The Throne of the War God

The Goddess Department's War God Temple featured a round table at its center, encircled by Highest Gods. Several seats at the table stood empty, with names hovering in the air above them. Naturally, the title and name of the Black Mage who had become the War God were also present. ‘The noble and great Black Mage, God of War and Elves? Even to me, it sounds ridiculous.’ Though it clearly referred to him, the placement at the highest seat of the round table felt profoundly unnatural.

The Highest Gods had not yet begun any formal meeting. They clustered in small groups, chatting idly, but fell silent the moment he entered. ‘No need to concern myself. I am an outsider here, and the day they accept me will never come—just as it is with the High Elves.’ Dozens of gazes pierced him as he walked toward his seat. Thud—! Thud—!

Dozens of male gods began to rise. From the overwhelming fighting spirit the Black Mage sensed, he realized they were the primordial war gods—the hidden strength of the Divine Realm. ‘Their divine ranks are nearly at the level of Highest Gods, and there are ninety-nine of them? Formidable. If they all attacked at once, even I would be in danger. With my dimensional authority, I could match their numbers, but I never expected such an elite force to exist in the Divine Realm. I underestimated it.’

Hummmmm—! In response to the primordial war gods’ fighting spirit, ten circles of mana manifested on his robe. ‘This is how the Divine Realm should be. For seventy years I ground my teeth as a mercenary god, struggling to surpass this place. If that earlier disgrace was all they had to offer, I would leave not even a single grain of sand behind.’

Uuuuuum! Guoooooh! Complex magical formulas activated in the Black Mage’s hand as mana erupted outward. The ninety-nine primordial war gods no longer concealed their fighting spirit either. Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung—! Responding to his mana and fighting spirit, they prepared to move.

“For the King,” someone murmured, and a formation took shape. ‘The Chief God and I signed a Karma Contract. Killing me would violate it, endangering not only the Chief God but the entire Divine Realm. The punishment awaiting the ringleaders would be unimaginable. Yet these fools see only that I stand in the way of the king they serve.’

To the Black Mage, they were fanatically pure—and idiots. Yet they were true war gods. He swept his gaze over the primordial war gods, the Divine Realm’s genuine power, and spoke.

“The Karma Contract with the Chief God of the Divine Realm.”

The golden contract materialized from subspace, and the primordial war gods froze. They had been ready to strike in their excitement, but the sight of the Karma Contract reminded them they could not touch him. Then the Black Mage said something entirely unexpected.

“I request a temporary exception clause. The primordial war gods of the Divine Realm may attack me without consequence.”

“The requester bears all risk. Approved.”

It was a genuine provocation. Killing intent began to gleam in the primordial war gods’ eyes. Saaaaak—! The atmosphere in the temple chilled as if ice water had been poured over it. The administrator goddesses, all Highest Gods, hurriedly retreated from their seats.

The Black Mage spoke while assuming a combat stance. “No need to worry about schemes. I am extremely frustrated thanks to certain lunatics today.”

The primordial war gods’ expressions shifted upon learning he had already clashed with the goddesses. They chuckled lightly and manifested their divine artifacts. Crack-crack-crack—! The divine power and artifacts of the ninety-nine supreme war gods tore at the fabric of space itself. Manipulating space and time to this degree was proof they had reached the 10th Circle.

‘They were nearly Highest War Gods. They protect and sustain this Divine Realm. There are only three Demon Emperors of comparable strength in the Demon Realm, yet here there are ninety-nine.’ The Black Mage’s question about how such a ridiculous Divine Realm could persist was answered. With such powerful war gods holding the line, the lower ranks could be in complete disarray and the realm would still endure.

‘I should use this chance to see the Divine Realm’s strength down to its foundations.’ The Black Mage had never believed he could remain safely as the War God of the Divine Realm forever. If even the Chief God could not be defeated, losing to these war gods would mean fleeing to another dimension was wiser.

Crackle—! “I exist as myself, so follow.” The Authority of Creation activated, multiplying the Lord Slayer spear into ninety-nine copies. The spears merged with the circles of mana in midair, each one aimed precisely at a primordial war god.

“Look upon yourself and remain as you are now.” The Black Mage’s body was fixed at its peak mana and physical condition. He had become an immortal existence; only a Main God or higher could reduce his body to dust.

Crack—! Crack—! The muscles throughout his body recognized the combat situation and maintained optimal tension. He was ready to fight at his absolute best at any moment. He issued a warning to the primordial war gods who were likewise finishing their preparations.

“Shatter my body in a single strike. Fail, and more than half of you will die.”

“……”

“……”

His robe swelled as if about to tear from the reactivated mana.

Guoooooooh! For an instant the Black Mage felt his blood stop, then resume its forced circulation through restoration magic. ‘It has activated. If my mana runs out in this state, I die.’ This was the state of a berserker who had resolved to die—a state the war gods themselves spoke of.

Extremely dangerous, yet the Lord Slayer spears linked to the mana circles grew more than twice as powerful in both edge and authority. Drdrdrdrdrdr—!‘Using the Lord Slayer spears replicated by the Authority of Creation to dominate space, an immortal body created through restoration magic, and the berserker magic to amplify the attack. This is my triple chant at the 10th Circle.’

The triple chant was a short-term combat stance the Black Mage had devised to finish Granzoa, who had been recovering instantly no matter how many attacks he unleashed. ‘At this level, I can at least claim to be ready for a decisive battle against the Chief God. The problem is that my odds are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠less than fifty percent.’

Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu! Tu-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga—! The conference hall inside the temple had already been half-destroyed by the mere release of divine power and mana. The Black Mage’s Lord Slayer spears shattered the defensive barriers the primordial war gods had raised. Their divine artifacts broke through the barrier created by the spears and pierced into the mana shield.

Pt—! Pt—! Thin wounds from the impact of power appeared on the bodies of the Black Mage and the primordial war gods. At the sight of blood, the eyes and mouths of both sides curved into uncontrollable smiles filled with killing intent.

Drdrdrdrdrdr! Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung! The Lord Slayer spears trembled as if about to fly straight for the heart, while the divine artifacts in the primordial war gods’ hands radiated brilliant light. At that moment, the leisurely voice of the Chief God of the Divine Realm rang out, and both mana and divine power suffered severe interference.

“Welcome! Did you enjoy your tour of the Divine Realm?”

The Chief God’s voice carried a powerful creative force. Hummmmm—! The temple, on the verge of destruction from the clash, was restored to its original state. The Black Mage was inwardly astonished. ‘His Authority of Creation is on a different level from mine. I can only rewind time for a single entity or limited area. But the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chief God just applied his authority to the entire temple and the whole Divine Realm.’

With the Divine Realm’s support, the Chief God could exert his maximum power within its borders. Even accounting for that support, the authority was immense. ‘So this is the 11th Circle! The authority of reality manipulation through complete time control.’

Generally, the 11th Circle allowed free use of authorities beyond the 10th Circle and could manipulate the time of all objects within a thousand-kilometer radius to achieve desired results. ‘This is the greatness of the Chief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠God’s authority—Reality Manipulation.’ Seeing it firsthand, it was truly troublesome to face.

‘First, the authority domain is more than ten times larger. Even if Highest Gods with domains around a hundred kilometers attacked together, it would be useless.’ Within the opponent’s authority domain, one faced severe restrictions. Even the Black Mage, wielder of the dimensional authority, could not guarantee spatial movement inside the Chief God’s domain.

‘A decisive battle with the Chief God would first require breaking through that absurdly vast authority domain. After that, only a single close-range strike remains.’

When the Chief God appeared, the primordial war gods dropped to one knee and clasped their hands in salute. The Black Mage’s excitement faded as they suppressed their fighting spirit and bowed their heads. Paah—! He returned the Lord Slayer spears to a single weapon and released all mana except for his defensive spells. Lifting the hood of his robe, he smiled at the Chief God, whose face was filled with a broad grin, and answered the earlier question about the Divine Realm.

“It was a complete mess.”

At the Black Mage’s sincere remark, the primordial war gods’ eyes began to fill with fury. He responded to their hostile fighting spirit with a refreshing smile and assumed a combat stance. For good measure, he curled the fingers of his right hand in a beckoning gesture, as if saying “come at me.” The primordial war gods looked ready to explode.

Yet they offered no rebuttal. ‘See? Even you know it’s a mess. I haven’t even started yet.’ The Highest Goddesses seated at the round table, who had been silent, clutched their foreheads with both hands as if about to faint. The atmosphere in the temple was more serious than the Black Mage had anticipated. ‘Did I touch something I shouldn’t have? Is calling the Divine Realm a mess such a grave insult? It seems like the most obvious thing in the world.’

Suddenly the Chief God cried out with a refreshed expression. “Exactly! It is a mess!”

The Black Mage’s brow furrowed at the Sly Raccoon Chief God’s nonchalant words. ‘What nonsense is this beautifully insane Chief God about to spout now?’ The unexpected reaction from the Chief God—who should have been the most enraged at hearing the Divine Realm called a mess—left even the primordial war gods momentarily flustered and the goddesses frozen stiff.

“There are too many pets in the Divine Realm. Every household has a dog, so when you go outside there are more dogs than gods. It really is a doghouse.”

“……”

The Black Mage was momentarily speechless. Checking the expressions of the surrounding Highest Gods, he saw nothing but resignation. Clearly this was how the Chief God always behaved. ‘How amusing. The one reeking of blood more than anyone here is playing innocent?’

The Black Mage moved to the War God’s seat at the round table. Thud—! Thud—! Thud—! Standing before his seat, he drove the Lord Slayer spear—its shaft ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠adorned with the Demon King’s two heads like skewers and the former War God’s divine spirit as decoration—into the floor.

“Kuaaaaaak—!”

“Kaaaaak—!”

The Demon Kings’ resentful and agonized screams shook the temple. A goddess who had never witnessed such a horrific sight staggered backward and retched. The primordial war gods were on the verge of drawing their divine artifacts and charging.

While provoking everyone, the Black Mage spoke. “I will return this parasite to you. In exchange, I request a private audience and a duel, O greatest Chief God of the Divine Realm.”

“……”

Crack—! For the first time, a faint fissure appeared on the Sly Raccoon Chief God’s ever-smiling face.