The Mech Touch

Upgrading Helena's combat prowess was an important priority to Ves.

He did not want his new sister to suffer an accident. It would be best if she did not have to show up on the battlefield, but their mothers had explicitly created Helena to help them fend off the dark gods.

In other words, their parents had literally turned Helena into a child soldier!

Fortunately, the Daughter of Death lived up to her moniker. She was not as defenseless as an actual newborn baby.

"Say Helena, you're familiar with mechs, right?"

His sister's energy manifestation nodded. "That is correct. The Oblivion Empire makes use of a lot of mechs, so I have already inherited much of the knowledge that my mothers possess of them. Admittedly, what we know can't compare to what mech designers such as yourself have mastered."

Memorizing a lot of knowledge wasn't enough. Mech designers actually had to combine theory with practice and learn how to create new outcomes out of existing solutions.

This was way harder than it sounded! Few people possessed a talent for innovation, and he figured that a spiritual entity that revolved around death didn't have it either.

It didn't matter. It was already enough if a single person in the family was an innovator. Ves alone could already serve as Helena's equipment supplier.

"If you know how mechs fight, then which ones do you like more?" He asked.

"I like the Valkyrie Redeemer the most!" Helena instantly replied. "The Valkyrie Brunhild and the Valkyrie Avenger aren't bad either, but you can't beat the original. I can channel my power the best through the most authentic version of your mech design. Don't you agree, Lucky?"

"Meow."

Lucky, who was currently being pampered by the newest member of the Larkinson Family, lazily issued his expert opinion.

"Hm, the Devil Tiger isn't that bad either. Our father wouldn't have been able to grow as fast if not for the help of that tiger mech."

"Helena, I'm trying to figure out a good gift that can help you in battle. The reason why I am asking about what mechs you prefer is because I want to see how I can best gear you for battle. Which mech type best fits your inclinations?"

"Hmmm, that is not an easy question to answer." Helena frowned. "What about a marauder mech?"

Ves shook his head. "Marauder mechs don't fit your style, I think. The Valkyrie Redeemer is designed to operate as a flanking or raiding force. Its submachine gun is light but weak while its spear is only strong in limited scenarios. Since our mothers expect you to fight against the dark gods, you will have to confront those powerful beings directly."

"You have a point, brother."

"Let me rephrase my question. Are you the kind of spiritual entity that likes to manipulate energy to bombard your opponents from afar, or do you like to get up close and hit them to death?"

"The former." Helena decisively stated. "Don't get me wrong. I can fight at any distance, but I prefer to stay as far away from those nasty dark gods as possible. I think that it is also more advantageous for me to fight them from a safer range. Many of them have strange powers that are difficult to deal with. It is easier to anticipate, evade and block these attacks from a distance. At least that is what I have learned from our mothers."

"Would you like to wield a rifle, then?"

She frowned. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Our mothers fight by manipulating the elements under their control. They have no need for weapons as their insights and their affinity to their elements are sufficient for them. The dark gods fight in the same way. They rely on their elemental masteries as well as their innate talents and abilities to fight against us. It is really difficult for any piece of equipment to be of use in battles of this level. This is also one of the reasons why our enemies are so eager to get their crown back."

He could see why this was the case. Entities as strong as the dark gods were so powerful that it was hard for them to benefit from having extra equipment.

Entities like the Unending One were more likely to rely on their evolved forms to improve their combat effectiveness. This fell in line with the combat doctrine of the Five Scrolls Compact. Its most powerful cultists eschewed mechs and warships in favor of relying on their own power.

Was this the correct approach? Ves didn't believe so! As a mech designer, he adhered to the idea that there were always gear that could massively boost the combat power of humans.

Helena may be way more powerful than an average human, but she should not be exempt from this truth!

"Are you as strong as our mothers?" Ves asked.

"Hm, I am probably weaker than them." Helena honestly replied. "The Superior Mother has grown by a lot, but it is hard for her to excel in any single element. She needs to balance all six of her current elements in order to maintain her peak form. When it comes to harnessing the power of death alone, I am considerably ahead of her already. She is only stronger because her powers are much more versatile and comprehensive. She also had a lot of time to learn how to shape and combine her elements in different ways."

The Superior Mother sounded like the Everchanger to Ves. The Hexer design spirit might not be strong in any single area, but she was so versatile that she could easily employ an attack that targeted an opponent's weak point.

"What about our other mother?"

"She's strong. Really strong. I have no doubt about that. She doesn't master as many elements as the Superior Mother, but her insights and understanding of the few elements she has mastered has reached a level that even gods struggle to reach. This is the main reason why she is confident whenever she fights against any of the dark gods. The Nyxian Gap has also facilitated her growth. There is something about this region that resembles and affirms her own path."

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"You are different from her. You are your own person. It looks to me that you still have a long way to go before you can match the strength and accomplishments of our other mother. How about I design a gun for you so that you have a better chance of winning against a powerful dark god in your next big battle?"

Helena hesitated. "Guns aren't a part of my inheritance. Besides, can you even make a weapon that is able to amplify my power?"

"I'm a creator. Nothing is impossible." Ves confidently replied. "I just need to possess the right know-how and resources. I am not short on spiritual ingredients, so that should not be an issue. The only iffy points are that the spiritual weapon that I can create will probably be a little weird and that you need to make a little sacrifice. The resulting weapon should still be effective, though, and that is the important part. Give me a moment. I want to see if I can design a viable concept."

He became completely engrossed in this new and interesting challenge. He activated a design program and sketched out a few spiritual components that could function similarly to the physical components of his luminar crystal rifles.

"If I gave you a spiritual gun, what type of firearm would you prefer it to be? Do you want to wield a sniper rifle that can pick off the dark gods from afar? Do you prefer to carry around a big cannon that can produce a big and overwhelming blast? What about wielding a more compact pistol that is more elegant and easier to handle?"

His new sister looked as if she had no idea which one to choose. She never thought about wielding any firearms in the short time she was alive. Ves had presented her with a wealth of options that she was never supposed to utilize in the first place.

Nonetheless, the more she thought about all of the guns utilized by different mechs, the more she became intrigued by the possibility of wielding her own version in battle.

As a young and curious spiritual entity who was born with an immature mindset, she was much more open to embracing new methods and solutions than her more traditional-minded mothers!

"Give me a pistol."

"Are you sure? A pistol is not as big and voluminous as the other weapon types. I think a sniper rifle is an excellent fit for you. Lethality is the greatest advantage of the death energy that you are made of. If you can project that energy in a concentrated form at a distance, then you can reap many lives from afar with great precision!"

"I can do that with a pistol as well as a big and cumbersome rifle." Helena retorted. "The rules that you are accustomed to when you design your mechs don't entirely apply to gods. I prefer to carry around a pistol because it will compliment my look better. How can I convince the mortals that I am a strong death goddess if I have to rely on a large and imposing rifle to defeat my opponents? I am afraid that they will start to worship my weapon instead of me! At least a pistol is small enough to draw most of the attention to myself."

Ves wasn't too sure about the validity of her argument. From what he gathered from her argument, her choice was primarily driven by her need to look awesome!

Oh well. His sister was his client at the moment, so he had an obligation to meet her demands to the best of his abilities.

He turned his attention back to his design program and rapidly sketched out a few pistol concepts. Their appearances diverged wildly as he based them off a traditional revolver, an alien weapon model, a luminar crystal weapon and the Amastendira.

Of course, he also took his sister's aesthetics in mind. He stuck to a monochrome color palette and tried his best to shape white, black and grays into different elegant-looking weapons that could moonlight as works of art.

Helena became attracted by the different pistol concepts. Each of them conveyed a different impression.

The revolver looked bigger and ferocious.

The alien weapon looked like an ancient relic of an extinct race.

The crystalline weapon looked extremely high tech.

The Amastendira-like gun looked classier than the rest.

Helena pointed towards the last sketch. "This one. This is the one for me. I just love its look! If you can polish it further and add a few flowers, I think it will turn me into the most fashionable and modern goddess of death in the neighborhood!"

He had a feeling she would make this choice. The Amastendira was a well-designed weapon in every respect.

Ves did not straightforwardly copy the design of the Amastendira for this commission, but instead took inspiration from it to develop a weapon in the same category but incorporated his own design language.

The main motif of this pistol was flowers. He had added dark flowers to the surface of the weapon. This not only added to its elegance, but also gave it a femine touch.

Helena's eyes turned starry when she explored its design further. The death flower pistol had completely captured her spiritual heart!

"That's great." Ves smiled. "Since it is just a single weapon, it won't take much time for me to flesh out this design. I will make it as soon as possible so that you have a better chance of defeating your opponents. I just need one thing from you before I proceed."

"What's that?"

"As you might already know, I need spiritual ingredients in order to realize this design. I can already obtain most ingredients from existing sources such as Vulcan and the Illustrious One. However, that does not account for the main ingredient."

"What is this main ingredient you're talking about?" Helena frowned.

"You. I need you. Can I take a piece of your body so that I can make your present? I promise it will only hurt at the beginning."

Smack!

"Idiot brother!"