The Treacherous Welcome of the Spirit Realm

Grinding his teeth at the endless war of the Spirit Realm, the Dimensional Lord activated his stealth authority and moved forward. The assassination-type concealment ability he had learned from Hera—now mixed with sorcery—had been refined to the point where even a Main God of equal rank could not detect it. Only a precision scan above the Creator God level would pierce it. The sole drawback was the enormous amount of vitality and divine power it consumed.

By avoiding Karma’s search and layering stealth maneuvers on top, my divine power has truly fallen to that of an ordinary Main God.

On top of that, the endless drain on his vast reserves of divine power and vitality made every movement feel like carrying a mountain on his shoulders. Relying on Origin’s Sun and Moon to restore his vitality, he barely reached the main gate before collapsing once more.

“Haaak—! Haaak—! What Creator God with too much time on his hands created an authority like this? Haaak—! It’s so subtly vicious it makes choosing between surrender and perseverance almost impossible—! Hoooooo—!”

He gasped harshly, shuddering at the sheer malice of the vitality-absorption authority.

It burdens you exactly enough to move at the level of your current divine rank while stealing your power. Stopping offers a brief respite, but that’s an illusion. The moment you halt, the burden intensifies, sucking away vitality even faster, so you’re forced to keep moving.

Even a short rest in the middle would drain you so completely you might never rise again. The authority’s range was nearly stellar-system level, burdening even gods, yet the goal remained visible, preventing surrender. You simply continued forward while being devoured.

Still, I have finally arrived.

There was not even a gatekeeper god at the entrance, only a strange sign reading Welcome to the Spirit Realm Entrance. Two pillars resembling giant dead trees stood covered in a sinister crimson hue. A shabby signboard at the very top bore the yellow welcome message. The whole thing was absurd.

Even for the Spirit Realm, the atmosphere felt far too ominous. Maintaining his concealment, he forced himself upright. His legs trembled so badly he had to clutch the pillar for support. When he finally looked ahead, dizziness washed over him and a curse burst out.

“Gods damn it—! What kind of Creator God builds something like this? Is this your way of making the defeated suffer one last cruel joke? Creator God of Light, did you trade every scrap of mercy for shit?”

Far in the distance—exactly as far as the nightmarish path he had already clawed through—stood what appeared to be the real main gate labeled This Is the True Main Gate. Two spirit gods who looked to be at the Upper God level stood guard. So that was the genuine entrance.

The moment you think you’ve survived the worst and let yourself relax, it stabs you in the back. A truly vicious trap.

If this fake gate had not existed, he could have gone straight there. He could not fathom the purpose of such a pointless torment.

At any rate, every single one of the so-called superiors in this universe is insane!

He nearly screamed that he wanted to meet at least one higher being with a decent character who actually cared for their subordinates.

Having witnessed and suffered these things myself, even I cannot argue against the saying ‘the happiness of divine mercy.’

Strength drained from the Dimensional Lord’s entire body. He slid down against the pillar, sat, and focused on catching his breath while recovering his divine power.

The analysis of Yugyeok Volcano inside the Spirit Realm Waiting Area is nearly complete. In any case, my authority is Dimension itself. No matter how powerful a Creator God’s authority may be, once I separate it from this universe, it cannot stop me—a former High Lord.

Even if the divine power burden increased, he would first sever the hold of this horrific authority. He drew upon every remaining scrap of Dimensional Authority and severed the Spirit Realm’s interference entirely.

The constant drain on his vitality and the crushing pressure on his body vanished. He exhaled a long, shaky breath.

Phew… Now I feel like I might actually live. Let’s rest a moment before moving on.

After avoiding Karma’s search, rejecting detection from the Main Divine Realm, maintaining stealth, and blocking the Spirit Realm’s authority, even a High Lord of Dimensions had seen his rank plummet all the way to Main God level.

If not for the authority I achieved through sorcery, maintaining even one aspect would be difficult. It’s only natural. Yet the sensation of this weakened body after so long is bringing on drowsiness.

When exhausted, the body wants to sit. When sitting, it wants to lie down. When lying down, it wants to sleep. And sleep, they say, is death. That was exactly his condition now.

Just how severely has this divine body been overworked that it craves sleep like a mortal one?

But divine sleep normally lasted thousands of years. It was forced slumber until both divine power and vitality were fully restored. That would be extremely inconvenient, so he made preparations.

I’ll sleep for just a little while. The moment I connect to Origin’s Sun and Moon and completely restore my divine power and vitality, I’ll wake.

The instant his eyes closed, consciousness cut off. Still, he left the bare minimum of awareness to monitor his surroundings and slipped into sleep.

Seeing my careless actions in the Machine Order and the current state of this Spirit Realm, I still have far to go. Only more perfect preparation and overwhelming power can guarantee my survival.

With that thought, he restored the Main God’s body once more, clenched his teeth tightly, and surrendered to sleep.

Thud. Thud. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Thud.

He woke again soon after, stirred by the sound of a massive group on the move.

His divine power had not fully recovered, but the number of approaching Lower Gods seemed to exceed several thousand. The noise was unmistakable.

Of course, his concealment prevented detection, but he opened his eyes and sharpened his senses to stay vigilant. In the distance, beyond the transparent zone and the giant gun-barrel passage, he saw gods pouring into the Spirit Realm.

They too had discovered the malicious trick gate. Exclamations erupted.

“Haaak—! We’re finally almost there—! Hold on just a little longer!”

“We’ve reached the Spirit Realm at last. It was truly brutal.”

“Aaaah. Let’s hurry and rest.”

That passage had been designated as an official path, so the burden was not as severe as the region he had crossed. Yet it still absorbed power. Spatial movement was restricted, forcing combat-type male gods to rely on divine power alone. Many were already self-destructing; only their divine spirits flew onward toward the Spirit Realm.

The goddesses and administrative-type male gods also wore expressions of extreme strain. Even moving seemed nearly impossible. Still, they glared at the deceptive midway gate and forced their bodies forward.

Tsk. They’re all at their limit. The moment they realize they were tricked by this fake gate after arriving here, more than half will likely self-destruct.

These were gods who had lost their hard-built divine realms to the Demon Race or been defeated by the Substitute Race, their planets sealed and themselves forcibly relocated.

Gods below High Lord rank whose strong Innate Divine Power kept them from vanishing into false gods after losing their followers are sent here. Naturally, they are given no choice.

Anyone below Main God level with no hope of establishing their own divine realm would have their vitality reclaimed the instant they refused the Main Divine Realm’s relocation order.

Their only hope was to endure the brutal environment of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area, grow stronger, reach Main God status, or be chosen by another divine realm.

Once inside the Spirit Realm, they will be buried among the countless spirit gods, making selection nearly impossible. There are almost no realms as desperate as mine that would come here specifically to recruit.

Above all, hiring gods who had already ruined one divine realm was highly distasteful.

Unless, like me, they need to erase the record of a rebellion by promoting them multiple stages, creating too many vacancies to fill normally…?

The expressions on the arriving gods varied, yet one emotion united them all: utter exhaustion and despair. Combat gods bit their lips and dragged their legs forward. Goddesses still bore tear-stains on their faces, makeup untouched, their eyes burning with poisonous resolve.

They are all desperately fighting their own collapsing bodies to seize one last chance at the Spirit Realm Waiting Area. But what if those on the verge of collapse see this gate and realize there is still farther to go? Without something like Origin’s Sun and Moon to continuously replenish vitality and divine power, they would fall and never rise again.

In the Dimensional Lord’s eyes, most would fail right here at this midway gate. Without it, nearly all who might have reached the true gate would collapse here beneath cruel mockery and despair.

I pride myself on being the most ruthless and cold warrior on the battlefield for the sake of victory, yet I cannot stand this kind of mockery.

A warrior should die on the battlefield, not as a joke on a roadside like this.

Just kill them all the moment they lose the authentication battle and reclaim their vitality. Do not toy with those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already fighting such a harsh reality—!

The Dimensional Lord followed his heart.

The stronger one becomes, the freer one grows.

That was the privilege of the strong—the very words he had spoken while scattering titles.

Even a Creator God’s authority could be partially modified once analysis was complete.

In that instant, thirteen pairs of wings of light exploded from his back like a bursting star, wrapping around the infuriating fake midway gate.

Whooooooosh!

The disgustingly ominous crimson pillars were enveloped and entirely replaced with brilliantly shining adamantium. Even the shabby sign was transformed. Vitality and divine power began recovering at tremendous speed, and the vitality absorption of Yugyeok Volcano halted in the surrounding area.

Perfect. It will now supply the vitality these gods need to keep walking forward as they fight such a miserably difficult reality.

He partially activated the title to its limit so the structure could neither be damaged nor moved, fixing it in both present reality and the future by exceeding full power output.

Since a trace of his authority is now mixed in, destroying this would require at least a Creator God to intervene.

And any Creator God would likely avoid touching it for fear of encountering him.

“Just saying ‘Welcome to the Spirit Realm Entrance’? A real welcome should be at least this much.”

The newly revealed midway gate was no longer a monstrosity mocking desperate warriors fighting to survive.

It will become a brilliantly shining milestone and a place of rest.

Since it might become a point of contention later, he decided to inscribe Commemorative Donation from the Dimensional Lord’s Visit.

The moment he finished, changes occurred immediately.

Uuuuuung!

Powerful divine energies surged forward to surround him.

I emitted divine power and authority surpassing a High Lord for a moment. Of course they noticed.

He had erected a barrier to avoid long-range detection, but he could not hide the disturbance from the nearby Spirit Realm Waiting Area.

The cheap mouths of Lower Main Gods can be silenced. Seeing how they toyed with this place, I already disliked the Main Gods managing the Spirit Realm Waiting Area.

Boom! Booboo-boom—!

One Intermediate Main God and one ordinary Main God appeared through spatial movement, surrounding him from front and rear.

The fastest responders arrived first. Additional forces are moving in the distance. These Main Gods here seem unaffected by the spatial movement restriction; their expressions are relaxed.

They had likely sensed him emit power before he immediately sealed it back to Main God level, so they regarded him as a mere lower-ranked intruder. They looked at him lightly.

Clicking their tongues at the transformed fake midway gate, they spoke.

“Tsk—! What terrible taste. So this is why you did it? A Main God working inside a Creator God’s authority must have struggled greatly.”

They did not realize ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the entire structure had become adamantium. They assumed he had merely changed the color and added an authority to aid vitality and divine power recovery. Their eyes held no greed.

“Doing this for the defeated—quite kind-hearted for an illegal intruder.”

“I don’t know who you came to meet, but you really don’t listen when told to apply formally through the Main Divine Realm. Gods are far crueler than Demon Gods toward rule-breakers. Surrender obediently and be arrested.”

The teacher-like tone made his face twist on reflex.

While tormenting others with tricks like this, you dare pretend to be considerate?

The accumulated ill will from his mercenary-god days surged up. He answered, voice dripping with malice.

“That may be true, but most of you are still better than the Demon Gods. However—where does a mere Intermediate Main God of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area get the nerve to speak down to a High Lord?”

At the same time as the warning, he swung his fist lightly using Dimensional Authority.

Thud—! Thud—!

“Are you prepared to die for acting so arrogantly?”

“Eh—? Kuuuugh—!”

“What—! Waaaagh—!”

The slippery tone reminiscent of a former employer finally made his irritation explode. He pierced space instantly, stretched both hands, seized one neck in each, suppressed them completely, and lifted them off the ground.

Resistance or defense? Impossible against an opponent three stages above them. The simple difference in maximum divine power output alone is over forty-five billion—six times greater. That is why suppression is this easy.

The Dimensional Lord intended to settle the score for the hardship of forced vitality absorption.

Strength flowed naturally into his grip.

Crack. Crack.

“Kuuuugh—!”

“Kugh—!”

Even the Intermediate Main God tried to defend, but it made no difference. He poured on more strength, enough to snap their necks.

The Main God’s body released by partial activation of my title is strong enough to face even Creator Gods without restriction. A mere Intermediate Main God with only about five billion Innate Divine Power can be killed by physical strength alone, without sorcery. Although I consumed divine power to separate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the area, by dragging them into my barrier through direct contact I can display the full power of a High Lord. The moment they touch the current me, an Intermediate Main God ends up like this.

Lower Main Gods could be smashed apart with the body alone, without using any authority. It was hardly mage-like behavior, yet to avoid the continuous searches, he had no choice.

They say a mage never attacks enemies with the body except through magic? That only applies to proper battles witnessed by all. In infiltration operations requiring stealth, such restrictions cannot apply. For our school, survival through victory is the highest priority.

As expected of a dark mage, pragmatism came first.

Until now he had endured forced vitality absorption and the malicious midway-gate prank. He poured all that accumulated rage into his voice.

“How should I relieve the suffering caused by this irritating vitality-absorption authority and the frustration piled up from that vicious prank? Naturally, I should vent it by beating you two who dared speak casually and insult a High Lord like me.”

The moral high ground belonged firmly to the Dimensional Lord, the superior.

Whether I sealed my power and they were rude because they mistook me for a mere Main God is irrelevant. That is your circumstance. You are the ones responsible for managing the Spirit Realm.

Annoyed, he glared at the two perfectly caught Spirit Realm management Main Gods as fighting spirit rose thickly from his body.