Overgeared

'What?'

Grid was engulfed in random transportation magic. He looked around for a moment to determine the location, only to become puzzled when he saw the world message.

[The god who descended to hell arrived at the river of reincarnation. The demons were perplexed as he comforted the wailing souls with the warmth of his divinity.]

Grid had just fallen into a trap. However, the epic glorified his actions and gave them great significance. It was embarrassing, but Grid understood the situation.

'A large-scale epic.'

Originally, the epics had little regularity. The speaker and format changed frequently. Sometimes it achieved a melody that stimulated emotions, while sometimes it was just a dull history. It wasn't strange that the way or style in which this epic was written was different from usual. It wasn't given special treatment because it was the 20th epic.

The order had nothing to do with it. It was the peculiarities of the situation that undeniably increased the scale of the epic.

[The 20th epic is starting.]

[It is a large-scale epic that has a ripple effect beyond the dimension of 'hell.']

[It can't be predicted what will happen in the future so the content and outcome of the epic can't be predicted.]

[There are many people watching you. Many of them are your believers, so they will evaluate your actions more positively.]

Rather than tempting him in secret, Baal provoked Grid in front of everyone. It was as if the souls caught in the river of reincarnation weren't enough. He also took those active in hell as hostages. The skies of the surface were even flooded with the horrible landscapes of hell.

In effect, it was a declaration of war. Grid had little justification to turn away. He didn't want to turn away. He went to hell with all the people watching. Most of humanity was watching him as he arrived at the river of reincarnation. The 20th epic was written through their eyes and mouths. It was different from the previous epics that used Grid and the central characters of the event.

"Hmm…" Grid kicked a stone at his feet. The stone couldn't withstand the impact, turned into ashes, and scattered.

[A god has smashed a symbol of hell. The demons, who feel suffocated by this majesty, peered into their fate and trembled with fear.]

The world message continued.

"……"

How many lines were they going to write? It happened as Grid decided to be careful with his words and actions, so he could become a Grid that was taken seriously…

"The Overgeared God…"

A large shadow fell over Grid's head.

It was a dog. The three-headed watchdog of hell—it was a mythical demonic creature that was the main body, or source, of the Cerberuses that sometimes appeared on the surface.

The first time he saw it in the past, he had been overwhelmed by its sheer size and magnificence. In fact, Black Knight Eligos, who was riding on the Cerberus, was also powerful.

[The 20th Great Demon, the Black Knight 'Eligos,' who guards the river of reincarnation, has appeared.]

[Eligos has denied life. Your race will change to the undead.]

[You have resisted.]

[Eligos often exercises his authority to interfere in the reincarnation of souls. Once killed by Eligos, there is a 50% probability that you will receive the 'no resurrection' punishment. If this penalty occurs, you can't reconnect for 24 hours.]

[Resistance has failed.]

[You have witnessed the mythical demonic creature, the Cerberus.]

[Facing Cerberus' six eyes, you have fallen into deep despair. There is a problem with your senses.]

[Your fire resistance, cold resistance, and poison resistance are greatly reduced due to Cerberus' breath.]

[You have resisted.]

It was at odds with his ranking. Wasn't it said that he was responsible for the river of reincarnation because he transcended the single digit great demons? Sariel said that he was one of the demons that the heavenly gods were wary of.

Eligos' presence had been so great that it caused Grid and the apostles to retreat. However, at that time, Grid and the apostles were badly suffering from the penalties of hell. It was before Braham had regained his strength and Grid and the apostles hadn't grown as they were now. There was naturally no ZIk.

"What courage do you have to set foot in the river alone?"

Eligos' question had a subtle meaning. He didn't even consider the possibility that Grid was forcibly transported here. It was such a naive reaction that Grid wondered if he was unaware of the current state of hell.

'I think it is true that he is acting independently.'

The 20th hell was the most important stronghold in hell. It wasn't just the river of reincarnation. The Dog's Mouth, which was the main gate of hell, was also here. It wasn't possible for just anybody to rule the 20th hell. Eligos had more than ordinary power and wasn't bound. Neither Baal nor Amoract had control over him. Of course, it was likely that he was politically close to Baal, who had transformed the river of reincarnation into what it was today. However, based on what Grid saw now, it seemed that communication had been neglected.

'There is little room for meddling.'

It was hard to imagine Baal helping anyone in the first place. Grid looked around quietly before asking Eligos, "Will the river of reincarnation be purified if I kill you?"

"Purified? Are you talking about it going back to its original state?"

"Yes, just like when Yatan first made it."

"That… it is naturally impossible. Just killing me won't change it."

An existence with the nickname of 'black,' which symbolized evil and demons—Eligos was very special among the great demons, but it was Baal who created the present hell. Just as the death of the great demons who ruled every territory of hell wouldn't have any effect on hell, the death of Eligos wasn't likely to lead to a change in the river of reincarnation or the Dog's Mouth.

'As expected, I have no choice but to kill Baal.'

Liberating the souls caught in the river of reincarnation is breaking the providence of this world. It was natural that interference wasn't possible unless the existence close to a final boss was eliminated.

Grid felt it was unfortunate, but he was convinced. Then Eligos' voice entered his ears. "But… apart from being purified, some souls will be liberated. For example, the souls which had their reincarnation cut off by me using my authority."

Eligos' attitude of speaking frankly wasn't due to favorability. It was a simple provocation.

"It is a story of when you kill me, but is that possible?"

The reason Eligos' nickname was the Black Knight was due to his armor.

The black helmet and armor—Eligos' demonic energy was overlaid on it and created a much stronger defense. Eligos faced Grid as black all over without revealing a single piece of skin. He was like a shadow because even the glow of his eyes was black.

"It might've been on the surface, but you killed Gamigin. I won't disregard your skills, so it will be despair for you."

The purer the law, the more beautiful it was. Eligos' black armor was more dignified than sinister. It made Eligos even more special. It was an appearance that overwhelmed the humans on the distant surface. All of humanity, the eyewitnesses of the 20th epic, were horrified. The image of Eligos depicted in Grid's temples was as the worst and strongest demon ever.

However, Grid knew—the moment that Baal appeared in this epic, Eligos would lose the title of strongest and worst. Eligos' position was around the four heavenly kings at most. Grid was only able to move forward if he passed through such an ordeal.

"Let's start right away."

Grid armed himself with two swords and gestured with his chin. He had no intention of saving his skills. It was right to view the possibility of Baal intervening as low and to do his best in every moment.

Eligos' helmet rubbed against the sword swung diagonally by Grid. It slipped on the back of the black gauntlet that was raised in a straight line. At this time, the tip of Eligos' spear was blocked by Grid's shoulder guards. The crescent-shaped tip was lodged at the nape of Grid's neck. Grid didn't shed a single drop of blood.

Cranbel's Head—the helmet's horns came down and wrapped around Grid's neck.

The usage of sword energy and divinity disrupted the demonic energy. The utilization of items deflected the spear with supreme power.

Both Grid and Eligos noticed that their opponent's skills were better than expected and their expressions hardened. However, both were armed with helmets. They couldn't grasp the other person's expression and silently continued their offensive. In the end, it was Eligos who shook a bit more. It was because Eligos' demonic energy was a concept that was consumed, whereas Grid's items could be immediately repaired at any time.

'The dirty tricks are excessive.'

Eligos saw Grid tapping on his armor with a hammer every time he widened the distance after a collision and Eligos couldn't help thinking of Baal. It was too wicked from the standpoint of the opponent.

***

Wasn't it a bit slow?

The people cheering for Piaro had a common question. It was because the demons' pincer attacks were swift, while Piaro was slow to respond as he was surrounded by them. In fact, the wounds on his body were increasing. The difference from what he normally showed was too great, even considering the environmental concerns. He seemed to be affected by a big debuff.

"Tsk, there doesn't seem to be anything to gain from killing this guy."

Baal's henchmen finally clicked their tongues. They already had low expectations of Piaro. Now they saw his skills weren't as good as expected and decided that the power gained from killing him would be low.

"I didn't want to come out because of this."

One of the henchmen revealed his true thoughts. He rebuked the other henchman who coveted the power of humans and emerged from seclusion. Then he paid the price for it. The henchman was talking with a dissatisfied expression when his face was swallowed by fire. It was a flame that seemed to be a mixture of the blue flames left by the trajectory of the ghost horse and the lava seeping from the ground. It soared strongly with bright colors and the power was terrifying.

Baal's henchman, who had been so arrogant, couldn't contain his screams.

"What?"

The demons and the people watching from the surface were dumbfounded. It was because it wasn't the demons who harmed their colleagues.

"It is like this."

The eyes of the demons and the people were all focused on Piaro. A fierce fire was surrounding Piaro's farming equipment as he talked to himself in a manner that was unsuitable for the situation. It was the same color as the flame that hit the henchman a moment ago.

The demons were astonished. It was because all the flames in the area were moving while following Piaro's gestures. The naturally occurring sparks acted like they were magic with a unified will.

'This was why his reaction was slow…'

Was it to communicate with the fire?

In the midst of the silence, Piaro frowned. "The power of burning…"

The power of the flames controlled by nature's energy exceeded expectations, but Piaro didn't like it. It was because his root was a farmer. He liked the land, the sun, the rain, and the wind. He wasn't emotionally fit to love the flames that burned crops…

It was as if in anticipation of his mood—

"Sir Piaro! I'm here!" At this time, Lauel rushed to the scene and created a rainstorm. His expression was full of pride and the black flame dragon on his forearm danced as if happy.

The power to cause climate change—his ultimate skill, which had been used as a means of trading for Rabbit not long ago, was used to help Piaro at this moment. It was natural for him to be happy.

"Very good," Piaro spoke with a smile. The hand plow he swung propelled the rain forward and the demons retreated sharply. Tens of thousands of seeds were spread in all directions and grain started to grow on the land that had lost its fire.

A golden wheat field was born in hell…

Even the god of earth wouldn't be able to perform such a miracle.

'He is god-level at a minimum. It is different from what I heard.'

Unable to be resisted—Baal's henchmen quickly corrected their assessment of Piaro.