Overgeared (WN KR)
chapter-1717

What distinguished between how high and low a god was? The brightness of the halo? The difference between the position and clothing? No, it was the degree of the 'blessing.'

Unlike demons and monsters who caused abnormal statuses just by facing them, the gods basically blessed humans. The problem was that most of the blessings were blocked or immediately recovered due to the situation. In any case, the gods who came down to the surface after Zeratul belonged to the latter. Even if they recovered it later, it meant they once blessed the humans. It was an expression of their desire to spread their myths and be worshiped.

This holy war was a great opportunity for the subordinate gods who hadn't come to the surface for a long time. The same was true for Aldro. The white-haired god had learned martial arts from Zeratul out of simple interest. He had decided to take this journey to the surface not for Zeratul's honor, but for his own sake.

It was to bestow a huge blessing to humans and make his name widely known. It was so that one day he could become a chief god of Asgard and be reborn as an omniscient and omnipotent being.

"Come."

For Aldro, Braham was a very appropriate opponent. The surface had indeed been reborn into a new divine world. Braham was a sun among inferior lights even in this place filled with great figures. Braham was special even in the eyes of the gods. It wasn't because he had unstoppable magic power or because he was the flesh and blood of Beriache.

The myth of the hydra—the myth of the great monster that was fatal to the majority of gods was mixed as if it was a part of Braham, or as if Braham was a part of the great monster's myth. His existence itself was a threat. It was even more so because he was an object of reverence for human beings.

It was a bit frightening, so it was well worth the challenge. The moment he fought Braham and won, his status would rise a few levels. The dimensional characteristics of the Overgeared World should've suppressed intruders, but this was offset by Zeratul's power of the 'Martial God.'

An opportunity that might never come twice was right in front of him. He never wanted to miss it.

"I don't want to."

"……?"

Aldro, who had asked Braham to fight in an excited manner, was noticeably embarrassed. He never thought he would be rejected. Wasn't it a place where everyone was watching? Braham was in a position where nothing good came of showing weakness in front of people, but he refused to compete? It was even with an arrogant expression. His facial expression and his choice didn't match at all…

"You are frightened, so you are acting recklessly."

"Say whatever you like." Braham snorted and took his gaze away from Aldro. It was because he recalled the blessing that was lavishly given when Aldro first descended.

Abundance. He made milk and honey flow throughout the world. It was certain that many of those who had been starving all over the world were saved at once. In any case, he wasn't Braham's opponent.

Braham was looking at the third lowest god. It was a god as small as a boy. He had given a blessing that amplified people's wisdom and magic power, but the extent was weak. Even the paleness of the halo made him appear to be a low ranking god.

However, Braham saw through this. He wasn't showing himself off, unlike the other gods. This guy was the strongest.

"I will fight that guy in the great battle."

"……"

The people watching the situation with great tension instantly became dumbfounded. The strongest symbol of the Overgeared Empire along with Piaro—they were disappointed that Braham, whom Grid also admired, had declared that he would fight one of the lowest gods.

Wasn't the opponent a little boy based on the appearance? It felt like a nasty uncle bullying a child. He was too young and handsome to be an uncle, but…

"You… are more talented than I expected." Aldro noticed his gap with Braham and got the chills.

"You are the God of Abundance." Then a man came onto the stage. It was a man wearing a straw hat and carrying farming equipment.

Aldro recognized him instantly. "Piaro, the weakest of the Overgeared God's seven apostles. I heard that you recently won against the archangels and gained a faint divinity, but… I know it was thanks to the help of a magician. It is a big problem to go against me,"Aldro responded in an unwilling manner.

On the other hand, Piaro was different. He liked his opponent enough to laugh.

"I won't let you down."

Piaro felt many eyes on him. The eyes of the farmers sending him unshakable trust, the eyes of the people filled with fervent desire, the eyes of his wife and daughter, the eyes of Grid… They were the eyes of people who were precious to him.

Failing to meet their earnest expectations? This meant he didn't deserve to be a god in the first place. Piaro needed to win this confrontation. It was all the more so because his opponent was the God of Abundance. He had to win in order to become the 'God of Farmers.'

"Why is it the God of Farmers?" Grid read Piaro's will from the sky and lamented.

"Let's go back to the temple," Nefelina, who was unable to carry him any longer, urged in a voice filled with concern. She was restless after the duration of the Transcendent Dragon ended and she returned to human form. It was because Grid's wounds hadn't fully healed. In the first place, repairing the severed body parts required time and these were wounds inflicted by Zeratul. The Martial God's obsession slowed the recovery of the wounds.

Looking back on it, Martial God Zeratul was immensely strong. It might've seemed like he had been brutally defeated and retreated due to Grid in less than a minute, but Nefelina had clearly witnessed it firsthand. The level of the martial arts that Zeratul showed from moment to moment was more difficult than Baal, who used all the skills of the dead. It was a realm that was completely out of reach for Nefelina. Yet Grid won…

Nefelina, who had been watching Grid from the moment she was born, felt so moved. She had known he was a great human being when she first saw him, but he actually grew to the point where he could destroy the demons of hell and the celestial gods, as well as earn her father's approval…

Nefelina's heart fluttered and she blushed as she recalled the moment when she was allowed to join with him. She felt excited about the situation itself.

"No, I have to be here." Grid shook his head. With the helmet covering the blood that still flowed from his severed nose, he looked at the ground with his sharp eyes. He watched as Piaro started the fight.

"It is the moment when the people who have been with me are trying to become gods."

It didn't make sense if he didn't watch.

It was just before swinging the hand plow. Grid nodded to Piaro, who was looking this way, and witnessed a miracle.

The moment that Piaro sowed the seeds, a huge tree stood tall in the center of the stage that had turned into an agricultural field. The smell of grass permeated Grid's sense of smell, which had been filled with blood. It was the aftermath of the sky being covered with leaves from the branches that stretched out in a dense manner.

"A world tree…?"

Could Piaro handle a god, let alone a god who was so strong?

The people who were watching doubtfully let out sighs.

The tree built by Piaro was large and dense enough to be compared to the world tree known to support the sky. Of course, it was infinitely smaller compared to the world tree, but no one would disagree that it was the second largest tree in the world.

It was thanks to the aspirations of the people. The desire of the famers who gave infinite trust to Piaro and his wife, who was an elf, created a miracle that reproduced the world tree. A reason could be that some of the farmers who trusted him consisted of big names such as the Sword Saint, the Overgeared God Church's Pope, and the Aura Master.

However, Piaro knew that even if they weren't here, Grid alone would've supported him. He was convinced that he could perform the miracle of this moment as long as he had Grid.

"I never supported you becoming the God of Farmers…"

A god and apostle—as their communication deepened in real time, Grid read Piaro's mind and tried to refute it, but it was useless. It was because Piaro knew that what Grid wanted for him was the 'God of Abundance.'

The God of Farmers and the God of Abundance—weren't they both the same? It was proven by Grid's statement that the God of Fishing, Lars, was sometimes called the God of Abundance by some people. Therefore, it was fine.

"Um…!" Aldro's eyes grew bigger.

The fist techniques learned from Zeratul—the fist swung with the intention of destroying Piaro's hand plow was unexpectedly blocked. The moment the hand plow and the fist collided, the tree swayed heavily.

'Did it absorb the shock?'

Aldro agonized over the use of his power. His power gave life to living things. It was possible to promote growth and it was possible to shorten the lifespan by giving life beyond the limit. It meant he could quickly make that huge tree wither. However, he didn't do so. It was because the moment he used this power in the holy war, the essence of the holy war would be damaged. Even if he used his power to win, he would be defeated if he didn't prove Zeratul's martial arts.

'I don't want to be forced to look ugly.'

He knew the original sins of the high ranking gods. It was the truth that Zik and Sariel below the stage proved. Aldro couldn't bear it if he showed his ugliness in front of them and lowered the prestige of the gods…

"I'll admit that you are a worthy opponent."

Aldro took a deep breath and concentrated. He squeezed both fists lightly, spread out his legs, and lowered one shoulder at an angle. He fully implemented the teachings of Zeratul. Just then, the halo above Aldro's head became brighter than before.

It was a warm glow. It wasn't dazzling even if it was right in front of him. It vaguely resembled Grid's divinity and Piaro was able to realize that he was facing a true god.

"I'll take it as an honor."

The huge tree that painted Reinhardt's sky green swayed along with Piaro's movement. Aldro had to feel the weight of the tree every time he exchanged attacks with Piaro's farming equipment. To be precise, it was the wishes and beliefs of the people contained in the tree. It was very heavy.

Aldro had to swallow a groan with every weight he endured. He suddenly felt bitter. It was because the human being in front of him looked more like a god, not himself.

"…I was wrong in the first place." He, who didn't understand humans, claimed to be a god who needed human worship. Aldro smiled bitterly at the sudden thought and his fist struck Piaro's face.

Piaro's hand plow was about to punch a hole in Aldro's forehead. The huge tree exploded. It sacrificed itself in place of Piaro's face, which should've shattered at the punch. The agriculture field had rapidly withered after hundreds of blows were exchanged.

"I want to learn farming from you someday." Aldro held out his hand, not his fist, to Piaro. "It is to learn how to win the hearts of humans."

Originally, Aldro was someone who had no hesitation in learning. Therefore, he learned martial arts even though he didn't respect Zeratul. It meant it wasn't strange for him to seek guidance from someone lower than him. Additionally, he was acknowledging Piaro. Unlike Zeratul, who was naturally worshiped, Piaro had many things to admire.

"……"

In the presence of the silent people, Grid's voice permeated the ears of Piaro, who was hesitating because he couldn't easily hold Aldro's hand. Grid was telling him not to hesitate when making friends. He said he had made friends in hell and Asgard as well.

-…If you are willing.

Piaro smiled and grabbed Aldro's hand.

People's cheers followed. The shouts were as loud as when Grid and Kraugel won.

Piaro might've lost the fight, but he became a person who received a god's recognition and taught a god in front of everyone. It was no wonder that he enjoyed more honor than the winner. Naturally, this worked for Aldro as well. Aldro felt his divinity becoming stronger in real time.

"It is so easy to be misled…"Aldro saw the humans cheering and waving even to himself and scolded like it was pitiful before he started smiling. The emotion he was feeling for the first time since his birth made him happy.