Joshua's Faults

Venerable Joshua and the Everchanger both grew dejected from their failure.

The Everchanger lamented that his outdated tech and materials held his battle partner back from winning this crucial test.

The First Sword was in a similar position, but she was still able to give her pilot just the right amount of support to facilitate her breakthrough.

The direct comparison between success and failure made the living mech's lack of positive results a lot more glaring.

Was it because of the Everchanger's messy configuration of Ascension Runes?

The First Sword only ever specialized in one mode of combat, so all of her Ascension Runes were focused on making her armor tougher and her attacks hit harder. This was how the expert swordsman mech effectively channeled the growth of its spiritual foundation in a useful direction.