The Storm After the Goddess Department War

The aftermath of the Goddess Department War unfolded like a storm. The primordial War Gods and the highest upper goddesses departed to prepare for battle, while the God of Knowledge swiftly wrung the Contract Demon Kings dry, forging a brutally one-sided treaty. The Scheme Demon Kings, sunk in utter despair, bowed their heads in genuine gratitude when the Dimensional and War God revised the terms, declaring them excessively harsh.

The war itself was set to begin the moment the newly demoted upper-god War Gods—freshly slain to reclaim their divine power—and the Goddess Department’s goddesses finished regenerating. The entire process concluded without the main goddesses uttering a single word. No one questioned them. Every deity simply watched to see how the Dimensional and War God would deal with the rebellious main goddesses.

“As soon as preparations are complete, we launch total war. Secure a flawless victory with zero sacrifices and zero deaths, and announce the dawn of a new God Realm.”

“We obey your command. Glory to the Dimensional and War God!”

With the Dimensional and War God’s declaration, the fate of the Middle World’s demigods and divine nations was sealed.

Once the conference room emptied, the primordial goddesses who had lingered in hesitation finally left. Only the eight main goddesses of the round table and six main god-level deities remained. The main god-level deities were still locked in a standoff.

“So you won’t even try to attack. No combat experience, yet you can still read your opponent’s strength? Not bad.”

“……”

In the end, the Goddess Department’s main god-level goddesses could not bring themselves to charge. Their bodies instinctively froze at the certainty of instant defeat, so they poured everything into defense, pushing their authorities to the limit.

Exerting an authority to its maximum burns enormous amounts of divine power. They will lose eventually—unless they have Granzoa’s ‘Infinite Restoration.’

They also understood they could never block a full-power assault. Their opponents were War Gods whose offensive might existed on an entirely different plane.

“The Goddess of Progress’s ‘Authority Advancement,’ the Goddess of Freedom’s ‘Authority Diffusion,’ and the Goddess of Equality’s ‘Authority Adjustment’? Paired with Granzoa the Elf Goddess’s ‘Infinite Restoration,’ they form a support system for the main goddesses in combat. Alone, none of you are a match. That authority was designed for four to face a high god two ranks above you. One-on-one was never an option. Stand down. Even if you won now, they would not accept the result.”

At the Dimensional and War God’s command, the opponents immediately opened distance. The Goddess Department leaders staggered, their divine power severely depleted by the strain of their authorities.

They could hold if their divine power remained, but without all four together they could not win.

“For now, establish complete subordination through a conditional contract. Once Granzoa returns to main god rank, I will allow you to fight them again. Treatment will follow the outcome. This is the greatest leniency I can extend to those who have insulted me.”

At the Dimensional and War God’s final verdict, they looked desperately toward the main goddesses. When those goddesses silently nodded, despair swallowed them whole.

“Main god-level deities born in the God Realm are either successors or challengers. Leaving them unchecked harms the Chief God of the God Realm’s authority, so they are placed under direct subordination and authority control by the ruling main god. It was abnormal that this place was left alone.”

The Dimensional and War God’s calm, matter-of-fact tone made them realize resistance was futile. They had already been branded traitors, and the main goddesses they trusted had been utterly overpowered by the Dimensional Lord’s strength.

With the main goddesses’ main god authority combined with our four authorities, we could win.

But without Granzoa we cannot endure the massive divine power drain.

They bitterly regretted failing to keep Granzoa in the God Realm by any means necessary, even after her fall to lower god status.

In the end, tears streaming down their faces, they had no choice but to accept the complete subordination contract.

As a brilliant ring of divine power wrapped around the Dimensional and War God’s body and pulsed, sacred words etched themselves into their hearts.

“All unnecessary hostility and distracting thoughts toward male gods will be restricted. Devote yourselves solely to training your divine power and refining your authorities in order to become main gods. Everything else remains unchanged. Leaders who will guide the new generation of goddesses in the new God Realm—I look forward to your results.”

The leaders of the Goddess Department wore strange expressions. The complete subordination contracts they knew were little better than slavery, enforcing absolute obedience and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mental restriction. Yet only a few aspects of consciousness had been limited; they had otherwise been left free.

“It is conditional complete subordination. Aside from the consciousness controls, there are neither additional restrictions nor benefits. Once Granzoa returns and the four of you fight them together, we will reassess. Go train.”

They tried to resist, unwilling to leave the main goddesses alone, but the vast gap in divine power and the binding contract made refusal impossible. Before they realized it, they had left the round table chamber and were running toward the training grounds.

Now elevated to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠highest-level God Realm, the vastly expanded round table chamber held only the Dimensional and War God and the eight main goddesses.

Haaaaah. Hoooooo.

Finally realizing their turn had come, the main goddesses let out thin sighs.

All those eons of effort to return… and it ends like this.

We rebelled against the Chief God of the God Realm and never even got to fight.

At least their direct-line main god-level goddesses, created through painstaking labor, seemed destined for important roles. That was their only comfort.

Resigned, they could only wait for judgment.

“We will not resist even if you kill us rebels and reclaim our divine power. Do as you wish.”

When the black-haired main goddess shouted defiantly, the Dimensional and War God replied with an expressionless face.

“I don’t understand what you mean. There was no battle at all, so what is this talk of rebellion against the God Realm? The rudeness shown to the Chief God of the God Realm will be addressed after this war. However, you who rudely destroyed the round table door must be punished immediately. You will repay the damages at double value from your salary.”

“What—! Double—? That’s too much! Do you have any idea how expensive that door was? We’re already short as it is, and now you want me to—mmph—!”

The black-haired main goddess reflexively protested the double compensation demand, but the other main goddesses immediately swarmed her and clamped a hand over her mouth.

Our punishment has been postponed until after the war with the demigods. It means that if we earn merits in battle and pay for the door, the rebellion will be treated as if it never happened!

We barely survived! Yet this tactless fool is trying to drag us all down with her.

Over the main goddesses who had pinned their companion so thoroughly she could not move, the Dimensional and War God’s voice rang out.

“The new God Realm has much work for the main goddesses who have developed it until now. I commend your past achievements and expect you to continue giving your best. If your contributions are great, I will even grant the position of God Realm Management Main God. Punish the betraying demigods and theocratic nations and bring back the merits you earn.”

It was an extraordinarily generous hand of reconciliation, with conditions too favorable to refuse.

“We understand. Glory to the Dimensional and War God!”

Now perfectly courteous, the main goddesses rose quietly and left the chamber.

They had attempted rebellion yet, overwhelmed by the Dimensional and War God’s overwhelming power and decisive actions, had been unable to do anything but await punishment—only to receive forgiveness instead. He had even promised that outstanding merit would earn them the highest-level God Realm’s management position, which would bring a far greater increase in divine power than the God Realm main god position they had originally sought.

For now, we withdraw.

We must secure that position first and think later.

The situation had grown far too complicated. They desperately wanted to escape this place and catch their breath.

As the main goddesses hurried away, only the Dimensional and War God remained in the glorious seat of the highest-level God Realm. A light sigh escaped him, and the light of his fully released divine power grew even brighter, too intense to look at directly.

“Really, what a mess this God Realm is. After pouring nearly all the recovered vitality into normalization, this is all that remains?”

Three hundred billion would be consumed for the God Realm upgrade, with the same amount required continuously afterward. The benefits of the highest-level God Realm were immense, but so was the divine power drain. Only 165 billion remained on the round table.

Of that, 100 billion would go to the realm’s self-maintenance, leaving 65 billion. Fifty billion had to be kept in reserve, meaning roughly 15 billion was actually available for the main god’s use.

The problem was that divine power gathered from believers could not be amplified, rendering it largely useless to him. Even if he used magic to amplify it, the number of believers would not increase. The sole consolation was the 200 billion magic power offered by the Demon God Realm as the price of their new agreement, yet that too came from demon followers and could not be amplified.

Divine power or magic power granted to the Chief God of the God Realm by the realm itself could not be boosted through magic circuits. Therefore he had no choice but to raise his own innate divine power and magic power, which was why he had forgiven the main goddesses.

The 50 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠billion received as compensation for managing this disastrous realm would also have to be poured entirely into maintenance. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Only through the Devotion Pledge could he increase his innate divine power enough to feel he had barely broken even.

“I need to cool my head first and finish the contracts with the main goddesses quickly. That means restoring Granzoa immediately.”

With a total mobilization order already issued across the God Realm, the demigods were no longer a threat. Surveillance would continue as a precaution, but they had not noticed the changes. They certainly never imagined the Demon God Realm would hand over the contract and stab them in the back.

Thanks to that, he had gained perfect justification and seized control as the true main god. It was, as expected, a magnificent gift from the eternally reigning Demon God.

Now it was time to finish cleaning up internal affairs and begin his real work as the true ruler.

“Let’s rest a little, then push forward.”

At least the divine power training that had been his primary goal during this management work had accelerated thirty-two times—eight times from the highest-level God Realm and four times from the Chief God of the God Realm’s blessing. That was genuinely fortunate, he told himself.

Still, there was no avoiding the headache of managing such a broken realm. And with the main goddesses’ contracts still to finalize, he truly faced a mountain of work that would nearly kill him.