Chapter 172

　　The Neural Link amplified the worst or hidden traits for a Titan Pilot unless they completely mastered control over it. The system used their bloodline genetics to lessen the burden, making it easier in some ways than a Heavy or Assault Class Mech.

　　But that ease also meant that unprepared Pilots often became the inheritors of Titans, and no amount of training or experience could ready them for the Link`s ability to pull out the extreme defects of their personalities.

　　For Kal, it had been a bloodlust and anger that was buried deep within him even before his imprisonment in stasis. It had built inside him since his grandparents had died, fueled by the ill-treatment of his mother and father and furthered by the hardships the Emperor had placed on him.

　　Katherine feared inadequacy and failure, the thought of disappointing her family and Duchy. Iris was cold and detached, secretly despising those who were deemed lesser` than her.

　　For Patrick Grandster, the faults amplified by the Neural Link came in the form of increased arrogance and pride. Grandster wasn`t the most powerful Ducal House, but their lineage could be traced directly to the first Emperor, the Unifier himself.

　　Sovereign was untouchable. It has never been damaged in battle since it was first created thousands of years ago, until today, when the Vore managed to breach its defences.

　　The sight of the black liquid destroying the indestructible barrier before splashing across its golden armour sent Patrick`s mind reeling. The psychic attack that accompanied it exploited that weakness.

　　Patrick stared at the pitted armour of Sovereign. He was hyperventilating, unable to draw in enough breath to calm his racing heart. He had grown up with stories of the Titan`s invincibility, and the burden of Piloting it had fallen onto his shoulders.

　　He had never considered the possibility of failure, that he would be found lacking when compared to the other Pilots. Patrick was a Grandster, he was better than everyone else!

　　Rage filled him, and the Neural Link with Sovereign shuddered. His vision was red, and he took his anger out on everything around him.

　　When Kal pulled Katherine free of Hyperion, he found Sovereign standing upright and silent. Its rage had destroyed the ground around it, and it held the mangled remnants of its sceptre in its hands. Its once pristine and beautiful armour was pitted and cracked.

　　"Patrick?" Kal asked cautiously.

　　Above them, the red sun was expanding rapidly, and geysers of plasma erupted. There were only minutes left before the detonation. Kal couldn`t see any sign of Luminous, but he could hear the crackling thunder of her energy attacks echoing in the distance.

　　"Caledon." Patrick replied calmly.

　　He was isolated and cold. The anger that filled him was replaced with a superiority he had never felt before. Sovereign was the ruler of the universe, and he was its Pilot. The black liquid showed him what he must do.

　　"Are you alright?" Kal asked, careful not to approach the unpredictable Titan.

　　"It`s so clear to me now. Once I defeat the Vore, House Grandster will take its rightful place as humanity`s ruler. Witness my power, Caledon! You think you are the only one who can master a Titan`s abilities?" Patrick stated coldly.

　　He sounded like a stranger to Kal, and he wondered how such a change could occur in Patrick in such a short amount of time.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

　　In Kal`s HUD, Patrick`s face appeared. His helmet was removed, and black tears had made lines down his white cheeks. His skin was pale from the infection, and his eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed. It was clear to Kal in that instant that he was too far gone for Kal to help him.

　　Kal had seen what was left of the Envoys and had sifted through their records. He knew what the infection would do to the Grandster Heir.

　　"Patrick&" Kal began to respond, but he couldn`t find the words to speak. What could he say to a dead man? Especially one whose mind was already irreparably damaged. The best Kal could hope for was escaping alive while facing the unpredictable Titan.

　　"Away with you, Baron Caledon. Your weakness is an embarrassment to the nobility. I will handle the Vore alone. Retreat like the coward you are." Patrick mocked, and Kal knew it was the infection speaking. The young man Kal had known could be arrogant but never cruel.

　　"Very well. I wish you the best, Patrick Grandster." Kal said his farewell.

　　With Hyperion`s cockpit secured under his arm, Kal took to the skies toward the Silver Pyramid while Sovereign turned toward the mass of Vore fighting in the distance. Luminous was still fighting in the center of the battlefield.

　　Orange lightning crackled around her as Iris wiped out thousands of Vore and Mobile Suits without a tinge of remorse. It was an affront to Patrick`s nobility to see Naice fighting the Vore alone, hogging the glory for herself.

　　Grandster would lead, and the other houses would follow, as was proper.

　　"You will regret sullying Sovereign with your taint, monsters." Patrick whispered, and he was suddenly filled with rage once more. The Vore were rubbish compared to him and the Titans. He would prove his superiority on the battlefield.

　　The Titan took to the skies, charging into the dense mass of Vore. It crashed to the ground in their midst, causing cracks to form in the land from the impact. The Vore were pushed back from the brutality of his arrival, but Patrick wasn`t done.

　　"Final Reckoning." Patrick ordered.

　　The golden barrier returned around Sovereign, only thinner and more ephemeral this time. It passed through the Vore for dozens of miles around the Titan and caused unimaginable agony whenever it touched flesh.

　　Vore collapsed, writhing and squirming in pain. Sovereign had dropped its protection in order to level an attack that could cripple an army. Everything around it was its territory,` and entry into it would cause creatures to suffer. The bubble of golden light continued to expand, engulfing a large portion of the battlefield.

　　Like Luminous, Sovereign would cleanse the universe of the Vore`s taint.

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　　"Fall back! God damn it, fall back, you stupid bastards!" Argyle shouted, resorting to curses as he tried to herd his people back toward the Pyramid.

　　"Milord, the Titans are killing us!" His aide shouted, but there was nothing the Prince could do. The time had come to retreat. The sun above them was less than ten minutes away from having the detonation command fed to it.

　　Even if the Vore took the Pyramid now, it was too late for them to stop this. Their destruction was inevitable.

　　But the Titans had chosen the worst time to go insane. The Sovereign and Luminous had barged into the battlefield where the fighting was heaviest and unleashed hell upon both sides. Argyle wasn`t sure what had happened. There was a report from Caledon about a Monarch exploding, but it was clear that the Titans were lost.

　　It didn`t matter. All he had to focus on now was retreating with as many men and women as he could before the Sphere detonated and took the Hive with it. But the Titan`s insanity had meant that things had become a confusing quagmire.

　　Argyle`s troops had lost their cohesion, and commands weren`t making it to the front lines. The starships were ready, hovering above the Pyramid, waiting for them to board. If only he could herd them there!

　　"Milord! Atlas is approaching!"

　　The Titan landed beside Argyle`s Judgement,` and Argyle could see the severe damage the Titan had sustained. Missing an arm, its armour was fractured and eroded. Kal gently lowered the cockpit cylinder holding Katherine to the ground.

　　"Why aren`t you retreating?" Kal asked as he turned to Argyle.

　　"I`ll leave when everyone we can save is on the Starships. Is Havencroft alive?" Argyle asked. He recognized what Kal had been carrying immediately. He knew that Hyperion was likely lost.

　　"She needs medical attention, but she`ll survive. Get her on the ships, Argyle. I`ll handle things here." Kal ordered, not caring that he was speaking to the Prince in such a manner. He was exhausted and beyond caring about the formalities.

　　"I told you Caledon, I`m not-" Argyle responded, before Kal cut him off.

　　"Anyone who isn`t running toward those Starships are going to die, Argyle. I`m not pulling my punches. I`ll hold the Vore and the other Titans back long enough for you to get everyone on the Starships." Kal promised.

　　"And what about you? How are you going to get out of here?" Argyle asked.

　　"I`ll Jump with Atlas. Just go, Argyle. Leave this to me." Kal responded. He took to the air before Argyle could even reply.