The Divine Guardians Descend

During the Spirit Realm war, the provisional Creator God of Dimensions unleashed his incantation. The resulting shockwave slammed into the 500th Master Universe's Creator Gods with far greater force than before. Their authorities and barriers, already shuddering from blocking the stellar explosions, made their eyes fly wide open.

The power itself is weak, but its scale and range are enough to engulf an entire local universe and annihilate every star within that domain.

The fact that something like that can be manifested consecutively is a level of strength we never even imagined possible.

After the first strike, the faces of the Creator Gods—who had barely kept their barriers intact and were still in the middle of restoring them—drained of all color.

“No… no way? Us too—!”

“This is insane—!”

They had been furious at the pathetic sight of Origins and Creator Gods being wiped out by a mere provisional Creator God, even having their divine spirits bound. Ignoring the Creator God King’s order to hold the front line, they had led a portion of their forces here. Now, facing the same fate themselves, shame flooded their minds until their heads felt numb.

On top of that, if we die, that insane provisional Creator God will bind our divine spirits too, making revival impossible.

It would be the greatest disgrace imaginable for gods of the Divine Realm—supporting the enemy with our own vitality.

Even as they frantically tried to restore their barriers, recovering in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mere moments from the impact of stars compressed to their limits and detonating with nuclear fusion was nearly impossible for anyone except the strongest among them.

The Creator Gods of the 500th Master Universe stared with bulging eyes at the oncoming wave of explosive force. At the exact same instant, a roar loud enough to rupture eardrums crashed over them.

From various points across the 500th Master Universe’s main force, the light of divine power wings bloomed. The stellar explosions faded away like dust. They had been erased by nothing more than the wave and sound of pure divine power, without any authority at all.

The destructive wave that had been charging forward as if to sweep the Creator Gods away vanished completely. In the space where the stars had been, warriors appeared—every inch of their bodies clad in golden full-body armor that even covered their eyes.

They revealed themselves gradually, yet their numbers instantly surpassed ten thousand. All of them wore identical shining golden full-body armor and were wrapped in the light of divine power, presenting a uniform, soldier-like appearance. Yet the power that could suppress even a star’s explosion—the highest form of physical force—with a mere wave of divine power was on an entirely different level from the Creator Gods who had been helplessly overwhelmed.

What stood out most was that each possessed only a single pair of massive wings. Moreover, they were fully materialized wings of light glowing with the golden hue of the metal attribute.

The divine rank of the divine race is determined by the number of wings. A single pair would mark them as Lower Gods.

Yet these beings are different.

The divine race normally flaunts its authority through the brilliance and size of its light wings. Materializing them like this was something only inexperienced gods did to supplement their divine power with divine tools. However, the way they casually nullified a star’s explosion proved they were transcendent warriors who had already surpassed all limits.

The moment they appeared, the Creator Gods hurriedly bowed their heads and waists, showing the utmost respect as they gathered their power and cried out.

The Creator Gods’ extreme praise and courtesy echoed across the battlefield. Yet the Divine Realm’s guardian gods did not even dare to raise their heads. They seemed utterly unmoved by the worship offered by the Creator Gods and simply ignored them. Their attitude made it abundantly clear that they saw no reason to concern themselves with weaklings who contributed nothing to their fighting strength. Still, no one dared lift their gaze or show any emotion. The guardian gods possessed both the right and the power to command such deference.

The guardian gods of the Divine Realm are the true powerhouses who abandoned position, honor, and even their individual selves to protect the Master Universe from the demon race and other threats. They have trained for nearly eternity solely for the sake of the divine race and strength.

Their power is so great that even Creator Gods cannot dare to measure it, and it is an open secret that some surpass even the Creator God King in pure combat ability.

Moreover, they were the instructors who exercised absolute authority during the childhood of every warrior and divine being.

Since every member of the divine race had learned combat from them and grown under their guidance, even after becoming Creator Gods they could never escape the fear and respect those overwhelming authority and power had instilled.

They possess such authority and capability that even the Creator God King must request their cooperation rather than issue commands. Yet they are the true Creator Gods who voluntarily relinquished power, concealed the faces that could distinguish them as individuals, and chose to become the very foundation of the Divine Realm.

Such beings now turned their gaze toward the god blocking the defensive divine realm of the Spirit Realm. Looking at the provisional Creator God of Dimensions—who in their eyes had far too many openings and was barely, precariously maintaining the realm of a Creator God—they clicked their tongues.

“Tsk—! Nothing but puffed-up foam.”

“Any one of us could finish him in ten minutes.”

They could not hide their renewed fury at the Origins and vanguard who had failed to handle even such a provisional Creator God and been annihilated. Furthermore, when the Creator God King’s absolute command authority weakened for some unknown reason, chaos had erupted throughout the Divine Realm. Some of the main force had arbitrarily marched out for revenge and were now on the verge of total destruction. In the end, even the guardians had no choice but to intervene.

Given the 499th Master Universe’s extreme reaction to a mere light provocation, a great war is now unavoidable. We cannot tolerate any further losses.

Above all, we must recover the divine spirits of the detained Origins by any means necessary. Only then can the authority ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the main divine race be maintained.

Afterward, we will force those Origins into retirement and directly intervene to install our chosen successors.

All of these decisions were simple matters that any single one of them could accomplish. Moreover, they could nullify such flashy wide-area authorities—which only looked impressive—as many times as necessary, just as they had done moments ago.

What they focused on now went beyond the provisional Creator God of Dimensions, who could be dealt with anytime. Their attention turned to the titled Creator Gods confronting powerful enemies in the narrow central passage.

Watching the Lord Gods of the independent divine realms facing off while searching for openings, the guardians did not bother hiding their displeasure and contempt. Harsh words flew freely.

“Are those not the shameless ones who survived by receiving the enemy’s sympathy?”

“How could the Creator God King permit such ugly Creator Gods to join the battle?”

“Are there no trustworthy warriors like us left in the Divine Realm?”

“Ugh! How truly pathetic—!”

The guardian gods had originally refused to invade the defensive divine realm of a mere general Creator God, prioritizing training instead. The current operation had only been carried out because there was no other choice. Yet they no longer cared about that fact. They had simply rushed here, anger boiling over at the countless mocking comments about this pathetic battle that had flown in from equivalent beings in other Master Universes. Now they sought only an opportunity to restore their honor.

Having given up everything and devoted themselves solely to training and education for so long, all that remains is pride and self-esteem.

When even that was completely crushed, they took advantage of the chaos in the absolute command authority to force their way out of the Divine Realm—which they were forbidden from leaving without accompanying the Creator God King.

Truly absurdly, even part of the main force guarding the boundary of the Master Universe right before their eyes had been on the verge of annihilation. They had come to save them first. Thus their dissatisfaction refused to fade.

“The Creator God King must be engaged in battle. One opponent is the Origin of the 499th Master Universe’s Almighty Divine Race. What is the other?”

“Huh—! Is it another Origin of the Almighty Divine Race who has fallen and become a demon? A joint attack? This is troublesome.”

“Has the 499th Master Universe truly forgotten its pride as the ruling divine race? The Origin—pride of the clan—reduced to such a disgusting, shabby state. They are truly unbearable.”

“In any case, the divine race cannot defeat the Creator God King. The outcome is only a matter of time.”

“Then the real problem lies behind them.”

The eyes and will of the Divine Realm guardian gods gradually burned with fighting spirit and heat.

Though their numbers were less than a tenth of the enemy, thousands of fully armed Creator Gods from the 499th Master Universe—each rumored to be that powerful—stood in perfect formation, ready for battle. They had no choice but to acknowledge that every single one was a powerhouse whose victory even they could not guarantee.

If this were our own Divine Realm battlefield alongside the Creator God King, victory would be certain. But this is not our territory.

If we suffer defeat after personally stepping forward in a war where we have already endured every possible humiliation, we will never be able to raise our heads before the gods of other Master Universes again.

Moreover, they possessed a sure path to victory. The days when they were so hot-blooded as to take unnecessary risks were long gone.

First, annihilate that heinous provisional Creator God of Dimensions and retrieve the divine spirits.

Then assist the Creator God King to seize the defensive divine realm in one strike and shift the battlefield of the all-out war to the 500th Master Universe’s Divine Realm.

Yet they hesitated to intervene aggressively. If information and authority concerning the Divine Realm guardian gods became known to those powerful Creator Gods, it would place them at a corresponding disadvantage.

Based on long combat experience and instinct, though it was hard to believe, the difference between the 499th Master Universe’s Creator Gods and themselves was almost nonexistent.

It was difficult to accept that Creator Gods less than a billion years old could stand on equal footing with themselves, who had trained for over a hundred billion years. But they were not incompetent enough to ignore reality out of arrogance.

Their power had already surpassed the Creator God King to the point where they could resist even absolute commands. However, since both sides were in a state of complete mutual ignorance, even a small information leak could decide the outcome of a direct confrontation.

And a situation that confirmed those fears soon unfolded.

It was the sound of feet stomping.

They infuse such immense divine power that even at our level it is surprising, causing vibrations and roars throughout the universe by stomping space with their feet.

The provocation delivered through simple foot-stomps surpassed the Spirit Realm’s spatial defenses and barriers. It was a miraculous technique only transcendent warriors who had surpassed all limits could display. It was not a matter of mere realm but something impossible without an extremely advanced ability to manipulate divine power that could no longer be developed further.

Moreover, the power contained in those light foot-stomps was on a completely different level from the shabby wide-area authority the provisional Creator God of Dimensions had displayed earlier using stellar explosions.

Impressive.

If struck directly, even we would sustain injuries.

Of course, the Divine Realm guardian gods had not lived so lightly that they would be damaged by something of this level, and the time they had spent training was equally long.

“How dare you—! You Creator Gods who gained power beyond your station by fawning over him—! Haaaaap—!”

“Such insolence.”

“We’ll return it exactly as it came—!”

It was the counterattack of the Divine Realm guardian gods. They had lightly wielded their divine power so that their main authorities would not be revealed, either offsetting the impact or sending it straight back. And that very force transcended the Spirit Realm’s spatial barrier and defensive membrane, flying toward the 499th Master Universe’s Creator Gods.

Peeeeeeeeong!

Urrrrrrrrrung—!

At the counterattack that returned their provocation exactly, the guardians could not hide their pleased expressions and did not stop their delighted exclamations.

The Magic God of Dimensions is strong and possesses great potential, but in the end he is still only a provisional Creator God.

The Origins—who should be the strongest of the clan—were absurdly annihilated by an opponent any one of us could clean up within ten minutes.

Since even the Creator Gods vanished so pathetically, it made one skeptical about the entire Master Universe war.

Of course, hoping for the enemy’s strength was arrogance. Still, the enemy should at least be somewhat enjoyable to face. Yet when the core force of the 500th Master Universe—the Divine Realm guardian gods who had been hidden away—stepped forward and responded to the provocation at the same level, their interest was rekindled.

In simple terms, these were opponents worth fighting. Of course, since victory remained firmly theirs, it was a luxury they could afford. They had instantly seen through that this power had been obtained by holing up in training rooms. These were by no means opponents for themselves, who had survived countless certification battles against the Substitute Race and the Demon God Race.

“Whoo—! Now this is fun. The rumors about the Divine Realm guardians were true.”

“As expected, they say each Master Universe’s original potential is the same, and it really is.”

“If the enemies were truly just those, there would have been no reason for me to come alone while leaving my subordinates behind out of concern for vitality consumption and damage. At this rate, even the Creator Gods who refused to participate—saying fighting weaklings would interfere with their training—will come.”

“Divine Realm guardians, huh? Well, this is decent enough. Shall we check the level again?”

As if playing an interesting game, they stomped their feet again. The impact flew toward the Divine Realm guardian gods once more. On the faces of the guardians who offset the shock and returned it, a faint heat began to rise.

Although the 499th Master Universe chose an incomprehensible policy of opposing him with his support, the power of their Creator Gods is real.

It far transcends the power of ordinary Creator Gods, and some have clearly surpassed the Creator God King.

They are beings so powerful that they cannot be opposed unless it is the Creator God King’s unique authority, and their numbers are also enormous compared to their level.

One could not help but admire it as strength befitting those who had blocked the advance of his absurd ideal called ‘eternal happiness’ for over a billion years.

Yet when compared to the Creator Gods of the 500th Master Universe who had almost been completely annihilated by a single provisional Creator God, it made one’s blood pressure rise again.

And while they were at it, the brief check on the provisional Creator God of Dimensions showed he was indeed in a pathetic state. He had barely survived the aftermath of the collision between the shock sent by the 499th Master Universe’s Creator Gods—transcending the Spirit Realm—and their counterattack, but he was a complete mess.

Tsk tsk! The foam has burst.

He’s all tattered. There’s nothing more to see now.

They clicked their tongues again at an existence who had raised his power through unorthodox means rather than proper training, only to hit rock bottom.

Yet the one feeling even more miserable was the provisional Creator God of Dimensions himself. He had thought he had somehow caught up, but a mere demonstration of the true powerhouses’ strength had reduced him to this state. And it had not even been aimed at him. It was merely the aftermath of them exchanging slight checks on each other without interest. Before the tyrannical divine power that could not even be measured, he had nearly collapsed and had barely survived by relying on the Origin title.

Barely recovering from the damage, he spat out the blood pooled in his mouth and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began calling the Cyber Realm to complain. There was nowhere to vent his grievances, and he could not escape the feeling of having been completely deceived.

“Keuuuuurk—! Damn it all—! These monsters—! Where did they all pop out from? If it’s not the Creator God King of the 500th Master Universe and those titled Creator Gods, is there really no one who can defeat me? I really can’t see any way to win this? My magic and dimensional authority can’t withstand the pressure of their divine power and authorities—! At this rate, I can’t even fight properly.”

All authorities, magic, and even the activation of titles were based on divine power and vitality. Their output was determined by divine rank. Since the difference was too vast, no matter how good the effect, nothing worked. And with the number of such opponents already exceeding tens of thousands, it was enough to drive one mad.

However, the answer that came back was firm.

“Th… then when is that? How long do I have to endure?”

The Magic God of Dimensions, too anxious to ask before, finally forced the words out.

It’s not even a direct attack, yet I can’t withstand the mere aftermath. Just how long will I have to fight? I can’t get any sense of it at all. Even now I am rapidly growing stronger by absorbing and analyzing the authorities of the captured divine spirits, but the gap is simply too large.

The answer from the Cyber Realm did not come immediately. Obviously it had to be a horrifically large number that they were avoiding stating outright.

Since it is someone else’s pain beyond the screen, these beings are numb to the contractor’s trials and suffering. No matter how much the Cyber God and the contractor share life and death through an absolute karma contract, because they were too different from the very beginning, it ends up like this.

His teeth ground together automatically, but he held back.

I already knew they were like this. However, my heart that had pounded fiercely at his single phrase of ‘personal observation’ still has not stopped even now.

Just thinking of him—who must be watching his battle with interest from somewhere, since it was not a target for judgment—made his blood boil hotly.

So how could I disappoint him by being discouraged that the difference in power is too great? Moreover, if I die like this, it is an opportunity to end it comfortably. An absolute-grade karma contract is only possible with the arrangement of a special-grade Cyber God, and if it puts even him at risk, he would never grant it easily.

He already understood that the decision made in impatience—when the perfect method to become a Creator God by interfering with the special-grade Cyber God’s ‘past manipulation’ using dimensional authority was first blocked—was the cause.

And the statement that he would win was probably the truth. The claim that he would become stronger than them if he simply held on could be seen from how the Origin title continued to develop. The only problem was that the price required to reach that point was too painful.

My magic is not over yet. The end of a Magic God is to die together with everyone around him, not to give up alone. If I were to show such an ugly battle, I would not have stepped forward in the first place.

The Magic God of Dimensions, who had briefly composed his shaken mind, raised his fighting spirit once more and glared at the Divine Realm guardian gods.