The True Terror of the War God
The sigh of the God of Knowledge and the ice-cold voice of the Dimensional and War God reverberated throughout the round-table conference chamber.
“The war is over. There is no further need for them. By reclaiming the entire divine power of the Goddess Department—who have done nothing but sow discord—and the highest-grade combat gods and war gods who attempted a mass desertion, we can secure roughly two hundred billion units of surplus vitality. We will conserve an equal amount in operational costs. One hundred billion will be invested in expanding the realm into a highest-tier divine domain. With the remaining one hundred billion, we will fully subordinate every top-grade mercenary god to the Divine Realm. In a single stroke, we will possess a complete, perfect highest-tier divine realm. That single achievement will allow every other deity to ascend one stage. The God of Knowledge will rise to reserve Main God status. The Primordial Combat Gods will become High Gods wielding their own authorities. Every remaining god will advance one rank, and every problem will be solved. Given the current state of the Divine Realm—where the clash between goddesses and male gods has already detonated—this is the optimal solution. The best resolution is to erase both cause and effect entirely. The sacrifices required should, naturally, be those who created the problem. As the War God, this is the only logical conclusion.”
The male gods swallowed thickly, unable to raise their heads at the brutally cold and ruthless verdict.
Gulp.
‘You can tell just by listening.’
‘He truly means to go through with it.’
The Dimensional and War God had classified the mass desertion as open rebellion and was prepared to pass judgment. The gap in power was so absolute that resistance was impossible. The greatest obstacle was that there existed almost no legitimate grounds to intervene—only sentimental appeals that they were still members of the same divine family.
Yet because they had been the first to reject and ostracize him, they possessed no dignity from which to beg for mercy.
The Primordial Combat Gods and the God of Knowledge exchanged troubled glances, their wills flickering rapidly between them in silent communion.
‘Is he truly serious?’
‘Yes. In the current situation, it is undeniably the best possible move.’
‘What are you saying?! The new-generation goddesses and combat gods are all our direct descendants! If their divine power is stripped from them upon death, they will all choose annihilation!’
‘Tsk. Is this not the result of treating them weakly simply because they are family? When we showed consideration to the goddesses because our bloodlines were intertwined, did they ever extend the same courtesy to the male gods? If we had rejected their demand for unequal rights from the very beginning, this would never have happened. Every single proposal for the protection of male gods’ rights submitted today has been rejected under the principle of equality—!’
‘If we do not correct this now, the Divine Realm will be destroyed by the conflict between male and female gods. Are we not witnessing the result before our very eyes?’
‘But… still! Are you not saying this simply because your own family is exempt from the list? Do you desire the position of Main God that badly?’
‘I cannot claim that my own desire to become Main God and the fact that my wife and daughters are not on the list have no influence on my judgment. However, I swear upon my authority of Self-Reflection. If we do not uproot the problem completely this time, the next clash will inevitably become a bloodbath. Comrades and family will slaughter one another’s kin. At that point the Divine Realm will no longer be sustainable—it will collapse entirely.’
‘…………’
‘We must reclaim and seal the divine power of the Goddess Department that caused this crisis and the combat gods who committed mass insubordination. Using the reclaimed power to elevate the realm to its highest tier, we can later restore them once they have accumulated sufficient merit. As long as the Dimensional and War God’s strength exists, any backlash during implementation will be inconsequential. Moreover, even the Goddesses of the Highest Rank cannot oppose this. The responsibility for this incident lies with the Goddess Department, and its consequence is the potential destruction of the Divine Realm. If the result of the War God’s proposal is the ascension of the entire divine realm, they will have no choice but to approve. The Goddesses of the Highest Rank were originally granted another chance solely for the development of the Divine Realm. Should they oppose, they will be sent straight to the Spirit Realm.’
To the Goddesses of the Highest Rank bound to the Divine Realm, this was a perfect checkmate. Yet to make the proposal absolute, the sacrifice of the combat gods who had committed mass insubordination was required.
‘If we do not hand over the male gods, the Goddesses of the Highest Rank will likewise refuse to hand over the now-unnecessary members of the Goddess Department. They will cling to the Department’s outrageous statements and the combat gods’ collective defiance and desertion.’
To the God of Knowledge, it was clear that if this opportunity was missed, the Divine Realm would never again have a chance to prevent its destruction at the hands of the male-female conflict.
‘You would have us sacrifice all our direct descendants? With nothing but vague promises of future return after an indefinite seal?’
‘The current situation is akin to a desperate defense where all divine power and vitality have been exhausted, only for the enemy’s main force to willingly walk into a trap. The choice is simple: remain passive and die, or stake everything on one final gamble. After witnessing the Goddess Department’s absurd declarations today, it is clear that this can no longer be resolved through words without sacrifice. Even I no longer have the confidence to negotiate without emotion. For the sake of the Divine Realm and myself, the entire Goddess Department must be eliminated. Otherwise, I will unconsciously begin crafting schemes to kill them all—regardless of the fate of the Divine Realm.’
A piercing blue killing intent surged from the God of Knowledge’s eyes, turning his pupils transparent. His authority of ‘Self-Reflection’ was being pushed to its extreme, forcibly suppressing all emotion. The faces of the Primordial Combat Gods turned deathly pale at the sight.
Even the God of Knowledge was struggling to control his emotions, yet his judgment remained precise. The destruction of the Divine Realm he spoke of would certainly arrive again even if they survived this crisis. Beside him, the Dimensional and War God—who had fully released his combat divine power—saw his own energy rising steadily. All the divine power and vitality of the Divine Realm was converging upon him.
There existed an unwritten law in every divine realm:
A true War God must never be provoked or insulted. For no one else can bear the responsibility of war.
In any divine realm, the greatest strength might belong to the Main God, but the greatest terror was always the War God. The War God was the being permitted to do anything for victory, and thus became strongest when the fate of the realm itself was wagered upon war. The reason he inspired fear was that while he could secure victory by any means, the price in sacrifice was invariably catastrophic.
If the War God were equal in power to the Main God of the Divine Realm and the realm stood on the brink of annihilation, the Realm Ego itself would intervene, turning even the Main God into a mere piece on the board.
The true authority of the War God revealed itself when the realm faced crisis—and the current crisis was far greater than the previous certification war.
Because the Divine Realm stood on the verge of civil war and collapse, it endlessly poured its power into the Dimensional and War God, reinforcing his will and coercive force. It had reached the point where even the Primordial Combat Gods were being compelled to approve a plan that demanded the sacrifice of their own families.
Seeing the God of Knowledge’s reaction and the expressions of the Primordial Combat Gods, the Dimensional and War God’s voice rose once more, calm and authoritative.
“In the name of the War God, the Dimensional Lord, and the Dark Mage of Origin, I swear this: whether goddess or male god, a fair opportunity will be granted once more. However, the final choice rests with all of you.”
The new-generation combat gods and war gods had finally grasped the full situation.
‘I think I finally understand the true terror of the War God.’
‘All the divine power and vitality of the Divine Realm is rejecting us and attempting to restrict our will.’
‘The realm’s own survival instinct, having judged this a crisis of annihilation, is exerting coercive force.’
The coercive power of the Divine Realm was enough to shake even the highest gods, yet it had not stripped them of their true nature. They were, after all, the war gods and combat gods who had fought the Substitute Gods and Demon God races across eons. Yet once reason returned, they realized they had been about to commit the very acts of mass insubordination and desertion that they had executed countless others for in the past.
Under no circumstances were war gods and combat gods permitted to disobey a superior’s legitimate orders or abandon the front lines. Because such acts led directly to the realm’s destruction, they had slain countless deserters without accepting any excuse. And now they themselves had flown into rage over a few outrageous words from the goddesses and caused this incident.
Moreover, they could find no flaw in the Dimensional and War God’s words.
‘If the Goddess Department that is leading the Divine Realm toward destruction and we ourselves are killed and our divine power reclaimed, then every problem in this realm will indeed be solved.’
‘No one will dare speak of the conflict between goddesses and male gods again.’
‘Because that merciless War God will move once more.’
‘Once the Divine Realm becomes a highest-tier realm, our respected fathers—the Primordial Combat Gods—will finally obtain the authorities they have always desired.’
The prosperity of the Divine Realm and the revival of their families were the sole reasons they had endured endless battlefields across eternity.
The male gods silently removed their divine artifacts and armor, set them down before them, then knelt and bowed their heads. It was a clear declaration that they entrusted their fates entirely to the judgment of the new-generation combat gods and war gods.
At that, the Primordial Combat Gods closed their eyes without a word. The choice of the male gods was over.
Without exchanging a single phrase, the Primordial Combat Gods drew their divine weapons and took position to the right of the new-generation combat gods—the same position from which they had countless times executed those who disobeyed orders and attempted desertion. The only difference this time was that the targets were their own direct descendants, a fact that cut them to the bone.
Yet they were war gods and combat gods. Even family could not be permitted to violate military law. They could only concentrate their divine power to the utmost within their weapons, hoping to grant their children a swift and painless death.
The divine weapons glowed with pure white light, poised above the necks of the kneeling gods, halted only a hair’s breadth from execution. Seeing their direct descendants remain utterly motionless even while feeling the touch of death, the Primordial Combat Gods’ eyes reddened further. A wave of regret crashed over them—had they handled the matter coldly and officially from the beginning, they would never have reached this point.
In that heavy silence, the Dimensional and War God—bearing nearly all the divine power and coercive force of the entire realm—made his final declaration.
“The execution and reclamation of divine power from the male gods who committed mass insubordination and attempted desertion within the Divine Realm shall be carried out immediately upon the Round Table’s approval. The same shall apply to the Goddess Department, which incited division and drove the realm to the brink of crisis. Should this incident not be resolved, all members will be disposed of and their divine power reclaimed. Glory to those who have sacrificed themselves for the victory of war.”
In that moment, every god present felt to their very marrow that no one could stop the true War God.