The Goddess Department's War
The reason such a leisurely negotiation was possible in the Goddess Department’s War was simple. Their current forces were already more than sufficient.
‘There’s no way I would have suffered all this time for lack of forces, only to secure the bare minimum needed. Honestly, the highest-ranking goddesses alone are enough right now.’
Even with the restriction that gods and demon gods could only exert a fraction of their power in the Middle World, deploying his Dimensional Genesis and even Origin’s sun and moon would allow them to unleash more than ten times their strength.
‘If I step forward personally, the backlash from the Divine Realm will be enormous. It would be like an adult grabbing a baby by the neck and shaking it. And if that baby happens to be part of the ruling class of the Divine Realm, the problem becomes quite serious.’
Demigods and Transcendents were also blood relatives of the ruling divine clans. Even that sly raccoon of a Main God of the Divine Realm had been unable to act due to face and political concerns, ultimately handing the matter over to him.
‘When babies fight among themselves, it’s hard for the adults to intervene.’
That was why, instead of fighting directly, he had secured additional personnel to ensure a decisive victory through proxy warfare.
‘If I push the narrative that adults shouldn’t interfere in children’s fights, there’s no burden. Besides, I’m not planning to annihilate them anyway.’
As long as the number of Transcendents didn’t decrease, the karma would be recognized as legitimate governance, preventing any negative judgment from being applied to him.
‘If they keep dying and falling below the seventh circle without learning their lesson, I’ll permanently seal them with the Main God-Slaying Spear.’
It was precisely because of these circumstances that the demon gods were left stunned by his declaration that they could do as they pleased.
“Without His Majesty the Demon King’s command, we cannot return.”
“That jewel of the Creator God is still completely empty inside.”
In that case, as spiritual beings, they would neither die nor be trapped once more in a space of perfect nothingness. It would be a permanent seal with no telling when—or if—they would ever emerge.
Yet there was no chance the demon gods would yield to such threats. Above all, he had long passed the stage where he would throw away a favorable negotiation out of childish emotional outbursts.
“The Demon King has transferred all rights over you to me as compensation for the mercenary contract with the Substitute Gods. Therefore, as an 11-circle dark mage, I propose a complete subordination contract. The conditions will be identical to those of the divine clans. I will provide support at the same level as the divine clans. If you achieve merit, I will restore your freedom.”
“…….”
The female demon gods fell into silence. They gazed at his face, then at the highest-ranking gods of the divine clans kneeling in submission, awaiting orders, their expressions twisting with conflict. Their eyes lingered especially on the equipment and clothing worn by the goddesses, hesitation clear on their faces.
‘Equipment on the level of a great demon god—something an upper-rank female demon god could never even dream of.’
They had no desire to return to the Spirit Realm, nor could they endure waiting eternally within that void. A subordination contract would elevate them to the rank of highest demon gods and offer a chance at freedom. Moreover, as an 11-circle mage god, his current self was nearly equal to a great demon god in terms of magical power. Having survived a battle against a highest-ranking Substitute God lord, no one could deny that fact.
‘He’s a divine being, but undeniably a powerhouse who possesses magical power.’
‘Even if it means becoming subordinate, there is no shame in it whatsoever.’
Of course, these female demon gods would not accept complete subordination based on this level of support alone. However, there was no better alternative, and the negotiation was proceeding optimistically. Most of all, the majority of the female demon gods were blushing as they stared at his peerlessly beautiful youthful face.
‘So the appearance and charm of a high-ranking spiritual being affects others regardless of attribute.’
Beauty was, after all, a universal concept across all races. Furthermore, he was currently an intermediate main god possessing three billion units of divine power in a pure spiritual state. There was no way female demon gods with only a few tens of millions of magical power could resist him.
In the end, every last female demon god stared blankly at his face before reaching their decision.
“We accept the subordination contract with the noble and great dark mage. The conditions shall be the same support as the divine clans, and upon achieving merit, we shall be released as free demon gods.”
“Approved. I look forward to your accomplishments.”
"I exist as myself, so shall you."
"I am the one and only special existence in this world."
⟨ I Exist as Myself, So Shall You ⟩
The eleven circles of magical power engraved the contract directly into their spiritual bodies. The mental images of the newly subordinated demons flowed into him.
‘What is this pink fantasy? Hah—! Is that me being held in her arms?’
These female demon gods were more captivated by his adorable appearance than by any increase in power or equipment. In her imagination, he was being cradled in the arms of demon goddesses, receiving their utmost affection and cuteness.
‘So that’s why these prideful demon gods accepted the subordination contract so readily. I’m really going to have to do something about this.’
He felt like a pimp who had completely conquered women with nothing but his face. Still, since the complete subordination contract had been established, he would provide the promised support.
The dark wings—nine pairs in total—unfurled as he elevated them all to the rank of highest lower-rank demon gods, just like the divine clans.
‘I replaced their shabby clothes and armor with demon adamantium, outfitting them with gear worthy of great demon gods. For magical power replenishment, I drew in the demonic energy of the Great Forest based on my infinite vitality.’
Yet while the reaction was similar to that of the goddesses earlier, it was far more intense.
“Kyaaaaaah—!”
“Ugh—! What kind of vitality is this strong—!”
“This is beyond even a great demon god’s demonic energy!”
From the very moment their demonic energy was replenished, they erupted into moans that sounded like screams, descending into complete chaos.
‘Oh no—! My purified vitality and demonic energy deliver extreme pleasure to spiritual beings. And right now, I am also an 11-circle mage god.’
It was vitality and demonic energy potent enough to make even the Succubus Queen—the very incarnation of lust—lose her mind. Having reached the threshold of the 11th circle with the partial vitality granted by a great demon god, it had grown even stronger. Pouring such power into the female demon gods to raise their rank and replenish their depleted magical energy had caused this uproar.
Haaaah! Aaaahng—!
Everywhere, female demon gods were sobbing while caressing their own breasts and private parts. The situation had grown even worse because his appearance had already heightened their favorability toward him.
The female demon gods, who dared not approach him directly, were now desperately trying to tear off armor that could never harm them, screaming in frustration. Even after hastily adding more controlled flows of demonic energy to finish the process, almost none of them remained in their right minds.
The only saving grace was that they had all safely reached the target of three hundred million units of magical power and nine pairs of dark wings.
‘……I’m scared of myself.’
Staring at the instantaneous pandemonium, he silently vowed in his heart to be more careful with vitality and magical power infusions in the future. Even the goddesses who had sworn absolute obedience to him like a religion could only swallow nervously and remain still. If even he was shocked, there was nothing more to be said.
Then a trembling voice echoed through the audience chamber.
“S-so it’s true…? They said he was the lust god who made the Succubus Queen faint… It was real.”
“…….”
The sight of the female demon gods speaking in hazy, half-conscious voices made veins bulge on his forehead.
‘Who the hell is a lust god? This is a natural phenomenon that occurs when extremely purified demonic energy is absorbed by spiritual bodies. I didn’t even lift a finger. And with this youthful appearance, how could I possibly be a lust god? Just how far has that ridiculous rumor spread?!’
The false rumor of him being a lust god had reached every corner—from the Creator God all the way to the distant Demon Star. There was nowhere it hadn’t spread.
‘How do I fix this? I am originally an Absolute Being bearing the title of Origin. The Absolute who presides over battlefields!’
Among all the successive leaders of the Root School, none had ever been plagued by such rumors.
‘Even after becoming a main god, evil rumors follow me. Now they say that even the Creator God only grants me women as compensation for contracts.’
At this rate, people would start claiming he only received female mercenaries as payment. ‘How did it come to this?’
It was, of course, all because of the reckless curiosity and desires of his younger days.
‘Sigh—! I never should have summoned a succubus out of curiosity about women when I was young.’
No matter how much he lamented, the result would not change. Worse, the situation only grew more twisted with time.
‘Looking at my own circumstances objectively now… I really do seem like a lust god.’
He hastily shook his head, casting the thought far away.
‘If I acknowledge it, I have a feeling I’ll be endlessly dragged into women’s problems. The anxiety is overwhelming.’
For now, things were proceeding well. All that remained was to cleanly organize the criminal goddesses and demon goddesses who had caused incidents even while waiting in the spirit summoning standby area.
‘With five hundred and five highest-ranking lower goddesses and two hundred and fifty highest-ranking lower demon goddesses under my support, we’ll have more than enough power to overwhelm the Transcendents of the Middle World. But what should I do with the hundred criminal Transcendents and the remaining one hundred and fifty-three?’
He pondered how to utilize the shabby female Transcendents frozen mid-attack in the air and the troublesome beastmen.
‘The effect is certain, but managing them will be a headache.’
Yet if he didn’t deploy them, it seemed he would have to step forward himself.
‘If I act personally, the backlash from the Divine Realm won’t be small. After all, it would be like an adult beating his own child.’
If he wanted to establish himself properly in the Divine Realm, he now had to consider political issues as well.
Yet the sight of him deeply pondering looked so lovable—the peerless beautiful youth tilting his head in confusion—that everyone’s faces flushed red.
‘I’ll have to use them all.’
He ultimately decided to utilize them.
‘Relying on luck and charging in without full preparation like in the past ends with the battle against the highest-ranking lord of the Substitute Gods.’
The price of baseless confidence had left him in the body of a child.
‘It’s time for me to start commanding subordinates properly.’
Snap—!
Booom—!
The instant the criminals were released from the Creator God’s jewel, their enormous mass slammed into the floor of the audience chamber. He let out a sigh of disbelief at the sight before him.
‘Aren’t those divine power suppression restraints? They even have gravity amplification controls on?’
Multiple layers of mental control were stacked on top of physical restraints designed to completely immobilize the body. Metal restraints were clamped over their mouths to prevent divine speech incantations, and blindfolds completely covered their eyes to block the manifestation of authorities. Aside from basic undergarments, they wore no clothing or equipment. Chains imbued with divine power suppression authority wrapped their entire bodies. Whether they had golden hair like goddesses or black hair like demon goddesses, they were restrained equally, with gravity control so intense they couldn’t even twitch.
They couldn’t even stand properly. Crushed by the gravity, they lay sprawled on the floor, writhing. The pressure was so great that if the floor weren’t made of adamantium, they would have sunk straight through it. The weight must have made breathing nearly impossible, yet they still struggled, shaking the chains.
Six tattoos engraved across their bodies controlled their divine and demonic power. Even under such cruel restraint, desperate, hatred-filled groans leaked out alongside bursts of divine and demonic energy. Six pairs of wings of light and darkness flapped wildly, as if ready to shatter the control at any moment.
“Ugh! Urgh!”
The sight caused both the divine and demon gods to cry out in shock.
“Sixth-level divine power suppression? Then they’re irredeemable felons!”
“That person…? We definitely confirmed her annihilation, yet she still exists?”
A smile naturally formed on his lips as he listened to them. The ferocious divine and demonic power he sensed was truly satisfying.
‘The compensation for this mercenary work was certainly worthwhile.’
The killing intent and fighting spirit the criminals radiated—accumulated from slaughtering countless lives without distinguishing between divine and demon races—was genuinely pleasing.
‘They really are perfect for the role. Warriors who have become complete gods of war, to the point where there’s no need to distinguish between races. The Creator God chose well. I should go thank him later.’
The sensation was like standing before starving, ferocious beasts. His truly satisfied, adorable smile made the goddesses and female demon gods tremble.
‘They’re looking at me as if asking whether I truly intend to take these ones in.’
Compared to those he had killed or fought during his days as the God of Mercenaries, these criminals were absurdly weak. Yet their murderous intent and will to fight were worthy of high praise. They deserved respect.
“Clear the space and prepare their positions.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
At the command of one who had become a perfect highest god, they moved busily. In an instant, the crowd of divine and demon races split to the left and right of the audience chamber, prostrating themselves and leaving only the bound criminals in the center.
“Complete release of physical and mental seals. Vitality replenishment.”
Because their divine and demonic power had been sealed, the vitality was sufficient. Looking again, they were almost all top-tier powerhouses in their own right. They had simply been demoted to upper gods upon becoming criminals and left in a state of depleted vitality.
Whooooosh—!
Bang—!
Crack, crack, crack—!
Once their vitality depletion was resolved, they tore off the divine power restraints with their own strength and rose to their feet.
‘Truly strong and ferocious ones.’
Unable to hold back his laughter, he sat upon the Throne of Glory and looked at the criminals. They stared at his face for a moment in surprise, then spoke with rising fighting spirit and killing intent.
“Cute little brat. Since you released us, I’ll let you off this time.”
“Open the gate to our Demon Realm—! The time for revenge has finally come.”
“If you treat us as possessions just because the Creator God handed us over, you’re dead.”
Words mixed with curses and murderous intent flew back at him. To these complete gods of war, his appearance held no sway whatsoever.
‘Thank goodness. Honestly, it’s not like I’m an Incubus God. Having a face that seduces both gods and demon gods indiscriminately is ridiculous.’
Moreover, feeling this familiar battlefield killing intent and fighting spirit made it impossible to suppress his laughter.
“Heh heh—! Hahaha—!”
The Dimensional and War God spread his thirteen pairs of dimensional wings to their fullest extent.