The God of Knowledge's Masterstroke
The murderous intent of the Goddess Department's chief goddesses reached the God of Knowledge like a tangible blade. Their collective will pressed down on him, heavy with centuries of unchallenged authority.
“Grind your teeth all you want. Is this rebellion of the demigods your handiwork, God of Knowledge?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“I am asking whether you manipulated the demigods into submitting a formal request to the Dimensional and War God for the establishment of a lower divine realm!”
“Surely not. How could the words of a mere male god like myself possibly sway subordinate gods who serve a goddess?”
His courteous, almost scholarly replies only fueled their fury. The chief goddesses trembled with rage, their regal features twisting.
There is definitely some scheme of his behind this, yet we have no proof.
Watching their expressions crumble with frustration, the God of Knowledge finally allowed a broad smile to spread across his face. He continued in the same polite, measured tone.
“I did, however, exercise slight control over the flow of information. The Divine Realm’s greatest variable cannot be allowed to leak before the war with the Substitute Gods. Officially, he is registered only as a reserve Main God possessing one billion magic power and one billion divine power. Since the goddesses remain unaware of the war, they completely misjudged his strength during the spar with the Lord. Even after he wounded a Main God with twenty billion divine power, not a single goddess questioned the ‘reserve Main God’ designation. Thanks to that, everything proceeded remarkably smoothly.”
“So it was your doing after all!”
“Merely simple information concealment. Still, for demigods to hear such false reports, look down upon the Dimensional and War God, and commit such insolence is truly unforgivable. To think they would dare demand the right to establish a lower divine realm from the very Main God who governs the entire Middle World. This is an emergency situation. They must all be executed and their divine power reclaimed.”
“Do you truly believe we will simply accept this—?”
Crack.Snap.Crack.
The highest-ranking goddess attempted to unfurl her wings of divine power. All emotion drained from the faces of the chief goddesses. At some point the primordial war gods had already summoned their weapons, gripping them tightly. Yet no divine power fluctuated in the air—only pure fighting spirit, aimed exclusively at their targets. Two or three factions had employed this exact tactic across eons, so the new generation of ordinary Highest Gods could not even perceive it. Only the highest-tier deities grew tense, preparing to lend their own divine power in support.
A low, resonant hum filled the chamber. The murderous threat radiating from the chief goddesses did nothing to disturb the God of Knowledge’s serene expression. The situation was already won. Above all, the primordial war gods were not true Main Gods.
As long as Lord Slayer does not come into play, they can at least endure. Should the Main God of the Divine Realm intervene, the scales would balance. Moreover, since this concerns a rebellion by the demigods, the primordial goddesses remain ignorant. The new-generation goddesses will not offer divine power to the chief goddesses.
This was the long-awaited opportunity to fracture the Goddess Department.
Without Granzoa’s ‘Infinite Restoration’ authority on their side, we stand on equal footing. If the Dimensional and War God simply joins the male gods’ camp, we can finally overwhelm them.
There was no need to wonder which side the Dimensional and War God—who had suffered the Goddess Department’s harassment most severely—would choose. For the God of Knowledge, this was the moment his painstaking work over countless years finally bore fruit. As a strategist, his heart soared with satisfaction.
“The demigods’ issue was bound to erupt sooner or later. Let him clean it up cleanly with his own hands. Giving him the reclaimed divine power would be beneficial as well. Since he is a practitioner who trains only his innate divine power, a proper negotiation should convince him to return it to the Divine Realm. The Main God of the Divine Realm, who stands on the threshold of becoming a Creator God, possesses both the willingness and the ability to compensate the male gods who fought prepared for annihilation in the coming war. But I wonder—can the chief goddesses afford to pay such a price in divine power? Or will you resort to seizing by force what the Dimensional Lord obtained legitimately? If the ‘Extreme Good’ God of Light were to act in such a manner, it would tarnish the very concept of ‘Good.’ That would be rather inconvenient, would it not?”
This was the decisive blow. He watched the chief goddess’s wings of light freeze before they could fully unfurl, and all his accumulated resentment and worry seemed to vanish like morning mist.
I never spoke of it, but every time I was barred from entering because of that ridiculous ‘Goddess Only’ rule, my blood pressure soared and fury consumed me.
Since mutual destruction was impossible, they had swallowed their pride and accepted the gradual expansion of goddess privileges, like swallowing bitter mustard seeds while weeping.
My adorable daughters have benefited from it, but this has gone too far.
The situation had arisen after the God of Beasts, who had clashed with Granzoa, lost both the divine war and the subsequent spar—leaving the God of Knowledge as the sole highest-ranking male god at the round table.
All criticism and resentment from the male gods poured onto me, the only highest male at the table. That bastard God of Beasts, ashamed of his defeat, fled to a battlefield where he was already being pushed back. I was left trembling under the dual stress from both the Main God and the chief goddesses.
Even on his commute, the God of Knowledge had been forced to avoid the main roads now designated ‘Goddess Only,’ taking circuitous back alleys while grinding his teeth and vowing revenge.
The long, patient years have finally borne fruit!
And to achieve such a massive result through nothing more than light information manipulation directed at the demigods filled him with profound satisfaction. It was time to drive the wedge in completely.
“I do not ask for much. It would suffice for the male gods to occupy the Highest God positions left vacant once the demigods—mere lower gods—are stripped of their divine power.”
“What did you say?!”
“It is time for the male gods who have overseen the wars to rest. Besides, the Substitute Gods no longer exist, and we need only remain wary of the Demon God race. With both the greatest Main God of the Divine Realm and the Dimensional and War God present, the Demon God race poses no threat. Once you become a Creator God, the mercenary god’s compensation can be paid without limit. I cannot speak to the circumstances of the chief goddesses, of course.”
The chief goddesses knew better than anyone that they possessed nothing of substance.
I have served as a highest god for so long, yet all I possess is my personal temple and the modest wealth accumulated from my salary. Everything else was spent managing the subordinate goddesses.
The complete absence of corruption or abuse of power while governing the Divine Realm was indeed admirable. Yet the God of Knowledge had barely endured while leading male god forces that numbered merely one-tenth of their female counterparts.
Once the male gods’ round table quorum doubles from its current number, we will make the Goddess Department taste bitterness. Catering to the whims of those immature new-generation goddesses will be as easy as drinking cold porridge. Above all, the Main God of the Divine Realm is no longer the figure once mocked as the Sly Raccoon Main God or the Swindler Main God.
Every time he had been forced to bow his head and seek cooperation from the chief goddesses or other divine factions, irritation had flooded him. But not anymore.
Now that he is the Main God of the Divine Realm destined to become a Creator God, cooperation flows in for every initiative he advances. The work has finally become enjoyable.
Even now, the mere mention that the Main God of the Divine Realm would ascend to Creator God left the chief goddesses frozen in place.
As expected, when those above flourish, those below thrive. It was truly the correct decision to elevate the Dimensional and War God to the position of highest god in the Divine Realm.
Since the Dimensional and War God’s arrival, they had secured the qualifications to become a Creator God and safely completed the authentication trial against the Substitute Gods.
Now we need only properly adjust and develop this absurd Goddess Only Divine Realm. Then my own yoke will finally be lifted.
The moment of liberation and glory drew near for the God of Knowledge. Looking at the chief goddesses’ completely rigid faces, he felt as though he could soar through the heavens.
His senses detected a familiar divine power approaching.
The truly grateful Dimensional and War God who created this situation has arrived.
He had increased the divine power of the God of Knowledge’s daughters—who suffered because their strength refused to rise no matter how hard they trained—without asking for any conditions in return, accepting only cooperation in official duties.
The Dimensional and War God carries out his responsibilities as a highest god without selfish motives. Originally an enormous compensation as a Main God mercenary should have been paid, yet he harbors no lust for power, wealth, or goddesses. He focuses solely on combat and self-cultivation. A true war god. It is rare to find a being who inspires such affinity in a strategist like myself.
Even now, on the eve of the power struggle with the Goddess Department, he remained a trustworthy comrade-in-arms and their greatest asset.
The God of Knowledge smiled so widely it seemed his mouth might split. He turned toward the entrance of the Main God temple and offered a warm greeting.
The chief goddesses clicked their tongues at his obvious delight, yet they too were forced to respond with polite welcomes.
There is a contract in place, and no one knows what might happen if we provoke his temper now.
Moreover, he has become an Intermediate Lord with five billion divine power. None of us could defeat him alone.
Though they were personally outmatched in power and the current situation demanded further deference, they held no particular ill will toward him. On the contrary, they needed to cooperate actively in order to receive a valuable habitable planet as compensation for the Devotion Pledge.
“Welcome back! Did you rest well? Dimensional and War God… urk—?”
“Please, come in. We couldn’t reach you and were growing worried… huh?”
“You must have rested well. Your divine power is exceptionally strong. What is this?”
Both the God of Knowledge and the chief goddesses froze, unable to close their gaping mouths. The sight of the Dimensional and War God stepping through the doors of the round table conference hall in the Main God temple left them utterly stunned.
A powerful golden radiance poured from his entire body—the light of Dimensional Authority. His approaching figure was partially obscured by the brilliant glow.
The thirteen pairs of wings of light are already known to us, but those eleven overlapping circles of light floating above his head are unmistakably the full divine power release state of a Main God.
One could literally see the Dimensional divine power writhing across every inch of his body, activating and reinforcing it. The powerful beings present knew exactly how much divine power such a state consumed, which only intensified their shock.
He is maintaining full deployment without the slightest sign of strain.
It looks completely natural. That should be impossible.
The primordial war gods tensed sharply. Sweat began to bead on the hands gripping their divine weapons. The pure fighting spirit and overwhelming divine power seemed to forcibly imprint upon them that this existence operated on an entirely different level.
The intense fighting spirit of the Dimensional and War God washed over them just as it had during their first meeting, yet none dared to meet it head-on. The moment they tried, they instinctively knew they would be torn apart.
“It is good to see you all,” came the calm, authoritative voice from within the golden light. As he took his seat at the round table, complete silence descended upon the hall.
The sheer absurdity of the situation left them speechless—a Main God who had possessed only two billion divine power mere months ago had returned with an estimated fifty billion.
The voice continued from within the radiant veil of Dimensional Authority.
“Are you surprised? The increase in divine power is the result of the reward from the previous authentication trial and the compensation received from this mercenary god contract. Additionally, the individual I met this time advised me that the fastest method to raise divine power is to maintain the full power release state for as long as possible while further elevating my karma to ‘Extreme Good.’ I am currently implementing this advice.”
“I-is that so? It must be incredibly taxing…”
“As I am both the Dimensional God and the Magic God, it becomes manageable once accustomed to it. Above all, my body’s durability and innate divine power are rising at a rapid pace, so I am quite satisfied. They say the effect grows even stronger once karma reaches ‘Extreme Good,’ so I intend to continue putting forth the effort.”
“That may be true, but it is still quite dangerous.”