Overgeared

Among Faker’s ultimate skills, there was one called Greed. He had inherited it from Kasim, the Shadow King.

Kasim was the last surviving member of the Nero tribe. This was a minority group that had been destroyed by Juander. After learning the history of the Nero tribe, Faker once confessed to Grid that, if he happened to meet Juander, he would hurt the former emperor even if Juander had turned into a hero who saved people. Faker hated Juander after finding out the origin of Greed.

Of course, Faker was a composed guy. No incidents occurred when he actually met Juander.

Did he give up because he saw Juander and Chensler’s skills and decided he had no chance of winning? Was he good at controlling emotions and distinguishing between public and private matters? Or had Kasim, who had already forgiven Juander, persuaded him to give up? Grid didn’t know the details but, in any case... Greed was a myth born from the history of oppressed people and proof of their pain.

Greed was the name of a greedy monster, the incarnation of greed who ate everything and eventually devoured itself. From the Nero tribe’s perspective, the Greed of this world had been Emperor Juander. He was a monster who had wanted to devour everything except for the Saharan Empire.

‘Wasn’t Jormungandr the actual origin of the word ‘greed?’”

Jormungandr was a giant snake who chewed on his own tail because he couldn’t handle his infinitely growing body. Grid was reminded of Greed as he observed Jormungandr floating in the middle of the space.

Marie Rose told him, “I am about to become jealous of that snake.”

“...Ah, I’m sorry.”

Grid regained his senses thanks to Marie Rose and took his eyes off Jormungandr. The reason he came here was to find the Full Moon Fortress. He was in a dangerous area where even the gods weren’t allowed to enter without permission. This was one of the most suitable places for the demon cultivators to be in, who were collaborating with Asura and Mumud to secretly build the Full Moon Fortress.

‘Shouldn’t they be here?’

Jormungandr’s residence was much harsher and more secretive than he thought. Mountains that rose like dragon’s fangs filled the land, creating thousands of canyons. There was no better place than this one to plot some evil scheme while avoiding the attention of others.

Marie Rose seemed to think the same. The two of them maximized their senses and carried out a full-fledged search. Grid took full advantage of Barbatos’ Vision and the God Hands, while Marie Rose summoned a blood mist and bats and spread them far and wide.

Jormungandr wasn’t aware of the newly arrived visitors. If Grid considered Satisfy a planet, Jormungandr was bigger than that planet. From the perspective of such an immense being, Grid and Marie Rose were as small as specks of dust. There was no way the serpent knew they were here. He wouldn’t even be able to see them.

In the first place, his eyes were closed.

“......!”

“......!”

Grid and Marie Rose were focused on exploring. Their eyes widened when they felt an intense gaze fall on them.

‘It can’t be?’

A chill went down their spines as they turned their heads to look behind them. The giant snake chewing on his tail still had his eyes closed...

“Ah.”

Grid sighed.

A reptile’s eyes had a protective layer called the nictitating membrane. Thanks to the translucent membrane, the reptile was able to see while providing moisture to its eyes. In other words, Jormungandr looked like he had his eyes closed at first glance, but they were actually open. Contrary to Grid’s expectations, the serpent clearly recognized the presence of intruders and was watching them.

[Is my god back?]

That question made no sense at first. Jormungandr still had his tail in his mouth. This wasn’t his voice. He was conveying a message through intent. It couldn’t be nonsense.

Grid suddenly recalled the myth of Jormungandr. Jormungandr had been Yatan’s favorite divine beast. However, when Yatan disappeared, the giant snake was flooded with anger and confusion, leading to his current situation. The god he was talking about was, of course, Yatan...

‘...Did Marie Rose remind him of Yatan?’ Grid thought.

“No, unfortunately, Yatan didn’t come back,” Marie Rose said slowly. Her red eyes were fixed on Jormungandr. “His whereabouts are still unknown.”

Wriggle!

The universe slowly split apart. Two blazing red suns suddenly rose. Jormungandr’s membrane peeled off, revealing his pupils. The two huge suns, which were like the sun from the Solar System in the real world, stared at Marie Rose with astonishing precision.

[But who are you? Why do you look so much like my God?]

Grid had a sharp headache. Jormungandr’s intent was very unusual. It felt like hundreds of millions of sheets of paper being torn to shreds or tens of millions of windows being shattered. It seemed to express the pain, anger, and confusion that Jormungandr had felt for so many years. Jormungandr frowned, unable to bear the pain.

Marie Rose quietly gripped Grid’s hand. A blood-red energy spread throughout his body. It was like receiving a blood transfusion.

Grid was the Blood King, so he and Marie Rose could nourish each other. They were able to take care of each other and do things like restoring each other’s HP and removing negative status effects.

“Who knows? Is it because I am Beriache’s daughter?”

[Beriache... She was one of my God’s precious flesh and blood.]

Grid’s headache faded along with his anxiety. He was very optimistic about this situation. He believed that Jormungandr wouldn’t harm Marie Rose since she was Yatan’s granddaughter. Maybe they could even cooperate? Grid was looking forward to it.

[The first misjudgment of God and a harbinger of an irreversible disaster.]

Jormungandr’s intent became even sharper. Tens of thousands of high notes seemed to overlap. Marie Rose couldn’t bear the headache and frowned. This time, it was Grid who held her hand.

[Your blood meets Marie Rose’s and flows.]

[All the negative status effects are gone.]

Marie Rose smiled, grateful.

[I regret it. Even though I saw through the madness and malice buried in Baal’s eyes, the sinister nature buried deep in Amoract’s heart, and Beriache’s arrogance and belief that she was better than them, I was young and uncertain.]

Jormungandr’s thoughts spiraled out of control. Surrounding planets trembled with an immeasurable deep anger and despair that spread in the form of divinity.

‘The Wicked Eye.’

Grid was reminded of Sariel. The Wicked Eye revealed the original sin of the gods. This was the main reason for Sariel being expelled from Asgard.

Grid had always wondered why it was called the Wicked Eye. Now his question had been answered. The Wicked Eye originated from Jormungandr. Originally, it wasn’t called the Wicked Eye, but...

[I hate it. When I was young, I foolishly believed that I shouldn’t dare to advise God.]

Jormungandr himself gave the name Wicked Eye to his insight which stemmed from self-loathing. Thus, the name was born.

[After God disappeared, I prayed when I saw his honor being tainted by his children—Baal who distorted hell, Amoract who colluded with him, Beriache who was overconfident and failed to guard against them... I wanted the strength to chew and devour all those vulgar, evil beings.]

Grid never would’ve guessed that Jormungandr had become larger than a planet because of his hatred and killing intent toward Yatan’s children. He realized the seriousness of the situation after learning the truth.

Right now, all of Yatan’s children were dead. Marie Rose was the only one in the world who could claim to be Yatan’s flesh and blood. She had fully absorbed the power of Beriache. From Jormungandr’s perspective, she could be the same as Beriache.

‘I shouldn’t have come here.’

Grid pulled out Twilight and Defying the Natural Order, more nervous than ever. Jormungandr stopped chewing on his tail. The mere thought of him opening his mouth made Grid feel numb. This bastard could bite into Satisfy like an apple. He could crush and swallow Asgard in one bite. The surface would lose its sky and face chaos the likes of which it had never experienced before.

‘I was foolish.’

This was a place marked as a danger zone on the map that Dominion gave him. He shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Grid was blaming himself. This was all his fault...

“Is your Wicked Eye just a decoration?”

Marie Rose, who was staring up at Jormungandr, tilted her head in confusion. There was a faint smile on her face. She even had her arms crossed. This was in sharp contrast to Grid, who had equipped and held his two swords in a fully combat-ready posture.

Her ankle-length translucent robe blew in the wind and vegetation appeared in front of her. Butterflies flew and deers frolicked. The embroidery on her robe moved as if it was alive. This seemed like it would be good for prenatal care. Grid bit his tongue and came to his senses after having this meaningless thought. Marie Rose’s full-term belly reminded him of what he had to protect.

Yes, Marie Rose certainly made things worse by provoking Jormungandr, but he shouldn’t blame her. No matter what happened, he had to fight and win...

“Item Combination.”

Grid combined the two swords into one.

[You... You escaped the fate of being devoured by Beriache and punished her instead.]

The two suns, which had been emitting a blazing divinity, were no longer as fierce as before. Jormungandr’s eyes, which had been filled with anger and killing intent, softened. He burst out laughing.

[Huhuhu, hahaha! Beriache! That arrogant being who believed she was the only answer was eaten by her own child! She paid the price for failing to stop Baal and experienced the worst possible end!]

Grid was stunned. Marie Rose whispered in his ear, “My dear husband, this all happened because of you. I’m proud of you.”

Jormungandr finally faced Grid. [Also, you... You punished Baal and Amoract.]

Jormungandr saw how Grid had changed and protected the world. The result? It was obvious. He respected Grid.

The Serpent God finally looked at Marie Rose’s belly. [I see you’re together. What a good pair. The baby in the womb is also worthy of you. I think that if God had given birth out of love rather than necessity, better children would’ve been born...]

Jormungandr sighed and closed his eyes again.

[Don’t waste your time here. Leave. The thing you seek isn’t here, but in the north.]

“Are you going to remain like this?”

[It matters not to me... My desire was more powerful than it had to be. After I achieved it, I became too big.]

Jormungandr couldn’t punish the children of his god because punishing them meant devouring the whole world. The consequences would be colossal. There was nothing he could do. The only thing possible was to consume himself so that he wouldn’t become bigger and fill the whole universe.

[Thanks to you, the honor of my God will no longer be tarnished. I have no regrets. From now on, I will devour all of myself and perish.]

“...Yes, close your eyes and rest in peace.”

Marie Rose didn’t dissuade Jormungandr. She knew what a threat his presence was to the world. She left without any regrets. Grid couldn’t help looking up to her.

“Noona...”

“......?”

“Just... I wanted to call you that.”

“......”