Overgeared

"It is extremely huge. It is beyond my imagination."

Reinhardt's central square was a popular venue used mainly for national events and for the emperor's speeches. In theory, it was a space that could accommodate millions of people. The size of the 'stage' that filled such a square was naturally enormous. It was to the point where it was possible to build a city on the stage.

"I can't believe a stage like this was built in such a short time and there were no errors in measurement. Is it true that a legend is a legend…?"

The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz—they were survivors of the wise giants and famous as members of the Tower of Wisdom. Now they couldn't hide their admiration. It was proof that the value of the stage made by stacking pure white stones was that great.

Ke ong bowed his head. "It is possible due to the plentiful resources of the empire. Most of all, the help of the magicians and craftsmen was great."

Usually, dwarves were called arrogant dwarves. Ke ong's nose had soared high into the sky ever since he became a legend. However, he was humble in front of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz. The dwarves were a species that knew better than anyone the value of the technology left behind by the perished ancient giants. He paid respect to them.

It was also true that he received great help from the people. The stonemasons who carved the stone according to Ke ong's request, the magicians who strengthened the stone, the architects who assembled the finished stones according to Ke ong's designs, etcetera—Ke ong wouldn't have completed the stage in such a short time if the countless talents of the Overgeared Empire hadn't helped.

"Hoh, this… is it a miracle created by the aspirations of the craftsmen?"

"Or perhaps it is the ability of Gods Piaro and Garion."

The admiring words of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were repeated. It was because they felt the artificial veins surrounding the huge stage.

"It is right to say that this is a pure land."

"That is for sure. I can see why Grid is so obsessed with this stage."

The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, used Grid's actual name. They didn't call him a god or an emperor. It was because he was unique. The name Grid had a value that transcended all titles.

"There is no better foothold like this to build a moving fortress."

A facility that was beyond just a battleship—this stage would be reborn as a fortress city driven by Greed. It could accommodate hundreds of thousands of personnel, and operate tens of thousands of gunports and weapons.

"The only question is whether it is really possible for Greed to move such a mass…"

The design of the flying ship that Radwolf consistently sent to Grid had a mass limit. He considered the limits of Greed.

Radwolf recalled the strengths of Greed. It moved under its own discretion or at Grid's command, and it could multiply. It also had infinite durability. That was it. It was definitely great, but he didn't think it had the potential to move a whole city.

'Even if it is possible, it will inevitably be slow.'

He recalled Grid's battles in the past and found that the speed of Greed didn't even reach the level of a transcendent. It had never shown a great power like lifting a mountain.

'Is Grid thinking of relying on the mana engine?'

If so, it was a misjudgment. In order to move this mass at a speed that met the standard value, at least 100,000 engines used in the magic machines had to be installed. Even that was the assumption that it was aided by Greed. It wasn't a problem to build 100,000 engines. It could be solved with time and resources. The question was whether mana could be steadily supplied to the engines.

'At least 50,000 magicians need to be overworked for 24 hours a day to maintain the output of the engines…'

Even that would be possible considering the personnel of the Overgeared Empire. This was under the premise of not respecting the human rights of magicians and treating them as slaves.

"Um?"

Radwolf had a shaky expression on his face when his eyes suddenly fixed on one place. The thing that caught his attention was a statue of Grid at the entrance of the Overgeared Temple. Behind the huge statue of a god that was 20 meters tall was a reproduction of the God Hands, symbolizing Grid. It was made of black-god metal.

"…Is that really Greed?"

"That's right. Greed is being used to recreate 10 God Hands for each statue of His Majesty."

"There is definitely enough quantity…"

There were 21 statues of Grid in Reinhardt alone. There were two at each of the eight outer gates, one for each of the three Overgeared Temples, and two for the palace entrance. This meant that the number of God Hands wasted as simple ornaments was 210. It was a luxury thanks to the power of proliferation gained from the Insane Dragon Iron.

Yes, a luxury—Radwolf regarded the God Hands hovering around the statues of Grid as mere ornaments. The nature of Greed was to judge and move on its own, but it was hard to imagine that it could function outside the reach of Grid's gaze. However, the reality was different. The God Hands hovering around each statue of Grid were fully functional. They kept a close eye on events happening near the statue and reacted in real time.

It had just been proven. The moment a girl running with a flower basket was about to fall, a God Hand flew over and supported the girl.

"…This is crazy."

"That is the speed of a transcendent. If strength is added to that speed, it will show the power to support the world."

Radwolf was so surprised that he let out swear words, while Fronzaltz evaluated it with a faint smile. Unlike his brother, who was focused only on research and was close to a scholar, the 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz, acted as Hayate's secretary and was responsible for the operation of the tower. His reaction to everything was cautious.

"If tens of thousands of them gather, then it will be enough to power a city. No?"

"Theoretically, yes. That is only when it receives structural help, but…" Ke replied while looking at Radwolf.

The structure—he dared to suggest that the flying ship should be designed so that the power of Greed could be maximized and used efficiently. It was natural to be tactful.

"Hmm…" Radwolf wasn't offended by the words. It was because the opinion of a legend deserved to be respected. He thought about it for a long time before opening his mouth, "Ke, don't think about sleeping well from today on."

"…Yes!" Ke ong replied vigorously. He shouted with a sense of youth, when those memories were now faint. His spirit was so strong that it overshadowed the age that made everyone call him 'ong.'

Then he belatedly regretted it. He remembered that he had been working without sleeping for the past four days. If he couldn't sleep from now on… it might be dangerous considering his age. Of course, this was only a fleeting worry.

'…It is okay if I fall down.'

A collaboration with the wise giants—it would be a huge learning opportunity. How could he miss it?

***

"It is a dimensional gap. There are many such places besides the Abyss."

"There are countless."

Braham succeeded in identifying Muller's position based on Skunk's analysis and the testimony of the God of Regret. The power of the God of Magic and Wisdom seemed to have been shown.

"You've been to one of them before."

"Ah…" He once had the experience of falling into an unknown dark space. Grid frowned as he recalled the extremely unpleasant sensation he felt at the time.

Braham asked, "Will you be going out yourself?"

Muller—he was the strongest Sword Saint of all time and had achieved the realm of transcendence hundreds of years ago. He was also a figure who attracted the attention of Martial God Chiyou. The Mountain King of Grenier, Pope Chreshler, and Great Magician Braham testified to his greatness many times. Grid was also naturally interested in Muller. He really wanted to meet Muller.

"No." However, that wasn't the case when asked if he was going to do the hard work himself.

"I see."

The refusal with no hesitation—Braham seemed to have anticipated it. No matter how great Muller was, he was naturally below the current Grid. The hierarchy wasn't right for Grid to visit him personally. Additionally, there was a separate person in Reinhardt who was suitable for meeting Muller.

"Then let your friend go."

***

Many people associate pine trees or bamboo with Kraugel. No matter what type of storm he went through, he was always green and upright. He was a person with a completely different tendency from Grid, who kept changing every moment like a storm. Maybe that was why he fit in with Grid even more.

Braham also liked Kraugel. Above all, Kraugel was a friend of Grid. Braham had long known that Kraugel was one of the few people Grid depended on.

"Muller's whereabouts have been found."

Kraugel's time was never wasted. He trained himself endlessly by swinging his sword or controlling his breathing. The same was true at this moment. As the revitalized people moved in a bustling manner around the city, he settled himself in a quiet place and trained himself in all sorts of ways. His movements were excellent as he dodged the waves generated from the collision of operating Formless Will and sword energy at the same time.

"The hundreds of years of being inactive are meaningless in front of you."

"The hint given by the God of Regret was too great. If I was alone, it would've taken me a long time to find him."

How could he find someone who was trapped in a dimensional gap…

Braham's frank confession was a bit unfamiliar to Kraugel.

"Grid wants you to meet Muller."

"Do you mean me…?"

The thing that was needed right now was to motivate Muller. Claiming to be the strongest was arrogance.

I am stronger than you and I exist like this…

In order to make Muller regain his motivation for life, Muller needed to be suppressed with force. Kraugel knew this, so he was perplexed.

"You have cut down a god. Yet you still think you are worse than Muller?"

"I was able to cut a god because of Grid's Twilight."

"…Bah, if you're not confident, then just quit." Braham didn't persuade this person. If Kraugel didn't like it after these words, then it was better not to send him.

Kraugel immediately replied, "I didn't say I wasn't confident."

Kraugel had taken a hard path. He didn't rely on the class of Sword Saint, and learned more diverse techniques, building his own swordsmanship based on them. Only some of these swordsmanship were classified as a 'skill' due to Kraugel consuming 'Swordsmanship Creation,' but the rest of what he learned wasn't useless. All the techniques that weren't classified as skills were solid fundamentals that supported Kraugel. It was the basis for which Kraugel controlled all types of risks.

Additionally, Kraugel had acquired Muller's secret techniques. He didn't think he was bad compared to Muller, who had lost motivation and would've stopped improving compared to the past.

"There is no guarantee I will win in an overwhelming manner, but I am confident that I can at least stimulate him."

Grid had long transcended Pagma. Yura also started to hear evaluations that she had surpassed Alex.

"Let me go."

Transcending the previous generation was a natural duty for those of the present age, and for Kraugel, now was the right time.

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