Chapter 2000

He isnt dead or logged out...?

Did he really faint in the game?

The world message announcing the death of the G.o.d of the beginning, Hanul, was Grids last memory. He also remembered the epic that wors.h.i.+ped his new achievements, and a somewhat unfamiliar rewards breakdown...

Dozens of lines of notifications were flas.h.i.+ng in front of him, but Grid lost consciousness before he had the time to take a closer look.

......

Step.

Consciousness Separation was an omnipotent skill. It wasnt necessary for the subject to always control the divided consciousness. According to the subjects will, or when the subject was unresponding, like now, Grids clone could operate in auto mode.

Thanks to his high Intelligence stat, he could make decisions like a super named-grade NPC.

The clone protected Grid. Dont get any closer, he warned Chiyou. He kept his voice and gaze gentle out of fear of provoking him.

Noe and Randy whined as they emerged to take care of Grid.

[Did you notice?]

Chiyou didnt bother to stop them. He put away his sword and crossed his arms, like he had no intention of harming Grid.

[If Hanul had dealt a low blow at the end, Grid wouldve died.]

The clone couldnt deny that. ...I suppose so.

Thanks to having Grids memories, it was safe to say that the clone had also mastered swordsmans.h.i.+p. Hanul had created a sword out of the Annihilation energy stolen from Grid and brandished a purple sword. If he hadnt been so certain of victory, if he had predicted in advance that Rebecca would intervene, he never wouldve raised the sword above his head. Instead of doing that, he wouldve unleashed a low strike in preparation for Grids counterattack.

[Even if Grid had dashed forward at the speed of light, Hanul wouldve likely stabbed Grid in the chest. He was a G.o.d of the beginning. He mightve acted like a fool for many years when he was blinded by the light, but he wasnt a weakling.]

Hanuls authority was to issue wide-area quests. This meant that he could easily influence others with his words. It was easy for him to make Grids epic react with just a few shouts. Hanuls declaration that he would kill Grid, thus triggering the epic, was clearly intentional.

Hanul had planned a dramatic performance to show his prestige to the Overgeared World, which controlled most of the planet. His somewhat exaggerated words and deeds probably stemmed from this plan. He probably intended to imprint himself in history by holding the giant sword above his head.

This had resulted in the worst possible outcome, but there was a clear reason for Hanuls choices and actions.

[Of course, I have no intention of defending someone who is already dead.]

Chiyou hated romanticism. He wasnt obsessed with fame. He just wanted to die. He was jealous of Hanul, who died, and had no sympathy whatsoever for him.

Jingle.

Chiyou paused for a moment before approaching. The clone was surprised to see him get closer and tried to stop him, only to change his mind.

Ack,

ong!

Noe was wary of Chiyou. Noe, who was terrified of dragons, stood up and showed that he was willing to fight against the Martial G.o.d. Even Randy was already swinging her sword.

Chiyou bent down and dodged the swing. He whispered to the unconscious Grid, [Grid, dont forget that you were lucky enough to win. Dont be arrogant just because you defeated a G.o.d of the beginning. You have to remember this so that you may cut my throat the next time we meet.]

Jingle.

Soon, only the sound of bells remained. Chiyou disappeared without a trace. Grids group was left alone on the battlefield, stunned. However, they couldnt stay here forever.

The darkened sky kept screaming. It was connected to the now-fallen World Tree, the entrance to the Hwan Kingdom.

The clone said, I wonder if Hanuls death has caused the Hwan Kingdom to become even more unstable... He turned to Noe and Randy and added, King Sobyeol might be coming, so we must hurry. I dont think Grid has recovered from his wounds, so there is no guarantee we can deal with the king easily.

I understand,

nyang.

Grids shattered dragon armor, helmet, gauntlets, looked pitiful...

The clone, Noe, and Randy tried to gather as many fragments of Grids items scattered throughout the battlefield as they could. To repair items that werent just broken or damaged, but completely destroyed, they needed as many parts as possible.

It wasnt an easy thing to do. The armor fragments were so small that they scattered everywhere, as if they had been swept away by a storm. This was proof of how strong Hanuls Annihilation sword had been.

It cant be helped.

The cries from the blackened sky grew louder.

Grids clone made a decision. Okay, thats enough. We have to go.

Now.

The clone didnt wait for Noe and Randy to reply. He used Ma.s.s Teleport to get himself and his companions out of there.

Immediately afterward

[I was one second too late.]

King Sobyeol showed up. He didnt feel any regrets. Instead, he was overjoyed. Since the moment Grid betrayed him, he had dedicated his time to training. However, he had been pessimistic about his bleak future. He thought that it would be impossible for him to regain his original strength once Hanul no longer had any expectations of him.

But Hanul was dead. Grid had granted King Sobyeol the opportunity to live. He might even inherit some of his fathers influence. He would become the master of the Hwan Kingdom. This alone made it possible for him to regain his strength and secure a safer position than before.

Of course, the Hwan Kingdom had declined to the point where it couldnt even be compared to the Overgeared World or Asgard, but that was okay. If he lived in seclusion for thousands or tens of thousands of years to regain his power, he would surely have new opportunities to...

[...Um?]

King Sobyeol was smiling, but now he was frowning.

Rumble!!

The sky, which was dark and roaring, suddenly cracked open and spat out a single familiar-looking person.

[Garam?]

It is an honor that you remember my humble name.

[How did you survive?]

The Hwan Kingdom had suffered enormous damage and was in a terrible state after Hanuls death. King Sobyeol wouldnt find it surprising if the three masters were intending to betray him and take over the kingdom. However, it didnt make sense for a long-dead yangban to suddenly come back to life. People were saying that Garams soul had been annihilated during the destruction of h.e.l.l.

Garam shrugged. Who knows? Perhaps Hanul had high expectations for me? I didnt expect that he had prepared not only a spare body, but also a spare soul.

[You used to be as talented as Mir. But Garam, you are being rude.]

King Sobyeol was an Absolute. He had lost a lot of power after losing to Grid a few months earlier, but he could easily harm a Transcendent. Hanul was known to have no manners. Garam was sinister in many ways, so King Sobyeol was determined to cut off his head in one go.

However...

[This strength?]

Garam easily blocked King Sobyeols surprise attack. No, he didnt exactly block it. Garam just stood still, and King Sobyeols surprise attack didnt work at all.

I was resurrected after Hanuls death. Do you still not understand whats going on? I dont know why, but Hanul chose me as his successor. I inherited his power, even though its only a little bit.

A pure white energy was radiating from Garam. This energy not only easily neutralized King Sobyeols attack, but it also absorbed his divinity. From King Sobyeols perspective, not even the G.o.ds could fight back against this power. This was none other than Hanuls divinity.

[Hanul...! What can you do as a mere yangban...?!]

King Sobyeol trembled. He wasnt angry at Garam, but at Hanul. How could he pa.s.s his divinity to someone who wasnt even his flesh and blood? Wasnt that completely insane?

Suddenly, King Sobyeol remembered what Grid had told him some time before.

It's just that I couldnt trust you because you betrayed your brother and ended up like this.

That was what Grid had whispered before stabbing him in the back. Perhaps Hanul also didnt trust King Sobyeol...

He laughed.

[Did you know the truth, Hanul?]

King Sobyeol had wanted for a long time to become the sole heir of the G.o.d of the beginning and reign over the G.o.ds. Thus, he betrayed his older brother, Daebyeol, who was more talented and popular than him. He had thrown his brother into h.e.l.l.

He felt like he had the whole world at his feet once he finally heard the news of Daebyeols death...

He had been mistaken. His world had already collapsed.

[You did this to yourself.]

Retribution was inevitable. He remembered that Grid, who was just an ephemeral human, had annihilated Baal. King Sobyeol simply accepted his death. Recognizing his inevitable fate meant he had no motivation to resist.

King Sobyeols head burst like a smashed-in watermelon. Garam absorbed his white divinity that was released. King Sobyeol regressed, dying by returning to his origins.

...Can I live the way I want now?

Garam, who had unexpectedly resurrected, grinned. He knew why Hanul had brought him back to life. If Hanul was to die, he wanted a madman to inherit some of his power and use it freely. Why? Maybe he wanted the world to be destroyed if he died.

Knowing this, Garam asked himself, Shall I save the world instead?

Garam was going to do the opposite of what had been asked of him. That was his nature. He targeted the fortresses he perceived with his Absolute senses and dipped.

***

The city swept away by fire was reduced to ashes. The embers flying everywhere crackled eerily.

......

Lost Justice barely managed to escape from the broken Overgeared Cannon and was speechless. The Tomb of the G.o.ds, the empires moving fortress, which symbolized Grids power and forces, was collapsing. The city that hundreds of thousands of engineers had struggled to build for years was now gone. Only the black and gold deck, made from Greed, remained.

Some mortals have particularly tough lives.

Lost Justice was suddenly startled by a voice coming from above and looked up. Hundreds of cultivators surrounded by protective layers of different colors were adorning the sky like stars. They were all at least Transcendents, and their power was incredible.

Slash.

Lost Justice got decapitated, and her head rolled pitifully on the deck.

The cultivators were all staring at the place where dozens of huge circular instruments were lined upthe warp gates zone.

The void refining realm cultivator broke Lauels finger and asked him, Why arent you activating them?

The cultivators hadnt destroyed the warp gates because they planned to summon imperial forces using them and wipe the Overgeared members out. However, only Lauel, the prime minister of the empire, had the authority to activate the warp gates. Nine of his fingers had been broken, but he never screamed.

This is your last chance. Wouldnt it be better for you to summon all your troops to fight against us?

If you dont activate these gates, we will go to each kingdom and city and exterminate all the mortals living there. In the process, all your precious troops will be annihilated. You still have a chance not to lose everything.

The cultivators kept threatening him. Lauel, who had kept his mouth shut the whole time, checked the time and smiled.

We will see... Your threats arent scary at all.

Are you crazy...? Huh?

The cultivators were frowning, confused by Lauels unfathomable confidence. Suddenly, communication talismans flew from each sect, telling the cultivators that the Full Moon Fortresses were being attacked.

What? How?

Lauel said, Summon the troops? I cant do that, because there are no troops to summon. By the time you left the Full Moon Fortresses, I had already sent everyone there.

Lauel had risen to his position because of his intelligence. He had accurately predicted the cultivators counterattack and used this opportunity to strike. He sent out thousands or tens of thousands of support troops to the existing raid groups as reinforcements. As a result, the elite cultivators selected from each sect were likely to lose their Full Moon Fortress in no time.

How does it feel to lose your home? Youve always taken things away from others, so I cant imagine how you feel.

The cultivators trembled when they saw Lauel smile, his eyes bright.