The Hostage of Granzoa
The Black Mage of the Great Forest War had taken the War God hostage, provoking the divine race to descend into the Middle World for rescue. Watching them volunteer despite knowing that more than half would perish upon arrival to the Main God-Slaying Spear filled him with deep regret.
‘Where did I go wrong?’
When the Black Mage had ascended to godhood through the authority of dimensions, the gods should have accepted him as a high-ranking deity and ended the matter there. ‘Given his cautious nature, he would never have harmed them and would have served the Divine Realm faithfully. In time, he might even have sworn loyalty to me. But the goddesses fiercely opposed the rise of another powerful male god.’
The opposition began with the claim that an emotionally driven human-born god could never be accepted among the highest ranks, and swiftly concluded that the wicked Black Mage must either be destroyed or sealed away in the Middle World. ‘Power is everything to a warrior god. What does one’s origin matter? Such words mean nothing to the warrior gods dying on the battlefield right now.’
Against his own will, the democratic Divine Realm decided his fate by majority vote, as always. The one who proposed the punishment, Granzoa, attempted to carry out his execution, only to trigger a battle when the Black Mage displayed unexpected, overwhelming strength. ‘The duel between two Main God-level deities threatened to collapse the lower Divine Realm, so the execution was halted. Instead, they chose to seal him in the Middle World, with the condition that he would be eliminated if his karma reached “extremely evil.” They bound him with a Karma Contract, of course—while deliberately labeling him the leader of those vile black mages to push his karma toward “extremely evil.”’
Under the Karma Contract, which valued only the world’s progress, even a Main God could be destroyed if judged “extremely evil.” Yet somehow he had survived, maintaining a “good” personal evaluation while growing strong enough to threaten the Divine Realm itself. The regret was overwhelming.
‘Only they opposed it. They said there is neither justice nor evil in power—only pure potential. I once believed the same. Why have I changed so much?’
The Chief God of the God Realm’s gaze left the primordial warrior gods and fell upon the Black Mage, his eyes widening.
“Was there not only one divine artifact?”
Fwoooooooosh—!
Ten circles of light blazed above the Black Mage’s robe. Countless translucent spears materialized in the air, swaying like a bamboo forest in the flow of mana before attaching themselves like thorns to the spinning circles of light, emitting a piercing resonance.
Giiiiiiiiiiing—!
The Main God-Slaying Spears multiplied into the thousands, clinging to the circles of light and crying out as though granted life by the mana.
Vwoooooooong—!
The Black Mage in the sky looked up at the spears affixed to his vastly expanded mana circles and cried out toward the heavens, his voice thick with emotion.
“Seventy years! Ever since I reached divine rank through dimensional authority and fought Granzoa to a draw, I have been preparing for war with you in silence. Yet you all seemed so peaceful. While I wandered the dimensions searching for a way to defeat you—enduring the unfair contract forced upon me by the fraudulent agreement we made, all while suppressing my rage as my karma kept falling.”
Rumble—!
The Main God-Slaying Spears tore through the atmosphere and teleported into the Middle World.
“A Karma Contract that seals me in the Middle World because I am a wicked black mage? What exactly have I done wrong in the thirty years I spent researching only black magic for the Divine Realm to brand me ‘extremely evil’?”
In the sky of the Middle World, the Main God-Slaying Spears shone like stars. Their light wove into a net that began to envelop the entire Middle World.
“If my karma reaches ‘extremely evil,’ you will descend without restriction to destroy me? All because you arbitrarily declared the leader of wicked black mages accumulates impure karma no matter what he does?”
Vwoooooooong—!
The Black Mage’s dark mana spread like a shroud across the sky, beginning to suppress divine power. Priests clutched their throats and collapsed.
“Kuaaaagh!”
“Krrraaaagh!”
The planetary barrier formed by the Main God-Slaying Spears was killing divine power itself.
Crack! Crack!
With dimensional authority now deployed, the connection between the Divine Realm and the Middle World was completely severed. Divine power could no longer influence the Middle World, and neither saints nor priests could wield holy power. The saints’ “Holy” could no longer stop him.
“To delay the accumulation of karma, I had to permanently seal even my name. Still, that was fine. What mattered was raising my circles, not fame. If neither the Divine Realm nor the Middle World would accept me, I intended to live quietly in my magic tower for the rest of my life.”
Fwoooooooosh!
The Black Mage’s ten mana circles expanded endlessly, enveloping the entire Middle World.
“And yet you—a mere Demon King who hasn’t even reached the tenth circle—dare to hunt me? You even twisted the Karma Contract with underhanded methods to kill me?”
Crunch—! Thud thud thud—!
Demon Kings impaled through the head by Main God-Slaying Spears, unable even to scream, were flattened by the direct impact of the Black Mage’s mana waves. The entire Middle World was being doubly sealed by the dimensional authority of the ten mana circles and the barrier of the Main God-Slaying Spears—a double barrier designed to completely block any intervention from the Divine Realm.
“The only way to completely destroy the Divine Realm is to eliminate all the believers who supply vitality. In accordance with the Root School’s principles, I will thoroughly remove any future threats for the sake of survival and victory.”
Rumble rumble rumble—!
Even larger stars than the one that had fallen earlier appeared in the void behind the Black Mage. Dozens of stars, far greater than the one that had struck the War God’s temple, accelerated from the distant sky toward their own worlds.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
The Black Mage’s death sentence echoed once more across the Middle World.
“I am grateful you are fanatics. If you had willingly handed over the sacred relics and saints for the sake of your people rather than your faith, I might not have been able to do this. Now, for the sake of your own faith, die as martyrs alongside your believers.”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Along with the Black Mage’s ear-piercing insults to the Pope and saints, the accelerated stars appeared in the atmosphere and began plunging toward the temples of each god. Dozens of planets grazed the land, beginning their destruction, while the Divine Realm struggled to respond to the rapidly changing situation.
Yet the Black Mage’s own heart grew urgent.
Spin—! Spin—!
A golden parchment was spinning above his head. There was only one meaning to this.
The Karma Contract was about to intervene.
‘Is the karma settlement about to begin again? You fanatical bastards, just die as martyrs already! Didn’t you say death leads to heaven? Just die—!’
The temporary suspension of the negative application of karma, activated to protect the contract with the Demon King, was shaking precariously. The Karma Contract had judged that nearly all threats to his Survival Magic Tower had disappeared.
‘I made a mistake—! I should have wiped out the fanatics first and dealt with the Divine Realm. Because those Demon Kings annoyed me, I dealt with them first, and now look at this mess!’
The real problem was that he had seen this as an opportunity and eliminated all the black mages who had been grinding their teeth at him for chipping away at his positive karma—Demon Kings who were no match for him anyway. It had felt satisfying, but his priorities had shifted.
‘The threats to the contract with the Demon King were three: the Demon King, the black mage faction, and the Divine Realm. I’ve dealt with two. Only one remains, so I must settle the Divine Realm as well while I have the chance. But these fanatics are betraying my trust? They said life is cheap for the sake of faith? Was that only for other people’s lives?’
If he could just eliminate the Divine Realm that constrained him, the greatest threat would vanish. That was why he had presented the divine nations with unreasonable demands they could never accept, planning to use their refusal as justification to eliminate them all at once.
‘Just as humans perish without food, the Divine Realm disappears without intelligent beings to supply vitality. Yet these beings are trying to accept those conditions! This is urgent!’
Rumble rumble rumble!
The Black Mage tried to accelerate the stars before the Karma Contract finished its judgment. But even though they were only ninth-circle lower magic, ninety simultaneous activations were too many. And he could not reduce the number.
‘I really don’t understand why these stars are so large and have such huge populations. Even if I only target the divine nations, it’s driving me insane.’
Only by erasing the ninety divine nations and their 45 billion fanatics—the foundation of the highest gods—could he deal a blow severe enough to render the Divine Realm inoperable. Of course, using Gigantic Meteor would be simple, but he could not bring himself to use it when he was not certain the Survival Magic Tower would survive the destruction of the Main God Star.
Spin! Spin!
As the Karma Contract spun faster, his urgency grew.
‘I killed the Demon Kings. The high-ranking black mages who summoned demons have been wiped out, and the gods who tried to break the contract have changed their minds and decided to uphold it. On top of that, are the saints in the temples—who could neutralize the dimensional barrier—really changing their minds and offering themselves as hostages along with the sacred relics? At this rate, the suspension of the negative application of the Karma Contract that allowed me to act freely seems about to end.’
‘No—! I don’t need them at all, so just die as martyrs—!’
The Black Mage had no intention of taking the saints as hostages. In his view, keeping them would only be troublesome and offer no benefit. It was merely a pretext against the Karma Contract’s questioning of why he had not eliminated the temples that refused his demands. But because he had acted too hastily and revealed too much power, these insane fanatics were now trying to submit.
‘The sacred relics that symbolize the gods and the saints who are their earthly representatives. You’re going to hand those over? Please, keep your faith and perform the martyrdom you so desperately wanted. If you die like this, you can all go to heaven! If I miss this opportunity, it’s all over for me.’
After the Black Mage had caused such chaos, it would be strange if the Divine Realm and Demon Realm did not become enemies. The War God, the Chief God’s direct blood relative and a parasite-like figure, was an idol among the goddesses with his handsome face. The Demon Kings he had skewered, pathetic as they were, were high-ranking in the Demon Realm.
‘The chances of getting along with them after reducing them to this state are slim. This is already all-out war.’
So, as originally planned, he intended to erase all the divine empires and at least halt the Divine Realm. But the Karma Contract was about to stop applying the exception clause for contract protection.
‘Without the negative application suspension clause, massacring 45 billion intelligent beings would probably make me face it directly! I must kill all the divine nations before the judgment ends!’
The Black Mage tried desperately to finish off the divine nations. But the sly Chief God of the God Realm, sensing his haste, delivered the decisive blow.
“All temples have accepted your demands. We will draft the Karma Contract exactly as you wish.”
“What—?!”
The Chief God had noticed the Black Mage moving to have the Karma Contract specially written so that massacres would not matter. At the Chief God’s voice, the Karma Contract above his head glowed and declared.
“All threats have been eliminated, so the application of the negative application suspension exception clause will be terminated.”
In the end, the fanatics had accepted the conditions. The planets flying toward them stopped in the atmosphere. The Black Mage let out a hollow sigh.
“Haa—! There really is no one in this world you can trust.”
He could see his karma value rising in a dizzying curve before his eyes. Because he had dealt with the Demon Kings and the black mages through Anti-Karma, it had reached an unprecedented level of positivity, but he felt no joy.
‘Without the negative application suspension exception clause, I would have taken a massive hit for massacring so many.’
No one knew when such an opportunity would come again. As he considered forcing the battle to continue, the quick-witted Chief God of the God Realm immediately pressed forward.
“We are grateful for your resolve and generosity. To reconcile, we send the Karma Contract. Write whatever conditions you desire.”
That detestable Chief God could not possibly be unaware of matters concerning the Karma Contract. After all, he too was a successful being who had risen from a mercenary god to the Chief God of the God Realm.
‘He must have predicted that I would activate the negative application suspension exception clause and deal with the Demon Kings and black mages. He must have provided information and shown consideration.’
Of course, he could not have predicted that the Black Mage would also try to deal with the Divine Realm.
‘Even in an unexpected situation, he managed to persuade all the Popes and saints in such a short time? Truly befitting the raccoon of the Divine Realm.’
The way he had quickly handled how the negative application suspension exception clause would stop—blocking the Black Mage’s actions while he rampaged, threatening to destroy the Divine Realm after his survival was endangered—was exactly what one would expect from the Chief God of the God Realm.
But the Black Mage’s battle was not over.
‘Do you think I’ll let go of this revenge opportunity I so luckily seized? Do you know how long I’ve been grinding my teeth for seventy years as a mercenary god?’
If a contract’s terms were just but broken by the gods, the negative application suspension exception clause would apply again. He could not possibly miss this chance.
‘If I miss this golden opportunity, the gods will definitely create defensive measures. I’ll end it now.’
The Black Mage began stating contract conditions that the Divine Realm could never accept.
“First, hand over Granzoa, the mastermind behind this incident, as a hostage.”
At that, the Karma Contract glowed once more and rose above his head. It was recalculating the threat posed by the contract with the Divine Realm. If the Divine Realm refused, the negative application suspension would immediately activate again, and battle would resume.
“It is a legitimate demand to hand over the main culprit who targeted my life. Well then—! What will you do, Chief God of the God Realm?”
Granzoa was a precious Main God-level goddess, recognized as the highest-ranking goddess and representative of the goddesses on the round table. Yet she could not be handed over to a wicked Black Mage.
‘This demand is perfectly reasonable, and refusing it means the destruction of the Divine Realm will proceed. But how could I possibly hand over the highest-ranking goddess? It is absolutely impossible.’
The Black Mage declared triumphantly.
“Three… two…”
“Handing Granzoa over as a hostage has been approved by majority vote.”
“!!!”
Unable to comprehend the approval, the Black Mage felt his head ring. The Karma Contract stopped spinning erratically and vanished. This meant it was true.
‘Granzoa is a precious Main God-level existence even among the highest gods, with a billion High Elf followers and tens of billions of Elf followers. They reviewed that in mere seconds and agreed to hand her over as a hostage?’
The Black Mage, utterly dumbfounded, asked without realizing it.
“Hey—! A hostage? Do you know what I might do to her on a whim before handing her over?”
“That has already been taken into consideration. Since it was decided by democratic majority vote, she will have to accept it.”
“……”
The Black Mage had no words.
‘Is the majority vote of the divine race omnipotent? Every time something happens, a majority vote decision appears and defies expectations. Thanks to that, these divine race bastards are truly more difficult to deal with than the demon race.’
The demon race would charge if they felt displeased, and you could just smash them, but you could never predict what the divine race would do.
The Black Mage could not understand what the happy, democratic world overflowing with freedom and equality that the sly Chief God always spoke of actually was.
‘I am the one who has suffered the most from what you call the happy Divine Realm.’
The Black Mage felt his blood pressure rising.
“What about Granzoa’s own will? Wasn’t she the highest-ranking goddess on the round table? Moreover, she’s a Main God, isn’t she? Can you really handle her so carelessly?”
The Black Mage could not understand what he himself was saying.
‘Am I defending Granzoa? Have I gone mad?’
Yet he could not help but ask, as simply letting it pass felt too frustrating to bear. The Chief God of the God Realm replied in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
“This incident occurred because of the opinion Granzoa presented. Therefore, Granzoa’s will is restricted. As a member of the round table, she must take responsibility.”
“So even the highest-ranking gods have their opinions restricted after a single mistake? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“The Divine Realm is an equal, free society. Positions are merely granted according to ability. Everyone must be treated fairly.”
“So even if you work hard and rise to a high position, it has no value or benefits?”
“It was clearly decided by majority vote. There is no procedural issue.”
The Black Mage felt as though he had slammed into an iron wall; conversation with the Chief God of the God Realm was impossible.
‘That majority vote nonsense again. Handing over the highest-ranking goddess as a hostage to the Black Mage is supposedly no problem at all?’
Conversations with the Chief God of the God Realm always ended like this.
‘Why is Granzoa staying quiet? With her temper, how can she just accept being handed over as a hostage to the one she despised most? She must have expected what I would do to her.’
The Chief God’s explanation sounded correct, yet listening to it made the Black Mage’s blood boil.
“Granzoa has acknowledged her mistake that endangered the Divine Realm. Therefore, she has agreed to accept any price, so there is no problem.”
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t tell her not to acknowledge her mistake…”
The Black Mage had experienced countless situations that made him want to curse since birth, but this was the first time he had encountered something so absurd. Granzoa, the proud goddess of the High Elves and his greatest enemy, had meekly accepted being handed over as a hostage to him.
“Are all of you divine race members insane? Don’t you have any self-respect? Are you just going to follow the will of the collective no matter what? Granzoa! Refuse right now—say you won’t become the Black Mage’s hostage even if it kills you!”
“Granzoa said she would take responsibility for her miscalculation. Truly exemplary of a top-tier god.”
“This makes me the petty villain! You bastards—! I’m the victim here—!”
“Didn’t she say she would provide sufficient compensation for damages?”
“Guh! Guuuurgh!”