Reborn as a Titan Pilot

I'm No MOTH Hero

Author: David Martinez

Synopsis:

Also known as "Starting as a Fire Moth Soldier," this was the story of Lin Cong, from his student days chatting and laughing with Kevin to joining Fire Moth and fighting for humanity. He rose from an insignificant soldier to a hero of mankind, making people marvel that such tremendous power had been hidden within an ordinary Fire Moth soldier. He piloted Titans, slew Herrschers, gathered a harem, became a Flame-Chaser, and reached the pinnacle of life...

"..."

"What do you think of the novel I wrote?"

The pink-haired girl smiled sweetly as she asked the helmeted man holding the book.

"Boring." After tossing out that cold remark, he returned the novel to her and turned to leave.

The novel's dramatic plot was as beautiful as its creator's smile.

But he was not the protagonist of that novel. He was neither a hero of humanity nor one of the Flame-Chasers who had become Flame-Chasers.

The failed product of the first Flame-Chaser experiment, a cold weapon against the Honkai, the sole user of the Key of Blankness... He had many titles, but he did not care.

He was merely a soldier, a soldier standing amid the torrents of the Honkai and the times, enduring hardship and battle.

He was the person furthest from beauty.

PS: No yuri.

To You in the Future

Bright yet dim, vast yet confined.

That was Raiden Mei's first impression of the virtual space known as the Imaginary Tree. Its contents were arranged in an orderly fashion, and its furnishings were exquisite and expensive. It was worlds apart from the memory space of Flame-Chasers from the Previous Civilization era that the person she had imagined had described. Several different auras interwove within it, forming the scene before her.

A contradictory fusion, yet one that felt perfectly complementary.

The vessel of the Flame-Chasers' memories, World Serpent's land of inheritance, and the source Kevin had pointed her toward when she sought answers—when she first stepped inside, she had already seen the mysteries that permeated it.

Among them, the person who appeared before her was one such mystery.

The pink-haired girl, as dazzling as a flower, teasingly tapped her chin and tilted her head with an easy expression. "What's wrong, Mei? If you keep staring at me like that, I'll get shy too~"

"...I more or less understand what you said. As for how much of it is true, I'll investigate that later." Mei clearly could not stand her frivolous tone and frowned slightly.

The girl smiled brightly. "Oh my~ Everything I said was true~ How could I bear to deceive such a cute girl who's just like me~"

"Is that so?" Mei remained calm. Her horned head turned toward the entrance, and a silent figure was reflected in her pale violet pupils. "Then who is that person who has been standing there from the beginning?"

"Oh, you noticed him? Whenever people came in before, they all thought he was a statue~"

The helmeted man did not move at all. The lightweight protective armor covering his body concealed every inch of skin, and at first glance, he really did resemble a black stone statue that could not move.

He maintained a seated posture, sitting quietly on the bench by the entrance, his breathing so faint it was nearly nonexistent.

An indescribable air of loneliness—even more "desolate" than Kevin's—lingered around him.

Troubled, the girl approached the "statue." Under Mei's hesitant gaze, she reached out and patted the top of his helmet, then laughed softly. "Even if you're always impatient to give some guidance to the juniors, what if appearing first makes Mei misunderstand the nature of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers?"

"..." The "statue" did not seem to intend to speak. Mei could sense that his cold gaze beneath the helmet had remained fixed on her horns.

Could this person also be one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers? In other words, was he a Flame-Chaser?

Then it would not be strange for him to hold hostility toward her, a Herrscher.

"Oh, don't mind this block of wood. Ever since we met, he's liked treating people in this cold manner~ Though Kevin said he used to be quite cheerful... Uh, Kevin became cold after that too. Did you all agree to act cool together?"

"..."

Even under the pink-haired girl's barrage of jokes, the statue remained unmoved. Yet Mei could feel that his gaze had indeed softened considerably compared to before.

At least it no longer felt like a bullet about to pierce straight through someone.

"But he should still introduce himself. It wouldn't be good if Mei misunderstood~"

Those words were directed at the statue. He understood what the girl meant by "misunderstanding"; that much could be seen in the Herrscher's eyes.

So, the statue spoke.

A deep, suppressed voice came from beneath the high-tech tactical helmet whose expression could not be seen, from behind its visor.

"I am not a Flame-Chaser, nor am I one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers."

"I am merely an ordinary Fire Moth soldier, a phantom of humanity's past preserved here."

"You can call me..."

"Lin."

The sky was neither bright nor dark. The clouds above the rooftop seemed close enough to touch, shifting from radiant brilliance to brooding gloom. Whose face was that?

The black-haired youth leaned against the railing of Senba Academy's rooftop, casually watching the clouds on the horizon. The white-haired youth, still wearing his unchanged basketball uniform, impatiently shoved open the door. Urgency covered his handsome face as he ran up to the black-haired youth with dead fish eyes, scratching at his head like a monkey on a trampoline.

It was truly hard to connect this man with the prince charming those women talked about. They said love made people blind; perhaps love could also cause physiological regression.

"Lin, how was it? What happened?!"

The black-haired youth sighed softly, then smiled faintly and nodded at the expectant white-haired youth. "Mei agreed. Work hard, Kevin."

The white-haired youth cheered and hooked an arm around the black-haired youth's neck. "Awesome! I knew I could count on you, Lin!"

The black-haired youth shoved him away irritably. "Hey! You reek of sweat, so don't hug me! I don't like hugging men!"

They had been friends and dormmates since enrollment. At present, perhaps "super" could be added before "good friends"—they were super close, close enough for the black-haired youth to act as the white-haired youth's wingman in pursuing a girl from his hometown.

The black-haired youth impatiently pushed away Senba Academy's most valuable and popular head. Noticing the irrepressible excitement on the white-haired youth's face, a malicious smile curled across his lips.

"Almost forgot to tell you. What Mei agreed to was next week's international science lecture."

The white-haired youth's smile instantly froze on his handsome face. "Huh? Not the aquarium?"

"She's Mei. I asked about the amusement park, the aquarium, the zoo, and the love hotel. In the end, she counted on her fingers, worked out her schedule, and asked whether we should go listen to a lecture instead." The black-haired youth shrugged, indicating that he had done his best. But judging by his infuriatingly smug grin, his words probably contained more water than the liquor in Kong Yiji's story.

"Wait a second. You asked about somewhere seriously inappropriate, didn't you? Mei didn't deduct all my impression points, did she?" The white-haired youth could already imagine that withdrawn girl looking as though nothing showed on her face, while her eyes held enough contempt to make him want to jump off the building.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Aren't dates just for getting a room in the end anyway? Might as well skip a few hours of detours."

"It's because of that personality that you can't get a girlfriend!"

The black-haired youth casually rested a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, don't waste all my hard work. And remember to treat me to dinner."

"Of course. To reward you, guess what I got?" The white-haired youth looked smug, his nose practically pointing at the sky.

"Don't tell me you got tickets to Eden's concert."

"..."

Seeing that the smug look on the white-haired youth's face had not faded, the black-haired youth's expression changed drastically. "Holy shit? Really?!"

"Hehehe, I pulled some strings and got a full three tickets."

"Damn, Kevin, you're amazing! When is it?" The black-haired youth's face changed faster than a chameleon's. He immediately threw an arm around the white-haired youth's shoulder in intimate disregard.

"Two weeks from now. We'll fly over to meet Su, then go to the concert together."

"You're not inviting your little princess?"

"Just the three of us guys!"

Beneath the overcast clouds, on the school rooftop, the friends who told each other everything gathered together in relaxed comfort. They talked about the girls they liked, looked forward to their idol's concert, and imagined a humble yet hopeful future.

That was how it should have been.

"By the way, did you hear? There have been rumors of zombies near the school lately. There have already been several victims, and one of them was from our school."

"You've watched too many movies. It's definitely something people did."

Although the black-haired youth was a transmigrator who fantasized about some major event happening in the world so he could show off his skills, he was actually content with the present peace. He did not believe in the world's predetermined, difficult fate, nor did he believe that he would soon step into that woven net of destiny.

He thought this was good enough. He would head into the city in the gentle evening breeze, enjoy a hearty dinner, then return to the dormitory. That was enough.

That was how it should have been.

Until the fresh evening breeze took on the scent of blood.

Until the bright full moon was split in two.

Until the truth of the world revealed itself before him, completely unguarded, during an ordinary night stroll—in an absurd and dramatic manner.

"Lin, you're dropping out? Why?! What happened?!"

"..."

In just one day, the black-haired youth had become a different person.

Faced with his best friend's questioning, mixed with worry, anger, and helplessness, he merely remained silent and held out a concert ticket. The other slapped it away, then stared furiously into his now-cold eyes.

They were so cold that the white-haired youth felt as though he were looking at an ancient, unmelting iceberg, beneath which countless layers of indifference lay hidden.

What could have happened overnight to make this friend, who had chatted and laughed happily with him just yesterday, become so... mature?

But he did not want to concern himself with that chilling indifference. Gritting his teeth, he pressed both hands onto his friend's shoulders and tried his best to keep his smile from twisting as he asked shakily, "Did something happen to your family? Is it money? Or something else? Tell me. I'll help..."

"Kevin."

The black-haired youth interrupted him. There was no impatience in his voice, only a quiet statement. "Kevin, if one day you were told that humanity's fate rested in your hands, would you fight for humanity?"

"W-What are you talking about..." The white-haired youth did not understand what he meant.

Humanity's fate? Fighting? Why were such vague words coming from Lin's mouth? What did that have to do with him dropping out?

The black-haired youth's gaze sharpened as he said in a low voice, "Tell me."

"Humanity's fate... That's too far removed from me. But if it were for Mei, you, and Su, then I guess I'd fight..." The white-haired youth scratched the back of his head sheepishly and gave his answer with a foolish grin.

"..."

The answer was so vague and stupid that it left one speechless.

The black-haired youth picked up the concert ticket. This time, he directly stuffed it into the white-haired youth's hand. Under the other's puzzled gaze, countless thoughts passed through his eyes before finally settling into silence. He said softly, "I envy you, but I can't be like you."

I can't fight only for one or two people. I can't be as "selfish" as you.

"For the concert, bring Mei."

The concert ticket rustled in the fierce wind.

Black clouds swallowed the remaining sky. The wind saw the black-haired youth out of the campus. He looked back at the white-haired youth staring at him from the rooftop, and at the bespectacled girl who had somehow reached his side.

The gazes of the three intertwined, then separated.

Many years later, when facing a Herrscher who looked down upon all things, Lin would recall that distant afternoon when his friend had wanted to take him to a concert.

Reborn as a Titan Pilot

Rain poured down in torrents. Through the window that could not be opened or closed, the entire world seemed covered by a thin curtain of rain. Raindrops hammered heavily against the alloy roof, and the gradually weakening patter spread through the air, draping the crisp autumn day in an icy blanket.

"Knock, knock, knock."

His unfocused pupils gathered themselves. His thoughts, drifting further away amid aerobic exercise, returned to his body. He stepped down from the only treadmill facing the window. Sweat poured from every pore like a waterfall before being absorbed by a towel.

There were few windows in Fire Moth's base that allowed people to see outside. Even when there were, they were made of special, extremely tough materials and could not be opened. Lin often heard soldiers complain that the base was like a steel coffin, impossible to breathe in.

Fire Moth's two gyms were among the few rooms where one could see outside. No one but Lin came to the Second Gym, and it had already become his private gym.

Or rather, because he came here, no one else did.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking had not stopped, but Lin was in no hurry. He exhaled the heat from his mouth, picked up his helmet, and put it on. He fastened the clasp at his neck tightly. Only after seeing in the mirror that not a trace of skin above his Adam's apple was exposed did he casually put on his black uniform jacket, walk to the door, and open it.

A fair hand held out a document envelope before the helmeted man. "MSA-079, Lin. Please take your physical examination report."

Fire Moth conducted monthly examinations for its soldiers. Besides ensuring that their physical fitness met standards, the examinations also checked for safety risks such as excessively high Honkai Energy infection rates. After all, soldiers were the people most frequently exposed to Honkai Energy.

The envelope before him should contain Lin's medical report. The seal on it resembled the Fire Moth insignia he had received, yet Lin did not reach out to take it. Instead, he coldly stared at the unfamiliar person delivering the report.

He searched through his memories of the logistics personnel at Fire Moth's central base, filtering them one by one according to age, gender, hair color, and height. There was no pink-haired girl smiling before him.

Of course, she might have been a new employee. But the girl's presence was so intense that it was impossible to ignore, and the inscrutable smile that Lin found so unpleasant made him wary of her.