Overgeared

There was one reason why Black Knight Eligos was ranked 20th—it was due to the belief that the right to protect the 20th Hell, Dog's Mouth, lay only with himself. He was concerned about another demon other than himself taking care of Dog's Mouth. He feared that the doorway between hell and the surface would open and close on a petty whim, turning hell into a cheap marketplace.

Therefore, he didn't yield his position or seek ascension. He just stayed in place with Cerberus.

Why did he have to put in such effort? It was because Eligos was surprisingly a worshiper of hell. Hell was the source of a great being like himself. He had a very strong sense of pride. Yet at some point, he became fascinated by Grid.

The ability to control the trajectory—Eligos' power to neutralize all the enemy's tactics while exerting his own armed might as an absolute law was beyond the natural course of things. His innate talent was so outstanding that he was exceptional enough to be counted on one hand among all those in hell. Even Baal and Amoract respected him.

Those Eligos himself considered to be his enemies were rare. Apart from undefeated beings like Baal, Amoract, and Leraje, and some unknown beings, he believed he was close to invincible. However, he had the feeling that the Grid he encountered today was more in line with the word 'invincible.'

The one who wore dragon scales as armor wasn't easily cut. Even if it was barely cut, it quickly recovered again and again and exhausted Eligos in reverse. It was both mentally and physically.

Eligos glimpsed the 100 black-gold hands that moved non-stop while using Grid as the source.

Metal that never broke—the world's most powerful substance that could be subdued and restrained, but couldn't be bent or broken.

That's right—in Eligos' eyes, Grid looked like metal, not a living being. There was a corner of him that found it futile to resist. The problem wasn't the armed might, but the difference in thought that fighting against such an opponent itself was a loss.

At this time, Grid seemed to be in a hurry to win, showing that his heart was urgent. The question of whether he needed to fight spread like inspiration in Eligos' mind.

"…Make a contract?"

"Yes."

Usually, when it came to a contract with a demon, there was a strong perception that the soul had to be sacrificed. However, it was completely different in reality. Based on what was shown in the relationship between Yura and the red demon, it was more common for a demon's contract to be conducted in a more simplified way. Usually, when a demon offered a contract to a human, it was because they were in a bad position.

How shameful would it be to ask for a soul when they had given up their pride and offered a contract? The rumor that a contract with a demon required a soul was a type of prejudice spread by incompetent black magicians.

"Perhaps the urgency has something to do with the moon."

Grid was communicating with his apostles in real time. Mercedes was Grid's knight, lover, and family. The environment of hell and the distance from here were interfering with communication, but he vaguely noticed the situation she was in. It was the same logic as that.

Eligos, one of the monarchs of hell, was faintly aware of the events taking place somewhere in hell at this moment. He put himself in Grid's position.

"If you want to leave, I will let you go. I will sign a contract, so you can trust my promise, and the content of the contract is simple. I won't harm you unless you harbor the intention of harming my territory. As an added bonus, I will send you to the place you want to go in a single breath."

"Isn't that one-sidedly advantageous to me?"

Grid's vigilance grew even deeper. The content of the contract could be interpreted as a favor to him and it was very suspicious.

"I'm afraid of you," Eligos told him honestly.

"……?"

"…I also feel sorry for Cerberus who is groaning."

Yip, yiip…

The huge Cerberus, who was almost like a dragon based on the size of his body, made a groaning sound. He turned his three heads and looked at Eligos with resentment. It was as if he was scolding Eligos to not talk nonsense. Eligos ignored it. Eligos stroked his neck and urged, "Isn't it convincing? How long are you going to hesitate when it is so urgent?"

"Yes, I will accept the offer." Grid didn't hesitate for long. He nodded the moment he confirmed there were no problems with the contents of the 'Contract with Eligos' that appeared in front of him.

"It is a great choice." A smile spread across Eligos' face.

All of this was being recorded in the Overgeared God's epic.

Cerberus, the mythical monster who had been guarding the entrance of hell for eons, was frightened by the majesty of the Overgeared God and withdrew…

An extraordinary passage was added to the 20th epic that was hard for anyone to believe unless they witnessed the situation themselves.

***

The more she exchanged blows with the blackened Grid, the more the sword energy of dramatic victory shook like it was going to be extinguished. The remnants of the scattered sword energy couldn't gather again and dissipated. The sword energy that soared up for tens of meters was reduced to the level of just covering the White Tiger Sword. In a series of successive battles, an unexpected and formidable enemy appeared and Mercedes's physical strength soon reached her limit.

[It wasn't, wise.]

The blackened Grid spoke as if to rebuke Mercedes. He seemed worried. Of course, this couldn't be the case.

Mercedes deflected the sword of the blackened Grid and was filled with doubts. 'That's right. It wasn't wise.'

Mercedes' original purpose was to locate the hell moon. It was right to report it to Grid the moment she found out where it was. Dealing with the moon was something that could be done after Grid and the apostles joined. However, Mercedes wasn't satisfied with just finding the location of the moon. She dared to go underground, and in the end, she tried to get rid of the chunk of flesh herself.

It wasn't a big problem until she went underground. Until then, Mercedes had been acting on the basis of rational thinking. It was because she was the only one who could grasp the horrible identity of this chunk of flesh. Mercedes felt the need to pinpoint this accurately before bringing Grid and the apostles here.

The problem happened after that. Mercedes became obsessed with the chunk of flesh. She was overcome with the anxiety that she needed to get rid of that red chunk of flesh right away. She lost her composure without being aware of it. It had to be so.

I'm scared… Sad… Help me… It hurts… I'm cold… Save me…

The baptism of souls shot by the chunk of flesh wasn't easy to avoid. It was because it was very fast and the number rushing at her at the same time was in the tens and hundreds. The best Mercedes could do was to distinguish between the dangerous and non-dangerous souls and avoid the attacks of the dangerous souls.

Souls that didn't harm people—the souls with no aggression and simply harbored a grudge were accepted without being avoided. It was obviously the best solution. This best solution was the problem.

Mercedes unknowingly fell under the influence of the souls. The pain, anger, and sorrow of these souls were engraved onto her soul and she developed a grudge against hell and this chunk of flesh. It gave her the strong willpower to get rid of it.

The pincer attacks of the blackened Grid and the chunk of flesh were very threatening. The armor that Grid had made and put on her was repeatedly torn apart. The flesh that was revealed through the cracks in the armor was red, not white.

Mercedes was already covered in blood, but she was more concerned about Grid than her own situation.'My Liege, this—it is dangerous.'

It wasn't an object that could be targeted by distinguishing the forms of the rushing souls. No matter what form it took, the baptism of souls from the chunk of flesh was equally threatening in the end. During the battle, damage was bound to accumulate. Even Grid and the apostles wouldn't be able to withstand the mental blow.

Additionally, the more the chunk of flesh was cut, the more enemies there would be. The chunk of flesh was able to use the flesh that had fallen from its body to realize the master of the soul.

…Wait, master of the soul?

Mercedes' expression was filled with surprise as she blocked the sword of the blackened Grid and exchanged looks with him. She watched the eyes of the blackened Grid shake when they had previously only seemed cold.

[You should have, run away.]

"……!"

The blackened Grid was a byproduct of Grid. It was just a trace of Grid's clone that had blackened and wandered through hell without perishing. However, he was gradually getting smarter. His years of wandering through hell grew longer and he started to question his own existence. He tried to perceive himself as 'I' and not someone else's byproduct.

Did he have a soul since then?

The blackened Grid raised his knees to Mercedes' abdomen as she was feeling shocked by the realization. Then he wrapped his arms around her neck. He squeezed her neck tight and whispered.

[Mercedes, I saw you, through the eyes, of the moon.]

The soul of the blackened Grid who had been killed by Grid and fell back to hell—his soul was held by that chunk of flesh and he often peeked at the surface. Every day that the hell moon remained on the surface, he kept his eye on the life of the main body that was his origin.

What that guy hated and what he loved—he watched with jealousy all the time but he sometimes felt empathy.

[I love, you.]

Chill.

[After this, you will, be mine.]

Mercedes felt the hair all over her body stand up. She struggled as she felt the twisted emotions of the blackened Grid, who tightened his grip around her neck like a giant snake. However, the blackened Grid's obsession was beyond her imagination.

[For, ever.]

Die.

Die…! Die!!

Your soul will be with me, trapped in that eternity…!

It was around the time when the cry of the blackened Grid, tinged with madness, gradually grew louder…

""You?""

She heard the scream of the demon who believed that he had been transplanted with the soul of the Sword Saint. He had lived for a very long time, so he shouldn't be surprised by anything. Therefore, this astonished response was strange.

Mercedes was gradually losing consciousness without grasping the situation when her body suddenly floated in the air. A breath of the thick air of hell flowed into her lungs. She came to her senses and took a falling posture. She landed on the ground as gracefully as a butterfly, regardless of her wounds.

Then she saw it. The appearance of two Grids confronting each other.

"Good job, Mers."

Grid's breathing was a bit rough as he spoke with his back to Mercedes. It was proof that he was quite tired. On the other hand, the distorted face of the blackened Grid was full of relaxation. The red chunk of flesh was giving him more souls.

[Grid, I glimpsed, your life.]

Gasp.

Some of the fragments of flesh that had been cut by Mercedes earlier flew and were caught in the hands of the blackened Grid. They quickly took on the shape of sword and armor. It was a form that closely resembled the equipment Grid was currently armed with.

[The stronger you became, the stronger I became.]

A black energy started to spread around the blackened Grid. It looked like demonic energy at first glance, but it wasn't.

""Divinity…!""

In the midst of the astonishment of the witnesses—

[I deserve, to take away, your life.]

The Sanctuary of Metal was opened. A canyon where there was a chill rather than heat, where there was despair rather than majesty—it was the mental world of the blackened Grid.