Overgeared

Colors rarely seen on the surface pushed away the darkness of the No Offspring Tomb. It was the aftermath of the Specter's hair, which was brighter than gold and closer to infinite light, fluttering alongside the fragments of the broken mask.

The first humans—the Specter was the 'standard.'

The Gods of the Beginning took her as the model when creating human women. This fact didn't impress the Specter in any way. The Specter was nothing more than a being created using Rebecca as a model. However, the Specter fought for humanity. She didn't feel sorry for the humans, but she tried to save them.

It was for a simple reason. She was the apostle of the great gods. That was all.

"My ideology. The reason why you can't sympathize with me… I understand."

Her efforts to restore hell—she was weighed down by the huge responsibility she shouldered alone and endured it without getting frustrated. It wasn't because she loved humans. The Specter simply understood and carried out God Yatan's will. It was different from Grid.

Therefore, the Specter noticed at this moment what she hadn't understood. She peeked at the myths that Grid had built up and realized it. All of Grid's myths had a connection. Affection for someone was contained in it.

"What I lacked… was everything to you."

What the Specter saw was the 'future.' Even if it meant sacrificing the present, she wanted to restore hell to make the world a better place. What Grid saw was the 'present.' He couldn't tolerate sacrificing the present for the future. It wasn't the difference between the wise and the foolish. It was just the difference between loving this world or not.

That's right—the Specter's macroscopic plan could be fulfilled because she was a solitary being.

"…There is no way I can persuade you."

Grid wasn't stupid. He was trying to change the present even though he knew it was difficult. It was to protect the things he loved, sincerely.

"Challenge the impossible. Is this… romance?"

The Specter was worn out after thousands of years of existence. Her heart had become harder than the deposited strata of the No Offspring Tomb, and she was different from other humans. She was never moved, no matter how strong the stimulus.

Just then, her heart trembled, even if it was very slightly.

Passion and romance—wouldn't the current Grid be similar to when God Yatan declared that he would create a paradise for the dead? It was why such an absurd idea came to mind.

'His skills are outstanding. Wouldn't it be okay to entrust the fate of the world to him?'

One of the weights that were tightly bound to the Specter's heart shook like it would come off. It was a weight with the same weight as the surface's future.

'Even if I don't achieve my goal, won't he solve it for me?'

Additionally, the pendulum with the weight of the future of hell started to shake. However, it never fell off. The weight of the responsibility she bore as the apostle of Yatan didn't even waver.

'…What a vain hope.'

The restoration of hell—the result was to pull humanity out of the pit of despair. The Specter's only driving force had been maintained for many years. It might shake, but it didn't collapse.

"Only One God Grid."

The skeletal armor worn by the Specter was woven together from the bones of the human gods. It contained the myths of the human gods who were hunted by her and whose souls were trapped in the red flesh. In other words, it was a concept that didn't disappear as long as the myth wasn't extinguished.

The armor and mask, which were cut by the six fusion sword dance, the Falling Moon Sword, and the Undefeated King's Swordsmanship, gradually recovered. The light hair and thin white garments that matched the Specter's noble appearance disappeared again. The darkness that had retreated once again came back.

"…It is a pity."

The reason why the Specter glimpsed hope from Grid for a moment and was shaken. It was because she noticed that Grid's fanciful wish was far more correct than her own twisted ideology. It was a pity that she couldn't pin her hopes on this absurd wish. The Specter couldn't throw away the duty she bore, and her club contained a greater weight than before.

A buzzing sound was mixed with the flashing lightning around the club. The meteorites that previously fell from the Tomb of the Gods was turned to powder. The fragments of divinity that spread like frost started vibrating. Each one had a greater destructive power in terms of energy than Grid's divine swords.

The essence of the Specter lay in destruction. It was because she was the apostle of God Yatan, who repeatedly destroyed the world for some reason.

"……"

Grid didn't bother with any further conversations. It was because he was constantly being affected by the Specter's sad eyes. He gradually started to understand her position.

At this rate, it felt like he would really start listening.

'I can't do that.'

He would be killed. She was an opponent with no answer if she wasn't killed.

Grid cleared his mind as much as possible and did his best with the intent to kill. His status was intact and he was almost equal with the Specter. He responded to all of the Specter's attacks with the Realm of the Absolute.

[You have suffered 91,100 damage.]

[The small remnants of divinity that destroyed the world are destroying you.]

[The hit to the head has activated the 'Stealth' effect of Cloaked Dragon Cranbel's Head.]

Every time they exchanged blows, Grid suffered a lot of damage. It was because the black lightning and divinity fragments spread by the Specter's clubs were basically judged as wide-area attacks. Great damage occurred even when Blockade stopped the club.

However, there was no reason to shrink back. The Specter was also covered in blood. Even an Absolute couldn't easily handle the six fusion sword dance, which he wielded successively due to God's Command.

Grid's divinity contained in Twilight steadily pierced the Specter's black divinity and finally separated her armor from her body. There was just one problem.

'She is so resilient.'

He couldn't estimate when he would be able to knock her down. It was a law that an Absolute was only complete in their own realm. The Specter's resilience easily exceeded that of Zeratul's party when they descended to the surface.

'Her learning ability is also considerable.'

The number of times the Specter's club and Blockade collided had noticeably decreased. The Specter noticed that the reason for her authority being sealed was due to Blockade.

'Still, it is fine.'

[The attack effect has activated the 'Dragon's Blessing' effect of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel's Head.]

[The effect of being hit has activated the 'Dragon's Blessing' effect of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel's Head.]

[Obtained a 'Symbol of Strength.' This attack has a 'crushing' effect.]

[Obtained a 'Symbol of Authority.' Take away the enemy's chance to attack once.]

[Obtained a 'Symbol of Life.' It will absorb the next damage taken.]

[Obtained a 'Symbol of Eternity.' The duration of the beneficial effects has increased.]

A helmet that reproduced Cranbel's head—the pair of large horns on the helmet flashed red, green, blue, and gold, significantly increasing Grid's combat endurance. Each symbol had tremendous value. In particular, the Symbol of Authority was the most effective in the current situation.

The movement of the Specter paused, as if she had been hit by Muller's Heart Sword. Of course, the power was weaker than Muller's Heart Sword. The duration went down to 0.001 seconds because of the target. However, there was Muller here. This had significant value when linked to Muller's Heart Sword.

"……"

The problem was Muller's stamina. The Heart Sword was willpower. Naturally, it consumed a great deal of mental strength. Muller tried not to show it, but his heavy breathing showed that he had reached this point. The number of times he helped by firing the sword energy was noticeably decreasing.

'Should I call just Braham? No, I can't.'

Grid had no intention of calling the apostles. It was because their lives were finite. Of course, Braham was an exception, but he was very uncomfortable about calling Braham. What if Braham's myth was stolen by the Specter? An uncontrollable situation would really happen.

'Nefelina needs to grow up.'

Time always made Grid nervous. He had an infinitely short life compared to other Absolutes. He was overcoming it with the strength of his relationships, but it was still regrettable. If he had lived a long time like them, he could've overwhelmed them all.

The Specter's actions stopped. She was stiff for a long time, which couldn't be compared to before. It was in seconds.

As if in response to Grid's wishes, Ultimate Martial Art occurred. This was his sixth chance. The probability of triggering Ultimate Martial Art wasn't bad. It kept giving Grid hope.

'I can do it. I can do it.'

Grid once again used the ultimate technique on the stunned Specter. The Specter's health was greatly reduced.

"Grid!"

"Oppa!"

Yet why? Jishuka and Ruby, who had been helping Grid recover by using the Red Phoenix Bow and Heal while blocking the enemy's advance, let out screams.

"…Huh?"

Grid realized it one step late—the fact that his upper body and lower body were separated. On the contrary, witnessing his legs staggering with his upside down vision was a truly terrible experience.

"You were hiding a trump card."

Muller's gulping sound could be heard from close by. He was holding Grid in his arms before he knew it, but his big calf-like eyes had somehow lost their light. Grid felt a certain sticky touch and raised a hand to wipe his cheek. A large amount of blood had spilled. It was blood that dripped from Muller's gaping chest.

It was a little while ago…

The moment that the Specter was cut by Grid's sword, the dark divinity that slashed Grid ended up slashing Muller's chest as well. In fact, it was correct to say that Muller jumped in. It was so that Grid didn't shatter into pieces.

"As you can see, I won't be able to hold out for a long time."

Immortality—the legend who got a five second grace period spoke with his back to Grid.

"I will be responsible for the rest, so leave with your friends."

Muller didn't use the term 'subordinate.' He recognized right away that Grid respected his juniors and the members of the Overgeared team as equal to himself. Muller was quietly holding an old iron sword, not the dragon weapon, in his hand as he quietly took a stance. It was because he sensed the end. He couldn't bring borrowed items to the underworld so he put them down.

"I don't intend to kill you… no. Leave. This is the end of our relationship," the Specter said.

There was the feeling of persuasion. She was prepared to let Grid and Muller go.

Muller refused. "An opportunity that will never come again… how can I miss it?"

The strongest Sword Saint couldn't maintain his breathing and barely managed to speak. The Specter's figure was projected onto his gradually blurring eyes. The Specter that had turned into rags—it wasn't comparable to Grid or Muller, but her condition wasn't perfect either. Some of the destroyed armor hadn't been repaired. The damage inflicted by Grid was that great.

The divinity that had been divided into fragments was changed into a giant scythe that cut through Grid. It was a trump card that became a great burden.

"A god spoke. If this is your will, I will do it."

[There was a treasured sword that has been tempered with the spirit of a hero.]

[He, who was known as Sword Saint 'Muller,' was prepared to meet his end as the sword that exercised the god's will.]

The Absolute treasured sword obtained by Grid—it was the moment when the epic spread the name of the treasured sword to the world.

[Sword Saint 'Muller,' who is highly respected by humanity, has greatly increased the value of the 24th epic.]

[Your existence has become more distinct.]

In the Sanctuary of Metal, the transparent Valhalla that was overlaid on Grid's armor—Khan's final work and Grid's mental image—took on a lifelike form.

"Sacrifice."

Heavy footsteps rang out. It was the noise generated by Grid's lower half, which had its form restored through Greed. Immediately restoring a broken body by replacing it with Greed—it was the power of Grid.

"There is my share."

Grid was worried about the safety of his apostles, who should've been wielded as his force, and this caused him to repeatedly fight alone. There was no way for him to sacrifice the relationships he had acquired so far.

[In the aftermath of your increased presence, the presence of your mental image, 'Valhalla of Infinite Affection,' has become stronger.]

[The greatest blacksmith after you can feel you through his work.]

-Gr… id?

From far away—

Grid heard a nostalgic voice that he had never forgotten for a moment. A smile spread on the face of the red-eyed Grid.

Ttang…

A faint hammering sound echoed in the wide space.

[An unknown angel in Asgard blesses you.]

[The durability of all the items you are wearing will be restored.]

[The enhancement value of all items you are wearing will temporarily increase by +1.]

"Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link."

Grid moved. He pressed down on the weary Specter with a surprisingly powerful momentum. Rather than confronting the Specter's club with Blockade, he focused on slashing the Specter by striking it with Twilight. The repercussions of the battle were so great that the destruction was faster than the restoration.

Then it ended.

"…You. Please bear it by all means."

The Specter knelt down. Surprisingly, the expression that seemed to have no regrets made Grid's heart heavy.

[You have defeated the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb, who usurped countless myths and tried to establish a second hell due to twisted ideology.]

The hard fight was over. The latent danger to humanity was gone…

[The Duke of Virtue will show mercy to the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb.]