Overgeared

[The target has received 1,507,344,962 damage.]

[This is an unbelievable achievement…!]

[The heavenly gods are whispering after reading the pain on Cranbel's face.]

[Martial God Zeratul's momentum has increased. He is insisting that the agreement with the dragons should be discussed again.]

One blow was properly dealt.

The ultimate transcendent species or the absolute species—he caused significant damage to the world's most powerful creature that had reigned supreme.

Grid's heart was relieved. Zeratul's reaction was a bit unpleasant, but it felt like the decade of congestion from frustration was going down. At the same time, new anxiety occurred. The power of the Breath exceeded expectations. The power of the Breath was 1.5 billion even with his stats halved. It was excessive considering the effect of Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill, which amplified the damage of the counterattack as much as possible.

A dragon's defense would far surpass Grid's defense. He had thought it would be cool if he could deal damage in the tens of millions…

'Doesn't it mean it is directly over if I am hit by that one blow?'

Grid's fall, which had been going on for a while, stopped. His skin flaps seemed to flip. It was close to a random jerking of his body. It was due to the ignorantly strong pressure. Grid's body was being sucked deep into the collapsed underground. The legendary and myth rated items on his body were helpless. The physical phenomenon created by the law of the Dragon Words meant that Overgeared God Grid couldn't leave Cranbel's space. He immediately fell after Cranbel who fell earlier.

"Keuk…!"

The cross section of the desert—all types of strata, the product of history built up in the days when it wasn't a desert, complicated Grid's vision. The deeper he fell, the more Grid learned about the feel and color of the various strata. He vaguely guessed what type of ecosystem the ancient Reidan would have. It felt like he was studying something that wasn't in his destiny.

This was until a little while ago.

"……?!"

Grid's field of view was reversed. His body quickly moved away from the end of the underground space that he had reached. Soon, his vision turned blue. He was seeing the sky. A silver dragon was looking down at Grid.

'Teleport.'

Grid realized that his position was worse than he thought. He became aware that he could die from exhaustion while only chasing after Cranbel's tail in the battle.

'Dragon Words is crazy.'

He realized why dragons were so invincible. Grid couldn't help letting out a bitter laugh when he realized the power of Dragon Words

[Your status is higher than I thought.]

Cranbel opened his mouth. The blood flowing from his forehead was nothing special. It was red, like human blood. Some of the transparent scales were stained red and this caused him to overlap with Ifrit's appearance.

[I didn't know you would disobey Dragon Words.]

"……?"

What was this nonsense? Grid let it enter one ear and out the other. He put aside the sad memories that came to mind when he saw Cranbel's scales that were turned red and he focused his mind.

His strength lay in his physical ability to respond to the transcendent senses to some extent. The situation was much worse now that his stats had halved, but he managed to control the body soaring into the sky to create a stable posture.

Grid kicked the air in this position. He accelerated his body that was being dragged to the maximum and unfolded the strides to amplify the power of the sword dance.

──!

Grid's sword and Cranbel's tail collided in succession. Surprisingly, there was no noise. A concentrated force was slowing down all concepts. There was only a belated explosion after dozens of collisions. Subsequently, the spreading remnants of his divinity colored Cranbel's transparent scales with the colors of the sunset. It was mysterious and beautiful, but Grid didn't have time to feel sentimental.

Item Combination, Overgeared God's Rage, etcetera—all the buffs he was enjoying had a time limit.

A critical hit, Ultimate Martial Art, God's Command, etcetera—it was necessary to increase the number of attacks in order to increase the probability of a beneficial effect occurring.

Grid's attacks that utilized the Overgeared God's Sword Dance, the Undefeated King's Swordsmanship, the skills gained from the Mountain King of Grenier, and his items and titles were swift, and his defense was solid. He persistently targeted Cranbel's upper body and short limbs as he poured his most destructive skills toward the shoulders and long neck, which were hard to cover. Thanks to this, Cranbel's tail was busy. It moved in a dizzying manner alone to defend all directions. It was possible because the tail was big and long.

'Is he really disobeying the Dragon Words?'

Unlike his busy tail, Cranbel's eyes were calm. It was because the consciousness to control his body and the consciousness to observe Grid were separate. Currently, his consciousness was split into hundreds of pieces. The consciousness for contemplating the entire battlefield and managing the surveillance magic that spread to hundreds of kilometers away were all easily controlled.

Just then, a sword that belatedly revealed its form was embedded in Cranbel's long neck. It was 300,000 Army Stealth Sword. It was a covert strike that could deceive the senses of the yangban, Mir, the treasured sword of the expelled gods.

Cranbel was convinced. 'He can't disobey it. The first attack was a fluke.'

Cranbel wasn't agitated by the fact that the absolute defense had become powerless. Like most dragons, the enemies he thought of were his own kin. It was proven when Cranbel attacked Basque but the absolute defense wasn't effective against the same dragon. This meant the absolute defense, which was considered sacred to civilians, didn't mean much to dragons.

For dragons, there was no reason to be agitated because the absolute defense was broken. The thing that surprised Cranbel was the deep pain he felt the moment the Breath was counterattacked. It was pain he experienced for the first time since he was born.

Grid's first attack that severely smashed several scales, tore his skin, and shook his brain instilled a great illusion for Cranbel. It was the illusion that Grid disobeyed the Dragon Words, 'Seal the power of the Overgeared God.'

Yes, he was mistaken. Cranbel's killing intent, which had been extinguished by his interest in Grid, raised its head again. Killing intent grew out of the disgust he felt for Grid's arrogance at rejecting his favor. Now that he confirmed that Grid was overconfident compared to his skills, Cranbel's killing intent deepened. It was at a tangible level.

Just then, a magic power thunderbolt appeared and fell without any precursors. Dragons weren't bound by formulas or rules when using magic. It was a level that far transcended the hard work of a great magician who omitted casting and completed the magic. His willpower itself was magic. It was correct to view it as a concept similar to a Sword Saint's Heart Sword.

[You have suffered 227.340 damage.]

"……?"

Grid's vision was filled by the thunderbolt that flashed white. He felt confused. It was because his transcendent senses didn't respond at all. It was only after he was pierced by the fallen thunderbolt that tore through his artificial senses that he knew this was Cranbel's magic.

'A bug?'

Why didn't his transcendent senses detect it? The suspicious Grid stopped moving for a while. It was less than 0.1 seconds. Meanwhile, dragons were beings who recognized a second by dividing it into hundreds of units.

[You have suffered 315,050 damage.]

Then Cranbel's tail hit Grid's side and pierced his chest. He didn't stop there, but turned around and tied up Grid's body tightly.

"Cough..!" He was unable to breathe or move. Grid suffered from an abnormal physical condition and groaned in pain. Of course, he knew he was going to lose. In the first place, his goal had been to deal one blow. It was just too bad. After all, he didn't want to lose, especially when the opponent was someone who took away his precious things…

It happened as Grid was gritting his teeth…

"Punishment."

It was a form of destruction. A bright red sphere of magic split Cranbel's tail. Thanks to this, Braham's back was visible in the breathless Grid's vision.

"There is a theory that a phenomenon or disaster that occurs according to a dragon's mental image is the source of magic. If this is true, a dragon's magic is close to a natural phenomenon such as typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is impossible to feel killing intent, so the transcendent senses will be dull," Braham said quietly. There was no emotional disturbance. It was as if he was prepared for something.

Grid's expression crumpled like a piece of paper. "What is this? Why haven't you run away?"

It was when he first arrived at the scene. Grid had sent a signal to Braham to flee while he held Cranbel's attention. He didn't want Braham to get caught up in the fight. A direct descendent might enjoy eternal life, but this didn't mean they were immortal. Direct descendant vampires would also die if they suffered damage that couldn't be regenerated from. Grid knew this better than anyone.

So why was Braham holding on?

Braham didn't bother explaining his situation where he was tied up by Dragon Words to Grid.

'I can't run away. What do you want me to do?'

He was going to die, so he wanted to protect his pride before dying.

"I want to fight a dragon properly at least once."

Of course, this was a lie…

Braham recalled the horror of Trauka through Cranbel and wanted to flee immediately. He knew dragons weren't targets to fight against and he knew there was no chance of winning. Still, what could he do? He couldn't run away anyway.

"Crazy, I'm going crazy." Grid finally cursed. He resented Braham for not knowing his heart and acting casually. "You are willing to die because of that greed? What about me? What about those who are left behind? They will miss you for the rest of their lives…!"

"…Bah. Is that my business?" Braham scoffed as his heart became emotional. He felt bad when he thought there were people who would grieve for his death. However, he didn't express it and just stared at Cranbel. He was going to die anyway. He wanted to leave an irreversible wound on Cranbel's body along with Grid. He wanted to engrave it in history that the life of Braham, son of Beriache and apostle of the Overgeared God, wasn't in vain. It would be an immortal history.

[…Indeed, the rumors are true.]

Cranbel's eyes were slightly larger as he looked at Braham. He was impressed, just like when he was hit by Grid's Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill.

[Braham Eshwald. I have learned about your infamy in challenging Trauka's lair. In fact, I thought it was an exaggerated rumor, but now I know for sure. Your talent… it is a threat to us.]

The dragon's tail was the fourth most powerful of the dragon's body parts. It was impossible for one blow to split it in two, yet Braham did it. The blood inherited from Beriache and the magic of this man had quite devastating potential. It was a miracle created purely with talent. It was no match for Marie Rose's demonic energy that ripped off Xenon's wings, but it seemed that he would come close someday.

[Die with the god you serve.]

Cranbel's killing intent became tangible in earnest. Hundreds of spells unfolded unexpectedly and filled the sky and the ground. It was terrifying. It was an unbelievable sight. Grains of sand in the desert were influenced by all forms of power and were scattered. It was either heated hot or frozen cold. Some were crushed to powder and some were sharpened. They also formed a storm by pulling or pushing each other.

Yet all of these phenomena were extinguished in vain. If the source of magic was truly a dragon's mental image, then a dragon's mental mage was powerless against Braham. Braham was the Duke of Wisdom who understood, reversed, and destroyed all magic in real time. It was easily neutralized as long as he could put the dragon's mental image into the category of magic.

"A lizard." One of the reasons why a dragon's tail was the fourth most powerful body part was its resilience. It regenerated immediately even when cut. Braham pointed out this part. He put Cranbel's wriggling tail in his vision and scoffed. "If it is insignificant, attack like we are insignificant."

Cranbel roared. He shot a Breath that he had suppressed due to being wary of Grid's strange tricks and the intervention of other dragons. A light seemed to flash and it had already penetrated Grid and Braham. Braham thought he didn't have enough time to use Teleport so he used Blink. Grid also couldn't get a chance to counterattack and used Shunpo. It was the difference between anticipating the timing of Breath and not anticipating it.

'Braham, please.'

Don't provoke him and run away.

One arm was cut by the remaining air waves of the Breath and flew away. Due to this, it became impossible to use dual wielding, and he lost the passive of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams.

Grid stared hard at Braham. He had the intention of asking Braham to run away while he prepared a six fusion sword dance to pull Cranbel's aggro back. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. Even at this moment, his body was being forcibly dragged to Cranbel.

It was while he was twisting his waist and moving his feet with all his might.

[Get on.] The gray dragon Basque flew over. [I want to fly with you.]

"……!"

Dragon Knight—it was the only one title that allowed him to use some dragons as a 'mount,' but they couldn't be forced to do so. Whether Grid could ride them or not was a matter of choice for the dragon, not Grid.

Meanwhile, Grid didn't have time to persuade the dragons on the field. To be honest, he wasn't confident in persuading them. He thought he would be easily rejected if he asked for help in a situation where they had to fight against a top dragon.

Now the opportunity came to him on its own. Grid didn't refuse it. He immediately got onto Basque's neck. He recalled this moment with Ifrit and did it skillfully.

[You have boarded the intermediate dragon Basque.]

[The effect of Dragon Knight has significantly increased your status. You are free from the Dragon Words that suppressed you. All stats are restored to their normal values.]

[All your stats are tripled with the effect of Dragon Knight.]

[The skill Basque's Breath is activated!]

Kurarararara!

[……!]

For the first time, a flustered expression appeared on Cranbel's face. Beyond the Breath that was approaching, the sight of Grid on his kin's neck confused him.

"……?" The same was true for the shocked Braham. He maintained a solemn expression without losing his dignity and muttered that he must be dreaming.