Equal Might and Cataclysmic Self-Destruction
In the Spirit Realm war, the raw physical power displayed by the liberated Creator God of the Substitute Gods and the bodily might exhibited by the successor of the Creator God King unleashing his full strength were perfectly equal. The successor’s muscles screamed in protest as they swelled, contracted, and spasmed, trying to shove back the satellite-sized fist. Yet they slowly pressed forward. Crack! Crack!
Even while his body shrieked in agony, the successor’s mind continued its endless battlefield analysis, swirling with shock and complexity. ‘The Substitute Gods’ abilities I managed to glimpse through direct contact are indeed more than ten times stronger than those of ordinary gods. A Substitute God who only incompletely possesses Creator God divinity is matching the Creator God King’s successor, who was specifically forged as a combat deity.’
On top of that, the colossal planetary body and raw strength gave him absolute confidence that he would never lose to the Demon Race Emperor—yet now he could not think of any way to win. ‘Incredible physical durability—! Normally, full-power divine energy deployment from the Creator God King would disintegrate any ordinary god’s body on contact, yet there isn’t even a hint of damage. Moreover, it’s receiving my full power evenly. So this is a Substitute God—! And not even one of their Creator God Kings, but merely one of countless ordinary Creator Gods. Is this the kind of enemy we must fight?’
The prospect was so bleak it bordered on despair. ‘As far as I know, the Substitute Gods possess at least tens of billions of Creator Gods.’ That was the result of enduring a subordinate war against them for five hundred billion years—an unfathomable span even for gods. Countless Creator Gods had been defeated by the Substitute Gods and converted into their own. The fiercer the resistance from the Master Universe’s gods, the stronger the Substitute Gods grew.
Yet the Creator God King and his successor were existences on a completely different level from ordinary Creator Gods. They stood at the pinnacle of all divine evolution and were half Eternal Beings. The fact that an ordinary Substitute God’s body could match a half-Eternal Creator God King proved that most Creator Gods could not possibly contend with them. ‘If tens of billions of opponents I can barely defeat swarm me at once, every god in the Master Universe will be annihilated in an instant.’
This war persisted solely because of his whims, and the Substitute Gods served as his vanguard. Simply surviving for a billion years while fiercely battling such enemies earned the gods of the 499th Master Universe his genuine respect. However, that respect was misplaced.
The Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe maintained rigid expressions as they urgently discussed countermeasures.
“Even the liberated Creator God that the Dimensional Mage God has become possesses far greater power than an ordinary Substitute God Creator. Is this an individual anomaly? Or has the entire race evolved?”
“Did the strengthening of the Substitute Gods’ Main Gods cause their Creator Gods to grow stronger as well?”
“At least twice as strong. The moment of liberation triggered an explosive increase in physical strength and durability.”
“Then ordinary authorities are simply absorbed, and only transcendent authorities can inflict damage? And if even that recovers instantly, how are we supposed to win?”
The Creator Gods’ faces hardened like stone.
‘What makes the Substitute Gods terrifying isn’t just their authorities that erase divine power. Their greatest threat is the planetary-scale bodies and defensive power based on physical durability that surpasses even the gods.’
‘Considering the successor of the Creator God King’s full-power deployment couldn’t even scratch that body, and the force needed to pulverize a mass comparable to a Creator God’s divinity… subjugations that once required around ten of us will now need an extra digit.’
The only visible path was the same as the first certification battle against the Substitute Gods—endlessly bombarding them with transcendent authorities until they exceeded the limits of their recovery. The nightmare from a billion years ago resurfaced, when countless Creator Gods had overused their authorities trying to breach the Substitute Gods’ defenses, only to suffer tragic ruptures in their circles of divine power and vanish. Back then, every Creator God without ‘infinite’ divine power had perished in battle. It was bad enough that they had renamed the Demon Race as the Demon God Race and formed an alliance just to resist. They had been unable to overcome that absurd defense.
Only now, with the Creator Gods’ infinite divine power forming the basis of defense and the Demon God Emperor’s infinite demonic power forming the basis of attack, had they finally gained the upper hand against the Substitute Gods. That was how they had even earned the luxury of expanding their territory. Yet now the Substitute Gods had grown so strong that even those possessing ‘infinite’ divine power felt a crisis.
‘Only infinite consecutive fire of transcendent authorities can defeat the liberated Creator God that the Dimensional Mage God has become. Nothing else can destroy a body with such transcendent durability and size.’
They could only fall into stunned silence at the conclusion. ‘The Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe have only just become capable of consecutive transcendent authority fire.’‘We were confident that alone would let us overwhelm the Creator God Kings of other Master Universes and maintain superiority against the Substitute Gods.’‘Yet infinite consecutive fire? That’s asking far too much.’
Even among the Highest Creator Gods, few had reached that realm. One Creator God let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha—! At this point, we can’t even say for sure that the Demon God Emperor’s transcendent authorities specialized against the Substitute Gods will kill them. Is the only thing left to believe in the joint ultimate technique of gods and demons, Ayuta?”
“You mean the joint suicide technique Ayuta? Who’s going to use that?”
“We don’t have the luxury of refusing. If we’re going to be annihilated anyway, we might as well use it and die.”
“Damn it—! We’ve reached the rank of Creator God, yet we have to resort to suicidal charges? In other Master Universes, the higher-ups just clear their throats from the rear and everything runs smoothly. This is unbearable. If not for the Divine Realm’s support, I’d quit right now.”
“I agree. Still, we have no way to rebuild a foundation like this in some backward universe, so we have no choice but to keep going.”
The Creator Gods’ faces grew endlessly darker as they recalled how the Almighty Hwi—who had learned the protagonist’s secrets and gained an immortal body surpassing even Creator Gods—and the Sage of Omniscience had landed a perfect hit with Ayuta only to be reduced to a mangled state by the recoil.
With an earth-shattering boom, the successor sent the liberated arm of the Substitute Creator God flying backward. In the end, the successor of the Creator God King, who had raised his physical reinforcement to the limit, had overpowered the Substitute Creator God.
‘No matter how you look at it, he was clearly a combat-specialized successor of the Creator God King created for this exact purpose.’
‘An ordinary Creator God could never do that.’
This was the 500th Master Universe’s special contingency plan, created to oppose the Substitute Gods and him. He was quite literally a god of war whose every ounce of divine power had been tuned for combat. Even while fighting, the speed at which he improved his abilities was dazzling. In a pure one-on-one duel, he was a monster capable of simultaneously crushing the third-ranked Preliminary Creator God—who surpassed even the Dimensional Mage God—and the defensive divine realm with a single charge.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
Even the body that surpassed a massive planet shook, unable to withstand the impact of the satellite-sized fist. Yet while the successor’s expression filled with ecstasy at exceeding the Substitute Creator God’s physical limits, the Dimensional Mage God—who was indirectly controlling the liberated body through magic and willpower—remained calm.
‘This was the expected outcome.’
Because he was controlling it indirectly through ‘automatic thought,’ his reaction speed was catastrophic. The dissonance between body and mind was severe, preventing him from exerting continuous power. At this rate, no matter how strong the body was, he was no more than a puppet controlled by a thin thread that could snap at any moment.
‘Since I failed to end it with the first strike, there is no way to defeat the successor of the Creator God King in close combat.’
Besides, a mage’s aura was ultimately just auxiliary. It could not compare to the formal auras used by combat specialists. The gap was impossible to close against beings who had reached the extreme.
‘Tsk—! As expected, a body reinforced by Wizard Ora cannot compare to one reinforced by normal aura. The instantaneous limits they can exert are simply too different.’
‘Any other plans? Self-destruct requires another thirty seconds of preparation.’
The automatic thought of the Substitute God body spoke curtly, as if scolding him for trying to use it as a mere assistant. The Dimensional Mage God reflexively flared up and shot back. He knew that being scolded by an automatic thought created from his own foundation was like spitting on his own face, but he could not simply endure it.
‘Haven’t the Substitute Gods fought the successors of the Creator God King countless times? How would I know when this is my first time facing them?’
‘No access to infinite memory space because this is not a normal manufacturing process. Tribal support is also impossible. Combat experience is identical to yours. As a result, less than one-tenth of original power can be displayed.’
‘Is this my fault too? Who asked to become a Substitute God? Then give me back my body—! In this state I can only use magic outside the magic circles engraved on the body’s surface—! If I can only use magic outside the magic circles, I too can only exert one-tenth of my power. I finally obtained a Substitute God body, yet this is humiliating!’
‘Impossible. Functions are restricted because this is not a normal manufacturing process. Remanufacturing is required.’
‘Damn it—! You want me to become a Substitute God twice? You call that a suggestion? Kk—! Damn it, is it starting?’
Oooooooooong—!
The Substitute God’s colossal body shook violently. The power carried in the successor’s comparatively tiny fist was striking directly at the core. Every impact was absorbed by the body, but the residual force still rattled it.
Kuuuuuuuung—! Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
‘This is ridiculous—! An attack on a body in full divine energy deployment should pulverize an ordinary planet instantly. Yet there isn’t even a wound, only impact? How the hell do I kill this thing?’
The successor of the Creator God King pouring out attacks was equally bewildered by the absurd defensive power that rendered everything ineffective. What bewildered him even more was that this was his full-power assault.
‘The exterior seems unharmed, but there must be some internal damage. Even that appears to be recovering instantly.’
With this level of physical durability and a recovery ability that would shock even the gods, no ordinary attack would have any effect.
‘In the end, I have no choice but to concentrate all divine power and authorities to pierce through. But first I must restrain it to buy preparation time. I’ll start by severing the limbs—!’
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang—!
Twenty-six pairs of wings of light and one additional pair merged into a single colossal sword of light. The sword of light unique to the gods, manifested by concentrating divine power, appeared at a size capable of slicing apart an entire star system. A blade far larger than the planetary-scale Substitute God had been materialized in outer space.
Originally, such an act would have been impossible due to the enormous consumption of divine power and vitality. However, the entire Divine Realm and all gods of the 500th Master Universe were pouring in total support due to the crisis facing every god. Its power surpassed imagination, yet attacking the main body seemed unlikely to work against the overlapping defensive authorities. Therefore, he had maximized its cutting power and aimed for the arms and legs. The plan was to sever the most obvious offensive limbs first, then aim for the decisive strike.
And that intention was read instantly.
‘Danger—! Confirmed attack specialized in cutting with over one trillion concentrated divine power—! At current divine power levels, defense is impossible except at the main body’s vital points—! Evasion also impossible due to reduced bodily reaction speed from computational deficiency and indirect control—!’
‘I know—! So shut up—!’
The Dimensional Mage God urgently manipulated the body to move its arms and legs. The successor laughed coldly at the seemingly panicked movements and swung the sword of light with both hands, aiming to sever the right arm. The reaction speed and response were pathetic, like a baby with an adult’s body. As expected, parts other than the main body—where vital points were concentrated—were relatively weak.
‘If it’s this blade with cutting power pushed to the extreme from the gods’ basic sword of light, it should be able to sever an arm or leg.’
Transcendent authorities were powerful but required activation time. If he could cut off all the limbs, he would buy enough time to land them. Moreover, as if helping the enemy, the body foolishly raised its right arm to block the sword of light. He accelerated to slice the arm in two.
His expectation of dealing even greater damage than anticipated was shattered instantly.
“A mere human-born god dares possess power and a body beyond his station. I’ll make you pay the price—! Huh? Y-you—! What are you doing?”
Kuuuuuuuuu—! Crack! Crack!
The sword of light that should have bisected the arm stopped dead right in front of the Substitute Creator God’s raised right arm. A small, brilliantly shining jewel floated just above the absurdly massive palm. He already knew that hundreds of Origin spirits from the 500th Master Universe’s major races were trapped inside that jewel.
It was the horrifying prison called Divine Spirit Purgatory that bound divine spirits.
‘Origins are noble beings—the very source of a divine tribe and the proof of their authorities. Although they have grown pathetically weak due to long-term peace, they are the subjects that manifest authorities and representatives of their tribes. Incredibly precious. Yet he’s using them as a shield?’
Antagonizing an Origin meant turning the entire tribe of hundreds of millions of gods into enemies. Yet he had never imagined the man would not only kill hundreds of them but also use them as a means to block attacks.
“Wh-what is this? Light God, what is this despicable act—!”
“Vrrrr—! Vrrrrrrrr—!”
‘Call it a shield or a hostage, I don’t care. Pathetic as it looks, these are still Origins—the source of the gods’ authorities. The successor of the Creator God King may be at war, but if he personally executes them, the aftermath will be quite entertaining, won’t it? If you want to abandon the support of most gods, go right ahead.’
He could not understand the exact words, but he knew without a doubt that he was being mocked. If he simply thrust the trembling sword of light forward, he could turn that mockery into a scream. But no matter how incompetent they were, they were still the Origins of the gods. He could not simultaneously execute hundreds of them. That would throw the entire Divine Realm into chaos.
Suppressing the urge to tear the sword of light into pieces and pulverize everything, he shouted.
“Why would a powerhouse like you resort to such a despicable act? Do the Light Gods of the 499th Master Universe have no honor? With the support of the Divine Realm, you must be a Main God of some realm. Are you not ashamed in front of the countless gods who follow you and pledge their loyalty?”
“Vrrrrrrrrrrrr—! Vrrrrrr—! Vrrrrrrrrrrrr—!”
‘Honor? Loyalty? I’m a lowly human-born mercenary god with no foundation, so I wouldn’t know anything about that. Subordinates who follow me? Where would a mercenary god have those? Gods who pledge loyalty? What would that even mean to a lowly human-born god? It’s fortunate if they don’t rebel. I don’t expect such dreamlike things, so please just do your basic Divine Realm duties properly. Still, when doing something like this, there’s no need to worry about appearances, so it feels incredibly refreshing. However, as the noble successor of the Creator God King, you will pay the price for tolerating those incompetent Origins while worrying about how others see you. Now then—! It’s time for self-destruction.’
‘Preparation complete. Initiating self-destruct.’
‘I’ve waited far too long. Everyone who spoke freely and interfered without knowing anything about me, die. Even if every pure-blooded god here dies, the label of lowly human-born god will never disappear. But all of you arrogant beings who directly insulted me in front of my face shall be annihilated—!’
Crackle—! Crunch—!
The body of the Substitute Creator God began emitting light and disintegrating. It was the precursor to a massive explosion. The successor, sensing a crisis that seemed to pierce his entire being, ignored the lives of the Origins and urgently tried to swing his sword. But it was too late.
Flash—!
Booooooooooom—!
Along with the recognition of the explosion, the successor’s figure vanished instantly, swallowed by light. The same fate befell the Tyrant God and the Divine Realm Guardian Gods who had remained on the battlefield. The self-destruct light that had swallowed all the main forces of the 500th Master Universe grew even more ferocious.
Along with light of such tremendous radiance that it seemed it would scorch even the eyes of the gods, destruction carrying heat and pressure thousands of times higher than the sun evaporated the entire star system and shook the entire local universe.
Gooooooooooooooooooooong—!
The self-destruction of the Substitute Creator God possessed power beyond even a chain of stellar explosions. Its area of effect expanded exponentially. Every material within it evaporated, leaving only a space of raging destruction with pressure and heat capable of pulverizing even spiritual bodies.