Chapter 2031

Among Fakers ultimate skills, there was one called Greed. He had inherited it from Kasim, the Shadow King.

Kasim was the last surviving member of the Nero tribe. This was a minority group that had been destroyed by Juander. After learning the history of the Nero tribe, Faker once confessed to Grid that, if he happened to meet Juander, he would hurt the former emperor even if Juander had turned into a hero who saved people. Faker hated Juander after finding out the origin of Greed.

Of course, Faker was a composed guy. No incidents occurred when he actually met Juander.

Did he give up because he saw Juander and Chenslers skills and decided he had no chance of winning? Was he good at controlling emotions and distinguis.h.i.+ng between public and private matters? Or had Kasim, who had already forgiven Juander, persuaded him to give up? Grid didnt know the details but, in any case... Greed was a myth born from the history of oppressed people and proof of their pain.

Greed was the name of a greedy monster, the incarnation of greed who ate everything and eventually devoured itself. From the Nero tribes perspective, the Greed of this world had been Emperor Juander. He was a monster who had wanted to devour everything except for the Saharan Empire.

Wasnt Jormungandr the actual origin of the word greed?

Jormungandr was a giant snake who chewed on his own tail because he couldnt handle his infinitely growing body. Grid was reminded of Greed as he observed Jormungandr floating in the middle of the s.p.a.ce.

Marie Rose told him, I am about to become jealous of that snake.

...Ah, Im sorry.

Grid regained his senses thanks to Marie Rose and took his eyes off Jormungandr. The reason he came here was to find the Full Moon Fortress. He was in a dangerous area where even the G.o.ds werent allowed to enter without permission. This was one of the most suitable places for the demon cultivators to be in, who were collaborating with Asura and Mumud to secretly build the Full Moon Fortress.

Shouldnt they be here?

Jormungandrs residence was much harsher and more secretive than he thought. Mountains that rose like dragons fangs filled the land, creating thousands of canyons. There was no better place than this one to plot some evil scheme while avoiding the attention of others.

Marie Rose seemed to think the same. The two of them maximized their senses and carried out a full-fledged search. Grid took full advantage of Barbatos Vision and the G.o.d Hands, while Marie Rose summoned a blood mist and bats and spread them far and wide.

Jormungandr wasnt aware of the newly arrived visitors. If Grid considered Satisfy a planet, Jormungandr was bigger than that planet. From the perspective of such an immense being, Grid and Marie Rose were as small as specks of dust. There was no way the serpent knew they were here. He wouldnt even be able to see them.

In the first place, his eyes were closed.

......!

......!

Grid and Marie Rose were focused on exploring. Their eyes widened when they felt an intense gaze fall on them.

It cant be?

A chill went down their spines as they turned their heads to look behind them. The giant snake chewing on his tail still had his eyes closed...

Ah.

Grid sighed.

A reptiles eyes had a protective layer called the nict.i.tating membrane. Thanks to the translucent membrane, the reptile was able to see while providing moisture to its eyes. In other words, Jormungandr looked like he had his eyes closed at first glance, but they were actually open. Contrary to Grids expectations, the serpent clearly recognized the presence of intruders and was watching them.

[Is my G.o.d back?]

That question made no sense at first. Jormungandr still had his tail in his mouth. This wasnt his voice. He was conveying a message through intent. It couldnt be nonsense.

Grid suddenly recalled the myth of Jormungandr. Jormungandr had been Yatans favorite divine beast. However, when Yatan disappeared, the giant snake was flooded with anger and confusion, leading to his current situation. The G.o.d he was talking about was, of course, Yatan...

...Did Marie Rose remind him of Yatan? Grid thought.

No, unfortunately, Yatan didnt come back, Marie Rose said slowly. Her red eyes were fixed on Jormungandr. His whereabouts are still unknown.

Wriggle!

The universe slowly split apart. Two blazing red suns suddenly rose. Jormungandrs membrane peeled off, revealing his pupils. The two huge suns, which were like the sun from the Solar System in the real world, stared at Marie Rose with astonis.h.i.+ng precision.

[But who are you? Why do you look so much like my G.o.d?]

Grid had a sharp headache. Jormungandrs intent was very unusual. It felt like hundreds of millions of sheets of paper being torn to shreds or tens of millions of windows being shattered. It seemed to express the pain, anger, and confusion that Jormungandr had felt for so many years. Jormungandr frowned, unable to bear the pain.

Marie Rose quietly gripped Grids hand. A blood-red energy spread throughout his body. It was like receiving a blood transfusion.

Grid was the Blood King, so he and Marie Rose could nourish each other. They were able to take care of each other and do things like restoring each others HP and removing negative status effects.

Who knows? Is it because I am Beriaches daughter?

[Beriache... She was one of my G.o.ds precious flesh and blood.]

Grids headache faded along with his anxiety. He was very optimistic about this situation. He believed that Jormungandr wouldnt harm Marie Rose since she was Yatans granddaughter. Maybe they could even cooperate? Grid was looking forward to it.

[The first misjudgment of G.o.d and a harbinger of an irreversible disaster.]

Jormungandrs intent became even sharper. Tens of thousands of high notes seemed to overlap. Marie Rose couldnt bear the headache and frowned. This time, it was Grid who held her hand.

[Your blood meets Marie Roses and flows.]

[All the negative status effects are gone.]

Marie Rose smiled, grateful.

[I regret it. Even though I saw through the madness and malice buried in Baals eyes, the sinister nature buried deep in Amoracts heart, and Beriaches arrogance and belief that she was better than them, I was young and uncertain.]

Jormungandrs thoughts spiraled out of control. Surrounding planets trembled with an immeasurable deep anger and despair that spread in the form of divinity.

The Wicked Eye.

Grid was reminded of Sariel. The Wicked Eye revealed the original sin of the G.o.ds. This was the main reason for Sariel being expelled from Asgard.

Grid had always wondered why it was called the Wicked Eye. Now his question had been answered. The Wicked Eye originated from Jormungandr. Originally, it wasnt called the Wicked Eye, but...

[I hate it. When I was young, I foolishly believed that I shouldnt dare to advise G.o.d.]

Jormungandr himself gave the name Wicked Eye to his insight which stemmed from self-loathing. Thus, the name was born.

[After G.o.d disappeared, I prayed when I saw his honor being tainted by his childrenBaal who distorted h.e.l.l, Amoract who colluded with him, Beriache who was overconfident and failed to guard against them... I wanted the strength to chew and devour all those vulgar, evil beings.]

Grid never wouldve guessed that Jormungandr had become larger than a planet because of his hatred and killing intent toward Yatans children. He realized the seriousness of the situation after learning the truth.

Right now, all of Yatans children were dead. Marie Rose was the only one in the world who could claim to be Yatans flesh and blood. She had fully absorbed the power of Beriache. From Jormungandrs perspective, she could be the same as Beriache.

I shouldnt have come here.

Grid pulled out Twilight and Defying the Natural Order, more nervous than ever. Jormungandr stopped chewing on his tail. The mere thought of him opening his mouth made Grid feel numb. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d could bite into Satisfy like an apple. He could crush and swallow Asgard in one bite. The surface would lose its sky and face chaos the likes of which it had never experienced before.

I was foolish.

This was a place marked as a danger zone on the map that Dominion gave him. He shouldnt have come here in the first place. Grid was blaming himself. This was all his fault...

Is your Wicked Eye just a decoration?

Marie Rose, who was staring up at Jormungandr, tilted her head in confusion. There was a faint smile on her face. She even had her arms crossed. This was in sharp contrast to Grid, who had equipped and held his two swords in a fully combat-ready posture.

Her ankle-length translucent robe blew in the wind and vegetation appeared in front of her. b.u.t.terflies flew and deers frolicked. The embroidery on her robe moved as if it was alive. This seemed like it would be good for prenatal care. Grid bit his tongue and came to his senses after having this meaningless thought. Marie Roses full-term belly reminded him of what he had to protect.

Yes, Marie Rose certainly made things worse by provoking Jormungandr, but he shouldnt blame her. No matter what happened, he had to fight and win...

Item Combination.

Grid combined the two swords into one.

[You... You escaped the fate of being devoured by Beriache and punished her instead.]

The two suns, which had been emitting a blazing divinity, were no longer as fierce as before. Jormungandrs eyes, which had been filled with anger and killing intent, softened. He burst out laughing.

[Huhuhu, hahaha! Beriache! That arrogant being who believed she was the only answer was eaten by her own child! She paid the price for failing to stop Baal and experienced the worst possible end!]

Grid was stunned. Marie Rose whispered in his ear, My dear husband, this all happened because of you. Im proud of you.

Jormungandr finally faced Grid. [Also, you... You punished Baal and Amoract.]

Jormungandr saw how Grid had changed and protected the world. The result? It was obvious. He respected Grid.

The Serpent G.o.d finally looked at Marie Roses belly. [I see youre together. What a good pair. The baby in the womb is also worthy of you. I think that if G.o.d had given birth out of love rather than necessity, better children wouldve been born...]

Jormungandr sighed and closed his eyes again.

[Dont waste your time here. Leave. The thing you seek isnt here, but in the north.]

Are you going to remain like this?

[It matters not to me... My desire was more powerful than it had to be. After I achieved it, I became too big.]

Jormungandr couldnt punish the children of his G.o.d because punis.h.i.+ng them meant devouring the whole world. The consequences would be colossal. There was nothing he could do. The only thing possible was to consume himself so that he wouldnt become bigger and fill the whole universe.

[Thanks to you, the honor of my G.o.d will no longer be tarnished. I have no regrets. From now on, I will devour all of myself and perish.]

...Yes, close your eyes and rest in peace.

Marie Rose didnt dissuade Jormungandr. She knew what a threat his presence was to the world. She left without any regrets. Grid couldnt help looking up to her.

Noona...

......?

Just... I wanted to call you that.

......