Ch.36036. Your Mech Was Sick

[Activating the Titan Mech.]

[Verifying official contractor.]

[Contractor Ian Ti… Ian Tigri… Error occurred.]

[Error occurred]

[Error occurred]

[Correction]

[Contractor Gilbert Lion Hart confirmed.]

The front display briefly lit up red before the Titan Mech activated normally with the artificial spirit’s voice. It seemed an unexpected error had occurred during the very moment when the characteristic skill was awakening, overlapping with it.

Wait, how did the characteristic skill activate? How did he make an official contract with the artificial spirit? Various thoughts crossed Gilbert’s mind, but now wasn’t the time to worry about such things.

It was time to enjoy this unexpected stroke of luck.

Gilbert raised the Titan Mech while watching the still-swaggering Resistance member.

“This is… amazing.”

The Titan Mech moving in sync with his thoughts was marvelous. This was a sensation he hadn’t felt even when playing as Ian, the protagonist character.

Back then, there were limitations of virtual reality, and his control ability hadn’t reached 100. Though he had exceeded 100 by activating his characteristic skill, the current Gilbert had already maxed out at 100 without needing any special skill.

On top of that, despite being loaded with penalties, when the “Your Mech is Awesome” skill activated—which performed beyond even an S-class “Integration” skill when conditions were met—the world he saw changed completely.

[If you had stayed down quietly, this would have ended peacefully!]

Gilbert snapped out of his brief reverie at the voice coming from what appeared to be the Resistance leader’s Titan Mech.

Hadn’t he said he was confident about facing seven Titan Mechs?

No, he needed to rephrase that now.

There was no need to question his ability when facing a mere seven Titan Mechs.

Gilbert targeted the Resistance leader first, who was still speaking as if engaged in some noble cause.

[Ugh?! What is this?!]

He launched a preemptive strike with multi-shot fireballs.

All weapons were unlocked, but due to Ian’s reckless expenditure, less than half of the ammunition remained.

But that was no problem at all.

He shoulder-checked the Resistance Titan Mech, which was confused by the sudden barrage of attacks, and infused his sword with mana.

The unlocking of weapon restrictions meant magical combat using the Titan Mech was now possible. This meant an ordinary iron sword could literally become a peerless blade capable of splitting the earth and rivers.

Gilbert’s mana, honed by Lion Heart, was transmitted to the Titan Mech through the artificial spirit.

Golden mana surged and enveloped the iron sword.

The ordinary iron sword of the general-purpose Titan Mech became a radiant golden treasure blade in that moment.

Without hesitation, Gilbert thrust the sword into the cockpit of the enemy Titan Mech as it staggered from the shoulder check.

—Crack!

The Resistance Titan Mech’s cockpit shattered with a single strike, either due to poor performance or perhaps because the cadet had let his guard down.

Gilbert briefly entertained these useless thoughts but quickly shook his head. Unnecessary thinking during battle would only invite danger.

[Commander!]

The remaining six Titan Mechs shouted in shock at seeing their leader fall. It was hard to believe that the most skilled person among them had been defeated by a freshman who had just entered the academy.

The Resistance members, who had held the numerical advantage until now, became alert after this exchange. They realized that if they weren’t careful, they could jeopardize their noble cause.

But what they needed to worry about now was no longer their cause.

Gilbert’s Titan Mech kicked the ground hard. Using the mana booster for high-speed movement, he dove into the embrace of a green Titan Mech that still hadn’t regained its composure.

Belatedly noticing Gilbert’s approach, it tried to block with its iron sword as a shield, but Gilbert’s Titan Mech lowered its posture dramatically as if anticipating the move.

—Slash!

Golden mana trailed like silk threads where he had passed.

The Resistance member piloting the green Titan Mech looked puzzled, feeling no impact on his machine.

Tilt.

But as soon as he tried to move, the Titan Mech leaned over and fell forward. The front display turned red with warnings about leg damage.

When did he cut them off?!

Despite breaking into a cold sweat and struggling, there was nothing he could do with a Titan Mech whose legs had been severed.

Gilbert gripped his sword in reverse and smashed it down near the cockpit.

That left five Titan Mechs.

Seeing another comrade fall in the blink of an eye, the Resistance members hesitated no longer. They erased from their minds the fact that their opponent was a freshman cadet. The one before them was unnaturally skilled in Titan Mech combat and showed no mercy.

The five remaining Titan Mechs surrounded Gilbert’s and attacked all at once.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Iron swords came flying from all directions, but Gilbert deflected them all with fearless movements. The Resistance members were astonished by his almost supernatural reaction speed. The way he fluidly countered every attack as if existing in a different timeframe was hard to believe even when seen with their own eyes.

[He must be overexerting himself! Everyone fall back and concentrate fire!]

At the words of what seemed to be the vice-commander, all five Titan Mechs simultaneously distanced themselves from Gilbert. It was a quick judgment that even with fast reaction speed, blocking the bombardment from five Titan Mechs would be impossible for a general-purpose model.

The five Titan Mechs unleashed their most powerful magical armament, Explosion.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was a barrage that swept across the area. The ground was overturned, and trees were uprooted and shattered. The power of the Explosion spell, unleashed with enough force to wipe out the entire battlefield, was tremendous.

[Damn it, what happened?]

The Resistance vice-commander scanned the surroundings with detection magic, but the residual magical energy from the sudden barrage made it impossible to locate the enemy Titan Mech. As he anxiously waited for the dust to settle, he suddenly realized something and shouted to his members.

[Dodge! He’s still inta—!]

Slash!

A golden mana line bisected both the dust cloud and the vice-commander’s Titan Mech. The machine, cleanly cut in half at the cockpit, fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

The Resistance members stared dumbly at their vice-commander’s fallen Titan Mech, which had followed their leader in death.

Thud. Thud.

Gilbert’s Titan Mech, emerging through the dust, was not in good condition. The concentrated fire had broken or punctured the outer armor in various places.

But it seemed to have no trouble moving as it began walking toward the remaining members.

[Mo-monster…]

For the first time, fear crept into those who had boasted they would not spare even their lives for revolution. They recalled hearing that an excellent knight could face multiple Titan Mechs.

They had thought it was just an exaggeration to intimidate them… but the reality was different.

The four remaining members backed away slowly, watching Gilbert standing there like the grim reaper with his iron sword. Those gathered under the pretext of yearning for freedom had their resolve broken by overwhelming violence.

Seeing this, Gilbert clicked his tongue. Hans’s quick response in leading the cadets to safety after catching Ian had been extremely effective. If Hans hadn’t been there, how many casualties would have resulted from the bombardment just now… it was unpleasant to imagine.

Gilbert felt he needed to end the situation quickly to prevent such unfortunate incidents. He pulled the control lever and charged toward the remaining Titan Mechs.

***

“You’re really doing something incredible. You are.”

Angelina, who had quickly assessed the situation after the Resistance attack, had gathered all the nearby cadets and brought them to where she had previously located a magical weapon. After hearing the full story from Hans, who was carrying Ian, she shook her head as she watched Gilbert take down his fourth Titan Mech.

She had known his piloting skills were excellent since the entrance mock battle, but she hadn’t expected him to be able to face seven Titan Mechs simultaneously. Moreover, what he had shown in the entrance mock battle seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg, as his current piloting skills were almost miraculous.

Cutting through multi-shot fireballs coming from all directions with his sword was just the basics. He performed the feat of deflecting an iron sword aimed at the gap after a slash with his shoulder armor, then dove in to grab the enemy Titan Mech’s arm and tore it off.

The tattered arm finally fell to the ground with a thud, unable to bear its heavy weight. The reduction in combat effectiveness was obvious.

Gilbert, who couldn’t win even when there were seven Titan Mechs initially, gradually wore down the remaining machines with his specialty in high-speed maneuvers, eventually succeeding in destroying all but one.

“I’m just wondering now, why was Lord Gilbert called a scoundrel?”

Hans, who had laid Ian down in a suitable spot, approached Angelina and asked.

Angelina wondered about that too.

Could there be any freshman who could face so many Titan Mechs alone in a life-or-death battle rather than a mock one?

Angelina knew well that it was a feat she couldn’t accomplish herself.

But Gilbert could. He was demonstrating that fact right now. Angelina couldn’t understand if it was right to call such a person a scoundrel.

“Lady Angelina. I think Lord Gilbert is about to reach his operational limit.”

“Sharp observation. You’re right, Hans. The Titan Mech Gilbert is piloting is nearing its operational limit…”

“…Is that why you brought us to where the magical weapon is? To stop that escaping Titan Mech?”

“I don’t like playing the adjutant role even here, but given the situation, it seems appropriate. Get ready.”

Hans thought Angelina was no less impressive for having assessed Gilbert’s situation and devised a response plan in such a short time. While he had been engrossed watching Gilbert’s brilliant Titan Mech piloting, she had already prepared the support.

“Understood. Give me the signal.”

“It will be within the next minute or so.”

Hearing it would be within a minute, Hans hurriedly gathered the cadets and began operating the magical weapon.

Angelina checked the time while alternately watching Gilbert’s Titan Mech and Hans. She received the signal from Hans that preparations were complete.

At the same time, Gilbert’s Titan Mech stopped its high-speed movement. This appeared to be the operational limit.

The remaining enemy Titan Mech, intimidated by Gilbert’s overwhelming piloting skills, began fleeing without looking back.

“…What are you thinking now?”

Angelina, who was about to signal Hans to use the magical weapon, paused when she saw Gilbert’s Titan Mech making a strange movement.

It was an odd posture, with the guard of the iron sword gripped in reverse and the Titan Mech’s arm stretched fully backward.

***

Gilbert gritted his teeth as he saw the warning lights flashing noisily, indicating the operational limit. The operational limit had come too quickly because the protagonist Ian had wasted too much mana recklessly.

No choice, I guess.

Gilbert clicked his tongue, sighed, and glared at the fleeing Titan Mech.

Timing-wise, he was a bit reluctant to claim he had already mastered this technique, but there was no other way to finish off the escaping enemy.

He gripped the guard of the iron sword in his right hand in reverse and extended the Titan Mech’s arm as far back as possible.

At that moment, golden mana concentrated entirely on the sword. It was a cold, sharp-honed energy.

Gilbert aimed the tip of the sword at the fleeing enemy Titan Mech, in a stance like drawing a bow with an arrow nocked.

But in his current state, he needed a little more time.

BOOM!

At that moment, the Fire Cannon inscribed on the magical weapon spewed flames. The Fire Cannon, fired with perfect timing, mercilessly struck the side of the fleeing Titan Mech.

It must have been an unexpected attack, as the enemy Titan Mech toppled sideways. Though the mana barrier would have prevented major damage, the cockpit must have been shaken violently, as it couldn’t get up immediately.

Gilbert looked at where the Fire Cannon had been fired from. There stood Angelina.

‘I was counting on you!’

Gilbert, rejoicing, felt that the timing had aligned perfectly with the time he needed.

The enemy Titan Mech seemed to have regained its senses, as it was getting up at just the right moment.

—Here I go.

In an instant, he held his breath and visualized the technique.

A sword technique he had learned from Professor Briana in the game.

Winter Sword – Ice Awl

Pulling his extended arm forward, he pushed the guard he was holding to the fingertips of the Titan Mech and shot a golden arrow.

BOOM!

The last thing Gilbert saw from inside the Titan Mech as it stopped at its operational limit was the enemy Titan Mech being pierced by the golden arrow and exploding.