Gorr had once been a man who would never dare raise his hand against a god, not even if that god had shown him cruelty. However, after a traumatic event and his fateful encounter with the Necrosword, he gained the courage—and the power—to defy the so-called deities. Even now, despite losing the sword, Gorr's defiant spirit remained unbroken. He had evolved beyond being a mere puppet of the sword's influence. This new resolve made him an even more fitting wielder for the weapon than before.
"Buzz!"
In Robert's grasp, the Necrosword trembled violently, almost as if it wanted to return to Gorr's side. It sensed his unrelenting hatred and resolve and seemed ready to grant him even greater power than ever before. Perhaps, if Gorr were to reclaim the sword, he might finally learn to fully control it, unleashing new abilities beyond anything he had achieved in the past.
But that chance depended on him surviving the green gem-tipped spear hurtling toward him.
"Crack!"
To everyone's surprise, the spear didn't pierce Gorr's body. It struck the ground instead. At the last second, Gorr had narrowly dodged it. His sudden burst of agility made it seem as though he had gained a new power—one that allowed him to perceive and react to the spear's trajectory with superhuman speed.
"How is this possible?" The god who had launched the attack froze in shock. Fear crept into his heart. Did Gorr somehow regain the Necrosword's power? If that were true, he could already envision his own death at the blade's edge. Trembling, he instinctively took a step back.
"Huh… This sword is more intriguing than I thought," Robert murmured, his brow raised in curiosity. He hadn't sensed any energy leaving the sword, yet Gorr was now imbued with a faint trace of its power. However, Robert noted that the energy seemed more defensive than offensive—just enough to help Gorr avoid death, but not enough to retaliate.
"Give me back the Necrosword!" Gorr demanded, his eyes burning with determination as he turned back to face Robert.
Although Gorr didn't make a move to attack, it was clear he was biding his time. His earlier clash with Robert had taught him a hard lesson—he couldn't win against this opponent, even with a portion of the sword's power.
"At least you're thinking more clearly now," Robert said calmly. "You didn't rush at me this time. So, have you cooled down enough to understand that you can't kill every god in existence?"
"Every god deserves to die!" Gorr snarled through gritted teeth. His fury had not lessened in the slightest.
"What did the gods do to you to make you hate them so much?" Kara asked, her voice laced with curiosity. She couldn't comprehend the depth of Gorr's rage. What could drive someone to such extreme hatred?
"They deserve it!" Gorr hissed, his eyes filled with bitterness. Yet, as memories of his past flickered in his mind, his gaze softened for a moment. He began to speak in a low voice. "It all started before I found the Necrosword. Back then, my tribe still worshipped the god Rapu..."
As Gorr recounted his tale, Robert quietly activated a subtle ability to guide Gorr's thoughts. He didn't manipulate Gorr's mind directly but nudged him to reveal the events buried deep within his psyche.
Gorr had once lived with his daughter in a desolate tribal society on a dying planet. The environment had grown increasingly hostile to life, pushing the entire population toward extinction. As the last survivors, Gorr and his daughter clung to the hope that their god, Rapu, would save them.
Day after day, Gorr prayed fervently, begging Rapu for protection. But no answer ever came. Eventually, his daughter succumbed to starvation.
Tragically, the day after his daughter's death, Gorr stumbled upon Rapu in a lush, paradise-like region untouched by the planet's decay. Overwhelmed by grief and desperation, he knelt before the god, pleading for his daughter's resurrection.
Instead of compassion, Rapu mocked him. The stark contrast between the god's idyllic surroundings and the suffering Gorr had endured shattered his faith. He realized that Rapu had never cared about the lives of his followers.
When Gorr voiced his doubts, Rapu reacted with cruelty, nearly strangling him to death. In that moment of mortal peril, a weapon—the Necrosword—manifested beside him, along with a whisper of temptation in his mind.
Driven by rage and the desire for revenge, Gorr seized the sword and struck down the unsuspecting god. From that moment on, he swore to kill all gods across the cosmos.
Since then, countless gods had fallen to Gorr's blade. However, the scattered nature of divine beings slowed his campaign until he learned from the Flower God about a hidden realm where many gods resided—Indigel. Gorr saw it as the perfect opportunity to carry out his crusade.
"W-What did you do to me?!" Gorr snapped, breaking free from the trance-like state induced by Robert. The Necrosword's violent tremors had jolted him back to awareness. He glared at Robert with both fear and fury, realizing he had been manipulated into revealing his past.
"Calm down. I haven't done anything to you," Robert replied, his tone unfazed. "But now that I know your story, I can tell you this: Rapu deserved to die—not because he didn't save your tribe, but because he tried to kill you. That was self-defense. But blaming him for your daughter's death and your planet's suffering? That's another matter."
Gorr's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"From what you described, Rapu didn't demand your faith or your prayers. He wasn't responsible for the disaster that ravaged your planet. He may have been cruel and selfish, but he didn't orchestrate your suffering," Robert explained. "Killing him in revenge is understandable. But the other gods you've slaughtered? They had nothing to do with your tragedy."
"They didn't care about their worshipers! How can such beings call themselves gods?!" Gorr roared, his hatred reigniting.
"Buzz!"
The power of the Necrosword surged within Gorr once more. His connection to the weapon deepened, warping the environment around him. The once-vibrant hall of Indigel turned monochrome, reduced to shades of black, white, and gray.
Robert observed the phenomenon calmly. This power isn't coming from the Necrosword itself, he realized. It's something else… the energy of the sword's true creator.
"I see now," Robert murmured. His eyes gleamed with newfound understanding. Turning to his companions, he said, "Wait here. I'll be back soon."
"Swish!"
Before anyone could respond, Robert vanished, reappearing beside Gorr. In the blink of an eye, he teleported both himself and Gorr out of Indigel. He wasn't about to leave Gorr behind to threaten Diana and the others again.
Elsewhere, deep within a barren planet's hollow core, Robert and Gorr materialized. The cavernous space was eerily silent and devoid of natural features like magma or rock formations.
"Where… are we?" Gorr muttered, his eyes filled with confusion. Despite never having visited this place before, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Moreover, his power grew stronger with each passing moment.
Robert crossed his arms, his gaze piercing the darkness. Let's see who's truly pulling the strings behind this sword...
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