The moment of impact, Michael understood completely that there was a clear discrepancy between he and Zeus in mecha control.
Michael had vastly more experience with mechas than Lan Jue. He had spend his life around them, changed by them. Now, he was over a hundred years old. When he’d reached the age of sixty he’d begun vigorously cultivating his powers, searching for ways to prolong his life. In short, he was well past his ‘prime’ physically. Mecha manipulation not only required skill and intelligence, reflexes were also important. In this, he was clearly inferior to Lan Jue.
But he was the Angel of War for a reason, celebrated for his combat abilities, and first of the Castle’s Seraph.