Overgeared (WN KR)
chapter-1725

The essence of an angel was a god's agent. To humans, they might seem infinitely noble and sacred, but their actual status wasn't high. The same was true of the archangels. They were the best of the angels. They might have more power and authority than an ordinary god, but their status was low. In other words, it was difficult to attract the attention of the gods just because an angel was punished.

However, the incident of Sariel's exile was witnessed and talked about by many gods. Didn't Zeratul and the gods who followed Zeratul all recognize Sariel and mention her?

'I should've noticed it right away.'

Sariel was special among the archangels.

Grid wiped the blood from his cheek that was cut by the feathers and felt convinced. It seemed natural now when looking back at it.

The Archangel of Justice—Sariel was the guardian of the laws of heaven. Her 'Wicked Eye' watched the angels and gods and revealed their sins. Maybe she even had the power to punish them. In the end, she must've been exiled because she was an inconvenient existence to the gods.

'An executor.'

An archangel with the power to monitor and punish the gods…

A chill went down Grid's spine as he defined Sariel. He inferred the modifier in front of her name and realized how great she was. It wasn't an abnormal thing. Even when looking at hell, there were many hidden giants besides the Three Evils of the Beginning. It was just like the Black Knight or Asura.

'I have to stop it.'

Grid clenched his hands and opened them. He breathed in and smelled the wind. The smell of blood that pierced his nose became blurred. Most of the wounds on his face and his severed arms had been regenerated. Any serious wounds would heal over time.

This was a privilege for all players. Of course, they had to 'die' to recover. To be precise, the players couldn't do anything in front of curse-type wounds that 'reset,' but Zeratul's attacks didn't contain a curse. Putting aside his hatred of Grid, he hurt Grid with pure martial arts like the Martial God. The problem was that it was so fatal that it didn't recover easily.

'It is a bit unfortunate, but this should be enough.'

Grid checked his physical condition and examined the situation on the ground. The battle range was too large to stay on the ground. The sword dropped by the huge constellation warrior covered the entire stage, while Sariel's feathers penetrated through the barriers that were shattering and terrified those outside the stage.

A place high in the sky where the barriers didn't reach.

In other words, the aftermath of the battle was reaching where Grid was. Every time the air waves of the constellation warrior collided with the ultramarine demonic energy on the blade-like feathers, the shockwaves reached the place where Grid was. The damage that was hard to ignore even for Grid gradually accumulated. It hinted at the fact that the barriers surrounding the stage wouldn't last long.

People were in danger like this.

"……!"

Grid was trying to narrow the distance to Sariel using Shunpo, only to stop in surprise. It was because on the stage, Sariel's gaze suddenly turned his way as she used her six pairs of wings to block the sword of the constellation warrior. The murky gray eyes projected Grid's blurry form like a bronze mirror.

[Greed, violence, murder, and betrayal… you have also committed many sins.]

Sariel's thoughts penetrated Grid's mind. A slight sadness and great anger was felt.

Grid reflected on his past.

Greed—he was greedy for too much.Material things, people, and love.

Violence—he often resorted to absurd violence in the name of revenge.

Murder—for money, power, growth, the people, the nation… he killed too many people for all sorts of reasons.

Betrayal—he overthrew the Eternal Kingdom.

"…That's right."

It was said that the seven gods had each only committed one type of sin. Compared to them, he would be a greater sinner. In fact, he knew it right from the start. The reason he easily became friendly with Hexetia was due to the realization that he didn't have the right to criticize Hexetia.

"But."

Grid looked at the people. People from all walks of life made up a huge crowd. Many of them depended on him.

"You can't punish me."

He knew it was selfish. He also knew that whatever he said was nothing but sophistry. However, Grid wasn't in a position where he could be buried by his past. The future he had to take responsibility for was too great to give up on just because of the sins he committed in his past.

[My sin is special. There is a story and a cause, right?]

Sariel's tears of blood grew thicker.

[You are also like the gods of heaven.]

Punishing others—she didn't do it because she liked it. It was an obligation she bore from the time of her birth, so she fulfilled it even if it was sad at times. It was even more so if the object to be punished was the god she served.

Sariel spread open her folded wings and the blade-like feathers formed a storm. It made it impossible for Grid to properly identify her figure. It meant it was difficult to use Shunpo to enter the storm. This wasn't a problem.

"Freely Move."

He just had to dodge and enter. Countless sparks flew around Grid's body as he entered the storm. They were sparks generated when the blade-like feathers collided with Berith's Power.

Automatic Transformation—it was a passive skill that blocked all projectiles flying at him for one minute, guarding Grid. However, there were limitations to Freely Move and Automatic Transformation. A ranged attack that covered all areas. It blocked the retreat of Freely Move and retained too strong a power for Automatic Transformation to handle.

Just then, the sword wielded by the constellation warrior struck Sariel and Grid at the same time. Signs of the barrier being broken down in real time were caught by Grid's senses. Fortunately, it was being restored immediately. It was thanks to the apostles and Overgeared members joining forces.

"Sariel!"

The apostles and Overgeared members shouted Sariel's name.

Please come to your senses. Don't make any more regrets.

It just didn't seem to reach. Sariel was only focused on Grid and Dara.

[Pain is something that those who commit sins must bear. Not me.]

Sadness turned to resentment.

[I'm going to kill you, take that power, and ascend to heaven. I will bring about the justice that wasn't achieved there and correct the disorganized order, righting it.]

That anger turned to pleasure.

A Fallen Angel—after being exiled by the gods and forcibly endowed with an 'evil' temperament, she was completely losing her original personality. The dark halo changed its trajectory so it aimed in Dara's direction and fired an ultramarine beam.

Dara raised a shield to prevent this and the constellation warrior also raised a shield, freeing Grid from pressure.

"Sariel! Calm down and come to your senses!"Grid shouted as he used Turning the World Upside Down and pinned Sariel to the ground.

He naturally didn't wield Twilight. It was because his purpose wasn't to hurt Sariel, but to stop her. Unfortunately, Sariel's sense of reason didn't return. The energy surrounding her was still the ultramarine demonic energy.

"Damn! Calm down!" Grid used Mixed Throw Strikes and started to slap Sariel's face.

"Ah…" Sighs were heard everywhere.

Sariel might've lost her sense of reason for a while, but she was an apostle. Beating her like a dog was a bit… wasn't it right to persuade with words first…? People felt sorry, but Grid didn't have time for this sentiment.

'She is becoming faster.'

Sariel escaped from Grid's grasp and was accelerating. The important thing was that the faster she got, the slower the flow of the world became. The realm of the Absolute was about to form. An Angel of Justice, who was originally powerful, was expelled, and she completely digested the power she had built up in her fallen state. Now she started to cross into the realm of an Absolute.

"Sariel! Are you really completely corrupted?"Dara lamented. The sword he wielded was imitated by the constellation warrior. He was a very tricky opponent. Not only was Dara himself strong, but the power of the constellations was too overwhelming. There was a need to be conscious of the attack wielded by Dara in full view while also worrying about the linkage with the constellations from space.

"Fallen Angel… no, Archangel of Justice, Sariel. For your honor, I would rather kill you."

Dara threw away his sword and shield. He took out a bow and drew it. The shape of the constellations in the sky responded to Dara's change. It changed to the figure of a sleek female hunter pulling a bow. It felt like a nuclear bomb was falling. The arrow that Dara showed in front of him wasn't very threatening, but the arrow made up of stars fell with the momentum to pierce the planet.

Sariel's face stiffened as she was pinned down by Grid again and struck with Mixed Throw Strikes. She sensed a crisis. She stood with her back to the arrow that got close in an instant.

Suddenly, Grid pulled her into his arms. He glared at Dara like he was going to kill Dara. "Who are you to protect Sariel's honor?"

"……!"

Dara's face turned white. Grid's killing intent was so powerful that he felt overwhelmed and confused at the same time. It was absurd that the man who had been beating Sariel to death was now holding Sariel in his arms and saying such things. The scenery of the stage disappeared and the Canyon of Steel unfolded.

Dozens of Valhallas wrapped around Sariel's body and blocked the arrow of stars. Grid's willpower was guarding her.

Was this the reason? Grid wasn't protected. Perhaps Grid's mental world judged Sariel to be an ally, so it didn't recognize that she was 'attacking' Grid. Sariel's hands squeezed through the seam between the armor and shoulder blade and pierced Grid's armpit.

[Ah… Ahhh… No…]

It was Sariel, not Grid, who groaned. Tears of blood poured down her face and she was on the verge of sobbing. Even when she completely lost her senses, she regretted harming Grid. She looked very confused and distressed.

"Calm… down… cough…"

Grid coughed up dark red blood while holding Sariel's cheeks with trembling hands. Grid's hands were so large and Sariel's face was so small that it was completely covered. The situation and appearance were reminiscent of a scene from a tragic romance manhwa, so the female audience cried.

Click, click, click…

Then there was the sound of someone coming up on stage. This match had become meaningless from the time Sariel and Dara used their powers. In other words, it wasn't a big problem if someone other than Grid broke in.

However, it was a different story if that person was Irene.

The empress of the Overgeared Empire—she was the wife of Overgeared God Grid and she was special. There was just no way she would be safe if she broke into a battle between gods.

"Come down!"

"It is dangerous!"

The urgent cries of the people made Irene's popularity obvious. Those who were shouting for her safety almost seemed to scream. Many people seemed like they were going to jump onto the stage right away. In the midst of the turmoil—

"Sariel."

Irene approached Grid and Sariel's side in a steadfast manner. People were terrified. They naturally imagined the scene where Sariel, who lost her sense of reason, harmed Irene. Yet unexpectedly—

[Irene…]

Sariel recognized Irene and didn't show any hostility. Instead, she was as polite as usual. She also tried to smile.

[You… aren't guilty…]

She had revealed even the sins of the gods in detail, but now she didn't reveal Irene's sins. It was the first time Sariel saw a being so clean and she admired it. It was such a shock that her sense of reason returned in an instant.

Irene took a step closer to Sariel, who smiled faintly as if relieved and delighted. People imagined the scene of Irene hugging Sariel. It was usually the right time for such a scene to come out. But…

Irene unexpectedly slapped Sariel. The blow was so powerful that Sariel's head turned slightly. The sound was so loud that people were dumbfounded. Irene's clear voice rang out. "If all sins need to be repaid with death, then how many people in this world would survive?"

[……]

"The sins that His Majesty committed became the springboard for the creation of the present empire and the surface. The sins that weren't a springboard were forgiven after sufficient reflection and service. You can condemn His Majesty, but you can't punish him."

[Ah… Ahhhh…]

Sariel knew it as well.

Was Grid like the heavenly gods? He was completely different. The sins committed by the heavenly gods were purely to satisfy their own desires, while Grid's sins were mostly for the sake of others.

Morally, it was never right, but it was understandable depending on the point of view. This was why Grid had countless people who 'liked' or 'disliked' him and they coexisted for a long time. In any case, there was no point discussing this at length. Grid's character had changed steadily over the years. Assessing the current Grid through his past history was rather harsh. The thing Irene wanted right now was—

"Wake up, Sariel."

It was for Sariel to regain her sense of reason.

"I don't need Sariel, the Angel of Justice, or Sariel, the Fallen Angel. I want Sariel, my friend who enjoys tea time with me every day."

[…Irene…]

The wounds on her heart weren't easily solved. Maybe they would exist as lumps forever. Irene didn't dare think that she would release Sariel's grudge. She just wanted them to move toward the future together.

"Rather than reflecting on yesterday's wounds, think about the tea you will have tomorrow?"

At this moment, the ultramarine demonic energy that was enveloping Sariel's body dispersed like fog. Her brilliant divinity and beautiful blonde hair returned and the tears she shed turned transparent.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I have dared to commit a great sin…" Sariel regained her sense of reason and immediately kneeled in front of Grid. She dared to aim her standards at the god she served. She dared to hurt the god she served…

A great sense of guilt weighed on her. A new wound was carved into her heart, which had become rags. This wound—

"Angels can make mistakes in their lives. How is it a sin?"

Grid comforted it.

"I'm glad you are back, Sariel."

"……"

Grid's smile was as bright as the sun and gave Sariel repose.