The Subjugation of Granzoa
In the Great Forest, within the Holy Empire of War, anyone whose divine power was weak was cast down to the lowest ranks of priesthood without exception, and the impure were all exiled. Those who resisted the reforms in even the slightest way were executed. As a result, the heads of over ten thousand high-ranking officials were severed and hung upon the temple walls as traitors who had not followed the War God, while hundreds of thousands were banished to the plains. This merciless punishment was carried out because the wretched state of the High Elf Empire, which had dared to rebel against the War God shining in the heavens above, was still visible. No one wished to meet such a fate, so the people of the Holy Empire of War had uprooted every trace of evil as their new War God commanded.
Whoosh—! The black mage’s spiritual form reappeared at the outskirts of the Great Forest. The moment he realized that the increase in his circles, granted by Karma’s positive support, allowed spatial movement within the Great Forest, he summoned the Otherworld Spirit God and immediately withdrew from the battlefield. After seizing control of the Holy Empire of War, he returned once more.
His eyes caught sight of Nuwa’s colossal form in the distance. She no longer scattered her waters of forced pregnancy, nor did she move. She had slightly lowered her massive serpentine lower body, resting her chin upon her hand as she gazed downward. The colossal wolf of stone also stood motionless in place, and only occasional silver arrows of divine power streaked across the sky. The sun that had descended upon the earth was nearly gone, and the dark spirit god that had floated in the heavens was withdrawing its spread hair without resistance.
Boom! Rumble—! The occasional thunder of battle still echoed, but it had become rare. The presence of the High Elf Queens had almost vanished entirely.
“It is only natural. Elves, whose power lies primarily in spirits, cannot defeat a Spirit God. None of the Spirit Gods I summoned are weak enough to be pushed back by even the highest-ranking deities. They are the most renowned among the Spirit Realm for the might and ferocity of their authorities.”
The High Elf Empire had specialized in large-scale wars against the endless hordes of magical beasts and demon races. Thus, when faced with a small elite force of Main God rank or higher, their response had proven markedly inadequate. Above all, the Otherworld Spirit Goddesses were simply too powerful.
The reason they were exiled to the Spirit Realm was precisely because they had grown strong enough to threaten even Main Gods and entire worlds.
As he soared toward the World Tree of the High Elf Empire, which was tilting and nearly destroyed, endless thoughts flooded his mind.
The sun summoned to the earth melts the land and stimulates the star’s core until the planet itself explodes. The authority to conceive anything births infinite life, depleting a planet’s resources through overpopulation. Divine power strong enough to destroy the moon of infinite mana would ultimately destroy the Divine Realm. A storm capable of shaking a star would alter its very atmosphere and annihilate all life. An authority that can brainwash even Upper Gods into betrayal is terror itself to Main Gods. If they evolved even one step further, they would have become Destroyer Gods who shatter stars.
The end of the evolution of the Spirit Goddesses he had summoned was destruction—that was the true reason they had been exiled and sealed in the Spirit Realm.
Whoosh, whoosh—! Fragments of High Elf corpses lay scattered endlessly around the running black mage.
Is this the power of Storm Annihilation Enlil? As expected, she remains merciless toward those who betray the gods.
The Storm God King of the Otherworld, who had once annihilated her own followers for betraying her, remained as combative and cruel as ever. The black mage racing through the forest was accompanied by the groans of dying High Elves and the mournful cries of wandering spirits who had lost their contractors—sounds that somehow harmonized into a sorrowful melody.
This has always happened. It is merely that this time, the perpetrator has become me.
The closer he drew to the World Tree where the High Elf Empire stood, the more corpses and wounded multiplied. Suddenly, a feeble arrow flew toward the black mage. He watched it miss harmlessly above his head and turned to see who had fired it. There stood a High Elf whose legs had been severed at the thighs, his entire body lacerated by the wind. Trembling, the High Elf tried to nock another arrow with shaking hands. The black mage stared for a moment before soaring onward. Faced with a battlefield far more horrific than he had imagined, he asked himself if there had been no other way.
Impossible! There is neither the possibility nor the time.
Even if the chance was slim, if he could persuade the High Elf Queens to make him their Pope and lead the High Elves as his followers, would such mass slaughter have been necessary? He asked himself.
The High Elf Queens have lived for eons as Granzoa’s popes, becoming nearly one with her. Persuasion is impossible. Moreover, they would never display the emotional whims of humans.
The Holy Empire of War, where humans were the majority, had changed its worshipped god after receiving appropriate threats, justification, and benefits. However, for High Elves who had lived for eons and become uniform like plants, changing their racial god was as impossible as water turning into fire. Above all, time was far too short.
The Divine Realm will not grant me much time. I must conclude everything before the Divine Realm ascends in five days. The Divine Realm is unknown territory to me, and even if I give it my all, my survival rate is less than half.
When other gods and demon kings manifested in the Middle World, their power decreased by ninety percent. Thanks to being a black mage from the Middle World, he suffered no such reduction and was nearly invincible there. But in the Divine Realm, he would have to face thousands of Upper Gods of the same level, unrestricted.
According to the Karma Contract, I must assume the roles of the High Elves’ racial god and the War God, while also managing the Middle World. To achieve all of this, only overwhelming terror and power that will never be forgotten will suffice.
Swallowing his complicated emotions, the black mage descended into the large clearing where the Otherworld Spirit Gods had gathered. Yet there he witnessed a sight that should neither be seen nor allowed to exist.
“Uwaaaah—!”
It was Granzoa, embracing the fallen High Elf Queens in their wretched state and wailing. She was desperately expending even her own divine power to save the dying High Elf Queens. In the past, this would have been an effortless task, but now it was beyond her. Even she was dying due to the negative effects of Karma.
“Awooo—! Awooo—!”
Countless High Elf corpses surrounded her as she continued to cast recovery spells even while collapsing herself. The Spirit Gods watched the scene in silence.
The black mage was momentarily stunned by the unimaginable sight, but he immediately drew the Lord Slayer spear.
I cannot leave Granzoa in the Middle World under any circumstances.
To completely control the High Elves, it would be best to seal their former racial god Granzoa within the Lord Slayer spear, preventing only her complete annihilation.
I will completely uproot the traitorous High Elves from the Great Forest. If I guarantee safety to ordinary elves in other regions and open the Great Forest, they will accept me as their new god. And if I plant the Cosmic Tree, I can evolve the elves into High Elves within a hundred years and obtain several times the divine power I have now.
This plan could never be realized if Granzoa, the racial god of the elves, remained.
The Root School leaves no loose ends.
Steeling his wavering heart, the black mage approached the weeping Granzoa. The Spirit Goddesses cast complicated glances his way. In their world, the sight of a highest-ranking goddess, second only to the Main God, falling and wailing overlapped with their own memories of being exiled to the Spirit Realm. They were shaken enough to consider stopping the execution of the apostate High Elves.
“Contractor, harbor no regrets or lingering attachments. If you have chosen to move forward, this is inevitable.”
The Sun Spirit Goddess’s subdued voice rang out. She had once been the national god of a country, but had lost everything due to sympathy for her own younger sister who had stolen her throne. When she was about to go berserk, she had been exiled to the Spirit Realm by the Main God. Having been disappointed by her own pathetic self, swayed by blood ties, and by a harsh world that tolerated not a single failure, she had mocked everything. Yet even she felt compelled to offer advice rather than mockery to her contractor, so pitiful was Granzoa’s appearance.
Crack! Sizzle—! Having lost most of the authorities that had made her stronger than any except the Main God in the Divine Realm due to Karma’s negativity, the world itself attacked her, causing her body to collapse and regenerate repeatedly. The highest-ranking goddess who could once revive sentient beings with a single breath now wailed, unable to even heal her own wounds.
This is not my archenemy Granzoa!
The black mage grew flustered the closer he drew, confronted by his archenemy’s horrific state. Yet a voice from the past echoed in his mind.
The strong must be treated with dignity no matter the circumstances. That is the path to becoming strong yourself.
He did not know if it was an auditory hallucination. The Lord Slayer spear now touched Granzoa’s neck. A slight push would end it.
Granzoa, reduced to Lower God rank or below, cannot withstand the Lord Slayer spear even for a moment. I can finish off the High Elves and proceed with my plan. I can become the god of the High Elves without any problems.
His reason told him to follow the plan. Yet his mouth began to move of its own accord.
“Granzoa.”
Granzoa’s face, staring at him with a vacant expression, came into view. No matter how he looked, it was not the face of the confident, cold goddess who had once appeared to kill him.
My archenemy must not fall so wretchedly. The decisive battle must be fought at her absolute best.
There was a problem with handling things according to his thoughts. Granzoa was an existence that could be called the representative of the goddesses of the Divine Realm.
If I kill and seal Granzoa like this, I must be prepared to become enemies with all the goddesses.
When the entire Divine Realm was his enemy, it did not matter, but in a situation where he was to become the War God, it could become a fatal problem. Concluding that this was inevitable, he continued speaking.
“Become my subordinate god. Then I will spare the apostate High Elf Queens and forgive the remaining High Elves as well.”
The black mage was making an offer so generous that even he could not believe it. This was an enormous loss.
If I accept her now, all the highest-grade divine power obtained from the Holy Empire of War will be consumed to prevent Karma’s negativity. I will continue expending divine power until she restores her Karma to positive. Thus, I will lose the greatest weapon to be used in the Divine Realm.
His emotions demanded her death, but his reason stopped him.
If I kill her, I will be completely isolated in the Divine Realm.
He had already written in the Karma Contract that he would faithfully serve as the highest-ranking god of the Divine Realm and administrator of the Middle World. Under the pretext of being a god from the Middle World, he could endure the Divine Realm’s disregard or isolation, but complete hostility would prevent him from properly carrying out his duties.
Granzoa and the surrounding Spirit Goddesses stared at the black mage with surprised eyes.
“Oh?”
“Huh!?”
“What!?”
“Heh!?”
“Hmm!?”
The Spirit Goddesses’ surprise was particularly great. They knew his circumstances, his usual ill will toward Granzoa, and his future plans in full.
After a moment of silence, Granzoa straightened her posture and gracefully knelt before the black mage.
“Granzoa wishes to become the subordinate god of the noble and great black mage.”
“…”
She would bow her head to anyone if necessary. The black mage’s hand gripping the Lord Slayer spear twitched as if it might throw it at any moment at this all-too-natural transition. However, his other hand caught the hand about to throw the spear, and he declared in divine speech to the Middle World.
“I accept Granzoa as my subordinate god.”
Whoosh—! Granzoa’s body, connected to the black mage, immediately recovered. The highest-grade divine power of the War God filling his body and a portion of Karma’s extreme positivity were drawn into her.
Whoosh—! Granzoa’s divine power, which had reached Upper God rank once more based on the received power, spread throughout the Great Forest, regenerating and reviving countless dying elves. The black mage was not entirely certain this had been the right decision, but he proceeded with his plan.
“Open the Great Forest to the elves. Plant this and increase your forces.”
He even handed over the seed of the Cosmic Tree, his trump card. Granzoa’s eyes, faintly realizing what the seed was, trembled in confusion before tears began to flow. She had been revived by her archenemy’s mercy in the worst possible situation.
“Hic… Sob!”
After confirming that the High Elf Queens were recovering and rising, the black mage immediately headed for the Survival Magic Tower.
After a desperate struggle, all I obtained was the hollow position of War God. I gave away all the easily obtained divine power of the War God to my archenemy, and all that remains is myself.
While berating himself that such actions were disqualifying for a black mage of the Root School, he comforted himself by noting that Karma had improved and he was somewhat safer now.
I cannot tell if this is compassion or an investment.
The Spirit Goddesses followed him. The Sun Spirit Goddess clicked her tongue as usual from the space above his head and mocked him.
“You obtained power surpassing even a God King, only to hand it all over to apostates and your archenemy? With that divine power, you were right before the God Emperor’s eyes! How truly weak you are—!”
“Hehehe—!”
“Do not laugh! One does not cast pearls before swine.”