Above Your Head

Chapter 40: The Great Battle of Seppard (5)

"I'm screwed…" I groaned while grabbing my head.

"We're fucked…"

But whether he knew how I felt or not, Napoleon descended as fast as he could as if he was going to crash, and entered the battlefield. Flustered by my lack of control despite us having entered the battlefield, he abruptly shouted.

You idiot, stop thinking about useless stuff and concentrate! The enemies are coming!

"But still, calling me a partner and then degrading me to an idiot."

I grumbled and controlled the Magic Hand to pull out the handle of Rage Saber mounted on Napoleon's right leg. And I switched it on. I unsheathed the sword made up of photons and activated the Ability.

Wooooom-!

The soul energy was enhanced by 300% by activating , and then it was also amplified by 50% after activating which brought the total enhanced power to 350%.

Needless to say, the Amplification didn't stack multiplicatively, so the soul energy wasn't strengthened exponentially. If compounding such benefits were possible, it would have been possible for a Tool-rank Gigas to blow up Terra-class battleships with five Amplification Abilities.

Ahhh, it was possible to think about stacking five Amplification Abilities. But there were times when I was on a Gigas that possessed a bad Ability composition, and it happened to be an unlucky day where I awakened an Amplification ability and the effects overlaid each other. The situation then would be that much more worse - just like the situation right now where I didn't even have a single offensive Ability.

"Sighh, what's the point of being sad?"

I activated and Napoleon's fast descent speed further accelerated. It was not just some normal acceleration, it was such a rapid acceleration that made the descent speed before seemed like a joke. The spider-looking Gigas which were firing at our troops could not even respond properly.

Kwakkkkk!

I cut my way through. Perhaps because it happened in an instant, it was so fast that the enemy couldn't even respond.

Wha-, what the hell. What's with this ridiculous acceleration!? How did I?

Unlike Napoleon who was confused, the enemy remained calm. I showed up in a flash and killed one of their comrades, then turned around at lightning-speed momentum and fired the photon cannon.

Baaaaam!

But then, Napoleon's body rapidly burst forward again to the point where it defied the laws of physics. By invoking and executing attack and defense at the same time, Napoleon switched its target to another Gigas that was further up ahead.

Kabooom!

But it didn't unfold like the first attack. A cross-shaped Gigas, no, was it a fighter jet? Anyways, a shield was summoned from the target's body to block me and the Lightsaber. Despite the execution being a regular attack, it was a powerful blow that was strengthened by 350%. Yet, it wasn't powerful enough to blow up the whole shield in one shot.

"I'm not even wishing for Laser Beam or Heaven's Sword. If I at least had Penetration…"

What exactly do you call a Gigas that has Support Skills like Speed Dash, and Amplification that strengthen its skills but with paper-like defenses?

An Assasination-type Gigas.

I named them the IP-type (Instant Purge) Gigas. Quick mobility and attack power were crucial for the Gigas, and their defenses not as much. In the first place, if the Gigas could eliminate its target in one shot, then there would be no need for defense.

If the offense and defense itself does not take place and the enemy can be destroyed immediately, it is possible to traverse across the battlefield.

"But not having an offensive Ability is driving me crazy. Let's not even talk about AP (Ability Power) when there isn't even a Q…" [1]

What without what? What crap are you talking about?

"It's just… game terminologies!"

At the same time as I responded, I descended like lightning. Though had a default cooldown of about one minute, it wasn't systematically defined like how it was in a game, so it was possible to forcefully use it consecutively. Of course, it was an action that would consume as much energy as it was used and put pressure on the machine, but it wasn't a big issue for me as I possessed as well as .

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The translucent shield shook greatly when I approached with Speed Rush and rammed into the shield. But, it didn't break.

Bang bang! Bang!

I approached again and used a Normal Attack [2] repeatedly. Nevertheless, the enemy just blindly held out with the shield firmly. Seeing that he couldn't even counterattack, he must've placed his trust in his surrounding allies and went into the defensive.

"This is crazy…!!"

Even though I had and , it was meaningless. This was because Amplification could only exhibit its true power with an offensive Ability. What was the use of amplifying a weak attack in the first place? What more, if it was not even a weak Ability, but just a Normal Attack? Amplifying a Normal Attack by 350% was no different from four normal hits.

"It's just needlessly consuming energy, this is not energy efficient at all!"

Rather than expecting an increase in the damage dealt at the expense of 500% energy consumption, it was better to just use Normal Attack four times. Since it took less than a second to slash. Of course, if I amplified all instances of Normal Attack, the DPS (Damage per second) would nearly quadruple, but it wasn't a 1:1 conversion so it was pointless to do so in such a dire situation.

The cheat-like Ability which had always boasted a strong sense of dignity was also not able to display its effect properly. This was because Napoleon, which by itself already had a high energy output, could execute sword attacks and photon cannon shots hundred of times.

In actual fact, it was a given.

I possessed so it didn't matter, but Napoleon was a Human-rank Gigas that had only one strong amplification skill called . The manufacturing directive of a Gigas was determined based on the performance and Ability of the Iron Heart, so most of the Gigas' performance including the defensive capabilities and mobility was sacrificed so that the battery capacity could be greatly increased to reach the energy output that was equivalent to that of a Star-rank Gigas.

However, since it was a situation where I could only use Normal Attack even with that enormous amount of soul energy, there was much remaining soul energy. It wasn't that serious of a flaw, but there wasn't any merit to go to the lengths of sucking up the enemy's energy.

Bang!

But even in such an unfavorable situation, I defeated another one of these bastards. In the first place, they were all Vulcans, so I wouldn't lose if I face off against them in close combat.

Fantastic, partner! That's amazing!

"What's so amazing about it! We've only just defeated two of them!"

I gritted my teeth and avoided the incoming shots. It would be game over if I eased up. In the first place, my fighting style was to pour all the shield energy into my weapons and maintain 100% extreme firepower and 0% defense, so if I was dealt a normal attack while riding on Napoleon, who had armour that was no different from a piece of paper, it would be as good as receiving a fatal blow.

'If only I had just one offensive Ability!'

I wasn't hoping for anything incredible. If I at least had Penetration, I would've already defeated more than five enemies. If I had Penetration, I would've ripped apart their crappy shield like it was just a toy. And if I awakened an offensive-type Ability that was even stronger than that? And if that offensive skill consumed a great deal of energy?

Then the synergy between and would reach great heights. If I repeated the process of firing the strong offensive skill blindly and recovering my soul energy, it wasn't an exaggeration but I wouldn't need any allies. I would be able to push back the enemies that didn't even numbered in the thirties all alone.

"Napoleon, how's our military power?"

As of now, we have two ally work-ships, 15 fighter jets and three Gigas remaining. The enemy has 19 fighter jets and eight Gigas.

I examined the situation of the battle as I listened to Napoleon's report. At present, the Leonhardt Imperial Army was besieged by the demi-humans. However, it wasn't a perfect siege as they were fighting intensely around the massive mountains that were ranging complicatedly in various areas.

"Ahhh, Thunder Dragon."

And in that meantime, I sighed while looking at Thunder Dragon that was on our side.

"If I was riding on that, I would've been able to wipe them all out, but instead I'm riding on something like this."

What, what did you say? Something like this? No, more than that, are you comparing me to a Beast-rank bastard right now?

Ignoring Napoleon that was in a fit of rage, I coldly shook my head. The situation of the war was unfavorable. Including fighter jets, it was us 18 against them 27. It wasn't an extremely hopeless gap, but the problem was that the enemy had already scattered our army and surrounded us.

'What do I do?'

If skills of no use like or were offensive skills, I would destroy everything that was blocking the way and save our troops, but my current battle prowess was not nearly enough. Even though I was surrounded by only four to five people, I couldn't even counterattack and was being pushed around.

'Then…'

I organized my thoughts. Although the composition of the Abilities was a total mess, it was only an annoying situation and not to the point of despair. In any case, my Ability was randomized every day, and when I was playing The Great War, I used to ride on various Gigas, and there were those with even more crappy combinations of Abilities.

And if that was the case, then what should I do?

"Napoleon! Join the ranks of our troops at the 1 o'clock direction!"

I dashed and used the Lightsaber and photon cannon to beat down the Gigas in my proximity which tried to jump at me to defeat me. I then approached the machines that belonged to our troops. A strong jamming radio wave was spreading around, but it wasn't to the point of blocking off the conversation with the surrounding machines.

This is Colonel Danma, Steel Cross Flying Brigade Commander. The one riding on Napoleon, who are you?

"I'm not a soldier. To explain it in simpler terms for you to understand, I am a Specter."

Bang! Bang! Kwakkkkk!

Normal Attack, Normal Attack, Normal Attack. With this shitty bastard's Normal Attack, I chipped away the enemy's shield and successfully stabbed the Lightsaber into the wings of one of the enemy's fighter jets. The fighter jet blurred out and disappeared as if it activated an escape-type Ability. However, without moving a single inch, I lifted the photon cannon with my left arm and fired it into the air, accurately shooting down the fighter jet that was moving away. It was an aggressive use of the power of .

Specter! Is that so? You're the one who…

"Ahh, but can I ask you for a favor?"

A favor?

"Yes, please give me the right to command."

I knew it sounded ridiculous. I wasn't even a soldier, but I was asking for the right to command the soldiers who have lived on the battlefield all their lives. It was no different from doubting their fighting capabilities. Sure enough, a different voice butted into our conversation.

What nonsense!! I know you're quite a formidable pilot, but a war isn't a joke!

"Of course I know that, but it's a battle without a chance of winning, so there's nothing to lose even if you leave it to me."

What, what did you say?

As I said it with a hint of provocation, the voice suddenly shouted and the man who interrupted our conversation stuttered. It was a situation that could have turned into an emotional strife with our allies, but I didn't pay much heed to it.

'If he says no, I'll just get out of there.'

It would only be hard if I wanted to beat down the enemy while guarding our troops, but if it was to escape, I could do it right away. You might ask, 'How can you abandon your ally and run away?'. But, I wasn't loyal enough to risk my life for people whose faces I didn't even know.

'No, apart from that, why are our forces being cornered so one-sidedly? Don't we have any strategists? Did the enemy gain prior knowledge of our movements?'

It was true that it was an unfavorable battle that seemed impossible to win, so my life was at stake. If I at least randomed some decent Abilities, I wouldn't be worried because I could save my allies without much trouble, but now that the situation had come to this, I absolutely needed the right to command.

Alright. I'll hand over the command code right away.

"...Ooohh?"

For starters, I just tried throwing it out there and I thought it wouldn't work, so I was slightly taken aback. Soldiers, having been on the battlefield all their life, were handing over the right to command to someone they didn't even know that easily? I had no idea if I was the only one who was flustered, but then I heard voices coming from all around me.

Bri-, Brigade Commander-nim?

Wait, wait a minute! It might be dangerous!

To give it to some unknown person…!

It was probably a group communication as it was noisy and loud, but Colonel Danma, the Steel Cross Flying Brigade Commander, simply cut off their words. There was a mixture of laughter in the voice that did not suit this dire situation.

What do you mean it might be dangerous, then do you think it's not dangerous right now?

Bu-, but.

Stop spouting nonsense and just follow his orders! Those who defy him will be charged with insubordination!

Along with the resonating shout, the battlefield information was updated. As he said earlier, Colonel Danma seemed to have handed over the command code.

"Hmm." I pondered lightly. What should I do?

However, it would not be so difficult since I received the right to command. It wouldn't be fun to go at the enemies all by myself, but with this, there would be a chance of winning. I dashed forward with the two amplification skills applied on my sword and shouted, "Shrink the battlefield! Gather at once and move to the mountains on the left side!"

…

"Your replies!"

Huh, roger that!!

Everyone began to move with a quivering cry. It was the start of the second round of the war.

1. AP is Ability Power. Q refers to the first skill in MOBA games like Dota and League of Legends. That being said, have you read Rise? Rise is a fun eSports Novel revolving around League of Legends with a mix of drama, action, comedy, and slice of life. And if you're looking for something a little extra, you can always interact with the Rise Team in the novel's translation thoughts and comments.

2. The normal attack when you right click on a creep or hero in a MOBA game.