Chapter 2055

"Finally... Ack!!"

Chiyou's face twisted in pain. The death he had dreamed of for eons was more terrible than he had imagined. His stopped heart silenced his world. His cold blood made everything go dark. He felt as if he was floating.

It was painful. He was scared. An overwhelming sense of loss came over him...

"Chiyou..."

"Gri... d..."

The image of Grid was reflected in Chiyou's dim eyes. Grid was gritting his teeth as if he was witnessing something sad.

Chiyou recalled the first time he met Grid. At that time, Grid had been weak, but even then he'd had unlimited potential. He had been like the sun even among the yangbans.

Chiyou welcomed death with open arms.

"My discerning vision... As expected, I wasn't wrong..."

While Chiyou had been observing him, Grid had faced many trials. However, Grid had overcome each and every one of them without getting discouraged. He had finally made it to where he was today.

You have become more distinguished than me...

Chiyou was turning to ash and didn't even have the energy to open his mouth. Thus, he spoke using intent.

[Grid. You are the Only One God now.]

The noble status of the Martial God remained honorable even in the moment of irreversible death. He engraved his intent on the entire world.

[I, Martial God Chiyou, was killed by the Great Grid. This is eternal annihilation.]

Once Chiyou's defeat spread to the world, the gray energy that consumed him became even more powerful.

[The Martial God status has been attributed to Grid.]

The Martial God, envied and feared by all the beings in the world, was now just one of the concepts that made up Grid.

Chiyou was rapidly weakening. Even if several miracles occurred at this very moment, it was impossible to save him.

"Chiyou...!"

[Is this how it feels for my soul to die? It's more painful than what I was prepared for. An indescribable sense of loss is coming over me.]

There were clear tears in Chiyou's single remaining eye.

[...How ridiculous and disgusting my desire must be in the eyes of human beings who die after living for only decades.]

There were countless people in the world who were struggling to survive even one more day. Unlike them, Chiyou only chased death. It was only now when he was on the brink of death that he realized he was a tremendous sinner.

He felt sorry. He was crushed by an unexpected sense of guilt. Nevertheless, he didn't regret his ending because he had been too lonely. When Chiyou was left alone in the ruined Hwan Kingdom, he realized he had been alone even when the kingdom had been filled with yangbans and gods.

[Grid, I hope you won't be as lonely as I was.]

Chiyou's consciousness, which had only one ray remaining, now had a new desire.

Grid hurriedly nodded. "...Of course."

Fortunately, Grid would grant Chiyou's wish.

Chiyou could be seen smiling slightly through the ash pillar that appeared and dispersed.

Flop.

This place used to be a mountain range just a moment before. Grid was left alone surrounded by wilderness. He slumped down helplessly, caught his breath, and calmed down.

Will I also become lonely like Chiyou...

Grid realized that he wasn't alone. He slowly shook off these vague fears as he recalled the faces of his friends and colleagues. Even now, the Overgeared Guild was becoming stronger around the world.

As long as Grid had his colleagues, he wouldn't end up like Chiyou. They would always bother him and make sure he would never be lonely. Sometimes, he would rely on them to keep up the friendly competition they had going on.

"...It's because we're players."

A whole day passed. Grid steadied his heartbeat and regained his composure. He got up from where he had been sitting. His eyes were still red, but he looked relaxed.

"I have received so much goodwill from you, Chiyou."

Grid bowed to the wilderness where no one else was present. In fact, in his heart, he wanted to use his God Hands to construct Chiyou's tomb in a grand manner, but he wanted to be very careful.

Chiyou had finally managed to disappear. However, he might resurrect if people kept talking about him. Grid didn't want to make the mistake of accidentally reviving Chiyou due to his personal feelings.

"Rest for eternity."

After a short prayer, Grid left.

***

"T-This is the triumphant return of His Majesty!"

"Salute the leader of the great empire!"

The crowd swarmed Grid when he returned to Reinhardt.

'Oh my.'

Grid had tried to sneak in, but to no avail. The imperial capital had extended beyond continents and had taken control of both hell and Asgard.

Every street was crowded. People had kept their eyes on the gates and walls, the return points, warp gates, and the Tomb of the Gods.

Of course, they tried to be prudent. They knew it would be annoying if they made a fuss every time the emperor appeared, but today was a monumental day. The emperor had defeated the Martial God and returned safely. There was bound to be an unusual commotion.

The people, soldiers, knights, and players swarmed Grid. Surrounded by the cheering crowd, Grid was embarrassed, but soon accepted the situation positively.

'This is better for my plan. Let's announce Chiyou's death and make the people forget him.'

Grid had come back after killing Chiyou. He also wanted to make sure that he would also handle the consequences of that well.

Grid became determined and used Knight Summoning to call Huroi to his side.

"My liege, give me a command!"

Huroi was thrilled to be summoned after a long time and saluted like a knight. He was glad that Grid called him before he was forced to log out.

After destroying all the Full Moon Fortresses, players had been continuously honing the techniques and mystical arts of the cultivation world. There were many people who prioritized their studies over hunting and raiding. As their cultivation realm increased, it was possible to increase the playtime limit that had restricted players for a long time.

Huroi had also been concentrating on his studies recently. Thanks to this, his cultivation realm had risen and his playtime limit had increased significantly. In this way, he could respond to the call of his liege... Huroi was rejoicing and feeling greatly rewarded.

Grid whispered in a small voice, "There are so many people gathered here, so please announce the death of Martial God Chiyou. Make sure to emphasize that I won by an overwhelming margin."

This was very sad from Grid's perspective. He had to make sure that, in the future, Chiyou would not be regarded as such a great being. He should be seen by the people as moderately strong and despicable. He had to be downgraded to a common enemy. This was the easiest way to forget him.

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

In the past, Huroi had announced the enemies defeated by Grid as more powerful and majestic than they actually were in order to make Grid's value shoot up. Sometimes, it was out of genuine respect for the enemy. At some point, all the enemies that Grid had fought had been really great.

Every time this happened, Grid remained silent. He left everything to Huroi's judgment. There were times when he seemed happy as his enemies were portrayed as great. The stronger the enemy, the more he conversed with them during battle and the more he liked listening to Huroi's stories praising them. Grid didn't want to forget those battles.

He also knew how to respect the enemy. Well, rather, it was natural for Grid to feel respect for the enemy. His opponents had been so powerful and had such unshakable conviction that ordinary humans couldn't handle them.

Furthermore, Chiyou had almost been like Grid's teacher. Grid occasionally said that if it hadn't been for Chiyou's trials and protection, he wouldn't have gotten to where he was.

Chiyou had been the Martial God. He had been an absolute invincible being who was feared by even the gods.

But to disparage him? There was no way Grid could feel comfortable about this.

"Everyone, listen carefully. Following the battle of the gods, the emperor who judged the Martial God has truly been crowned as the Only One God..."

Huroi ignored the shadow on Grid's face and started rambling.

Martial God Chiyou, who was being disgraced in death, would be forgotten by history from this day onward.

***

"You seem to have no energy."

When Grid returned to the smithy, Kraugel was waiting for him. Judging by Noe's full belly stretched out next to him, it seemed that Kraugel had been waiting for quite a long time.

"I have no choice but to feel tired since my opponent was the Martial God. More than that, should you really give Noe that many snacks? He's very obedient when he is a bit hungry."

"He has to be hungry to be obedient... You're treating him as if he's a slave. Even if you just fought the Martial God, it must've been way better than fighting Asura, correct?" Kraugel asked.

"Compared to Asura, it felt overwhelming," Grid replied. "The Martial God couldn't copy my abilities and we fought in the Overgeared World, but in terms of pure stats and how excellent his techniques were, Chiyou was far stronger than Asura. I had to remain cautious at all times throughout the battle. I almost fainted several times from exhaustion. And hey, I'm not treating Noe like a slave. This brat doesn't listen to me when his belly is full."

"Really? That must be difficult to deal with."

Mentioning Noe out of the blue soothed Grid's melancholy a bit. At this point, Grid had to notice that Kraugel was looking out for him.

"How funny."

Eventually, Grid couldn't resist and burst out laughing joyfully.

"They say people should live for a long time, but I didn't think the day would come when someone as blunt as you would comfort me, Kraugel."

"Is that so? I've changed since I joined the Overgeared Guild."

"Ahh, there are so many good people around me. But it's annoying that Vantner and Peak Sword often act tactlessly."

"They have been improving bit by bit since they are no longer single."

"What? Do they have girlfriends? Who are they? Players? NPCs? Both at the same time?"

"...There are few people who are in a relationship with both other players and NPCs like you are."

The two men talked all night about topics they were purely interested in. Their conversation didn't hold a deep meaning. They chatted while savoring fragrant soju and delicious food.

"Oh, my parents are going on a trip to the United States soon."

"I'll meet up with them. My mother will be pleased."

Kraugel swung his sword every time the alcohol got to him. Grid also tapped on the anvil with a hammer. They were both doing their own thing while chatting comfortably. It was a sight frequently seen in Grid's smithy these days.

"I bought some drinks!"

As the night continued, the number of guests also increased. The smithy was filled with Overgeared members in no time.

Picasso was painting on a hill not far away from the smithy. He painted everyone having fun. This was the freedom that Grid and the Overgeared members had obtained thanks to destroying the enemies who threatened world peace.

The fact that the playtime limit had been increased also mattered a lot. Players who started to move up the ranks were able to log in for nearly fifty hours every time. Of course, the premise was that they had to stay logged into Satisfy for that long.

In any case...

To this extent, not much was happening in reality.