Declaration of War by the Goddess Department

The black-haired head goddess of the Goddess Department slammed her foot into the round table conference room door, sending the entire thing flying off its hinges. Kwaaaaaang—! Shards of the shattered door hurtled all the way to the central table, yet neither the God of Knowledge nor the Dimensional and War God showed the slightest flicker of emotion.

This much was already expected.

A cornered rat was bound to bite the cat.

Since everything remained within their predicted range, they merely offered detached observations.

“So the goddesses no longer require any assistance from the male gods.”

“Developing the Divine Realm can be accomplished by either the male gods’ Transcendents or the goddesses of the Goddess Department—it makes no difference. The primordial Transcendents hold fifty billion in divine power, the Main God of the Divine Realm holds twenty billion, and the male gods possess another fifty billion. Kill them and combine that total, and you reach one hundred twenty billion. More than enough to ascend to the highest Divine Realm. From the goddesses’ perspective, this is their final opportunity.”

“Hah! So you plan to exploit the karma law that only demands results?”

“In an internal conflict, concepts such as good and evil or justice and injustice hold no meaning. The karma law simply declares that whichever side develops the Divine Realm more is in the right—provided they are the stronger party.”

“Then what of the Divine Realm’s self-reflection? It judged the situation a crisis and granted the Dimensional and War God its full support. How do you explain that?”

“Pfft! How amusing. The moment the goddesses voted for war, it immediately switched to an observational stance. The Divine Realm itself desires a stronger Main God. It has no wish for any further chaos.”

“Sigh… I truly believed peace would follow once the authentication battles ended. Instead we get civil war immediately?”

“Isn’t that simply how the world works? Cruel indeed to any optimist. Still, this is not yet war.”

“Not war? The round table conference room door lies in pieces, the goddesses have fully released their power into combat readiness, and three Main God-level goddesses are integrating their divine power in support. Every last high-ranking goddess is participating. The sole mercy is that Granzoa is absent, preventing any ‘Infinite Restoration’ of their combined divine power.”

“Even so, my Combat Foresight is sounding warnings of danger, yet the situation has not reached the stage of actual war.”

“Even an Intermediate Main God’s Combat Foresight warns of combat, yet you claim the time has not come?”

“Once one becomes a Main God and gazes upon the world, it becomes clear that immediate reality is not the whole picture. Reality is merely the surface layer. Every tragedy or comedy ultimately arises from the accumulation of tiny daily repetitions. War is not decided by the upper echelons alone, but by the collective will of all.”

“Isn’t that an overly broad generalization? The goddesses decided on and initiated this declaration of war. They have destroyed the sacred door of the round table!”

“They simply could not contain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their anger and kicked it. The door was weak and broke. They did not seize a divine weapon and brandish it in rebellion—what does it matter?”

“Hah…?”

“Had they damaged it with a divine weapon the situation would differ, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was nothing more than a simple kick. The door was at fault, so we can repair it and deduct a massive amount of vitality as compensation for the repair costs.”

To the God of Knowledge’s dumbfounded remark, the Dimensional and War God offered only a light reply. They were already in full divine power release state; reading intent from the flow of energy had become nearly impossible. Wrapped in the radiant light of an Intermediate Main God’s power, his face remained invisible, allowing judgment only by voice—and that voice belonged to someone utterly calm.

The greater problem lay with the highest-ranking Transcendents. All fifty were currently awaiting execution so their divine power could be reclaimed after their plot of collective insubordination and desertion.

What now? Should we prepare everyone for battle?

There has been no response from the Main God of the Divine Realm. If we fight in this state, we lose completely.

The Dimensional and War God must give the signal, yet he appears to have no intention of fighting at all.

Without orders from the War God, our supreme commander, we cannot alter our current stance. To disobey the will of the commander we just acknowledged would mean we are no true Transcendents!

Having recognized him as supreme commander, we await his command. If we are to die fighting our own kin, we should at least preserve our honor.

The primordial Transcendents deliberately ignored the goddesses’ murderous fighting spirit and divine pressure, quietly channeling their power into their weapons. Their direct-line descendants remained motionless, simply waiting for judgment.

Watching the scene, the God of Knowledge shook his head slightly before turning his gaze toward the approaching goddesses.

They are indeed useful. But that is all. Losing eight of the highest goddesses who have maintained the upper Divine Realm would be a fatal blow. We can neither kill them nor afford to lose them. Should things go wrong, I would be trapped in the seat of honor and forced to become the permanent core of the Divine Realm. Yet on their side, even without the Main God of the Divine Realm, two of them can simply rotate duties. That is why they act so boldly. A truly troublesome situation.

For eons the God of Knowledge had compromised and clashed with the goddesses, watching the Divine Realm’s vitality bleed away. What was unfolding now had always been inevitable, and because he understood it completely, he felt neither rage nor hatred.

A war without the slightest trace of anger or hatred, no different from daily routine. It only makes one laugh. This is not war—it is merely a ridiculous political performance.

He had no intention of siding with anyone in such a meaningless conflict. Besides, handling the Sly Raccoon Main God of the Divine Realm’s sudden antics posed the larger issue.

My prediction suggests he will cause an enormous catastrophe, delivering a massive shock to the Divine Realm. Therefore we cannot dispose of the goddesses who must share the burden of that impact.

Main Gods were far too precious to obtain easily, and hiring a mercenary Main God required an astronomical price. Thus he continued to observe the goddesses, who had opened their full divine power without reservation.

Roughly two billion each. As expected, they still concealed a portion even during the Devotion Pledge. A perfect joint assault from eight female Transcendents at two billion divine power apiece, combined with triple damage enforcement against a Lord via Lord Slayer? Add parallel divine power support exceeding one hundred fifty billion from the goddesses and integrated authority support from three Main God-level goddesses… truly formidable. No wonder the Sly Raccoon Main God avoids a decisive battle. The male gods’ odds of victory fall below half. But I am different.

Paaaaauuuung—! The divine power within his body fused with magical energy and began to surge violently.

In response to the crisis flagged by Combat Foresight, defensive and amplification spells stacked automatically, raising his power further. The output had already reached the level capable of inflicting critical wounds on a highest-tier Main God among the Substitute Gods.

I can win by using rapid-fire attacks from the Main God-Slaying Spear to gain distance, striking with amplified magic, and mobilizing my own Lord Slayer authority for hit-and-run tactics. Without Granzoa’s ‘Infinite Restoration,’ immediate recovery of their integrated divine power is impossible. Continuous damage would render even overwhelming integrated power meaningless. Moreover, they cannot block the spatial movement granted by dimensional authority, so they cannot catch me. The goddesses appear to have prepared thoroughly against me, but unlike the Sly Raccoon Main God, I rely solely on my innate divine power. With infinite vitality and divine power at my disposal, my recovery rate surpasses theirs. Without ‘Infinite Restoration,’ I could even face four goddesses in direct combat and prevail. Ultimately, victory is mine. However, now is not the time to wage war.

He kept the layered defensive and amplification spells active as he closed his eyes. The urge to charge forward and begin the battle overflowed within him.

Even after transferring all the former War God’s divine power to Granzoa, the authority of the Divine Realm’s War God remains. That ferocious authority—permitting any act in pursuit of victory—is stirring. Yet under the current circumstances, we must not engage the goddesses in war.

Removing eight goddesses from Divine Realm administration might paralyze the entire system. Without Main Gods capable of replacing them, disposal was absolutely impossible.

As the highest-ranking member of the round table, should the Divine Realm fall into chaos, karma would surely demand accountability.

Being trapped in the seat of honor and permanently serving as the Divine Realm’s core was utterly unacceptable.

“What is the meaning of this, War God and God of Knowledge?”

The goddesses—who had just shattered the round table door and looked ready to charge the male gods and subdue them—froze in place. The reason lay below the table: fifty highest-ranking Transcendents had disarmed every divine weapon and piece of equipment and now knelt prostrate, while the primordial Transcendents stood over them with weapons pressed to their necks as though ready to execute.

Above all, the Dimensional and War God displayed zero fighting spirit. The God of Knowledge had not equipped any divine weapon or armor either; he merely stared at the destroyed conference room door with a displeased expression.

A sinister premonition, identical to the moment the Sly Raccoon Main God of the Divine Realm had stabbed them in the back, flashed through the goddesses. They sensed they should not speak, yet curiosity compelled them to ask.

“Transcendents and warriors who plotted collective insubordination and desertion will be summarily executed during wartime and their divine power reclaimed. In peacetime a review would be conducted first, but with the Goddess Department currently causing a schism, it is difficult to consider this peacetime. We have simply placed them on standby until the round table reaches its decision. Once that decision is made, we will execute them all and recover their divine power.”

The mechanical reply, delivered as though reading from a manual, left the goddesses frozen. They had come to wage war against the male gods, yet half their fighting strength now stood ready to be voluntarily executed for insubordination and desertion. Worse, the ones preparing to swing the blades were the primordial Transcendents—their own fathers. The divine weapons held to their direct-line sons’ necks shimmered with power on the verge of erupting, making their resolve unmistakably sincere. Furthermore, the kneeling warriors refused even to glance at the goddesses who had come for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠war; they waited only for orders.

The highest-ranking goddesses—who counted those very male gods as their partners and sons—shifted from confidence to visible unease. They now felt in their bones that this would not end with simple suppression of the male gods. This was the brink of a war in which families would annihilate one another, beginning with fathers executing their own sons and claiming every last drop of their divine power.

“Recognizing their past contributions, he offered them honorable deaths and the chance to begin anew as a white-clad volunteer army. They gladly declared they would offer their divine power for the sake of the Divine Realm. The total amounts to fifty billion. Their loyalty is truly remarkable. Now then! Please conclude the ‘Round Table’s Choice’ regarding the disposal of the Goddess Department that instigated this schism. Every god in the Divine Realm awaits your decision.”

“What—!”

“From the instant the ‘Round Table’s Choice’ activated, every part of the proceedings has been transmitted across the Divine Realm. Have you forgotten? I am in particular broadcasting both video and audio to the entire Divine Realm through my The Tower of Babylonia Does Not Fall and Stands in the Sky.”

The goddesses hurriedly extended ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their senses outward and saw it at once: a colossal screen floating in the sky, displaying the entire scene inside the round table conference room. They also saw every god in the Divine Realm staring up at that screen in stunned silence.

What the screen revealed was their own figures as Main Gods, divine dignity and wings fully displayed. The male gods awaiting punishment for insubordination and mass desertion, and the goddesses who had incited division and now chose combat, were laid completely bare for all to see.

The voice of the Dimensional and War God now resounded across the entire Divine Realm.