Overgeared

Chapter 1951

Grid, who had been scrambling to rescue Lord, excitedly asked, “How did you figure out how to kill a god? Was it because of your genius intuition?”

Kraugel laughed awkwardly as he looked after the wounded people. “Kubartos just told me. Don’t give me credit for his idea. He holds a lot of grudges against Judar for absorbing his heart.”

Kraugel was being overly modest. How many people could achieve killing a god even after finding out how to do it? If it hadn’t been for the Falling Moon Sword, it would’ve been difficult for Grid to slash through the ash pillar.

Two small spheres of light approached and hovered beside Grid as he curiously observed the golden energy flowing in Kraugel’s Twilight. He didn’t pay too much attention to them.

Trauka’s lair was still collapsing, its appearance crumbling, and it was unleashing waves of heat and magic at random intervals. He thought that the two lights were just the remnants of something passing by.

He was surprised to hear words echo in his mind.

-I felt you even when I was asleep.

It seemed to be Trauka’s voice.

-It’s ridiculous how many times you hesitated to harm me. You never intended to kill me. I guess the possibilities that the insane dragon’s daughter and Bunhelier spoke of left quite an impression on you, right? Why? Did you think a future in which you could cooperate with us was possible?

His characteristic sneering tone came off as completely arrogant. However, rather than showing annoyance, Grid shrugged it off. The strongest dragon, Trauka, had not been in good shape ever since he was seriously wounded by Ifrit. Nevertheless, he still displayed intimidating strength and instilled fear in Grid and the Overgeared members. Everyone admitted he was a terrifying presence.

Grid respected him, so he simply responded with a silent smile. This attitude softened Trauka’s tone.

-I fully understand your feelings. But don’t try to convince the old dragons. We can’t defy the fate bestowed upon us by the foreign god. No matter our feelings, we are ultimately destined to act according to our instincts. If you act as foolishly against other old dragons as you did this time, you will get seriously hurt.

“Seeing that you’re giving me advice, I think I can still feel some kind of hope.”

-Hmph. I’m dead, anyway. The chains of fate have been loosened, so that’s why I’m able to give you this warning.

Trauka snorted and was silent for a moment. He stared at Grid, who was looking at him curiously. He continued speaking with some difficulty.

-Ifrit’s child is still alive. She is the only flesh and blood I have left.

“The residual fire...”

-That’s her. I want you to take her away. In any case, if I leave it like this, she will replace me.

“Is she going to become an old dragon? Isn’t that a good thing?”

-Did you even listen to what I was saying just now? Once she becomes the fire dragon, she can only live according to the will of the foreign god. I won’t be able to rest even when I enter the river of reincarnation if that happens.

Grid was taken aback. It was unexpected to see this evil dragon worry about his flesh and blood when he had eaten so much of his kin in his life.

‘Is this implying that Trauka’s obsession with predation isn’t because of his natural disposition, but an order that Morpheus has given to him?’

This was the result of a fate bestowed upon them by the foreign god.

Grid pondered on Trauka’s words and nodded. “I understand. I am very grateful to you, so I will do you one last favor.”

-...You are strangely kind. Come to think of it, your tone is also unusually polite.

“Is there any point in being rude to someone who is already dead? Anyway, if the number of old dragons increased, that would be bad for us.”

-Hmm, you seem to feel guilty about killing me. In any case, it’s fine. Now I’m content. Since you are doing me a favor, I will tell you where my treasure trove is.

Trauka was cool to the very end. He gave Grid the location of the treasure trove and disappeared.

Just as Grid was recovering from the shock, a new voice entered his mind.

-Annihilate me.

This time, it was Judar. Unlike Trauka’s somewhat excited tone, his voice sounded gloomy.

-More than half my soul is already in hell, so I can’t destroy it right now. This means you have to personally go there, find it, and destroy it.

“......?”

He was saying to find his soul and destroy it? Grid was startled, and he didn’t know how to reply.

-I never imagined the river of reincarnation could exert an attraction over the souls of the gods. Yatan must’ve been very distressed after hearing the news of gods being killed by Trauka. He probably wanted to give them a chance to reincarnate. He was being uselessly nosy.

Judar didn’t care that Grid didn’t respond and kept going.

-Do you not want to talk to me? Well, you might think I am presumptuous. That is understandable. I will give you sufficient repayment. If you promise to do me a favor, I will show you how to make a body.

It felt like Judar’s soul was scanning the God Hands.

-The body creation recipe is a secret method that I discovered by researching the memory of my birth. Some of the information is in Hanul’s hands, but given your divine items and powers, you can amplify it to a different level from what it is now. You will be able to produce clones of yourself.

‘Clones!’

Grid did indeed harbor a desire to make a doll in his image from the moment he discovered the magic machines. He had the world’s most powerful resources and technology, so he’d naturally tried his hand at it. However, smelting and forming human body parts was different from creating a human body. He’d failed every single time. Not even Item Creation could help with this issue.

He really wanted a body recipe.

‘Just...’

Grid’s expression changed. His eyes widened in surprise, and his eyebrows furrowed as if he was displeased. He smiled like he found whatever he was thinking absurd, his face darkening.

Grid realized something about Judar’s desire to die.

“...Do you know the truth?”

-How can I not know when the goddess is so obvious? I’ve known for a long time that this world is just a lower dimension created by higher-level beings for entertainment.

Judar’s tone grew infinitely more displeased.

-In fact, I have many things I want to ask you. However, I am just a trivial clown who is nothing more than a plaything created by higher-level beings. I know that you can’t really be sincere with me. To you, I am not worthy of respect. However, if there is even the slightest bit of sincerity in the ‘heart’ that you have shown to the fleeting beings of this world, please listen to what I have to say.

“......”

There was no reason for Grid to refuse Judar’s request. Finding a soul at the river of reincarnation was more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack for ordinary people, but Grid was no ordinary person. If he spoke with Black Knight Eligos, he would be able to start his search for the soul as soon as possible. If this didn’t work, he could ask Knight to do it. In return, he would receive the body manufacturing method.

There was just one thing that bothered him.

“Did Hanul use the body manufacturing technique to make the yangbans?”

-That’s right.

“Strange. Didn’t Chiyou side with Hanul on the off-chance that a god killer would be born among the yangbans? You also know this recipe. Why did Chiyou rely on Hanul and not you?”

-The body manufacturing method I came up with is essentially the art of creating a god. Gods can’t kill gods. This is the goddess’ will. Since I am her child, there is no way I could disobey her.

Judar sighed.

-On the other hand, Hanul has the same hierarchy as the goddess. After leaving Asgard, he was able to completely escape the influence of the goddess and improve this recipe. He needed the power of a god killer to conquer Asgard, so he created the yangbans. For Chiyou, who wants to hold onto even the smallest of hope, he had no choice but to follow Hanul, not me.

“That is what happened... So if I make clones using this body manufacturing method of yours, will I be unable to become a god killer?”

Grid’s doubts were dispelled, only for him to have a new question. This made Judar laugh.

-You weren’t born in Asgard. You must use the black-gold metal for the body manufacturing method. Instead of creating a completely new being, it will be just a clone of yourself. You shouldn’t encounter any problems. You already possess a superior concept of god killing intent, the Annihilation energy. Not even the goddess can intervene with this force. Your clone will also possess this type of energy.

Grid’s expression finally brightened. Judar, who had been worried that his request would be rejected, felt relieved. He told Grid, -The power of reincarnation is too strong. I cannot hold on for much longer. If you promise to do this favor for me, I will teach you the recipe right now. Is that okay?

Grid nodded. A part of Judar’s soul seeped into his mind.

Grid, who had lost his body to Braham in the past, was startled. He was relieved to hear about the effects of the Annihilation energy.

[The ‘Body (God) Manufacturing Method’ has been acquired!]

-Please help me out as soon as you can. I don’t know for how long I can endure the oblivion of hell.

“Yes... I will come find you as soon as possible.”

Grid’s tone softened. Judar found it strange. There was no way that he, an Absolute, did not know that Grid had deep respect for him. He wondered if Grid would hold a grudge against him, and he was surprised when Grid had not only obediently agreed to the request, but also had a gentle attitude in doing so.

He hesitated a bit before gathering enough courage to speak.

-I want to ask you one last thing. It is somewhat of a personal question, so you don't have to answer it.

“What is it?”

-Is this dimension inferior compared to yours?

What was the intent behind this question? Grid couldn’t really tell, but the fear in Judar’s voice made his heart heavy. He thought about it for a while before coming up with an honest answer. “No, this dimension is much better and more beautiful than mine. This place is someone’s ideal, so it has to be so.”

-...That is enough.

The fear in Judar’s voice faded. He seemed relieved and proud. He also seemed to be smiling for some reason.

Judar’s last words left Grid in shock.

-I don’t know if this will help in any way, but the dimension I created changed its name the moment Trauka died. The name is made up of characters I can’t read, but I’m sure you can. I’ll give you the name before and after the change, so think about it.

Judar’s soul vanished after leaving a mark on the fragments of some rocks.

The name was indeed written in English, which was something that people from this world couldn’t read. Its meaning was rather shocking.

Grid’s expression stiffened. He thought about it, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on it. As he was conversing with the souls, news was pouring in from his colleagues who had left.

He put Judar’s belongings and the remnants of Trauka, collected by the God Hands, into his inventory. Then, he hurried out of the lair.