Ch.180180. The Battle of Obitus Workshop

Gilbert, or rather Kang Do-jun, had harbored the greatest dissatisfaction with his characteristic skill “Your Mech Is Sick” since possessing this world.

While it might have been acceptable in a game, stealing someone else’s artificial spirit to pilot their mech carried far greater risks in a world that had become reality.

The common understanding was that contracted artificial spirits could not be used by anyone other than their contractor until the contract was terminated.

Although characteristic skills came in various forms, a skill that allowed the use of another person’s artificial spirit had never existed before, and even if it were possible, tampering with someone else’s artificial spirit was taboo, like an unwritten rule.

Since it was practically impossible to steal and pilot an enemy’s giant mech in combat situations, it was essentially like having no characteristic skill at all.

Even Gilbert thought that the first time he was able to use his characteristic skill was more a matter of luck than anything else.

However, because of these risks, the performance of “Your Mech Is Sick” far exceeded what Gilbert had planned.

In fact, “Your Mech Is Sick” showed superior performance compared to even Ian’s characteristic skill “Integration” or its evolved form “Complete Unity,” which were skills of the playable character.

Recently, he had been able to temporarily use an evolved characteristic skill when certain special conditions were met. While he didn’t know exactly what this evolved skill was, he was keenly experiencing its performance firsthand.

Gilbert inserted Fresia’s core into the giant mech’s control unit and, with CT-777’s assistance, literally dominated the battlefield.

He thrust his iron sword and magical armaments precisely where needed without the slightest waste, efficiently taking down enemy mechs despite the low remaining magical battery.

This caused a tremendous morale boost for the Successor Alliance forces.

War, after all, was about momentum, as it was fought by people. As the commander Gilbert fought on the front lines, knights were inspired to follow his lead.

Moreover, what Gilbert demonstrated was the pinnacle of giant mech piloting. The mech moved as if it were his own body, moving with delicacy despite its enormous size.

This was the very pinnacle that knights who piloted giant mechs dreamed of reaching. The knights who witnessed this felt grateful to be standing in the same battle as him, their hearts swelling with emotion.

The influence of a single person on the battlefield.

That was enough to change the tide of war.

Horizon, knowing this fact, was furious, but now was the time to retreat. Continuing a battle where momentum had been lost would only accumulate more damage.

He hastily opened the general communication channel and shouted:

“Retreat and regroup!”

The thousands of New Resistance members followed their leader’s command as if they had been waiting for it. They too knew that the current battlefield situation was unfavorable.

They quickly drove their mechs back to their original deployment point. The Successor Alliance forces pursued them tenaciously, but they reached the limit of their offensive range.

Pursuing them further would result in massive damage to the Alliance forces. The military commanders of each Successor Alliance recognized this point and halted the pursuit.

And a single message was conveyed:

– This is our victory.

The first round of the upcoming Obitus siege battle went to the Alliance forces.

As the Alliance forces basked in their victory, Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief. The mech he was piloting kept sounding warnings that the battery level was less than 1%.

“That was close.”

[Y-you shameless…]

Hearing Fresia’s thoroughly exhausted voice, Gilbert let out a hollow laugh. Her behavior, like a heroine in an NTR story who had been violated, made him feel like he had become a despicable golden sun.

“I didn’t do anything in particular.”

[What? Didn’t do anything? You punk!]

Seeing Fresia’s sensitive reaction, Gilbert couldn’t understand, but it was clear that the characteristic skill “Your Mech Is Sick” had some kind of effect on artificial spirits when activated.

“I really don’t know. Did you experience something?”

[After doing such a thing, you claim not to know? You… you… scoundrel…]

Whether it was his imagination or not, her voice seemed slightly tearful, giving Gilbert a headache.

This was another moment that strengthened his resolve to deeply investigate his characteristic skill once this situation was resolved.

***

With the first Obitus siege battle ending in victory for the Successor Alliance, time was given to regroup. While organizing the damage reports for both enemy and friendly forces, the military commanders of each faction—the Successors—assessed who was solidifying their position as the heir.

This expedition was both about punishing traitors who dared to rebel against the Empire and determining who would be the Empire’s successor.

While working together for the Alliance’s victory, what they truly desired was to win the succession contest.

Naturally, after the first Obitus siege battle, it became clear which successor had gained the upper hand.

Seraphina Rector Infractus.

The First Imperial Princess was the protagonist of this development.

Gilbert, who belonged to her faction, had shown remarkable achievements in the first siege battle that all other successors had witnessed. Standing at the vanguard with his almost supernatural mech piloting skills, he had literally dominated the battlefield.

Even the mech knights who experienced his combat up close were inspired by him, resulting in an overwhelming victory in the first round. Although there were still thousands of enemy mechs to face, this did not diminish the significance of the first victory.

Rather, it would serve as a stepping stone for the next victory.

The successors, well aware of this fact, could not be purely pleased with Gilbert’s achievements.

“This gives me a headache. I thought a golden opportunity had arrived, but it seems the opposite was true. I never imagined that someone known as a good-for-nothing would have such potential.”

Richard and Seraphina’s younger brother, the Second Prince Philode, let out a sigh. Until recently, Gilbert, the eldest son of the Hart Count family, had been branded as a worthless individual beyond redemption.

Bringing the historically significant Hart Count family into one’s faction would have many advantages, but the current head of the family, Count Lithuania, was extremely averse to getting involved in politics.

He considered guarding the border regions—his family’s destined duty—as his only mission, and strictly forbade even his children from entering social circles.

The eldest son of the Hart Count family had enrolled in Demeia Academy for the Blue Blood Certification, which all nobles belonging to the Empire must undergo, but none of the successors had approached Gilbert.

Gilbert’s infamy within the Empire was so great that no one thought he would grow into a person of influence.

However, after entering Demeia Academy, Gilbert took a completely different path. Not only did he perform heroically, but he also distinguished himself in the succession contest, which was most important to the successors.

This was something that even the intelligent successors had not anticipated.

“Is there no way to persuade him?”

The Second Princess Theresia asked the other successors gathered at the meeting. They had also considered ways to persuade him but couldn’t find a clear solution.

“The relationship between Sister Seraphina and Gilbert is strong. She showed him kindness from the time he was called a good-for-nothing, helping him become a disciple of the Sword Saint. Humans tend not to forget those who extend a hand to them when they’re at rock bottom.”

“That’s not all. As Your Highnesses know, the one closest to succession is our eldest sister. Even our eldest brother has acknowledged this fact.”

The youngest prince, Prince Poleron, shook his head. Being the youngest, he was at the bottom of the succession order and was one of the successors who absolutely needed to seize this opportunity.

However, after the first siege battle, he had half-abandoned his ambitions for succession. He judged that no one in his faction could demonstrate the same level of influence as Gilbert.

“In the end, there’s only one thing we can do. Capture the leader of the New Resistance and present him to His Majesty the Emperor. That’s the only hope left for us.”

After a lengthy debate, that was the conclusion they reached.

To capture Horizon, the leader of the New Resistance and a traitor who had betrayed the Empire.

The successors gathered here agreed to this and formed a pact to help each other until the moment of his capture.

Meanwhile, one of the notable figures not present at this gathering, Prince Richard, was deep in thought in his own quarters. Having spent half his life on battlefields, he was one of the people who had been most impressed by Gilbert’s achievements.

He was a strategist known as the Divine Calculator. Naturally, to formulate excellent strategies, accurate assessment and calculation of the opponent were necessary.

To him, Gilbert was an extremely interesting individual.

The courage to dive into enemy-infested areas without hesitation, the ability to boost allies’ morale, and the exceptional mech piloting skills that supported all of this—these had left a deep impression on him.

He had tried to formulate strategies to defeat Gilbert if he were to appear as an enemy, but it wasn’t easy. To face him, mediocre mech knights wouldn’t be enough.

Gilbert, who could strike down enemies with minimal movement, couldn’t be guaranteed defeat by numbers alone. The best approach would be to force a war of attrition using a unit composed of skilled mech knights to cause his mech to cease functioning.

Even that strategy had too many holes, as it was based on the assumption that he would be alone. There was also the constraint of having to create a situation where he could be isolated.

“So Seraphina, with her strong desire for talent, created such a variable. How interesting indeed.”

Richard thought of his sister, who obsessively gathered talented individuals, and smiled wryly. He had no intention whatsoever of concluding the succession contest like this.

This too was a battlefield, albeit one without swords. And Richard was a strategist who dominated battlefields.

“Call Ian. I have orders for him.”

He thought of Ian as a counterpart to Gilbert. To face Gilbert, existing knights wouldn’t be enough.

At the very least, there needed to be a mech knight of the same student status as Gilbert who could create a rival image.

Richard intended to groom Ian, another student, as that counterpart. Though far inferior to Gilbert, he believed in Ian’s potential and in his own strategies and tactics.

***

Horizon was furious about the defeat in the first round. He couldn’t accept losing the first round despite having significantly more forces than the Imperial Alliance.

This was due to a major mistake he had made. He didn’t want to admit it, but that was the situation.

He had failed to properly utilize his numerical advantage, and by focusing on Fresia and the Lion King’s sword at the front, he had allowed Gilbert’s activities to go unchecked, which proved to be his downfall.

Horizon made a concerted effort to calm his anger-distorted mind. The first round had gone wrong due to his carelessness and overconfidence, but this couldn’t happen a second time.

“It’s just around the corner. The day when I will be known across the continent as the Lion King is just around the corner.”

Muttering like someone with paranoia, Horizon picked up a magical device directly connected to the Count.

However, for some reason, the Count, who had always responded immediately, did not answer no matter how much time passed.

“Damn that man. Not answering my call. Is he thinking of betraying me?”

Horizon fundamentally did not trust people. Since the only one he trusted in this world was himself, he couldn’t shake the thought of betrayal.

Of course, he put that thought aside for now. The cunning Count was likely weighing the current situation.

Thinking that he would naturally make contact once the tide of battle changed, Horizon irritably threw the communication device. Protected by magic, the device was tossed to the floor but didn’t crack.

Vowing to remember today’s humiliation, Horizon called for Vandyke. It was time to plan for tomorrow’s battle.

***

The day after the first round ended.

The sound of giant mechs announcing the second round thundered across the Obitus plains.