Excuses Are Useless Before Defeat

“All families have been defeated now, so everything is merely an excuse. Before a reality that has already been decided, such things hold no value whatsoever. Hehe—! The moment we, as Origins of the divine race, avoided the battlefield, our fate was sealed just like this.”

“Is this the self-destruction of the Origin—the king who leads the divine race—after choosing comfortable politics over the hardship of true strength?”

“Is this the end result of disguising his own weakness behind the mere authority of being the origin of power? Even if not today, the moment battle broke out with him, we were destined to be the first sacrifices. Along with our entire clan, all to supply vitality to the Tyrant Gods and the Divine Realm Guardian Gods.”

“Hehehehe. Perhaps this is for the best? We still have a hundred million years. Even if we ourselves give up, our clan has the strength to begin anew.”

The words of the ancient Origins drew immediate backlash from those around them.

“Must we truly hand the Origin’s authority to our successors and begin again as mere divine spirits?”

“Are we to become lowly mercenary gods?”

“Wasn’t that the only solution for the direct-line descendants who once obstructed the clan’s prosperity? The direct descendants killed by the demon race were left in their divine spirit state as failures because restoring them would have wasted too much vitality. They were driven into the 499th Master Universe. Even in our current position, I would rather not witness the ugly sight of us becoming endlessly lenient simply ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because it is our own situation. Still, was I not the strongest existence in the clan? That is why I became an Origin.”

“Have you no confidence? Those direct descendants we discarded have become the highest Main Gods of the 499th Master Universe and now fight on equal footing with Creator Gods bearing that mighty title.”

“However….”

They had been competent as politicians of the Integrated Divine Realm, yet utterly incompetent as kings of the divine race. Only now did they realize how far short they fell from the standard of ‘God King.’ Especially in this brutal battlefield where extreme authorities and destructive power ran rampant, their inadequacy was fatal. Yet in the past, their abilities as combat gods had yielded to no one.

The strength of their direct descendants—who had inherited their authorities and bodies, clashed desperately with the demon race, and held the front lines—was in no way inferior to the Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe.

The Tyrant Gods and Divine Realm Guardian Gods were also core forces of the divine realm, but with sufficient vitality supplied, they could stand as equals. That confidence was what allowed them to voice opposition even to the Creator General.

‘Over there, I see the direct descendants who became highest Main Gods serving as divine realm Main Gods on a Main God Star possessing a hundred times the vitality of an ordinary planet. If they could do it, so can I.’

Yet the burden of losing everything they possessed due to a single momentary mistake and having to start over from the beginning was crushing. So they could only remain silent. The period of grace had no choice but to shatter.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The Divine Spirit Purgatory itself began to tremble as though it would collapse. The authorities being forcibly operated were now being pushed to their absolute limits. The Magic God of Dimensions invoked his power with the sensation of vomiting blood rather than merely squeezing it out.

Uuuuuuuuuuuung—! Uuuuuuuuuuuung—!

The absolute-grade Karma Contract, which had once been nothing more than a jewel, was now visible even from within. To be caught by it meant instantly turning into a bug and falling to the Wind Star—the infamous Eternal Judgment from which only a handful had ever escaped. Everyone had claimed ignorance, but at minimum they understood the danger.

‘Beyond the spatial gate that has now expanded to satellite size behind the contract, his Wind Star is visible.’

‘Every single bug there is at least Creator God level, and there are so many that they cannot be counted.’

‘Even if we support the Magic God of Dimensions, we can never win. I cannot understand why he keeps throwing himself into battles he cannot possibly win. He hurls himself into fights that we politicians would never participate in.’

The dimensional gate they had opened to the Otherworld in an attempt to flee had been closed by their own will, and they poured every ounce of power into their resisting authorities. Yet the outcome remained unchanged.

‘We are not foolish enough to charge into a reckless battle with no chance of victory.’

Even if the Magic God of Dimensions avoided becoming a bug and being dragged along, the situation would stay the same. Having become a disgrace to their clan, even as Origins they would inevitably be imprisoned in the central core of the divine realm—something nearly identical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to this Divine Spirit Purgatory.

Then the voice of the Dimension’s Pope, who had somehow seemed favorably disposed until now, rang out once more.

“The persuasion is complete, my God.”

“What persuasion? I don’t see a single god willing to join the battle.”

It was not only the Magic God of Dimensions who found it absurd. Every god inside the Divine Spirit Purgatory listening to those words felt the same. However, after a long, unnecessary sigh, their eyes could not help but gleam at what came next.

“Haaaaah. My God. True persuasion must allow the listener to realize accurate reality and provide an opportunity to seize the future they desire. That is both the foundation and the entirety of persuasion. Persuasion that cannot furnish opportunity is hollow. And you, the Main God of the great Dimension Divine Realm, are fully capable of providing any opportunity you wish. Please awaken to your position at once. The Dimension Creator Divinity that has now been upgraded stands above the highest Creator Divinity. A Main God Star can nurture one trillion sentient beings—one hundred times that of an ordinary planet—while a Creator Divinity exceeds one hundred trillion. Then how many sentient beings can a Dimension Planet, which surpasses even the highest Creator Divinity, support?”

The Magic God of Dimensions hurriedly calculated the sudden question. Truthfully, he had only handled their ascension and secured the divine realm’s authority support; he had shown no interest in the actual scale.

‘According to divine race hierarchy, a Main God possesses over one billion. A Creator God is recognized only above one hundred billion—one hundred times that of a Main God. A Creator General begins at one trillion. The scale of managed sentient beings is precisely one thousand times that figure again. Thus, if a general Creator God’s divine power is one hundred billion, the corresponding sentient beings number one hundred trillion.’

Of course, only the Main God Stars and Creator God Stars created by the Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe could sustain such numbers, so most divided their territories into regional or small-sector universes. Naturally, the efficiency of a single planet whose vitality rivaled an entire regional universe was on a completely different level.

Yet a highest Creator Divinity was a star-system-scale planet possessed only by those Creator Gods at the Creator General level with divine power exceeding one trillion even in the 499th Master Universe. The number of sentient beings the Dimension Creator Divinity could nurture was, even by rough calculation, absurd on the scale of the entire Master Universe.

“The basic divine power of a highest Creator God is five hundred billion. Therefore a highest Creator Divinity exceeds five hundred trillion, but the Dimension Creator Divinity that surpasses even that can accommodate nearly one thousand trillion sentient beings. You now stand as the Main God of a great divine realm on the scale of a Grand Universe that will one day oversee one thousand trillion sentient beings. At this level, there is no shame whatsoever in declaring yourself not a God King but a God Emperor. Therefore, as Emperor of the divine race, proclaim to the God Kings who have realized reality. Declare that you will divide all of this fairly among the God Kings who have accumulated merit and demonstrated loyalty. That alone will be sufficient for those who wish to become God Kings once more. Persuasion is no longer necessary.”

At the Dimension Pope’s decisive statement, the Magic God of Dimensions sent his intentions in a rush. This was outright fraud.

‘Those are maximum figures, but we don’t even have one trillion ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right now. When the hell are we supposed to reach one thousand trillion? What exactly are you trying to pull—!’

‘There is no falsehood. Even if they learn the truth, they will not care. A king is a being who continuously creates hope for the sake of his ideals. It is enough that you, the great God Emperor, have granted them the opportunity to realize that hope. Even if they fail along the way, that is simply their own incompetence.’

‘Who are you calling a great God Emperor? In the 499th Master Universe we still don’t even have one trillion sentient beings. Such nonsense would earn only ridicule. But they’ve clearly taken the bait.’

The reactions of the gods inside the Divine Spirit Purgatory were shifting dramatically. At the number of one thousand trillion, the minds of the Origins and Creator Gods from the 500th Master Universe seemed to freeze for an instant.

‘The total vitality of the comprehensive divine realm of the 500th Master Universe barely exceeds two thousand trillion.’

‘Yet they claim the highest Creator Divinity held by a mere Creator Candidate is half that level.’

‘This is an insane figure even for the 499th Master Universe that operates Main God Stars and Creator God Stars.’

‘Of course, they only did this madness because of the creation of the Main God Star.’

The two hundred and fifty trillion vitality lost when the Origins died here exceeded ten percent, but if a single planet could sustain one thousand trillion basic sentient beings, then with time and effort it was a quantity that could be extracted. They could replenish and recover all current losses.

However, the vitality drawn from sentient beings within the Creator God Star of the 499th Master Universe still weighed on their minds. Then the decisive words fell.

“And have you not also obtained the authority to create Main God Stars? If you bestow an independent planet upon the God King who rendered the decisive service, everything will be resolved.”

‘The authority to create Main God Stars—!’

It was the great authority of creation that the Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe had begged and even frenzied to obtain, only to be coldly rejected with the words ‘You possess neither the ability nor the qualification.’

‘The Magic God of Dimensions has obtained the right to create Main God Stars?’

‘How, when he is not even a Creator God?’

Merely obtaining the authority to create Main God Stars could elevate them from a major divine race to the supreme ruling species in a single bound.

Desire and hope mingled together, slowly igniting the eyes of the gods trapped within the Divine Spirit Purgatory.

Feeling their reaction, the Magic God of Dimensions—who was trembling violently while operating his dimensional authority at maximum capacity—nodded with great effort and spoke in the language of the gods.

“I will fairly distribute all the vitality of the Dimension Creator Divinity to those who devote themselves to the divine realm and accumulate merit. Furthermore, I promise to grant a ‘Main God Star’ as an independent planet to those who render reasonable and decisive service. I swear this upon a Karma Contract. As collateral… damn it! Is there truly nothing left I can stake? Then I offer all the ‘Absolute Good’ karma I have accumulated until now. I request brief mediation.”

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiing—!

A Karma Contract radiating brilliant golden light—though weaker than the absolute-grade version that approached to turn contractors of substandard results into bugs—floated above the Magic God of Dimensions’ head.

For a moment the absolute-grade Karma Contract halted and exchanged intentions with the golden one. Under normal circumstances it would have been ignored, but a contract staking karma that approached ‘Absolute Good’ carried genuine weight.

With the momentary reprieve, the Magic God of Dimensions reversed time even further and roared.

If he missed this chance, it would truly be over. The greatest weakness of a dark mage was the excessive time required for chanting and preparation. Yet he had obtained this opportunity by staking every last bit of karma accumulated through countless near-death ordeals.

“And it is first come, first served—! Weaklings who cannot even seize this miraculous opportunity because of hesitation are not needed. Now—! Seize with your own hands the chance to become God Kings once more. Six-circle and above, infinite ‘Advent of the Root School!’”

Papapapa—!

Two hundred figures materialized throughout the universe. Their appearance was that of a magician possessing thirteen pairs of golden wings—identical to the Magic God of Dimensions himself.

Looking at the figures that were not merely similar but exactly like himself, the Magic God of Dimensions bit his lip until it bled and poured the blood into them.

Puhuhuhuhu—!

The blood mist that spread like fog enveloped them and was slowly absorbed. Only then did he fling open the Divine Spirit Purgatory.

Now that the divine spirits understood they had no room to flee, there was no need to keep them bound. More accurately, he had never intended to drag those who would run into an all-out war in the first place.

Both they and he now had no choice but to fight with their backs to the cliff’s edge.

“In place of the body I annihilated, I grant you all bodies equivalent to a Creator General by your standards. Use them to join the battle. There is more than enough vitality required for combat. Now prove your worth by accumulating merit.”

Dudududu—!

The thousands of divine spirits trapped inside the Divine Spirit Purgatory burst out simultaneously. They thrust their own spirits into the empty bodies that had lost their original owners. The goal was to seize control of the bodies first. It made no difference whether they had been Origins or Creator Gods. There were only two hundred empty bodies, yet nearly three thousand spirits had gathered.

Yet no collision occurred between the divine spirits that had burrowed inside. Astonishingly, these bodies possessed enough capacity to accommodate dozens of Origin and Creator God spirits with room to spare.

‘Now I finally understand why the Magic God of Dimensions was so powerful.’

‘He possessed computational power dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary divine race!’

Naturally, the Origins possessing the strongest authorities seized control and stabilized the bodies. The light wings of the two hundred hastily assembled copies of the Magic God of Dimensions began to shine as they synchronized with the divine spirits.

Paaaaaaaah—!

The Magic God of Dimensions floating at the center raised both hands and began to chant while locking onto the Wind Star. The two hundred copies mirrored the motion exactly, raising their hands in unison. As though conducting an orchestra, he exercised his magic.

“Everyone, shout it—! Gigantic Meteor!”

Papapapapapapapapa—!

Along with the chant shouted simultaneously by the two hundred magicians, countless planets materialized in space and vanished instantly. Their number surpassed two hundred thousand, and the planets launched through magic were endlessly recreated by dimensional authority.

The target was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wind Star. Destructive attacks that bypassed almost all defenses by teleporting directly inside the planets poured down. The quantity and authority were so overwhelming that the cognitive domains of every being watching the war—except the Creators themselves—were completely filled with dimensionally shifting planets.

Papapa! Uuuuuuuuuuuung!

All the life forms that had risen like clouds from the Wind Star, aiming for the title of Origin and the dimensional authority, could be seen urgently intercepting as hundreds of thousands of super-giant planets—each dozens of times larger than an ordinary planet—attacked through dimensional movement.

Urrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!

For an instant, countless explosions and flashes of light shook the Wind Star. The life forms, terrified that the ordinary planet would explode from the mere impact, erected tens of thousands of defensive barriers. The planet itself was still pushed backward and sent flying.

This was the full-powered planetary destruction unleashed by two hundred and one copies of the Magic God of Dimensions, each capable of chanting two thousand nine-circle spells simultaneously.

Gazing at the Wind Star being hurled away, the Magic God of Dimensions—his face alight with ecstasy—shouted.

“As expected, pure physical attacks that exceed the limits—rather than the authorities or divine power of spiritual beings—work even against the life forms of the Wind Star! Go! Annihilation World!”