The Unyielding Spirit Kings' Fall
The Spirit God King's answer in the Spirit Realm War had already been decided as refusal. Yet suddenly, the past flashed through everyone's minds. A similar situation had occurred once before.
Back when he was a Creator God leading his own clan, the being who had seized the title of Garam and overthrown the previous Creator General—Sangharama—spoke. The will of the Creator, delivered while all the Creator Gods were gathered, was utterly shocking.
Their response back then had been exactly the same as now. Resentment exploded toward the one who had claimed the seat of Creator General through nothing but his own power, without any faction behind him, and had even received the Creator's recognition.
At the declaration that they would recognize the unforgivable fallen demon race, sixty percent of the gods present immediately voted in favor of rebellion and surrounded Sangharama. It was then that the Creator God known as Jinmyeol stepped forward. With fighting spirit as fierce as the one before them now, he stood in front of the clan. And the hated Demon God Emperor appeared as well, bearing the title Jinma.
The Demon God Emperor continued with an expression of pure disbelief.
The Creator General and the Demon God Emperor had completely disregarded them—the very ones who had led their entire clans in rebellion. For a moment, they were speechless. The truth dawned on them: the rebellion had been incited because a massive amount of vitality was needed to reform the world.
But when the question arose of what two people without any faction could possibly do, the Creator God called Jinmyeol slowly stepped forward and shouted.
An overwhelming divine power none of them had ever experienced before crushed every Creator God present. What rose within the circle of divine power was a horrific pattern depicting a figure with its limbs and head torn apart. The killing intent and fighting spirit radiating from it froze even the Creator Gods in place.
With a tremendous wave of divine power filled with horrific killing intent—
—everyone's consciousness was severed.
When awareness returned, they had lost their physical bodies and found themselves in this unfamiliar place called the Spirit Realm. It was a prison for recycling defeated gods, where their surplus vitality was continuously harvested and their divinity forcibly exploited for the Defense Divine Realm.
They had naturally tried to resist and escape, but the administrators and the Cyber Gods of the Cyber Realm branded them as dangerous elements and permanently sealed them in prison. While fully conscious, they were forced to watch countless gods dragged to this place, unable to endure it, and ultimately self-destructing.
Of course, the clans that had followed them had been there too. But none could withstand the hopeless existence of having their surplus vitality endlessly drained, and they had all perished.
Watching that scene, their resentment and hatred toward the world had piled up like sediment. Yet they could not allow themselves to fall into corruption. Their rebellion, their revolution, had been waged because they refused to recognize the demon race as the Demon God race. If they themselves became demon gods, that would be a truly unforgivable sin.
Convictions that bend according to the situation are nothing but stubbornness.
They could not accept that their stubbornness had led to the meaningless sacrifice of not only themselves but their entire clans.
And now this being—who possessed the same fighting spirit and even bore the same title as that one from the past, the highest-level Dimensional Lord—was behaving in exactly the same way.
He constantly provoked and rebelled, only to immediately rush in for disposal.
Back then, if he had shown even partial understanding of their rebellion for the honor and survival of the god race, if he had said the recognition of the demon race would not be equal and that some discrimination would remain, they would not have dragged their entire clans into it. It was the same as that time—the rebellion incited, their bodies disposed of, their vitality stolen.
No, this one openly declared that he only wanted the computational power and authorities of the Creator Gods.
As expected, our noble ideals are unnecessary?
Is ability the only thing that matters?
Eyes that had once been deliberately closed in rage now opened wide, determined not to repeat the same mistake in this identical situation. Hidden within the divine power waves surging with the highest-level Dimensional Lord's killing intent and fighting spirit was an utterly desperate will to survive. His gaze, openly radiating contempt for those who spoke of honor, flickered solely with the primal urge to grow stronger and live.
I do not know what circumstances drive a being this powerful, but he craves life with such desperation.
And over endless eons, they had come to understand that no beautiful ideal could ever reach battle gods who lived forever on the boundary between life and death.
“Silence is refusal. Become the foundation for my strength and the development of the Divine Realm. The compensation will be more than generous.”
BOOOOM—!
In an instant, their divine power began to surge at an explosive rate. Within the circle of divine power, a triangle appeared and began pulling the circle inward. The emission of divine power and mana halted completely as endless absorption began.
“The title I received from him is Origin. My magic is the Root School, a path specialized solely for survival on the battlefield. Magic is not omnipotent, but it is infinite. Therefore, it can accept any authority and will always surpass it. I will achieve complete 11-Circle mastery and ascend to 12-Circle, becoming a Creator God. For that, I require Absolute Good that transcends Extreme Good, and the development of the Divine Realm at the level of Creator God divinity is essential. Only then can I escape this wretched existence of being used as nothing but disposable goods. Anyone who blocks or interferes with this path will be disposed of. Just like the fate imposed on the weak that I experienced—cruelly and mercilessly! As far as Karma permits—!”
Their divinity was forcibly dismantled and began to be absorbed into the Guide of the Origin. The Dimensional Lord's authority made the impossible partially possible. The eleven layers of mana circles grew endlessly stronger, sucking in the contacted divinities. He was attempting to absorb and control the entire divinity of a Creator God—something impossible for a mere Lord God.
Even the high-level authorities they desperately activated to resist were analyzed, dismantled, and left them completely exposed.
“Kuuuuurgh—!”
“You think you can surpass all of our computational power alone? Kaaaaaaaagh—!”
The Spirit God Kings' wills screamed, shaking the entire Spirit Realm. Along with their wretched cries, the scattered limbs that had lost their binding power were the first to be absorbed. Portions of the Spirit Kings' divinity caused eleven layers of divine power circles to ripple across the Guide of the Origin itself. A voice filled with satisfaction drifted out.
“You will prove far more useful than the old leaders of the Root School. As expected of Creator Gods from a previous universe. It seems we can activate an additional 10-Circle. I am truly grateful. This is the first profit and favor I have received from the god race.”
A desperate sense of crisis flooded the Spirit God Kings. If they were absorbed like this, it would truly be the end. It was easy to say Creator God, but for a Lord God to become one was absolutely impossible in previous universes.
Even if he returns our bodies and divine power, they cannot possibly be normal.
Saaaaah—!
Fear surged through them. A being displaying this level of authority was calling himself disposable in self-mockery. Even if the Spirit God Kings regained their original power, they would never reclaim their former positions. Moreover, judging from the hostile reactions the current ruling class of the Main Divine Realm had shown toward them, they would clearly use any means necessary to eliminate them.
The importance of the organization supporting an individual is something we know better than anyone.
If things continue like this, we will truly be used like hunting dogs and then discarded, just like the lowly battle gods we once employed.
That alone is unacceptable.
We are the Origins of our clans. We must rebuild our clans.
Although a new Origin for their clans might exist in this universe, Sangharama had already shown that everything could change as long as one possessed strength. They had learned through bitter experience that both revenge and survival required power, and that one must prove their own worth. Yet now even their circles of divine power were being sucked away.
The highest-level Dimensional Lord had overwhelmed the computational power of the ten former highest-level Creator Gods. They had heard he was originally a mage, but his computational ability surpassed even the standards of spiritual beings.
“We… we accept.”
The moment those words left them, the absorption stopped. The same question they had once hurled at him was thrown back at them, almost like a copy.
“You would become the dog of an individual whose power is governed by Karma? You would swear absolute obedience to me, who has declared I will do anything to become a Creator God? You would abandon your noble convictions and honor, choosing to live by any means necessary?”
“We have simply realized that there are goals more important than conviction. We cannot allow it to end like this again.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Dealing with the rebels alone is troublesome, and I need useful tools. Welcome to your new position as my subordinate Lord Gods.”
He pulled the staff out of the spirits. Looking at the ten layers of divine power circles radiating from the Guide of the Origin, the Dimensional Lord could not hide his regret. He had planned to absorb them completely when the opportunity arose to strengthen his personal power, but this was the limit.
The absorption capacity is already full, so they are no longer useful. Even the Guide of the Origin, remade with refined Demon Adamantium, cannot handle anything above a regular Lord God? Damn it! I got excited thinking it would be easy to grow stronger. As expected, nothing is ever easy. Still, I have finally reached the minimum threshold of a preliminary Creator God.
The amplification provided by the Guide of the Origin after absorbing the limbs of the former Creator Gods allowed for an additional dual chant of 10-Circle magic. Although there was still some room from the large amount absorbed, any further output would risk destroying the staff itself. However, his maximum output had finally surpassed 100 billion, elevating him from temporary to true preliminary Creator God status.
The rebel Spirit God Kings, now completely missing their limbs, flattened and thrown to the ground, almost looked adorable in his eyes.
But a more urgent matter arose.
Ugh—! The contract connection is fading even more? Are they trying to pass through the Spirit Realm barrier?
For some reason, the otherworld spirit gods were attempting to leave the Spirit Realm. Upon hasty inspection, they had taken advantage of the weakened control while the Defense Divine Realm was occupied with blocking the aftershocks of the battle between the Creator General and Almighty Hwi.
And the heightened sense of crisis that came with reaching preliminary Creator God status issued a warning. If these beings escaped the Spirit Realm, it would lead to truly troublesome consequences.
They gained bodies stronger than before using the vitality obtained through their contract with me, a highest-level Lord God. They have likely even learned some of the Dimensional Lord's authority and Root School magic. That is why they are boldly ignoring their contractor and attempting to flee. Otherwise, the connection to me, their official contractor, could not possibly be this unclear.
As long as the spirit god contracts remained in effect, any trouble they caused would fall on the Dimensional Lord as responsibility. With the authorities they possessed, they could destroy an average planet in an instant. Their grudge against those who had once annihilated them was considerable. If they returned, chaos would erupt, and he would be held accountable.
That would mean all the Karma I have painstakingly raised above Extreme Good after giving up everything would be reduced. I must stop them no matter what.
However, the stealth authority of Storm Annihilation Enlil, who had regained her body, allowed her to assimilate with wind and water. Even with the Dimensional Lord's authority, detecting her at this distance was difficult.
If they were nearby it would be one thing, but long-range detection like this is impossible.
Only Spirit God Kings possessing the same authority could detect them. Fortunately, there were members of the Almighty God Tribe here who could replicate it. With just the basic structural information of the authority, they should be able to manifest it to some degree and begin tracking immediately.
“This is your first order. Capture the otherworld spirit gods who have violated their contract with me and fled—! Before they cause any incidents—hurry!”
“……”
Anger flared at the fact that these subordinate Lord Gods dared not answer, but upon recognizing the current situation, he was left speechless. He had forgotten that he had cut off their limbs and absorbed them, leaving them unable to move.
Damn it! Even if I treat them like dogs, I still need to give them the conditions to eat and work. I cannot spit them back out now. What am I supposed to do?
The world truly was such that whenever something good happened, something bad always followed.