The Mech Touch

Referring to the Destroyer of Worlds as Irene rather than her cumbersome and intimidating title did much to dispel the awkwardness in the air.

The illusionary observation compartment provided a soothing and calming environment. Though Ves could still feel the power of Irene's god kingdom, her control over her power was pretty good.

He figured that this compartment was probably one of her favorite places to relax and decompress.

"You must be really busy all of the time. Everyone must be clamoring for your help and protection. I am sure you are capable of fulfilling your duties, but it must be tiring for you to work and fight all of the time without spending time on other activities. Is it difficult for you to cling to your humanity?"

This was a rather invasive question, but Irene had done much to convince him that he could treat her as an equal.

Even though both of them knew that it was impossible for Ves to speak with her on the same level, he had improved considerably compared to how he was before.

Irene continued to sit beside the window and stared out into the distant view of the Red Ocean from above.

The galaxy appeared small and unthreatening from this distance. Its red nebulas and its many twinkling stars made it look picturesque.

It was only when people actually resided among these stars that they experienced the many dangers of living in this divided and contentious dwarf galaxy!

"I am not able to give you a straightforward answer." Irene replied in a softer and more controlled tone than before. "No one aside from my fellow god pilots understands what we have become. On one hand, we are more human than ever, far surpassing those Star Designers that have turned their knowledge into the core of their existences. I cannot share too much about this, but I consider myself to be more human than ever. My willpower is human from its root. That hasn't changed after I have strengthened and amplified it to an enormous extent. Out of all the humans that have reached this stage, I believe that god pilots have become the most ideal form of human."

That meant that Irene considered Star Designers and the True Gods of the Five Scrolls Compact to be a lot more inhuman.

This was a valuable insight. Irene might not be as smart as the Star Designers, but she possessed her own profound perspectives on various subjects. Her understanding and views could shed a lot of light on topics that Ves had always wondered about!

"What about your god mech? Is it... alive, and does it consider itself to be a human?"

Irene smirked and glanced in his direction. "I knew you couldn't resist. It is not surprising for you to wonder about this considering the kind of mechs that you have designed. The answer is... complex and touches upon one of the core secrets of god pilots. All I can say is that every god mech initially starts as a collaborative work between 5 top mech designers who are usually Star Designers. Each of them are brilliant in their own right, but when all of them join forces to create a single machine that surpasses all of their individual efforts, a miracle may be born."

The Ragnarok was a powerful machine beyond comparison. Its ranged offensive power was unmatched among all god mechs. None of the other too known god mechs possessed the capability to unleash so much planet-wide destruction after launching just a single fully-powered shot!

"So every god mech has developed an independent life because that is part of the characteristics of a grand work?" Ves guessed.

"You can understand it as such. It varies from mech or mech. I have seen many ace mechs that have possessed a stronger spark of life, but never really amounted to anything more because their ace pilots are unable to make the jump. Each machine of this level will become shaped by the willpower of their pilots. If any of them consciously wants to strengthen the life of their mechs, then they can do so. It is just that few ever held this desire. Living mechs did not really exist as a separate concept before you came along."

Ves nodded in understanding. The only notable pilot that matched this description was General Axelar Streon, and he was clearly an outlier.

"You haven't answered my question. When you merged with your god mech, did the two of you fuse into a single composite entity, or maintained your separate personalities while occupying the same 'body'?"

Irene shook her head. Of all of the questions an eager mech designer could ask of her, Ves fixated on this topic the most.

"What is the fourth step of the Mech Body Merger Process?"

"Total union. The mech and mech pilot have already reached an advanced stage of fusion at this point. The mech pilot only needs to shed the remaining vestiges of his mortality, whatever that actually means, in order to fuse the remaining parts of himself with his machine."

"The fourth phase is called total union for good reasons. Everything must become one. Body, mind, spirit and will must all be formed into a single pool that signifies the existence of a god pilot who is also a god mech. Do you understand now, Ves?"

Her answer caused Ves to frown. She was undoubtedly right about this step, but it sounded very disconcerting to him. It was not the ideal outcome that he imagined when he became serious about living mechs.

"I... understand. If I am getting this right, the line that separates you from the Ragnarok has disappeared entirely. It is not possible anymore to distinguish where the pilot ends and the mech begins. It is meaningless to make this distinction as the pilot is also the mech and vice versa."

"Correct." Irene nodded in satisfaction. "If you think about it, you are not just addressing myself as a god pilot, but also the Ragnarok as a god mech. I am both a human and a machine at the same time. I have become so much more than the sum of those two parts. I truly cannot describe to you how much different I have become because only my fellow god pilots are able to experience this special state of life. What life the Ragnarok used to possess has become a part of me. Neither of us consider this to be bad. The Ragnarok did not lose its personality, and I have not lost my humanity. Both of them continue to live on inside my very being. It is just that my personality as a human is stronger, so that has remained the most noticeable to the outside cosmos."

This had major implications for the future of his living mechs.

For example, if General Axelar Streon was able to fulfill his greatest ambition and trigger his ultimate advancement, he would completely absorb the Ouroboros and everything that made it alive.

While the fusion granted the resulting amalgamation between the two a titanic power boost, both of them had lost the ability to maintain their own separate existences!

Separation was both unthinkable and impossible.

In this regard, a living mech had to be willing to make a sacrifice and allow itself to permanently lose the ability to live a separate existence from its mech pilot.

This was a heavy price for certain living mechs as well as mech pilots.

Ves was not unfamiliar with these permanent bonds. The Carmine System actually shared a few common traits with the Mech Body Merger Process, but the permanent bond fell short of fusing the two parties together.

The answers provided by Irene gave Ves a more specific direction for improvement. For example, he could purposefully develop upgrades to the Carmine System that sought to merge the personalities of the mech and mech pilots a lot sooner!

This would allow a living mech to experience what it was like to be a human. It would also enable the mech pilot to gain a much more comprehensive understanding of his mech!

Of course, now was not the time to delve too deeply in these kinds of ideas.

"Do you think that living mechs will bestow any advantages to ace pilots looking to advance to the next rank?"

"I cannot say." Irene shrugged her shoulders in a very human fashion. "I have never piloted one of your living mechs, so I do not exactly know what will happen if they fuse with their pilots and turn into god mechs."

"Wait." Ves suddenly paused. "Is it possible for you to pilot other mechs as a god pilot!? Can you pilot other god mechs?"

What an incredibly banal question!

God pilots were already paired with the ultimate mechs that had been designed and built with their characteristics in mind. There were no other mechs that can serve them better than their own god mechs!

Irene directed a slightly more intensive stare at Ves. The power of her irritation was so strong that Ves experienced a painful sting to his Spirituality!

"Enough with these silly questions. I may have told you to treat me as a friend, but my patience is not limitless." Irene rebuked Ves. "Let us talk about matters of substance. I originally wanted to wait until you had settled your nerves, but now I think it is better to direct your attention to more important purposes."

Ves agreed with her sentiment. He was not one for small talk at the moment. Too much had happened for him to return to a state of calm. The failed assassination attempt made it impossible for him to relax for the being.

"Let's talk about what happened earlier. I understand now that the Red Association used my product reveal to lay a trap. Were you involved in it from the beginning, or did you just agree to help when you arrived and noticed what the mechers were doing?"

Irene smiled. "The latter. The mechers originally stationed one of their ace pilots at Phoca Arena, but I can do a much better job at protecting you from danger. I hope you understand why we did not inform you of our plan. The surprise must be total in order to attract enemies who are highly cautious and observant."

"I see. May I ask what has happened to Master Xieliq Quan now that he has fallen into the hands of the mechers?"

"I care little for what the mechers will do with him. I can imagine that they will utilize all of the tech and more special measures to steal all of the confidential information related to the Cosmopolitan Movement. I can tell you that a captive as high-ranked as him is a massive prize to the Association. The mechers harbor so much hatred against the cosmopolitans because they are so slippery. If they are able to use Master Quan to collapse an entire cell, then that will earn me a few more useful favors."

Ves picked up a certain subtext behind her words. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. This was a useless gesture as there was no way the mechers could possibly eavesdrop a conversation involving a god pilot.

"Forgive me for asking me this, but... are the Terrans and Rubarthans as opposed to the cosmopolitans as the mechers and the fleeters?"

The female god pilot directed a distinctly subtle look at Ves.

"That is a good question. It is also a dangerous one. You are not ready to get involved in matters of this level. No matter what sort of accomplishments you have made, you are only a Senior Mech Designer for the time being. You need to grow up more. What I can say to you is that my personal stance is that the cosmopolitans are better off dead. They have become so greedy for your bounty that they will persistently threaten your life in the years to come. This is an intolerable affront. If not for the fact that the cosmopolitans are so difficult to track down, I would have set out and crushed each and everyone of them with my Ragnarok after they dared to claim your life. No one is allowed to threaten my friend!"