Female Novel
Chapter 1757
Grid’s fusion sword dance was a chained form. It was a fusion sword dance by combining two or moresword dances and it was difficult to expect a complete skill effect unless all parts of the sword dance hitthe target.
The beginning and the middle—this was the basis for the Specter easily withstanding the bombardmentof the six fusion sword dance. She blocked most of Grid’s sword dances midway through.
Even at the moment when the Pinnacle sword dance trajectory was allowed, the next sword trajectorywould be read and evaded or defended against in advance. The opportunity for Ultimate Martial Art tomanifest was suppressed. It was possible because of the power of an Absolute to stretch the conceptof time and ignore the laws of physics. It was done with ease due to her power weakening Grid in realtime.
Yet at this moment, their positions were reversed. Grid regained his status due to Blockade’s effect,while the Specter weakened rapidly. It was the aftermath of feeling threatened by Grid and the trumpcard she used becoming useless due to Muller.
“...You. Please bear it by all means.”
Eventually, the voice squeezed out by the kneeling Specter contained her last will. Her thousands ofyears of hard work seemed to have become futile.
Surprisingly, the Specter was calm. It was because she acknowledged the man in front of her, who hadruined her plan. There was a vague belief that it would be good to leave behind the rest of the work.She also felt relieved that she could finally rest.
It was a fact that the Specter herself had been trying hard to ignore. She had been exhausted for a longtime. It was natural. Did she endure the years of eternal life with such a huge fate alone?
‘Just... I just feel it is regrettable.’
The Specter recalled the existence buried in the deeper part of the No Offspring Tomb.
God—a part of the only god she served was locked here. He never woke up, as if ignoring reality.
‘The price of the sin of not reclaiming the world you loved... I will soon die and receive a punishment Iwill have to endure forever.’
Cracks started to form in the Specter’s hard soul. It was to prepare for her imminent death. TheSpecter planned to tear her soul to shreds and weave it into chains. They were chains that would bethe force to bind the being who would take her soul. It was a technique learned from Beriache.
Hundreds of years ago, the Specter went to Beriache. It was with the intention of taking her body andsoul as she was about to die due to giving birth to Marie Rose. She believed that Beriache wouldnaturally cooperate. Beriache gave birth to Marie Rose out of the intention of getting revenge on Baal,and the Specter was one of the few beings who understood it.
Unexpectedly, she was rejected. Beriache didn’t give up her soul, which was more important than herbody. She said it would become a tool to restrain Baal, even if it was imperfect. As a result, it became atool to bind Amoract... in any case, this was what the Specter learned. Maybe if she failed one day, shecould also help bind Baal.
‘Baal. It is my death that you have been wishing for, and it will be a terrible curse to you.’
The Specter’s soul was on the verge of being torn apart. Just then, the six fusion sword dance that wasmutilating the Specter stopped like a lie. It was just before the final step of decapitating the Specter.Due to this, doubts formed in the eyes of the Specter who had escaped death.
“Why... did you stop?”
Grid affirmed that the Specter’s ideology was wrong. He declared that he would stop her plan, even if itmeant killing her. The reason for the pause was unknown.
“......”
Of course, Grid couldn’t explain it either. It was the system forced by the Duke of Virtue.
‘No, is it really forced?’
Maybe the Duke of Virtue just responded to his hesitation. Grid thought from a new perspective andslowly opened his mouth. He spoke honestly so that the situation created by the Duke of Virtuewouldn’t be in vain. “I feel sorry for you.”
“......?”
“It is hard being alone. You have reached this point because there is nothing you can do.”
“I know that the weight of the responsibility borne by you alone is great. You would’ve gone this wayafter repeated agony. There was no malice.”
Grid’s words and the meaning—they were completed only after going through Huroi’s mouth. Huroi’sbloodshot eyes were staring at Grid’s back as he was active among the elite of the Overgeared Guild.His figure was ragged as usual. This time, even half his body flew away. The legs made of Greedunnaturally supported his upper body.
Huroi thought that Grid’s constant self-sacrifice, due to the great responsibility he shouldered, wassomewhat similar to the Specter. He understood why Grid was showing mercy to the Specter. Thus, hewas able to grasp the true meaning of Grid’s words and fully convey them.
“Why don’t you cooperate with me? The condition is that you follow my way.”
“I will share your burdens and guide you.”
“......”
It wasn’t something that happened just once or twice. From a long time ago, Huroi had alwaysrepresented Grid’s will at official events. His will was heavily packaged and spread. Even if Grid barkedloudly, Huroi would paraphrase it to the level where it could be translated into human words. It waseven unconditionally in favor of Grid.
There was a strangely passionate side to it. However, Grid felt the need to adapt.
‘It is enough to affect the epic. It is right to leave it entirely to Huroi.’
Huroi’s value was infinitely special. It was a value that was hard to identify physically, just like Laueland Skunk. Ever since the past, Grid had actively utilized this type of talent. He identified andacknowledged his own shortcomings, and borrowed the strength of others.
“There is no need for your pride to be hurt. Just because you have abandoned your ways doesn't meanyou are denying yourself. You have lived for a long time, so you must know? Everyone makesmistakes. Everyone lacks something. In order to overcome mistakes and fill in our shortcomings, weneed to cooperate with others or seek help. That is life.”
“......”
This time, Huroi didn’t open his mouth. It was because he saw Jishuka with a happy smile on her faceas she proudly looked at Grid. Grid, who was even more embarrassed, hesitated and scratched hishead.
The Specter looked up at him and opened her mouth, “I... I never made a mistake.”
‘Look at this stubbornness?’
Grid frowned and his face hardened.
“It wasn’t a mistake. I just sinned...”
Those who shouldn’t die—it wasn’t just Iwata. The Specter had arbitrarily judged countless humansand turned them into the undead.
She didn’t trust the limitations and weaknesses of the human gods and hunted them. This was eventhough she knew their goodness. She was worried that they would surely die one day and becomeBaal’s nourishment, so she usurped their authority. She wanted to create a second hell to restore hell,but at some point, she became similar to Baal.
“For this, I... with you and with others... a new... start? Huhu... No one... starting from myself. It isunacceptable...”
The Specter laughed dejectedly. She twisted her face, which had been expressionless the whole time.It wasn’t a smile. She was silently screaming and sobbing.
The reason why she was able to run nonstop this entire time—it was because she believed herideology was right. Then today, she was terribly denied and admitted that she was wrong. All theweights that had been binding her strong heart fell off and terrible self-loathing filled its place. Now theSpecter...
She couldn’t move on.
“Kill me.” It was the moment when the Specter spoke decisively...
“I will bear the sins you have committed.”
“......?”
The lower body made of Greed bent while making a strange noise. Grid became eye level with theSpecter and stared straight into her eyes.
“I was just convinced. You have to live. If you are with me, it will definitely benefit the world.”
The epic was still working. It continued even after the phrase about how the Specter couldn’t handlethe divine punishment and collapsed. It caught the world’s attention by capturing some of theconversation between Grid and the Specter.
“I also hurt a lot of people. There were many causes where I harmed them out of sheer malice, notconviction like you.”
“......”
“I’ve done despicable things.”
“......”
“That is how I came all the way here.”
“......”
“Is there a law that says you can’t do the same? I think you will be much better than me.”
The reason why Grid had taken on responsibility from a certain point was simple—it was because hebecame stronger.
It was from the time he became aware that he shouldn’t wield his power recklessly. He went throughseveral situations where he had to step up. Then he reached the present. Thus, he believed that eventhe Specter could change. It was because unlike himself, she was driven by conviction rather thanmalice. He was sure that she would become a much better person than him.
“Now, let’s go together.”
Grid held out his hand. It was a hand containing so many calluses that it could be compared to thehand of the greatest swordsman in human history. Each of these appearances gave the Specterconfidence.
Finally, the skeletal mask was completely torn apart and revealed the face of the Specter. It was a faceresembling Rebecca, the Goddess of Light. The beautiful, sacred face was twisted again. It was due toa lot of intense emotions.
“I can’t... do this...”
I have only one god.
Then why? Why did she grab this man’s hand?
[I forgive you for your sins.]
[The sinner wept at the god’s words and bowed her head deeply.]
......
...
[You have won the heart of the Specter as a reward for completing the epic.]
[The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb is the apostle of the God of the Beginning, Yatan. She will bethe key to guiding you to the essence of the world.]
[As a reward for winning the heart of the Specter, the possibility of the No Offspring Tomb beingincorporated into the Overgeared World has opened up.]
[You have won Muller’s heart as a reward for completing the epic.]
[Sword Saint Muller is a hero among heroes and revered as one of the greatest legends of all time. Hewill become your best helper.]
[The status of the ‘Tomb of the Gods’ has risen significantly due to participating in the great epic. It willbecome part of the Overgeared World as a reward for the increase in status.]
[Due to the Tomb of the Gods joining the Overgeared World, the status of the Overgeared World hasincreased. The power of the gods of the Overgeared World has been greatly enhanced.]novelbin
Naturally, there was no increase of his own status. Grid had become an Absolute after accumulatingtranscendence and he was already complete. This didn’t mean that Grid’s growth was over. Muller’sinvolvement in the epic made Grid’s presence even more distinct. Thanks to him, Grid connected withKhan for a moment.
The strengthening of the Yellow Dragon myth, being blessed by Khan, etcetera—the increase inpresence was of much greater value than the rise in status. There was a lot of room to becomestronger in the future.
As a reward for completing the epic, he had also fulfilled his dream of having a ‘moving OvergearedWorld.’ He didn’t gain any experience points since he didn’t kill the Specter, but he had already gainedseven levels in the process of fighting the Specter. This meant there was no reason for him to feelregret. Above all—
He got new companions in Muller and the Specter.
‘The epic... it is a bit fraudulent.’
He was thankful that it reversed all sorts of situations and gave him so many benefits every time itoccurred. The conscienceless Grid was feeling pleased while Ruby was focused on healing herbrother.
The Overgeared members and the undead army were taking control of the situation. They stoppedfighting and shared common words...
“Oppa.” Ruby, who left for a while after completing Grid’s treatment, returned to his side after a shortperiod of time. She had a very subtle expression on her face. She seemed to have exchangedhandshakes with the undead, just like the other Overgeared members. It must’ve been strange from aSaintess’ point of view. “The Specter says there is something she wants to show you. But she wantsonly me and Oppa to follow?”
“It makes sense about me, but why you? Sehee, did you perhaps...”
“Huh?”
“Did you campaign for it as my little sister?”
“What? T-That is impossible?”
“Aish, you can be honest with me. This cute girl.”
“N-No, that’s not it.” Ruby was genuinely flustered. She had always worked hard for her brother. Shehad never borrowed her brother’s name for her own advantage—Grid naturally knew this and was justteasing her.
‘Is the Saintess related to Yatan?’
The Saintess was a unique existence. She gave heals and blessings without borrowing the power ofthe gods.
“Let’s go.”
The fact that Grid obtained the Specter meant he had gained information he didn’t know before. Itwould be worth more than anything he could’ve imagined.