The Alliance's Price

The war in the Spirit Realm raged on without a single concession from either side, their fighting spirits flaring to new heights. As Creator Gods bearing the same title, neither had ever paused their training or allowed laziness to take hold, making the clash an even match. Yet both knew that yielding here would mean the death of half the Creator Gods—or worse, annihilation at the hands of the Substitute Gods. Still, the standoff did not last.

A surge of killing intent, so dense it stole the breath from the air, crashed down upon the highest-ranking Creator Gods like a tidal wave of demonic energy. It cleaved straight through the tension between them. A frivolous voice followed close behind.

“Whoa! Whoa! Hold it right there! Before you two start swinging, lend me some vitality first.”

From the ground between the warring figures rose a silhouette. Twenty-six pairs of dark wings and one pair of light wings rippled and swayed across his back. The Demon Emperor of the Demon Gods had appeared, shattering the clash of fighting spirit and killing intent between the two.

A cold, sharp rebuke burst from the Creator General’s mouth.

“Jinma! This is the gods’ affair. The Demon Gods have no place in it.”

But the retort came just as fiercely.

“Garam! The Karma Contract comes first. In exchange for our active cooperation in the war against the Substitute Gods and the management of the Master Universe, you feed us. That was the deal.”

The Demon Emperor waved the golden parchment triumphantly, his finger tapping on clause five—the provision that the Demon Gods would be employed to replenish their lacking vitality.

“We’re short on vitality again! So give us some work and pay up! If there’s no work, just lend it to us.”

“What about the vitality you borrowed last time? You still haven’t repaid it, and you haven’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠done a single thing. Aren’t you being wasteful?”

The Creator General shot back with undisguised displeasure. The Demon Emperor hesitated for a moment, but he knew that returning empty-handed would bring the wrath of the highest-ranking Demon Gods down upon him.

‘Of course, in a one-on-one fight, I am the strongest in this Master Universe.’

He was confident he could defeat both ‘Garam’ and ‘Jinmyeol’ individually. ‘Garam’ focused his authorities on the gods’ training, while ‘Jinmyeol’ specialized in mass slaughter. ‘Only I have maximized my offensive authorities against higher beings.’

His maximum output was superior, and with the authority to slay gods, a single well-placed strike could end them. With enough space to maneuver, he could even triumph against superior numbers.

‘If two or more launch a continuous assault, I would have to fight prepared to die.’

Even more absurd was that, while he could somewhat handle being surrounded by highest-ranking Demon Gods, responding effectively remained difficult. He had acquired an absurdly glaring weakness.

‘Naturally, no one has noticed it yet, but if four or more Demon Emperor-level Demon Gods coordinate an attack, I would have to flee.’

The problem was simple: extreme consumption of demonic power led to a lack of endurance and required recovery time.

‘In short, I am the strongest in short battles lasting under ten minutes where I can maintain maximum output. But against opponents who drag things out or face multiple foes, I must assume I am at least half a circle weaker.’

Of course, no one knew of Jinma’s weakness. No being had ever survived more than a minute against him, and every war he had fought ended in victory within five minutes—hence his rise to Demon Emperor.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

‘By pushing the power of a single strike to its absolute limit, every ounce of my demonic power is consumed and regenerated at maximum intensity with each moment. The Demon Gods’ superior recovery helps, but it still takes time. If that brief recovery window is exploited, I have no counter.’

This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was why he had formed the alliance. Of course, there was also the fact that if Jinmyeol had refused the negotiations, he would have slaughtered every Demon God except himself without hesitation—but that was hardly an issue.

‘I could simply head to an outer Master Universe, kill a weaker Demon Emperor, and take his place.’

The weak dying was only natural. Yet there was only one reason he had accepted such a treaty.

‘If I had completely opposed it and the two of them attacked together, my weakness in prolonged combat would be exposed.’

Even with some mitigation, facing opponents of their caliber meant that any disruption in his demonic power after ten minutes would be fatal. Therefore, he needed to maintain the alliance until he could either fully compensate for the flaw or until another Demon God capable of facing one of them emerged. Or at least until he found a way to sustain the Demon Realm without the gods’ aid.

“I’ve used it all. We took massive losses fighting the enhanced Substitute Gods this time and hit rock bottom. We don’t have enough vitality to maintain the Demon Realm. At this rate, I might even get impeached by my own subordinates.”

“Jinma! Do not interrupt our conversation over such a trivial matter. What is the meaning of this over mere vitality?”

“……”

Jinmyeol, annoyed at having his important discussion interrupted, spoke with clear anger. Both the Creator General and the Demon Emperor grimaced at the words “mere vitality.” Their expressions darkened as they spoke, almost as if to themselves.

“Mere vitality? You may be a Creator God, but living alone has made you forget its importance.”

“Managing only the general Creator God domain and playing around all day has made you dismiss vitality entirely. Are you even a real Creator God? Or just a beggar? Even the Demon Gods of the Demon race no longer say such things.”

“What—! A beggar—! Who’s living however they please? When have I ever just played around? Though most of my authorities are sealed, my Creator God domain continues to develop.”

“Develop? Hah—! That’s only because your subordinate Main Gods have been working themselves to death.”

“And yet you talk about disposing of the incompetent ones? You have no shame. Worry about yourself first.”

Jinmyeol flared up in anger, but the other two merely snorted and summoned documents.

Beep—! Beep—! Whiiiing—!

“Reports indicate there is a general Creator God who neglects the Divine Realm and dumps all work on his subordinate Main Gods while gallivanting about. He is so quick to cover his tracks that we cannot gather evidence, but we cannot forgive such a delinquent Creator. ‘Please re-educate him properly,’ they say.”

“We accuse the Creator God who creates a Main God Star only once every ten thousand years and then claims exhaustion to rest indefinitely.”

“He sexually harassed the management goddesses in the Creation Realm.”

“We request the impeachment of the Creator God who does no work and only plays around.”

Flutter, flutter—!

Documents piled up endlessly. The gods, who lived through eons, had no shortage of protest documents and disciplinary recommendations. While some were false and others overly harsh, most were grounded in fact, leaving him speechless. The earlier declaration that half the gods must be purged to defeat the Substitute Gods now felt like a distant memory, his spirit utterly crushed.

‘It is true that I was at fault. At first, playing around was an act, but eventually it became habit, and during recovery periods I truly threw myself into leisure.’

His body had completely adapted to resting deeply whenever the opportunity arose.

“No matter how much of a vacation it is, tone it down a little. And stop breaking records for general Creator God complaints. Covering for you is exhausting.”

“Even so, that promising Demon King keeps reporting the current situation while acting like a nagging wife. He says he cannot gather the vitality needed for promotion because of you, who does nothing but play and eat. He wonders why, as a Demon King, he must manage the entire Divine Realm region. He finds it absurd that work from the Divine Realm keeps coming to him. He says he cannot ignore it because everyone would collapse together, so he has no choice but to handle it, yet he has no idea where the person in charge—you—is. He asks how much Main God Star and vitality you intend to give before resting.”

Past mistakes had severely damaged his credibility. Still, he had something to say. It was absurd for them to gather such weaknesses just to criticize him during such a critical decision-making moment.

“You petty bastards. If you’re jealous, just say you’re jealous. And why did you collect all that? It’s useless at our level anyway. Get rid of it right now—!”

The Demon King immediately flared up in response. He had heard the earlier conversation and fundamentally agreed with the idea.

‘This Master Universe, having reached the peak of development, is now in a period of stagnation, so some level of reorganization is necessary.’

But the problem was that someone with nothing to take responsibility for and nothing to lose was spouting righteous words and demanding everything be disposed of—it was infuriating.

‘In other words, even if half the Creator Gods were eliminated, it would not affect him in the slightest. Only his own satisfaction would be achieved.’

‘Try being a ruler yourself. If you kill everyone you dislike, how many would remain? If you properly manage the occupied planets and receive steady supplies, you would not lack vitality like this. Yet these fools, despite owning the planets, absorb their vitality wholesale at the slightest problem.’

The Demon Gods had once been a nomadic race that plundered entire planets. That instinct remained; at the slightest issue or displeasure, instead of solving the problem, they would absorb the vitality of the planet’s intelligent beings all at once.

‘This is like instinct, so it is difficult to control. When a Demon God becomes agitated, the planet is immediately devastated. No matter how much effort is poured in over eons, planet management itself fails repeatedly.’

Since roaming and plundering as in the past was forbidden by treaty, the Demon Gods and their subordinates, desperate not to wither and die, were forced into the ridiculous comedy of returning the planets they had ruined to the gods’ control. Though things had improved somewhat by using the Absolutes of the occupied Middle Worlds as middle managers, they still could not match the gods’ management.

‘In other words, if more than half the Creator Gods die or disappear, the Demon Gods’ vitality supply would immediately be halved. From the earlier atmosphere, it seems Jinmyeol really intends to act. That vicious bastard is famous for completely changing on the battlefield, rampaging without distinguishing between enemy and ally. He would certainly never distinguish between gods and Demon Gods.’

Once it began, it could never be stopped, and the Demon Gods would suffer enormous damage in the process.

‘If I step in to stop it, he would charge at me declaring the extermination of the Demon Gods.’

Therefore, even though it was the gods’ affair, he could not avoid intervening.

“Yes, I am jealous. So I will not get rid of this and will keep using it. And unlike you, whose story ends with living well alone, we are different. Do you know how many mouths I have to feed? How many subordinates I have? In the past, when I had fewer, I could kill those I disliked, but now there are too many, and even the necessary ones are all dependent on me, so I cannot do that either—! And even if I do nothing, the Demon Realm consumes countless vitality, and when it becomes insufficient, its functions degrade and everyone looks only to me—! Damn it—! Since when did they live so comfortably receiving support from the Demon Realm like the gods? They could live roughly like in the old Demon race days. What do you mean the Demon Realm is needed for the future and must be maintained, but there is not enough vitality? So go secure many good contracts? What do they think they are, gods, talking about the future of the race and direct lineage? They only need to live well themselves, so what is this nonsense?”

“Then you do not need vitality?”

“Of course the present is important, but the future is more so. Lend me another hundred trillion. In exchange, prepare some useful fellows.”

The Demon Emperor’s tone changed immediately at the Creator General’s remark that it was fortunate he would not lend any. In other words, returning empty-handed could cause problems even for his position as Demon Emperor.

‘The Demon Gods’ reproductive ability has already been proven, so their numbers are increasing endlessly, and most of them are direct descendants of direct descendants, so I cannot dispose of them freely.’

The Demon Realm was essential for the Demon Gods’ rapid growth. Unlike the past when they lived however they pleased, now that they had tasted the sweet fruit of the Demon Realm, they could not return to that. Moreover, an extremely small number of well-adapted Demon Gods were even acting as Main Gods in the Divine Realm, receiving faith and thriving, creating a nasty situation where the gap between Demon Gods was widening. All of them were desperate for vitality collection and Demon Realm advancement to strengthen their own demonic power. If he suggested living comfortably and killing as they pleased like the old Demon race, impeachment and rebellion would erupt immediately. He could already see it.

‘Everyone would charge at me telling me to live that way too. I am going crazy. I need to eliminate this weakness somehow, but the only answer is to raise my level.’

If his weakness were discovered, he would likely become a target for powerful beings with massive organizations. Therefore, he had to maintain the Demon Gods. To protect his own safety, an unequal treaty with the gods was nothing.

“The Substitute Gods are currently in a standby state, and aside from basic authentication wars, there are no full-scale war situations, so there is no immediate need. Instead, employ them during the war with the 500th Master Universe.”

“Got it. Thanks as always. If it looks like Jinmyeol is going to cause trouble, I will actively help. Of course, the compensation will be good, right?”

“Hey—! You were on my side at times like this, were you not? Normally, for something like a mass purge of the gods, would the Demon Gods not be the first to eagerly step forward? Where did you sell the Demon Gods’ instinct to kill?”

Jinmyeol spoke in disbelief at the friendly atmosphere between the Creator General and the Demon Emperor, who should be killing each other as fellow Creator Gods. The Demon Emperor snorted.

“Do you even have vitality to lend to others? For reference, we are talking in units of a hundred trillion, not a hundred billion. If you do not have that much, do not even speak. And the one lending vitality matters. What is the point of siding with a beggar who has nothing? Besides, the Demon Gods’ instinct to kill has already been sealed as unnecessary for the duties of a Demon Emperor. Times have changed. We have moved beyond the barbarism of killing each other just because we are different races. Now is the era of mutual cooperation through shared interests and mass acquisition of vitality. You should stop playing around and come to your senses. How long are you going to remain trapped in outdated notions? Are you even a Demon God? Kill everyone you dislike? These days, if Demon Gods do that and ruin the Demon Realm, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they are immediately annihilated.”

“……”

At the question of whether he could lend over a hundred trillion vitality in place of the Creator General, Jinmyeol had nothing to say. Honestly, though he was a general Creator God, because he had not created Main God Stars, he did not even have a hundred billion. It was more than enough for pocket money, but at the level of Creator General funds, he was truly a beggar.

‘Even so, really? The Demon Emperor of the Demon Gods openly complaining about vitality. This Master Universe has really changed a lot. Or perhaps I am the only one who has fallen behind? Did I train and play too much?’

For the first time in a long while, he felt shocked by how different his old comrade-in-arms, who had once rampaged alongside him, had become, and he began to seriously reflect on his own actions. Of course, the matter of the gods’ mass purge could be done at any time, so he set it aside for now. Now, he too felt that he needed to do something.