The beginning of the memory was a bright light. Garion understood the concept of beauty when she first opened her eyes. [1]
Cultivate the land. Let the bushes take root and let the clear water flow so that the ground animals could play and the flying beasts could rest.
Garion thought that the heart of her mother, who came down on the golden clouds with a smile, was beautiful.
“You always greet me with the same look.” Her mother’s expression suddenly saddened, but Garion had no doubts. She was just becoming aware of herself. She was busy retrieving the information flooding her mind as a side effect of awakening her consciousness and reasoning. She naturally buried her mother’s words, which seemed like it wasn’t the first time they met.
It was a memory that became blurrier because of the faint voice.
‘…I am reminded of that now.’
She lost all her divine power. It included the divine power she gained from the Overgeared God. It went beyond the level of being unable to fulfill her duties. She now found it hard to even establish her existence. It was only at this time that the fragments of memory that came to mind were assembled. She was saddened to realize that the culprit that sealed such an important memory was nothing other than divine power.
‘I see.’
She had always been abandoned.
In the previous world and the previous worlds before that. In the world that would follow as well—she had faced and would face the same moment as today.
Tears streamed down Garion’s white cheeks.
Long hair that flashed transparent light green and pink. The long wavy hair of Gabriel, which she had seen on the day of her birth, was still confirming her beauty. She wept bitterly while noticing that she hadn’t changed, but was consistent.
“Gabriel… have you hurt me every time?”
“Yes, your sin has always been the same. You prioritized the surface, not heaven, and grabbed the ankles of the gods.”
“That is my duty. Mother asked me to protect the beings on the surface.”
I also came to love the beings on the surface.
Garion swallowed down these words. It was because she was afraid that this heart would harm the beings on the surface.
Gabriel nodded. “Yes. We have long known that it is meaningless to ask for flexibility from your upright soul.”
It was through countless experiences. Gabriel had long let go of the hesitation she had when cutting off Garion’s head. Gabriel had been cutting off Garion’s head from an unfathomably long past and had become accustomed to this behavior. She had reached the point where she didn’t even feel any inspiration.
However, this time was different. “It is just that this case is special. Garion, your crime in this world is that you have betrayed the goddess. It is the worst crime in history. Working with the Overgeared God?”
The Overgeared God—the existence that never existed before was changing many things. She remembered that the goddess had watched his steps with great interest and sometimes with delight. The reason why she didn’t question the attitude of the goddess, who went missing without any signs, was because the condition of the goddess was special. She accepted it naturally rather than wasting her mental strength on questions that couldn’t be resolved. Raphael was pleased that the goddess finally trusted them, but…
If Gabriel was the goddess, she wouldn’t trust Raphael.
“What type of attraction does the Overgeared God have?” Gabrial asked the fundamental question. It was without removing the spear aimed at Garion’s slender neck. On the left side of the spear blade, a pole stretched out like a crescent and penetrated Garion’s skin little by little.
“Attraction…? There are so many things that it will take me quite a while to explain. Are you going to keep me alive until then?”
The Overgeared God had no choice but to be Garion’s ideal type. Even when he was a human and after he became a god, he guarded the beings on the surface.
Gabriel’s lips curved up. It was just a habit. Her transparent eyes were cold from the beginning.
No heart. From a certain point, Gabriel had completely excluded the concept of emotion. It could be that she was worn out from experiencing the repeating worlds or it might be due to a sense of mission to control Raphael. Even at this moment, there were pitiful human beings hoping for her kindness somewhere.
“This is enough for the answer.” Gabriel ended the conversation. She decided that rather than depriving Garion of her divinity and sealing her soul, she should kill Garion completely. She had too many flaws to continue assuming the role of god of the earth in the future. The ‘seed’ planted in the soul must’ve grown sufficiently. It was a good idea to take this opportunity to recover it and develop the energy of a god killer.
Gabriel’s long, fine fingers curved slightly. A subtle change in the grip method brought a dramatic change to the spear. The stopped spear quickly moved in a half moon trajectory and cut Garion’s neck. There was a pale aura on the tip of the spear. It was the energy of a god killer.
The forest, which belatedly shook due to the storm, was brutally green. There was no disturbance even though the god who had been taking care of it until now was facing a crisis. It meant that Garion’s death had no effect on the world.
Indeed, the land had been sufficiently strengthened.
Gabriel gently pushed the spear with her index and middle finger and the spear that soared in the shape of a half moon fell like a thunderbolt.
Garion’s small head was smashed. Light poured from her broken head like a waterfall, to the extent where the particles of light pouring out of her previously cut neck seemed insignificant. A god’s death was bound to be delayed and a god had the right to retreat during this grace period. It was just that they lost some of their rights in the face of the energy of a god killer.
In the first place, Gabriel was completely different from Raphael or Zeratul. She wasn’t easy because she didn’t get swept up in emotions. She was reasonable and thorough. It meant she acknowledged the fact that she should be wary of the existence of the Overgeared God when coming to the surface and she prepared sufficiently.
She had naturally formed a trinity. She even armed herself with the divine objects she had been with since her birth. She also used the energy of a god killer, even if it was weak, so she was almost in a perfect battle state. Of course, it was a big loss compared to when she was in heaven, but she couldn’t be better based on the standards of the surface.
“Why are you trying to hold on?” Gabriel cocked her head. It was an attitude that showed she couldn’t understand the land that decayed due to giving energy to Garion and Garion’s attitude of accepting and using it to sustain herself rather than rejecting it. “The ground has been sufficiently strengthened. The world won’t fall apart if you die. You staying alive won’t bring any benefits to the beings on the surface.”
Garion herself knew it best. She didn’t have many uses any longer. Now the earth could exist on its own. Even if it was cut by the Sword Saint, it had enough regenerative power to recover slowly. It was meaningless even if she had the wish to protect the beings on the surface like before.
Garion had lost most of her divine power. Her divinity had even fallen because she proved to be powerless to help the land she cared for. So why was she trying to survive?
‘I’ve never been like this before.’
In previous worlds, Garion always compiled with death. She couldn’t resist because she knew her worthlessness.
“You—are you waiting for the Overgeared God?”
The current Garion was based on the Overgeared God’s divine power, not Rebecca. By now, the Overgeared God would’ve sensed Garion’s crisis. However, that was it. The Overgeared God couldn’t help Garion. It was because he defeated Zeratul a few months ago. Zeratul, who didn’t have enough defense, was defeated in a humble way. The Overgeared God clearly won and rose in status. He must’ve come to a point where he could clearly see the difference in power between himself and Gabriel. What courage did he have to come and rescue Garion?
Of course, he could come. Thinking about the Overgeared God’s past actions, he was far from reason. There was a high possibility that he would be emotionally biased and try to come. The problem was that he wasn’t Gabriel’s opponent. Gabriel decided that she was unlikely to be defeated by the Overgeared God because she was fully equipped.
“The Overgeared God only has a small chance of winning if he comes with a top dragon. However, you know that there are no dragons the Overgeared God communicates with on a daily basis. If you persevere and attract the Overgeared God, he will lose a lot of divinity because of you. He might even die to me. Do you want that?”
“…No.”
The earth shook. It felt like it was shouting at Garion, who started to refuse to accept the energy, to not give up.
Gabriel inserted the spear into the land that started to fluctuate like waves and said, “Yes, you thought about it well.”
Gabriel was mindful of Grid’s intervention from the beginning. She might’ve made enough preparations, but this didn’t mean she welcomed Grid’s intervention. Her purpose was to punish Garion to the fullest. She didn’t want to be disturbed. Unlike Raphael, who enjoyed unexpected events, she preferred that things went according to her plan.
“Goodbye.”
“……”
Garion closed her eyes while sympathizing with herself, who would be reborn oblivious in the next world and would be used again. She just wanted to die before the Overgeared God arrived. She felt a lot of guilt because she almost put the Overgeared God in danger by dragging out the time.
‘I’m sorry. I think I also wanted to rely on someone at least once.’
From the moment of her birth until now. Garion had lived alone and isolated on the surface. She was faithful only to her duty and depended on the beings of the surface. It was just that life. She was useless. Even so, she had no regrets.
Then the cold air of the spear blade brushed against her throat. Garion thought her head had fallen to the ground. She didn’t open her eyes because she was afraid that she would face her collapsed body after losing her head.
Meanwhile, Gabriel’s fingers moved busily like she was playing an instrument. She flicked the spear with her ring finger and pulled it with her index finger. She immediately put it down and supported it with her middle finger. Her long spear turned greatly and spread over her head, exerting a tremendous presence. It blocked all the rain of battle gear pouring from the sky and made it impossible for them to come in contact with her.
Her divinity, which had spread softly on the ground she had stepped on, expanded its territory to the left and right. It acted as a barrier to protect the baby angels brought to form the trinity.
“It ended up like this.”
Gabriel’s eyes, which were a cross of blue and gold, looked into the distance. Grid drew attention with the rain of battle gear and approached while minimizing any signs as much as possible. He approached Garion while wearing the Hooded Zip Up and believed his operation was a success, but he soon realized he was mistaken.
It was a trap. A pillar of light rose from under Garion’s feet and swallowed Garion and Grid at the same time. It was excessive greed to try and deceive Gabriel, who had existed since the beginning.
‘What excessive nonsense?’
Grid had maintained the maximum speed while coming here so the Lightning God state was activated. He rose like lightning and dodged the pillar while asking Garion on his back, “Those wounds, will they recover if you go to the temple?”
Grid didn’t really see Garion’s appearance. It wasn’t because her disastrous appearance was unsightly. It was out of consideration. Garion was a great god. He wanted to protect her dignity. In fact, Garion had been desperately trying to hide herself from the moment Grid appeared. It was their first and last meeting and she didn’t want to look ugly.
“Leave me here and avoid this place,” Garion said while pushing Grid’s back. It was a plea.
He could feel her little hands trembling. Had such a small hand sustained the world?
It happened as Grid’s head cooled down. Gabriel finished extinguishing the rain of battle gear and nodded. “Yes. Overgeared God, you should go back. My purpose today is Garion, not you.”
“Don’t go overboard. My purpose is you.”
The dragon weapons were held in both of Grid’s hands. It was a state in which the items were combined. The angels who didn’t show their noses when people were praying desperately to be saved—Grid was extremely disgusted with those who showed up whenever they weren’t wanted and targeted good beings.
He was convinced that they were worse than the great demons. The demons at least responded to the call of the Yatan Church, while these damn angel jerks didn’t answer.
Killing intent soared. His emotions were expressed as Formless Will. A violent storm seemed to rage around Grid.
“At this point, it is possible to activate a sanctuary.” Gabriel measured Grid’s level and raised her spear. She aimed at Grid, to be precise, she aimed at Garion who was on Grid’s back. “Choose whether you will survive alone or if the two of you will die together.”
The warning was short and the action was immediate.
Throwing the spear—a movement that symbolized hunting from the beginning, it had a strong meaning. It must hit the subject and induced death. It was one of Gabriel’s powers and now it even contained the energy of a god killer.
Grid was engulfed in a terrifying fear despite experiencing a dragon’s Breath and Zeratul’s sword power. Death flashed through his mind the moment he saw the flying spear. Naturally, the desire to live blossomed. It was instinct. The sanctuary was opened without any precursors.
The Sanctuary of Metal—hundreds of armor from the Canyon of Steel were overlaid on Grid. Grid wrapped his arms around Garion. Garion’s face turned red as she lowered her head in surprise. It was because she read Grid’s mind through the communion of divine power. Even though she was hurt, she didn’t look unsightly. Rather, he was surprised because she was so pretty. So she shouldn’t make this face. The comfort healed her torn heart a bit.
“……?”
Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly. It was a surprised reaction. It was the first time since she was born that she made such an expression because she was somewhat flustered by the appearance of Grid, who was in good condition even after blocking the thrown spear with his body.
1. Previously, I have been using male for Garion’s gender because that’s how Grid saw them. Now it has been confirmed that Garion is female so I will switch to female pronouns from now on. ☜
