Overgeared

Pain was to be remembered. Once imprinted, it couldn't be easily shaken off.

"...It doesn't hurt at all." Jishuka smiled slightly as she sat in the capsule for a long time and rubbed her fingers. The pain in her fingers that overlapped every time she continuously fired—this was the worst penalty an archer had to endure. They had to feel the pain of their flesh being crushed, their muscles being ruptured, and their bones cracking throughout the battle. It might not be comparable to actual pain, but it still hurt.

Above all, it was very difficult psychologically. The longer the battle, the more times the bowstring was pulled. She knew that this pain would stay in her memories and torture her all night after she returned to reality and she sometimes wanted to run away.

Of course, she didn't really escape. She didn't take a step back. She didn't complain of pain to her colleagues or show it. Even so, Grid knew her pain. After she returned from the hell expedition, he presented her with a new thimble. It was a durable thimble. It wrapped around her fingers and contained Grid's warm consideration.

'...You have always been paying attention to me.'

He trusted her. He thought she would be able to do well with this rough thimble.

"Good, let's have strength."

Jishuka enjoyed the moment for a while before standing up vigorously. On the hologram in front of the capsule, Grid's activity was being shown. It was very cool to see him break through the crisis in some way. It was an expected performance. Just as Grid believed in JIshuka, she believed in Grid.

'Relax and fight at ease.'

She would protect the Behen Archipelago to the end—she made this resolution as she ate the banana milk flavored calorie bar and spicy chicken flavored nuts. It was an effort to adapt to Korean tastes, although it was a distorted palate. In any case, she supplemented herself with nutrients and lay down in the capsule again.

***

The 8th Great Demon, Barbatos, presided over death. If the target was within his 'field of view,' he could shoot them regardless of the distance and terrain. Thus, he was called the god of death.

He was the object of actual faith. His ability to execute others beyond time and space was sufficient to make him an object of awe and worship. Unlike Sitri, who swallowed the ghosts of hell and lost his ego in exchange for gaining a power comparable to a god, Barbatos was becoming a real demon god with the worship of other demons.

...This was until Leraje became active. It was hundreds of years ago. Leraje returned with the undefeated myth from the Behen Archipelago and emerged as a new idol. Otherwise, Barbatos would have succeeded in building divinity by monopolizing the worship of demons.

In Empress Basara's bedroom, inside the imperial palace...

'What...' Barbatos, who was using a place no one could've predicted as a sniping point, was shaken. It was because Grid kept avoiding and blocking his sniping. Grid did it while fighting Baal. He was doing the impossible.

'Is Baal doing it half-heartedly?'

It was natural to wonder about such a thing. Barbatos was close to Baal's faction, but he didn't trust Baal. Baal knew clearly that he was aiming for Grid's divinity and made it difficult on purpose. He cursed and said that there wouldn't be another son of a bitch like this in the world. Then, suddenly—

'...No?' He confirmed that Baal's face had a distorted smile.

Chill.

first time, a chill went down Barbatos' spinal

***

to this, Grid identified the location Baal was coming from even before his transcendent senses were activated. He predicted the next attack by assigning Baal's fist techniques

speed and level of thinking entered the

after his attack was blocked. His expression crumpled like a piece of paper. It wasn't an expression of emotion. It was just that his damaged nerves changed

The sword that was surrounded

'It is easy.'

exclusive property of geniuses. The information delivered by the silver threads of the 30 God Hands orbiting at intervals of five meters opened

from his transcendent senses and Keen Insight. His transcendent senses only informed him that a threat

were just less convenient when

rotation. It disappeared without notice. This was because the sword dance was used at unexpected timings by actively utilizing the body that ignored a certain

deeply devised nor systematic. It only responded to the information delivered by his senses in real time. Thus, it was even trickier. Grid's sword dance, which had its own regularity, turned into something mysterious as it

stepped back. It was only after several minutes of attacking

He marveled at how Grid had become a different being in just a few minutes. At the time when he gained Zik's body, Baal checked that it was on the level of a 'high level tower association member.' Still, the upper dantian was comparable to his main body and he was able to control the hell moon. He decided he would enjoy it as much as he could while

rapidly. Rather than enjoying it for

no

the conclusion Baal came to after comparing Grid's talent to the geniuses of previous generations. Baal had seen the birth and destruction of countless worlds. Along the way, he had witnessed and experienced more geniuses than the stars, but he thought Grid was the best. It was natural. If Madra had lived for decades more, then he might've been qualified to be a dragon slayer or a god killer, but the

last world

that came again and urged Baal, "It is

thrilling to have complete control over the flow of battle and to break

a lot of concentration, but Grid's senses were artificial. It was implemented with items, thus it consumed less concentration. It was much faster than when he solely relied on his transcendent senses. In fact, the stamina consumption dropped dramatically. Compared to the first moment when

a power." Red magic power appeared in Baal's smiling eyes. Then the demonic energy, which had been wrapped around his skin like armor, rose in a haze. It was reminiscent of the past Grid's Blackening. It was a change

"This is the limit."

Baal's power or to summon hell. It was a matter of authority that

"It won't disappoint you."

A huge explosion occurred on the other side of the direction in which the demonic energy shook. Seven training grounds that fostered powerful

was in that

according to Lauel's order, stiffened

the speculation could be

——!

into a black line. It intertwined with an orange line above

"Grid!"

A huge tsunami swallowed the sky that was dyed several colors. The moment the line

was Baal's mistake. As he was blocking the tsunami, meteorites fell from the sky. The tsunami, which was huge enough to swallow the sky, was just

face turned pale. Perhaps it was too much to summon 10 meteorites, but Braham's body on the terrace faltered. At this time, an explosion occurred in the

the modifier 'Barbatos's subordinates.' The series of explosions inside the palace caused part of the imperial palace to collapse. In these circumstances, Mercedes and Asmophel seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle with