The Absolute Karma Contract

The Spirit Realm War fell into a brief, heavy silence. Then, just as the slightest flicker of doubt began to surface, a single hand materialized in the void and pressed itself onto the contract. Though his divine speech was still imperfect as a mere preliminary creator god, the voice that rang out carried every ounce of resolve and determination his divinity could contain.

“First. In the name of the noble and great black magician, staking all the sorcery I received from him and every drop of magical power I have built with the blood of my enemies and myself, I request approval for the monopoly over all tangible and intangible spoils granted to the Demon God race.”

A deep, resonant goooooong shook the void as the Karma Contract vibrated once more and revised its terms. If the condition was not mere participation but staking everything, then equivalent compensation was only fair. And since the stake was the very foundation of his power—his sorcery—there was no choice but to accept it. Fairness and equity were the fundamental principles of the Karma Contract, after all.

“Second. In exchange for all sorcery, I demand a monopoly on all tangible and intangible individual battles surpassing even the participation of the Demon God race.”

The eyes of the Creator Gods slowly widened.

There is no mercenary god who would stake all his power for mere participation.

If you die, you simply rebuild your strength and return. But this… this means he can never return as a god again.

For the God of Sorcery to stake his sorcery was equivalent to a god staking his very divinity. It was everything.

Yet it did not end there. The hand continued imprinting, layering further sacrifices onto the contract.

“Third. As the God of Light who possesses dimensional authority, I stake my divinity. I request that only positive karma be recognized throughout the entire war period, excluding negative accumulation outside of the battlefield itself.”

This time the Karma Contract shuddered violently and offered a compromise. No matter how rare and powerful the dimensional divinity of a preliminary Creator God might be, a drastic overhaul of karma application was impossible. In the end, it could not grant the full request.

“Compensation insufficient. Recognition limited to facts and duration directly related to the war.”

“As expected? I accept.”

With a slightly bitter reply, the contract’s contents shifted once more.

“Third. During the war period, only positive karma accumulation related to the war shall be recognized, excluding negative accumulation.”

The situation was snowballing into something colossal.

At this rate, even mass destruction outside the actual battlefield might not be an issue.

More importantly, only the hand of this preliminary Creator God is appearing to imprint the contract. His main body remains completely undetected by our senses.

The implications were enormous. He was completing the contract from a domain beyond their authority.

At this point, we cannot stop it or even intervene.

Even if his raw power was beneath theirs, such a vast domain meant that if he simply avoided them, they would never be able to catch him. It was exactly like the Substitute Gods’ ultra-long-range spatial translocation.

“Fourth. Staking the divinity of this preliminary Creator God, I demand complete and independent authority over all operational and command rights.”

“Independence of all operational and command rights is guaranteed.”

The Creator Gods’ jaws dropped.

With this, no one can interfere anymore.

The result of defeat may not change, but the war will become an entirely independent conflict, completely outside our control.

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

The true problem was that the very existence of such terms implied a genuine chance of victory. If so, they would lose any legitimate justification for a war between Main Universes.

Finally, a higher-ranking Creator God stepped forward and roared.

“General Creator The Proprieties! By the divinity of a high-ranking Creator God, I command you! Cease the mercenary god’s contract at once! This is beyond your authority! Gaaack—!”

Pssssshhh!

But the Karma Contract did not stop. It had already been signed and was merely awaiting the contractor’s final approval. Instead, a spray of divine blood erupted across the cosmic void—the result of the high-ranking Creator God who had intervened having his tongue ripped out.

As the Creator Gods stood stunned by the sudden catastrophe, a stern will pierced their ears.

The high-ranking Creator God whose tongue had been torn out for a mere interruption turned deathly pale.

Physical damage of this degree should be recoverable, yet it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is not regenerating. Worse, even transmission of will has been severed.

With a single word of interference, he has permanently lost his tongue and faces the fate of becoming a complete mute.

It was the price of momentarily forgetting the terror of the Karma Contract they had witnessed countless times.

Yet, as always, an escape route appeared. The path was brutally harsh, but a solution had always existed.

“However, he is fair in both punishment and reward. Should you uphold and protect the contract, your tongue shall be returned and the authority of your divine speech shall be strengthened.”

There was no choice but to accept with visible relief. A Creator God incapable of speech or will transmission could not possibly manage the Divine Realm.

“Gaaaaack—!”

Watching the tongue return and will transmission revive, accompanied by a groan of relief, the other Creator Gods could not suppress the chill running down their spines. The arrogance they had cultivated by looking down on the weak Creator Gods of the Main Universes completely evaporated. Before his absolute power, they were all weaklings.

Make one mistake before the Karma Contract and it is truly over.

Regardless of the Creator Gods’ reactions, the contract’s contents had been completely rewritten.

The revised terms left every mouth hanging open.

The compensation gained by staking all sorcery, divinity, and godhood is simply too enormous.

Kill, and you gain vitality equal to what you slay while even accumulating positive karma.

On top of that, an independent battlefield free from any external interference… just watching it makes a combat god’s blood boil.

Despite their lofty dignity, some Creator Gods felt the sudden urge to join. Yet that place was unmistakably a battlefield where only death and defeat awaited. When the full forces of one Main Universe collided with those of a regional universe, defeat was inevitable. Participation would be pure foolishness.

Nevertheless, ignoring the sighs around him, the hand floating in the air gently stroked the revised contract and spoke.

“The first truly fair Karma Contract I have received since birth. To gain as much as one strives, to be rewarded as much as one invests. And on top of that, a battlefield with no restrictions, no control, no surveillance—the very thing I have longed for. Is this not a dream? After enduring such a long and painful time, is it finally granted now that I have reached preliminary Creator God? It was unbearably long and agonizing. But now… this is the true beginning.”

In the final contractor signature space, powerful letters of light blazed into existence, completing the contract.

It can no longer be undone. That impossible-to-win battlefield will now share its fate with me. This was how it was always meant to be. For a combat god and mercenary god who lives by victory and his own power, seeking out safe battlefields could never be his pride. There was only one way to truly embody his pride.

Turn the impossible into the possible. If the weak claim it cannot be done, then you, the strong, must make it possible. That is the pride and honor of the strong.

Recalling the absurd moment he had received his title, he ground his teeth and roared inwardly.

In any case, normal management of a divine realm is impossible for me. Before blaming the makeup of my personnel, the issue lies in my own disposition and abilities. I am a combat god, not an administrative god. I have no confidence that I could cling to divine realm duties for eight hundred million years. Therefore, if the rewards are this clear, it is only right to stake my life on a battlefield that offers a thread-thin chance of victory. Is the world not like that anyway? If you refuse to take risks, the returns will be small. For someone who walks alone, such an opportunity will never come again. This time, I will end it no matter what.

Preparations had already been completed.

These are things I prepared for a decisive battle against the Main Divine Realm in the worst-case scenario, though I had not intended to use them here.

The dimensional preliminary Creator God had joined because he possessed a path to victory, not because he wished to die.

Therefore, he declared:

“I accept the absolute-grade Karma Contract with my entire heart and soul. On this battlefield, I stake all my sorcery, divinity, and godhood. By any means and any method, I shall deliver victory to my allies. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even if, as a result, my very existence becomes forever stained with infamy, I shall bear it.”

Crackkkkkkkk—!

The fabric of space tore wide open as red giant stars began to emerge one after another. Eighteen of them appeared, completely filling the vast cosmic expanse.

“Let’s go! You most vicious Creator God-level machine gods, you dimensional Antares of the eleventh circle! This is your first real deployment after modification. Prepare yourselves with the resolve that anything less than victory means annihilation. Rebellion will not be tolerated.”

He had brought every unit except the one controlled within the machine race’s stellar system and the one currently modifying a planet in the Divine Realm. Of course, he had completely dominated them with overwhelming computational power and modified them to his own specifications.

This was the measure taken after concluding that ordinary planets could never kill Creator Gods.

In the center of the circle formed by the crimson-burning red giant stars that had appeared in space, the dimensional preliminary Creator God revealed himself in full divine power release. The moment he crossed the ultra-long distance of a regional universe unit in a single leap, even the Creator Gods were shocked.

The sight of a mere preliminary Creator God performing ultra-long-range spatial movement from outside their perceptual range—while dragging machine gods the size of super-giant planets—left their mouths hanging open, unable to close.

That is an authority only the highest-grade Creator Gods specialized in spatial laws can barely wield.

Even they would be questionable if they could display such a miraculous authority and remain unscathed.

And yet a mercenary god possessing only the divinity of a preliminary Creator God is doing it?

Without the slightest burden, with ridiculous ease.

Paying no heed to the Creator Gods’ stunned and horrified gazes, the dimensional preliminary Creator God raised his ferocious killing intent and fighting spirit even higher as he raced toward the Defense Divine Realm—where the final clash was unfolding—accompanied by the red giant stars.

Preparations are perfect.

Gogogogogo! Uuuuuuuung!

Behind him blazed thirteen pairs of radiant golden wings of light. Above his head, eleven layers of sorcery circles expanded and spun. Enveloping his entire body was the fully manifested title of Origin—no longer a simple triangle containing a sphere, but now a three-dimensional triangular pyramid embracing the orb.

Grrrrrrrrrind! Wooooooood!

The symbols engraved on its surface had become fully three-dimensional, endlessly activating his body and drawing forth his latent potential. The surge was incomparable to the time when the title had been nearly sealed.

Thus, unlike the past when he had been forced to repeat short-range jumps countless times to cross a regional universe’s distance, he now crossed it in a single leap while dragging the Antares behind him.

If not now, there will never be another moment when my power is at its absolute peak. My entire body burns with fighting spirit and heat. I feel like a gambler who has drawn the greatest hand of his life and poured his entire fortune onto the table. No—I am paying an even greater price and receiving the ultimate reward.

If he lost now, he would die as an ordinary human who was neither god nor sorcerer, with eternal judgment awaiting him. If he won, he would instantly obtain Creator Godhood, pass the authentication trial, become a true Creator God, claim what he desired, and achieve genuine eleventh-circle mastery.

Victory means escape from eight hundred million years of uncertain divine realm management. Defeat means immediate and total end.

His tightly shut mouth finally opened, and he spoke with killing intent so thick it seemed to solidify the air.

“With the conditional activation of the absolute-grade Karma Contract, the restrictions on the ‘Origin’ title have also been lifted. Now, within my current level, I can draw out the maximum. I will kill everything that stands in my way. Everything that interferes with victory.”

Originally, every circumstance had pushed him toward participation, yet he had never intended to go.

No matter the reward, death is the end. Moreover, a mercenary god receives no compensation in defeat. It is fitting reward for the defeated.

Yet the situation was horrific: the full forces of one Main Universe’s divine race were concentrated on the enemy side, while only a regional universe’s forces stood in defense.

Even by my own judgment, this is not a battlefield where one can survive without dying, nor a war that can be won. Besides, as the main god of an independent divine realm rather than a direct subordinate, I have no obligation to participate.

That was why, after finishing his tasks, he had hurried back from the Spirit Realm in case he became entangled. Yet despite his own wishes, the Special Grade Cyber God had arbitrarily proceeded with the Creator God participation contract. His rage had nearly erupted—until the next words stopped him cold.

The battle in which the absolute-grade Karma Contract has been activated will be officially observed by him. Therefore, even the title restrictions are lifted. Show him your growth.

He would officially observe. Not to deliver eternal judgment, but simply to watch.

Who could ignore those words? He will watch my battle directly. The ideal of all combat gods, the eternal deity of titled absolute beings. Moreover, if the title restrictions are lifted, there may be a way.

Yet he could not trust the Cyber Realm. After all, were they not the ones who had manipulated his fate from beyond the screen for their own amusement?

No matter the reward, the resentment accumulated over the years ran too deep for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him to obediently move according to the will of beings who would suffer no consequence even if he died.

However, the Special Grade Cyber God had proven exceptionally competent. She had eliminated every possible excuse the dimensional preliminary Creator God might have used to withdraw.

“Should he find the battle disappointing, even a Special Grade Cyber God will not be forgiven. If you are defeated and die, I too will be disposed of as one of the Substitute Gods. Originally, sharing fate with a mere preliminary Creator God would be foolish, yet creating a Creator God remains the sole pride of any Special Grade Cyber God regardless of the contractor. Furthermore, since the lower Cyber Gods have accepted the same restrictions, I have no intention of avoiding this. You will never reach Creator God through divine realm management, but as a mercenary god, it is possible. If you mobilize to the absolute limit your potential as the true absolute being of ‘Origin,’ your power as a combat god, and your preparations as a Magic God, you can win. Lastly, with your power, a battlefield of this caliber will not appear again at the Main Universe level. If you miss this opportunity, you will need to fight at least eighty more battles against opponents and mercenary engagements of equal or greater difficulty. In that case, you will inevitably die and receive eternal disposition.”

It was an undeniable truth.

No matter who I am, surviving nearly a hundred battles against those stronger than myself would be excessive greed. Divine realm management is naturally impossible. Even if I gathered only the most exemplary gods, my disposition would make it precarious. Rather than hoping for the miracle of surviving eight hundred million years with them, a desperate battlefield is far better.

Since mercenary battles that staked one’s life were nothing new, the burden felt lighter.

I can simply do it the way I always have. And adjust the conditions slightly.

Having made his decision and nearly accepted the mercenary battle, he felt neither reluctance nor lingering attachment. Now, only burning aspiration and fighting spirit surged within his heart.

Behold. With only the sorcery I received from your small, uncompensated favor, I have come this far. Soon I shall become your pride by turning the impossible into possible, and soon pay even the price of the title. That is the only remaining wish I hold in this wretched world.

Thus arrived the dimensional preliminary Creator God at the Defense Divine Realm, having endlessly converted the longing he had repeated in his heart since first leaping into unfavorable battlefields into pure, blazing fighting spirit.