

Winter Sword – Icicle

With a spiraling thrust, Gilbert’s sword struck, causing Ian’s Colossal Mech to collapse again. Gilbert wasn’t about to let such a perfect opportunity slip.

Winter Sword – Gale

A diagonal slash from the Colossal Mech’s iron sword struck the barrier.

Thud!

The heavy Colossal Mech fell with a loud crash.

“This can’t be happening. It really can’t!”

Ian, struggling to pull his Colossal Mech up, screamed as he saw the sharp golden blade.

He couldn’t understand the situation.

He, who was supposed to win overwhelmingly, was now on the ground?

This had to be a cruel joke.

Even as Ian was in shock, Gilbert’s sword didn’t stop. In fact, it was more accurate to say he was mechanically pounding on Ian’s Colossal Mech. Handling a Colossal Mech with such monotonous movements was child’s play.

“This should be enough.”

Gilbert felt it was a waste to drag this out any longer. If it were for Ian’s growth, he might have held back, but having deemed Ian a lost cause, he saw no reason to spare any effort.

Now, instead of any pattern, Gilbert unleashed random attacks, kicking Ian’s Colossal Mech down and deploying all his Magic Armaments.

Unlike Ian’s random bombardment, this was a focused barrage. Ice, fire, lightning, and wind swept through the arena once more.

“Gilbert! Gilbert!”

“Is it over? Is it finally over?”

The audience cheered wildly as Gilbert unleashed the same concentrated firepower Ian had shown earlier. Some were already anticipating the end.

As the dust settled, the fallen Colossal Mech came into view.

The cheers echoed loudly throughout the arena.

But Gilbert, feeling no particular emotion, calmly waited for the referee’s announcement.

***

1st Year Tournament

Winner

Gilbert Lion Heart.

 

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