Overgeared

Every name had a special resonance. Even the name of an ordinary girl would remind some people of their first love and make their hearts flutter.

The name of Sword Saint Muller had something that touched everyone's hearts.

The strongest swordsman in history—some hailed him as the greatest legend of all time. There were countless people in the world who missed him, who was said to have died hundreds of years ago. It was due to the vague belief and sense of expectation that many things would've been different if only Muller had been alive. It was the belief that 'killed' Muller.

"Yes, this is right. I have always denied his death in my heart."

It was shortly after the emergence of Muller spread to the world. The tower members gathered in one place. Now the tower members were no longer blind and trapped in a dragon's jaws. They were members of the Overgeared World, which was taking control of the surface, and could react sensitively to situations that happened in the world.𝘧𝘳e𝚎𝑤ℯ𝘣n𝘰ѵℯ𝘭.c𝐨𝘮

"Muller's swordsmanship transcends mine. It was a fact that I realized only after repeated training and becoming stronger. Even if Muller hadn't mastered the Matchless Sword, he would've become the strongest Sword Saint. He is someone who can do well just by swinging his sword without any special techniques."

Biban was very excited. He was genuinely happy that his respected junior was alive and there was also the vague expectation of the opportunity to test Muller's skills. It was ever since he was convinced that he had transcended Muller in this lifetime—his growth had become stagnant.

Being a bit better than Muller—it was impossible for a swordsman to imagine a stage beyond that. He couldn't see the way to go forward.

Yet in the future, Muller would give him the answer. Biban just needed to watch his back and move on. That was Muller's position.

"The return of a hero is something to celebrate. However, now isn't the time to rejoice. There will be many beings who will react sensitively to Muller's appearance."

Every hero who lived in the post-Muller era had experienced it at one time or another—it was to be compared to Muller in terms of skills or achievements. For villains who had existed since ancient times, the reference point for heroes was Muller. Of course, all the tower members were from before Muller's time, so this was something they had never experienced.

However, they knew the situation through the words of Grid and Kraugel. In particular, there were many cases where demons compared themselves to Muller.

"Hell will react the quickest of all. In the worst case scenario, I believe Baal might invade the surface himself."

Baal couldn't die. He would be infinitely resurrected unless human fear toward him completely ended. This didn't mean he was invincible. Grid had proven it several times. Baal had already lost his life to Grid several times, so he must inwardly be nervous. He would yearn for more power and be more obsessed with new 'nourishment' than ever before.

The nourishment mentioned here naturally meant the death of human beings. Baal was a monster who could absorb and recreate the abilities of dead humans. He would dearly covet Muller's swordsmanship.

Biban cocked his head.

"Baal will appear on the surface…? Isn't that impossible unless he has dementia?"

Grid had fought Baal in hell and won. Of course, he couldn't guarantee a 100% winning rate, but he had a good chance of winning on the surface.

"Will he invade the surface only to be beaten to death by Grid?"

"The results might vary depending on the type of invasion. Is Baal's strength only in martial arts?"

Fronzaltz explained to Biban, who only thought simply.

"The ability of the dead that Baal acquires isn't necessarily limited to combat strength. It was right to say that he has an unimaginable number of tricks."

Baal had manipulated the Evil Dragon Bunhelier to his liking. He was someone who deceived an old dragon, so it wasn't known what type of cards he had.

"It might be easy for him to sneak to the surface and kill Muller without anyone knowing."

"Then what… what do you mean?"

"First of all, we need to ensure Muller's safety. For example, provide a place for him to reside where Baal can't find him."

"You mean the Overgeared World?"

"Not the Overgeared World. It is slowly covering the surface and it is far from being secretive."

Baal had the means to hide his presence from Grid and infiltrate the Overgeared World. It was no longer a safe place.

"Apart from the Overgeared World, where else is safe and secretive?"

"……"

The faces of the tower members darkened. They all looked at Biban with pitying eyes.

Betty was the only one who remained expressionless and she told Biban, "Here. The tower."

It was a building that combined the magic, knowledge, and technology of previous generations of legends. The Tower of Wisdom was perfected by overlaying the mental world of an Absolute afraid of dragons, and it was the most secretive and safe place in the world.

There were dozens of places like this in the world. They could immediately escape if the location of the tower they were currently staying in was discovered. Hayate hadn't wanted to be targeted by the dragons and had completed it with the help of the giant brothers.

"I want to recruit Muller to block the variables while increasing the power of the tower at the same time."

We will recruit a new member.

No one objected to Hayate's unconventional declaration. Muller was well qualified. On the contrary, it was a position where the tower should respectfully receive him. They hoped Muller would consider the situation of the world and accept their proposal.

"In the future, we will…"

Hayate explained the subsequent policy. He selected dragons who might be interested in the emergence of Muller and planned a strategy to tie them down. They started planning to fight the dragons they had avoided for so long. It was something created by Grid. It was only after meeting Grid that Hayate truly became a Dragon Slayer.

***

Imagine that two Earths suddenly appeared one day. The Earth where another 'me' exists and who lived the same life in the same environment as me. The moment we face it, we will definitely be in great confusion. Eventually, we will try to distinguish the real from the fake. It is only when we confirm that we are real that we will regain stability.

It is highly likely that all sorts of scary and horrible things will happen along the way. Furthermore, the demons of hell are so destructive compared to humans. The moment they face the same self, they will deny it and bite at the other self.

"Two hells… eventually, they both will be offset."

The Specter didn't speak at length. Her emotions were worn out over the course of living for thousands of years and she dried up.

It was difficult in the first place. The more she spoke, the more her vocal cords melted away from the seething divinity. Her voice gradually became more cracked and it eventually stopped. Still, this was enough. Grid and the others figured out the Specter's target. There were many people with extraordinary brains in the Overgeared Guild.

"If you recreate hell, can you copy Baal as well?" Grid reacted seriously for the first time. He showed interest as if he thought the Specter's plan was plausible.

The Specter nodded. "Of course… that is the only way the plan makes sense…"

King Daebyeol, Hanul's first son, and Beriache, Yatan's third child—it uses the bodies of two Absolutes as the materials for the phenomenon. This was just superficially, but in fact, the Specter planned to turn the 'souls' of the two Absolutes into materials. It was only then that the impossible became possible.

"Hmm…"

Muller had saved Huroi by using Heart Sword. The hero of heroes had saved a life the moment he returned to the world after hundreds of years. However, he was currently sullen. He watched as the 'god' listened to the Specter.

"It is a terrible story, but it is pretty cunning…"

Muller noticed at once that Grid was a great being. It wasn't because he was fascinated by the beautiful divinity. Based on the Hero King's fighting energy, he got a glimpse of the achievements that Grid accumulated before becoming a god. He felt respect even before they exchanged any words of greetings.

He was deeply impressed by the great man of the later generation who had reached a level that he himself hadn't reached. Thus, he wanted to respect Grid as much as possible.This was why Muller felt great regret when seeing Grid's attitude of listening to the Specter's nonsense.

The Specter's plan to create a new hell and offset the existing hell. The plan seemed quite plausible, but it had a fatal flaw. It was that the hell would be built here in the No Offspring Tomb. Of course, the No Offspring Tomb had evolved into a dimension separate from the surface, but its scale was much smaller compared to hell. It was virtually impossible to reproduce hell with just the No Offspring Tomb. The Specter's magic would likely invade the surface. If even a part of the surface turned into hell…

The No Offspring Tomb, hell, and the surface would become entangled without being able to maintain their independence. All three dimensions would become battlefields. At this time, even if the surface was fortunate enough to escape destruction, it would surely be reduced to ruins. It was why Muller couldn't agree with the Specter's plan despite longing for the purification of hell due to his wish for death.

Sacrificing others for their own purposes—it might be obvious for the Specter, but it was unthinkable for Muller.

"I…" Muller's large hand on his sword trembled. They were hands full of calluses at every joint. The calluses that still remained distinct despite the hundreds of years he wasted in the dimensional gap proved it—during Muller's time as a Sword Saint, he had never wasted a single moment as a swordsman. Therefore, he could speak with confidence.

"I might cut your god…"

The cooperation between the Only One God Grid and the Specter. It would be a shortcut that led to the destruction of the surface. Someone had to stop it.

"Even if it means being hostile to you and all of them," Muller declared as he looked at Grid, the Specter, Kraugel, and the Overgeared members in turn.

At this moment, he was overcoming a vague fear. He was prepared for a terrible end. He shouldered the duties of a hero that he once abandoned in the past. The circumstances forced it. Just then—

Grid, who had been silently listening to the Specter, opened his mouth, "You… surprisingly, you don't know much about Baal."

At the same time, his eyes directed toward Muller were very deep.

"Will they try to eat each other just because there are two Baals? Rather, I think they will find it interesting and cooperate."

"Even so, it is only a temporary cooperation… they will surely betray each other in order to achieve greater supremacy."

"What if we all die during that temporary cooperation?"

"All progress and evolution only happens when risks are taken. If you don't do anything because you are worried about the worst… what is the value of life?"

"Is the destruction of the surface something we need to bear for the future?"

"Even if we all die and the surface perishes, it is a noble sacrifice. After hell is purified, the surface in the next world will surely be safe. Humans in the next world can live comfortably without fearing death…"

"It is a failure."

"……?"

"You failed to convince me."

From a certain point, Grid had been fighting to protect the things that were precious to him. Everything he valued existed in this world, not the next world.

"There will be no destruction as long as I am here."

[Only One God Grid is writing the 24th epic.]

[The beginning of the epic begins with the god's will to protect the surface.]

"Are you going to fight me to the end…? Do you truly believe that you have a chance?"

"A chance? I don't think the odds are high."

Grid summoned thousands of battle gear. It was a call using Request to Stand With Me. Among those who responded to the call, one was Biban, the owner of a dragon weapon.

"Sword Saint Muller."

A procession of swords that miraculously appeared…

"Feel free to use it."

It became the perfect force of the strongest Sword Saint in history.