Ch.148148. Your Spirit Was Sick

[“Gil. Get a hold of yourself.”]

Ah, damn, my head is ringing.

Gilbert found it difficult to regain his senses due to the pain that felt like his head had been slammed against an iron wall multiple times.

In fact, it wasn’t wrong to say that—he had indeed hit his head against the cockpit’s interior walls several times due to the excessive physical forces that had tossed him around.

Finally regaining consciousness after CT’s repeated calls, Gilbert wiped away the warm liquid flowing down his face with the back of his hand. Looking at his hand, he saw it was smeared with sticky blood.

He shook his head a few times, but the dazed feeling persisted. Judging by the stiffness in his neck, he must have suffered a mild concussion when his head hit the cockpit.

No matter how generously one might describe it, his condition was far from normal, though it was relatively good considering he’d been struck by a club swung with full force by a monster ogre.

The fact that he hadn’t been torn out of the cockpit entirely could be considered using up all his luck.

“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 God-Machine is inoperable. It’s completely destroyed.]

“What’s the best course of action available to me in the current situation?”

[Analysis. The optimal choice in the current situation is determined to be using your characteristic skill. You need to board Commander Ian’s God-Machine.]

Though his head wasn’t working well, Gilbert understood what CT-777 was saying. Beyond the screen bathed in red, he could see Ian’s God-Machine crashed somewhere.

Seeing this, Gilbert recalled what had caused his current state.

He had pushed Ian aside when he suddenly rushed at the monster ogre, taking the club hit in his place—that was why he was in this sorry state.

Gilbert’s teeth clenched involuntarily.

The variable factor of Ian that he had been so wary of had finally manifested.

Perhaps the right decision would have been to let Ian take the hit, but he couldn’t do that. One way or another, Ian was an ally belonging to the subjugation force, and as a soldier and knight, Gilbert’s character wouldn’t allow him to stand by while an ally was in danger.

– KWAWAWAWA!

At the monster ogre’s howling, Gilbert pushed thoughts of Ian to the back of his mind. The ogre was letting out a victory roar, apparently not considering the immobilized God-Machine a threat.

There was no telling when the monster ogre might confirm its kill, and the subjugation force’s retreat wasn’t yet complete. To resolve both issues, Gilbert needed to board Ian’s God-Machine.

Even if his physical condition wasn’t normal, with his characteristic skill “Your Machine is Awesome,” CT-777, and the super artificial spirit Fresia inside Ian’s God-Machine, he might be able to manage somehow.

After taking a short breath to steady himself, Gilbert grabbed only CT-777, opened the cockpit, and jumped out.

– Kruk?

The fierce eyes turned toward Gilbert, perhaps sensing human mana. While the creature was assessing the situation, Gilbert needed to switch to Ian’s God-Machine, so he drew upon his mana with full force.

Ugh, damn it.

The aftereffects of taking a direct hit from the club wrapped in magical energy seemed to affect his mana loading—drawing up mana felt like knives stabbing through his body.

Of course, if he complained about the pain, he’d become the monster ogre’s snack as soon as it finished assessing the situation. Forcibly enduring the pain, he sprinted toward Ian’s God-Machine with all his might.

– KWAK!

The monster ogre began to move, having finished assessing the situation.

This was the worst possible scenario for Gilbert, who hadn’t yet reached Ian’s God-Machine. Given the creature’s size, it would clearly be upon him in the blink of an eye.

Gilbert threw another gamble here.

“Limit Break”

[Initiating Limit Break.]

[Warning! Activating Limit Break may cause permanent stat decreases.]

– THUMP!

“Kugh!”

Unlike usual, as soon as he used Limit Break, a pain like his heart being squeezed overwhelmed him.

Using Limit Break was already taxing on the body even in normal condition, so using it with his battered body was causing problems.

But the effect was excellent. His running speed increased proportionally to the squeezing pain in his heart.

Shaking off the monster ogre that had nearly reached him, Gilbert managed to position himself above the cockpit of Ian’s God-Machine.

With no time to explain the situation, he grabbed the external handle intending to tear open the cockpit, but unexpectedly, the cockpit door opened.

He doubted Ian would have opened it willingly, but that didn’t matter now.

Entering the cockpit, Gilbert pushed aside the unconscious, slumped Ian and squeezed himself into the pilot seat.

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

Gilbert smirked at Fresia’s sharp voice, which he found almost nostalgic. Not knowing about his characteristic skill, she was asking if he had brought the artificial spirit from his original God-Machine.

“I need your support, CT”

[Understood. Syncing with the characteristic skill.]

[Ruffian! What on earth are you talk—HYUK?!]

[Characteristic skill “Your Machine is Awesome” is activating.]

[Special conditions for characteristic skill “Your Machine is Awesome” confirmed.]

[Skill Limit Break activation… confirmed.]

[Skill Hundred Techniques acquisition… confirmed.]

[Compatibility rate with super artificial spirit Fresia… first activation confirmed.]

[Some special conditions for “Your Machine is Awesome” have been met, partially unlocking higher characteristic skill ???.]

[Checking conditions for skill Hundred Techniques. Partially unlocking higher skill ???.]

As the God-Machine began to activate, numerous message windows obscured Gilbert’s vision.

There were many incomprehensible messages, but what mattered now was subjugating the monster ogre.

Clearing away all the distracting system messages, Gilbert gripped the God-Machine’s controls.

With red eyes blazing with golden magical power, the God-Machine rose to its feet.

Despite the heart-squeezing pain and the blood welling up in his throat, Gilbert smiled.

He could see a way forward.

***

[Ian! Wake up!]

Fresia shouted to wake the unconscious Ian, but he showed no signs of stirring.

When the ruffian Gilbert took the club hit in his place and was sent flying, Ian seemed to go into shock, mumbling to himself before failing to react to the monster ogre’s follow-up attack and passing out.

Knowing all too well the danger posed by the monster ogre, Fresia tried her hardest to wake Ian somehow.

She called to him through their spiritual connection and even applied small shocks using electric magic.

But Ian wouldn’t open his eyes no matter what method she tried. It was as if his body was refusing to wake up due to the shock he received just before losing consciousness.

What should I do?

There was nothing Fresia, without a physical form, could do.

There was the option of running in autonomous mode, but with Ian unconscious, the operation rate would clearly be no more than half. This was the natural result when the contractor who supplied her with mana was unconscious.

Yet she couldn’t choose to move the God-Machine at half capacity and risk attracting the monster ogre’s attention. For Ian’s safety, that option was absolutely out of the question.

There was only one option left.

Fresia examined Gilbert’s fallen God-Machine. According to the visible damage and her analysis magic, Gilbert’s God-Machine was impossible to operate.

She didn’t know what condition Gilbert was in inside, but in this situation, that ruffian’s help was desperately needed to safely escape with Ian.

If he could somehow bring his artificial spirit and board Ian’s God-Machine, escape wouldn’t be impossible.

Though Fresia despised the infamous ruffian Gilbert, she genuinely respected his skills.

He was already a full-fledged God-Machine knight, yet Gilbert Lion Heart was looking beyond that.

Had her desperate prayer been answered by heaven?

The cockpit door of Gilbert’s machine opened, and he jumped out. Seeing him running toward them while emitting golden mana, it seemed he had the same idea as her.

The monster ogre regained its senses midway, but Gilbert’s abilities, including his physical stats, seemed to surge dramatically—he must have done something. With his eyes blazing with golden mana, Gilbert reached the God-Machine’s cockpit in one breath.

Thinking he might try to tear off the door, she hurriedly opened the cockpit.

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

Fresia asked about the most important thing—the presence of the artificial spirit. Instead of answering, he settled into the pilot seat and placed the artificial spirit core he had been holding next to her.

“I need your support, CT”

[Understood. Syncing with the characteristic skill.]

[Ruffian! What on earth are you talk—HYUK?!]

As she was about to scold the ruffian for talking nonsense without disconnecting her from the God-Machine, Fresia let out an embarrassing sound due to a sudden unfamiliar sensation.

But she couldn’t regain her composure due to this strange, novel feeling that even Fresia, who had existed for ages, had never experienced before.

Gilbert gripped the control stick.

In that moment, Fresia felt as if her soul had been grasped by Gilbert.

“Let’s go.”

[You… what exactly are… hic!]

When he pulled the control stick, her mind went blank. This too was a feeling she had never experienced before.

It was an unfamiliar sensation that no God-Machine knight who had handled her from ancient Atlantica until now, not even Ian, had been able to make her feel.

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

In fact, it was the opposite.

It was rather… on the pleasant side.

But Fresia quickly denied this.

There was no way she could feel good because of such a ruffian.

[Gil. I’ll start syncing with the current artificial spirit.]

“Understood. CT, changing target settings.”

[Confirmed.]

[What exactly have you two done to me?]

“No time to explain.”

At his firm words, Fresia gritted her teeth.

She struggled hard to gather her wits so as not to be swayed by this sensation.

“The objective is the complete silencing of the monster ogre.”

[Confirmed. Target set: complete silencing of the monster ogre. Will provide support.]

[What are you two talking about without meeeee!]

Her barely collected thoughts scattered in all directions again.

When Gilbert pulled the God-Machine’s controls and infused it with magical power, Fresia, connected to the God-Machine, felt something beyond what she had experienced earlier.

A strange sensation like her soul being shattered into pieces and then reassembled.

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

Fresia watched Gilbert’s battle while panting, despite having no need to breathe.

After some time, Fresia became accustomed to that strange sensation. She had only been startled by the newly discovered feeling, but like the super artificial spirit she was, once familiar with it, she began to skillfully control it.

Having returned to her normal self, she began to coldly analyze Gilbert’s piloting skills.

As much as she hated to admit it, his piloting was excellent.

Unlike Ian, he thoroughly eliminated unnecessary movements and demonstrated extreme control techniques that prioritized efficiency.

Flexibility, boldness, and movements that were both orthodox and unorthodox.

There was a flawlessness in Gilbert’s control techniques that was beyond reproach.

And this guy…

She hadn’t noticed at first due to her confusion, but now she could tell.

The delay phenomenon that inevitably occurs even with the most skilled God-Machine knights was absent in him.

This was like watching Ian’s characteristic skill, Unity.

More precisely, it was like seeing the phenomenon that occurs when using fully developed Unity.

Fresia wondered:

How was this ruffian capable of such artistry?

Of course, finding the answer wasn’t difficult.

Gilbert Lion Heart possessed a characteristic skill related to God-Machines.

That was the analysis Fresia could make.

She couldn’t know exactly what kind of characteristic skill it was, though.

Fresia looked at the struggling Gilbert with fresh eyes.

She had viewed him through the prejudice she’d heard from Ian, but now she questioned whether that view was correct.

Of course, what she had heard about Gilbert’s past from Ian wasn’t untrue.

According to the information she had gathered, he had been the worst kind of human, committing atrocities.

A disgrace to the count’s family, a good-for-nothing ruffian with terrible abilities.

That’s why she disliked Gilbert. He was the prototype of the kind of human she despised.

But apparently, at some point, he had changed as a person.

Fresia didn’t believe this either.

She thought he had just become more cunning, deceiving people.

She held this belief even until this moment.

She fundamentally believed that a person’s nature doesn’t change. It was a fact she had naturally learned after contracting with countless people over the long years.

But was it right to judge someone as a ruffian when they were so desperately trying to save people and walking toward the threshold of death?

Was the man before her, who had saved Ian and was now straining with his broken body to subjugate the monster ogre, really the irredeemable trash his past actions suggested?

Even Fresia, who had existed for so long, couldn’t easily answer. This was truly a unique type of human she had never seen before, so she lacked a comparative sample and detailed information about him.

“Kuk!”

[Warning. Signs of the monster ogre going berserk detected.]

Fresia snapped out of her contemplation at the violently shaking God-Machine and the urgent cry of the artificial spirit.

She didn’t know how he was handling her despite her formal contract with someone else, but what mattered now was escaping this situation.

[Ruffian. I’ll support you, so follow my lead.]

“All talk after doing nothing until now.”

[What? Do you know who I am when you speak like that?]

“Do I need to know? All I need to do right now is tear that monster ogre bastard apart. I don’t care about anything else.”

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

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

Fresia snorted at Gilbert’s provocative grin.

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

[Ruffian. That’s my line. Can you keep up? No, it’s the opposite. You’re the one who needs to keep up, ruffian!]

Fresia spread all of Gilbert’s mana throughout the God-Machine. The current God-Machine was a general-purpose model, so its performance wasn’t particularly outstanding, but Fresia had one method.

It was a technique that normally would only be possible with Ian, who could fully handle the Unity skill, but she judged that Gilbert, with his similar characteristic skill, could handle it sufficiently.

[Gil. The God-Machine’s output has exceeded its limit.]

Here it comes!

Gilbert smiled at CT-777’s words.

If Limit Break applied to the human body, Fresia could use an ability similar to Limit Break on the God-Machine.

It was a technique that drew out performance beyond the machine’s capabilities, causing severe strain on the God-Machine afterward, but it was an excellent technique in terms of performance.

“Good. Then, it’s a match, Fresia.”

[…You know me?]

“Focus. Don’t confuse your priorities.”

[I don’t like this.]

Fresia clicked her tongue at Gilbert’s words and activated all the God-Machine’s magical power.

Overheat.

It was Fresia’s unique technique.

***

“Uwek!”

Gilbert looked at the screen while vomiting blood.

Though his vision blurred from losing too much blood, he could still manage a smile.

[You monstrous ruffian.]

He heard Fresia’s reproachful words, but he didn’t mind.

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

[Huh? Hey! Ruffian, wake up!]

[Gil. Get a hold of yourself.]

Gilbert blinked his eyes and then lost consciousness.

Before passing out, he could see the system message windows filling his vision.

[Achievement “Monster Ogre Slayer” unlocked.]

[Noble Spirit! All unit members witnessed your sacrificial aspect of buying time while the subjugation force retreated. Your noble spirit of sacrifice will spread widely across the continent.]

[Achievement “Noble Spirit” unlocked.]

[Due to exceeding the limits of limits, your mana load has been severely damaged.]

[Super regeneration ability awakens as you reach your physical limit.]