The Nascent Divine Realm's Turmoil

The entire divine realm of the Dimensional Lord began to vibrate as the Spirit Realm war drew to a close. Having risen to Creator Candidate, the Chief God of the God Realm sat upon the Throne of Glory, pouring every ounce of his divinity and authority into the realm to spur its growth.

A piercing whine rang out—Wiiiiiiing—! The Main God Temple, now expanded so vastly that its edges vanished from sight, filled with the gods’ exclamations that sounded like collective moans. Ooooooh—!Waaaaah—!

The waves of divine power flooding their bodies were utterly different from anything the former upper-tier divine realm had offered. On top of that, the divine power, divinity, and authorities of the newly incorporated spirit gods fused seamlessly into the realm, bolstering its strength even further.

Though the number of gods is still insufficient for a true highest-tier divine realm, the overwhelming might of the main gods has at least raised it to minimal operational capacity. The result is an endless surge of vitality and authority that stimulates every body and drives further evolution.

Gooooooooh!Uuuuuuuuung!

With the ego of the highest-tier divine realm assisting and every authority pushed to its limit, the Creator’s Jewel on his forehead blazed with brilliant light, proclaiming his exalted power. Thirteen pairs of light wings and thirteen pairs of dark wings sprouted from his back, wrapping around the entire divine realm and expanding endlessly as though competing for dominance.

The dimensional authority that has devoured the divine realm without leaving a single corner untouched now draws out every last drop of its developmental potential and erases every obstacle in its path.

Swaaaaaaaaah!Guguguguguung!

The Cosmic Tree’s sap pouring from the void and the falling lumps of adamantium vanished back into the Main Divine Realm. In exchange, it vomited forth countless resources and materials. The mountain-like piles of divine realm data were instantly synthesized and scattered across every corner. In what had once been nothing but empty plots, countless temples rose and filled with radiant light.

Feeling the now perfectly abundant divine realm, the Dimensional Lord tilted his cup and took a long, satisfying sip before declaring:

Only now had it finally taken on the proper appearance and numbers befitting a highest-tier divine realm. After such a long campaign in the Spirit Realm, the feeling was especially fresh.

“With this…”

But the words died on his lips. Below the Throne of Glory, at the Seat of Dignity granted to the God of Divine Realm Management, he saw the gathered goddess lords, Lokina, and Hephais all radiating killing intent as they glared at one another.

What truly beggared belief was that the planets he had compressed to hand-held size and tossed to Hephais for daily training had somehow become weapons. They were now flying toward the goddess lords. Naturally the target was Torina, who had somehow managed to defeat her, and the berserker goddess was catching every planet hurled her way and flinging them back with even greater force.

Meanwhile Lokina, face hidden behind a vision-blocking robe, quietly raised her right hand and flipped the goddess lords off, cursing them fluently. The goddess lords responded with equally vulgar gestures of their own. The spirit god ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kings who now sat at the round table as highest gods, along with the grudge-bearing spirit main gods, were behaving even worse. Having fully factionalized, they were openly growling at one another.

The sight of Gaiana standing there helplessly and the God of Knowledge clutching his head and slamming it against the table painted a perfect picture of the disastrous situation.

Because I originated as a Middle World mage, normal recruitment of high gods was impossible. I filled the ranks with spirit gods and whatever else I could get, and sure enough, this is the immediate result.

If the old divine realm had been ridiculous, the current one was a terrifying powder keg on the verge of detonation. Its military strength was nearly ten times greater than before. With the Dimensional Lord himself participating, they could now annihilate even an average Creator Candidate divine realm. Should all the spirit gods regain their complete bodies, they would even be capable of facing the Main Divine Realm head-on.

Truly powerful battle gods, yet every last one of them has a personality that belongs in the trash heap.

With every god watching, the highest executives were busy fighting an emotional battle. Their subordinate factions, seeing their leaders behave this way, were all radiating bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

Ugh! My blood pressure! My head!

Unable to endure the pounding in his skull, the Dimensional Lord quietly set down his teacup. He chanted in a low voice, extended his hand, and flicked his finger.

Snap—!Crack—!

“Kuuuugh—!”

Torina, who had been about to amplify the captured planet with her authority and hurl it back even harder, suddenly found all her power cut off. Unable to withstand the sudden full weight, she screamed. Lokina’s vision-blocking robe lost its function, completely exposing the beautiful face of the black-haired goddess. The powerful clash of wills that had been suppressing the goddess lords’ intentions was severed.

The immense dimensional authority of a Creator Candidate restricted every visible authority and divinity. From the surface alone, it was equivalent to a two-circle drop and divine power restriction on par with the Substitute Gods’ God Destruction Cannon.

Huuuurk!Uuuuuuuugh!

All the gods swallowed dry breaths in front of that overwhelming authority and fell into panic. High gods had been instantly reduced to intermediate god level or below. Even so, the Gods of Divine Realm Management who had resisted and barely maintained their main god rank stared in utter shock as the Dimensional Lord proclaimed in a cold voice:

“Stop wasting useless vitality and ability! Fight like proper battle gods in the arena! Absorb divine power and vitality so you can actually contribute to the divine realm—!”

Saaaaaaaah—!

Pure fighting spirit, stripped of killing intent, pressed down on the Gods of Divine Realm Management. They and several spirit god kings resisted by raising their own fighting spirit. Yet the one who had overcome a true hellish battlefield stood far above them. None could compare to the desperate resolve forged through life-and-death struggles.

This fact was perfectly understood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by the administrative god dispatched from the Cyber Realm. She had temporarily assumed the position of God of Divine Realm Management with the divinity of a highest-tier main god.

Once this management target enters a real kill-or-be-killed fight, he becomes truly terrifying. If victory is impossible, he doesn’t hesitate to flee. He uses any means or method to overcome his opponent. And if escape is impossible, he has survived by sacrificing his own body countless times.

During his days as a mercenary god, the Dimensional Lord had performed the taboo self-sacrifice magic—exchanging his own body and magic power—multiple times. Yet he had stubbornly survived and reached this height.

Even though they have experienced deadly battles, those who have only occupied high positions cannot withstand the fighting spirit of the Mercenary Main God who created magic that sacrifices one’s own body to survive.

Gooooooooh!

In the end, unable to endure the ferocity of his fighting spirit, the God of Divine Realm Management and the other gods lowered their heads and fell silent. The Dimensional Lord finished his declaration.

“The name shall be the Dimensional Divine Realm. My divinity as Chief God of the Divine Realm is Creator Candidate. There are thirteen intermediate-or-higher main gods serving as Gods of Divine Realm Management, two spirit main gods, and one highest-tier cyber god. As highest gods of the round table, we have five spirit gods from the Otherworld, five beast gods, ten spirit god emperors, twenty spirit main gods, fifteen main god level, twenty-five spirit main god level, and sixty-five waiting spirit main god level. Main Divine Realm, render your comprehensive judgment.”

Uuuuuuuung—!

All data was analyzed and linked to the divine realm ego, which in turn connected to the Main Divine Realm to deliver its report. Only after receiving recognition from the Main Divine Realm could it operate as a proper divine realm.

No matter how loudly I claim it is a highest-tier divine realm, if the Main Divine Realm and those around it refuse to acknowledge it, that is the end.

Twitch—!

As expected of a highest-tier divine realm, recognition had been granted, yet the evaluation that followed was unexpectedly precise: Creator Candidate Divine Realm.

The rebellion and upheaval I risked to recruit every spirit god from the Spirit Realm was worth it. That’s good, but the moment they mentioned another promotion my face automatically twisted.

He could not even imagine how much they intended to fleece him. Rising to highest-tier divine realm originally cost one trillion; it became two trillion. A Creator Candidate Divine Realm has the same scale and Creator-class nature as a full Creator Divine Realm, yet receives less support and authority from the Main Divine Realm. So the cost should logically rise from one quadrillion to two quadrillion, making the difference itself one quadrillion.

One quadrillion vitality—if not drawn from a Main God Star but from ordinary stars—would require stripping an entire regional universe bare. And it had to be vitality obtained through faith or training, not something that could be substituted with Cosmic Tree sap.

With the current highest-tier divine realm and the Main God Star expanded to match it, such an amount is absolutely impossible.

Promoting to a Creator Candidate Divine Realm right now was out of the question. Still, feeling like he might as well poke the unripe persimmon, he asked:

“How much?”

“Eight quadrillion.”

“Eight… quadrillion?”

He had only just grown accustomed to trillions, and now quadrillions were being thrown around like pocket change. The Dimensional Lord’s mind went blank. His vision darkened and his consciousness blurred; he wondered if a Substitute God’s God Destruction Cannon had gone off inside his skull.

They’re charging in quadrillions now!

The surrounding Gods of Divine Realm Management and high gods seemed similarly affected; few managed to maintain proper posture. Most simply sat with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. The Dimensional Lord barely pried open his jaw, which refused to close in the face of an unimaginable quantity of vitality, and asked again. When he estimated how much vitality he would eventually have to pay to become a true Creator God, even his voice trembled.

“H-how much? Eight… eight quadrillion? Why not two quadrillion?”

Whether two or eight, it was currently impossible. But the difference between two and eight quadrillion was six quadrillion—three times as much.

This completely deviates from the Main Divine Realm’s standard regulations that only charge the vitality appropriate to the divine realm. I cannot accept it. It is obviously a control measure created to keep me, who was not born among the god race, in check.

With a heart full of desire to smash the divine realm ego that had spouted such nonsense and storm the Main Divine Realm, he asked for confirmation.

“Do you want to die the most miserable death first? Ah—! That’s not it. Tsk—!”

He was so agitated and irritated that his true feelings had slipped out. Saaaaaaaah—!

When the killing intent of a Creator Candidate poured out without limit, the gods who had fallen to intermediate rank or below fled in panic. Being caught in that aura would inflict injury unless one was at least main god rank; their reaction was only natural.

The Dimensional Lord tightly suppressed his killing intent, maintained his reason as much as possible, and asked again.

“Why is it eight times for me alone? The Main Divine Realm’s support is limited to double. The support is the same, so why is quadruple added on top?”

“In return, we have decided to recognize permanent ownership rights. This is a reward for the Chief God of the Divine Realm who has contributed to the god race’s development. Securing an additional Main God Star is also possible. This is a decision from the Creation Realm.”

Kuuuuuuuung—!

The sound of every heart in the chamber pounding could be heard. Normally, a divine realm and its planets were objects of management and could not be owned. Claiming ownership of the sacred universe granted by the Creator was against the fundamental policy of the god race. When a Chief God of the Divine Realm was promoted, the concept was that they would lead their god race to a new divine realm and develop it.

Of course, independent divine realms whose Chief Gods earned a Main God Star through merit operate under the same principle. If one pays the promotion fee to the Main Divine Realm and develops a higher divine realm like I have, operating rights are recognized for the time being. However, if the same Chief God wishes to obtain another Main God Star, they must abandon their existing divine realm. That is why most stop at highest-tier divine realm.

They cannot afford the quadrillion-level promotion fee, and to receive a new Creator Star they must participate in the Creator God’s battlefield.

Of course, Chief Gods with an established clan seem to find ways to resolve it, but since I must fill the role alone, I cannot bear this increased promotion fee. At this rate I may have to go to the Creator God’s battlefield and fight in earnest.

Standing alone was difficult enough, but this was excessive. A sudden question arose: at this rate, would there be any distinction left between the demon divine realm and the god realm?

They tell me to self-destruct if it looks like the enemy might take it? Even the concepts of ownership and management—the clearest distinction from the demon race—have become the same. On top of that, the Chief Gods and battle gods here are already more vicious and destructive than most demon gods, so the public opinion in other Master Universes is poor.

This was not something the Dimensional Lord should worry about, yet his head ached more and more.

I think I know the cause, so I cannot even resent it. Everything stems from me single-handedly defeating a main god of the Substitute Gods. That act shattered the delicate balance and stability, becoming the spark that triggered rapid change.

To obtain even more powerful beings, the restriction that only one proxy Chief God of the Divine Realm could be appointed under a Chief God had been lifted. Although the purchase restriction from the Main Divine Realm remained, if one used every possible means, there was no reason it could not be bypassed.

Now I must struggle to survive in a Main Divine Realm overflowing with radical Chief Gods who value only strength—so much so that they surpass even the demon race.

The other Chief Gods would have to deal with the goddess lords here who possessed Lord Slayer and the spirit god kings who retained only venomous grudges in their quest to regain past glory. In the end, the side that should truly be worried might be the invaders.

“The reason is the enormous damage suffered while dealing with the strengthened Substitute Gods and the resulting lack of vitality? Preparations for this war must have been factored in as well.”

“Correct. Thanks to the doubled vitality provided by increased support from the Main Divine Realm, maintaining the divine realm has become possible. However, there is insufficient operational vitality to prepare for war. This is a specially permitted measure as a result.”

“In other words, the recognition of ownership rights is a temporary special privilege. I wonder what will happen later.”

“Until the war with the 500th Master Universe ends, there will be no reduction in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the promotion fee or change in policy. The Creator General has personally guaranteed it.”

“A war between Master Universes lasts at least fifty million years—! Then why were the directly controlled divine realms excluded? Ah, what a foolish question. It’s to secure reserve forces, isn’t it?”

It was a measure to recruit directly controlled main gods who could be perfectly controlled, rather than independent ones, for the coming war against the universe that would ultimately become the 500th Master Universe. No doubt the compensation for mercenary gods had increased as well.

Yet the path the Dimensional Lord sought was the path of the Creator. Once one becomes a directly controlled main god, one receives enormous oversight from the Main Divine Realm. And since I originated from the Middle World as a dark mage, they will certainly not treat me kindly. They will likely seize any pretext to try to finish me off.

Considering the nature of the divine realm and its organizations, they would never tolerate a foreign element. In the end, the only path left to the Dimensional Lord was to grow alone as the lord of an independent divine realm. That was the sole way to obtain the authority to create a Main God Star, and the only way to fully enjoy the preferential treatment for god race development granted by the Creator General, Sangharama.

Even now, with my titles, dimensional authority, magic, and the support of the divine realm, I have surpassed ordinary growth speed by more than a hundred times. This is an environment absolutely unobtainable in other Master Universes or the Otherworld. However, there is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing to be done about my humble origins and the unique limitation of my title as an Absolute Being—the inability to create a clan.

No matter how much he flattered the divine realm, going alone would at best end with him labeled a traitor like the Absolute Beings who held the title of the 500th Master Universe and being disposed of.

“Grrrrr—!”

His teeth ground together of their own accord. The reserve Creator God of Dimensions racked his brain for a way to break through this situation. But there was no other method.

If I develop the Main God Star through normal means, it will literally take an eternity. Gathering eight quadrillion for the promotion fee would require at least eight hundred million years. Even for immortal gods, that is a span of eight generations. Yet in the meantime, I have no confidence I can lead these beings safely to the end. Even now, if I am absent they would immediately start a civil war. Therefore, if I quietly pursue gradual development like this, they will regain their leisure and immediately begin secret strife.

The answer to dealing with such beings was already clear. It would be the only solution.

New recruits must be worked so hard they cannot entertain stray thoughts. And the existing members must be worked the same way so no complaints arise. I’ll think about the promotion fee later.

Looking at the goddess lords and spirit gods still growling at one another, the reserve Creator God of Dimensions wore a chilling smile. At that exact moment, the God of Knowledge—who had been watching only the Chief God of the Divine Realm’s expression as the already grim atmosphere grew even more murderous—turned deathly pale.