The Wolf's Deception

I couldn't help but admire it. Even in the Spirit Realm war, this was analysis befitting Lokina, the Lord of the Flipside who had risen to Main God through the path of magic.

They must have prepared perfect countermeasures against me, but they probably never imagined my subordinates would grow this numerous. To resolve this situation, the help of my subordinates is absolutely essential.

Fortunately, I had an abundance of capable subordinates who could offer advice. Not all of them have model personalities, but in terms of ability alone, they easily surpass the average Creator Candidate Realm. With our current forces, no Creator Candidate Realm could handle even one or two High Lord Gods on their own. In terms of combat power, my personal assessment was that we rivaled a regular Creator God's realm.

I had endured considerable costs and patience to accept them based purely on ability. If they fell short of that standard, I would be truly disappointed. But that was not the urgent issue right now.

"The five spirit gods from the Otherworld that I contracted with tossed this at the spirit god kings and fled the Spirit Realm."

No one knows the Spirit Realm better than the spirit gods themselves. My simple explanation drew the precise reaction I expected.

"That can't be right? A spirit god who has lost their physical body cannot leave the Spirit Realm. Only summoning by a contractor is permitted."

"They recovered their bodies using my vitality, copied my divine power wavelength, and fled the instant I entered."

"Hmm? That's still impossible. If that were possible, I would have escaped long ago by copying an administrator god's wavelength. Spirit gods carry the Creator God's brand, so merely copying a divine power wavelength won't let them pass. When I attempted a similar transformation in the past, authentication was outright rejected. There was a double authentication safeguard to prevent escapes. If two or more beings possess identical divine power, both are denied entry and exit. Only a trivial leakage equivalent to a minor divine instrument was possible. And no matter how powerful dimensional authority may be, it cannot deceive without surpassing a Creator God's divinity. Therefore, leaving the Spirit Realm requires the contractor's permission. Who told you that? What being fed you such incorrect information?"

"That would be that sly wolf... Wait—!"

The Dimensional Lord let out a groan mid-question. There were trustworthy sorts and then there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this one. To think he had trusted a son of a bitch who switched masters as casually as mixing cold and hot water. This damnable—! What kind of humiliation is this? To believe every word from an enemy who just betrayed me and base my judgment on it like an idiot?

It seemed to betray obediently under threats and persuasion, but it had set a trap like this.

The swindler wolf had already reached the main gate and was attempting to escape at ferocious speed. No matter how the only exit was right there, its pursuit speed was abnormal. No—the fact that it was running madly with its eyes rolled back was suspicious in itself.

I threatened to devour it, but it doesn't have a personality that would work this enthusiastically.

The sort of bastard who would scheme for profit and comfort until the very end, even in death, was acting this desperately. This rotten, sly wolf pup is giving its all in a way that doesn't suit it. Has it gone mad? Or is the exit right before its eyes—! As expected, that bastard tricked me.

The moment suspicion became certainty. As the saying went, someone who suddenly acts out of character has either committed a wrong or gone insane.

"Stop that wolf—! Now—!"

"What? The target is getting closer."

The spirit god kings who had been tracking it naturally voiced opposition. The Main Gods of the Giant Tribe showed no signs of halting their pursuit either. It seemed they could faintly sense the females' stealth waves right before their eyes.

However, the Eternal Memory I had spread throughout the area delivered additional information.

Even if it's Medeia's enchanting magic, without proper preparation it cannot fool a machine god's vision. Clearly, there isn't a single god near that exit.

The divine power ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wave existed with extreme faintness, but there was no divinity. It was a disguised divine instrument.

"It's all a deception—! Damn it—! No more words. No, there's no time. Dimensional Divine Power Cannon—!"

Kwaaaaaaaaang—!

Tuhaaaaaaaa—!

He tore open dimensional space in the empty air directly ahead and fired the divine power cannon without hesitation. The sensation struck the wolf god squarely through the dimensional space reopened at the main gate, blasting it backward.

Perperperperper—!

Pooock!

"Kyaaaaaaaang—!"

The wolf god let out a frivolous scream as it flew backward through the air before sprawling all four legs across the ground. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Its defense and life force were absurdly high, but it was still only Main God level. Surviving a direct hit from a Creator Candidate's divine power cannon was impressive, but he had achieved complete suppression for the moment.

However, this alone doesn't put me at ease.

The path from the exit to the outside was clearly a straight, narrow single route. If it had fled separately, luck might have allowed him to catch it.

With the Guerrilla Volcano draining its vitality, ultra-high-speed movement or spatial teleportation would be impossible. It must be caught somewhere in the middle.

Uuuuuuuuu! Giiiiiiiiiiiing!

He connected every dimensional coordinate inside the passage in a straight line. It possessed the authority and magic to block ordinary attacks. Moreover, the divine power cannon absorbed all of Medeia's dark authority. But at least he could bind its feet. He opened the dimensional gate once more and prepared the divine power cannon.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang—!

The rapid fire of divine power cannons continued endlessly throughout the entire passage. It had been annoyingly maddening when it arrived, but it proved extremely useful for pinning down its feet.

Yet he couldn't tell whether there was any reaction, which was absurd. He began to doubt whether his judgment was correct. Still, he would block it off first and see.

Woong woong! Goooooooooo—!

He summoned compressed planets and sealed the entrance and passage completely in a straight line with no gaps whatsoever.

These are planets summoned through my dimensional authority. Any attempt to leap over them with spatial movement will result in forced relocation directly before me through coordinate adjustment.

He wasn't certain this was the best course, but he had blocked everything. If the Otherworld spirit gods tried to head anywhere except the exit, they would have their vitality completely drained until they resembled dried squid.

Even the Dimensional Lord, who possessed the Origin's sun and moon to supply infinite vitality and divine power, had been exhausted midway by the Guerrilla Volcano's vitality absorption authority. It was not something to take lightly.

Yet Lokina stared at the intriguing divine doll with sparkling eyes that were anything but ordinary. She had already produced a sharp knife in her hand. It looked as if she intended to dissect it on the spot.

This was exactly why Main Gods who studied magic were problematic. No matter how fascinating, dozens of spirit Main Gods were watching, yet here she was. He questioned whether she truly needed to act this way right now.

"To think a mere divine doll possesses performance capable of facing a spirit god king head-on. That's impossible, yet it's astonishing beyond words. It's like saying a dragon tooth soldier crafted from dragon fangs is equal to a dragon. How did you create something like this? Will you give it to me? Its internal structure is incredibly fascinating."

As expected, her goal was dissection. The Dimensional Lord found it interesting as well, but satisfying curiosity was not the pressing matter.

"Mobilize every spirit god to surround the wolf god. Have the spirit Main Gods deploy their search authority to the maximum and locate the Otherworld spirit gods. All discussion comes after that. Also, remember that you are no longer an individual but a Main God representing the spirit gods. Pay attention to your external reputation. Therefore, experiments and dissections that provoke disgust are forbidden. If you perform them secretly or get caught and damage the divine realm's honor, I will make you suffer the consequences personally. I will discipline you myself."

If a lower Main God conducted biological experiments while a former dark mage served as Main God of the Divine Realm, the resulting notoriety would exceed that of most demon realms. He had no intention of tolerating it. His notoriety was already overflowing; he refused to become completely irredeemable and shunned.

When he spoke with genuine killing intent from the heart, she must have sensed it. She clicked her tongue and put the knife away.

"Tsk—! How unlike a cruel and merciless dark mage. To react so sensitively over a mere biological doll without even a spirit."

Her truly regretful expression made his face crease automatically. This was why most mages were regarded as mental patients. Even if it was a doll without a soul, it possessed a human-shaped body. To show intent to dissect it without the slightest hesitation in front of everyone was something else.

Well, the previous lost sect leaders also accumulated unrivaled achievements in the necromancer lineage through countless human experiments using the overflowing corpses and wounded on battlefields, eventually creating even the ultimate magic with those results. So I can't really say anything.

But now they needed to consider surrounding gazes. A great deal of education would be required. The nearby spirit Main Gods already seemed fed up after witnessing it once. Yet there was no sign of rebellion. Well, considering the number of gods she had killed and eliminated so far, Lokina had slain more than all of them combined. She had massacred half the divine realm through rebellion. Strength came second to the killing intent they could not overcome. That was why the spirit Main Gods remained frozen, unable to move, despite their magic reaching Main God level while their divine power was merely upper god.

But you know, I too rolled as a mercenary god and annihilated countless demon gods, gods, and Absolutes.

Most of them had been destruction gods who had committed tremendous slaughter repeatedly, so quality overwhelmingly surpassed quantity. Even Lokina could not overcome the killing intent of such a Dimensional Lord.

I'm suppressing it, but honestly, even now I feel like sweeping them all away because they displease me.

Killing intent called to killing intent. Between war gods who had reached a certain realm through massacres, there was no such thing as holding back. They would not stop until one completely killed the other. If the two who had committed overflowing slaughter on battlefields fought, one side would truly meet its end—and right now that would obviously be Lokina. Knowing this, Lokina was extremely cautious.

Leaving behind Lokina, who could not dare meet such eyes and had averted her gaze, he used spatial movement to appear beside the sprawled wolf god.

It seemed the order had been fully conveyed. The Main Gods of the Giant Tribe aimed their weapons at the wolf god even as they looked puzzled.

"Contractor? Why did you suddenly stop the pursuit? The divine power reaction has already escaped outside the Spirit Realm."

"Isn't this wolf now on our side?"

"Still, this bastard is really tough. How is it still alive after being hit unawares by a divine power cannon over fifty times its own divine power? Even the Giant Tribe couldn't manage that."

"Its legs are fine too? Then the meat must be incredibly tough, right?"

"Did your thoughts suddenly switch to eating it?"

It was a natural question. After all, he had suddenly shot the hunting dog that had been running at the forefront chasing the prey so well. But it was not something he could answer. The surrounding circumstances were suspicious, and he could hardly say he had struck it because it was working too hard and that made him uneasy.

Thinking about it, Lokina's words are correct, but as a spirit Main God with a physical body, she could not have known the interior of the Spirit Realm. Therefore, the wolf god's words might be true.

Whooooooosh!

To be certain, he conducted a precise observation of the wolf god's body. Using the authority of magic, he examined everything from each strand of fur to every single cell, yet he still could not tell.

If there was even the slightest problem, I intended to pulverize it entirely, but whether there is an abnormality or not remains confusing. Moreover, any search related to the Otherworld spirit gods immediately returns an impossible verdict.

Even mobilizing the machine gods yielded no understanding. It was the damnable weakling protection of Karma.

The weakling protection of Karma makes it impossible.

In the end, he gave up cleanly and summoned a being capable of handling it. The one who caused the accident should resolve it. He had also recorded the evidence thoroughly so it could not wriggle free.

"Summon the Cyber Realm administrator—!"

"Welcome. Premium customer. This is the Cyber Realm's premium administrator delivering its first official greeting."

A rather refreshing yet mechanical voice rang out. No, the slight ominous feeling it carried soured his mood.

"Yes. It has changed. Resolve these matters. This incident began because of you people. Immediately locate the Otherworld spirit gods I contracted with—!"

"Impossible. The Cyber Realm must not intervene in reality. Since Karma stands above us, any intervention is automatically prohibited."

"You people are the ones who released the bodies of the Otherworld spirit gods. What nonsense is this?"

"There is no such record. Premium customer. The Cyber Realm never intervenes in the material realm. We only assist the development of the Main Universe and the customer's proper prosperity."

"What—! The evidence of intervention is right here... These... these bastards—! Already—!"

All the data he had recorded by rewinding the past to capture the Cyber Realm's misconduct had been altered. The scene of the Cyber Realm administrator releasing the body seals had been changed to the spirit gods' bodies being fully restored and automatically unsealed.

The past itself has been modified.

The result was the same—the sealed bodies had been released—so they had adjusted the process as irrelevant.

As the Dimensional Lord stood speechless in shock, the Cyber Realm's premium administrator transmitted its intent directly into his ears.

"From the next time onward, rather than accepting any contract through verbal promises or promissory notes, I recommend receiving everything immediately in vitality. No one knows what events may occur in between, customer."

At the polite yet hypocritical advice, he no longer had the energy to grow angry. If they could alter the past to the extent that even the directly involved Dimensional Lord had failed to notice, it was no ordinary capability.

Somehow, he even missed the previous administrator who used to sneer and mock him.

"As expected of the Cyber Realm's premium administrator? Adjusting the past is nothing to the Cyber Realm? Isn't changing the past prohibited for the sake of order?"

"We possess unlimited authority if it serves to guide the universe's development and the customer's proper growth. This is the authority and duty of the premium level. If necessary, we can autonomously mobilize even Creator God level mercenary gods from the Absolute Realm. Furthermore, whenever you pay a fair price and request it, additional support below Creator God level is now available at low cost. Please forget the mistakes of the immature predecessor and utilize our services even more. We judge this to be beneficial for both parties' futures. A pleasure to meet you, customer."

"Haa? What did you say? Both parties' futures?"

It was even issuing threats. The warning was clear: if he clung to the Cyber Realm's mistake, they would seize any pretext to mobilize a Creator God level mercenary god and suppress him. A Creator God level from the Absolute Realm stood equal to the Main Universe's Creator God King. No—beyond that. The Dimensional Lord could not oppose it. Moreover, since this was the new administrator, the message was to overlook this incident and establish a favorable relationship.

From the position of having fought desperately against the first administrator's authoritarian tone and behavior, he could not help but hesitate. Yet inside, frustration surged once more to the brink of death, causing his divine power to fluctuate wildly.

It's like being threatened into silence by the very ones who caused this situation.

The thought that it might be better to completely sever the contract with these filthy schemers and live independently kept rising.

Ever since the time when Karma was 'evil,' the Cyber Realm only drove me into traps with help no better than a rat's tail. Even after improving to 'extreme good,' if this is the result, cutting ties would be wiser.

The Dimensional Lord's authority was 'Dimension.' Without the Cyber Realm's provided Main Universe-scale ultra-long-distance spatial movement and communication, it would be inconvenient, but the being was not absolutely necessary. If it meant only being monitored and sanctioned like this, it was better not to have it.

"Cancel the contract with the Cyber Realm..."

"Instead of direct intervention, we shall provide related information. This is originally the primary duty of Cyber Realm management gods. The Lord of the Flipside, Lokina, possesses the ability to resolve this incident. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠original creator of the Anti-Divine Realm Giant Land Battle Monster-Type Mobile Fortress 'Fenrir' is none other than her. Therefore, as Main God of the Divine Realm, issue her direct orders."

The Dimensional Lord closed his mouth just as the words of contract cancellation were about to leave it. He had already known the sly wolf god was no ordinary animal deity, but this was the first time he had heard it was a land battle type mobile fortress created to oppose the divine realm.

"The greatest utility of the Cyber Realm is information. We completely compile past data and current conditions across all Main Universes within our domain, secure over ninety percent of other regions, and predict over ninety percent of the future as well. This is why even the Creator Lords make essential use of us. If we were at a level replaceable by a mere Creator Candidate, we would have already been deemed inefficient and disposed of. Therefore, we assess that hasty judgments immersed in past emotions will exert a profound negative influence on future rebirth. If you wish to properly fulfill your duties as Main God of the Divine Realm, we recommend prudent judgment."

"They're all correct statements. Understood."

No matter how infuriating and unfair, the words were correct. After all, the divine realm was a competitive society. The difference between those who possessed such high-grade information and those who did not was vast. It only grew larger the higher one climbed. Since it only spouted clearly correct statements, he had no rebuttal. Yet inside, the flames had now ignited completely.

This worthless new premium administrator who deserves to be struck dead by consecutive lightning bolts in this dry sky—just wait and see.

The premium administrator held the right to adjust processes so long as results remained unaffected, and to mobilize Creator God level mercenary gods. It claimed to hold and provide over ninety percent of all information across every Main Universe.

So this is what a premium administrator is? I tried to catch a fault, relieve some past grudges, and forget them, but it turned the entire thing into something that never happened? It absolutely refuses to yield? Soon enough, I will repay this frustration exactly as it is. I will make it suffer until it weeps bitterly. So just wait and see.

The old grudge from being toyed with by the previous Cyber Realm administrator felt as if it were rising anew.

Leaving the burning solar divine power wave untouched, he gazed at the wolf god named Fenrir.

Uuuuuuuuung!

Now that he accurately recognized the wolf god's true identity, the conviction that they were definitely inside it rose clearly in his mind.