Overgeared

Martial God Zeratul—he was a god created with Chiyou as the motif. Technically, he was more like a parasite. He shifted the hearts of those who worshiped and yearned for the Martial God and naturally turned them toward him. It meant that starting from some time ago, Chiyou's rights were divided.

In fact, Zeratul radiated an immense sense of intimidation. The long beard that came down to his abdomen and the gray hair that rose in a dizzying manner like it had been struck by lightning were combined with his huge appearance, making him look monstrous. It was naturally reminiscent of the Absolutes in myths or the Martial God described in history.

"A lot has changed since I last saw you."

The atmosphere vibrated every time Zeratul opened his mouth. The invisible colorless divinity responded to his willpower one by one. It would be very easy for him to break a great mountain with a small gesture.

"You aren't shrinking back at all."

Zeratul was very bothered by the look in Grid's eyes. The eyes were unwaveringly calm even when facing him. Zeratul couldn't feel the slightest bit of fear or respect. It was evidence of his ignorance and arrogance.

"It seems like during the time when I was away, you went through many things and grew."

The one who compressed time and grew—Zeratul now acknowledged that Grid's rate of development was abnormal. This was why he went into secluded training. For the Martial God, 'training' itself had a special meaning. He had experienced tremendous growth in a short period of time. It was an unimaginable level for a god that came from proud and insignificant humans.

"Sigh..." Zeratul took a deep breath. He barely suppressed his desire to tear Grid to death. It wasn't difficult. It was because the killing intent and fighting energy that soared without knowing the limits were relieved to some extent by harming Venice.

"I have a rough idea about the source of your confidence."

Grid's divinity rose like a haze and took the form of a yellow dragon that was in harmony with the landscape. This meant that this land was smoothly accepting Grid's existence. It was evidence that Grid's myth was starting to take root in the East Continent. Based on the faint traces of the expelled gods, it seemed they had been nourishment for Grid.

"You came from a trivial human god background and eventually established a divine world. I'm sure you must be proud. However, you still don't know that your level is very weak. What's more, I am the Martial God."

The Martial God existed to fight. He was a heavenly spearhead. The penalties that occurred when leaving Asgard couldn't be overcome because his 'origin' was in Asgard, but he was immune to the additional penalties that occurred when entering a certain area. No boundaries dared to block the advance of the Martial God.

The Overgeared World that Grid had just started to build, the Hwan Kingdom established by the expelled gods, and the hell ruled by demons—they couldn't harm Zeratul. It was because the reason for the Martial God's existence of going forward to fight would disappear if the Martial God was crushed by the dimensional oppression. Of course, this didn't mean that the benefits for the master of the dimension could be neutralized.

"Did you polish your tongue while you were confined in the temple?" Grid, who had been observing Zeratul's movements, finally opened his mouth.

He had a clear hostility toward Zeratul. He was hostile to other gods in a somewhat abstract manner based on their history and circumstances, but his feelings toward the three gods, Zeratul, Dominion, and Judar, were specific. It was because they directly or indirectly caused damage to the present day humanity.

In particular, Zeratul and Dominion had invaded Reinhardt. Among them, Zeratul threatened his colleagues and Lord...

Irene and the people would've been in danger if Hayate hadn't helped.

"Kukuk!Kuhahahat!"

Zeratul stared at Grid with slightly wide eyes before he finally burst out laughing. He laughed with his chin raised for a long time like it was unbearable. Then he soon became serious again. He had made a decision.

"It is easy for me to hurt you here, but that won't resolve my anger."

Zeratul didn't want to admit it, but this person was a god. Grid wouldn't die even if he was killed like Venice, whose head was torn off a little while ago. The very result of defeat should cause damage. Hurting him here? Thinking about it soberly, it didn't make much sense.

I am the Martial God and my victory is natural.It won't mean much if I hurt him here when we are alone.

Therefore, eyewitnesses were necessary. It was only when a large number of foolish humans who worshiped Grid were gathered, and Zeratul thoroughly violated and degraded Grid in front of them, that he could seriously undermine Grid's status.

"In terms of timing... it has been less than a year since Hanul started the cycle. He is still guiding people subconsciously, so the stage will naturally be set up."

The colorless divinity, which had been divided into hundreds of thousands of strands, contracted and loosened like muscles. The condensed energy threatened to smash Grid's head when it tightened, and then it loosened repeatedly. The threat was greater when it was loosened. It was a strong self-defense that fluttered like silk. It was a form that seemed to leisurely deflect the intrusion of a sword.

"Look forward to it, Grid. I will soon humiliate you with the same swordsmanship that you used to humiliate me. We will compete in front of everyone to see whose skills are truly outstanding."

Your swordsmanship is excellent enough to become the god of swords, but I have mastered all types of martial arts.It is the prerogative of me, Martial God Zeratul, to use the ever-victorious skills that are the best in the world.

Zeratul murmured these words before undoing the barrier and leaving. It was after leaving a rant that they would meet again soon. The bewildered Grid pondered on it for a moment.

Can I just let him go like this?

Of course, his thoughts were brief.

'He wants to compete in front of everyone?'

It was because Zeratul's proposal was a huge benefit to Grid. Of course, this was only a story if he could guarantee that he could fight and win, but Grid predicted that his odds were high. It was a fight in the presence of many eyes, so it was no different from Zeratul declaring that he would come back down to the surface again.

On the surface, Grid was naturally advantageous. The scale of the Overgeared World was growing in real time, so it would increase even more as time passed.

'Lauel, how far ahead did you see?' Grid was smiling slightly because things were going well, only to suddenly shudder at this thought.

Zeratul is nothing but the fake Martial God. The true Martial God is in the far east...

Grid remembered that when he had a grudge against Zeratul and tried to tell the world the truth, Lauel dissuaded him.

"Looking at Zeratul's temper as he constantly comes down to the surface, it is clear that he will slip greatly sooner or later. If you want to eat him and gain full nutrients at that time, I don't think you need to undermine Zeratul's value in advance."

It was roughly this type of advice. This was why he didn't make a public announcement about Chiyou. In any case, everyone who deserved to know, including the thousands of Overgeared members, knew about it.

'The patience of that time will come back with the value of a thousand gold.'

This was why people needed to make smart friends...

'In that sense, I met really good women.'

They weren't only beautiful, but were also wise women.

Grid felt great appreciation and secretly made a gesture with his chin. Then the God Hands factory, which started to produce items again as soon as Zeratul left, stopped operating.

Silence came like a lie. In a world where time seemed to have stopped, Grid recalled Zeratul's divinity.

'I can't break through it using the usual method.'

The impression of the divinity that acted as self-defense was too strong. A divinity that was harder than armor and fluttered like silk at the same time—it would work as a power to nullify any attack.

'It will be troublesome if there is a skill immunity function.'

The advantage of a god in their divine world was that they could use their skills close to infinity. This was why Grid wondered if there was a way to create a 'skill immunity' item every time he made plans to invade Asgard. It would've been the same with Zeratul. There was a very high possibility that it was embodied by the power of the Martial God.

'I need to assume a situation where I will be fighting without skills.'

He couldn't just rely on the Falling Moon Sword. There was a limit to the amount of damage that could be done with the Falling Moon Sword. Grid started to design a new sword that maximized the power of basic attacks. Of course, he had several weapons of this type, but he needed a divine sword that would work against Zeratul. He referred to the conversations he had with Kraugel when he made Twilight.

'Let's not just use swords. I should also make auxiliary tools...'

The more items there were, the better. He was going to use them eventually. Grid planned to produce as many different types of items as possible in preparation for the battle against Zeratul.

***

"This farmland... I've had a feeling since yesterday, but I didn't think it would be this much..."

The night before—it was the time he attacked Reinhardt in cooperation with the Small Staff of the No Offspring Tomb.

Cabelon felt things going awry from the beginning. Was it due to the feathers that suddenly flew around the place? No.

Lopero, the Small Staff of the No Offspring Tomb, seemed quite annoyed by the divinity that resided in the feathers, but it didn't feel harmful to Cabelon. The thing that bothered him was the barricades covered with the sweat and dirt of the farmers.

Carts full of earth and straw that moved over the rocks. The structures and locations were so exquisite that the rapid pace of the death knights was stopped several times. There were certain earth walls that weren't cut well by Cabelon's sword. There were piles of dirt with a strange energy that he wondered if they had been gathered together using holy water.

"Now that I see it, the level of the farmers themselves are different... there is a powerful mental image that can give will to the soil and water that make up the agricultural fields and the wind and sunlight that pass over them... how can this be? Is it related to the power of the Overgeared God?"

It was natural for Cabelon to misunderstand the yangbans as farmers. It was because the moment he exited the gate, the faces of the farmers he encountered were unusual. Most of the farmers were educated by Piaro and became named by Grid. Additionally, the leader of the farmers was Bland. They were so wonderful that it was natural to wonder if they were really farmers. Then while admiring them, it was a natural procedure to misunderstand the yangbans standing around as farmers as well.

"I used to be a farmer as well," Kraugel said casually. It was more an act of recalling memories that suddenly came to mind.

"What...?!"

However, Cabelon's reaction was much more intense than expected. Was it because his face turned white and the hairs on his body rose? It was a reaction like he had been hit with a natural disaster in his mind.

'I should be careful with my words.'

Sometimes there were people who shouldn't be joked with. This was the case with Cabelon. He seemed to be the type of person whose common sense could be changed with thoughtless words.

Of course, Cabelon wasn't a fool. Wasn't Kraugel the Sword Saint? He was shocked to hear Kraugel's words and took it seriously because the belief that a Sword Saint couldn't talk nonsense existed in his subconscious mind. The problem was that it was the same for the yangbans.

"That guy was also a farmer?"

"Farming seems to be the secret trick. Remember the rumors of the man called Piaro."

"Certainly..."

The yangbans talked among themselves. For them, Kraugel was the second most shocking figure after Grid. The guy who wasn't even their opponent when they first met had grown to be able to compete with Mir. For the yangbans who watched the process in real time, Kraugel was bound to be special to them, and they had a desire to emulate him

Today, they learned the secret to Kraugel's growth...