The True Power of the War Gods
The Spirit Realm war was unfolding in a way that made it painfully obvious: the Substitute Gods' Creator Gods were not in a normal state. There were clear deficiencies. Yet their level of danger hadn't dropped in the slightest. 'That God Destruction Cannon they fired earlier in their Main God state was absolutely chilling.'
The most terrifying aspect of the Substitute Gods' God Destruction Cannon was that it annihilated both the divine power and the physical body of whatever it struck, regardless of whether the target possessed divinity. The cannon would unconditionally erase that amount of divine power and body mass. Moreover, since the scale of their divine power cannons was nearly on the level of satellites, and the Substitute Gods' spatial movement abilities far surpassed those of the divine races, getting caught in front of one meant being forcibly teleported directly into the cannon's path and obliterated.
'Unless one possesses a transcendent spatial authority on the level of "Dimension," constant activation of "God Destruction" makes spatial movement itself impossible. In the end, it forces close-quarters combat.'
'However, our bodies are optimized at around two meters tall, while the Substitute Gods' Creator Gods possess colossal forms comparable to Main God Stars.'
'Even if we try to bring them down somehow, they evade with consecutive spatial jumps.'
The outer shell of a Substitute God's planet wasn't made of ordinary matter but of the Creator God's own body, and its durability was more than double that of a typical Creator God. When such an overwhelmingly massive body accelerated at high speeds and came crashing in with its weight and velocity, any Creator God would be smashed to pieces. Therefore, evasion was mandatory.
'If a shattered body takes a direct hit from the God Destruction Cannon, even a Creator God cannot avoid annihilation.'
'Whether it's the Substitute Gods' God Destruction Cannon or a collision from a body the size of a giant planet, getting hit repeatedly means any Creator God must prepare for death and obliteration.'
'Since there's only one, we number fifteen. But if there were two or more, the required combat strength would increase exponentially.'
'What's even more horrifying is that this assessment is based on the standards of the Creator Gods from the 499th Master Universe.'
'In the 500th Master Universe, the Creator Gods are only on the level of their Main Gods. No matter what kind of army they assemble, it would be futile.'
The Divine Realm's Guardian God and the Tyrant God both had their shortcomings, so it was questionable whether they could handle this. The fact that they were technically allies felt like a small mercy, but the Dimensional Mage God—who had undergone a transformation into a Substitute God Creator—emitted such thick, seething killing intent and fighting spirit that it was incredibly ominous.
“That thing’s definitely gone berserk, right? It won’t come after us too, will it?”
“Don’t the Substitute Gods unconditionally attack any divine race or demon race that emits fighting spirit or killing intent within their territory?”
A wave of goosebumps rippled through the Creator Gods. Over ten thousand powerhouses who had no equals within the same rank had gathered, yet every single one of them had survived countless brushes with death where their bodies were smashed apart and faced with annihilation by the Substitute Gods.
They urgently contacted the Main Divine Realm and the Creation Realm to assess the Dimensional Mage God’s condition, and the response left them stunned. He was indeed in a state of rampage. Not only had his reason been lost, but most of his emotions had been sealed away as well. He was moving strictly according to implanted commands.
In other words, he had been unable to handle the excessive magic and authority, so he had restricted all emotion and thought, transforming into a Machine God that fought purely on autopilot. The problem was that the subject of this transformation was a Substitute God Creator. No—this was a full-blown crisis.
'With that wide-area promotion ability, he even elevated the surrounding Machine Substitute Gods to Creator God level or higher. There are eighteen of them.'
'A large-scale mobilization of Substitute God Creator Gods like this hasn’t happened since the Race Determination War of the first generation.'
They had been delighted that the even stronger second generation’s replacement had been delayed, using the time to expand their territory. And now this absurd crisis had fallen upon them.
“The Dimensional Mage God has lost his reason. Contact with the Main Divine Realm has been severed. He is only receiving support from the Defense Divine Realm and the Dimensional Divine Realm while repeatedly issuing extermination orders against the Divine Realm’s Guardian God and the Tyrant God.”
“Which means…?”
“Since this is an unprecedented situation for a Creator God transformed into a Substitute God, they say they don’t know. Either he will annihilate the enemies of the 500th Master Universe as ordered and then cease activity, or he will turn on us according to the Substitute Gods’ instinct toward the divine races. Those are the two possibilities.”
“Huuuuh—!”
“Uuuugh—!”
Groans erupted everywhere. If the Substitute Gods were emitting fighting spirit and killing intent while viewing them as enemies, there was no reason for their instincts to be suppressed. At the same time, asking them to completely erase their own fighting spirit was utterly impossible.
'We who are gods of combat and war cannot stop the killing intent and fighting spirit that naturally seep from our bodies even if we seal away all our divine power.'
'It’s questionable how many of the 500th Master Universe’s main forces those things can reduce, but if more than ten remain, we’ll truly have to risk our lives.'
This wasn’t some authentication battle to decide the Chief God of the Divine Realm. There was no reason to fight a horde of nearly insane Substitute God Creators who were rampaging without any compensation, fully prepared for annihilation. Doing so would require accepting enormous sacrifices.
'It’s like wolves challenging a bear. One bear can be hunted easily, but two or more means preparing for total annihilation.'
The answer was clear. They had to thoroughly conceal their fighting spirit and killing intent and freeze that thing in place.
'I don’t have even the slightest intention of fighting a group of eighteen berserk Substitute God Creators who amplify their divine power through parallel and series connections, maintaining maximum output.'
'There are still two generations left until the Race Determination War he designated.'
They had planned to secure territory in the 500th Master Universe and elevate their successors to Chief Gods of the Divine Realm in preparation for the Race Determination War. Dying here would be the height of humiliation. This was no time to worry about pride; there was no need for further discussion.
They were already slowly backing away while staring at the Substitute God Creators who had slowly advanced toward the enemies of the 500th Master Universe.
Clack. Clack. Clack—!
Clatter. Clatter—!
The Creator Gods swiftly retreated behind the area of the Guerrilla Volcano they had destroyed earlier and restored their defensive perimeter. It was to prevent any unfortunate detection.
'We cannot retreat because of the main forces of the 500th Master Universe that might cross over.'
'We must stay here and observe the outcome no matter what.'
Moreover, the authority domain of that Dimensional Mage God was clearly larger than a local universe. No matter where they retreated, they couldn’t escape it, so they had to block it here.
Thus, they diligently layered barriers, seals, and protective shields using the Creator Gods’ authorities to reinforce the Guerrilla Volcano.
'This probably won’t stop him from detecting us, but it’s still better than nothing.'
'We can only pray that he achieves his objective and ceases activity.'
Defensive authorities like these couldn’t possibly block the God Destruction Cannon, but they would buy time, so they stacked them layer upon layer.
From the mouth of a particularly foul-mouthed mercenary god performing this laborious task came a complaint that spoke for everyone’s feelings.
“Goddammit—! We came here to teach those sneaky, pathetic gods of the 500th Master Universe a lesson, expand our cramped territory, and earn some vitality. Now we have to fight not one but dozens of Substitute God Creators? What kind of lightning bolt from a clear sky is this? Who’s going to pay for this? Someone answer me—!”
In response, a Chief God from one of the Creation Realms let out a long sigh and delivered the harsh reality.
“Huuuuuuu! Just don’t die. If we, the main fighting force of the Divine Realm, die or get annihilated, reviving us would bankrupt the entire Divine Realm. Even if our subordinates try to resurrect us, we’d have to refuse.”
“Huuuuuuuuh—! I really can’t stand battles with this many sudden variables. And looking at that mess, I suddenly just want to rest.”
Thudududududu—!
Thudududududu—!
The Substitute God Chief God that the Dimensional Mage God had become fired twenty-six God Destruction Cannons simultaneously while charging at the Divine Realm’s Guardian Gods. The seventeen Machine Substitute God Creators orbiting around him left trails of light as they fired. An eerie chill now crawled across everyone’s skin.
'If anyone here gets properly caught in that concentrated God Destruction Cannon fire net, they’ll be annihilated.'
'I don’t know about anything else, but the power of that God Destruction Cannon truly surpasses even the Substitute Gods!'
The main forces of the 500th Master Universe who had to face that were truly pitiful.
Clap. Clap—!
Clap—! Clap—!
But then the light sound of clapping hands rang out. It was him.
'I didn’t expect him to show this much. It’s quite enjoyable to see that a single Absolute who earned a title against the main forces of the 500th Master Universe is holding on like this.'
The fact that an entity who had attempted the transformation into a Substitute God he had created had finally been born with some degree of success carried great meaning. It meant they had approached the level he had fallen to after thoroughly conquering the Absolute Realm in the past.
At last, he could shed some of the burden on his heart.
“After four hundred billion years, an entity that can imperfectly manifest the Substitute Gods has finally been born. It truly has been a long time. Have these Master Universes finally caught up to the level of us eight Absolutes from back then?”
“Th… that seems a bit off.”
The three rulers of the Absolute Realm around him shook their heads.
'No matter how you look at it, this is definitely not normal. The original Substitute Gods were never like this.'
'They are gods of light that move solely for the purpose of the universe’s development and evolution, even more so than Machine Gods.'
'Yet the Substitute God Creator that the Dimensional Mage God has become, radiating killing intent and fighting spirit as if they were exploding, is more like a demon god itself.'
Moreover, when facing the main forces of the 500th Master Universe, even a Substitute God Creator was objectively at a disadvantage. A normal Substitute God would withdraw, increase their numbers, and prepare a force greater than the enemy. Their creative power, which surpassed ordinary divine races by more than ten times, existed for that very purpose.
However, the Substitute God Creator transformed from the Dimensional Mage God was charging at those who expressed killing intent and fighting spirit toward him without the slightest fear. On top of that, his destructive magical power was exceeding his divine power.
'At this rate, it’s doubtful whether he can even create stars properly. Above all, with most of his reason and emotions under control, the emotions that do leak out are nothing but indiscriminate combat instinct? What kind of absurd mental structure is this?'
'This is a Destruction God through and through.'
Glug glug—!
Gulp—!
Yet he simply poured himself another drink and drank as if none of it concerned him. Now was the time to rejoice in this long-awaited achievement.
'Trivial errors can be ignored. It took four hundred billion years to raise them this far.'
There was still a long way to go, but simply confirming tangible results was enough to bring joy.
“Hahaha—! Is there any need to replicate the relics of the past exactly? Although his creative power cannot be called that of a Substitute God, his destructive power surpasses it. He can truly be called a combat-specialized Substitute God. This is development in its own way, and it is most delightful. The Tyrant Gods are powerhouses even the Absolute Realm acknowledges, so they should be able to put up a decent fight. We should be able to gauge his exact performance soon. He is a child worth watching.”
“…….”
It was an expression of his intention not to carry out immediate disposal. The Dimensional Mage God, who had detained the Origin’s divine spirits, restored annihilated spiritual bodies, shaken the very concept of order, and inflicted enormous damage, was without question a target for disposal. He should be made into the lowest-ranked Substitute God Creator and forced into nearly permanent labor to repay the damages.
However, no matter what anyone said, he was the very will of the Absolute Realm itself.
'There is no individual or faction in the Absolute Realm that can defy his decisions.'
This was because, before power, they themselves who oversaw the rulers of the Absolute Realm were his descendants. And since the very meaning of the Absolute Realm was a world where beings who revered absolute power and order gathered, his decisions would never be overturned.
Because he was the Absolute among Absolutes. He was the great Absolute who had challenged to become the god of the Eternal Beings, the Creator Lords.
“Everything shall proceed according to the decision of Jinri.”
As the three bowed their heads deeply, his voice filled with mischief rang above them.
“I’ll also give him a punishment for breaking the taboos, so there’s no need to worry. Hehehe—! What would be good? Since his abilities are so varied, there are many punishments he could endure. For an Absolute who can dual-activate ‘Dimension,’ which creates universes, and ‘Origin,’ which guarantees near-infinite vitality, that would be perfect. How timely. Hehehe—!”
Watching him laugh quietly while thinking of something, the three inwardly offered condolences to the Dimensional Mage God.
'Our great and proud grandfather stopped growing during his adolescence—the period when the speed of power and authority growth is fastest. All of it was to defeat the eight Absolutes, one Sage, and one Transcendent.'
'In return, he gained unstable emotions and an eccentricity beyond imagination. It shows like the emotional turbulence of a boy in puberty, fluctuating according to his mood.'
'Of course, the power and knowledge that earned him the title of the Eternal and Immortal Jinri have not gone anywhere, so he perfectly oversees the Absolute Realm and all Master Universes in the form of a complete Eternal Being. But when unexpected situations arise like this, his childish side appears.'
The decisions and judgments he made at such times were incomparably harsher and colder than usual. Becoming a Substitute God Creator and being forced into permanent labor would probably be better. No, if his eccentricity increased further, there was no telling what kind of verdict would be handed down.
'In the past, one Demon God King of the 499th Master Universe couldn’t control his instincts and annihilated Chief Gods whose karma was extremely good. Normally he would have simply annihilated him, but because the Demon God King had disturbed his rare nap, he got irritated and turned the Demon God King into a Lower God before tossing him onto some Main God Star. That incident is incredibly famous.'
'On top of that, to prevent suicide, he added the eccentric condition that if the Demon God King wanted to regain his original status and power, he had to ascend to an equivalent level of godhood. Even we were horrified by it.'
They were dying to know what kind of punishment the Dimensional Mage God would receive.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
Puhahahaha—!
The Tyrant Gods, who had given up on blocking the God Destruction Cannon fire pouring down like hail and were instead dodging while countering with consecutive Dimensional Divine Annihilation Cannon shots via spatial movement, slowly began to lose emotion from their faces.
'We saw the God Destruction Cannon bombardment earlier. It’s a mass of divine power compressed to ultra-high pressure, containing an authority that cannot be defended against with either divine power or magical power-created authorities, or even the body itself.'
'Of course defense is nearly impossible, but we don’t have to block it. We just have to dodge.'
Naturally, escaping the satellite-sized range of the God Destruction Cannon was difficult even for Tyrant Gods who possessed attack power above Creator Gods, especially with spatial movement sealed. But it was not impossible.
'Since the concept of annihilation for the Divine Realm Guardian Gods has been converted to death, they can simply tank it with their bodies.'
The Dimensional Mage God had thrown away the free victory he had obtained by avoiding an all-out war with the Creator Lords of the 499th Master Universe waiting behind him. The sight of him abandoning his advantageous position to charge forward filled them with both admiration and fury.
'Just how much does he look down on the 500th Master Universe to transform into an incomplete Substitute God and charge like this?'
'If this is the perspective of the gods of the 499th Master Universe, then there can be no fair deal.'
'We need a show of force powerful enough to deliver a strong shock that they are absolutely not to be underestimated.'
With cold eyes, they rechecked the colossal planet-shaped enemies rushing toward them at ultra-high speeds while firing God Destruction Cannons that were dangerous but not yet fatal.
'Against those things, even a safe retreat is impossible.'
'That ultra-high speed ability and wide-area divine power cannon clearly hold the advantage over us.'
'If we ignore the attacks and move our bodies to a region where spatial movement is possible, we will undoubtedly suffer enormous damage.'
'Even if it means revealing some of the Tyrant Gods’ unique authorities, we must settle this here.'
In a situation where they had already conceded victory and were about to leave, the absurdity of being stabbed in the back slowly eroded their emotions and caused them to lose their composure. No—composure had never suited the Tyrant Gods in the first place. Their true nature was to slaughter and annihilate enemies with endless, blazing fighting spirit.
“What a truly admirable enemy. And what fighting spirit and killing intent—far worse than most demon races. I almost want our war gods to learn from him.”
“Are you saying you have no interest in the victory we conceded? Do you desire death that much?”
“Or are you desperately struggling to survive?”
“Do you truly believe that is possible? Do you believe you can obtain both the victory and survival you desire? Against us Tyrant Gods, for whom fighting and defeating enemies in war is everything? With that trivial magic and the title you received from him?”
Riiiiiiip—!
Riiiiiiip—!
They tore off and discarded what little clothing remained on their bodies. All that covered them now were tiny scraps of golden fabric barely concealing their most private parts. Countless gruesome scars covered their entire bodies like tattoos, regardless of gender.
And from those scars, light burst forth.
Thuuuuuuuuuuung—!
Oooooooooooooong—!
Their bodies, now enveloped in brilliant light as if a butterfly were emerging from its cocoon, were revealed. All scars had vanished, and the boundary between physical body and spiritual body grew blurred.
They still dodged the Substitute Gods’ God Destruction Cannons in the same manner, but their speed was on an entirely different level. They evaded the satellite-sized range of the God Destruction Cannons with such ease it looked like spatial movement, slipping through at ultra-high speeds. The previous desperate dodging that accepted damage was gone entirely.
Even the incoming Dimensional Divine Annihilation Cannons were completely avoided thanks to their improved speed and reaction.
The speed of a purely physical body had limits, though it was sturdy. For a spiritual body, movement was simply a matter of will, but it was weaker than a physical body. They had created a midpoint between the two—maintaining a physical body while extracting and implementing only its advantages.
The Tyrant Gods, now transformed entirely into masses of light, shouted in unison.
“We shall show you what true full-power divine power deployment really looks like.”