"We've got a friendly pilot coming through!"
"What's so special about those guys?"
"Trust me, they're on a whole 'nother level."
— Militia grunts regarding a Pilot
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A titan pilot is an elite soldier and a skilled operator of a Titan, possessing superior skills and equipment compared to the standard Grunt. They are far and wide considered the most effective and fearsome forces on the battlefield, a status that is only augmented by their Titans. Having them on the battlefield changes the tides of the battle.
....
Does that mean that they purely rely on their Titan for combat?
No, they don't.
They rely on their wits, their experience, finding a gap in every impossible situation. That tiny gap, they are capable of fitting themselves...they can adapt in short.
Their TITAN partners are only an extension to their human senses, but what makes a pilot a valuable asset is their wits.
...
On a brief second I saw her blade glimmer before she vanished from my sights. I know for one that if I stand here like a dead cold fish, I would be in a world of hurt.
I immediately PHASED out of my position and ran across the arena, spotting her presence through the glowing orb that was hastily moving towards my previous position.
*BOOM!*
The PHASE timer reached its limit, bringing me back to the physical world. Thus, I saw the damaged her attack has dealt.
A huge crack had emerged from where I originally stood, and in there I found how powerful she truly is.
If I were to compare her to characters from other fantasy-based games, she would be akin to that boss from that particular JRPG which I have yet to finish because of overpowered the bosses are.
If I were to fight her as a person, I am 100% sure that I will lose to her instantly. That means I have to fight her the way I would back in the game.
No RONIN for assistance, and no calling for drones. I have to fight her the way I fight a titan as a pilot.
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The other Twin's perspective
She had always been the winner of every fight we had been on. Spars, training, or even against me who has the talent with magic. I could not defeat her at all. Ever since we're young, Rynia has been a bit hot headed and barbaric. She really loves me physically....in a way where she shows her affection through punches and slaps.
Haist.
I know that she would win this spar, but something is amiss. She is struggling to catch up to him, and to him I mean is the young man in strange armor that is currently on spar with her.
[He's really strange] I said to myself as I observed them have an almost equal exchange of attacks.
When she strikes, he would parry her vice versa. This young man...is able to make her struggle. That is something I did not expect from him on our first encounter. He looked quite slim, not that toned in muscle but just enough.
Then when she decided to make a VORPAL strike, he suddenly dissipated into light.
[What the!?] I, along with the other audiences who had taken interest at this spar where brought to surprise by that.
He vanished as her blade hit his figure, leaving behind this blurry image of him before that dissipated too.
[The hell...] (??) The cloaked figure behind me muttered in surprise.
This....is turning into something more interesting by the minute.
But I am now sure, Rynia has found her equal
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Back to Jack's Perspective
I could feel it in my bones that if I let even one more of her strikes land, I'd be picking my teeth off the dirt with broken fingers. Rynia wasn't just fighting...this woman...she was hunting. That crack on the ground from her last swing? That was no warning shot. That was the kind of attack meant to split an ogre in half.
I was running on fumes. My jump kit's energy reserves were in the red, the PHASE module was on cooldown, and I was down to my last pistol magazine. I felt the weight of every bead of sweat dripping inside my helmet. I needed distance. Space. Options.
She leapt again.
[Incoming!] I yelled to myself, more out of panic than strategy.
A blur of crimson and steel lunged in, her blade screeching as it carved the very air.
I dove.
WHOOSH!
The sound alone made my heart skip a beat.
Rolling on instinct, I fired two rounds mid-roll — BANG! BANG! — aiming not to kill, just to stagger. It didn't work. She spun mid-air like a dancer of death and landed like a meteor, cracking the ground beneath her feet.
[You're not bad, kid! But I'm not even done yet!] she growled, her voice ragged with excitement.
Shit. Of course she wasn't.
That last attack ,the Vorpal Strike or as the onlookers have exclaimed what it was, I only escaped because I timed the phase just right. If I had hesitated for even a fraction of a second, I would've ended up as a red mist on the wall if she was serious.
I had to change the rules of engagement.
[All right...time for pilot protocol]
From my side compartment, a tiny cylindrical device flew upward and scattered a thick cloud of synthetic smoke across the arena — dense, electric-blue, ionized mist. Enough to jam visibility and sensors, just like in the simulators.
It was an electric smoke grenade. A device used to counter drones or robots, but not enough to tickle a TITAN. However, this....this is enough for her.
This was my home turf now.
From the sidelines, Ethan shouted something, but his voice was drowned out by the roaring crowd.
[Rynia! Don't—!] (Ethan)
Too late.
She burst into the smoke with the same berserker fury.
But this time?
I was ready.
I moved like a shadow, silently repositioning. The helmet's HUD adjusted for visibility, mapping her mana signature and foot pressure. I watched her steps. Anticipated her swings.
Then — I struck.
Slash!
A clean hit to the thigh — just shallow enough not to cripple, but deep enough to sting.
[Ggh!]
She growled, spinning wildly, but I was already gone.
[Show yourself! Coward!]
I gritted my teeth. Not a coward — a pilot. This is how we fight.
A grunt charges.
A pilot calculates.
A grunt relies on strength.
A pilot? They adapt.
I dashed in again striking her to the ribs. Though she parried the first fist, she could not with my right. I dodged a counter, went low, uppercut with the hilt.
WHAM!
She staggered. The audience roared louder than ever.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was winning.
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Rynia's Twin's Perspective
[Holy sh....He's reading her movements.] I whispered under my breath, clutching my cloak tighter. The mist didn't affect him at all, if anything, it gave him an edge. Was that tactical smoke? It looked like the kind used in high-tier knight tournaments or military raids.
[This boy...] I muttered again...he's fighting like he's danced with death before.
This wasn't just some fluke. This was a systemized assault of deception, positioning, counterplay. And Rynia… was losing ground.
She wasn't just panting now. She was gritting her teeth. The wide grin that once plastered her face had tightened into a frustrated sneer. She wasn't used to this not since the Golem Raid.
[End it now, Rynia.] I whispered, hoping she wouldn't do what I knew she was about to do.
[You leave me no choice!!!] she screamed.
I winced. Too late again. She's really the musclehead that I know.....Haist.
She slammed the base of her naginata into the ground. In an instant, the ground beneath them pulsed. Magic runes flared. A Binding Ring. A technique we had promised never to use in non-lethal fights.
Ethan shouted, furious. [RYNIA, STOP! THAT'S A—!]
But the arena was already glowing with the crimson seal of the spell.
[If you survive this, I'll marry you!] (Rynia) she laughed madly.
[What!?] Jack's voice cracked as he tried to sprint away, but the sigil's effect had already begun. A gravitational pull dragged him toward the center of the ring. His boots clawed at the dirt — but he couldn't escape.
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Back to Jack's POV
[The fu.....Okay. You know what? Screw it.]
I activated the last resort protocol.
BLINK: ENGAGED.
A blinding flash of blue light surged from my back module. In an instant, I teleported a dozen meters skyward, straight out of the sigil's range and then freefell, sword-first, aiming for the heart of the Binding Ring.
This had to work. It had to.
[THIS IS FOR THE UNPREPARED SURPRISE MARITAL THREAT!!!]
CRACK!!
My blade slammed into the ground, disrupting the sigil with a ripple of force.
Rynia blinked — wide-eyed — stunned.
[You crazy bastard.] (Rynia) she muttered.
I stood panting, sword still lodged in the arena floor.
[You wanted a challenge...right?]
Silence.
Then a slow clap.
From the crowd.
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire arena echoed with cheers.
[Rynia...lost...?] someone whispered.
[Not yet.] (Rynia) she said, but her tone was different — softer. Like someone who had finally found peace in a war she didn't know she was fighting.
[Let's call it a draw.] (Rynia) She stepping forward, her weapon now sheathed. Her hand ready for a hand shake....
I nodded, and hoped she would not notice that my legs are shaking.
[Gladly] And thus the conclusion....
Draw.