The Price of Blasphemy
In the Goddess Department War, continuous spatial transfers sent the planetary suppression weapons streaking into the atmosphere of the seventh planet. Flash after flash after flash—!
The desperation to eliminate them by any means necessary rather than capture them is only growing stronger.
The destroyed machine beings would regenerate, yet one hundred and fifty million had already been annihilated in less than a day. Worse, whatever manner of life form it was could treat an entire star cluster as its attack range and bombard them with meteors at will. Even the trusted planetary defense systems were being neutralized by ultra-short-range spatial transfer strikes.
That attack can never be stopped.
Repairing the damage would require at least a century and an astronomical amount of resources. Given how scarce those resources already are, the actual time needed would stretch even longer.
A creeping dread settled over them—the fear that they might truly witness the end of the Machine Empire. And beyond that fear came terror toward the entity that could commit such acts while still smiling and declaring itself a god. It was a terror they had never once felt since acquiring mechanical bodies capable of regenerating from any death.
Yet the most critical factor was that this entire battle was being broadcast across the star cluster. The Machine Empire had never shown mercy to the lowly subjugated humans.
If we display helplessness now, rebellion will erupt instantly.
The damage they had suffered had already pushed them to that brink. From the life form of light responsible for this crisis, a voice rang out, brimming with genuine delight.
“How adorably they play. I am the Dimension. To use spatial movement before me, who stands above all space and time? I shall teach you that it is suicide.”
Whiririririric—!
One of the wings of light disintegrated into countless luminous feathers that spread across the entire planet.
Dimensional Net
Condition: Forced Coordinate Adjustment
Countless particles of light swirled across the planet, greeting the incoming planetary suppression weapons as they completed their spatial transfers. The moment those weapons finished relocating, they were shifted once again. Every new destination was a satellite of the seventh planet.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
The colossal metallic bodies of a hundred planetary suppression weapons slammed into the satellite surfaces. The giant constructs, forged from the Machine Empire’s full might, somehow endured the impact. Yet even the machine beings inside could not defend perfectly.
They absorbed as much of the shock as possible—the force strong enough to shake an entire satellite—but the weaker machine beings could not withstand it. They screamed as their bodies burst apart.
“Kyaaaaaaaagh—!”
“Uwaaaaaagh—!”
Only the screams echoed through the void.
The planetary suppression weapons are useless without linkage to the machine race.
It had been a desperate measure to prevent potential artificial intelligence rebellion, but the drawback was revealing itself now. When the machine beings exploded and died from impacts beyond their absorption limits, the weapons simply shut down.
Kuuuuuuuuu!Uwaaaaaaaaagh!
Even the satellite-sized Idea suffered temporary functional paralysis from the collision. Of course, it was not destroyed. It was the symbol of the Machine Empire’s entire power, the guardian of imperial authority, a solar system suppression weapon crafted over thousands of years.
It is the first solar system suppression weapon ever built, designed to secure overwhelming superiority against other universal powers beyond the star cluster.
Yet this single strike had half-destroyed fifty of the lower planetary suppression weapons outright.
Before the Machine Empire’s full military might, now suffering miserably without having achieved anything, a cheerful voice rang out once more.
“Truly amusing antics. What will you show me next? Do as you wish.”
“Ugh—! I’ll blow the entire planet away!”
The humanoid chest of the Idea split open. Its chest armor plates unfolded upward like wings, revealing enormous metal gun batteries.
Clank!Clank—!
At the center sat a colossal circular cannon with a one-hundred-kilometer diameter, encircled by ten smaller cannons each ten kilometers across. The central gun was for destroying planets; the surrounding ones targeted satellites. The central planet-buster required charging, while the satellite destroyers could fire in rapid succession.
Its power surpassed every other planetary suppression weapon. The Idea, ultimate symbol of the Machine Empire, was now unleashing its maximum strength.
Countless lines of light converged on the cannons, burning them white-hot.
The temporary Machine Emperor received a warning through his artificial intelligence.
“Optical attacks have a high probability of being reflected by the light life form. Switching to mass-based weaponry is strongly advised.”
“Shut up—! You are nothing but an artificial intelligence—! Obey your orders. We will crush it with absolute superiority in output.”
Every artificial ego installed in the planetary suppression weapons had been programmed for total obedience to its controller. They could act independently in emergencies, but refusal was impossible. The more vital the weapon, the higher the priority given to the will of its machine-race pilot.
“Understood. One minute remains until planet destruction cannon firing.”
“Use the satellite destruction cannons for suppression fire. Continuous volley.”
The notion of capture had vanished from his mind entirely. The Idea’s bombardment was now aimed at destroying the planet itself; he was no longer thinking clearly. Half the planetary suppression weapons had just been rendered inoperable with ridiculous ease during spatial transfer. An ominous thought kept rising from the depths of his mind.
Could it truly be an absolute god?
Despite his hesitation, the Idea’s satellite-destroying cannons continued to spew flame without pause.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
In the soundless vacuum of space, beams of light carrying incomprehensible energy tore through the void with roaring fury. One satellite destruction cannon fired, then the one beside it, then the next—an endless cascade of destructive light poured into the cosmos.
Their target was the light life form hovering above the seventh planet, wings of light fluttering as it watched them like amusing toys.
With mere seconds between each shot, the colossal beams began direct bombardment of the planetary surface.
“The Machine Empire truly possesses many fascinating weapons. With only slight improvements, they could contend with an Intermediate Main God’s Divine Realm.”
The power contained within that light was equivalent to roughly one billion divine power. An Intermediate Main God possessing five billion could destroy a planet in one strike, while a Highest God with one billion could annihilate satellites.
In terms of raw power magnitude, it is certainly Intermediate Main God level. If it can fire such force continuously, it would already deserve to be called a Highest Machine God.
Yet without any divine power or magical energy to intervene in reality, it held no meaning before the divine races.
No matter how great its destructive force, it is meaningless before a Main God capable of manipulating reality itself.
Even so, an ordinary Main God would have been kept in check by the continuous fire of those satellite destruction cannons. Unfortunately, the opponent was simply too overwhelming.
“I am a High Lord. The power of a mere billion divine energy is far too insignificant. There is no need for authority or magic.”
The uppermost pair of light wings folded back lightly, then flapped forward with swift force. It was a playful gesture, yet its result was utterly devastating.
Whoooooooosh!Whoooooooooosh!
The satellite destruction beams, fired at full power, bent in mid-flight and reversed course, hurtling straight back toward the Idea. The planet-destroying force within the rays mattered not at all; they were repelled by nothing more than a wave of divine power. Like fallen leaves swept away before a towering tsunami.
“What—!”
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
The Idea’s humanoid limbs were shredded apart by the very satellite destruction cannons it had fired. Every machine being watching the scene screamed in horror. The symbol of the Machine Empire’s power was being dismantled with pathetic ease.
“Heh heh heh—! Now, beg in this manner. ‘O noble and great god, please bestow the smallest measure of mercy upon us insects who are less than worms. In payment for all our rudeness, I, the emperor, shall suffer in agony for all eternity.’ Say it just like that. Who knows? I might forgive you with only your life. For daring to attack a Main God merely to use as test material and insulting me as an ‘ugly devil,’ I shall turn you into a wretched state where you can neither live nor die properly. I will display your suffering before every living being in the universe. In that way, you shall remain in the history of the cosmos forever.”
“Ah—! Ah—!”
Goosebumps erupted across his entire body. It was a reaction that should not have been possible in a mechanical frame. Yet it was happening, and he understood. The entity meant every word.
An involuntary sense of injustice burst from his lips.
“Why only me—!”
“That is the fate of an emperor, of one who stands above others. All glory of the empire belongs to the emperor, and all responsibility is his as well. Turning you into ‘degeneration’ that crumbles into dust would be excessive, but transforming you into a ‘bug’ is entirely possible. So choose whatever bug pleases you. If none appeal, I shall create every variety one after another. You need not worry about your remaining subjects, the machine race. Their fate will at least be better than yours.”
It was completely sincere.
Only now do I feel it. That existence truly intends to do this, and it possesses the power to carry it out.
He loathed his own mouth that had provoked it earlier by calling the being an “ugly devil.” As if sensing his emotions, the light life form continued.
“A loose tongue is the root of all calamity. I was the same once. Sigh—! So speak quickly. ‘Please end it with only me.’ Say those words.”
“Huuuuurk—!”
Shudder—! Shudder—!
The earlier sound had been his soul trembling before the will of an existence far too vast. Only now did he understand. The moment those words left his lips, he would pay a price of unimaginable agony for having called it a “wicked devil.”
The problem was that even offering such a sacrifice would not move an entity like this to mercy. It was colder and more evolved than the machine race that had called itself the pinnacle of humanity while cruelly ruling the star cluster.
Even death itself may not bring salvation.
In the end, only one choice remained. As emperor, he could not bear only responsibility while enjoying nothing.
“Pl-planet destruction cannon—fire!”
“Thirty seconds until firing. Twenty-nine, twenty-eight…”
A note of disappointment escaped the light life form.
“Sigh—! Because you are the emperor sent to manage the Machine Empire’s crisis, the positive karma granted to you by the machine race and ordinary humans who still have lifespan remaining is rather substantial. Otherwise I would have killed you miserably on the spot. A light Main God is truly inconvenient at times like these. You still have plenty of lifespan left as well. Shall we end the game here?”
Whiiiiiiing—! The planet destruction cannon’s charging sequence neared completion.
I don’t fully understand what it’s saying, but it seems that if I do not consent, it cannot kill me.
A faint sense of relief washed over him, but then the screen floating in space changed.
No matter what it does, even the planet destruction cannon cannot be turned aside. I will erase that calamity of the Machine Empire along with the seventh planet itself.
Elation surged through him, filling him with strength he did not know he possessed.
Countless wills are sending me power.
Yet within the blazing inferno shown on the screen, a spherical structure became visible. It gradually enlarged.
I do not know what that is, but I absolutely cannot let this chance slip away.
The current him understood clearly. This was the only opportunity he would ever have to attack that existence.
The artificial intelligence’s report and the confirmation of the structure’s appearance happened almost simultaneously.
“Planet destruction cannon firing preparation complete.”
“Fi—!!! Stop—! Cancel the launch—!”
Whiiiiing—! The planet destruction cannon that had barely finished charging was pathetically disengaged. The temporary emperor of the Machine Empire felt his mind going blank.
That must never have been shown so clearly.
It was a location whose precise coordinates should have been unknown, yet it was displayed in perfect detail. The will of the light life form reached him.
“Why do you not fire? I intended to send it right there. Tidying up neatly would have been nice.”
“……”
The temporary emperor’s head drooped powerlessly.
That cruel existence was toying with us from the very beginning. This was never a war—merely entertainment.
The destruction of one hundred and fifty million machine beings and the incapacitation of fifty planetary suppression weapons had meant nothing. No amount of an empire’s total power could reach it. No, they must never attack it at all.
It had already been decided before it even began.
Despairing tears flowed.
The situation had already ended. All that remained was to beg for the opponent’s mercy.
He regretted ever becoming emperor at such a time only to suffer this humiliation. Especially since it was merely a temporary position and he had enjoyed none of its privileges.
With trembling lips, he spoke.
“O noble and great god… please bestow your mercy upon us.”
“Add ‘Please end everything with only me’ and I may consider it. Also include ‘I shall endure whatever you do to me who dared call a god an ugly devil.’ I trust you will set an example befitting the emperor of the Machine Empire, which carries the expectations of more than one hundred billion humans.”
“Hiiik—!”
A scream escaped him involuntarily. It seemed the light life form truly intended to destroy him completely over a single insult.
It forces me to sacrifice myself first until the very end.
The moment those words were spoken, he could imagine what would become of him. No hope of survival remained. He regretted to the marrow of his bones that a single wrong phrase could lead to this.
“You must also say, ‘Since all of this is my sin, please judge only me. I shall gladly bear it.’”
It was no longer mere goosebumps. The mechanical body was shaking violently against its own will. Such a function did not exist, yet it was happening. And at last he could accept the truth.
That light life form was a god.