I Told You Not to Use Honorifics With Me
The war in the Spirit Realm was raging, but the Magic God of Dimensions felt absolutely nothing. 'No being that moves through space or directly can escape my senses, which are empowered by Dimensional Authority.' The activation of any power or physical movement inevitably creates minute spatial waves or fluctuations, and the Black Flame Absolute reacts to all of them to annihilate his enemies. Within his domain, no authority could escape the fighting spirit and killing intent of the black flames. Yet he was utterly dumbfounded by the sheer naturalness of the power activation that completely ignored such absolute senses.
What fueled his rage even more were the three figures standing behind Jinri. 'They're no pushovers, but not to the point that I can't detect them.' The real problem was that only those permitted by the Black Flame Absolute could enter the Wind Castle of Black Flame, and he had never granted approval. Unauthorized intruders were killed, annihilated, and erased without exception. Those who came sneaking in were always enemies who never brought favorable outcomes. Even the Origins of the Wind Family—the supreme clan of Transcendents and Jinri's own bloodline—were not exempt.
'These damn bastards—! How dare they barge into my Wind Castle of Black Flame without my permission—! Grinddd—! That arrogant bastard Gold! What perfect absolute planetary defense system? The Wind Family's bloodline couldn't even detect them? Do I really have to ally with these fools?'
Still, the absolute planetary defense system installed as proof of the alliance among the eight Absolutes had its limits after all. 'They detected no anomalies whatsoever, yet the Wind Family's blood relatives stand brazenly before me after an unauthorized intrusion?'
The sight of them ignoring him—the Black Flame Absolute—with those expressionless faces nearly triggered a seizure, but they were Jinri's blood kin and stood right before him. Acting rashly risked immediate disposal. Suppressing his emotions, he prepared to bow his head lightly in greeting.
'No matter how much vitality they poured into their star, they never had the courage to visit. The moment they met him, they would flee after suffering his brutal training.'
But having seen them directly like this, he had no choice. Past experiences of what would happen if he ran kept flashing through his mind, and above all, the future shown by Always Coin Heads—the very embodiment of fighting spirit and killing intent—was one of him being miserably beaten in every scenario. It was a wall his current level could never overcome, so his entire body stiffened and extreme honorifics slipped out automatically.
"It is an honor to meet Jinri like this… Huk—! That wasn't an honorific… Kyaak—!"
THUUUUUUUUUD—!KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG—!
With a planetary-shaking roar, the Black Flame Absolute's head slammed straight into the ground. There was no time to react—Always Coin Heads or otherwise—to the absolute speed that granted no window whatsoever. That was why he couldn't block or dodge the casual strike Jinri had swung and lost consciousness.
'Even if my intuition warns me, there's no time to defend.'
Of course, for him—the greatest close-combat specialist in the Absolute Realm—there was no being besides Jinri capable of moving so fast that his physical reactions couldn't keep up, so it wasn't an issue. Still, it was truly terrifying that Always Coin Heads, which granted ironclad defense and perfect accuracy, could be completely neutralized by nothing more than a difference in speed. The only solution was to become stronger and faster.
'Of course, even I don't know when that solution will arrive.'
The higher one's level, the more intense the training and time required for progress. Across all the main universes and the Absolute Realm, no one lived more fiercely than Jinri, so the gap only continued to widen. Thus the Black Flame Absolute, unable to offer any resistance, lay with his head buried in the ground, trembling violently. The wooden-sword form of the Sword of Ruin and Soul—still vibrating as if freshly swung—pressed down on his skull.
With a mischievous smile, Jinri unleashed a disdainful rebuke.
"I told you not to use honorifics with me. I'm afraid you'll grow satisfied with your current level—too weak for such useless goodwill and respect—and ashamed that you'll settle into an unnecessarily lofty position. So stop looking up to me with respect, stop giving up, and desperately build your strength to challenge me. The other eight Absolutes all grit their teeth and improve after getting smashed a few times. Why are you the only one who always ends up like this after taking the most beatings? After suffering this much, you should be grinding your teeth to pay it back. So why do you look more and more like a dog that's met its master? You black-flame bastard—!"
The unbearable shock from the Sword of Ruin and Soul momentarily dazed his mind, but those words snapped the Black Flame Absolute back to his senses. He rose with a foolish grin.
'The other eight Absolute bastards simply can't grasp it. How do you beat Jinri?'
The instant he harbored even the slightest rebellious thought, Always Coin Heads—operating at full capacity from the survival crisis—showed him only one vision: his own figure being miserably shattered and crushed.
'If I fought fiercely, I could at least feel satisfied. But knowing I'll suffer that fate from a dismissive wave of the hand as if it's merely annoying, I have no courage to challenge.'
Moreover, since the completion of the Black Flame Absolute and his clan had come last, living on the same star had made the gap painfully clear. The other eight Absolutes only knew it as an immeasurable gap of more than two circles and burned with defiance, but he—with the absolute intuitive authority of Always Coin Heads—knew the truth. The eight Absolutes of the 10 Mainstays who reigned as the strongest in each series, along with Jinri, held at least a three-circle advantage. In terms of divine power, it was over a thousand times greater. And that gap was a despairing distance that only continued to grow.
It was already far beyond what force alone could overcome.
'Still erased in a single strike. Am I really the Black Flame, strongest in close-quarters combat? Getting beaten every day and smiling like an idiot—what kind of pathetic sight is this? No, it's because the one I serve and live with is Jinri. The world really is hard to live in.'
With a sigh, Jinri clicked his tongue at the foolish, twitching grin that feared giving any excuse to be scolded.
"Stop smiling and come at me with anger."
"Ahahaha—! It was my mistake to use honorifics. I will reflect on it."
Even after billions of years of this harsh training, the thought of challenging him never crossed his mind. In the early days he had barked back furiously, demanding to know why he kept getting hit. The real problem came after he completed his ascension as the Black Flame Absolute. He would flare with killing intent and fighting spirit in front of Jinri to repay past grievances, only to tuck his tail like a beaten dog moments later. He had roughly understood the gulf in power.
'After that, no matter how much he beat or scolded me, I would only smile like an idiot and cling to him. But does that make me a real idiot? Absolutely not.'
It was absurd to call the Black Flame Absolute—an incarnation of killing intent and fighting spirit—an idiot.
'I only look like this in front of him. Before any other being, I am fear itself.'
In the end, the issue lay with the fully activated Authority of Black Flame. In the past it had tormented him to the very end with powers that defied all norms, and now it was causing this problem again.
'As expected, Always Coin Heads was always the problem. It shouldn't be able to grasp the abilities of anyone more than two circles above, yet it somehow understands them roughly. At this rate, I don't know when this guy will ever become independent. But when I try to drive him out by force, the other beings still can't handle him.'
Because he always acted like a fool in front of Jinri, fair evaluation was impossible. They didn't dare ignore him openly because of his power, but he suffered subtle grievances from those around him. It went without saying that many of those grievances came from the other eight Absolutes of the 10 Mainstays and their clans.
'No matter how strong the Black Flame is, he cannot defeat two of the eight Absolutes.'
That was why he would grind his teeth alone in fury, then go berserk during ranking battles with the other eight Absolutes, proving exactly why the Black Flame reigned supreme in close combat and individual fighting power. In doing so, he crushed every one of the eight Absolutes who had refused to acknowledge him as a proper member of the 10 Mainstays. His Black Flame clan had nearly overwhelmed the other clans as well, shooting straight up to fourth rank. It was an astonishing feat accomplished almost entirely alone, with almost no help from his clan.
Yet because of that success, the eight Absolutes he had opposed and their main clans all suffered severe injuries. They had to suspend their management duties temporarily for treatment, plunging the order of the Absolute Realm into chaos.
'Mobilizing the children of the Wind Family would solve it easily, but then the independence of the Absolute Realm would vanish. If I stepped forward myself, the very reason for creating the Absolute Realm and main universes would disappear. That was why we had no choice but to hire a massive number of mercenary gods from the main universe to fill the gap.'
It was truly an absurd outcome. But since he was strong enough to compensate for it, they let the matter slide.
And the current problem was not the Black Flame.
'The Magic God of Dimensions, who fearlessly fully opened his title and thereby summoned me, is the problem.'
The level gap was so vast that the lack of fear even after seeing him was actually quite desirable. But if he drew too close like this, it would become troublesome. Eternal happiness was never stability and peace. It would only breed boredom and eventual self-destruction. A universe overflowing with endless challenges, opportunities, and the sense of accomplishment that came from overcoming trials was the very foundation of his goal. That was why he could not help but cherish those who challenged so recklessly and without end.
"Before entering the Eternal Judgment, I wish to ask one thing."
"What is it?"
"In the Otherworld, what do they call 'Jinri'?"
It was unusual for a being who had not yet escaped the main universe to show interest in the Otherworld. Then again, if the authority of the Magic God of Dimensions was 'Dimension,' it was only natural he would know. And there was no reason to hide it.
"Void God. False being. Manufactured idol."
Brrrrrrr—!
He could feel the children of the Wind Family standing behind him trembling, unable to contain their fury. The other eight Absolutes—who had arrived at some point and landed on the grounds of the Wind Castle of Black Flame—made no effort to hide their rage either. Beings with other titles would die if they entered without the Black Flame Absolute's permission, so they watched the situation from outside the planet. Yet even they burned with anger at Jinri's words.
'Well, such an evaluation of me was also an intolerable insult to all of them. After all, I am their representative. But their assessment of me is justified. If positions were reversed, it would be perfectly understandable. No—the Otherworld itself cannot tolerate the existence of the Absolute Realm and the main universes.'
Yet the moment those words were spoken, he felt the Magic God of Dimensions' fighting spirit and killing intent weaken slightly. He could roughly guess what the man was thinking. In fifty billion years of granting titles and managing them personally, not a single being had ever obediently accepted disposal.
Wearing a bright smile, he looked at the Magic God of Dimensions and offered further explanation.
"After I went there myself and overturned everything, they all changed it to calling me Jinri."
"Huk—!"
A sharp intake of breath could be heard.
'This guy is truly entertaining. Even while his consciousness is fused with the Authority of Black Flame—a concentration of fighting spirit and killing intent so intense it would drive most mad unless they were an outstanding Hero God—he retains enough computational power to wield cold reason and absolute-level magic. And despite overflowing with fighting spirit, he was already calculating a final escape route.'
There seemed to be many questions, but since this was a rare case, he explained kindly.
The restrictions on traveling to the Otherworld were severe. Without absolute creation ability, one's power would drop to less than one ten-thousandth.
"Whether my divine power or physical abilities fall to less than one ten-thousandth when I go to the Otherworld unprepared has nothing to do with me. Even one ten-thousandth of my strength is more than enough to handle the entire Otherworld."
He could feel the Magic God of Dimensions' jaw dropping as he grasped the meaning. The highest gods among the ruling class of the Otherworld possessed capability values of roughly 100 billion. Of course, the diversity and power of their authorities were far inferior to those of the main universe, but the reduction to one ten-thousandth was a major factor preventing war between the Otherworld and the Absolute Realm.
'Without absolute-level spatial authority and computational power, that ability loss cannot be avoided. But that ends now. Since the absolute being of "Dimension" has appeared—the first in the main universe to cultivate absolute-level creation ability—that restriction has become temporary.'
Yet even after hearing this, the Magic God of Dimensions' fighting spirit and killing intent still wavered. It had not returned to normal, which meant he had not given up on the idea of fleeing to the Otherworld.
'This won't do. At this rate, his true power will not emerge. Everything only reveals its full strength when pushed to an extreme crisis.'
In the end, he kindly provided one more explanation.
"One time. Two hundred and forty-eight individuals."
"……."
Watching the Magic God of Dimensions unable to respond because he did not understand, Jinri answered with a radiant smile.
"With the reorganization of the Absolute Realm and main universes still unfinished, why would I have gone to the Otherworld? Only once, after a collective rebellion broke out in the Absolute Realm and was crushed, I went to capture those with dimensional and spatial authorities who had fled there to escape my Eternal Judgment. Two hundred and forty-eight is the number I caught at that time. They have all been handed over to the Wind Castles of the eight Absolutes and are beginning anew. After that, dimensional and spatial authorities were nearly lost. Only after the entire Otherworld fought against me during the process of capturing and judging them all did they begin calling me 'Jinri' once more. Afterward, the Otherworld signed a contract to immediately hand over anyone who fled the Absolute Realm to me. It was quite a long time ago, and matters related to the Otherworld are specially managed within the Absolute Realm. So you—a being of the main universe—naturally did not know."
Uuuuuuuung! Puhahahaha!
The killing intent and fighting spirit were steadily rising. But it was still not enough.
'He hasn't given up. He must believe that having achieved absolute-level dimensional authority, he can escape. Well, it's the common delusion that dimensional absolute beings and creator gods—who have always lived by their own standards—fall into.'
The illusion that only they, with their dimensional authority, are special.
"Did you think I would grant you unverified authorities and titles—precious candles and useful suns? That is why I also possess dimensional authority. My dimensional authority is a different type from yours, but it is more than enough to escape the restrictions of the Otherworld. No matter who it is, if they disappoint me, I will chase them anywhere and cast them into the Eternal Judgment. Anywhere—not just the Otherworld—is no exception."
Seeing the Magic God of Dimensions stiffen rigidly, he gripped the Sword of Ruin and Soul and swung it lightly.
Shhhhhhhhhk—!
At the shock and overwhelming pressure of the swinging blade, the robe of the Magic God of Dimensions fluttered wildly. For an instant he moved to dodge backward before desperately suppressing the urge. 'Good judgment. Retreat even once in battle or conversation with the strong and it becomes a habit. Enduring is what matters first. That was what I liked most about him when we first met.'
It was the same as back then—when he had charged forward without fear against five powerhouses nearly equal to himself and an overwhelming force he could not possibly handle. The only problem at the time had been that what he wanted was merely food, but everyone had their own circumstances, so it did not matter.
"You have obtained the power of an absolute powerhouse by fully opening your title without even properly mastering it yet. If you fail to demonstrate instant-kill and complete victory against higher beings as proof of that qualification, and show no potential for growth as a titled being…."
He had considered dropping him as an insect on the Wind Star but changed his mind. From what he had just seen, the man had cleverly prepared a way to escape the fate of becoming a bug there. However, his current ability was still insufficient to become one of the Substitute Gods, so another method was needed. And a good idea had occurred to him.
"Hehe! I shall grant you a truly great reward."
At the innocent, childlike laughter, he felt the eight Absolutes recoil in panic and the children of the Wind Family sigh deeply.
'But this is a child who has shown an interesting possibility after so long. I cannot handle him carelessly.'
Though the Magic God of Dimensions himself had gone deathly pale, his face completely black with terror.