The Black Flame Prodigy
The reason the Magic God of Dimensions could not challenge the final opponent of the Eternal Judgment—the infant of the Black Flame Race, the true purpose of the Spirit Realm War—despite having it in his grasp was simple.
'I mistook it for an ordinary newborn. It possesses one trillion innate divine power and wields the full Authority of Black Flame. And it does so as naturally as breathing? With a body that one hundred billion divine power can't even scratch and perfect Black Flame Authority, how the hell am I supposed to win?'
The detailed analysis conducted before fighting the Black Flame infant had been utterly shocking.
'Right now, I have zero chance of victory.'
The infant's raw physical ability already exceeded one trillion. Though its surface-level destructive power appeared weaker than that of the dogs on Wind Star, the real problem was that it operated almost entirely on pure instinct with virtually no reason.
The Authority of Black Flame was most strongly influenced by Fighting Spirit and killing intent—in other words, instinct and intuition.
'In terms of pure Black Flame Authority, no being is more complete than an infant of the Black Flame Race.'
Moreover, because this was not an artificially grown Black Flame clansman but a pure-blooded one born naturally among them, its reactions in a crisis were completely unpredictable.
If it sensed even the slightest threat, it would likely use Exploding Blood—the strongest physical enhancement authority—as naturally as breathing, then charge forward while perfectly activating Always Coin Heads, which was fatal to a sage-type like himself.
Of course, to a normal Black Flame clansman with over ten trillion divine power, this would be nothing more than a baby's tantrum. But to someone with only one hundred billion, even a single hit meant death. That fact remained unchanged.
Furthermore, since it was still a pure infant and a pure-blooded member of the Black Flame Race, it had no distracting thoughts. Its authority manifestation would therefore be flawless, without the slightest error—just like the current Black Flame Absolute.
While its power could not compare to the Black Flame Absolute, an attack from an infant with over one trillion divine power that perfectly executed Always Coin Heads would strike its target without fail.
To the current him, who had only secured one hundred billion innate divine power, it was an insurmountable mountain.
And that was not the only reason he could not lay a hand on it directly.
'In conclusion, I absolutely cannot win, and I cannot even make direct contact with hostile intent. It is protected by a stealth authority above the absolute level. The moment the infant takes damage, several times the force will rebound. Did Truth arrange this? Or was it one of the other 10 Mainstays—Gold? Or Daeshin? To directly protect the Black Flame Race living on Wind Star like this? No matter how much they are the clan of one of the 10 Centers of the Absolute Realm, isn't this going too far?'
Even without that protective authority, this monstrous infant repelled every trace of his magic power and authority using its trillion-plus divine power body and senses. And it was instinctively analyzing and staring at him with terrifying accuracy.
'I have no idea what will happen if I provoke it.'
Though it looked adorable, there was no more horrifying opponent for someone like him who used sage-type authorities.
'Tricks, illusions, reality negation defense—none of it works. A high-circle warrior who pours direct strikes into the main body. There is no greater nightmare for a dark mage.'
What twisted his guts even more was that this being had received such power without any price, simply by being born precious, and was under thorough protection.
'Ugh...! I was also a prince of the Magic Empire in my human days, and the strongest 7-circle Transcendent among sentient beings. But I really had the worst luck. Because I ran my mouth carelessly in front of Truth, I never once enjoyed comfort. I fought endlessly, scraping together rewards smaller than a rat's tail, and only reached this point through that.'
There was no way he could feel nothing when someone else enjoyed privileges he could never obtain.
'Ugh—! As expected, I hate kids. Especially young masters. Especially the overprotected brats from distinguished families. Touch them and it's exhausting. Make them cry and there's no solution. How do I solve this problem? In the end, as always, I have no choice but to steel myself for sacrifice and destroy the most problematic part.'
The moment he made his combat decision while pondering, a throbbing pain rose from his heart, and black flame-like fighting spirit surged up on its own.
'An unpleasant emotion surges automatically at matters of the body that occur outside my will.'
This happened the instant he searched for an opponent among the Black Flame Race and identified a specific target.
'You don't have to tell me. I already know I can win, so there's no need to warn me. I can figure out why with my dimensional analysis ability, so stop being so noisy. You don't have to rush me. I will fight. I just need to wait a little longer and create the right conditions.'
Even as he spoke to himself as if issuing a warning, the Magic God of Dimensions refused to move. Then, contrary to the computational power concentrated in his head, the Black Flame Authority he had poured into his heart—the part best suited for triggering Exploding Blood—began to rage and surge upward.
'The combat senses and instincts honed over twenty thousand years have met the Black Flame Authority and awakened an absolute authority.'
The Magic God of Dimensions had also realized the absolute authority of intuition to some degree. Though calling it an authority felt almost embarrassing, it had developed uniquely by merging with his own dark magic.
'An independent basic ego has been born within the Black Flame Authority responsible for physical enhancement.'
This was the result of separating and absorbing the Black Flame Authority to avoid interfering with his computational ability. It was only at the level of reflexive nerves that could not distinguish between gain and loss and simply tried to move the body according to instinct.
However, when he rejected that instinct like now, it led to the troublesome situation of the authority forcibly seizing control of his body.
'Black Flame Authority ego? Are you challenging me? How dare you, a mere byproduct born from the knowledge and information obtained from my dimensional authority? And why do you crave blood and battle so much as the crystallization of fighting spirit and killing intent? Even if you don't want it, my life has always been that way, so stop—!'
But it did not listen. Instead, it accelerated even faster in defiance. Its sole purpose was clearly to seize control of his brain. That much was obvious without looking.
'If my head is taken over by the Black Flame Authority like this, I will immediately go berserk and charge at the weakest Black Flame clansman.'
But even the weakest had divine power exceeding two trillion. If he went berserk against such an opponent with only one hundred billion innate divine power, he would be finished instantly.
Yet even in this crisis, he could only laugh.
'Invading my ego? Hahahahaha—! A newborn instinct-like thing thinks it can do something to me with nothing but indirect experience? You, freshly born, think you can defeat me, who has survived countless battles in reality that would tear others apart? What a big dream—!'
Crackle—!
Inside his body, the Black Flame Authority with twenty-five billion divine power clashed with the seventy-five billion innate divine power authority, competing in will. Though there was a three-fold difference in divine power, the Black Flame Authority was naturally superior in raw strength. But his innate divine power gradually suppressed it.
The battle-lust shown by the Black Flame Authority's ego was like a child watching a play or movie about a hero after gaining information about the 'Dimension' and yearning for it. However, such yearning was nothing but a dream that would vanish the moment one directly experienced the hero's cruel past and treacherous path.
'The killing intent and fighting spirit of the Black Flame Authority's basic ego, which has never experienced real combat, may be high, but their purity is far too low. Therefore, they scatter like dust before my will and fighting spirit, forged through desperate battles in reality, and gather back into the heart.'
He could erase it completely, but then the hard-earned Black Flame vitality and authority might disappear entirely. That was why he always spoke to it in this soothing manner.
'You were just born and absorbed the dimensional ego, so your intuition is not pure. It is not the perfect intuition that considers both the surrounding environment and yourself like the Black Flame Absolute. The opponent you chose is the weakest among the Black Flame Race, but it could be the worst possible match for me. You must not charge in just because the opponent is weak. Above all, the Magic God decides victory through preparation before battle. The preparations are not yet complete. If the infant doesn't work, I must secure an opponent I can definitely defeat. I have a plan, so stay quiet.'
As he soothed it like calming an angry pet, the agitation finally subsided. This kind of coaxing was completely against his original nature, but since the effect on physical ability enhancement was so great, he could not discard it.
Over twenty thousand years, the Black Flame vitality he had accepted—limited to his body and heart, excluding his head—only amounted to twenty-five billion. Yet even that alone had secured him a level of physical strength on a completely different dimension from the past.
Even Hwi, who had learned the Black Flame Absolute's secrets and boasted physical abilities unmatched by his peers, would have to go all out to destroy the current him.
'The body is roughly sorted. Then shall I choose another opponent? It was prepared for the Black Flame Absolute anyway. Thanks to Wind Star of Black Flame, which rivals an entire main universe, I was able to complete it. I can finish off any member of the Black Flame Race. But the situation is bad. Their divine power and authority surpass the worst-case scenario. For those who value instinct and intuition, if my reality-negating dark magic is difficult to deal with, it is fatal to me. If I don't end it in one strike, I will definitely die. If I want to win properly, I too must choose my opponent carefully.'
In the end, what decided superiority for the Black Flame Race in battles against outsiders was Always Coin Heads. Without that authority, which had transformed intuition into an absolute power, even the physically powerful Black Flame Race could never find or attack him.
The absolute-level dimensional authority he had completed after twenty thousand years of accelerated-time battles against the creatures of Wind Star of Black Flame was powerful enough that even the Black Flame Absolute could not counterattack and had to block with full power. And although he had aimed for an opening, he had clearly pierced through the defense.
'That means if I seriously avoid or hide, it is impossible for the Black Flame Race to find me.'
However, against a pure aggregation of instinct like this infant, it did not work. Just as it was now, completely ignoring his dimensional barrier and illusion defenses and staring straight at him.
Therefore, he had no choice but to find another opponent. And he quickly found one.
Unlike the other Black Flame clansmen who glared at him for holding their infinitely precious infant, there was one who looked only at the Black Flame Absolute.
'Found you—! Heh heh—! Kkuk kuk kuk—! Of course there had to be one. No matter how overwhelmingly the Black Flame Race is dominated by the absolute power gap with the Black Flame Absolute, they are still sentient beings and a collective. And how fortunate. To think their ill feelings toward the Black Flame Absolute—who protects and represents them, whether they like it or not—are this strong, even more than toward their most important infant? Truly, this is the perfect opponent for me, who wields reality-negating dark magic.'
Once again, his heart throbbed. The Black Flame Authority ego in his heart was warning him. It said the opponent's power was among the highest and most dangerous within the Black Flame Race.
At least ten trillion or more. It was incomparably weaker than the Black Flame Absolute's one thousand trillion, but it was still considered top-tier among the Black Flame Race.
There were other Black Flame clansmen with two trillion divine power, yet he was trying to fight someone more than five times stronger. He sent his will to the Black Flame Authority that was trying to stop him, speaking as if whispering.
It caused him pain, but it was like it was genuinely worried about him. Having wandered the cruel battlefield alone without anyone worrying about him, this was an unfamiliar emotion.
'That's why I say you're still young. Anyway, the risk is almost the same no matter which Black Flame clansman I face. This opponent benefits me the most. Now then—! This is the beginning of the battle you so desired.'
However, the Black Flame Authority—the crystallization of instinct—and his reality-negating dark magic and dimensional power were nearly polar opposites. Victory would not be decided by the height of divine power. It would depend solely on who seized the more perfect opportunity.
Therefore, the odds of victory still lay with him.
'They have not even properly learned the Black Flame Authority granted by Truth, let alone developed it. But I have endlessly supplemented and evolved it. Above all, I know them well, but they know absolutely nothing about me. I will thoroughly teach them what happens to those who cannot feel fear or wariness toward the unknown and fail to prepare. Behold—the power of the Magic God of Dimensions in whom you reside—!'
When he spoke with such certainty, the throbbing in his heart finally stopped. It seemed to have been convinced in its own way, so he tried to proceed with the next action immediately.
At that moment, his heart jolted again as if startled. It had faintly sensed through intuition what action he was about to take and what result it would bring. Though weak, it was still reading the words of the terminal of that absolute intuitive authority quite well.
He was provoking an opponent that a sage-type must never touch.
The Black Flame Absolute's voice, filled with rage reaching its peak, rang out thunderously as he urgently hurled his body backward. It seemed all authorities shaken by the sudden surge in physical ability had returned to normal.
He had clearly sensed the opponent's movement before it even happened through intuition alone and moved first.
At that sight, the Magic God of Dimensions let out a sigh.
"Huu—! Did he read it? No. He felt it. The Black Flame Absolute who perfectly activates 'Always Coin Heads' is a monster that sage-types simply cannot deal with."
He had not understood why the pinnacle of rational thought—the Grey Absolute, who manifested perfect reality—had fought the Black Flame Race almost as mortal enemies. Now he finally understood.
The Black Flame Absolute could perceive everything about his opponent without any preparation or effort and prepare in the most efficient way. All the schemes a sage painstakingly prepared after considering the surrounding environment and every possibility were shattered like toys by the Black Flame, or reflexively countered on the spot.
Before such a Black Flame, every effort of a sage became useless and all preparatory planning worthless. There was no way one could endure that.
'Even I, facing him for just a moment, feel this boiling frustration. If he's like this while still immature, there will truly be no way to win once he becomes complete. Well, I probably won't have to fight him anyway, so I'll just do what I need to do. The investigation is over, but I need one final direct confirmation. Farewell. I hate noise, so let's never see each other again.'
With a light wave of his hand, he sent the infant he had temporarily isolated in the dimensional barrier flying forward at maximum speed through dimensional transition.
Whiiiiiiish—!
The Black Flame Absolute, who had entered a trajectory to catch the Black Flame infant shooting through the gap between space and dimension, let out a scream mixed with extreme fury that shook the dimensional barrier as if it would shatter.
"Did I provoke him too much? The noble and great one of the 10 Centers of the Absolute Realm is even calling out the name of a mere preliminary Creator God from the 499th Master Universe? But what can I do? This is the only method I have. Kuk kuk kuk kuk—!"
For a brief moment, regret washed over him for earning too much resentment from an opponent he could not handle, but at his current level, there was no other way. It had always been this kind of brutal battle, and that was why he had used any means necessary to win.
No, the more accurate description was that he had struggled with all his might simply to survive. That was why he had no choice but to calmly accept even the notoriety of being called the worst and most vicious Magic God.
Even in his own eyes, it was not something to be proud of but rather a shameful image of a battle maniac.
'But if I hadn't done so, I would already be dead, dragged here, and fallen into despair as a bug with no countermeasures. I have prepared this far and am right on the verge of passing through. Yet it feels like I'm digging an even deeper grave? A direct death sentence from the Black Flame Absolute, said to possess the strongest combat power in the Absolute Realm? Is this an honor? Or despair? But there is no other way right now, so it can't be helped. I am still far from becoming someone who can choose honorable means. Far too far. I wonder if I can even reach that point? Even after raising my abilities as quickly as possible through battle for twenty thousand years, this is the result.'
Watching the Black Flame Absolute hurl his body with full power to catch the Black Flame infant thrown by dimensional transition, he nodded.
'The Black Flame infant landed in the exact right position.'
The position where the Black Flame Absolute caught the infant was also perfectly according to calculation. Since everything was flowing as planned, he only needed to observe the reaction.
'I defeat an opponent who cannot possibly be overthrown by following a plan where everything has been prepared.'
This was precisely why he could not escape being a sage-type. It was also why he had diverted most of the easily strengthening Black Flame Authority elsewhere and absorbed only the minimum.
'In the end, the essence of my battle mania is that I am a Magic God.'
The thrill of battle and the joy of victory were certainly great. But what brought him the greatest ecstasy was endlessly preparing and training to defeat those stronger than himself. And it was even better if the opponent was absurdly strong and seemingly impossible to defeat.
Though only a short time had passed in real time, the joy of surpassing them after mobilizing his dimensional authority and dark magic for an enormous amount of time and effort was an irreplaceable joy of life.
Because this was his only pleasure, he had been able to continue through those brutal battles and fights all the way here.
'If I had simply been enduring, I would have already fled to the Otherworld.'
There were countless Absolutes with only the title of 10th-circle, and just as many who perished. At that time, he had not yet gained enough notoriety for them to chase a single dropout all the way to the Otherworld. Now that he had shown absolute-level dimensional authority, the situation might be a little different, but back then, running away would have been the end.
'Huhuhuhuhu—! Such trials and battles are brutal as the price for speaking lightly and making that promise, but what can I do? I brought it all upon myself, so I must take responsibility. Thanks to that, the fact that I can respond to this extent against such powerful beings and forces is all thanks to the authority and title given by 'Truth', so I am grateful. Above all, a proper human feels gratitude before resentment toward others. I cannot run away until I have repaid all the grace I have received.'
Though the Magic God of Dimensions wore a deeply self-mocking smile at his own arduous life that had begun from a single careless promise with 'Truth', along with an expression mixed with killing intent and fighting spirit at the completion of the plan that was approaching, his heart was pounding as if it would burst.
'It is a normal reaction to having provoked the Black Flame Absolute, who possesses the strongest combat power in the Absolute Realm as shown by the Black Flame Authority. Moreover, I even mentioned him by name and declared that I would kill him.'
Even without intuition, anyone could predict what would happen. That was why he burst into great laughter at the convulsive movements shown by the Black Flame Authority residing in his heart.
"Now that I look at you, you're not an intuition for victory but an intuition for survival. To react so desperately to the Black Flame Absolute's death sentence? Ahahahahahat—! Truly, you are the Black Flame Authority that suits me, who has pursued only survival so fiercely. Krahahahahat—!"