The Forging of Infinite Alchemy
It took Hephais a long while to recover from the shock of the Spirit Realm war. When she finally managed to speak, her voice trembled. “What… what is your relationship with Hera?”
“She is one of my concubines.”
“What? You mean that arrogant, pride-obsessed woman actually became your concubine?”
Well, it made sense. A Main God of his caliber would naturally have concubines. Especially a Creator God candidate who could endlessly restore both vitality and divine power—his harem must be fiercely competitive. ‘If one could receive vitality and divine power through essence exchange, growth would be absurdly fast.’ And if the Divine Realm amplified divine power development by sixteen times, the rate of advancement would be terrifying compared to the past.
Then an ominous thought struck her. ‘Wait! He said Lokina is also a concubine? So that look she gave the Upper Main God wasn’t a lie?’
Right now Lokina only maintained the power of an Upper God, yet the gap between them would only widen further. Before Hephais could dwell on it, the Dimensional Lord delivered his merciless verdict.
“She abandoned her pride and offered herself as a concubine to become stronger than anyone else, to fulfill the Divine Realm’s duties, and to protect her subordinates. A true Main God of the Divine Realm. You, who stubbornly insist on doing only what you like, cannot compare to her. If you entered the Divine Realm now, your past grudges would spark battles and throw the realm into chaos. I do not care who is right or wrong. I will side with whoever benefits the Divine Realm. At this moment, that means supporting Hera and disciplining you.”
“……”
The judgment was absolute. He declared that if conflict arose because she was weaker and less useful than Hera, he would unilaterally eliminate her. There would be no negotiation, no profit—yet this was not the rational behavior expected of the Dimensional Mage God. Then his next words made the situation even harder to predict.
“Originally, I intended to bind you in permanent servitude in exchange for your treatment. For the sake of the Divine Realm’s stability, I will forgo that. Instead, you will reconcile with Hera and devote yourself to serving both her and me to the best of your ability. The reason is simple: your alchemy is personally indispensable to me, separate from the Divine Realm. The metal you created for me surpasses adamantite and has granted me defensive power capable of ignoring attacks from the highest-ranking Main Gods. If you continue to strengthen it, I will obtain defenses beyond even a Creator Candidate. I cannot abandon the authority of alchemy. However, if conflict arises, my personal gain will naturally be incomparable to the stability of the Divine Realm, and I will have no choice but to discard you.”
“Why… why are you revealing every single condition to me?” Hephais asked, her voice strangely calm. Normally, one would emphasize advantages and hide weaknesses during negotiations, yet this Main God of the Divine Realm laid everything bare and left the choice to her. The surrounding Main Gods wore equally bewildered expressions.
He answered as if it were obvious. “I am the Main God of the Divine Realm. I will not stoop to fraud that would even slightly diminish my Karma. An unjust contract may bring immediate profit, but eventually the accumulated lies will collapse. After coming to the Divine Realm, I learned this truth. Therefore, I only enforce fair and legitimate contracts. A small loss means nothing to me. I will absolutely achieve ‘Absolute Good’ through Karma, become a Creator God, and obtain the authority of creation sufficient to forge a Main God Star. That is the only path to being recognized by him as a true 11th Circle.”
“……”
No Main God with such deep grudges would ever obey an order to reconcile. She would undoubtedly cause an incident that shook the entire Divine Realm. To prevent that, he offered benefits great enough to enforce total subservience, while demanding reconciliation instead. The conclusion was obvious. No grudge could outweigh the benefit of escaping permanent servitude. Grudges arose from loss; if sufficient gain was guaranteed to cover that loss, the grudge would naturally vanish.
“I will obey. I will reconcile with Hera and live in harmony with her.”
“A wise decision. I will begin treatment immediately.”
The Dimensional Lord pulled the entire planet Hephais stood upon into the air as if it were a toy. The authority of this Dimensional Lord, who treated massive planets like playthings, was truly awe-inspiring. ‘Just what kind of gods reign outside that even a being with such transcendent authority is merely a low-ranking Main God?’
Yet an even more astonishing truth followed.
“Even if your divine essence was twisted and fixed the moment you were born, you still remember your purest divinity and body from the time of your birth. I will restore your body to its original state based on that. Restoring an Upper God would be simple, but your vessel is that of an Intermediate Main God. Focus.”
He placed his hand on Hephais’s head and began chanting quietly. Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung! Eleven circles of mana rose and spun violently, rewriting reality. Lokina was also a mage—a 10th Circle mage who had become a Main God—yet this power was beyond comprehension. ‘That looks like at least 12th Circle magic… yet outside, he is supposedly only 10th Circle? Then to this Main God of the Divine Realm, am I merely 8th Circle? That can’t be right.’
To Hephais, who understood magic, the flow of mana was majestic as it completely dominated her and the surrounding space. ‘His dimensional authority is excluding all interference from the current world, maximizing the efficacy of the magic.’
Normally, only beings above the 1st Circle could interfere with a god’s essence. In other words, only a 12th Circle Creator God or higher could touch and adjust the essence of an 11th Circle Main God. Healing essence, however, required even greater authority than destruction. It meant that only a 13th Circle or higher could perform such treatment.
Hwoooooooong! Yet the Dimensional Lord continued the treatment without hesitation, as if such limitations meant nothing. Golden wings blazing like sunlight scattered like feathers and enveloped Hephais’s body. The eleven mana circles seeped into her. The divine power of light overlapped and manifested once more.
“Dimensional Net. Condition: increase magic effect by one Circle.”
Uwoong! Uwoooooong! The eleven mana circles instantly expanded to twelve.
‘He’s simultaneously manifesting both magic and authority? Even a Creator God cannot do that. Only a Creator General or higher can achieve such a feat. What in the world…?’
This meant that, in a completely suppressed state, he could annihilate even a Main God with 13th Circle authority, and with authority alone he stood at the level of a Creator God or above. The surrounding Main Gods, who accurately grasped the situation, turned deathly pale. They had already completed their contracts with this terrifying Main God of the Divine Realm. Only now did they realize that their ruler possessed Creator General-level authority and would stop at nothing to develop the Divine Realm for the sake of Karma.
‘Even if you are a Main God, if you become an obstacle, he will dispose of you without hesitation.’ They now clearly understood that this fearsome Main God of the Divine Realm would not even permit them to become Spirit Realm Main Gods if they interfered with the Divine Realm—he would annihilate them and absorb their divinity and authority completely. The fact that he had slaughtered all the highest-ranking gods of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area who had committed wrongs could easily happen to them as well. If he judged them to be obstacles to the Divine Realm, it would happen immediately.
“Looking Back at Oneself, Past and Present Are the Same.”
The limits measurable by Spirit Realm Main Gods had long since been surpassed. Power and authority impossible for a mere Main God were performing a miracle.
Ududududuk—! Ududuk—!
Bones realigned. Her face changed. Essence and authority that had been misaligned let out a thunderous roar as they returned to their original form. While witnessing this, the Dimensional Lord, his divine power fully unleashed, chanted once more. It was a divine proclamation spoken with a divinity that had nearly reached the Creator God stage.
“Return to the Goddess of War who possesses the talent to reach the origin of the Heavenly Sky God Tribe, and the Goddess of Alchemy who wields authority over all metals and divine artifacts. From this day forth, you shall no longer be called the ‘Ugly-faced Divine Hand,’ but ‘Infinite Alchemy.’ Fight for the Divine Realm and strengthen its divine artifacts. And the moment you surpass me as a Goddess of War, you will break free from the lower Main Gods and become a true Main God of the Divine Realm.”
This was the blessing that high-ranking Main Gods of the past universe had bestowed upon their direct descendants. What she had received at birth was not a blessing but a restriction. He was erasing that restriction completely and granting her a new one. Moreover, it was an enormous blessing that dared to declare she would reach the authority of ‘Infinite,’ which belonged to Creator Gods, and become an existence that reached the origin of her god tribe. In the past, such a blessing would have been granted only by those who had reached the level of Creator General, with corresponding divine power and authority. It would undoubtedly take effect, be added to her essence, and create a dramatic synergistic effect. At the very least, it had granted her a growth limit that could reach the Creator God stage.
‘Such blessings consume enormous amounts of divine power and vitality and are never given lightly. Yet he bestows it simply for reconciling with a past enemy?’
Even healing her misaligned essence was an excessive reward. It was a privilege that should not exist.
The feathers of light vanished, revealing Hephais’s transformed appearance—completely different from before. Her hair shone with a golden brilliance brighter than the sun, and her eyes were clearer than the autumn sky. Her perfectly proportioned features radiated the ultimate beauty of a goddess. The crooked, ugly form of the past had completely disappeared, replaced by a beauty among goddesses that had never been seen before. Furthermore, the legs stretched in the air were no longer twisted or misaligned at the joints. They displayed leg lines more beautiful than those of the Goddess of Beauty herself, with alluring curves.
Kooong!
When this beautiful goddess finally set foot on the ground and stood up, everyone’s eyes widened. Her size remained twice that of an ordinary goddess, radiating the same overwhelming presence, yet her proportions had been adjusted to ideal ratios. It was as if a female war god had been enlarged twofold, with an extremely developed upper body and breasts so massive they resembled small mountains, rising forward without the slightest movement, asserting their presence.
‘If one were caught by those enormous hands and buried against those breasts, anything would be crushed.’
The hardness and upper-body development characteristic of an Alchemy God had been preserved, combined with the extreme physical development of a war goddess, creating an indescribable majesty. Even the Main Gods felt a sense of crisis, as if their entire bodies would be shattered the moment they dared to approach. Separate from her beauty, she also exuded the fighting spirit of a well-forged divine weapon. Yet the beauty of her body, incomparable to before, was enough to shock anyone.
Overwhelmed by the transformation of her ideal body, Hephais shed tears as she bowed deeply in gratitude. However, the divine power of the Dimensional Lord watching her was anything but calm.
“Th… thank you. I will devote my loyalty to you!”
“Loyalty? Hah! With only the power of an Upper God? Still, guiding a lower Main God with the potential to benefit the Divine Realm is also the duty of the Main God of the Divine Realm. Of course, training you is part of that duty as well. Like this—!”
“Kyaaaaah—!”
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang—!
Compressed planets rained down upon Hephais, who had been bowing in gratitude. Four planets now rested upon her back. Yet she did not collapse. Instead, she reached behind her, lifted the planets from her back, and placed them on her shoulders to reduce the burden on her waist. The muscles of her upper body swelled and hardened to an extreme degree, digging into the compressed planets and leaving marks. Even the muscles of her lower body, only recently healed, grew firm and swelled with power.
The problem was that while the others could barely handle a single planet, she—an Upper God—was enduring four times that weight. It made no sense, yet it meant her basic physical capabilities were at that level.
‘Impossible! Does she truly possess the talent to become the origin of her god tribe? I have never heard of such physical ability.’
‘The Main God of the Divine Realm usually restricts the authorities of lower Main Gods who might surpass him. Why is he nurturing her like this? Has he gone mad?’
‘Wait a moment! Then what about us?’
If such a generous Main God of the Divine Realm existed, they too might receive similar treatment if they obeyed well. Of course there would be differences, but if he at least raised their growth limits, they could become stronger. Yet what reached their ears was an utterly merciless verdict.
“Dream on. The Main God of the Divine Realm has no interest in incompetent, useless beings who do not benefit the Divine Realm. ‘Infinite Alchemy’ Hephais received this because I expected results proportional to my investment. No—given that she is currently only an Upper God, the vitality and divine power I spent are too precious. I am even considering forcing her into labor. She must quickly become an outstanding Main God and contribute to the Divine Realm.”
“I… I will do my best. Aaaah—!”
Kwang—!
Another planet crashed down on Hephais’s back as she answered with great difficulty. Now there were five. A chilling, murderous voice rang out.
“You still have room to spare in your heart. After receiving this level of investment, you say you will only ‘do your best’? Saying you did your best yet failed anyway is the excuse of the incompetent. I will not accept such excuses from someone with talent. I will make you the greatest Main God by any means necessary for the sake of the Divine Realm.”
Kwaaaang—!
Another planet was added. Now there were six. If this were not the Main God Palace, the weight would have instantly shattered the ground and sent her plunging endlessly into the earth. Under normal circumstances, mutual gravitational interference would have caused mutual annihilation. Yet some authority was concentrating that tremendous weight solely upon her body. Even more astonishing was the fact that her body was adapting to it and growing stronger. Her muscles were becoming tougher and more resilient, supporting the planets. Now the strengthening was visibly apparent.
“You are the female war goddess of ‘Infinite Alchemy’! Not only the divine artifacts and metals you handle, but your body and divine power will grow endlessly stronger the more you train them. Therefore, rise once more to the rank of Main God through nothing but effort and training. Discard the past of the ‘Ugly-faced Divine Hand’ and become a pillar of the Divine Realm. Through your own power alone—!”
“I… I will keep it in mind.”
“Endure all external burdens and rise by your own will to walk—! And when you can run freely without any restrictions, you will be complete. That is the first movement of your family’s secret art, the ‘Eightfold Time Rhythm of the Incomprehensible’—‘Heavenly Time Without Limit.’ When your body achieves true immortality, you will destroy everything according to the degree of your training, refusing to permit any injury or death unless faced with a higher divinity. That is the same realm as the Permanent Candidate, the Almighty Hwi, whom even I, a highest-ranking Main God, cannot face for more than three minutes. You possess the talent to reach that level. If I can obtain such a powerful being as a Goddess of War in my Divine Realm, I will endure any investment or sacrifice. This is the greatest duty of the Main God of the Divine Realm: to make the Divine Realm strong.”