Ch.161161. Academy’s Downfall

Despite being an artificial spirit that had existed for ages, Fresia showed no wavering of her sense of self. One might ask what was so special about that, but looking at the stories of liches, high-ranking undead, would reveal just how extraordinary this was.

In modern times, liches had become almost impossible to find. This was due to their bodies existing in an ambiguous boundary—neither truly alive nor truly dead.

To become a lich, one had to store all their life force and essence in a vessel called a Life Vessel. Since this included their soul, the body left behind would rapidly decay.

As was typical of the mage kind, those who chose to become liches were usually obsessed with magic and actually preferred having a body that didn’t need to eat, sleep, or rest. Their ultimate purpose in becoming liches was to continue their research to see the limits of magic, and in that respect, an undead body offered many advantages.

But the human mind had its limitations, whether one became a mage or a swordsman.

After decades or centuries, they would begin to feel a disconnect from having a body that couldn’t feel stimulation. This disconnect would grow day by day, turning into emptiness, and that emptiness would eventually transform into self-loathing for their hasty choice made long ago.

According to ancient texts, most mages who became liches either destroyed their Life Vessels to end their existence or went mad and committed massacres worthy of historical record.

They became undead to transcend human limitations, but ironically, they perished due to those very human limitations. In that sense, it was remarkable that Fresia, who had existed since ancient times, maintained such a steadfast sense of self.

Perhaps it was because she was created as an artificial spirit rather than a human. The limitations applied to human minds, not to the minds of artificial spirits.

Of course, Fresia’s sense of self was as perfect as any human’s. She showed jealousy at times and irritation at others. Conversely, she had the capacity for empathy—laughing at joyful things and crying at sad ones.

In that case, it would be correct to view Fresia as no different from a human.

Though she had no body and was created by humans, one couldn’t say she lacked a sense of self or a soul.

She appeared sufficiently human, and she thought of herself that way too.

***

Ian had been thinking that Fresia seemed strange lately. Though he hadn’t known her for long, he had naturally come to understand what kind of artificial spirit she was, as he spent most of his waking hours interacting with her.

Despite her picky personality, she had a righteous and warm heart. Every curt remark Fresia made was actually advice and concern for Ian, and she was attentive to his feelings.

That’s why she despised Gilbert so much. Having heard stories about his delinquent days, Fresia didn’t hesitate to call Gilbert a hooligan, a thug, or trash.

Of course, since Ian was the one who had relayed these stories, they were somewhat biased. Recently, he hadn’t failed to mention that Gilbert had reformed, but it was true that the stories about Gilbert focused mainly on his past.

Ian himself knew this was petty behavior, but at the time, he had been consumed by an inferiority complex.

Looking back now, it was embarrassing—even more shameful than when he had proudly proclaimed himself the protagonist of the world.

But he was different now. While he still thought of himself as the center of the world, he no longer proclaimed it childishly. He no longer harbored ugly jealousy or suffered from an inferiority complex.

All of this had happened after contracting with Fresia. His personal growth was entirely thanks to her.

Because she supported and believed in him, he was able to face his weaknesses and ugliness and choose to move forward.

Yes, this was all possible because of Fresia.

Inside the cockpit, Ian stared at Fresia’s core with lifeless eyes.

When talking about Gilbert, he had never once seen her refer to him by name until now.

What could this mean?

[Ian! What are you doing? Focus!]

“Ah… Alright, I understand.”

[Now’s the time to join up with Gilbert.]

There it was again. She called his name again.

Ian’s empty pupils turned once more toward Fresia’s core.

Simply put, it meant Fresia had come to acknowledge Gilbert. This was something Ian had anticipated.

Even if Fresia had viewed Gilbert through colored lenses, it was only a matter of time before she would see him differently once she heard the rumors and judged him for herself.

But witnessing it directly, Ian couldn’t hide his complex feelings. Somehow, it felt like Fresia had been taken from him, and a dark, sticky jealousy clung to the bottom of his heart.

This was probably what people called obsession, but Ian didn’t have the presence of mind to think that far.

[How long are you going to be distracted!]

“Don’t rush me. I’m moving now.”

Responding curtly, Ian pulled the control lever and joined Gilbert, who was sweeping through the Resistance.

Once engaged in battle, his mind cleared, allowing him to assess the situation. As Fresia said, this was a moment that required his full attention.

They had just been at death’s door moments ago. If Gilbert hadn’t intervened at the right time, they might have been blown to pieces along with their God Machine.

Ian shook his head to clear his mind.

Currently, the Academy was under attack by what appeared to be a large-scale Resistance God Machine unit. The security system, which had been fortified through several previous attacks, had proven completely useless, allowing the invasion to happen with alarming ease.

The Academy’s main buildings had all collapsed, with only the headmaster’s building partially maintaining its structure in a half-destroyed state.

But what did that matter?

Buildings could be rebuilt. An attack of this scale was something you’d only see in national-level warfare. With what looked like hundreds of God Machines attacking simultaneously, it would have been impossible for an academy to repel them.

Ian cut down an approaching God Machine while closely observing Gilbert’s movements. Somehow, his piloting skills seemed to have reached another level, his movements even smoother than before.

[He’s grown again.]

“You mean that guy?”

[Yes. You know it too, Ian. His movements are smoother than before. There used to be slight interruptions, but even those are gone now.]

“I guess that’s what they call genius.”

[It could also mean he’s worked that much harder.]

Though Ian spoke sarcastically, Fresia responded with genuine admiration. That irritated him again, and he maneuvered his God Machine roughly.

Fresia immediately scolded him, but to vent his frustration, he deliberately ignored her words. As a result, the battle grew increasingly fierce, and damage accumulated on his God Machine.

By the time the battle ended, the difference between Gilbert’s God Machine and Ian’s was visibly significant. Realizing this, Ian bit his lip.

[Do you know where Professor Briana and Professor Alexander are?]

As Ian was swallowing his bitterness from the long-unfelt inferiority complex, Gilbert suddenly connected through the communication system. With his usual expressionless face, he asked about Professor Briana’s whereabouts.

“No, I don’t know either.”

[I see. I’ll leave the students behind to you.]

Though he felt the urge to rebel against being ordered around, he couldn’t ignore the people they had been desperately protecting.

But his pride wouldn’t allow him to respond, so instead of answering, Ian terminated the communication and rescued the still-frozen group of students. When he looked back, Gilbert had already disappeared with his God Machine.

Ian bit his lip again, feeling as if he had actually followed Gilbert’s orders. That guy truly didn’t have a single likable quality.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, having rescued Ian, was struggling to find Briana’s whereabouts. His progress was naturally slow as he methodically eliminated any Resistance forces he encountered along the way.

However, securing Professors Briana and Alexander was extremely important. Even for Gilbert, with his stagnant abilities, facing so many God Machines was too much.

It wasn’t a matter of his physical or mana exhaustion, but the clear operational limits of a God Machine. Under special conditions, he might be able to hijack enemy God Machines, but even that was difficult with such large numbers.

Ultimately, both professors needed to join the battle, if only to buy time to switch God Machines.

Gilbert pierced through a Resistance God Machine’s cockpit that blocked his path and moved forward. Having experienced countless wars, he showed no hesitation.

The Resistance had indiscriminately killed innocent academy students and staff to achieve their goals. To prevent that, he had no qualms about killing them.

This behavior stemmed from his experiences as Kang Dojun before his possession—lessons he had learned painfully.

After searching for the two professors for about ten minutes, Gilbert finally found Professor Alexander evacuating students. It was impressive to see him caring for students with his injured body while surrounded by God Machines.

He initiated high-speed maneuvers to protect Professor Alexander and the trembling students behind him.