Chapter 1871  

At the time when the presumed Chiyou created a strange atmosphere, Zeratul suddenly burst in and started fighting with his back to Grid.

I am the Martial God. I am the one who is the Martial God.

He was definitely out of his mind based on the way he was repeating the same thing over and over again. At first glance, his attitude of fighting while protecting Grid was bizarre.

Zeratul had previously threatened Grid many times. The Overgeared members decided that they shouldn’t take the situation happening in front of them at face value. They were wary of both the presumed Chiyou and Zeratul and watched for an opportunity to rescue Grid.

At this moment—

“Zeratul!”

Grid threw his sword toward Zeratul. To be exact, he handed it over. At least for the moment, Zeratul was an ally.

It was hard to believe. For a moment, they suspected that Grid was possessed by a ghost. However, they were soon convinced. Wasn’t Grid someone who took even Evil Dragon Bunhelier as a companion? It was concluded that it was likely Zeratul, not Grid, who was possessed. No matter what happened, it meant that Zeratul was recognized as an ally.

“Weapon Enchant! Purification!”

Ruby started to assist Zeratul. She tried to stop the bleeding while giving him all types of buff magic. At the same time, she poured out heals. There was no effect.

The thin film that couldn’t be seen—it surrounded Grid, Zeratul, and Chiyou and blocked all external interference.

“My magic doesn’t work.” Braham frowned.

Martial God Chiyou—the Only One God that even the Gods of the Beginning couldn’t do anything against. He was overwhelming. He had the power to make his will take precedence over any concept. The magic used against him would never reach the point of creating a miracle.

‘Or is there another way? Mumud.’

Braham was noticing the ‘magic power’ that was buried in Zeratul. A being who made him feel shameful emotions such as jealousy and guilt—when it came to magic, Mumud was the most gifted human of all time. His magic power was unrivaled. It was so mysterious and intense that Braham naturally became obsessed with it. It was impossible for Braham to forget it.

Braham was convinced that Mumud’s intervention was behind Zeratul’s incursion to the surface.

“......?”

Braham’s eyes widened as he examined the situation.

The magic power that was buried in Zeratul—it was mere remnants. It wasn’t even a sign of direct magic on Zeratul. Perhaps Mumud’s magic destroyed the prison where Zeratul was imprisoned and in the process, a glimmer of magic power was smeared on Zeratul. The remnants of Mumud’s magic power were weak enough to form this speculation.

However, the remnants were combining together were taking on the form of magic. Someone was targeting it in real time and trying something—it was Euphemina.

[The magic power of an unknown person is contemplating you.]

[An unknown person is viewing your level, stats, and list of magic you have acquired.]

“......!”

Euphemina unexpectedly exposed herself. Even in this sudden situation, she figured out what was going on. According to common sense, the only one who could contemplate her without her permission was Mumud.

‘Mumud. The source of my magic... he must be existing as an angel. It will be greatly difficult if we meet someday.’

Recently, Euphemina had been suffering from tremendous fatigue. It was because unlike others, she didn’t have time to enjoy the top content. She was busy chasing Betty and Agnus’ trails.

The former Baal’s Contractors—Euphemina had no doubt that they would be alive and well somewhere, and Grid’s thoughts coincided with hers. Betty had said she would perish together with Baal the moment Baal died. However, no one had confirmed her death. She disappeared with Agnus shortly before Baal was killed by Grid.

Grid pinned his hopes on this part. He asked Euphemina, who had a history of chasing Agnus in the past, to find the two of them. Euphemina wandered all over the continent and returned to Reinhardt with accumulated fatigue. She rushed over the moment she heard there was an emergency.

The result was this. Her identity was discovered by Mumud and she was dissected in detail. She was worried that this would snowball into a big problem later. She was inwardly anxious when Braham approached her and whispered, “There is no need to worry. I will be his opponent.”

Braham’s magic destroyed Mumud’s magic that was dissecting Euphemina. “...Hmm.”

The heavenly angel admired it. The halo with various colors like a rainbow took the form of an exclamation mark for a moment.

‘It is the God of Wisdom and Magic.’

Braham, a god apotheosized on the surface like Grid—he had as many as two modifiers. Mumud became increasingly interested and was able to check his skills.

Dimension and destruction—he hadn’t expected Braham to instantly identify and destroy the magic that worked secretly across a distance that was physically difficult to estimate. Mumud thought he would learn a lot if they ever had a chance to compete in skills one day.

“The constraints of the Overgeared World have been weakened, right?”

The angel was deep in thought, only for his expression to stiffen. It was due to the one who interrupted him. He bumped into Venice, the God of Money.

“Angel Mumud. There was a reason why God Judar protected you.”

Magic is the power to give value to something that is worthless...

This was the argument that Mumud made before the gods for releasing Zeratul from prison. By worthless, he naturally meant Zeratul. A being that, if left unchecked, would’ve rotted away senselessly in the Prison of Eternity.

However, Zeratul gained value the moment Mumud’s magic unlocked the prison. The proof was that the constraints of the Overgeared World had weakened.

Only One God Grid—Mumud heard he was very obsessed with connections, but he actually welcomed Zeratul as a guest in the Overgeared World? If Zeratul showed a bit more here, he could even reveal Chiyou’s strength.

“You are several times more capable than the archangel, who is still sucking their fingers in hell. Isn’t that why you are going to be an archangel one day?”

“I’m not interested.”

The angel Mumud resolutely shook his head.

“Even if Raphael is impeached, Metatron will regain their position and fill the vacancy.”

Metatron—they showed disgrace by leaving the battlefield in the aftermath of allowing a single attack from Chiyou to hit them. Their current location was in the far east. It was hundreds of kilometers from Reinhardt. However, Mumud was aware of Metatron’s power. It was assumed that Metatron stepped back for a while to arrange some variables.

“Hey, from what I have seen, the former archangel isn’t very reliable either.”

“It is more ridicule than necessary.”

“......?”

“It goes beyond mere distrust and is interpreted as an attempt to incite dissension. Do you want to be part of the Overgeared World? Or maybe you are already...”

“A mere angel is doubting a god?”

Venice’s inner thoughts were stabbed and she became angry in reverse. Mumud saw her trying to be calm and shook his head.

“No matter what, it doesn’t matter. Whatever your intentions, the trend won’t be affected.”

“......”

In his past life and in this life, Mumud was infinitely close to goodness. However, he had the self-righteousness and arrogance that was unique to talented people. This was one of the reasons why Braham of the past couldn’t help being jealous of him.

***

“It is a wonderful interpretation.”

Defying the Natural Order—it was Grid’s masterpiece. It contained the knowledge, skills, connections, and willpower that Grid had accumulated.

The filth of the Four Auspicious Beasts wasn’t mixed in with it. It was a power that purely took Grid as its source. In other words, it was the only concept that threatened Chiyou. It didn’t have to be handled directly by Grid.

“Every single one of the countless works you have made is qualified to bring me down. They are weapons to annihilate me.” He was like a man standing in a daze in the pouring rain. Chiyou’s eyes, which had been out of focus, found a clear focus. The colorless veil that didn’t allow outside interference was lifted.

His hands drooped as he looked at Grid, Defying the Natural Order, Zeratul, and all the apostles and Overgeared members who owned works made by Grid. He started to harbor transcendent anticipation as he held a dark-colored sheath in his left hand and a rusty long sword showing the weight of the years in his right hand.

“Come.”

The group that fought and defeated the Absolute beings like Baal, Asura, and King Daebyeol and liberated hell—Chiyou declared toward the strongest Overgeared Guild led by Grid. It was an attitude that seemed to be making concessions rather than shrinking back.

At this point, the Overgeared Guild were in a frenzy. Like those who fell for the provocation, they deployed their skills and targeted Chiyou. However, an unexpected variable arose.

“......!”

“......?!”

Zeratul, who was right at the forefront of the flow—he swung his sword in the direction he chose. It was toward the Overgeared God’s Temple in the distance. The powerful sword energy split apart the figure of Grid standing tall in front of the temple.

“Are you crazy?”

“I shouldn’t have trusted you...!”

What was this nonsense all of a sudden? Damian and Huroi were particularly furious. Instead of running toward Chiyou, they shifted directions and surrounded Zeratul.

Meanwhile, a notification window emerged in Grid’s vision.

[Zeratul has destroyed your image and blasphemed your divinity. The Overgeared World defines him as an intruder.]

The reason why Grid accepted Zeratul as a guest was to free him from the constraints of the Overgeared World. However, he voluntarily took on the constraints again. Why?

Zeratul’s thoughts trickled into Grid’s bewildered mind.

-Don’t be blinded by the opponent in front of you and give excuses to external enemies.

Zeratul broke through the siege of Damian and Huroi and threw himself forward, colliding with Chiyou. Once again, he was at the forefront. However, it was under constraints.

Power, speed, and even status—Zeratul wasn’t able to fully confront Chiyou. Every time they exchanged blows, the number of wounds on his body increased. However, Defying the Natural Order was shining. Every time Zeratul slashed Chiyou once in return for dozens of cuts, Chiyou also shed red blood.

-Despite all of this, my affiliation is still Asgard. If you loosen my constraints, the bastards of Asgard will also be freed from the constraints of the Overgeared World.

“...Why?”

Grid stared blankly at the back of Zeratul, who was finally collapsing.

“Why do you care about me?”

Grid expressed the question that had blossomed in the depths of his heart. It was a situation where he was threatened by someone he had trusted and admired, while conversely, he was helped by someone he had hated. Grid was already confused by this situation and was deeply disturbed by Zeratul’s subtle attitude. He was frustrated and wanted to know why.

Zeratul snorted.

-Didn’t I warn you not to be mistaken? Don’t interpret my intentions as goodwill. I just hate those condescending bastards in heaven more than you, and I fight purely for myself.

The Prison of Eternity—even when Grid stormed into this place a little while ago, Zeratul’s attitude was the same. He didn’t break, just like a sword made by Grid.

Grid was fascinated. He was instinctively driven.

“I think I like people like you.” action

-What? Crazy guy...?

Zeratul reacted with extreme disgust, but Grid didn’t care.

“Request to Stand With Me.”

He retrieved all the weapons from his comrades, who were rushing like moths to the fire toward Chiyou. He took one step forward, then two. He stared intently at the back of Zeratul, who was blocking Chiyou’s sword with Defying the Natural Order, which Zeratul barely straightened. Just as he had good feelings toward the object he hated, he harbored hostility toward the object he admired.

“If you want to die, then die.”

It was raining. It was a rain of metal. Each one was a force that took Grid as its source, just like Defying the Natural Order.

A smile spread across Chiyou’s face.