The Absolute Reflection

The Substitute Gods' war had escalated. On the back of his colossal form, thirteen pairs of wings unfurled, proving he was the Dimensional Lord. The dimensional wings stretched endlessly, claiming the surrounding space as his domain. As the Main God of the Gigantes faction, the range of his Dimensional Authority was not a mere thousand kilometers. It was exactly one thousand times that—one million kilometers.

'A power range befitting the strongest body in the universe, one that ascended to godhood through physical might alone.'

He could feel the Demon Gods and Divine Gods being swept away by the dimensional wings, but there were no weaklings here who would die from something like this. Whoosh—! Wings of divine power vast enough to blanket every star enveloped the solar system, pulling even the Main God of the Substitute Gods into his sphere of influence.

'With the Substitute Gods' uniform divine power, their massive bodies, and destructive force, they cannot surpass my dimensional spatial movement.'

Crackle—crack—crackling! In an instant, he seized control of the Substitute Gods' spatial movement. “Kyaaaack—!”

The moment the Substitute God Main God was bound by the Dimensional Net, the Great Demon Gods and High Lords unleashed a frantic barrage of attacks. All the enemy could do was scream.

'If my authority domain were still only a thousand kilometers, I would have had to fight there while prepared to be annihilated. But now, having evolved into a Main God while in my Gigantes form and expanded my domain a thousandfold, that is no longer the case.'

A mage was originally meant for rear support and long-range bombardment. The reckless brawling he had done last time was never his style.

'Those wretched situations where I had to compensate for lacking ability with my body are gone forever. Becoming an 11-circle mage and achieving harmony between mana and divine power makes even this possible. Combat has become so easy.'

As expected, his help had been decisive. The Dimensional and War God, formerly a dark mage, had suffered immensely trying to stabilize the clashing mana and divine power until now.

'Because of the collision between divine power and mana, I could never use my full strength. Every battle was a life-or-death struggle. The 11-circle grimoire he gave me cleaned that up perfectly.'

Relieved that he no longer had to worry about rampaging or self-destruction, he gladly summoned an ultra-giant Lord Slayer spear.

Whoosh—hahaha—! The ultra-giant Lord Slayer spear, two thousand kilometers long, blazed with power that even absorbed the sun’s divine energy.

'Five hundred and sixty billion mana combined with the Lord Slayer authority that forces triple damage means sixteen hundred and eighty billion damage in one strike. Instant death for any Main God.'

Even the Substitute God Main God, who possessed resistance to divine power, would still take half damage—two hundred and eighty billion—resulting in a total of eight hundred and forty billion forced damage.

'If you are not a Creator God, that means death.'

A confident roar burst from his lips of its own accord.

It had been so long since he fought with such confidence and ease that the smile refused to leave his face. Just as he was about to throw the spear, an ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

'What? If things continue like this, I die?'

Combat Foresight was screaming a warning. The anxiety that his own battle could not possibly be this easy grew stronger, so he hurriedly checked the condition of the Substitute God High Lord.

'Trapped in my Dimensional Net, spatial movement sealed, and getting pummeled. Its bio-armor is crumbling miserably, and all it can do is scream. There is no sign of a counterattack.'

One decisive blow from the ultra-giant Lord Slayer spear would end it. Yet the growing sense of dread was no joke.

'This is unsettling. Just to be safe, I should add something else before throwing it.'

Pushing himself slightly, he layered additional magic onto the Lord Slayer spear.

By mobilizing magic that attacked across past, present, and future, his anxiety eased a little. Yet the chills still would not stop.

'A terrifying sensation is pouring out from the Substitute God Main God! It is still dangerous! But the time I can remain in Gigantes Main God form is almost up.'

Preparing for any possible contingency, he tensed every sense in his body to the limit. Gathering the maximum output of five hundred and sixty billion along with the strength of the Gigantes race—once the strongest body in the universe when relying on physical power alone—he hurled the spear with all his might.

Thud—!Rumble—rumble—rumble! The continent of the Main God Star shook violently beneath the force of his powerfully planted right foot. The tremendous aftershock restored his confidence.

Thud—thud—thud—thud—thud!Crack—crack—crack—crack—crack! Muscles across his entire body rippled like waves, condensing and drawing out maximum power. The muscles in the arm gripping the spear swelled like balloons, repeatedly contracting and expanding. His thirteen pairs of dimensional wings radiated authority to the fullest, opening a spatial gate leading directly to the Substitute God Main God.

Thud—!Whoosh—!Swish—! The sound of the spear being thrown was not particularly loud. The ultra-giant spear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had already shot toward its target the instant it left his hand.

'With Dimensional Authority, arrival is instantaneous. Within my authority domain, it can never miss.'

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of crisis flooded his mind. It was the feeling of a lethal threat that Combat Foresight was warning him about.

'I'm going to die—!'

Kwaaaaaang—! He twisted his waist back with all his strength and leaped backward. The shock from his footfall shook the orbital path of the Demon God Star, but that was the least of his concerns right now.

Whoosh—hahaha—! Something streaked past his maximally tilted forehead at ultra-high speed.

“Kugh—! As I thought—!”

The tremendous wave of power contained within it forced a scream from his throat. He forcibly righted his falling body and stared at the object that had just passed him. It was a very familiar elongated shape.

“My Lord Slayer spear—!”

The Lord Slayer spear he had just thrown had returned to him intact. And when he urgently looked at the Substitute God Main God, there was not a single scratch on it.

'It ignored that massive mass, mana, and divine power and bounced straight back at me? Does that even make sense? Even if the opponent is a High Lord, that was five hundred and sixty billion output.'

Combined with the Lord Slayer authority, that meant it had ignored eight hundred and forty billion damage.

'Where in the world is there an authority that fraudulent? Wait—! There is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one!'

It definitely existed among the authorities and magic possessed by the Dimensional and War God.

'He simply gave me the complete 11-circle grimoire collection using only the Moon of the Origin and the sun. I thought the reward was too enormous and found it suspicious. Could it be that the Substitute God Main Gods he modified have been strengthened with my magic and authorities?'

Divine power rose from the Substitute God Main God’s body.

Oooooooong—!Thud—thud—thud—thud! At that moment, the attacks from the Great Demon Gods and High Lords were reflected and struck them instead.

“Kraaack—!”

“Agh—! What the hell?”

Everyone screamed miserably as they were blasted away by their own reflected power. Fortunately, because it was their own strength, it was not a fatal blow.

'As expected, it reflected them. From now on, even the slightest mistake will lead to total annihilation.'

Oooong!Oooooong! His mage’s eyes confirmed the wave pattern of divine power rising from the Substitute God’s body.

'It is not the Substitute Gods’ God Destruction authority. This is my magic.'

The divine power wave was not simple emission—it was forming the patterns of magic. Across the entire surface of the planetary bio-armor was a pattern he knew all too well. It was a magic circle that manifested the magic created by the Dimensional and War God.

A trembling voice of disbelief leaked from his mouth.

An impossible event was unfolding before his eyes. His 10-circle magic had been manifested as an authority of the Substitute Gods. The resonance from the Substitute God High Lord reached his ears like this:

“Oooooooong—! Oooong—!”

'All things shall return to the sower. We shall replace everything. Gods and Demon Gods alike, disappear—!'

The greatest defensive magic of the 10-circle tier created by the Dimensional and War God had been perfectly realized through divine power. The most efficient defensive magic in the current universe—one that returned every form of attack from equal or lesser opponents back to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attacker—had been manifested as an authority on a planetary scale.

Of course, he knew the method to destroy it better than anyone.

'There is only one way to break that. Strike it with double the power. But that Substitute God High Lord’s divine power is approaching six hundred billion. Where am I supposed to bring a Creator God with one trillion two hundred billion divine power from?'

There was no way the Demon God King or a Creator God would participate in the certification battle of the Main God Star. The only remaining option was a joint technique from the Great Demon Gods and High Lords present.

'The only way to eliminate it is Dawn of the Beginning—no, the Guillotine of the Incompetent. But how can we land that slow joint technique?'

What frustrated him most was that his magic should not have been so easily manifested.

'Even when I made the easiest personal application, I nearly died from the effort. How did they implement it across an entire giant planet?'

The wider the application range of magic, the more the difficulty of manifestation rose exponentially. Simply drawing a larger magic circle on the planetary surface would not solve it.

'This is not a matter of circle rank or output superiority. It is a difference in computational power that considers every possible situation.'

Thoughts about the more advanced form of magic flooded his mind like a runaway reaction, but he had to stop them from attacking again first.

'If our forces are reduced any further, it is over.'

Fortunately, there was no further application of magic.

'Well, even a High Lord would struggle to manifest magic on a planetary scale more than once.'

Desperately blocking the Substitute God’s spatial movement with dimensional divine power, he shouted.

“What? Where is there such a crazy authority?”

“It is a peculiar defensive authority, but I could break it.”

“A mere low-ranking Main God with twenty billion divine power dares command us—!”

“You seem to have some tricks, but they are nothing but petty gimmicks in the end. True power is ultimately pure strength alone.”

Angry replies filled with the pride of the Great Demon Gods and High Lords came back. It was the answer he had expected.

'Those proud powerhouses would never listen to someone weaker than themselves.'

But he knew exactly what to say to shut their mouths.

The moment he mentioned “him,” the expressions of the Great Demon Gods and High Lords changed instantly. They began retreating at high speed.

“If it is his power, then we withdraw.”

“Damn it! It was supposed to be nothing more than a certification battle for a single High Lord Main God Star. How did the difficulty spike so drastically?”

“Even sacrificing one or two planets might not be enough compensation.”

At the mention of him, even the Mercenary God withdrew from around the Substitute God Main God without complaint. Of course, some grumbled, but they had already experienced their desperate full-power attacks being reflected back at them. Since the claim that it was merely a fragment of his power did not feel like a lie to their senses, everyone retreated and gathered around the Dimensional and War God, who was still in his Gigantes Main God form.

“Our attacks are ineffective against the current Substitute God. Tell us your plan, Main God of the Divine Race.”

“If that defensive authority is exactly as you described, the only method is the joint technique of ‘Dawn of the Beginning.’”

“Dawn of the Beginning activates slowly and lacks speed. At this rate, we can never hit it.”

“Even if you block spatial movement with your unique dimensional god authority, you cannot stop that movement speed.”

They instinctively realized that the only path to victory lay with the Dimensional and War God. However, the situation was so dire that it made them doubt their own instincts.

Rumble—rumble—rumble—rumble—rumble—rumble! With spatial movement sealed, the Substitute God High Lord was closing in at terrifying speed by moving directly. Although spatial movement had been blocked by the superior Dimensional Authority, the mobility of the planetary bio-armor itself could not be stopped. Moreover, once the Gigantes Main God’s polymorph was released, the overwhelming difference in divine power would prevent him from even blocking spatial movement.

'This is truly urgent.'

The moment the Substitute God High Lord entered the effective range of the God Destruction Cannon against the Demon God Star, it was predicted to fire continuously with six hundred billion output. If that happened, the Demon God Star would be incinerated, the supply of vitality and demonic energy would be cut off, and the Demon God Alliance would be finished.

“Given the situation, I will omit honorifics. I will block spatial movement with my Dimensional Net and block its advance with my own body, so prepare the joint technique. I will buy you time.”

Ordinary Divine Gods and Demon Gods could not face the Substitute Gods. Therefore, they would recreate the method used during the certification battle on the mother planet.

“What? You’re going to do something that reckless?”

“With this Gigantes body, I can withstand the God Destruction Cannon to some extent. Complete the joint technique inside that window and blow it away together with me.”

“Have you lost your mind? You came as the Mercenary God and now you intend to sacrifice yourself?”

“Even though you are a low-ranking Main God, the vitality required for resurrection is enormous. Are you willing to fall into such a massive vitality deficit that you would accept a forced contract with him?”

“Then is there another way?”

“……There is none.”