The Second Karma Contract
The Spirit Realm war reached its climax as another Karma Contract blazed with brilliant light. The higher the contractor’s divinity, the stronger the glow. This contract had clearly been formed with the full authority of a Supreme Lord God. The Karma Contract, which always favored the strong, began to spit out its activation conditions toward the contracted Spirit Gods of the Otherworld.
“As the contractor of the Dimensional Lord Candidate, partial activation under special conditions is approved. The following is the result:
Request to exclude ‘Protection of the Weak’ on the grounds of attacking the contractor of the Spirit Gods — denied due to priority of the Protection of the Weak clause.
Request to suspend supply of vitality and provision of authorities due to breach of contract and future risk — denied due to priority of the Protection of the Weak clause.
Improvement of contract conditions from the ‘Extreme Evil’ era is requested because current Karma is ‘Extreme Good’ — impossible without the consent of the weak party. All other requests denied.
Since the fundamental principle is that the strong overcome all adverse conditions in pursuit of power, and the weak grow stronger under the protection of the strong, all adjustments are canceled. However…”
A low, resonant hum filled the air. The Dimensional Lord’s divine power and magical circles, which had dropped to the level of an ordinary Lord God or below, spun at full force. Countless Lord-Slaying Spears materialized once more, filling the sky.
“Ugh!”
“Again!”
They had tried to incinerate everything with solar divinity just like before, but this time was different. The same solar power was instead amplifying the destructive force. In the end, they had to withdraw their solar divinity, but the already heightened firepower now threatened even a Lord God.
He’s incorporating his own solar divinity into the demonic path to increase the output.
As expected of a Demon God. He understands his own power perfectly.
As both the Dimensional Lord and a Demon God, he likely understood better than anyone how to wield the demonic path that denied reality. Otherwise, he would never have lowered his own divinity this far.
The tension skyrocketed far beyond the previous level.
The pursuit is right behind us, and the contractor has definitely weakened… yet the danger level has shot through the roof.
It felt like facing a wounded beast. Come to think of it, the contractor had displayed his greatest power during overwhelming disadvantage and battles against superior numbers. The crisis instincts of the Otherworld Spirit Gods screamed in alarm.
“Special condition activated by special request from Cyber Realm field agents and approval of Special Grade Cyber God Le Saluvia.
Temporary divinity reduction to equal or lower rank for combat against the Otherworld Spirit Gods.
Request to suspend Protection of the Weak for the Otherworld Spirit Gods due to the contractor’s weakening to ordinary Lord God level — approved.
Analyzing contractor’s combat power. Demonic amplification suspended. Confirmed as an 11th Circle novice mage and below Intermediate Lord God.
Analyzing Otherworld Spirit Gods’ combat power. Due to the contractor’s divinity reduction, supplied vitality has drastically decreased. Dimensional authorities downgraded. Confirmed as above Intermediate Lord God due to the five major attributes’ amplification effect.
In one-on-one combat, judged equal or higher. In one-versus-five combat, superiority acknowledged.
Reversal of strength between contractor and contracted parties, along with the contractor’s oath to refrain from demonic amplification and mobilization of subordinate forces, results in cancellation of the Protection of the Weak condition.
Grace effect from the Karma Spirit God contract extinguished.
Contracted parties’ attribute is ‘Neutral’ while the contractor’s is ‘Above Extreme Good,’ therefore all additional effects are completely canceled.
Application of Karma to contracted parties under the Spirit God contract begins.
‘All things are merely foundations for progress.’
Activation.”
The Karma Contract flashed. Suddenly, the Otherworld Spirit Gods felt strength draining from their entire bodies. No — the authorities and power that had been elevated by the Dimensional Lord’s influence were simply returning to their original state.
“This is bad.”
“My power! My power!”
The vitality and emotions that had made them feel capable of anything vanished in an instant. Confusion erupted at the tyrannical authority of Karma that completely ignored their own authorities and bodily control.
“Th-this…! Does this mean even we, who originated from the Otherworld, are affected by his Karma?”
“Is it because our bodies were created using the contractor’s vitality?”
“This can’t be—!”
“Even the origin of our divinity is completely suppressed?”
“We are Lord Gods of the Otherworld. No matter how powerful he is, our origins are different. This shouldn’t be possible.”
They knew that as long as they possessed physical bodies within this Main Universe, they could not escape its influence. But they had not expected it to be this dramatic.
My authority has decreased by more than ten percent compared to before.
The helplessness they had never felt while existing only as divine spirits left them utterly despondent. Then, identical messages from the Cyber Realm appeared before each of their eyes. They seemed to have been sent automatically.
The shameless hard-sell tone left them speechless. They were Lord Gods. Unless facing a higher being, they were supposed to be omnipotent.
Are they saying they’ll give us a little convenience, assign us a manager, and force us to work?
They had laughed when the contractor suffered this treatment. Now that it was happening to them, they could only feel rage and bitter laughter.
“What kind of pretty-looking scam contract is this? Do you think I would sign such a coercive agreement?”
“What the hell is this—! Get rid of it—! How dare you try to impose such restrictions on a great Lord God like me—!”
Enlil tore space apart by manipulating the atmosphere, but the text did not disappear. Instead, it grew larger, blocking their entire field of vision. This was the authority of a being with higher divinity than them.
The enlarged letters spread like wallpaper, covering their entire sight. The words repeated endlessly like a chant, boring into their minds.
The horrific violence of text and language ignored even a Lord God’s authority, filling their vision and minds completely. There was no way to avoid it, and it was almost unbearable. When the Otherworld Spirit Gods looked around, they saw everyone was in the same state.
Through the gaps between the devouring letters, they could see the contractor, who had released his full divine power and returned to his beautiful youth form. He showed no sign of attacking. Instead, he watched with an intrigued smile, clearly enjoying the situation.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he clenched his right hand into a fist and smacked it into his left palm.
Clap!
“Oh right—! The Karma Contract—! I only told you to suppress the High Elf Empire. I never said to kill more than half of them. That was all your own decision. As a heretic, I was heartbroken when I learned of the massacre. I had no idea. Therefore, I am temporarily suspending the bonus from the mass slaughter of the contracted Spirit Gods. Since the contract is nearly over anyway, that should be reflected, right? Why don’t you apply it to them personally? Practical benefits are what matter most, aren’t they?
Although the High Elves committed heresy against me, their officially appointed god, and were therefore excluded from Karma reflection, five hundred million High Elves with ‘Good’ Karma is quite a sum. This is the perfect opportunity to forcibly compensate for the loss. Besides, I’m currently weaker than them, so even if I wanted to replenish myself, I couldn’t handle it. My Karma is ‘Extreme Good,’ but for these ‘Neutral’ beings who are stronger than me, I request an adjustment in favor of this weak party.”
“Reviewing. Verifying facts.”
A screen suddenly appeared, displaying the scene where the contractor had given instructions regarding the heretical High Elf Empire. The Dimensional Lord had clearly only ordered them to stop the heretical High Elf Empire. He had never said to wipe them out. Yet here he was, twisting his words.
How could anyone show mercy against a High Elf Empire where 7th Circle mages swarmed in the tens of millions?
It was only possible because they were Spirit Gods. Even a direct intervention by a Lord God would have been difficult.
The footage rewound to show Enlil excitedly taking the lead during the extermination of the heretics. The scene of five hundred million High Elves being annihilated in half a day flashed by rapidly, followed by the verdict.
Approved. Regarding the disputed matter, the principle of Protection of the Weak and priority guarantee of practical benefits for a being with superior Karma shall take precedence.
As claimed by the contractor, this is judged as excessive additional killing by the Spirit Gods separate from the original order.
At the contractor’s request, the exclusion regarding the High Elf Empire’s elves’ heresy against their god is suspended. Application of negative Karma for mass slaughter begins.
Each individual’s one hundred million Good Karma is re-evaluated as mass murder against Good beings, changing alignment from ‘Neutral’ to ‘Evil’!
Sanctions commencing.
The contractor’s bright face never lost its smile as he listened to the Karma Contract’s judgment.
A golden light burst forth. Suddenly, their bodies felt as heavy as a thousand tons. Horrifying pain surged through them as if their bodies were burning and collapsing. In reality, even their Lord God bodies were charring black and burning.
They urgently diverted most of their divine power, drawn from previously accumulated vitality, toward recovery. Only then did the burning stop. As a result, their available combat strength had been cut by more than half.
Even the Dimensional authorities partially received from the contractor are being used to block this horrific side effect. At this rate, even if we break through, we won’t be able to move to the Otherworld.
They tried to shake off the horrifying pain that had assaulted their bodies and clear away the text, but most of their vision was now blocked. Whatever authority this was, their ability to observe other powers was also paralyzed to the same degree as their blocked sight. It completely sealed their eyes and ears, forcing all their strength toward survival.
Through the slightly open gap in the text, they could see the contractor smiling brightly as he blocked the entrance even more firmly. Their blood pressure spiked as they shouted.
“You… you despicable contractor—! Using the past against us like this? Is this how a God of War fights? Fight fair and square!”
“I can’t hear you—! Everyone knows that winning without fighting is the best—! Since we’ve already come this far, let’s settle things one by one. Anything else? Oh—! That’s right. I’m the weak one here. Then this should apply too. So this is how beautiful my world is when my Karma is ‘Extreme Good’ and I’m the weak party. I’m so weak and kind. Thank you so much. Puhahahahaha—!”
The contractor, who could no longer stop his roaring laughter, continued speaking. The Spirit Gods’ jaws dropped.
“I’m too weak to immediately supply authorities and vitality to those stronger than me, so please change the conditions so I can pay it back all at once later. Obviously with zero interest and no deadline. I am ‘Extreme Good’ Karma that must be supported, while they are unforgivable ‘Evil.’ Please judge accordingly.”
“Analyzing.”
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. They were barely holding back the negative Karma using the vitality they received from the contractor. If this was approved, it would be the end. They desperately tried to rush forward and cover his mouth, but the next words made them gasp in horror.
Approved. Regarding the disputed matter, the principle of Protection of the Weak and priority guarantee of practical benefits for a being with superior Karma shall take precedence.
Indefinite postponement of vitality supply and authority support.
An overwhelming pressure, on a completely different level from before, crashed down on the panicked gods. The Dimensional authorities that had been almost completely blocking the negative Karma vanished without a trace. An immense weight pressed down on their entire bodies, driving them into the ground so they could not move an inch.
The pain that followed was incomparable to anything before. Their bodies began turning to ash and disappearing. The maddening agony they felt for the first time shook both body and soul.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah—!”
“Aaaaaaaaagh—!”
Even mobilizing all their divine power, they could only barely slow the process without a supply of vitality. The endless clash between their bodies being erased by negative Karma and their divine power trying to restore them multiplied the pain even further.
The text blocking their vision and the words digging into their minds changed as well.
The text was filled with chilling venom. It was completely different from when they had been ‘Neutral.’ Yet the pain was so unbearable that they would sign any contract just to escape it for even a moment.
With trembling hands, they reached toward the signature line. But a foot blocked the space between their hand and the signature field. The contractor’s firm voice rang out.
“Stop—! Stand down, Cyber Realm. Even if they sign a contract with you, you cannot completely stop these side effects, so stop with the scams. I’ve had enough of being scammed as the contractor. These are my Spirit Gods. I will handle both their punishment and any scams myself.”
After a brief silence, the mechanical voice of the Cyber God replied, and both the text and voice disappeared.
“Understood. In accordance with the will of the Dimensional Lord whose Karma is ‘Extreme Good,’ we will temporarily suspend the forced contract on ‘Evil’ beings. However, please uphold your promise of cooperation from now on.”
“Yeah, yeah. As payment for the advice this time, I’ll believe you’re no longer enemies and follow along as much as possible. I’ll also keep the field agents alive and listen to their advice. *Grind.* I always keep my contracts.”
The Dimensional Lord Candidate sighed inwardly.
Instead of revenge, I’ve gained an incredibly nagging busybody.
The dispatched Cyber God would now stick right beside him, not just appear on screens, and chatter endlessly. Just thinking about it was annoying, but this was the exorbitant price he had to pay for the Special Grade Cyber God’s advice. A few words of counsel had made him overlook a past full of grudges. It was a disgustingly expensive deal.
My ability and experience are lacking, so nothing goes as I want. Even the slightest help always demands an excessive price, and I have to endure it all. Having to consider the previous administrator… I’m going crazy. Still, the benefit I gained by regaining my senses at the end — was it these guys? Do I really have to take in these scumbags? Haha. Do I even have the luxury of being picky right now?
My main power is demonic magic. To create anything above a Creator God, I absolutely need external attribute power. The Beast Lord Gods’ attribute power is stronger than that of the Otherworld Spirit Gods, but it’s still difficult for them to handle the main force required for a Creator God’s creation. Analysis shows their potential is greater than the Beast Lord Gods’, and only by combining the two is it barely possible. In the end, these beings are essential elements for me to become a Creator God. But if they cause any more trouble, the moment I become a Creator God, I will fire them without hesitation.
He suppressed his emotions and looked around. The Otherworld Spirit Gods, groaning under the bodily destruction and pain inflicted on ‘Evil’ Karma beings, had collapsed to the ground. They were barely holding on by devoting all their divine power to endurance. Since there was no longer any need to fight them, he restored his divinity back to that of a Dimensional Lord Candidate through demonic amplification.
Rumble—!
It’s ridiculous, but I momentarily forgot that my Karma is ‘Extreme Good.’ A being who has been promoted to the highest divine realm and normalized only the management domain, becoming a Creator Candidate, is an extremely precious existence that will become ‘Absolute Good.’ When I become a Creator God, my Karma — which can create Main God Stars capable of supporting trillions of sentient beings and prosper the Main Universe — is absolutely supported by him. Naturally, within his domain, all laws support the Dimensional Lord. At least until it involves a being with higher Karma than his own.
The rise of Karma. It is the fastest shortcut to becoming a Creator God. How much blood, sweat, and tears did I shed for this?
It was incomparable to the Otherworld Spirit Gods who rampaged in the Otherworld, lost their bodies, returned home, and then tried to cause chaos again.
Within the Karma contract domain he established, I can bypass things as much as I want, just like before, and crush them like this.
There had been a high chance it would have resolved itself if he had done nothing, but they had ignorantly tried to change an already decided matter and ended up twisting the situation even further.
If you think this is unfair, then serve the development and prosperity of the universe and improve your Karma beyond mine. But that is by no means easy. Progress demands sacrifice. The more achievements you make, the greater the risk, and your numbers get slashed dramatically.
The Dimensional Lord had handled the risk through unfair contracts, but it had been an incredibly difficult life. Watching them writhe in the pain of bodily disintegration, he spoke almost involuntarily.
“It took me seventy years. I survived that long period enduring that very pain, repeatedly signing unfair contracts as a Mercenary God, desperately improving my Karma to stay alive. I didn’t come all this way just to wipe out the God Realm that turned an innocent me into this. Even now, just thinking about that time makes me want to flip everything over. Somehow I ended up as the Chief God of the God Realm and am doing things this way. Sigh—! Let’s stop thinking about it. Here.”
Thud—!
He threw the Karma Contract he had taken out earlier. It was the original Spirit God contract.
“Sign it again. The conditions are the same as before. I am releasing the past unfair contracts. I will reclaim the Dimensional authorities granted to you. If you agree, I will send you back as is. Once you return to the Otherworld and leave his domain, the restrictions you are under will also be lifted. And…”
Thuuuuud—!
Papapapa—!
An amount of contract documents incomparable to before piled up. It was practically a tower of paperwork. Five such towers instantly formed.
It wasn’t originally this bad, but I simply cannot trust these scumbags.
If they couldn’t live decently on their own, he would have to force them.
“These are standardized additional Spirit God contract forms. There’s nothing special. It simply states absolute obedience in exchange for receiving vitality — the original contract. I’ve just added the details a little more thoroughly. Read them slowly and then sign.”
His expression showed complete indifference to the fact that the Otherworld Spirit Gods were writhing in agony. Well, having endured seventy years of sealing, he probably felt little emotion. But experiencing it directly was utterly horrific.
The negative Karma slowly devoured their Lord God bodies as if conducting a public burning. Yet they gritted their teeth and grabbed the bundles of documents.
If I throw these away now, it’s over.
I didn’t desperately survive just to submit to absolute obedience because of this kind of pain.
I’d rather perish than submit.
If they canceled the contract and escaped back to the Otherworld, this horrific oppression would also be lifted. Having made that resolution, they all clutched the contract documents. But the next words shook them violently.
“The Karma side effects will be resolved once you return to this Main Universe and reestablish a normal contractual relationship. In fact, my ‘Extreme Good’ Karma will apply positively, just like now. You are certainly outstanding, but that alone did not allow you to grow so rapidly. It was not only my vitality but also the elevated Karma that influenced you. The Beast Lord Gods prove this. In exchange for what they paid, they received absolute obedience under a normal contract, yet they gained strength incomparable to what they possessed while living in another universe. However, if you give up on re-contracting with me and return to the Otherworld, you will become nothing more than Lord Gods with slightly outstanding potential. If you then engage in destructive activities for revenge in the Otherworld, you will face sanctions from the Otherworld as well. Then your rapid growth will end forever, and you will be placed in far worse conditions than other Otherworld Lord Gods. Everything is fair and just. Also, those documents contain the same contract conditions as the Beast Lord Gods, so you can trust them.”
Strength drained from their hands of its own accord. Not a single word was false. Although they were strong and possessed great potential, this growth was abnormal.
They had known that without a contractor possessing the highest Karma in this Main Universe and infinite vitality, such short-term growth was impossible.
That was why they had tried to take unnecessary physical bodies with them.
Because if it was the contractor’s true Dimensional authority, they could receive Karma support even in the Otherworld.
If they returned to the Otherworld like this without any support, let alone revenge, it would be fortunate if their power did not regress due to lack of vitality.
Their eyes turned to the contract the shabby contractor had offered again.
“Now the choice is yours. Will you endure for a while and offer me absolute obedience for complete revenge, or will you return to being ordinary beings?”
Gritting their teeth against the unbearable pain of disintegration, they unfolded the crumpled documents and began to read. The contractor had also thrown them the Beast Lord Gods’ contracts, so they opened both at the same time and began checking them thoroughly.
For the sake of pride, no matter how much of a scam the contract is, they had to inspect it in advance.
It seemed the other Otherworld Spirit Gods had the same idea. They endured their burning bodies and opened the documents.
By then, the Beast Lord Gods, Spirit Lord Gods, and Spirit God King who had destroyed the compressed planets and arrived had surrounded them, but the Spirit Gods paid them no mind.
As long as the contractor needs them and they uphold the contract, he will protect them no matter what happens.
Even if they tried to escape again, they knew they currently lacked the strength to return to the Otherworld.
They had realized that if they forced a movement, the negative Karma would never let them go peacefully.
The moment their Karma became ‘Evil,’ all laws rejected them and tried to erase them directly.
The feeling of being rejected by everything was a terror they had never tasted before, even more than the pain of disintegration. Only now did they truly understand why the contractor had ground his teeth and trembled whenever negative Karma was mentioned.