The Stellar Dominion Challenge
Regardless of the Goddess Department’s War Machine Emperor’s desperate cries, the voice of the Dimensional Lord, enveloped in light, rang out.
“It seems you were betrayed while trying to create a ruling race for the star system. This should be satisfactory. Upon inspection, only about one hundred million out of one billion remain with any lifespan left. Dispose of the nine hundred million unrelated to Karma, and your anger should subside somewhat. Do as you please with the remaining one hundred million.”
“Indeed, that is quite appealing. You certainly know how to strike a pleasant bargain. However, what I need most urgently is the recovery of my divine power and vitality, so I shall postpone this matter for later.”
Flames ignited around the eyes of the former highest-ranking female main god known as Idea. Being betrayed by the machine humans was one thing, but the absurd commands and disregard she had endured while replacing the role of artificial intelligence had wounded her pride beyond measure. Now the Dimensional Lord, recognized as a god by both the machine humans and their emperor, was offering to transfer ownership of the Machine Pandemonium, which contained the souls of all machine humans.
For a main god who had fallen after being rejected despite her efforts to elevate a ruling race for the star system, there could be no greater compensation. Her body, still severely lacking in divine power and vitality and only barely able to move even after drinking tea from the Cosmic Tree, trembled with excitement. She had obtained the rightful time for revenge against the apostates. Yet revenge required strength, and strength was what she needed most now, so this too must be set aside for later.
The Machine Emperor, witnessing the scene from directly in front of her, cried out urgently. If that goddess had truly been the original main god of their star system, they could not simply let this pass. From the way the primitive humans they had once denied had been treated, he could imagine what fate awaited those who had denied a god. Primitive humans died and that was the end, but he instinctively understood that for beings called gods, death was not the end.
Suppressing the crushing pressure that threatened to drive him mad, he shouted, “You said there is no human ownership in the Divine Realm. Then how can you hand us over like mere objects?”
The pride an emperor should possess had already vanished. Before a god, human rank or superiority held no meaning; it was merely a device to facilitate communication. He had come to understand this.
The Dimensional Lord answered the Machine Emperor’s desperate cry with cold indifference. “What a god protects are only those strong, vitality-rich beings who have achieved evolution beneficial to the development of this universe. You weakened the star system you ruled by destroying countless stars. Normally you would be disposed of, but you should be grateful that I am utilizing you even in this manner.”
“We have achieved scientific advancement. We have cured those dying of illness, enabled flight through the skies without wings, and made travel through space possible.”
“Hah! And what of the sacrifices and resources consumed in the process? Will you tell the countless victims who died for clinical trials that because of you, several times as many humans lived? These were diseases that would never have arisen had you not polluted nature in the first place. How many resources are poured into enabling a privileged few to fly through the skies? Space travel? Humanity has banned its use, and only machine humans employ it. What meaning is there in progress made solely for a select elite? Even if such progress held value, all you have done with your space travel is repeat the cycle of resource plunder and slaughter. Scientific advancement itself is not wrong, but the one-sided development of your Machine Empire is. Every star groans under vitality shortage, and the humans you dominate grow weaker as they lose their vitality. That is why you are being disposed of in this manner. Of course, since you are the ones suffering, you cannot understand or accept it. I am a generous Lord of Light, so I shall grant you an opportunity.”
The Dimensional Lord extended his hand and expanded the screen, displaying the ninety planets inhabited by humanity one by one.
“If you seize this opportunity and win, I will grant you the chance to atone for all your past wrongs and begin anew. If you are defeated, then in accordance with our contract, I will kill every one of the remaining one hundred million machine humans and harvest their vitality.”
The still-blurry figure of the female main god had been about to speak when the Dimensional Lord offered the machine humans a chance, but she stopped. The Dimensional Lord’s divine power was far too cold and severe. There was no warmth anywhere in him; as a war god, he was utterly merciless. Those who fought for the Divine Realm could become more ruthless than even the demon gods. The fate awaiting the Machine Empire would be far crueler than any vengeance she herself could exact as their administrative goddess. More than anything, I’m curious to see how he intends to dispose of them.
The Machine Emperor drew a deep breath. Future foresight had already foretold the empire’s horrific destruction. To escape that fate, he would have to stake his life. He had to seize any opportunity, even if it was a trap meant to kill him. He needed to buy time.
“Planetary suppression weapons are forbidden since gods reside within them. Using the science you pride yourselves on, create new mechanical weapons capable of defeating my subordinate gods—the Magic Machine Idols—in one-on-one combat and emerge victorious. I will not tolerate any further consumption of resources that destroys stars; development is limited to within your mother planet. However, recycling already-used resources is permitted. For each of the ninety stars you wager and win, I will restore dominion over that star. As long as you do not deplete resources beyond recovery, their use will also be approved. The cycle of these matches shall be once per month. Should you obtain all ninety stars, you will be restored as the ruling race of the star system. However, should you lose even your mother planet, you will all be disposed of.”
“I gratefully accept.”
Future prediction indicated that if the opponent was not a god but a god’s subordinate, victory was possible. The Machine Emperor, having steadied his trembling, bowed his head respectfully. There was no deception in the god’s words. Even to him, this was a genuinely fair opportunity. Win the struggle and survive with glory. Was that not the most fundamental principle of life? Though the opponents were prospective gods serving a deity and the Magic Machine Idols, in the end they were merely weapons built upon the Machine Empire’s own technology. If they poured all their strength into deploying their unfinished mechanical weapons and won, that would suffice.
For a god who had called them a worthless trash race that had ruined the star system, the opportunity he offered was far too merciful. He truly was a god, not a demon.
The moment the Machine Emperor accepted, his form vanished from within the cockpit. The Dimensional Lord had teleported all the machine humans scattered throughout the star system back to their mother planet. Of course, this included the pilots inside the planetary suppression weapons and mobile weapons possessed by gods. Since their souls had already been recognized by a god, exerting this level of control was simple. His magically amplified divine power, combined with a Creator God’s senses and domain, made it possible to teleport only the machine humans across the entire star system.
Then he issued a new divine oracle to the machine humans gathered on their mother planet: prepare for a war of survival in which they would stake their race’s fate to prove the value of science.
The Dimensional Lord proclaimed once more across the entire star system.
“I shall select anew the ruling race of this star system that has recognized me as its god. Opportunity shall be granted to the Machine Empire, my prospective gods, and all races that wish to challenge. My prospective gods and Magic Machine Idols—this is the long-term trial and goal given by your god. Defeat the Machine Empire and become the ruling race of the star system. Each victory will promote your Magic Machine Idol, eventually allowing it to become a god. Its pilot too shall become a superhuman and earn the qualification to become a god. Even in defeat, as long as you do not lose your fighting spirit, you will not die and will be granted another chance to challenge. Should you win all the way to the Machine Empire’s mother planet, you shall become the ruling race of this star system. Furthermore, the sin of attacking a god shall be erased, and you shall be granted freedom.”
The divine words of the Dimensional Lord, recognized as a god by the star system, resounded and engraved themselves as law.
“I am the God of War and the Dimensional Lord, an Absolute Being granted a title by him. He has said, ‘Praise the strong.’ Yet because you are first-time challengers, I say this: glory to the victor—!”
Now no one doubted that monthly battles between the Machine Empire’s mechanical weapons and the Magic Machine Idols for the stars would take place, with the victor claiming dominion over one star at a time. It was accepted as natural that the final victor would rule the star system. The meaning of ownership held by a god was the power to dictate the perception of reality itself. When a god called evil “evil,” it became evil; when he called good “good,” it became good. Though this was perfectly natural, humans with diverse values altered and distorted meaning according to their own positions. A god eliminated such confusion and created laws solely to aid the evolution and development of the universe, then manifested them in reality. Because the meaning of a god’s ownership was literally the ability to turn law into reality, the truth that the winner of this battle would become the ruler of the star system would remain valid until the Dimensional Lord himself perished.
A new era of struggle had begun, in which metal mechanical weapons and Magic Machine Idols would fight for dominion over the star system and for survival.