Chapter 2009
[Another Light]
[The faith of the God of the beginning, Rebecca.]
The description of the title obtained from killing Hanul didn’t say much. Grid had no idea what it did. But he was used to this. Based on the name of the title and having moved at the speed of light once, he understood what the title granted him.
‘I can also move at the speed of light.’
He could only do it once. There was a good chance that he would pass out just like last time. However, it was worth using this skill, even though he could only use it once.
This was why he invested all his stat points into Strength. He wanted to deal as much damage as possible. He would make up for his lowered Agility by moving at the speed of light.
Grid’s forearms bulged significantly. The visual effect was so great that it would make anyone who saw him worry that the hilt of his sword might crumble in his hands from how fiercely he was gripping it.
“Isn’t it kind of contradictory?” Garam asked. He was infusing divinity into the Treasures of the seven immortals. “Cultivators, immortals, it matters not. Don’t you find it contradictory that those who have lost their humanity and treat people like a subspecies end up resembling humans so much when they sense death approaching?”
“What do you mean?”
“The moment they realize they are going to die, they get scared. I find it funny because they react exactly like the humans I killed.”
“You… Are you any different from the cultivators?”
Grid’s questioning eyes became cold. He tried really hard to control his surging anger.
Garam shrugged. “I was angry. I didn’t squirm and beg like humans do.”
“I think you and I remember things quite differently, so let me double check that.”
“Why are you so upset? I just pointed out how paradoxical cultivators and immortals are. Ahh, I missed seeing you trembling in fear.”
Garam was the first enemy Grid had encountered who was stronger than him. Garam clearly remembered Grid’s flaws.
“Ah, do you feel too ashamed hearing me say this?”
Grid shook his head. “No.”
“Swear on your honor that you aren’t ashamed. Everyone is afraid of death. I’m sure you are as well.”
“You’re boring.”
Flash!
Garam snorted. He turned into light and vanished.
Grid didn’t react hastily because he couldn’t follow Garam with his eyes. He would only have a chance to fight back against the power of light once he got struck first. Once that happened, he and Garam would probably kill each other.
A tremendous explosion rang out behind Grid, who was gritting his teeth and preparing for pain. The canyon rumbled, and Nevartan stumbled. Garam had targeted Nevartan, not Grid.
This was to be expected. Garam was risking his life staying here because he desired to devour the weakened old dragons. Grid had bet on that. The old dragons had to respond to the attack, clearly knowing this too. Grid was already charging forward.
“……?”
However, he was too slow. The title of Another Light was apparently active, but he didn’t move at the speed of light.
“Have you been particularly close to the Black Tortoise recently?” Garam sneered as he mocked Grid for how slow he was.
Shortly after Garam turned back into light and vanished, there was another loud explosion, one that made the entire battleground reverberate.
Baaaaaaang!
Blood dripped from Grid’s nose and ears and he scowled.
Raiders was also stumbling. Only the clone was unscathed, his body made out of Greed. Since he wasn’t alive, he didn’t suffer any internal injuries. Magically created mirrors appeared everywhere. The clone could now spawn more mirrors faster because he’d had a lot of practice.
Hundreds of mirrors captured Garam’s reflection from different angles. The moment Garam turned into light again, the mirrors kept reflecting it. This way, not even Garam could predict where he would move. He was trying his hardest to appear emotionless, but his facade was slowly crumbling.
The old dragons, who had just repaired their broken self-defense, sighed and attempted to restore their scales.
Noe laughed in Garam’s direction. “How is it, nyang? You can’t move, right?”
Grid didn’t stop Noe from shouting vigorously. The clone had installed the mirrors really well since they captured Garam from every angle.
Garam would fall in front of Grid the moment he turned into light. In other words, Grid had an overwhelming advantage. He would be victorious the moment the clone finished casting his spell. Grid was preparing to attack.
“…Haha, hahahaha!!”
Garam’s face twisted before he burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach and laughed because of how funny this was to him. At first, it seemed like he was wailing.
“W-What, nyang?”
Noe had a bad feeling and slipped back into Grid’s arms.
“How incompetent on Hanul’s part. He has instilled prejudice into you.”
Garam’s scorn turned into ridicule. He switched to speaking using intent.
[Do you think that the only benefit of light is speed?]
“……!”
Grid’s eyes widened. He realized that everything around him was trembling slightly. No, this wasn’t just slight movement. The vibrations were so fast, it was hard for him to even perceive them.
[Don’t tell me…]
Raiders and Nevartan’s expressions stiffened. What were they thinking of?
Grid was startled when he sensed that the entire area was trembling. Garam was emitting a dark green light. An unfamiliar smell stung Grid’s nose. He had no idea what that was.
Garam’s intent was carved all around them.
[I realized something only after absorbing the divinity of King Sobyeol. Hanul was also a contradictory existence.]
[Grid, you have to avoid it. This…]
Garam said, [Surprisingly, Hanul really cared about King Sobyeol. I was wondering what he had in mind for the bastard who had sent King Daebyeol to hell, but Hanul, an Absolute, cared about his own flesh and blood. Did you know that?]
Before he knew it, a warning message appeared in Grid’s red-dyed vision.
[You have been exposed to a large amount of radiation.]
The dragons said, [This is Rebecca’s ultimate…!]
Too late. The dark green light was expanding too fast.
[Hanul’s divinity became complete only after I took away King Sobyeol’s. Maybe once I also absorb King Daebyeol’s divinity I will have all of it… In any case, there was only one conclusion. Hanul had given away too much of his divinity to his flesh and blood. Nevertheless, he disregarded King Sobyeol until the end and didn’t take back his divinity. What a disaster. He was unable to fully awaken the potential of the light he had embodied and died at your hands.]
[All stats have been reduced significantly.]
[Your physical functions aren’t working properly.]
[All resources, including HP, won’t be restored.]
[Various skills and spells have been disabled.]
[You cannot resist these effects.]
The cost of exposure to a massive amount of radiation was unimaginable. This was the power of radiation that originated from the power of a god. It all started with bushes and blooming flowers rotting around the battlefield until the whole area became a wasteland. Grid and the old dragons were struggling to breathe.
“Mass Tele…”
The clone was still fine. Rust appeared all over him and his movements were sluggish, but he could still use his spells. Even though it took him a while to make this decision, he was making the right one.
[He was foolish and no different from a human. Calling himself an Absolute… Truly pathetic for a God of the beginning.]
A whirlwind of dark green light instantly shattered the magic mirrors placed throughout the battlefield and engulfed Grid’s group before Mass Teleport could be activated. Apparently, Garam had created gamma and X-rays. Grid and the old dragons had never seen light be used this way before, so they were in trouble.
[I am different from Hanul. I will be reborn as a perfect being. I will be flawless.]
Flash!
Garam turned into light and appeared right next to Grid’s group. The purple Annihilation energy slashed the throats and hearts of the old dragons, who were suppressed by the dark green whirlwind. Garam could utilize the power of light way better than Hanul, and not only that, he could also handle Annihilation energy.
Grid had to admit it. Garam was almost the strongest enemy he had ever fought. He felt just as pressured as he did whenever he confronted Chiyou.
‘This is so unfair.’
He never thought that Hanul, whom he worked so hard to kill, would hold him back like this. Grid had expected a God of the beginning to be powerful, but he never imagined that Hanul would be capable of resurrecting a man whose soul had been destroyed.
[Hngh…!]
The old dragons were fighting back fiercely. Every time Garam slashed them with the Annihilation sword, they fired a Breath or activated their powers. The dark green light damaged many of their organs and their mana flow, but it didn’t seem to interfere with the use of their powers.
It was all thanks to this.
[Your mental world has opened.]
Grid summoned the canyon because he was feeling hopeful. He hoped that the radiation that dominated reality wouldn’t affect the mental world.
Garam knew what Grid was thinking and snorted. [Are you still so naive?]
Garam completely disregarded Grid. He never attacked Grid first. If Grid was about to strike him, he would always turn into light and keep a distance. He only targeted the old dragons and focused on them.
Garam knew the power of the Annihilation energy. Just as Grid acknowledged Garam’s skills, Garam also acknowledged Grid’s. If he couldn’t admit this about the person who had killed him and sent him to hell, then who else could he admit this about?
Garam had never been so intoxicated by his superiority up until this moment. He intended to absorb the old dragons’ power as originally planned and then challenge Grid.
Yes, this was a challenge.
[I will win this time, Grid.]
Garam’s aura became more intense as he became even more determined. The Annihilation energy took the form of a sword, and it was incredibly powerful. Garam moved at the speed of light, steadily swinging his sword and multiplying the wounds on the old dragons. Each wound was serious. Had Raiders and Nevartan not been old dragons, they would’ve been slashed to death.
‘Shit.’
After noticing that the effect of the Another Light still wasn’t working, Grid redistributed his stats. He maximized his Agility and unleashed his artificial senses over a wide range by utilizing all 310 God Hands. He mentally cursed, calling himself an idiot for trying to rely on the light again.
I am Grid.
I am not the God of light.
He wondered how he got caught up thinking that he could control the light.
Grid flew up. He moved at the speed of sound while using his artificial senses to follow Garam, who turned into a beam of light, as much as possible.
Garam scoffed. [Don’t be annoying. This reminds me of your human days and it’s making me angry.]
Cracks were appearing all over Grid’s mental world. This wasn’t Grid’s will. Someone had a powerful enough will to shatter the mental world already opened by another being?
Grid’s eyes widened in shock at Garam’s power.
[What are you doing?]
However, Garam looked at Grid curiously. Garam also had no idea what was going on.
Grrr….
Beyond the cracks, they heard the breathing of a massive beast.
Soon after—
Shatter!
Grid’s mental world shattered.
[The Refractive Dragon has appeared.]