The Mech Touch

The Doom Guard became a very hot product after its entry into the regional mech markets.

The hype hadn't faded after the product reveal. In fact, much of the early feedback generated even more demand!

Those lucky enough to obtain a copy early gleefully showed off their expensive new toy while devising ways to make good use of it. Repulsive glow or not, humans always liked to overcome a challenge!

Since the LMC was closely tied to the Larkinson Clan, the Avatars, Sentinels, Swordmaidens and other forces all received a bunch of early copies.

Ves did design the Doom Guard with the aim of strengthening his clan. He didn't want his forces to fall into a passive state again when confronted by a numerically superior foe!

Soon enough, every Larkinsons mech pilot began to experience a new kind of torture!

In the name of improving their mental resilience, every active Larkinson mech pilot had to undergo special training!

Each of them were tasked with maintaining their composure within varying ranges from an active Doom Guard.

The closer they stood, the greater their performance!

Different units maintained different standards. The Avatars of Myth and the Swordmaidens set the highest bars, while the Battle Criers and the Living Sentinels weren't as strict.

That didn't mean the mech pilots of the latter two troops were all weak. Outliers and exceptions always existed. Hundreds of Living Sentinels, particularly the trueblood Larkinsons, all exhibited resolve that wasn't inferior to the standard of the Avatars!

Some of the Battle Criers showed almost no fear at all. Certain Kinners valued their loyalty and dedication to their buyer so much that they were willing to go through hell to fulfill their orders!

All in all, the introduction of the Doom Guard meant that no one was able to bluster about their courage within the clan. Everyone's true grit could finally be quantified in an objective test!

At this moment, it was too early to determine whether someone could be trained to withstand the glow.

Even Ves wasn't aware of the effectiveness of this new training method!

If it turned out to be ineffective, then the value of his Doom Guard model would instantly plummet!

Ves didn't show any concern. He expected the training to work because he already went through something similar in the past. All of the spiritual entities he made contact with had constantly exercised his mind. If the same happened to others, then they would surely become tougher in time!

Of course, the long-term effects of continuous exposure to a highly-disconcerting glow hadn't been tested yet. All kinds of maladies and side effects might emerge among the people subjected to this new form of training, but Ves didn't worry about it. In his opinion, those who failed simply weren't cut out to be warriors!

Perhaps the most surprising response to the Doom Guards didn't come from the Swordmaidens, who by far showed the most resilience against its intimidating glow.

Each and every Swordmaiden hunted fearsome exobeasts with their bare hands as their graduation ceremony! They endured a huge amount of hardships and challenges during their long training, some of which posed a considerable risk to their lives!

The women all showed their mettle with pride, standing ramrod straight in the presence of an active Doom Guard for hours!

Yet their performance was not as eye-catching as that of the True Believers!

Lately, the former Ylvainans hadn't attracted a lot of attention. They diligently integrated into the Larkinson Clan while doing their best to adapt to their altered beliefs. Their creepy custom of praying to statues of Ves notwithstanding, they had become a lot less obnoxious about pushing their beliefs onto other people!

When Ves occasionally checked up on the True Believers, he thought that they were making a sincere effort into becoming Larkinsons.

Yet no matter how well they blended in, they were still abnormal in many ways!

At this time, Melkor sent an urgent notification for Ves to come to one of the open grounds of the rented base.

Ves immediately paused his rest and exited one of the buildings. With Lucky floating at his side, he briskly walked across the base until he reached his destination.

He walked up to Melkor. "What is the matter?"

The visored commander waved his hand to the neat ranks of clansmen sitting calmly in front of an active Doom Guard. "Look at their performance."

When Ves studied the crowd, he was shocked at what he saw! Thousands of clansmen from various groups had gathered together to whet their minds and spirits against the Doom Guard!

It wasn't only the amount of people that stood out. It was the variety of the color of their uniforms that stood out!

Far more than just mech pilots and support personnel resisted the pressure of the Doom Guard. Ves even spotted plenty of civilians wearing the blue-and-white uniforms of the LMC and the red-and-white uniforms belonging to ordinary clansmen!

As Ves narrowed his eyes, his implant-enhanced vision soon picked out the figure facing the crowd!

"James! What is this clone up to now?!"

"It appears he is teaching his followers how to withstand the glow of the Doom Guard. Have you noticed how well they are able to resist the glow?"

Now that Melkor mentioned it, the former Ylvainans held up remarkably well! While he expected the elite Kronons among them to show at least that much resolve, the huge crowd encompassed more than highly-trained mech pilots!

As Ves carefully scanned the crowd, he noticed plenty of mothers, grandparents, teenagers and even children!

Though the weakest among them had been placed in the rear of the procession, they still exhibited a remarkable degree of resistance!

"This.. how?" Ves asked in confusion.

"I've been studying them for an hour, and I can't really say." Melkor shrugged. "The best I can come up with is that the Ylvainans are depending on their fanaticism to stave off the Doom Guard's glow. I think they are hypnotizing themselves into believing that the Great Prophet or the Bright Martyr will shield them from adversity!"

The mere mention of the word 'Bright Martyr' elicited a cough from Ves!

"I have nothing to do with this admittedly-impressive spectacle!"

"Regardless, it is very odd that thousands of True Believers can collectively perform better than my Avatars! There are seven-year olds in that crowd who are doing better than some of my boys! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Faith never abides by logic." Ves shook his head.

He began to grow curious how the True Believers were able to fare so well. He activated his spiritual vision and tried to see what happened on a spiritual level.

He didn't learn as much as he expected. He could see the ripples and lively aura of the Doom Guard spreading out in every direction.

When they washed over their minds, the glow should have exerted some effects on them. It was very hard for norms to muster up an active defense against this strange influence.

Yet somehow, the former Ylvainans managed to do so. When Ves peered very closely at them, he saw that they were all locked in prayer. Their minds were fully concentrated in the beliefs they regarded as truth!

In essence, they were truly using their faith as a shield against the unknown!

During all this time, James Ylvaine-Larkinson, which unfortunately happened to be his new name, continually preached to his flock!

"...Our advent approaches! We must all prepare for our future ascension and ready ourselves to transcend to a higher state! Do not regard the life locked within this red mech as threats! Hostile while they may be, they are hardly the menace they appear to be! Just in my prophecies and put your faith into the benevolence of the Bright Martyr! He did not design this mech to doom us all, but instead warn us about the dangers that we might face! If you are able to resist an evil god while you are still mortal, then you shall become unparalleled when you are finally elevated into godhood!"

Ves really couldn't stand this superstition anymore. He left Melkor's side and stormed over to James.

The crowd soon noticed his presence and looked awed! They deferentially bowed at him while parting to form an unobstructed path to the front!

Scowling even further, Ves sped up until he finally reached the Living Proophet!

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" He hissed.

James displayed his charismatic smile at Ves. "I am instructing your sheep on how to resist the wolves that are preying on their souls."

"How the hell are they resisting the Doom Guard so well?!"

Ves looked up at the active Doom Guard that was pumping its glow at full blast! Even Ves experienced some discomfort at this close distance!

"We have faith."

"...That's all? Can't you be more specific?"

"It is difficult to explain the profundity of our faith and conviction to someone unfamiliar with them." James casually raised his palms. "For centuries, our people have leaned on our faith to stave off nihilism, depression, shipboard isolation and a host of negative conditions. Since they were young, my followers have built a pillar of faith in their minds! It is this pillar which sustains us against the storms and winds of life!"

Ves did not look amused. It all sounded like nonsense to him! He thoroughly inspected the minds of the Ylvainans and didn't see anything that resembled a pillar or unusual spiritual construct!

There was no way that something as nebulous as 'faith' could make people immune against the glow of his mechs!

According to the initial reports, the Doom Guard's fearsome glow proved to be effective on both secularists and believers!

There had to be something more about the Ylvainans. Ves narrowed his eyes at James. "Cut the crap, please. Just tell me directly. How can our followers resist the glow of my Doom Guard design?"

James composed himself and looked at Ves in the eye with an incredible solemn expression.

"The answer is simple. Faith."

"...Okay. That's enough crazy for me one day."

Ves simply gave up and walked away. He really didn't have the patience to deal with the antics of a bunch of cultists. The only way he would be able to interact with them normally was if he dumped his logic!

He returned to Melkor. The two subsequently left the grounds after Ves jerked his head away.

"So.. did you figure out what was going on?" The Avatar Commander asked.

"Nope. These Ylvainans continue to confound me." Ves grumbled. "I'm not sure how they are doing it, but.. maybe it is not a bad thing that they are able to resist the Doom Guard to such an extent. I think we can use this remarkable property of theirs…"

As Ves and Melkor started to swap ideas, the Living Prophet watched the two trueblood Larkinson walking away with a gentle smile.

He swept his eyes over the thousands of the True Believers who were sitting calmly on the ground. Despite the discordant air, everyone felt as if they were praying in a church!

Melkor wasn't the only clansmen who noticed the remarkable performance of the True Believers. A growing crowd of onlookers started to gather in the vicinity. They all gawked at the seemingly-comfortable Ylvainans with incredulity!

Some of the more curious clansmen walked closer. James smiled wider and left his spot at the front to approach these curious new Larkinsons.

"Hello there, clansmen. What brings you here?" James asked in his smooth and attractive voice.

"How come you are all so strong?" One of them asked.

"Could you teach us how to withstand the glow?" An off-duty Avatar suddenly begged. "The Avatar Commander has threatened to kick me out if I can't get close enough to a Doom Guard!"

The smile on the Living Prophet's face grew warmer. "Why certainly. We are all Larkinsons. We are all kin to each other. My secrets are yours. Simply listen to my words and you shall fear no longer."

The group of clansmen all looked hopeful!