Overgeared

Sneak sneak.

A blue and round object moved stealthily. The glossy and fluffy appearance made people want to pet it.

It was none other than the head of the number one knight of the empire. She continued to lie down and creep forward. Several strands of hair stretched out like antennae and fluttered like a radar detecting enemies. Of course, there was no practical effect.

“Where are you going?”

“Gasp...”

She even took off her shoes so as to not make footsteps.

Mercedes’ secret escape was eventually discovered. The variables were too numerous. She never thought that the Empress herself would be sitting in front of the door...

“G-Go, for a, walk...”

“In the middle of the night?”

Irene slowly closed the book she was reading and smiled. It was her usual gentle smile but it sent shivers down Mercedes’ spine. It was due to her Keen Insight. Irene’s eyes weren’t smiling.

“What’s more, you are wearing your sword.”

“T-That...”

Mercedes, who was struggling with a stiff head, soon closed her eyes and shouted.

“Give me permission to go! It is a battle with an Old Dragon...! It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the rise or fall of the Empire is at stake!”

Mercedes was a knight and an apostle loyal to Grid. Defending Grid and the Empire he had built was her guiding principle. Now that everyone else was struggling for the sake of the Empire, she couldn’t lie in bed alone and count the stars outside the window.

“I have to fight too! My colleagues need me!” Mercedes shouted from the perspective of a soldier. Her eyes were desperate and her voice was loud. She made it clear that she could no longer make concessions.

“Mother...” Lord’s cautious voice came from the door. He seemed to be trying to persuade Irene. Even outside the door, he was inspired by the conviction in Mercedes’ cry.

However, Irene didn’t blink despite standing face to face with Mercedes. “I am fully aware of your strength. If you join the war, then the odds will surely rise.”

Mercedes’ face, which had become pale from being locked in her room for several days, turned bright red. It was a useless expectation.

“Right now, you are carrying His Majesty’s child. You might not die prematurely, but the child in your womb is different. Shouldn’t you act with the self-awareness of the mother of His Majesty’s child, not His Majesty’s knight, at least for now?”

“Ugh...”

Irene, who had been careful not to burden Mercedes, mentioned her baby for the first time. An invincible logic came out.

However, Mercedes was also persistent. “I-I might be being presumptuous, but... if the subjugation team is defeated by the Old Dragon and his anger reaches all the way to the capital... I will lose everything, not just the child in my womb.”

“Don’t worry. If such a situation happens, the prince and the soldiers of the Empire will become your shield.” It was an emphatic answer. Irene’s unconventional declaration that she would sacrifice even the crown prince shocked Mercedes.

“This...! How can His Highness be my shield?!”

“It is our duty to protect our families.”

“......!”

Family—it was a word that stood out to Mercedes, who was abandoned by her biological parents.

Mercedes was speechless due to embarrassment. Irene stood up and hugged her warmly. “Your duty is to protect His Majesty’s child and my duty is to lead you.”

“...Yes.” Eventually, Mercedes was forced to lower the sword in her hand. In fact, she knew it as well. The moment she went into battle against an Old Dragon, the child in her womb was unlikely to survive. Perhaps she would only trouble her other colleagues. Her colleagues would be worried about Grid’s child as well.

nodded. She had changed a lot as the years had passed. She was about to suppress her violent temperament and

trust and patience. Sometimes, you have to trust others instead of just yourself. It will be

like I’ve always believed

had returned to her usual

***

than any other dragon. He constantly poured out a heat that burned everything. He deserved

to him,

seemed to be

[Grruk...]

fire. His magic power was still infinite, but it didn’t

had become dull. He allowed several attacks to hit him from those who approached like rats and stabbed him. He swung his tail to kill the insects coming from all directions, but they somehow seemed fine. It was difficult to figure

lizard. Today

of the Martial God was screaming. He was fighting

beings—fleeting beings who only lived for

understand the concept

humans who looked especially small and insignificant. Soon, a sea of flames would cover the desert. He would annihilate all

[.....]

The surroundings were silent rather than becoming a sea of

he had just shot, splitting in half and dissipating. It was very

dopo. There was spirituality in the sword he wielded. It was energy with an unusual origin. It showed the mystery of cutting through the elements, in

down the Elemental

person

[...Grid.]

Trauka suddenly became angry.

he restored the Refractive Dragon and put an end to the Age of Oblivion.

he betrayed them. He armed his subordinates with battle gear made from Trauka’s materials and created a tenacious army. Dazzling Absolutes

[Why...?]

Why?

you against

most likely a being descended from the same dimension as the Foreign God. Everything Grid experienced here was nothing more than

it is because

dying flash—it wasn’t until Trauka was cornered that he realized it. From Grid’s perspective, ephemeral beings and the Old Dragons were equally insignificant. After all,

[Kukuk.]

wasn’t a self-deprecating act aimed at lowering his status to the same level as those

perfection even in the midst of a crisis that he was experiencing for the first time

like a dull and slow turtle to his enemies. Therefore, he brought himself to the same eye

dare you treat

was buzzing and rampaging like Marie Rose. Then he swung his lance-like sword. A sword energy

“Uh...?”

the army of magicians, including Laella, Zednos, and Euphemina, turning to ash or becoming incapable of combat. People couldn’t understand the situation for a while. The incident happened in such a short

“Oh, my.”

“......?!”

when she heard someone’s groan and saw the back of the previous

“M-Muller?”

me and take care of yourself. Your firepower is the most important

attack

again, he relentlessly aimed at Euphemina.

called the Overgeared Martial God or Item Martial God. He was infinitely feared and loathed when he was

his bluffing. Now that he has abandoned his armor of scales, it is time

thunderous breaths and calmed the subjugation

quickly. He erased the picture that was designed to be suitable for hunting the isolated Old Dragon and drew a new battlefield. The iceberg, which served as a cover to block the flames, transformed into pupils that suppressed escape. The

water. They sowed seeds in

the air and

pincer attack linked from left to right,

clumsy Breath struck Trauka in the chest, while Jishuka and Yura’s sniping