The First Righteous Hero
The Goddess Department’s war beasts, when attacked, would rampage or flee until their pain subsided. Intelligent beings, by contrast, assessed the situation and either negotiated or sought revenge. Never had any of them endured an assault from the weak without retaliation. “If I possessed such absolute power and were attacked like this, I would be furious.” Yet the god whose purpose was to make all things flourish and evolve would not annihilate without just cause. “To do so would make it a demon. The Machine Emperor must be bound by some condition that prevents indiscriminate killing—therefore that being of light must be a god.”
To fight an existence capable of destroying an entire star system at any moment yet still choosing restraint sent cold sweat trickling down the machine bodies. “The moment I acknowledged it as a god, part of the soul housed within this machine body screamed.” Reverence for a long-forgotten god stirred from the depths of the past. Every machine-human and human watching the colossal screen floating in the void felt it. The meaning of “god,” long denied and erased, was being carved once more into this star cluster. And with it, an exceedingly faint faith began to form—the pure, desperate faith sent by humans oppressed under the Machine Empire. Though minuscule, its purity shone brightly.
The thirteen pairs of light wings gathered that tiny faith and the winds, forging them into divine power. The sole wish contained within was the destruction of the Machine Empire.
“Hah! Machine-humans and humans alike are truly laughable. Humans, is that truly what you desire? Do you wish for me to annihilate the machine-humans here with divine might? Will you abandon the safety the Machine Emperor provides and entrust your fate entirely to a god? A god’s miracle always demands an equal price. ‘The cost of the Machine Empire’s fall is the complete fanaticization of every human here. My commandments are as cruel as my life itself. I grant power, yet the price of death, regression, or wandering is the reclamation of all vitality and reincarnation as an insect. Do you truly wish to become my fanatics and live? How many of you could endure it?’”
This declaration was shared with every intelligent being in the star cluster. Those who had already become prospective believers exhaled roughly and closed their eyes. “If an existence that effortlessly crushed even the Machine Empire’s full might is not a god, then what is it?” The cruelty of the commandments handed down by the god was terrifying. Yet the Magic Machine Idol that could shield them from that threat now stood right before their eyes. “Their god is one who judges rather than pities when an opportunity is missed.”
Uwoooong! Uwoooong!
Therefore, those who pushed their divinely enhanced physiques to the absolute limit began to appear—beings who transcended humanity. They had no time to hinder others. Forcing their bursting hearts and parched lungs to keep moving with surging divine power, they sprinted forward.
Puhahahaha!
Those who had reinforced their bodies beyond all limits took the lead, their forms beginning to glow. Though still faint, their light grew stronger, widening the gap. Their speed had already surpassed human limits and reached the pinnacle of biological existence. It was the transformation into superhumans born from the meeting of a High Lord’s granted divine power and their own desperate resolve. “Reverence for the first god they had ever met, and longing for absolute power that could trample even the terrifying Machine Empire—these emotions transcended humanity.”“The greater the resentment and desire in their hearts, the brighter the light became.”
Every machine-human and human watched in stunned silence. These runners had already exceeded the maximum speed of even the highest-ranking machine-humans. The “Recruitment Guidelines for Believers of a Nascent Main God Creating a Divine Realm” shone as it spoke.
“The heroes who are the objective of the mid-stage trial have appeared. Grant them righteous commandments. When humans experience a sudden surge of power and heightened emotions, the probability of committing mass slaughter, rape, and destruction is high. As the Lord of Light, bestow commandments suited to your nature to prevent this.”
“I shall grant but one.”
Hwoooooong—!
The Dimensional Lord’s divine power illuminated those who had awakened as chosen heroes. His wings of light blazed golden, amplifying that power.
“As righteous heroes, prove yourselves worthy of pride in me, the Lord of Light and Dimensions. Just as I strive desperately to become your pride—!”
Kwaaaang—!
A golden wall materialized before them. The foremost prospective believer realized, “Our god is still not satisfied.” Because he desired them to grow even stronger and strive harder, he offered the provision of divine power right before their eyes. The one who anchored themselves to that wall and absorbed its immense power would be chosen.
“Kuaaaah—!”
“Aaaaaah—!”
Screams and battle cries echoed from every direction. They squeezed their already fully exerted bodies once more. Udududud! Puhahahah! Even as muscles tore and blood flowed, their awakened physiques and divine power reinforced and healed them. They had entered a state of selflessness, no longer aware of what was happening to their own bodies. Women, the elderly, and children alike were swept up in divine fever, their bodies endlessly strengthening. Deep within their minds, their very souls understood that over fifty billion units of divine power were evolving them. No matter the sacrifice, missing this chance would mean remaining mere humans in a star cluster ruled by material civilization—nothing but regression. Souls that had repeated meaningless reincarnations rose as one, awakening memories and bodies of the present world.
Pajijik—! Pajijik—! Hwarururuk—!
At last, the man in the lead reached the golden wall. Strangely, he was a decrepit old man. Though wrapped in light, his body was nothing but skin and bones, his face a mass of wrinkles etched by a life of hardship. The all-out sprint had overloaded his already frail physique; countless bones had shattered and realigned, his skin torn in countless places. Even with the faint aid of divine power, the wounds were beyond bearing—he could collapse and die at any moment. Yet tears streamed endlessly down his face, and his lips continued to chant the god’s name as he endured. It was the power of faith from an old man who had despaired at the cruelties of reality he had tasted countless times.
“O great Lord of Dimensions! Behold this wretched believer who has seized the opportunity You granted yet still weeps in defeat before a cruel reality. Grant a chance to this unsightly believer, abandoned unjustly even by parents, family, and children. If You grant me the chance to challenge once more, I will pay any price. If I may prove my worth to them again, I will do anything for You—!”
“I answer the righteous prayer of the believer who has won the competition. I bestow the hero name Break Through. Its meaning is ‘breakthrough’—! Become the door that shatters the limits and adversities of all believers and make me shine. The foundation of that power, I grant to you—!”
The Dimensional Lord’s chant resounded through the universe.
“I am the one and only special existence in this world.”
Ten rings of light spun rapidly, manifesting a fragment of great magic. That authority was first granted to the old man who had reached the golden wall. Overcome with ecstasy, he raised both hands high to receive the power flowing into his body. “For the first time, I risked my life and gave my all—and I won against everyone.” As he received the great god’s blessing that would become his everything as the reward of victory, uncontrollable emotion surged through him, and he accepted the divine power and authority without resistance. It completely remade his body.
Kwadududuk—! Puhahahaha!
In an instant, muscles and bones realigned. New muscle swelled. His hair turned completely golden under the influence of divine power, and his arms grew thick with strength. The skeletal limbs vanished, replaced by robust, bronze-toned muscle. “In a single moment, he had reached the highest peak attainable by a human—by any living being!” His body had fully regained its youth, and it would remain so for as long as the great Lord of Dimensions permitted. “As long as he overcame the trials the god set, this body would be eternal.” It was the very immortality the machine-humans had so desperately sought, obtained through countless deaths and unimaginable pain. Yet there was no time for joy or sentiment.
“He was not yet a complete righteous hero. He had to be acknowledged as a pilot of the Magic Machine Idol. The supremely fair Lord of Dimensions had declared that the first to arrive would receive the opportunity—!” Unlike every society that had unjustly eliminated him with petty excuses, this god was different. His teeth ground together involuntarily. Kkadeudeuk—!
“I will never regret defeat again—! I will win by any means necessary and protect what is mine. I will offer only victory to the great Lord of Dimensions, no matter what disgrace I must bear—!”
Gugugugung!
His body, having transcended its limits, elevated his mind further, allowing him to analyze his surroundings with far greater precision. “When I tried to increase my speed, I felt the atmospheric wall blocking my path.”Tuwoooong! Radiating the divine power gathered throughout his body, he shattered the atmospheric wall and stepped through. In that moment, he saw it—the gate leading to the Magic Machine Idol stood wide open. “This is the path the Lord granted and the one I found. This is my authority.” With a heart bursting with ecstasy, he cried out.
“This is the power of Break Through, who shall become the proud hero of the great Lord of Dimensions! He will become the greatest vanguard to shatter every obstacle in the path of the Lord and His believers—! Pierce through—!”
Tuahahahaha—!
In an instant his form vanished, leaving behind a tremendous shockwave that sent the other prospective believers flying. The spatial rifts and atmospheric storms torn open by a human body called forth destruction. “Everything that blocks the path to the goal—! Even the atmosphere and space itself—! All for the sake of the great Lord of Dimensions—!”
Peoeeeok—!
Following the straight line of severed space drawn across the void, an enormous destructive force shook the atmosphere. The aftershock of the miracle that had sliced through the air at supersonic speed and passed through space itself had overturned the city’s atmosphere completely.
Ttaak—!
When he reappeared, he stood atop the shoulder of the Magic Machine Idol on its high tower, and immediately shouted. He knew the Lord of Dimensions would not forgive even a moment’s hesitation or arrogance.
“I will undergo the trial immediately—! I wish to become the proud hero of the great Lord of Dimensions.”
‘Approved. Your strength and faith are worthy of becoming the pilot of my subordinate god who serves the Lord of Dimensions. Welcome.’
Though the first pilot of the Magic Machine Idol had been decided, the battle was not over. The contest over whether the pilot or the artificial intelligence would take control remained. ‘Righteous hero candidate Break Through—! Now let us decide who will take the lead. Their god is a god of battle and wishes to grow stronger through struggle, so this is only natural.’
The hero’s form disappeared into the Magic Machine Idol, and his face and appearance began to change rapidly. When he fully manifested, he had become a colossal giant forged of metal. “Flames of divine power rose from the limbs of his form, clad in what appeared to be full armor.”
Gugugung! Uwoooong!
The battle for control had not yet ended; his face continued to ripple endlessly. Yet the three pairs of wings shining from his back were proof of an Intermediate God. Through magic, the hero who had become a 7-circle superhuman had harmonized with the Magic Machine Idol and ascended to an 8-circle Intermediate God.
A spark of interest flashed in the Dimensional Lord’s eyes. ‘The promotion resulting from the combination of the Magic Machine Idol—created from the local mechanical weapons—and the Righteous Hero is unexpected. I left the structure of strengthening through harmony between the Machine God and pilot rather than solo operation, but I never imagined it would raise a full circle.’
Upon closer examination, he discovered an intriguing fact. He had found traces of an extremely faint, foreign divine power. ‘Some divine power is solidifying the connection between the controlling hero and the Magic Machine Idol while raising the circle.’ Though exceedingly weak, the rank of that authority was that of an Upper Main God or higher. ‘I sense the trace of another Main God. Well, no matter how vitality-poor this universe is, it makes no sense for a star cluster managed by a High Lord to be left in such a state. Then this place was a testing ground for mechanical weapons or Machine Gods? Judging by how little the Main Divine Realm and Demon God Realm know, it must have been established before he arrived.’
Something had been on the verge of detection for a while, but once the Main God’s bodily restraints were completely lifted by the effect of his title, it became clearly perceptible. ‘Tsk—! As expected, nothing ends easily.’ Though faded and vanishing, this divine rank was unmistakably that of an Upper Main God. ‘In this star cluster ruled by material civilization and starved of vitality, it seems to be dying. I suppose I should hear its story.’
As the Dimensional Lord thought this, the desperate call of another prospective believer reached him. Besides the old man who had arrived first, another believer had finally reached the golden wall and was begging for power. ‘The composition of longing now mixed men and women, and even children.’ Those who had awakened remarkably after witnessing the old man’s miracle had cast aside hesitation and run desperately. Though they had absorbed additional divine power from the golden wall and grown younger and stronger, they had not received the authority-granting miracle the old man had displayed. From every direction, the first-arriving prospective heroes shouted as they ran toward the Magic Machine Idol, terrified of falling behind.
“O great god! I too have arrived. Grant me power as well—!”
“I too shall live for You. Therefore, grant me authority as well.”
Yet the answer that returned to their desperate prayers nearly made them collapse.
“Only the first in line survives and claims glory.”
“Kuhk—! Y-You are too cruel.”
“Aaaaaah—! O great god, have mercy….”
Hearing that arriving late meant elimination, they forgot their fear and cried out in despair, strength draining from their bodies. Though they wanted nothing more than to sit down, the next words forced them to run even more desperately.
“Additional authority will be granted to the one who first obtains control from the artificial ego of the Magic Machine Idol. As my believers, give your all until the very last moment.”
“Uwaaaaaah—!”
At the mention of granting authority, the hero candidates let out cries that were neither screams nor cheers. With no time to despair, they ran desperately, struggling against the other candidates trying to overtake them. ‘They did not even realize they were already moving at speeds beyond the realm of biology, unconsciously displaying their individual talents as they dashed toward the goal.’ Shortness of breath and trembling limbs could come later. They had witnessed a dying old man become a superhuman right before their eyes, and though they themselves had gained some power, they could never be satisfied with this much. Thus they ran with everything they had.
Later, this desperate race would be reopened whenever a Magic Machine Idol was defeated, in order to obtain a new pilot. Of course, each time, the struggle between the existing artificial ego and external artificial egos seeking to become the Machine God would be equally fierce. As the pilot candidates gradually increased their distance, the race eventually changed to a full lap around the planet, further adding to the star cluster’s notoriety. It was the beginning of what would be known as “You too, overcome your final moments and run.”