Overgeared

The trail of Grid's sword strike that was left in the air released a roaring sound a moment later. It was such a huge explosion that it was like dozens of artillery shells were fired at the same time. It wasn't just a bluff. It actually caused a devastating aftermath.

The wall that Yeo Yulan stood against collapsed. The labyrinth revealed beyond her shoulder had lost its complex structure and turned into a straight path.

'Hasn't it been a while?'

An experience where his attack missed—Grid was looking curiously at the MISS indicator that had already emerged several times when the clear voice of a woman entered his ears, "The power of the sword is like a disaster. I once imagined that a great mountain would collapse if Chiyou drew his sword, but seeing this, it seems it wasn't a vain imagination."

Yeo Yulan—she seemed to have no intention of hiding the fact that her identity was a daoist immortal.

First of all, she wore clothing similar to Bentao. They were silk clothes with a wide spread skirt and sleeves, but a tight waist. Additionally, there was the cause behind Grid's attacks missing. The daoist techniques with names that only appeared in martial arts were symbols of the daoist immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring.

'It is tricky. In particular, the amulets.'

They were on a different level from any amulets he had seen before. Yeo Yulan's amulets worked similarly to the artificial senses that Grid had relied on for a while. They hovered around their master, helping her read the trajectory of the attack and produce better results. They were similar to Zik's runes in that they exerted different performances depending on the characters written on the amulet. The earrings made of jade seemed to be classified as a 'daoist magic weapon,' an artifact of the daoist immortals. However, there were no signs of them being used yet.

She was by no means an easy opponent.

'I can't let my guard down in the slightest.'

It was back when Grid wasn't an Absolute. He fought against Martial God Zeratul and won. Before Braham became a god, he joined forces with Zik to defeat King Sobyeol. It meant it wasn't guaranteed that an Absolute could win against a transcendent. Moreover, it was difficult to guess the age of a daoist immortal.

Bentao, who was trying to let people know that the Seven Malignant Saints were actually good people, was someone who lived in the same era as the Seven Malignant Saints. There was no law saying it wasn't possible just because it was Yeo Yulan in front of him. It was right to not believe in the superiority of his combat power and to be on guard against a hidden power.

Grid eventually activated the Sanctuary of Metal and admonished Yeo Yulan, "Make your attitude clear."

He treated her disrespectfully despite guessing that she might be older than she looked. It was because she looked like his age and she attacked first. Yes, she was an enemy. She appeared out of nowhere and tried to attach an amulet to Skunk and Creischler. He couldn't interpret this action as a favor.

However, there was a bit of a vague part. She only avoided Grid's attacks and didn't fight back at all. She didn't show any hostility to call it being intimidated. Rather, she expressed her respect with frank admiration.

Grid still had a good image of the daoist immortals, so he found it difficult to wield the six fusion sword dance, which was classified as a 'killing technique.'

"There is nothing wrong with my attitude. I'm not trying to antagonize you. I am trying to send you back. I am sorry to disturb you, who have become an Only One God for humans."

"……"

Yeo Yulan was a daoist immortal. She became enlightened in reason and principles and transcended humans, building up divinity. She was different from the heavenly gods, who were gods from birth, the yangbans who were born from the gods, or the human gods who made great achievements or become gods because they were worshiped due to their combat power. She was an existence that was difficult to evaluate through black and white logic.

Grid decided it was better to have a conversation and put away his sword for a moment.

"What is buried here?"

It was a question that pierced the core. What was the true identity of the Specter? Why was there a daoist immortal in the No Offspring Tomb? Why did a daoist immortal stand on the side of the No Offspring Tomb?

Grid dug into the essence that solved all sorts of miscellaneous questions at once.

Yeo Yulan obediently replied, "I don't know either."

"……?"

It was an absurd answer that was spoken with a confident look.

Grid frowned, while Yeo Yulan continued her explanation, "I'm just speculating that the 'being to correct the order' or the 'other side of the truth' is buried here."

"You are speaking a lot without answering."

Some of the scales of Fire Dragon Ifrit's Arm contracted. Grid applied strength to the hand holding Twilight and it reacted to the contracted forearm muscles. It tightened from the tips of his fingers to below his elbow. It was also an unfamiliar and shocking sight for Yeo Yulan. She had lived for a very long time, but it was the first time she had actually seen armor that recreated a dragon's body.

'It feels like strong self-defense techniques have been piled up.'

Divinity, a mental world, and dragon armor—the self-defense forces surrounding Grid were largely divided into three layers and each one was equally powerful. In addition to the power and the scales, it was infinitely close to being surrounded by a dragon.

-It is more amazing than I imagined…

Within the Sanctuary of Metal, Chreshler was also finally seeing Grid's true value. At this point, it was amazing to see Yeo Yulan facing Grid head on without trembling.

"You have corrected the order on the surface, including the East Continent," Yeo Yulan continued speaking, "Unfortunately, heaven has never lost its order. Regardless of the constant absence of Goddess Rebecca, the sins committed by the seven gods and the rebellion of the Seven Good People, the civil war caused by Hanul, and the mistakes of the arrogant and unruly Zeratul, heaven has remained the same as it was in the beginning."

In other words—

"The existence buried here is naturally a being who will correct the order of hell."

"……!"

Skunk's eyes widened. Grid was also surprised. However, he didn't show it and denied it inwardly. It was hard to understand.

-Are you talking about Yatan? What type of bizarre nonsense is this? Do you think a God of the Beginning can die?

Chreshler protested without the need for Grid to step up.

-I have seen records that say Yatan was deceived by Baal and expelled from hell, but I've never seen any records of him dying. They are records from the first pope who heard the words of the Goddess, so there is little chance it is false. I'm not saying I trust the Goddess, but it is real history. In the first place, who in this world can kill a God of the Beginning?

"I never said he was dead."

-It is just wordplay. Isn't there the premise of death from the time you claimed he was buried in the tomb?

"It is the No Offspring Tomb where the master is unknown. We don't even know whose tomb it is in the first place. What basis do we have for being sure that it is a tomb? What if it is actually a seal rather than a tomb?"

-You are obscuring the essence. It is the same trick as a scammer. There is no need to listen.

"In the first place, it doesn't matter whether Yatan is alive or not. You have to keep in mind that there is no place in heaven or hell for Yatan to stay."

-……

Chreshler shut his mouth. Unfortunately, he was persuaded. It didn't matter if Yatan was dead, simply sealed, or forced to leave of his own volition. The only place where he could rest comfortably was the surface. The Elemental World and Peach Blossom Spring were too small to contain the status of a supreme god, and Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom had no obligation to accept Yatan. He was kicked out of hell.

This meant that the only place for Yatan to stay was on the surface. Additionally, the most secretive place on the surface was right here, the No Offspring Tomb. It was a place with the greatest gatekeeper. This place was reborn as a separate dimension after devouring all types of myths and it wasn't easily accessible. Even the heavenly gods turned a blind eye to it. It wasn't until hundreds of years later that it faced the challenge of Grid.

-…Speaking of which, why did you dare to challenge this place?

"…I wanted to level up…"

'Is he serious?'

Level up—for NPCs, it naturally meant growth.

Chreshler became terrified of Grid, who came to the mysterious space that no one had been able to touch all these years as if he was simply hunting on a back mountain. He viewed Grid as a strange being who couldn't be understood at all from a common sense point of view.

'…Even I am just a common talent in front of Grid.'

Most unknown things came from ignorance. He just couldn't fathom Grid's deep meaning…

Chreshler soon concluded in a positive manner and regained his composure. Then he asked Yeo Yulan another question.

-You said that you are just guessing, right?

"Yes."

-The other guess… then, what is the 'other side of the truth'?

Yeo Yulan speculated that a 'being to correct the order' or the 'other side of the truth' was buried here. If the identity of the being to correct the order was Yatan, then what was the other side of the truth? Grid was also curious, so he listened closely.

Yeo Yulan shook her head. "I can't tell you about that. The moment I mention it, you will be cursed and it will be hard for everyone in this room to avoid the anger."

-Isn't this blasphemy?

"Stop it."

-Just give me a clue. I might look like this, but I was loved by the gods.

"You can't be trusted."

-Can't be trusted? I-I am the pope?

"You are the pope, but I don't trust Rebecca in the first place."

-Hoh… Yes. I didn't like your attitude from the start. Grid, I think the story will only proceed if you forcefully intimidate that person.

Chreshler was very tough. Even after becoming the Divine Wood Coffin, he was better than the great transcendents of his time and also became stronger in the No Offspring Tomb. However, he couldn't take a step forward against Yeo Yulan and urged Grid to fight…

Grid ignored him and questioned Yeo Yulan, "Do you believe that the distortion of hell will be resolved when Yatan is resurrected?"

"That's right. It is good for people."

"What if it isn't Yatan who is buried here? Can you trust the Specter? Can you predict what it will do after it becomes infinitely stronger?"

"…I don't know about that."

"Then get out of the way."

"Grid…!"

"You have to prepare convincing grounds if you want to persuade people. If you really want to stop me, fight and win."

"……"

Yeo Yulan's thin jawline became distinct. She kept her mouth shut. There was no more conversation. Yeo Yulan persistently aimed at Skunk and the Divine Wood Coffin, while Grid stopped her.

Yeo Yulan's way of fighting used all types of daoist techniques and it was unfamiliar and threatening to Grid. However, in the first place, this fight was infinitely advantageous to Grid. Grid alone was stronger than Yeo Yulan and he had the numerical advantage. Besides, Skunk was a legend. He had a non-combat profession, but he was a strong person who exceeded the average level. He cooperated with Chreshler, and under Grid's protection, Yeo Yulan was unable to hurt him.

'Perhaps she has no intention of harming him in the first place.'

Grid clicked his tongue. It was because he was reluctant to oppress the one who didn't use killing techniques from beginning to end. Of course, he had to honestly confess that it was a bit fun. There was the mysterious swordsmanship that seemed to move on clouds and the technique of making her body transparent and invalidating an attack. The skills used by Yeo Yulan were full of novelty. The more they fought, the more rewarding it felt to gain new experiences. He was able to assign many types of moves as skills.

On the other hand, Yeo Yulan felt like she was dying.

"Gasp… Gasp…"

Her breathing was visibly rough. It was because every one of Grid's attacks were very deadly for her. Yeo Yulan exerted all her strength throughout the fight. In the end, she had to put all her energy, including her mental strength, into every moment. She tried to find the gaps in Grid's insignificant movements and risked her life to handle the sword that Grid wielded lightly.

She almost fainted when Grid's sword brushed against her shoulder and she saw the summoned 'spear of light' burning dozens of amulets. Nevertheless, she didn't back down and kept up a strong appearance.

Grid liked it. "I don't want to hurt you. Are you really going to retreat only if I kill you?"

"…I will stop." Yeo Yulan had prepared a retreat from the beginning. The moment she took out a new amulet, an amulet stuck somewhere in the depths of the labyrinth reacted and moved her body.

"I'm not just worried about the 'something' buried here, but also about you, Grid. The Specter is a very strong Absolute… this…"

She used techniques to speak as quickly as possible, but couldn't finish. The anxious Yeo Yulan left. She was going to meet the Specter and make a request.

Don't meet Grid in person, but let him wander away and leave.

However, she couldn't get an audience with the Specter. The liches were camped outside her room.

""I was watching the situation through the crystal ball, but it was just an act.""

""You didn't think about hurting Chreshler and the adventurers. You were only full of thoughts on letting them escape. How can we trust you after seeing your attitude?""

""You will be confined. It is the will of the Specter.""

"Is this really the will of the Specter?"

""Yes.""

The darkness brought by the roughly closed door was thick. It seemed to hint at her impending future and Yeo Yulan's anxiety deepened even more.