Subordinate Gods, Not Concubines

During the Goddess Department’s ancient war, Idea—who had once stood as a Highest Main God—found herself momentarily stunned.

‘Even after falling to demigod status and barely sustaining myself on the faint faith leaking from this planetary suppression weapon, my divine rank remains untouched. If I can restore my divine power to the Main God level, I will eventually return to being a Highest Main God again, no matter how many eons it takes.’

Now that the emperor of this star system’s dominant species, the machine race, acknowledged the existence of gods and every citizen accepted that truth, she could gather believers once more as a proper deity.

‘Of course, I have no intention of relying solely on faith like I did in the past.’

This time, she planned to train her body and raise her innate divine power all the way to the Main God stage. ‘Once I regain my original body, I can bring this planetary suppression weapon under full control and use it as a second combat vessel.’

The authority to raise two circles through fusion with a Machine God had its limits even at the Highest Main God level. In the old universe it would have been priceless, but in the current cosmos—where every ability benchmark had been raised by an entire rank—it was merely valuable. Therefore, offering to restore 2 billion divine power to each of the four sisters from her own reserves was an exceedingly generous price.

‘Still… to make us, former Highest Main Gods, into temporary Subordinate Main Gods of a subordinate divine realm?’

A Subordinate Main God was literally the ruler of an attached divine realm. For a goddess, the position was little more than that of a royal concubine. A Main God’s concubine existed to assist his authority and, rather than exchanging divine power like a true partner, would only receive it when the Main God felt like granting it. Naturally their status was better than that of ordinary lesser goddesses, yet in the end they were still concubines.

‘Their position is far lower than a Main God’s true partner and only slightly better than the concubines of the Highest Main Gods.’

Above all, there was the restriction that they could never become the chief god of the God Realm. Because concubines only supported a Main God’s authority and exchanged divine power at his whim, the Main Gods of the old universe had been desperate to increase their numbers of concubines. Yet because those who reached Main God rank—whether male or female—were never easy to handle, such arrangements had always remained rare.

‘The strange part is that we are currently almost demigods. We would be of almost no use for authority support or divine power sharing, and our bodies as goddesses have lost most meaning.’

Restoring their bodies and recovering their divine power would take more than ten thousand years by any reasonable calculation, while the war for hegemony between the Machine Empire and the candidate believers would end within a thousand. She could not fathom what this mighty Highest Main God was thinking.

Normally she would have spoken in circles, but the situation left no room for games. She asked directly.

“Are you telling us to become your concubines?”

A trace of anger slipped into her voice unbidden. Becoming a concubine rather than a true partner was humiliation for any goddess.

‘If our position as former Highest Main Gods weren’t so precarious, I would never forgive such insolent words.’

Seeing that she was currently a powerless demigod with almost no physical form, she had asked outright out of pure confusion. Yet the Dimensional Lord’s reaction was anything but ordinary.

“Cough—! Hack—! Hack—!”

He coughed violently, as if he had heard something unbearable. The tea he had been drinking while waiting for her answer nearly went down the wrong way. After a long moment spent regaining his composure, he answered with difficulty.

“Concubines? Who said anything about that? Absolutely not! I have no such thoughts at all. It’s already a massive headache and far too much work. Some idiots dream about building harems, but if they saw the effort and vitality required to maintain one they’d shut their mouths immediately. Besides, the God Realm’s concubine system provides authority and divine power to the Main God, but its efficiency is terrible. You have to simultaneously serve as the God Realm management deity to see any real effect, and the maintenance costs are astronomical. I’d rather just hire mercenary gods.”

“Ah… I… I see?”

His vehement denial and lengthy explanation left her speechless. ‘The heavy emotion behind that answer feels completely sincere.’

It seemed he carried quite a story. Perhaps she had misunderstood. ‘To think there exists a Main God who hates the idea of concubines—beings who can receive authority and divine power with almost no consumption on his part. In the past, every other Main God went crazy trying to collect as many as possible.’

Inside, the Dimensional Lord’s mind was burning with fury. Since it concerned the divine realm he managed, he could not speak openly and could only seethe.

‘I temporarily appointed some as concubines because they said they would help with my God Realm management duties, and what happened? They gathered together to plot rebellion, dig up weaknesses, and scheme. On top of that, they have the pride of Main Gods and oppose me at every turn, pushing sentimental agendas and disturbing the order of the heavens just to expand their own factions. Why would I want more of them? I’d rather hire mercenary gods and simply make them work.’

Whoosh—!

The Dimensional Lord’s divine power surged violently as heat rose within him. Watching his reaction, Idea realized something was strange about his intense refusal of the word “concubine.”

‘A god powerful enough to be desired as a Main God’s concubine does not face the same restrictions as the powerless concubines of human emperors locked away in palaces, but the relationship is still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of subordination. They can never refuse a Main God’s command, nor should they.’

The more concubines a Main God had, the stronger his authority became. For him to react so violently suggested there was a deeper story. ‘At least it seems he has no intention of making us his concubines. I must learn exactly what he wants. After all, if we become Subordinate Main Gods we will have to obey his orders.’

Before she could even voice her question, he spoke plainly.

“What I want is simple. Analyze the machine civilization of this place and the development process and results of my Magic Machine Idols, then report your findings. Since the Machine Empire can be suppressed by any Main God or higher acting alone, I am offering to raise you to that level.”

“So what you desire is the developmental process of the Machine Gods we created and the Magic Machine Idols you built with magic.”

“Correct. The magic I received from him is powerful, but the results are limited to the scope of my own thinking. Expanding that knowledge base is urgent. The performance shown by the Magic Machine Idols I created by referencing the machine weapons you ladies built was honestly beyond my expectations. I judged that when paired with a 6th Circle pilot they would be roughly equivalent to Lower Gods, yet they performed at nearly Intermediate God level. Truly astonishing results and efficiency. While they are useless against Main Gods, they are the perfect method for mass-producing the lesser gods needed during the early stages of faction expansion. Moreover, I possess magic that can mass-produce Machine Gods while minimizing consumption of vitality and resources. If my magic and the Machine God fusion technology are combined, I am certain the results will be astounding. That is why I wish to create a subordinate divine realm here and obtain those results. The combat data, development, and evolution of even more Machine Gods will become another source of strength for both my magic and my divine realm. I wish to offer my sincere praise to all of you who achieved this level of progress even while enduring the process of becoming demigods.”

“I understand. You’re saying that we—who originally drove the machine race—are the most qualified gods to revise and supplement the Magic Machine Gods you created. And to do that, you will make us Subordinate Main Gods and provide a stable foundation through a subordinate divine realm. If that is all, it is an exceedingly generous contract.”

“You will fulfill the duties of a Subordinate Main God toward the God Realm, but your primary mission will be research management of this star system. You may also fill the subordinate divine realm with your past subordinate gods. It is absolutely not a concubine arrangement. The number of believers is lacking, but you may use the population here. A full divine realm would be impossible, but a subordinate divine realm should be maintainable. It is a plan that benefits both sides.”

“I will discuss it with my sisters first. Please wait a moment.”

Shhh—!Whoosh—!

As the hazy goddess figure vanished completely and the power source emitted a slightly louder hum, the Dimensional Lord turned his gaze to the Magic Machine Idol whose facial features were slowly becoming defined.

‘The old man I granted a hero title and awakened earlier was indeed the first one I couldn’t suppress. His patience and tenacity are impressive—exactly what you’d expect from someone who has tasted despair once—but artificial intelligences possess overwhelming experience and calculation speed. Sheer willpower alone can never defeat them.’

Although the man had become a 6th Circle superhuman, he was still human. In the battle for control of the pilot’s will—where countless variables were introduced—he had lost. ‘On the contrary, delicate control of weapons and this kind of mental chess match tends to be faster for sentimental teenagers or women. That is why, in some worlds, children are given primary control of mechanical weapons.’

Of course there were adult pilots as well, but when experience was similar, adults could not overcome children in basic reflexes or calculation speed. ‘Children have strong sensitivity and few distracting thoughts, so they are pure. Adults have too many things to consider, which creates problems with synchronizing with mechanical weapons. It is much like how making friends becomes harder the older one gets.’

Clank! Whirrrr—!

In the end, the first to seize control was a woman of indeterminate age. Seeing the Magic Machine Idol’s frame transform into a feminine shape, the Dimensional Lord lightly adjusted it so she could reach 6th Circle.

‘No matter how much it concerns my promise to the candidate believers, if I fail to keep my word their faith in me will weaken. I must be careful.’

As expected, after fusing with the Magic Machine Idol she quickly rose to Intermediate God. ‘Looking at her now, most 7th Circle superhumans in the Middle World would probably clutch their necks and collapse. My Magic Machine Idols are equal to or greater than planetary suppression weapons, so they should put up an excellent fight against the Machine Empire’s full-force armaments.’

In his own universe Machine Gods were treated like trash, yet the weapons of the Machine Empire that had conquered this star system were truly that powerful. ‘I want to praise humanity for creating something like this, but when I consider the resources consumed I’m left speechless. The height of waste.’

Of course, they were as strong as the resources invested. ‘If the pilots were at Main God level, they wouldn’t have been suppressed so helplessly.’

The goddess sisters, who had hidden inside the planetary suppression weapon idol while facing the crisis of becoming demigods after their existence was denied by their believers, had already made the machine’s body part of their own. ‘If they recover even Main God level divine power, this mechanical body will allow them to display strength equivalent to an Intermediate Main God. Managing this star system would become easy.’

The divine realm managed by the Dimensional Lord was too far away and lacked vitality, so direct management held no appeal. Yet he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could not pass up the fascinating authority to raise two circles through Machine God fusion. ‘A dark-mage-origin Main God like myself can utilize it properly, but other combat-oriented Main Gods could never even dream of it. That must be why it was left abandoned. For me, it is a windfall.’

Raising two circles through Machine God fusion was no small matter—it was an authority capable of turning ordinary gods into Main Gods. ‘Divine rank ascension holds tremendous value. Even the Demon God King targeted me the moment I defeated an 11th Circle being with my 10th Circle magic. Its importance needs no explanation.’

There were limitations, but if he applied it to his own magic and derived only the results, he could become far more powerful than he was now. ‘If I create a body for the Giant God race’s Main God, fuse it with a Machine God, and maintain it without consuming magic, I could use most spells. Then, rather than simply surviving against the Substitute Gods, I could hold out. However, proper application will require enormous amounts of combat data and experimental results. I am already busy with my God Realm management duties and receiving Devotion Pledges. I cannot leisurely run experiments in this star system. Yet if I delegate the task, none of the gods currently in my divine realm have deep knowledge of matter and machinery. That is why I absolutely need these goddess sisters who originally drove the machine race project and understand Machine Gods completely. If all goes well, I can become far stronger than I am now.’

These were the thoughts currently filling the Dimensional Lord’s head. The idea that he might create material-realm bodies capable of rivaling—even if not surpassing—the Substitute Gods he himself had made filled him with excitement. ‘Then I will be one step closer to becoming a Creator God.’

The hazy figures of the goddess sisters reappeared. Three more goddess-like holograms materialized. ‘Judging by how they are sending images through machinery rather than divine power, their situation must be even worse. It would be strange if they were fine after enduring as demigods on nothing but the faith offered to an idol.’

This was why gods who relied on believer faith should never become combat gods. One stray shot destroying a planet containing their believers would instantly neutralize them.

“My sisters have all agreed. The conditions are that you restore us to Main God level as quickly as possible and treat us as temporary Subordinate Main Gods with a time limit. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠term of our Subordinate Main God status shall last until a dominant species appears naturally in this star system. If you also permit us to accept our past subordinate believers into the subordinate divine realm, we will serve you with true loyalty. Naturally, we will provide all the authorities and data you desire, as well as formal analysis of all future battle results and evolutionary progress.”

“Very well. Restoring you to Main God level as quickly as possible is immediately possible. Then let us draw up the contract.”

A golden parchment appeared. The Dimensional Lord recorded the contents and signed it. After a brief hesitation the goddesses also signed. ‘Now that our divine power is restored, we will become Subordinate Main Gods ruling the subordinate divine realm of the Highest Main God of Dimensions.’

‘For those of us who once stood at the very peak as Highest Main Gods in the old universe, this is an unbearable humiliation, yet we must endure it.’

‘To regain the glory of our past as Highest Main Gods, we must first escape this possession of an idol and restore ourselves to at least Main God level before we can even enter the Main Divine Realm.’

Restoring Highest Main Gods like themselves was only possible for those of equal or higher rank. No matter how hard a Main God of lower rank tried, the difference in divine rank and authority meant their divine power density was too different to assist in recovery. ‘Other Highest Main Gods turned away because it would consume enormous divine power and vitality. This is our last chance.’

The fact that there was unlikely to be another magic-origin Highest Main God who would value their Machine God research so highly had also been a major factor in their decision. After urgently confirming through the remaining network between Main Gods, the dominant opinion was that the Dimensional Lord was a rare, trustworthy, and generous deity. He was powerful but did not seek only his own benefit and showed consideration for others. ‘There were ugly rumors calling him a lecher, but seeing him in person he does not seem particularly interested in goddesses, and he vehemently opposes the one-sided concubine system that only benefits the Main God.’

Above all, he was the current galaxy’s candidate for Creator God—a truly remarkable Main God. They believed he could easily restore their bodies.

“Then, in accordance with the contract, we will begin restoring your bodies at maximum speed. I am also short on time, so I will focus. However, in your current demigod state you cannot endure my divine power directly, so I cannot give it to you personally. I will do so indirectly. First, the rest of you should drink the Cosmic Tree tea until you recover enough to perform spatial movement from the planetary suppression weapon. I will begin immediately.”

Whirrrr—!

With a simple manipulation of divine power, he created four large transparent bathtubs and filled them with the precious sap of the Cosmic Tree.

‘Creating something requires vast divine power, yet I only sense faint ripples.’

‘A management-type Main God this naturally skilled at “Creation” is rare enough, but a combat god? Truly astonishing.’

‘No wonder he was interested in our Machine God fusion authority.’

Receiving the four sister goddesses’ gazes, the Dimensional Lord immediately began the restoration.

“I will restore your demigod bodies to a certain extent and begin treatment here. Please enter and lie down. The rest of you should focus on recovery by drinking the Cosmic Tree tea until you can separate your bodies from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠planetary suppression weapon.”

“Excuse us.”

As instructed, the eldest sister goddess lowered her hazy form into the transparent bathtub filled with sap. What she would later regret was that she should have asked for the details of the “fastest treatment method” first. Wanting to regain Main God status even a little sooner, she had added the condition “as quickly as possible.” As a result, she ended up in the position of not only a temporary Subordinate Main God but essentially a formal concubine as well.

Later, she would think:

‘As expected, the Dimensional Lord really is a combat god who will use any means necessary to achieve victory and his objectives.’