Overgeared

Wriggle!

The dead body under the coffin convulsed. The limbs were bent at a strange angle and it seemed to be dancing on the pool of blood. It was even more bizarre when the sinister laughter of the master of the corpse was heard as the background sound.

"Ugh…" The blue-faced Skunk swallowed down his nausea. It was because he knew the identity of the coffin that crushed the corpse. It was the Divine Wood Coffin where Chreshler's soul was sealed. Skunk couldn't understand Chreshler's sentiment of laughing after destroying the corpse that was his own body (?). If he hadn't known that Chreshler was a former Pope and hero with great achievements, he would've treated Chreshler as a pure lunatic.

On the other hand, Marie Rose gave off tremendous pressure just by existing. A beautiful woman sitting on a coffin that was crushing a corpse—the status abnormalities she caused surpassed the status abnormalities that the evil gods had caused earlier.

He could resist these ones with the power of a legend, but it wasn't because Marie Rose's status was low. Skunk could guess that she was suppressing her strength.

'Marie Rose… the pinnacle of the direct descendants who is beyond Beriache.'

Was it due to the Curse of Sloth? Marie Rose had no history of showing any passion when she appeared directly or indirectly in various records. It was similar now. Her beautiful eyes were only full of Grid. Unlike her brightly smiling eyes, the big red eyes were as hard as ice. Terrible disillusionment and boredom were lurking deep in them.

"D-Don't smile. You shouldn't smile like that."

…Although Grid didn't seem to notice. Grid blushed as if he had been taken away by Marie Rose's eye smile. A rare libertine with multiple wives and lovers… no, it was a very pure reaction for a capable man.

This was how beautiful and fascinating Marie Rose was. Any man in the world would be pure in front of her. The moment they saw the most unique beauty in the world, they would forget worldly life and only yearn for her.

'Ah.' Skunk admired it. It was because Marie Rose's eyes slowly came to life as she stared at Grid. Sincerity was printed over the false smile that had been worn like a mask. Then it looked several times more beautiful.

'There is no point in resisting abnormal statuses like this.'

He had apparently resisted the bewitchment, but he was still caught by it. Skunk was intoxicated by Marie Rose's beauty only to suddenly come to his senses. It was thanks to Chreshler's voice. The divinity of the great Pope cleared his mind.

-Hahaha! Even if you are Grid, you become an innocent kid in front of my Marie Rose. You have to stay alert if you don't want to be eaten. Marie Rose doesn't know mercy, so she will bite an unsuspecting man's neck in an instant.

It was a frivolous tone that didn't suit his sacred and solemn voice. Chreshler's appearance was just a coffin as he acted like he was showing off his laughter, but for some reason, his expression seemed to appear in front of them. His nose seemed to be pointed very high in the air. It was a nose that was quickly crushed.

"You are cute. You have become even more lovable since the last time I've seen you."

-…?

Chreshler's laughter stopped. Did he just hear something wrong? The way he muttered to himself seemed to be trying to deny reality.

Grid was still backing away. He covered his lips with his big hands. It was an instinctive act. He didn't want the experience of being attacked in an instant and having his lip bitten to happen again. That… it felt like something of dignity was being trampled on. The problem was that he was ecstatic even when being forced.

Grid barely denied that he had that type of taste and wanted to avoid the same experience. If he went through the same thing and felt good again… it really seemed like it would be truly irreversible.

"I become more and more devoted every time I see my dear husband. I can't get enough of it."

-What… devoted? Eh? Dear husband?

The Divine Wood Coffin, which had been reacting to every word from Marie Rose, finally convulsed. The Divine Wood Coffin, which dealt a critical hit to Grid in a single blow in the past and that crushed Chreshler's body with a single blow, had extremely thick and threatening killing intent.

It was so powerful that it easily surpassed the resentment and hatred of the evil gods encountered earlier. it was so much so that it caught the attention of Grid, who was distracted by Marie Rose. Just then—

Before he knew it, Marie Rose came down from the coffin, stood in front of Grid, and stroked his cheek.

"It has been a long time since we met. Don't pay attention to minor things and just focus on me."

Maybe it was because she was wearing gloves made of silk. The gentle touch made Grid's mind spin. All his senses were focused on Marie Rose's touch.

"It is good to look up at you from here."

Marie Rose stood in Grid's arms like she was being hugged by him and smiled widely. He felt it last time, but she surprisingly wasn't very tall. From a distance, she naturally looked tall due to her overwhelming proportions and presence, but when they stood side by side like this, she was more than one head smaller than Grid.

"I like your body odor."

Marie Rose raised her head and looked as innocent and pitiful as a girl caught in the rain. It was only for a moment. Before he knew it, she was bewitching again.

"It tastes good."

A long, thin finger swept over Grid's cheek and lips. It was only then that Grid came to his senses and disliked it, shaking her off.

"You didn't come here to treat me as a blood bag, did you?" Grid treated Marie Rose with complete respect. At first, it was simply out of fear, but now it was because he was grateful.

She acted for humans. To be exact, she fought a dragon for him. If it wasn't for her help, Hayate wouldn't have been able to survive and the Overgeared Empire would be in ruins. He treated her as a benefactor to the end. No matter how many times she seduced him, he didn't see her as a member of the opposite sex.

[One of the greatest heroes in the history of humanity, 'Chreshler,' hates you.]

'It happens here?'

In fact, when Marie Rose clung to him, Chreshler just trembled and didn't show any hostility. Yet the moment Grid treated Marie Rose badly, he harbored hostility and his killing intent grew. It was a suspicious reaction. Grid naturally didn't misunderstand.

'…He must've seen through the fact that Marie Rose treats me as nothing more than delicious food. That is why he wasn't angry when Marie Rose clung to me.'

It was why he only got angry when Grid treated Marie Rose coldly. It was pure love. Grid felt deeply uncomfortable with Chreshler, but came to admire him as a man. Chreshler, who abandoned humanity and became a coffin, remained by the side of the woman he loved and thought only about her. He was definitely like a prince in a fairy tale. He judged that there would be nothing wrong with watching and learning.

'He seems to misunderstand something.'

Skunk was the only one who watched the situation objectively and his heart sank. He was worried about Grid, who somehow looked determined when he saw the perverted Pope who was excited to see the woman he loved in another man's arms. It was a confusing situation in many ways…

"Huhut."

Marie Rose looked happily at Grid, who was only polite to her and urged her to clarify her business.

A man who was composed and bold even in front of her—Grid was unique in the world. It was only in front of Grid that Marie Rose felt like 'me' and not Beriache's daughter. Marie Rose took a few steps back and looked at Grid while standing next to the Divine Wood Coffin.

-That guy to Marie Rose… rather than wagging his tail at the beautiful Marie Rose, that cold attitude… what is this… well, it doesn't matter how good he is… wicked guy…! Bad guy…!!

Mutter mutter.

Chreshler was saying something. It was generally a criticism of Grid, but he narrowly maintained the line.

-…Could he be an eunuch?

The moment when Chreshler was about to cross the line…

Marie Rose suddenly reached out, grabbed the coffin, and lifted it. Then the pool of blood underneath the coffin was sucked into Chreshler's body. It was the moment when the body, which had been crushed by the coffin and almost shattered, recovered in an instant.

"I know that my dear husband has become an Absolute. Zeratul was good nourishment."

""Intruders. Your great myth will be buried in this land.""

-The body speaks? Isn't that my body? Hoh, this is very interesting. Is the 'spirituality' in the brain pretending to be me?

It was an interesting skit even for him, who was proud of having seen quite a few plays during his time as a Pope. Should they cooperate and play in front of Marie Rose?

"However, the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb is also an Absolute. The most powerful of the myth predators. Its notoriety has reached the heavens and like my dear husband, it arouses the vigilance of the gods. Besides, this is the realm of the Specter."

"……"

The realm of the Specter…

Grid also realized it—Chreshler's corpse, which had just been destroyed, was resurrected in an intact form. A coffin made of divine wood—the moment the corpse was free of the influence of the Divine Wood Coffin, which once sealed Marie Rose, he immediately recovered like it was a lie.

'Is it possible that the undead resurrect infinity inside the No Offspring Tomb?'

Grid had previously killed one of the executives of the No Offspring Tomb, but that was before he entered the No Offspring Tomb. Ever since entering the No Offspring Tomb, he only encountered the army of local troops and the evil gods. He hadn't encountered the undead yet.

-Pope Chreshler, who has fallen to a group of evil. I, Chreshler, will kill you for my honor. Come here and lie down. The coffin is where I should lie down. Both are me, but…

""Noisy coffin… get lost. I don't care.""

-You? Ah, it is painful. Have you become so corrupt that you can't even recognize yourself? Ohh, Marie Rose. How about it? Are you having fun?

Chreshler was performing a play with his body when he suddenly became excited. He felt Marie Rose's touch. Her slender hand was pressed firmly against the wide-open lid of the coffin.

-No. Don't close me. I have to lay my body here to complete the story.

"Dear husband, can you feel it? Even I am not completely free from the influence of the divine wood. It is an inherent problem and an essence that doesn't change."

-Aren't you going to tell me your thoughts, Marie Rose? You are always mischievous toward me. This is good as well.

Certainly…

Marie Rose weakened every time her body touched the coffin. Grid could feel it with an Absolute's senses.

"If you really have to challenge the Specter, take this coffin. Then you will have a pretty good chance."

He didn't hear it incorrectly.

Challenge—Marie Rose definitely said it was a challenge. This was even though she knew clearly that Grid had become an Only One God and an Absolute. She valued the Specter higher than Grid. This was an objectively correct assessment. There was a huge difference in the timing of when they were active. In fact, no matter who he fought, Grid was mostly in the position of a challenger.

'Besides, if I don't get the help of the Divine Wood Coffin, I don't seem to have a chance of winning…'

Grid had already assumed that the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb wouldn't be ordinary. He just hadn't expected the Specter to be highly regarded by Marie Rose. The corners of Grid's mouth slowly rose up. It was interesting. The tension he felt for the first time in ages increased his anticipation.

"Okay. I'll accept your favor."

-I don't like it.

"Yes, to give you another word of warning, you shouldn't rely on my family."

Marie Rose ran all this way because she was worried about Grid. The reason she didn't offer to fight with him was because she couldn't help.

Killing the Gale of the Great Forest and causing the Mountain King of Grenier to abandon the mountain and run away, etcetera—she had hunted other myth predators relentlessly, but she couldn't challenge the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. The exact identity wasn't known, but there was something lurking in the No Offspring Tomb that made her blood boil. There was a great fear of running wild. The same would be true of the other direct descendants.

'Does it have anything to do with the being buried in the No Offspring Tomb?'

Grid nodded and glanced at Chreshler's corpse.

The guy, who was in a hurry because the coffin blocked his way, immediately stepped out when he felt Grid's gaze. Due to his physical (?) limitations, he narrowly evaded the less agile coffin and aimed a holy sword at Grid. It was the blow that Marie Rose had blocked earlier by throwing the coffin. This was even though it didn't need to be stopped.

"……"

Marie Rose's eyes grew slightly larger.

The head of a hero who dominated an era fell off with a single blow.

Of course, most of Chreshler's skills in his life came from divine power. The corpse only wielded a fake holy sword and couldn't handle divine power at all, but… even taking that into account, Grid's appearance of overpowering a transcendent was impressive enough.

Marie Rose threw the coffin over the corpse of Chreshler, which was trying to recover again, and said with a meaningful expression, "It is hard to guarantee victory unless I am complete. It would be nice if I was under my dear husband."

"Huh?"

"It isn't that I've ever ridden on top of another guy. My first time will be my dear husband, so you don't have to worry about it."

"…Huh??"

-Ahh, Marie Rose. My heart hurts, but I'm happy because my imagination has been stimulated… sob sob…

"……"

Skunk's eyes were already darkening at the fact that he had to work with Chreshler.