The Mech Touch

The request issued by Imon was unusual to say the least. Nonetheless, Ves was in a good mood so he acquiesced to this personal demand.

He was curious at what would happen. The previous tests with the Single Empowerment resonance ability showed that compatibility was crucial.

In fact, the requirements were much more complicated than that. Compatibility was merely a convenient catch-all term that could quickly describe how well Casella was able to channel her extraordinary power through another mech.

Testing out this ability on dozens of different targets had given Ves a good understanding of the variables that determined compatibility.

Logically speaking, Imon Ingvar should possess the highest degree of compatibility with Commander Casella Ingvar. Their bond with each other was so much stronger that no other Larkinson could compare!

Not even her subordinates serving in the Living Sentinels could compare to their sibling bond.

However, Ves did not fall into the trap of obsessing over compatibility above all else.

The point of adding a resonance ability derived from Pecker Carbon to the Minerva was to increase the combat strength of the Larkinson Clan.

Ranged mechs were much more important to the battles of today and it was logical to find a way to make them stronger.

Of all of the tests conducted so far, Commander Casella produced the most powerful result by infusing her power in the Quint!

The Quint was the best carrier to Casella's power due to many reasons.

First, the legendary mech was Casella's old ride. Both of them knew each other well and Casella owed her breakthrough to the powerful mech.

Second, the Quint was not only a masterwork mech, but also a third-order living mech! These traits made it a lot easier for Casella to latch on and channel her power through its frame.

Third, even without the aforementioned advantages, the Quint had been upgraded numerous times and possessed considerably more combat power than an average Bright Warrior.

Amplifying its strength by 5 times or so would produce a much greater boost in combat power than doing the same to a weaker mech like an ordinary Ferocious Piranha!

Fourth, the Quint was currently assigned to Isobel Larkinson, an expert candidate and a serving member of the Living Sentinels! She should have an excellent relationship with Commander Casella, thereby making it much easier for her to accept the power given to her by her commanding officer.

All of the other mechs were inadequate in comparison. The machines and their pilots simply did not possess a sufficient degree of compatibility with Commander Casella to make the attempt worthwhile.

As the Blade Chaser approached the Minerva, the two mechs made for a powerful contrast.

Both of them were living mechs that were exclusively designed for their current pilots. That said, their combat prowess and strengths were like night and day.

The Blade Chaser was just a custom mech that Gloriana had designed for Imon Ingvar because she wanted to exercise her specialty. It was powerful compared to the regular mechs of the Larkinson Clan but it was not a machine that could single handedly change the course of a battle by itself.

Its blue coating with gold accents made the custom swordsman mech look dignified and different from the standard mechs hailing from the mech legion.

However, its appearance also caused the mech to stick out like a sore thumb. It was clear that it could not fight alongside the Avatars or the Swordmaidens without disrupting their coordination

The Minerva was different. As an expert mech, the aforementioned problems did not apply at all. As an expert command mech, it was more suited to integrate with large mech units than other expert mechs!

In honor of the Living Sentinels, Ves had given it a coating of silver and green that reflected its prominent identity within the mech legion. Though he added a few fancy golden accents and symbols, they only served to complement the inherent majesty of a noble mech.

Seeing the Blade Chaser hovering in the vicinity of the Minerva was like comparing a soldier to a king. They were incomparable in status and strength. It was hard to believe they were piloted by brother and sister.

As the Blade Chaser waited for the test to commence, Imon opened a private channel to the Minerva.

"What is it, pilot?"

"Put as much of your power in me as you can." Imon requested. "I don't know how much you have left, but please let me experience you at your best. I want my Blade Chaser and I to show everyone that we can be stronger than any other combination."

"...Very well. I will try. With the willpower I have left, I cannot sustain my effort for long. You should make the most out of it, brother."

After a minute of delay, Casella finally received permission to employ her Single Empowerment ability again.

The Minerva glowed in a dark gold before much of it began to flow towards the Blade Chaser.

The custom mech began to take in the force of will of another expert pilot!

Ordinarily, this shouldn't even be possible. Most expert pilots such as Joshua and so on could not extend their influence beyond themselves and their mechs.

Casella was different. Her pursuit of power did not emphasize martial strength but instead focused on leading troops in battle!

In essence, the Irvan rifle equipped by the Minerva was not her primary weapon. It was merely a tool for self-defense.

The evolution of her strength and the design of her expert mech already pointed out Casella's future progression.

Even if she was a highly skilled rifleman mech pilot that only got better once she surpassed her human limits, she could never be as good as Venerable Stark or Venerable Brutus in this aspect.

The differences might not be obvious at this stage, but every expert pilot knew that growing stronger required one to continue to deepen their proficiency in their chosen pursuit.

While there were expert pilots that could handle multiple weapons such as Venerable Joshua, even he had to pay a price for splitting his specializations.

Those that piloted the expert versions of first-class multipurpose mechs had to master a lot more modes of combat! Their highly sophisticated cranial implants and genetic modification treatments might help with shouldering a lot of the burden, but those who only chose to specialize in a single weapon system would always be able to surpass them in terms of absolute power!

This was why Imon felt a bit more ambivalent about Casella's successful ascension as a command-oriented expert pilot. ᴘᴀɴᴅᴀ-ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ

Once she reached the level of Patriarch Reginald Cross, she would no doubt struggle to fend off an aggressive high-tier expert mech.

Her marksmanship would not be able to keep up and her other combat skills would become too mediocre.

She would become a sitting duck against any powerful challenger that sought to decapitate one of the prominent leaders of the armed forces of the Larkinson Clan!

"This is why I need to be at her side."

The other expert mechs could easily protect the Minerva, but they all possessed their own roles.

In case a powerful enemy ever got close, Imon wanted his Blade Chaser to be there to serve as her agent in fighting against a closing threat.

To him, it did not matter if he and his mech were not strong enough for this role. He would make sure to train as hard as possible in order to satisfy Casella's needs, if not today then surely tomorrow!

As time went by, the power that Casella infused in both himself and the Blade Chaser became more obvious.

He could feel her presence and felt an instant sense of familiarity and intimacy with it. Though other recipients had described various problems related with trying to work with so much power, Imon only experienced a minor degree of strain.

"That's it, sister! Give me more!"

Casella's willpower continued to pour inside the Blade Chaser. The mech had already begun to glow brightly, but continued to gain more power until it clearly exceeded that of the Quint!

It was only at the later stages that it became more difficult for the siblings. Commander Casella eventually hit a wall and could not infuse her brother and the Blade Chaser with any of her willpower.

The pair were not able to bear any greater strain! When the Blade Chaser made a single swing of the arm, the latent power behind it was strong enough to strain its structure!

As for Imon, his sister occupied such a large part of his mind that he felt as if his brain was getting close to bursting!

Despite the heavy strain on his mind, Imon did not say a word of complaint. He needed to tough it out if he wanted to exercise the maximum possible borrowed strength from her sister!

After a short amount of time, Ves spoke to Imon through the command channel.

"Impressive work so far, Imon! According to our readings, this is not an easy state for you to maintain. Do not hesitate to say whether the pressure becomes unbearable. Now, we don't have much time so I want you to demonstrate your current level of strength by pitting you against the Everchanger. Spar against Venerable Joshua and do the best you can. We need to measure your current strengthening degree."

The Everchanger had already moved before the brightly glowing Blade Chaser at this time!

"Go at me with all of the strength you've got." Venerable Joshua transmitted. "You don't need to hold back. Even with this little trick, you can't hurt my expert mech."

Imon's eyes flared!

"Says who!?"

The expert candidate did not think any further. He let his fury and Casella's willpower guide him in going forward to clash blades with the Everchanger!

For a moment, a quick and powerful exchange of blows took place.

The Everchanger had holstered its luminar crystal rifle behind its back and wielded just a single sword at this time. The sword and the arm that held it continually swung around as it blocked and deflected the Blade Chaser's sword attacks with relative ease.

Imon did not give up, though! He was already aware of the disparity between an expert candidate and an expert pilot and the strength of the Everchanger only widened the disparity.

Nonetheless, even if he was unable to defeat a genuine expert mech with the direct support of his sister, he at least wanted to score a few blows on the surface of the Everchanger and prove his strength!

"Attack me!" Imon demanded. "You're getting off too easy by sticking to defending!"

The expert hero mech easily fended off the Blade Chaser's furious assaults. Joshua was content with playing a passive role for this session, but if Imon wanted a greater challenge, then that was okay as well.

"Be careful, Imon!"

The Everchanger began to make offensive moves, but only cautiously.

Imon still experienced a lot more pressure than before! Each attack launched by an expert mech should not be underestimated. Combined with Joshua's superior sword fighting skills, the Everchanger was already pushing back the Blade Chaser despite not putting in a full effort.

As an expert candidate, Imon could clearly judge that despite the massive boost of strength he and his custom mech obtained from his sister, it was far from enough to put a dent in the Everchanger's armor.

"No! This is not the extent of what I can do. I can do better!"

No matter how much Imon tried to outfight his opponent, the Everchanger easily resolved every attack.

Yet the more he failed, the more he thought about how his sister might have to rely on him to defend her against an opponent of similar power.

How could he accept failure and allow his adversary to pass his mech?

"I need power! I will not fail my sister!"

How could he gain the strength to defeat a mech as powerful as the Everchanger? He was only so strong and his mech base attributes were fixed.

Then, a new idea popped in his mind.

"My sister!"

He had already embraced the source of his empowered strength, but he was no longer content with the extent of his strengthening. Being able to wield five or six times as much power as before was not enough!

If he wanted to gain the strength to not only beat the Everchanger but also more powerful opponents such as the Bolvos Rage, then he needed to break his limitations and change so that he was able to channel his sister's willpower to an even greater degree!

He did not know why he came up with such an absurd thought, but as soon as he channeled all of his need and desire into this aspiration, a barrier shattered inside his mind.

When the Blade Chaser launched its next attack, its powerful sword slash battered the Everchanger's sword with so much force that the latter almost flung aside!

"What?!"

Before Venerable Joshua could question where the outburst of strength had come from, the brightly glowing custom mech before him exploded in far more light and power than any empowered mech seen before!