Overgeared Chapter 1214:
Chapter 1214
“Haha . ”
Piaro returned with the soldiers from digging potatoes and noticed that His Majesty had returned . His fighting energy soared like it was provoking the sky . Piaro could perceive the ferocious spirit that made even Mother Nature nervous .
“Mercedes must be sad . You just embraced her only to apply for a duel . ”
Piaro assimilated with the wind through Natural State and ran to the training ground . He was happy to see Grid and Mercedes sharing a hug . Mercedes showed her love for the first time and rather than responding to her courage, Grid applied for a duel . Mercedes must be feeling hurt . Mercedes immediately removed the faint smile she showed to Grid and faced Piaro with an expressionless face . “We never shared a hug . ”
“I’ve already seen it . ”
“I was just dizzy for a moment . His Majesty supported me . ”
“Hehe, it is refreshing . ”
Mercedes didn’t know that her cheeks were slightly red . Piaro smiled at the rare sight of her being distracted and knelt down in front of Grid . It was a tribute to Grid, who gave the Red Knights a second life . He was also thankful for Grid’s safe return . “This Piaro eagerly welcomes Your Majesty who has returned from your exploits that threatened the skies . ”
“I heard you captured the Gauss Kingdom perfectly while I was away? You’ve really worked hard . ”
“This is the life Your Majesty has given me . If you hadn’t taken me away, I wouldn’t be who I am now . The only reason why I was able to win the war was due to Your Majesty’s grace, so Your Majesty shouldn’t praise me . ”
“ . . . . . . ”
Piaro was originally lacking in thought . No matter the position of the people around him, he just smiled and went his own way . It was rare for him to be so excited . Grid smiled when he saw that Piaro’s always wrinkled and dirt covered clothes were ironed today . “Why does it feel like your spirit is soaring into the sky? Are you happy these days? Is it because of your wife?”
“ . . . Hum hum, I won’t deny it . How can I not be happy when Your Majesty made me a human again and Beniyaru gave me love?” Piaro frankly replied and then activated his pure energy .
The mud stuck to the hand plow and sickle were burned away by the strong pure energy . The hoes and sickle showed a sword-like sharpness that was intimidating .
“I, Piaro, will accept Your Majesty’s application for a duel . ”
“It is good that you’re so straightforward . ”
[The duel with ‘Piaro’ has started . ]
[In dueling mode, no one will die even if they reach the minimum health . ]
[The battle is decided the moment one side’s health reaches the minimum . ]
Just as Grid had grown steadily, Piaro had also grown . In particular, his Natural State had reached a deeper stage since being taught by Braham .
“The greatest strength of Natural State is the variability of energy . ”
Piaro engraved Braham’s teachings once again into his heart and entrusted his body to the wind . He closed his eyes and read the nature of the wind touching his skin . Then he reproduced it with pure energy .
“ . . . . . . !”
“ . . . . . . !”
Grid and Mercedes’ eyes widened . Piaro’s pure energy, which was originally hard and sharp, changed so it was as soft as water and as flexible as the wind .
‘It is a property that can’t be broken with force . ’
Mercedes looked anxiously at Grid . Piaro was entering a new phase she had never seen before . Mercedes was concerned that Grid would become frustrated .
“Ah . . . !” Mercedes exclaimed . It was because Grid enhanced his power and speed and was rushing straight at Piaro . She obviously thought that he would be swept away by Piaro’s pure energy, which was like the wind itself . The same was true for others .
“His Majesty is acting recklessly . ”
Dante, the white-haired knight—he didn’t have Keen Insight like Mercedes but he had experience . Based on his many years of experience, he noticed that Piaro’s pure energy contained a peak strength . He had come running after hearing a commotion while training the soldiers and thought that Grid would soon fall .
‘His Majesty will be swept away by Piaro’s pure energy and his back will touch the ground . ’
Dante clenched his fists . He could feel his heart boiling . He was overwhelmed with the desire to teach Grid, who had greater possibilities than anyone else . There would be no regrets if he could give even a bit of help to his benefactor and new master .
On the other hand . . .
“Isn’t it too early for His Majesty to compete against Piaro?”
Singuled arrived at the scene after following Piaro, who had suddenly run off instead of digging for potatoes . Now he showed skepticism . He had witnessed Grid’s skills many times but thought that Grid wasn’t a match for Piaro . However, Hurent’s thoughts were different . “We’ll see . You don’t know Grid very well . ”
“ . . . ?”
Singuled cocked his head . Didn’t Hurent regard Piaro almost like a god? Yet he doubted Piaro’s victory? Hurent shrugged as he put down the sack of rice and sat on it . “Yes, he will be beaten by Grid . ”
“ . . . ?”
Just then, there was an explosion .
“ . . . . . . !”
The first one to be surprised was Mercedes . The moment when the airflow formed by Piaro’s pure energy collided with Grid’s sword, Grid’s body should’ve been swept up in the airflow . Instead, he unexpectedly held still in the midst of the airflow .
‘White Tiger’s Posture!’
That’s right—Grid crouched like a tiger and was rooted in the ground, similar to a giant tree . The ‘immobile’ effect of White Tiger’s Posture was supposed to be a restraint but now it was used to support the body that should’ve been swept away by the air currents .
“ . . . . . . !”
The next one to be surprised was Dante . He didn’t miss Grid staring straight at Piaro’s sickle that was heading straight at him .
‘He didn’t avoid it?’
Reading the attack in advance but not responding meant there were probably hidden intentions . It was as expected . Piaro also seemed to notice it . However, his sickle was already aiming at Grid’s brow . There was a noise like metal colliding with stone . Piaro’s wrists cramped like crazy while Grid was fine despite being struck in the forehead . He was immune because he linked White Tiger’s Posture with the Rock skill .
“ . . . . . . !”
The last person to be surprised was Singuled . His sentiments were simple .
‘A stone head . . . !’
A pointed sickle . Was Grid’s skull hard enough to endure a sickle wielded by Piaro . Piaro kept wielding his sickle as Singuled clicked his tongue . He repeatedly stabbed at one spot as if to deny Grid’s hardness . Once Grid didn’t budge, he finally gave up and stepped back for a while .
‘Is he immune to blades?’
Piaro tried not to frown at his pained wrists . He finally showed his true skills . The First Style of Free Farming, Sowing Seeds, unfolded splendidly . Hundreds of small, round seeds were scattered around Grid . Previously, Piaro had linked it with Polishing to explode it or it was planted in the ground .
Now he was able to grow plants without planting the seeds in the ground . It was due to entering the deepened phase of Natural State . The seeds he threw were already holding the pure energy of the earth . He could immediately sprout new buds even if he didn’t borrow the power of the land .
“Free Farming 2nd Style! Super Growth!”
Some of the hundreds of seeds in the air around Grid sprouted and enlarged . Dozens of sweet potatoes larger than an adult man released stems that tangled together and took control of the space around Grid . Piaro weaved the dozens of stems into one and started to wield it .
“Sweet Potato Battering!”
Sweet Potato Battering was one of the techniques of Free Farming and it was originally a technique that could only be used by linking Sowing Seeds, Rapid Growth, and Harvest . It was a concept where seeds were planted in the ground, the sweet potatoes grown and then harvested . Naturally, it had to go through all these steps .
Now Piaro was able to grow sweet potatoes just by scattering the seeds . It was possible to start Sweet Potato Battering immediately without going through all those processes . Dozens of sweet potatoes hanging from the stems struck and devastated the land . He swung the sweet potato stem like he was determined to crush all of Grid’s bones . He knew he shouldn’t control his strength .
“A-Aaaaack!”
The soldiers gathered to watch the fight were flustered . Every time the stem of sweet potatoes struck the ground, the entire training ground shook and the soldiers felt dizzy .
“It might be a spar but this is too ruthless against His Majesty . . . ”
Singuled shuddered . He saw Piaro smashing the training ground and recalled memories of the past . For Piaro, who usually became a demon the moment he held the sword, a spar was no different from a real battle . He was eager to fight against the strong in order to reach the realm of Sword Saint . Singuled was someone dissatisfied with this aspect of Piaro’s personality . What knight was there who would fight against his liege with all his strength?
‘Did he lose his sense of chivalry after becoming a farmer?’
Meanwhile, Hurent spoke some nonsense to Singuled, “The sweet potatoes are being cooked . ”
“ . . . Are you hungry?”
No, why did he suddenly talk about sweet potatoes being cooked in the middle of a serious battle? Singuled felt it was absurd only to become shocked and his nose shook . It really smelled delicious . It was the smell of delicious cooked sweet potatoes .
‘What?’
Singuled started to focus on the confrontation that he knew was about to end . He captured the moment when the sweet potatoes smashing the ground appeared through the dust . Then he saw it . Piaro’s sweet potatoes were all golden-brown in a cooked manner . Once the cooked sweet potatoes slammed into the ground, they were only crushed and were no longer a threat . The dust cloud gradually died down . Then—
The outline of the veiled flames started to appear little by little .
“T-This is impossible!”
How hard did Piaro wield the sweet potato that he created a huge dust cloud that managed to cover the storm of flames? The startled Singuled’s vision shone red . There was a storm of flames in the landscape he was seeing . Grid stood in the center and was unscathed while Piaro had large and small burns all over his body . The confrontation that seemed to be led by Piaro was actually dominated by Grid .
“ . . . I heard that you killed a half-god . ”
Piaro put down the stem of sweet potatoes he was holding and grew the seeds he planted earlier . They rapidly became watermelons . The hundreds of watermelons contained the moisture of the ground and calmed the heat of the fire storm . Grid felt admiration and spoke sincerely, “A half-god isn’t a **** . Most of them were weaker than you, Piaro . ”
“However, I’m sure there was someone who was superior to me . ”
A huge shadow covered the sky . It was a shadow created by a strong pure energy .
“With my lowly skills, I can only handle Your Majesty if I’m prepared for death . ”
A stone mortar appeared in the turbulent sky . The ultimate technique of Free Farming used to target Grid’s enemies was now aimed at Grid .
“ . . . I was looking forward to it . ”
Grid felt the eerie tension and used Open Potential . Pounding Mortar had a variable where it would be a three-stage hit if a critical hit occurred . It wasn’t easy to fight back so he was determined to face it with strength .
“Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle . ”
Grid dominated the space .
“Pounding Mortar . ”
The space dominated by Grid was crushed by Piaro .
“ . . . . . . !”
“ . . . . . . !”
Dante and Singuled were shocked . Mercedes clenched her hands hard and Hurent rose from his seat, once again carrying the rice sack on his shoulder .
“ . . . . . . ”
Grid was silently lying on the ground . He looked up at the clear sky and murmured, “Um, it is much stronger than when I used it . ”
Over the past month, Piaro had grown so much . Piaro’s Pounding Mortar that contained the energy of nature far exceeded the power of Pounding Mortar that Grid had reproduced . This really . . .
‘ . . . It feels good . ’
Piaro’s voice was heard above the smiling Grid, “I’m ashamed of my past self who didn’t recognize Your Majesty’s capabilities . ”
Piaro was also lying on the ground, his head aimed in Grid’s direction . It was a draw . If it was a real battle then both of them would’ve entered the immortal state the moment their health reached the minimum . It was unclear what variables would’ve occurred after that but at least in a duel, it was a draw .
Both of them were smiling brightly when someone came to shout at them . “Lord Piaro! You won’t receive your salary for the next seven months!”
“ . . . !!”
It was Administrator Rabbit . The image of Piaro, who was as agitated as hearing bad news out of the blue, showed the weight of the head of a household .