No Need to Refuse

In the Spirit Realm War, the Dimensional Lord had no need to refuse. After all, he had already achieved his original objective. He glanced briefly at the direct subordinate intermediate Main God who was hurriedly rushing toward the office, then signaled the fat god with his eyes. The fat god quickly dispelled the barrier. As it dissolved and he began guiding them inside, the fat god opened his mouth as though he could no longer contain himself.

“Will our Intermediate Divine Realm’s Main God truly become a Highest Lord God? As long as we train properly and continue sending excellent spirit gods out into the outer universes?”

“......”

When the Dimensional Lord fixed him with a sharp gaze, the fat god flinched and focused on guiding them.

“This way.”

It was a typical stone-prison style confinement area. They had put considerable effort into its construction, and there were no signs of life inside. Yet these supposed killing measures had been traps all along.

Puhahaha—! The absorption authority, compressed to an extreme degree within the barrier, came crashing down upon him. The fat god who possessed the mark remained unaffected, but it pressed in hard against the unmarked Dimensional Lord.

The Dimensional Lord repelled its influence using the authority of Dimension and shouted, “You know that running your mouth the wrong way gets you killed immediately, yes? And that if you try any tricks, every last bit of that flesh of yours will vanish?”

“!?”

At his words the fat god hastily shut his mouth and looked around. If the absorption authority had been activated to this extreme, anyone without the exclusion mark would have collapsed from total exhaustion. Yet this damned fat god had known that and deliberately released the barrier without granting the mark.

If my authority hadn’t been ‘Dimension’ and the magic he granted me, this absorption barrier would have been powerful enough to incapacitate even a Highest Lord God in a single instant.

Because the Dimensional Lord remained completely unaffected, the fighting spirit of the highest gods vanished entirely. They had been living well enough in their own fashion, but his arrival and orders made them view him as an enemy. They were watching for any opening.

Even with restrictions, would a Highest Lord God really lose to mere highest gods?

It was genuinely laughable.

“Pfft—! You really do live so cutely, playing house so harmoniously.”

“Hahaha. Misunders… mmph—!”

The fat god’s carefully prepared trump card had produced no effect whatsoever. His expression froze solid.

If he had received the mark, he could have mobilized the entire Spirit Realm Divine Realm to control me to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some extent. But given my position—forced to avoid detection by the Main Divine Realm—I refused it and blocked everything with dimensional authority alone. So they set this trap.

They seemed to have made the common judgment that even a Highest Lord God could not completely block a Creator God’s authority. They did not know that the Dimensional Lord was an Absolute Being who had received both the title and the magic, which was why he remained untouched.

He must be wondering what excuse to offer while looking at me. Yet the slightest mistake would mean my magic kills him instantly, so he clamps his own mouth shut. Even if I were subdued, the direct subordinate general Main God had already turned and run to his father. He should have given up, but he tried anyway. He judged that even in failure he could excuse it as a simple mistake.

By reducing his presence, all sorts of strange things were happening.

I need this emotional squabble between these so-called exalted beings in the Spirit Realm battle to end quickly. I sealed my divinity at the Main God level to avoid detection, yet all manner of trash keeps picking fights with me.

Had he been a demon god rather than a Main God who incurred karmic penalties for mass slaughter and the killing of gods, he would have already turned the place into a sea of blood.

Still, a punishment must be given, no?

The Dimensional Lord moved his body lightly, slicing through both air and space.

Papapapapat—!

Shuhahaha—!

“Uwaaaa—!”

“Huuuurgh—!”

Screams erupted from every direction.

I didn’t do much. I simply moved at speeds beyond their perception, retrieved every mark, and allowed the absorption authority to drain all their divine power and vitality.

Every fighting god in the vicinity had been slammed to the floor, capable only of screaming. With the absorption authority at its peak, it threatened to suck away even the innate divine power of highest gods.

Shuhahahaha—!

At maximum output, even the act of screaming would soon become difficult.

The Dimensional Lord glanced toward a section of empty space and spoke. “I didn’t kill them, so that’s acceptable, correct? However, if you halt the punishment of those who targeted a Highest Lord God, or if even a single problem god remains, I will formally hold you—the Divine Realm’s Main God—responsible for this incident as well.”

The foolish Spirit Realm Divine Realm Main God who had been beaten by the goddesses earlier had been following secretly in hiding.

Have hiding abilities that escape a Main God’s detection zone become so common lately? Developing direct combat authorities for the battlefield is difficult enough, yet everyone seems ready to change class to assassination gods simply because it makes killing enemies easier.

Of course, if they never displayed frontal combat, it remained questionable which god would accept them as Divine Realm Main God.

He cannot be unaware that no assassination-origin Main God has ever existed for the Divine Realm. I have no idea what he is doing. It is a waste of capacity.

In Hera’s case, her authority as Queen of the Sky was stronger than any assassin’s, so it did not matter.

“As… as you command.”

To the Divine Realm Main God who sprang out of space and knelt, the Dimensional Lord declared, “This is the limit. The time in which I can show further tolerance has ended.”

Yet this was precisely the process and outcome the Dimensional Lord had desired. He spoke while resolving to scrape matters down to the very bottom.

“Any gods who become problems during the resolution process will be handled according to regulations. If you are involved, you too will be dealt with. For one destined to become a Highest Lord God, failure is tolerated, but incompetence is unforgivable. If you were directly involved in the reason you could not resolve this cleanly with your own hands, prepare yourself.”

“I will bear it all!”

“Go and proceed with the selection. I will conclude the resolution with this management god.”

“Could I not escort you personally? I will ensure such rudeness never occurs again.”

The desperate expression on the Spirit Realm Waiting Area’s Divine Realm Main God’s face suggested the path ahead was also a trap. Indeed, when more than five Main Gods had failed to subdue their targets and merely sealed them, it was only natural.

Had I truly trusted this fat management god’s guidance and followed him, I would have suffered considerably. Well, since I never trusted management gods in the first place and already installed magical safety measures, it does not matter.

Yet this Divine Realm Main God was truly a naïve fighting god who knew nothing of the world.

If I tried to solve problems while dragging such a fighting god along, I would only suffer endlessly and the matter would become hopelessly tangled.

That was why he had deliberately separated him, but the god kept trying to attach himself again. The Dimensional Lord spoke.

“Do you not understand why I entered the trap of my own accord?”

“Yes? You knew it was a trap? But why?”

He genuinely did not understand. He could not fathom why the Dimensional Lord would pretend ignorance and walk into the trap like this.

Looking at the fat creator god who could not even scream—his plump flesh crushed as he lay collapsed on the floor—the Dimensional Lord took out a mark and spoke. Upon seeing it, the god opened his mouth to plead despite the agony of having his blood drained.

“If you give the correct answer, I will judge you competent and entrust you with guiding me again.”

“Ku… er—!”

He desperately tried to speak, but there was no way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a management god could resist a Creator-level authority.

Shuhahahaha—!

Under the vitality absorption his abundant flesh withered, his skin stretching tight until veins and bones threatened to show. To attempt speech in such a state required an extraordinarily strong will to live.

It should be called professional spirit rather than will to live.

If it was natural for fighting gods to die on the battlefield, then management gods must not stop speaking even if it meant dying in debate. Fighting gods weakened the moment they ceased physical training, and management gods grew stupid the moment they stopped talking.

The world of management gods is brutal in its own way.

Thus it was disappointing that he could not speak even while being absorbed in a situation that was not yet life-threatening.

Had it been the God of Knowledge, no matter what pain he endured he would have smiled and said nonchalantly, ‘I knew of course that it would have no effect on you. You are a Highest Lord God, are you not?’ That is the exact demeanor a management god should display.

A management god must be able to turn lies into truth with a business smile in any situation. Only then was there value in sparing his life.

“As expected, is this all a management god amounts to?”

“Na… me…”

He seemed to be babbling something, but his lack of physical training apparently prevented him from answering properly.

Did I set the standard too high? The God of Knowledge possesses outstanding martial prowess even as a highest god.

Well, he ought to hear the answer at least once to make things clear, so he tossed the mark over.

“There! Answer why I am doing this.”

“Kuuuugh—! Justification! It is to accumulate the justification to deal with all of us!”

The Dimensional Lord nodded at the fat god’s shouted answer as he clutched the mark tightly.

“Only half correct. Tsk—! Still, you are somewhat useful, so I will overlook your disposal.”

“Why are you trying to dispose of us?”

The Spirit Realm Divine Realm Main God asked with a dazed expression as if struck on the back of the head.

If he were truly a Divine Realm Main God, a little thought would reveal the answer, yet he seems completely out of his senses. Do all gods become like this when betrayed by their partners?

Indeed, since he was currently blowing away roughly half the Spirit God Realm he had built over his lifetime, it was a truly thrilling new beginning.

“Those at Main God level or above with the potential to create a divine realm were excluded, so you have no need to know. This management god can maintain the status quo but is useless for solving problems. Therefore I will handle the rest alone.”

“Yes?”

“As the temporary reserve Creator God under the noble and great Creator God Almighty Hwi, and the Main God of the Highest Divine Realm, I command the following. Since the Spirit Realm Waiting Area’s Divine Realm Main God and the lower gods’ two challenges against a superior have ended in failure, as the price for negligent management I shall receive the transfer of two authorities from the opposing Divine Realm Main God. Spirit Realm Waiting Area Divine Realm, from the rights of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area’s Divine Realm Main God, transfer to me the ‘Forced Summoning Right’ and the ‘Lower God Disciplinary Right.’”

Along with the Main Divine Realm’s response, part of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area Divine Realm Main God’s authority flowed into him. The intermediate Divine Realm Main God wore a stupid expression; having never experienced the forced transfer of his own authority, he seemed unable to comprehend what was happening.

Please, if you are a Divine Realm Main God, study your rights and duties at least a little. Is that not why you keep suffering from doing such idiotic things?

The Dimensional Lord clicked his tongue at the pitiful Divine Realm Main God and spoke. “Did you not know? It is good to scheme to defeat a superior. But did you truly believe that after failing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it would end with mere compensation? In conflicts between Main Gods of the same group and same high rank, compensation consists of the transfer of authority and initiative to the victor. It is a political war in which one surrenders part of their divine realm’s rights and has their power restricted.”

The current war in the Spirit Realm was ultimately an extension of that logic. External Creator Gods who feared and envied the rapid development of this main universe and its alliance were picking fights in order to interfere by any means possible.

The moment a Creator God of the same level steps forward, it becomes a struggle among the highest ranks. The Creator Gods intervene, mediate the dispute, and adjust authorities. No matter how strong our Creator God is, if every other Creator God rushes in he cannot win, so he ultimately cannot refuse even dispute mediation. That is why he is enduring in silence.

Currently the highest Creator Gods were in a shameful state, unable to handle even one reserve Creator God. The Creator Gods of other main universes who could not intervene were probably seething as well.

“The ‘Forced Summoning Right’ and ‘Lower God Disciplinary Right’ are necessary for this matter. After the resolution is complete, I will decide whether to return them after observing the condition of the selected spirit gods. Therefore, devote yourself fully to the selection process.”

The Dimensional Lord lightly exercised the lower god disciplinary authority granted to him. The target, of course, was the fat god who had persistently tried to deceive him.

Since he is a god of light, I intend to show mercy by not killing him but only taking his divine power. That may actually be harsher for a god, but it depends on how one accepts it.

Originally only killing would allow a drop in divinity, but now that he possessed the Divine Realm Main God’s authority, if he was overwhelmingly stronger by more than two circles it was entirely possible.

“I judge the rudeness of the incompetent lower being who challenged using the Divine Realm Main God’s authority and lost. Forced divinity demotion—! Divine power recovery!”

Crack—! Crunch—!

“Uaaaak—! For… forgive—!”

A god’s flesh ultimately formed from excessively containing divine power and vitality that surpassed their own divinity and vessel.

Since he is a management god who does not train and merely indulged himself, nearly nine hundred million divine power is draining away.

The divine power was extremely varied and turbid, useless to him, so he temporarily entrusted it to the divine realm. As the fat god’s flesh rapidly melted away while his divine power was stripped as punishment, the surrounding fighting gods froze stiff, their faces twisted in terror.

They seem to think they are next. They are wrong. I have no intention of letting matters slide, but I will not waste the divine realm’s precious fighting gods like this.

They appeared to be the fighting force of this place. If he stripped all their divine power, he might have to fight directly in an emergency. Simply killing everyone he disliked would leave him with no lower gods to do the work, so for now he would take the practical benefit.

“Fighting gods, personally strengthen the spirit gods and send the excellent ones to me. After I personally inspect those selected, I will determine whether to discipline them.”

He then tossed the marks to them and walked into the barrier. Various commotions seemed to rise behind him, but no further measures were necessary now.

Even if I employ such harsh measures as divinity demotion, I now hold this divine realm’s ‘Lower God Disciplinary Right,’ so there is no problem.

Since the Dimensional Lord even possessed this justification, reporting the matter to the Main Divine Realm would instead result in those fools receiving punishment.

The reason such intense methods work is that in his universe the will of the strong is ultimately considered correct. That is why everyone desperately strives to become stronger.

The Dimensional Lord himself truly loathed fates dictated by karma and surrounding circumstances. The greater problem was that his excessively rapid rise in divinity had left him lacking in positive karma.

The amount had been more than sufficient for a Main God level, but for a Highest Lord God it was far from enough—a fact he had realized in the previous machine star cluster.

Problems are about to arise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠due to karma that is low relative to a Highest Lord God’s divinity. A single mistake will cause my divine power to drop immediately. I must at least become a complete Highest Lord God to obtain karma’s full protection. Before that happens, I must earn even a little somehow.

Ultimately, what he needed most urgently was to develop the independent divine realm under his management, become a complete ‘absolute good,’ and lay the foundation to become a Creator God.

Accumulating achievements personally would take far too long. I must completely establish the highest divine realm.

He was prepared to eliminate anything that interfered with that path. Sharpening his eyes so as not to miss any opportunity to earn karma, he had caught these fools who were on the verge of ruining the Spirit Realm Waiting Area.

Recalling the times when he had been at Main God level and suffered under group karma labeled ‘extreme evil,’ strength naturally filled his eyes.

Rather than suffer that again, even if it is difficult, I will change all of you and earn the karma. Many a little makes a mickle, so I must desperately accumulate it once more. They say a rebellion was raised to overthrow the harshness of management gods, and it accumulates a great deal of positive karma. If I resolve this place well, I should earn quite a bit.

Seeing the three female main gods bound in midair by countless chains of seals, pouring killing intent toward him, a faint smile rose to his lips. It was because he was thinking of coaxing and disciplining them thoroughly so he could claim every last drop of their positive karma.