Overgeared

“Ugh!”

Something huge and ugly was the method to create primitive fear. The black tortoise merely cried out to the sky but the high rankers shuddered with fear. They felt threatened by the enormous size of the black tortoise and disgusted by its appearance. Grid was the same. No, the confusion he felt was much greater. It was a side effect of knowing many things.

‘Is this one of the Four Auspicious Beasts?’

Grid knew—the Four Auspicious Beasts were the guardian gods of humanity, born from the aspirations of humanity. It was their role to help with the stability and prosperity of humanity. Naturally, they were favorable to humanity and their existence itself was beneficial for humanity. This wasn’t speculation, it was real.

Grid had witnessed the resurrection of the red phoenix enriching the south. Now the current black tortoise was completely different. The resurrection of the black tortoise didn’t help the north. A black, sticky liquid oozed from the snake scales and eroded the civilization of the earth. The smoke that came from the fire spout protruding from the tortoise shell covered the sun in the sky.

[Death is coming!]

[Death is coming!]

[Death...!]

The transcendent senses that detected and warned of danger drove Grid to great confusion. The warning messages steadily rose and Grid was dizzy.

‘...This isn’t the guardian god.’

Grid watched the growing size of the black liquid puddle and was convinced.

‘A wounded god.’

It was completely different from the red phoenix. The black tortoise was a god that stifled human life and destiny just by its existence. Was it originally like this?

‘No, it is impossible.’

The Twelve Zodiacs had told him that the black tortoise was the gentlest of the Four Auspicious Beasts. They said the reason the black tortoise denied and got rid of artificial substances was for humans.

‘By preserving nature, it is protecting the human race.’

It was extreme logic comparable to the claim that there was no war without an army. In any case, most of the actions of the black tortoise came from its heart or instincts for humanity.

‘It is different now.’

Night came to the world because the poison that the black tortoise emitted completely covered the sun. Was this darkness that withered life, for humanity? Not at all.

‘Something is wrong.’

It was strange from the beginning of the resurrection. It appeared that the yangbans had deliberately released the black tortoise.

‘Did they make this type of black tortoise?’

It happened when Grid was constantly thinking.

“Dammit! They hid a monster instead of a treasure!”

were deceived by the yangbans! We have to

if we fail the

we don’t even know where the treasure

Whenever the poison touched their skin, they quickly took out an antidote to drink it. However,

“Hey! Come this way!”

stop the black liquid

“Gasp.”

were corroded by the black liquid and turned to scraps. The tankers found it unexpected that objects meant for self-defense would melt without defending them. The black tortoise had no idea of the situation on the ground. It was still roaring at

"Damn...!"

behind them all paled. A black drop of water, the same size as a house, was falling over their

“Shield!”

“Anti-magic!”

various spells but it was useless. Shield couldn’t handle the

‘We’re going to die!’

only wearing a shirt, shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots. The water droplets that should’ve soaked the rankers splashed all over the blond

“H-Hey!”

“Kyaaak!”

without a single

the blond man’s incomprehensible sacrifice only to close their mouths. The blond knight’s shoulder guards, boots, and gaiters recovered immediately after the black liquid touched it. They repeatedly melted and regained their form. The process was quickly repeated dozens of times and the body of the blond knight wasn’t damaged at all. Not even a single strand of

“This liquid only extinguishes artificial substances and is harmless to organic things. So take everything off and

“Eh?”

items without hesitation. Then they

appearance. "I never thought of you as an

killed them the moment he saw them. He would’ve gone beyond the level of piercing their shields and

urged them. He had noticed why the

drawn here by a call from the

would regret it. There was no need to inflict pain on them. Grid recalled the blacksmiths who had been killed by Garam before looking up at the black tortoise. In the blackened world, the roaring red glow

“Uh...?”

leave this spot when they

Berith's Skin Mask

22nd, couldn’t be compared to a god. It meant the skin mask made by Berith wouldn’t be safe before the power of the black tortoise. He took off the skin mask in order

turned into short black hair and the cool eyes became sharp. The muscles that made up the chest and the thick waist was reminiscent of

“...Grid?”

knight and were astonished. Then their faces soon distorted. The

They stared at Grid who was standing in front of the black tortoise. Bubat, Shane, Ronam, etc.—they were representatives of their countries. If they

are you

if they liked Grid or not, they had been struggling to catch up with him and

really nothing to

he wouldn’t attend the event because it was boring. He was going to be stronger. He would be sure to become stronger so that Grid wouldn’t be able to say the same thing again. Participating

opportunity, and Grid was the one trying to overcome it. Bubat didn’t

us instead of hindering us...! Does it mean we’re not even

who could only be angry at Grid for doing them a favor. It was a complicated feeling that the rankers themselves couldn’t understand.

of the black tortoise is directed at