Ch.6767. Academy Attack

When Gilbert realized that the world he had awakened in was the same as the Tactical Combat universe, and that he had become the custom character he created for concept play, he resolved to permanently seal his trait skill.

This was because, while the trait skill had good performance, the penalty he had set as a counterbalance was too inappropriate to bear in reality.

In a world where God-Machine Soldiers had become central, it was natural that a trait skill that only activated when piloting someone else’s God-Machine would not be well-received.

By current societal standards, piloting another person’s God-Machine was considered an implicit taboo.

Generally, a God-Machine pilot could form an official contract with only one artificial spirit. If they wanted to form an official contract with a different artificial spirit, they would have to terminate their previous contract.

Therefore, the trait skill “Your Mech Is Awesome,” which only activated when piloting a God-Machine with an official contract, had the fatal drawback of requiring an allied God-Machine pilot to be tied down.

No matter how excellent Gilbert’s God-Machine piloting skills were, unless he had two bodies, sacrificing one God-Machine pilot to activate his trait ability would be a net loss overall.

In the current continental situation, where a war could be turned by a single person, minimizing casualties was what gave victory its meaning.

In a situation where every single God-Machine pilot was precious, sacrificing one for Gilbert’s trait activation was not the right decision.

For this reason, Gilbert decided to seal his trait skill. Adding insult to injury, he had cursed it as a “completely useless skill.”

However, during the comprehensive evaluation when he ended up piloting Ian’s God-Machine with which he had formed an official contract, Gilbert changed his mind. The trait skill, when first manifested, showed performance beyond his imagination.

Though he couldn’t express it in exact numbers, by his subjective assessment, it was superior even to “Integration,” the overpowered trait skill possessed by Ian, the original protagonist of Tactical Combat.

After the comprehensive evaluation incident concluded, Gilbert began to deeply contemplate the reason. He wondered why “Your Mech Is Awesome,” with all its flaws, felt better than “Integration,” which was supposedly the strongest trait skill in the setting.

After much consideration, Gilbert finally recalled a forgotten setting detail from Tactical Combat.

It was that the stronger the penalty, the more powerfully the trait ability manifests.

This wasn’t a setting integrated into the world-building but rather a hidden element established by the game company. It was something like content prepared for when a user cleared all achievements and wanted to enjoy custom play.

In reality, having a high penalty for a trait skill didn’t actually improve its output. The penalties attached to trait skills were merely flaws in otherwise normal skills.

In that sense, “Integration,” which had no penalties, had established itself as the best trait skill in the game’s universe.

But Gilbert was receiving system backup, which meant, in other words, that the trait skill’s penalty actually increased its output.

As a result, his flawed trait skill had the potential to be better than “Integration” if its conditions were met.

After discovering this fact, Gilbert abandoned his resolve to never use his trait skill. Instead, he pondered extensively on how to use this flawed trait skill.

And the conclusion he reached was the application he was using now.

If piloting an ally’s God-Machine was disadvantageous, then piloting an enemy’s God-Machine was the answer.

Of course, this carried even greater risks than piloting an ally’s God-Machine.

In life-or-death situations, hijacking an enemy’s God-Machine wasn’t as easy as it sounded, and it was common for self-destruct magic to be inscribed to prevent strategic weapons like God-Machines from falling into enemy hands.

With so many risk factors, it wasn’t a method that could be used frequently.

However, in desperate situations like now, it became the best option.

When Gilbert’s trait skill “Your Mech Is Awesome” activated, he felt as if his body was being pulled into the God-Machine. It was an incomparable feeling to when he had awakened the ability last time.

Presumably, the trait skill hadn’t been fully embodied before, which was why it hadn’t performed to its full potential.

Gilbert pulled the God-Machine’s controls. The series of actions to raise the fallen God-Machine felt as natural as moving his own body.

It was as if he had become one with the God-Machine, compared to before when it felt like moving with heavy sandbags tied to his limbs.

[What, what’s happening? How is he moving the God-Machine?]

[Don’t tell me Pelto didn’t form an official contract?]

[Idiot. That’s impossible! This makes no sense…!]

The attackers—or rather, the New Resistance members—were bewildered by the situation that defied common sense: someone controlling another person’s God-Machine with an official contract.

The New Resistance members consisted of people who had either served in the military or wandered as war mercenaries. Many of them were Academy graduates, so unlike the Old Resistance members, most had received systematic training about God-Machines.

Therefore, they too knew that a God-Machine with an official contract couldn’t be moved by someone else. While there were methods, they were impossible to implement in the middle of combat.

When they began the Academy raid operation, they had all formed official contracts with artificial spirits, so the abandoned God-Machine should only have been movable by their comrade Pelto who had escaped—that would have been normal.

But somehow, the man who had been piloting the Academy’s general-purpose God-Machine got out of the cockpit, climbed into the God-Machine that had been abandoned when their comrade made an emergency escape, and moved it without difficulty.

The New Resistance members couldn’t comprehend this bizarre situation.

[How the hell is he moving it?!]

Shouted Satyros, the leader of the first squad. The man who had switched God-Machines had become even more monstrous than before. They tried to attack by finding blind spots and angles that couldn’t be avoided, but all attacks ended in failure.

Even trying to take hostages was difficult since the God-Machine he had originally been piloting had disappeared with the personnel who hadn’t evacuated.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, with his trait skill activated, dominated the battlefield like a fish in water. After setting CT-777, which hadn’t yet reached its operational limit, to autonomous mode to evacuate people, he began to rampage without worry.

“Your Mech Is Awesome,” combined with his 3D Maneuver skill, made movements impossible for the human body structure possible. Twisting knee joints and bending the waist happened naturally.

That wasn’t the only change. Whether it was some synergy effect between his unprecedented piloting ability score of 100 and “Your Mech Is Awesome,” which performed better than the legendary overpowered trait skill “Integration,” an indescribable sensation was created.

As if a switch had been flipped or as if he had entered some domain, he could sense the enemy’s position and actions without seeing them. It was like an ability straight out of manga or anime.

Though it was his first experience with such a phenomenon, Gilbert smiled as if pleased. For Gilbert, who needed to find Briana as quickly as possible, such an enhancement in abilities was rather welcome.

[We must stop him! Everyone attack him at once!]

Satyros shouted into the communication channel to stop Gilbert, who had become a god of the battlefield. He instinctively realized that if they couldn’t stop him here, the Academy raid operation would likely end in failure.

But stopping the current Gilbert was beyond their capabilities.

A God-Machine with superior specs to the general-purpose Academy God-Machine.

The manifestation of the trait skill “Your Mech Is Awesome,” which could show efficacy surpassing the “Integration” skill.

A special sense that even Gilbert, a veteran of Tactical Combat, didn’t know about.

With these three things activated, Gilbert was invincible.

***

Gilbert emerged from his state of high concentration after cutting down the last God-Machine. Around him lay twelve God-Machines. Some were completely destroyed, while others had collapsed after using emergency escape magic.

– Beep Beep Beep

[Operational limit reached.]

The warning alarm that had been ringing loudly stopped. The magic battery couldn’t withstand the output of the refined piloting techniques that came with the manifestation of “Your Mech Is Awesome.” The problem was that he had moved too flashily in an attempt to end the battle quickly.

Gilbert opened the hatch, exited the cockpit, and climbed onto the God-Machine equipped with CT-777. It had already stopped operating, but entering it wasn’t a problem.

[Knight. There’s a question about the recent battle data.]

“You mean moving a God-Machine with an official contract?”

Gilbert, having recovered CT-777, climbed onto a relatively intact God-Machine. He didn’t equip CT-777 to the God-Machine to activate “Your Mech Is Awesome.”

[Analysis suggests that such an eccentric feat is possible due to a trait skill.]

“That’s right. It’s my trait skill.”

[Detailed explanation needed. Requesting information about the trait skill for combat assistance.]

“That will have to wait. The mission takes priority now.”

[Confirmed. I will indicate the location of Professor Briana Tepeo Malkirab, our initial objective.]

Though it wasn’t even equipped to the God-Machine, the high-performance CT-777 approached the artificial spirit installed in the God-Machine, shared information, and displayed it on the screen.

Realizing anew how exceptional this artificial intelligence he had acquired was, Gilbert deployed the magic booster.

There were encounters with attackers on the way, but no one could stop Gilbert, who had single-handedly destroyed thirteen God-Machines. Cutting down every enemy he met with a single stroke, Gilbert finally reached his destination.

In the distance, he could see Briana piloting a general-purpose God-Machine.

[Multiple enemy God-Machine signals detected ahead. Total of 23 units identified.]

“What’s the current combat situation?”

[The God-Machine piloted by Professor Briana Tepeo Malkirab has 58 seconds until operational limit. Biological responses of Academy cadets who haven’t evacuated yet are also detected behind her.]

The reason for the operational limit was easy to guess. It was likely similar to his situation. Using the magic barrier excessively to protect the cadets behind her was probably the cause.

Gilbert gritted his teeth. In the game scenario, Professor Briana sacrificed herself for the cadets. As the Empire’s First Sword and Sword Saint, even with a sudden attack, surviving wouldn’t have been difficult for her. She was a war specialist who had navigated far worse battlefields.

But instead of securing her own life, she prioritized the safety of the Academy cadets. The warm heart hidden beneath her cold and calculating personality drove her to her death.

Before the developer officially announced that there was no route to save Briana, many users, including Gilbert, searched for a way to ensure her survival. Firmly believing there must be a hidden scenario, they dedicated dozens or even hundreds of hours to this single pursuit.

The conclusion was that her death was confirmed, but…

However, this wasn’t inside the game.

This wasn’t Tactical Combat with predetermined outcomes.

Then saving Briana was possible.

Gilbert deployed his magic booster to maximum. Instantly rushing into the battlefield, he weaved through the attackers’ God-Machines and positioned himself in front of Briana’s God-Machine, which had stopped due to operational limits.

Simultaneously, 23 God-Machines began a barrage of fire towards Briana’s God-Machine. A coordinated bombardment designed to leave no escape route.

At this moment, Gilbert entered a state of extreme focus and stepped into the domain he had felt earlier. A system message appeared, but he ignored it, sheathed his iron sword, and took his stance.

The secret technique he couldn’t perform because Winter Sword hadn’t reached its pinnacle.

Now that he had stepped into the ‘domain,’ he felt he could use the secret technique.

Gilbert gripped the handle of his iron sword and closed his eyes. Closing one’s eyes during combat was a reckless action, but once he stepped into the domain, everything began to flow in slow motion.

To resolve the sudden cognitive dissonance, he had no choice but to close his eyes.

In the extremely short time, barely a second, Gilbert visualized.

The image of cutting through the cold, blue winter sky.

Winter Sword – Concentration

Winter Sky Cutter

With the drawing of his sword, Gilbert cut through the winter sky.