Overgeared Chapter 1208:
Chapter 1208
In Satisfy’s history, Old Sword Demon was a very interesting figure . First of all, he was a mystery because there was no record of his assassinations . The nature of an assassin’s class was to build up ‘assassination achievements’, raising their fame and gaining additional abilities . It meant that having an assassination record was more beneficial for them . Yet there was no record of Old Sword Demon’s assassinations . In order to be a perfect killer, he gave up his reputation and didn’t publish his assassination record, but he was still first in the rankings .
There had been a rumor in the world . “Old Sword Demon might not know that he was transferred to the assassin class . ”
It was ridiculous considering how his ID was ‘sword demon,’ which was because of his skill in combat and use of a long sword as his main weapon . The assassin’s signature mastery skill was with daggers, but Old Sword Demon used a long sword and enjoyed a fair match instead of attacking in the darkness . This gave rise to the joke that he should be a swordsman . Therefore, the new generation often knew Old Sword Demon as a ‘good swordsman’ .
“Old Sword Demon . . . ”
Grid’s eyes were shining as he watched Old Sword Demon . Grid recognized Old Sword Demon as a special being, just as many people admired and honored the current Grid . It was from the days when Grid was still obscure . In a time when he was envious of good-looking people and felt a sense of inferiority, he had a subtle affinity for Old Sword Demon’s ID . It was an ID that would make people doubt the person’s nature as long as it was in Korean characters . Back in the days when Grid was dissatisfied with society, he thought it was a good ID . He felt that Old Sword Demon was swearing at the world on his behalf .
‘I was young at that time . ’
How twisted had he been? Grid smiled at the absurdity of his past self and concentrated on observing Old Sword Demon .
In the past, Grid couldn’t accurately measure the skills of Old Sword Demon . Grid’s level itself had been low, so he hadn’t been able to feel any inspiration after seeing the skills of Old Sword Demon, who had been the best at the time . He had just vaguely thought that this person was great . Now it was different . Grid had become stronger through repeated life and death battles with powerful enemies and was now at the highest level in the world .
Old Sword Demon’s long sword tilted at an angle . Then an amazing sight unfolded . The short spear that was entangled around Old Sword Demon’s demon couldn’t handle the force and was thrown out . The sharp spear was thrown in the direction of Maru . The same short spear that Maru had thrown ended up attacking him .
‘He is very skilled at using his wrist . ’
It was almost like an attack from Kraugel, but the power was a bit weaker . If it had been Kraugel instead of Old Sword Demon, the spear rushing at Maru would’ve been 1 . 2 times faster . If it were Grid, the spear would have flown twice as fast, but unfortunately, Grid didn’t have this much technique .
“Bah!” Maru snorted and appeared in front of Old Sword Demon . He swung his feet while simultaneously hitting Old Sword Demon’s abdomen with his shoulder .
Three prerequisites were needed for Old Sword Demon to be able to respond to this . He had to understand the Shunpo skill, predict the timing at which Maru used it, and have at least 2,500 agility . Old Sword Demon met all three conditions . The moment he was hit in the abdomen, he responded immediately by tilting his upper body back, avoiding Maru’s kick . He even hit back .
Old Sword Demon’s sword brushed past Maru’s hair, creating a strong wind pressure . Maru recovered his feet, exposed his back to Old Sword Demon, and leaned back like he was leaning into Old Sword Demon’s arms . Then he grabbed Old Sword Demon’s neck with his arms, and it seemed as if Old Sword Demon’s neck would be broken like this .
It was really the worst position . Maru’s technique was reminiscent of Bubat’s, and Old Sword Demon looked like he was in a very disadvantageous position . It was fair to say that the harmony between Shunpo and Maru, who became stronger the closer he was to the target, was the best .
‘He can’t do it either . ’
Grid hurriedly tried to use Shunpo .
[Shunpo has failed to trigger . ]
‘Damn!’
It seemed that Old Sword Demon’s neck would be broken . Grid felt a chill down his spine and was about to launch Magic Missile . Then there was a small explosion, and Old Sword Demon’s body was covered in smoke before disappearing . Maru’s hands were floundering in the air instead of grasping Old Sword Demon’s neck .
“ . . . ?!”
“ . . . ?!”
Both Grid and Bondre, who were watching the battle, were full of doubts . Maru looked around . Just then, the disappeared Old Sword Demon reappeared in his original position . His neck was clearly marked with red handprints . That’s right . Old Sword Demon hadn’t left Maru’s grasp . He had just completely concealed his presence from the world for a while . In fact, his neck had still been in Maru’s hands, but Maru was simply unaware of this fact . If Maru hadn’t immediately released his grip, then Old Sword Demon would’ve died of a broken neck .
Maru started a fierce exchange with Old Sword Demon’s sword .
“Spit . ”
“ . . . !”
“Spit spit!”
Old Sword Demon avoided and blocked Maru’s attacks and kept spitting . It wasn’t a technique developed from spitting only once or twice . His saliva precisely struck Maru’s pupils, so Maru had to be conscious of it . Thanks to this, the almost collapsed Old Sword Demon was able to shake Maru off .
“ . . . . . ”
“ . . . . . ”
Grid’s and Bondre’s eyes shook even more as they watched the confrontation between Old Sword Demon and Maru . Both of them were shocked by Old Sword Demon’s dirty combat style . The good news was that the other high rankers weren’t watching the battle between Old Sword Demon and Maru . The high rankers, who were scattered throughout the battlefield, were busy fighting the yangbans .
Maru frowned as he wiped the sputum off his cheeks and criticized Old Sword Demon . “Don’t you have any pride?”
“You yangbans treat humans as bugs but ask us to uphold our pride every time . Even humans won’t discuss the pride of an animal below them . How cowardly are you that you would talk about the pride of trivial bugs?”
“You . . . human . . . ”
“Old Sword Demon . ”
“ . . . ?”
“That is my name . ”
“ . . . . . ”
Grid was convinced that Old Sword Demon was another Huroi . His solemn expression and tone of speech when insulting a target was similar .
‘No . . . Don’t tell me?’
Grid tried to deny it as he recalled Old Sword Demon’s gentlemanly greeting, but he was undoubtedly certain of another fact .
‘The yangbans have weakened . ’
This was something he had felt when he engaged in combat with the three yangbans, including Dodam . Be it in attack power, defense, health, and speed, all the yangbans he met in Chiaotzu were clearly inferior to the yangbans that Grid had previously encountered . Maru, who had a presence equivalent to Garam, was no exception .
‘Are the yangbans in the Cho Kingdom exceptionally good?’
It was easy for Grid to expand on this idea . He recalled the resurrection of the red phoenix .
‘The yangbans are people who have strengthened their abilities by absorbing the breaths or hearts of the Four Auspicious Beasts . ’
As a representative example, the Red Phoenix’s Breath gave great destructive power and recovery ability to the yangbans . However, the red phoenix had resurrected, and the yangbans were now unable to properly control the Red Phoenix’s Breath .
‘The red phoenix has started to exercise control over the breaths that have been stolen by the yangbans . ’
It was clear that the stats and skills of the yangbans who lost a single breath had dropped significantly compared to the previous yangbans . Indeed, it was correct to judge it like this . In other words—
‘There is hope as long as I join forces with Old Sword Demon . ’
After taking potions, Grid turned away from Old Sword Demon and Maru, who had started exchanging blows again . He looked at the high rankers struggling against the yangbans on the battlefield and asked Bondre, “Have you recovered somewhat?”
“Yes . The performance of the potion you gave is tremendous . ”
“Good . Let’s take care of the other yangbans while Old Sword Demon is holding up Maru . I’ll ask for some assistance . ”
Bondre told Grid, “My quest is finished . ”
“ . . . ?”
“My quest was cleared when the man called Hwang Gildong seized the Black Tortoise Jewel from the yangbans . ”
“ . . . ??”
“I was surprised too . In any case, I don’t have a reason to fight anymore . ”
“ . . . . . ”
Was it the same with the others? Bondre smiled at Grid, who was anxious that he might have to fight alone . “However, if you ask me to help, I can help . ”
As a proud Frenchman—no, he shouldn’t use this expression because it was full of prejudice . After all, it was just a disgusting smile . Bondre smiled in a disgusting manner and urged, “Now Grid . Please ask once . Ask me for help . ”
He was looking forward to seeing Grid’s crying face, but Grid easily bowed his head without changing his expression . “Help me . ”
“ . . . ?”
“The strongest ice magician in the rankings, please help me . ”
“ . . . Shit . ”
It was so easy for Grid to bow his head .
‘It isn’t even necessary for him to take pride in himself . . . ’
Bondre alone seemed to have been conscious of their relationship . The enlightened and discouraged Bondre grumbled and stood beside Grid . Bondre cleared the quest and recovered from the levels he lost . He was two levels higher, so his magic power had become more powerful than before . “I owe you one . If I don’t pay you back, then my dreams will be terrible . So I’ll help you . ”
“Thank you . Your personality has become better since being with Ares . ”
“Shut up . I am Bondre . I’m not affected by anyone . Entering Valhalla was just a momentary diversion . ”
“Contact me if your mood changes . The Overgeared Kingdom will welcome people like you at any time . ”
“Do you still want to talk nonsense?”
Bondre spread webs of ice all over the place . Grid admired it . It was because all the webs created by Bondre exquisitely interfered with the mobility of the yangbans . The yangbans had been seriously injured by Grid and then had to fight the high rankers without a break . They couldn’t overcome the irritation surging in their hearts and broke the webs . Among them, one yangban who cut the web became Grid’s target . “Transcended Link Flower . ”
“ . . . !”
It was just for a moment . The yangban was distracted by the ice web and revealed a gap . Yet Grid precisely dug through that gap . The frightened yangban desperately tried to avoid the blue-black petals, but it was useless . It was because Bubat had grabbed his collar and dropped him . The dopo fluttered . The yangban’s unnecessarily loose clothes were a fatal weakness against Bubat .
“You . . . ! Let go!”
“Transcended Link Flower Pinnacle . ”
“Kuaaaaak!”
Thanks to the active cooperation of Bondre and Bubat, Grid started to dominate the battlefield . They traveled over the battlefield, and the injured yangbans were smashed one by one .
“Ohhhhh!”
This was the moment when the morale of the high rankers soared into the sky . Then a man fell between Grid and the high rankers . It was a ragged Old Sword Demon .
“O-Old Sword Demon!”
The high rankers had forgotten about Old Sword Demon as they concentrated on the yangbans, so they supported him belatedly . Old Sword Demon’s red cheeks were swollen, and he spat out blood as he glared at the high rankers . “Cough, cough . Neglecting someone who came to help you . . . ”
“I-I’m sorry . ”
“Ugh . . . Bad people . . . ”
“ . . . . . ”
The force with which Old Sword Demon first appeared was nowhere to be seen . However, Grid and the rankers fully understood his attitude . Having been left unattended for 10 minutes, Old Sword Demon was angry because he had to deal with Maru alone .
Step . Step . Step… Maru was approaching . He looked fine, unlike Old Sword Demon who seemed like he was about to die . There was just no calm expression to be found on him . Maru had lost the Black Tortoise Jewel, gotten **** by a human for 10 minutes, and lost all his siblings, so he was in a terrible mood .
“Chiyou . . . If it wasn’t for Chiyou, I wouldn’t need to go through all of this . . . It is the first time I’ve felt this type of anger . ”
Once he heard that Garam had been killed by his target, he had expected a tough fight . As the days passed by, he felt a weakening of control over the Red Phoenix’s Breath and was anxious . However, he believed he would eventually win . He had 20 siblings around him . They were even all candidates for the new seats available in the Seven . At this level of power, he was confident that he could handle two or three archangels . He never imagined that he would suffer a crushing defeat to humans .
‘That silver-haired demonkin was the problem . ’
How many siblings had he harmed by himself? Maru took off the dopo that he was wearing roughly . He was conscious of Bubat and felt it was better to give up his defense than get caught like his siblings . It was a possible judgment because Maru was convinced humans wouldn’t be able to handle a body that would soon become a god's .
“I will trample on you one by one, killing you thoroughly before grabbing the neck of Hwang Gildong . ”
“Ohh!” Old Sword Demon smiled and looked bright . “I’ll cheer you on! Grab the neck of Hwang Gildong!”
“ . . . ?”
The more they knew, the more Old Sword Demon’s character was broken . Grid stared at him . Old Sword Demon felt the gaze and explained, “Please understand . That guy Hwang Gildong is really rude . Furthermore . . . ”
Old Sword Demon looked at the state of the high rankers . The numbers remaining were half the original and most of the survivors were seriously injured . Bubat’s thick legs, which had been at the heart of the battle, were shaking while Bondre’s face was pale . Bubat was about to run out of stamina, and Bondre was running out of magic power . Grid was fine, but it was absolutely impossible for him to fight Maru and win .
Old Sword Demon had fought Maru for 10 minutes and felt that this person’s defense was amazing . Even Overgeared King Grid would find it hard to damage Maru’s body which was harder than steel .
“Since we are all going to die anyway . . . I hope that he will grab Hwang Gildong’s neck and make Hwang Gildong a companion for us down the path to the Underworld . Understand my feelings . ”
“Then why did you help us?”
“I was lost because Hwang Gildong abandoned me and disappeared alone . Then I found you and joined because it was better off joining than being alone . Yet it is ruined . Shit . ”
“ . . . . . ”
Grid and the high rankers made awkward expressions and tried to ignore Old Sword Demon . They fixed their eyes on Maru . Maru started to operate the three breaths of the blue dragon, white tiger, and black tortoise simultaneously . The pressure around him was on a different dimension from before . Heavy rain and lightning struck the ground .
“Can you win?” Bondre asked suddenly . He saw that Maru’s power easily transcended the other yangbans, but he still had hope . It was because the man standing beside him was none other than Grid .
Bondre gazed at Grid with expectant eyes, but Old Sword Demon dealt reality to him . “Don’t put too much pressure on the supreme one . This time, the opponent is too tough . Rather than fighting, it would be wiser to find a way to live . ”
The space seemed to be torn apart as Maru flew and aimed his fist at Grid . A wild storm shook Grid’s vision . The turbulent land broke Grid’s posture, and lightning penetrated Grid’s entire body . Maru only swung his fist once . However, the added effects drove Mother Nature, and it was like Heaven was beating Grid .
‘It’s ruined . ’
Bubat, Bondre, and the other high rankers had a gut feeling .
‘Hwang Gildong, that **** human . ’
It happened as Old Sword Demon was clicking his tongue . Maru’s fist that had just reached Grid’s nose stopped and hardened like stone .
“ . . . !”
It wasn’t just Maru who had become a statue . Even the high rankers standing with Grid were all turned to stone . They couldn’t even move a finger . In this world that had stopped—
“Item Combination . ”
How high was his resistance to lightning? Despite being continuously struck by lightning, Grid continued combining two swords into one . The God Hands each pulled out a Mjolnir and circled around Maru, preparing to hit him .
“Request to Stand With Me . ”
Grid raised his sword high . His heart’s desire was simple . It was to crush the enemy in front of him . The strong waves of pure energy dispersed the heavy rain and lightning in the area . A huge shadow was cast from the open sky . “Pounding Mortar . ”