Interference Mechanism (Part 1)

They could clearly sense the existence of the Spirit Realm without any obstruction and were doing exactly what they had always done, yet they simply could not make use of it. No—it would be more accurate to say that, for some unknown reason, the Spirit Realm no longer responded to them.

This was unprecedented. The Spirit Realm could no longer be used!

The mecha pilots were driven mad by this.

The Spirit Realm could be said to determine their own worth. The more skilled the pilot, the less they could accept such a situation, because to them, the Spirit Realm was everything. It gave pilots immense power, and it was precisely that power which had granted the pilot profession its current wealth, status, and authority within the Holy Womb Empire.

Now, that power was gone. It was like a capitalist's money losing all value, a Christian being utterly abandoned by their Lord, or a four-dimensional being entering three-dimensional space and feeling that same suffocating confinement.

The Holy Womb Empire's pilots participating in the Collectors' experiment felt despair from the bottom of their hearts.

"Does this... count as a success?"

"Confirm it again."

"Agreed."

The Collectors discussed it over the channel. To prevent the pilots from playing tricks on them, they decided to conduct a test.

How would they test it? Naturally, by verbally provoking the pilots participating in the experiment.

"Can you hear us or not? We're in a hurry to know the experimental results."

"Hurry up and use a jump to get outside the space fortress."

"We'll count to three. If you exceed the time limit, it means you are refusing to cooperate with the experiment, and the planet you belong to will be destroyed."

"One addition: even if you make it within the count of three, the planet