The Sky Lord's Betrayal
Though their ranks differed—one a Main God of the Spirit Realm, the other a mercenary Main God—both prepared their strikes the moment they heard the answer of submission. A low, resonant hum filled the air. Thirteen pairs of luminous wings compressed until they solidified into blades of light. It was one of the ultimate techniques of the divine race, Blades of the Light Wings, a power only those who had transcended talent and training could manifest. Each wing could match an opponent of equal divine power. The blades, forged from compressed wings, surpassed the limits of the physical body; as long as the wielder’s divinity permitted, they could cleave through anything and repel any assault.
Thududududududung!
The waves of divine power radiating from the wings casually deflected the enemy’s massive divine-energy cannons, which had been fired to blanket the entire front. “Divine cannons on a battlefield like this? How absurd. And firing them at me from such close range… These fools are far too weak.” Divine cannons had long been obsolete among the gods; they could no longer pierce divine defenses or deliver decisive blows, and their energy cost was prohibitive. Yet the enemy still used them. Worse, activating the cannons required dropping their defensive barriers, leaving them momentarily defenseless—an opening that any opponent of equal or greater strength could exploit.
“How convenient. They even lowered their own shields just to fire.”
Hwi identified the highest-ranking Creator God at the forefront who had just unleashed the cannons. With the support of the Divine Realm’s defensive gods, thirteen pairs of wings flickered into existence around the Main God of the Divine Realm. Kwarururung—! Pasasasak—! Space itself trembled beneath Hwi’s leaping steps. Like an arrow loosed, he shot forward, his thirteen wings transformed into blades of light that spun in a whirlwind of destruction. Everything in their path was severed. Space itself was carved apart, and all that stood in the trajectory scattered into nothingness.
Even though their divinities were equal, the gap in concentrated divine power and its execution was overwhelming. The Creator Gods who had been holding the line were torn into six pieces and vanished. The fact that they had dropped their barriers to fire the cannons proved fatal; without any protection, they were instantly slain by a Creator God–level strike. Four of them perished—not one or two, but four. The narrow corridor had emboldened them to charge ahead and clear a path, only for them to be sliced apart.
When the four highest-ranking Creator Gods who had been manning the gate were slaughtered in a sudden ambush by the Main God of the Divine Realm, the Creator General’s face twisted into an expression more savage than any demon’s. “Again… highest-ranking Creator Gods dying to a mere Candidate Creator. I warned the entire race that this disgrace would invite the Creator’s wrath, yet here we are.”
He had wanted to bring only the Origins of his own clan, but the others had insisted on joining to repay past humiliations—only to fall without even enduring a single exchange. Resentment toward his own incompetent allies now burned hotter than his fury at the enemy’s surprise attack. “How can they die so easily without even attempting to respond?”
By the time Hwi reached the front, twenty-six pairs of wings were clearly visible on his back—temporary divinity granted by the Divine Realm’s support. “If only they had properly wielded their authorities and divinities as the Creator instructed, they could have overwhelmed him. Yet four of them fell in an instant without landing a single counterattack.” The disparity in combat experience and the strength of their authorities was simply too vast. Had the Creator General not personally led the vanguard to block the advance, total annihilation would have been inevitable.
“They’re utterly useless. These wretches who have only ever held their positions—”
Chaaaaang!
The Creator General swung the divine sword in his hands, parrying every one of the thirteen light-wing blades aimed at him. In retaliation, his own twenty-six pairs of wings transformed into blades and lashed out. “For a Candidate Creator, his speed and strength are astonishing. But he is still a god. He can never defeat me, an Origin of the divine race.”
Yet the next moment left him speechless. The Blades of the Light Wings—unbreakable even in the outer universes—were shattering into fragments. Peoong—! Pasasasak—! The light wings that had occupied every angle of attack crumbled beneath the casual sweeps of hands and feet. “This is impossible. An existence with less than a trillion divine power is overwhelming and destroying my divinity.”
Moreover, the enemy showed no fear as he plunged into Hwi’s personal space, shattering every defensive authority that had been painstakingly prepared and aiming straight for the core of his divine power. Hwi barely managed to retreat at full speed, yet four strikes grazed his forehead, drawing forth streams of divine blood. “Attacks landed simultaneously on both arms and both legs—and with enough force to damage the Creator General’s body.”
Though his divinity was incomparably higher, that grotesquely powerful physique could not be ignored. He realized that strikes born from a trained body demanded absolute vigilance. “I cannot allow close combat so easily. If I cannot adapt to this reckless style of fighting, it will be the end.” It was a combat method that ruthlessly targeted weaknesses and moments of carelessness. It was not that the Creator Gods were weak; they had simply been undone by a fighting style utterly alien and vicious beyond anything the divine race could imagine. Now that he had clashed directly, he understood.
Gugugugugugung! Papapapapapa!
Hwi barely created distance and erected thousands of layers of localized defensive barriers. He awakened every authority and reinforced his body. At the very least, he now acknowledged that this Candidate Creator was a worthy opponent for the Creator General. When the barriers he had erected took time to break, the Candidate Creator who had retreated to regroup spoke without the slightest fear.
“Realize that the height of divine power is not everything—foolish kin of the past!”
“How dare you! Who are you lecturing? Mind your manners first.”
“It is not advice. It is reality. This is exactly what victory for our side looks like.”
At some point, the heads of the highest-ranking Creator Gods—torn to pieces—had appeared in his hands. Pasasasasak—! A light infusion of divine power reduced them to dust, their divine energy flowing entirely into the enemy’s Divine Realm. Watching this, the Creator General’s lips pressed into a hard line. “In battles between gods who can resurrect, death itself is not the most important factor. The outcome is decided by the amount of vitality one possesses. If resurrection becomes impossible, it is over—so even in death, one must never lose their vitality.”
Yet the vitality-absorption authority of the defensive Divine Realm was terrifyingly potent; any god who died within its domain was unilaterally claimed with absolute priority. “They must be killed directly to absorb it. And even standing still, one’s vitality is being drained.” The enemy should have been affected by the vitality absorption, yet they rampaged as though unaffected. Even their own allies were having vitality stolen—what kind of efficiency-obsessed defensive authority was this?
“This is bad. We have already lost five hundred billion, and just now another four hundred billion was taken. Meanwhile, their losses are nonexistent. If this continues, no matter how superior our forces are, we will inevitably lose.” The enemy suffered no damage while their own losses were already staggering. “Nine hundred billion may sound manageable, but entire Grand Universes ruled by highest-ranking Creator Gods have already been plundered. Recovering after this war will take an immense amount of time.”
He had already issued standby orders for the resurrection of the highest-ranking Main Gods who had died in vain. But there was a limit to how long he could delay. The major races of each Divine Realm would not quietly wait for the resurrection of their origins and strongest leaders.
“Even if I try to personally slay the enemy Main Gods to recover, this Candidate Creator circles like a venomous serpent, radiating killing intent and waiting for any opening.” Until he grew accustomed to that vicious fighting style, he would have to maintain this standoff. No matter how he thought about it, a Candidate Creator should never have been a match for the Creator General.
Yet an even more infuriating development unfolded.
“How dare you attempt to usurp another god’s authority! Have you no sense of propriety? What are you doing, glorious divine race, behaving like demons—!”
A wide-area authority domain that infringed upon the Creator General’s own authorities was manifesting. “Seizing an opponent’s authority is an unforgivable discourtesy. Even against an enemy, it should never be done lightly. Yet these lawless creatures are encroaching upon me, the Creator General. How can an existence possessing such a vast domain remain merely a Main God?”
Before the question could be answered, his entire vision turned blue. Hwiiiiiiing—! A wind that should not exist in the universe howled. The space before him filled with a sky-like expanse. The universe itself transformed into a sky, saturated with crisp, clear air. A phenomenon that defied belief as a mere activation of authority swept through the corridor.
Overseeing this anomaly was one of the enemy’s highest-ranking Main Gods, approaching from behind the Candidate Creator with thirteen pairs of blue-glowing wings spread wide. “He has enclosed not only my authorities but also the Creator Gods following behind into his domain and is now imposing restrictions. Incredibly, my body’s speed is decreasing and my authorities are being constrained. At least one Circle or more is dropping within this blue space.”
Of the countless authorities possessed by the Creator General, only “Cheongong” remained unaffected; every other authority was being restricted by the manifested domain. The problem was that even the Creator General himself had been caught within this adverse influence. “The only beings capable of restricting even the Creator General’s authorities are the originators of those very authorities. Furthermore, this kind of forced domain occupation that completely ignores other attributes is possible only for ‘Cheongong’.”
In the midst of the Creator General’s shock, a cry of disbelief erupted.
“Could it be? An Origin of the Cheongong Divine Race?! And such an existence is merely a highest-ranking Main God?! That’s impossible—!”
The highest-ranking Main God with an expressionless face and hair overflowing with blue light replied, “Here, I am called the ‘Main God Who Reigns Above the Sky’ of the Independent Divine Realm. And since my body is still immature, I am not yet worthy of being called an ‘Origin.’ However, I am more than capable of trampling upon the Creator Gods of your laughable Cheongong Divine Race. Truly absurd. An existence that cannot even develop the transcendent authority of its own divinity dares to call itself a Creator God? It is a disgrace too shameful to witness with open eyes. Therefore, receive this.”
Divine power and authority surged from the palms facing each other before his body, manifesting a phenomenon. Paaaaang—! Urururung—! Dark clouds gathered across the entire space that had become a blue sky, accompanied by the roar of thunder. Snow flew, hail fell, typhoons raged, and torrential rain poured down. Every attribute belonging to the sky was being unleashed to its absolute limit. The target was the sole highest-ranking Creator God of the Cheongong Divine Race within the domain of Cheongong who was still exerting his full power and struggling to release his authorities.
Despite being the Origin of the entire clan and the source of the authority, there was not the slightest hesitation in the challenge.
“Continuous manifestation of the Sky Corridor of All Attributes. I pray you at least avoid annihilation. Such unfilial conduct would not be my intention outside a mercenary battlefield, but since I have received compensation, there is no helping it. My respected grandfather.”
“What—! You, don’t tell me—!”
The sudden words from the highest-ranking Main God caused the Creator God of the Cheongong Divine Race’s authority to waver. The Main God did not miss that instant. Dududuk! Jijijik! The clasped hands before him began to misalign. The strongest authorities of all attributes manifested simultaneously, passing the Creator General—whose reaction had been slowed by the wide-area authority—and striking directly at the only one who had remained free: the Creator God of Cheongong.
“Eeeek—! How is this possible?! A mere Main God simultaneously manifesting every Sky Corridor?! And you were one of our clan?! My direct descendant’s direct descendant—!”
With a roar, he attempted to repel the corridors of all attributes that sought to dismantle him. No matter how strong, it was still an authority unleashed by a Main God. Therefore, a Creator God should have no trouble blocking it. “I am the Origin of the Cheongong Divine Race! The strongest in the race and the source of the authority—I will never be defeated.”
Indeed, even the continuous manifestations were relatively weak. He resolved to completely dismantle them and punish the traitor of his clan. Yet an indescribably chilling sensation brushed his mind. Countless flashes of divine artifacts from the Divine Realm streaked after his body as he desperately tried to evade. Peoong—!
“Kuhuhuhuk—!”
He barely managed to dodge the divine artifacts that suddenly emerged from space aiming for his head. Instead, most of his vital points were exposed, leaving him in a wretched state. Huung! Uuuuung! The divine artifacts that had shot out from space were fully retrieved, fading before returning to their original owner. The highest-ranking Main God who reigned above the sky stored the numerous divine artifacts soaked in the Creator God’s divine blood into his full-body armor and began concentrating his divine power once more.