The Dimensional Mage's Counterattack

The Spirit Realm echoed with the Magic God of Dimensions' voice, brimming with unshakable confidence. Yet the eyes of the highest-ranking Black Flame clansman had been completely consumed by jet-black flames.

'Even if I let my guard down and handed my heart to the enemy, even if I'm exposing my back to an unknown powerhouse, the advantage hasn't changed one bit.'

No matter how much power the Magic God of Dimensions poured into his attacks, his mere 10 billion innate divine power could never pierce the Black Flame's body, even with its lowered defenses. The Ego Ayuta technique he'd unleashed earlier could not be used a second time.

'That single use consumed nearly all of my divine power and mana. All that's left is the physical ability of a Transcendent.'

The evasion support from his Dimensional Authority was active, but it was effectively nullified by the opponent's Always Coin Heads. In the end, the difference in pure physical capability would decide the victor. No one could match the Black Flame race in close-quarters combat, and he himself stood at the pinnacle of that very race.

'The only difference between me and the Black Flame Absolute is that I never received the selection of Truth. I take pride in that. I dreamed of rebellion. If I kill the Magic God of Dimensions before the Creator God can close in, victory is mine.'

For a close-combat specialist of the Black Flame race, slaying a nearby Creator Candidate was child's play.

“Shut your mouth—! A mere Main Universe Creator Candidate dares spout such nonsense at me? Do you think I don't know that Creator God is nothing but a puppet you're controlling? One solid hit and you're finished—!”

Though the figure was still blurry, the fact that it gripped his heart meant it was right beside him. And to keep that heart locked in place, it was clearly hiding its presence in the current dimension rather than another. All he had to do was sweep away every possible angle.

Puhahaha! Tuhahaha!

The Black Flame's body began unleashing attacks in every direction at full power. It was like a storm of black flames, crashing down on the Magic God of Dimensions who had concealed himself with magic that dulled perception. At the Dimensional Mage's current level, even a graze from that assault would be impossible to survive.

Yet the Magic God of Dimensions shouted back with boundless energy.

“As expected, you’re just pushing with brute force again. That’s exactly why I chose you as my opponent.”

Shaaaaaaa—!

The black-flame downpour failed to even graze its target, vanishing uselessly into the empty space beyond. The highest-ranking Black Flame clansman’s eyes widened in shock.

'Even when I push Always Coin Heads to its absolute limit, my perception of the Magic God of Dimensions grows even more blurred, and the number of targets is actually increasing.'

'Another absurd authority has appeared. In the Absolute Realm, where accurately grasping an enemy’s essence and strength is the foundation of survival, clone techniques have long been obsolete. Yet I cannot find the real body.'

Worse still, Always Coin Heads, which had always pinpointed the true target, was now cycling through multiple real presences.

'There are six clones, but the real body keeps shifting endlessly between them.'

The six figures of the Magic God of Dimensions, now so faint they were barely visible after expending excessive physical power and authority, spoke in perfect unison.

“I’ve tried wide-area attacks on an unperceivable opponent before. It didn’t work at all. When the enemy’s evasion exceeds your accuracy, it’s nothing but a waste of time and divine power. Thanks to that, I left an opening and nearly lost my head.”

“You actually have some combat experience, huh?”

“This is an extremely common clone technique with physical substance. But when you mix in Absolute Dimensional Maneuver, this is what happens. The hit probability has dropped from one in ten thousand to one in sixty thousand.”

“Interesting. If it’s one in sixty thousand, I’ll attack all six of you not sixty thousand times, but six hundred thousand times simultaneously. Let’s see how long you can keep dodging the Black Flame race’s full-powered assault.”

Kwaaaaaaaaang—!

Six streaks of black flame, empowered by an extreme activation of Always Coin Heads, descended on all six figures at once.

The Magic God of Dimensions’ hands were still gripping the heart, restricting the Black Flame Authority and anchoring it in space. Since the one bound was also the Dimensional Mage, he could never leave the immediate vicinity.

'If the real body keeps jumping between the clones, I just need to wipe them all out at once.'

Despite his bold words, the situation was far from favorable. The Creator God’s divine power was surging ominously from behind, and absurdly enough, he could feel the Black Flame Authority condensing like mana. It was exactly like the prelude to the technique the Dimensional Mage had used earlier to damage his body and seize his heart.

A mere Creator Candidate with 10 billion divine power had inflicted critical damage on a 5 trillion Black Flame clansman. The authority level was clearly approaching 14th-circle, and its destructive force surpassed even the joint divine-demonic authority.

Some insane Creator General and Demon Emperor had unleashed nearly 14th-circle authority. If that Creator God used Ego Ayuta now, even he would be finished.

In the end, he was the one running out of time. He had to force this damnable Magic God of Dimensions to release his heart no matter what.

“I’ll overwhelm you with attacks that surpass that vaunted evasion of yours—!”

The highest-ranking Black Flame clansman’s hands and feet moved in a dizzying blur, leaving afterimages as fists and kicks of an entirely different caliber filled every inch of space.

Although his heart—the activation point of Exploding Blood—had been suppressed, the physical capabilities forged through extreme training remained unchanged.

Guuuuuuuuuuuu—! Urrrrrrrrrrrr—!

If the previous attack had been a downpour, this was a typhoon. Watching the terrifying storm of fists and feet, the six clones of the Magic God of Dimensions smiled coldly.

Activating Ego Ayuta had consumed nearly all his mana and divine power. Only a fragment of his Dimensional Authority remained to provide evasion support. Having exhausted his Spiritual Being authority, all that was left was the physical ability of a Transcendent.

But for evasion alone, that was more than enough.

'It’s common sense that physical ability favors warrior types over mage types. But I am a black mage of the Root School. Although my physical stats are inferior to aura-using warriors in every way, I am the battlefield mage who stands alone at the top in speed thanks to Wizard Aura.'

Among all transcendent systems, the Root School was the one that boasted the highest speed and evasion, recognized as the strongest at the same circle on the Main God Star through superior incantation speed and magical firepower.

It was absurd, but in this worst-case scenario—nearly drained of divine power and mana, facing an opponent he couldn’t match in basic ability or close combat, and being bombarded from all directions—the blood of the Root School’s patriarch, who had reigned supreme at the same circle on the Main God Star, was boiling with excitement.

'All those nagging old men have been annihilated, but this pride is unavoidable. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that the irritation I’ve suppressed while accepting the position of a god to obtain creation-level power comparable to magic, fighting with authority-focused combat and being influenced by the God of Light, has finally exploded.'

For the first time in a long while, his muscles and blood vessels writhed with ecstasy.

“Wizard Aura, activate—! I swear on my entire past that I will dodge every single one!”

Whoooooooong—! Wiiiiiiiiing—!

The clones flickered for a moment, becoming even more indistinct like heat haze. Always Coin Heads chased after them, trying to land hits, but the Dimensional Authority and physical ability evaded them all.

In this way, the highest-ranking Black Flame clansman’s full-powered assault and the Magic God of Dimensions’ full-powered evasion created a bizarre spectacle.

Paaaaaaaa—! Dudududududung—!

Behind them, the approaching Creator God had already spread wide all of his wings of light and the dark wings formed of black flames, beginning his attack. The wings of light and black flame began concentrating in each hand.

The Ego Ayuta that the Magic God of Dimensions had demonstrated moments ago had dealt a critical blow to a highest-ranking Black Flame clansman with 5 trillion power using only 10 billion innate divine power.

'Unbelievable, but it surpassed 500 times the destructive force. Then this Creator God’s Ego Ayuta will display nearly 500 trillion in destructive power.'

Anyone who wasn’t at the level of the 10 Mainstays would be annihilated upon impact. The sudden appearance of this powerhouse left him unable to hide his bewilderment.

Moreover, a being with only 10 billion innate divine power was currently engaged in a life-or-death struggle against a 5 trillion highest-ranking Black Flame clansman.

'This is a monumental event that will completely rewrite the hierarchy of the Absolute Realm.'

The Black Flame Absolute, who had finally regained his composure, nodded. Since the highest-ranking clansman had endured Ego Ayuta, Always Coin Heads had fallen silent as well. The victor was already decided. Though time was short, there was no way he could withstand that fierce barrage. He even had the leisure to join the conversation.

“That’s just bravado, right?”

“A trick.”

“It’s not an artificial ego, but uncertain remote control? There’s no way he’d do something so sloppy that he could lose control, so it must be automatic activation.”

“He pre-inputs the movements, locks onto the target, and forces activation to attack.”

“In other words, it pours maximum attack power on whatever the Magic God of Dimensions has designated as the target. It’s the only surefire way to remove external variables, but if you dodge it at the start, that’s it. Or even after it hits, you just need to shake it off your body. Who would knowingly let themselves get hit by that?”

“More importantly, you can’t release something you’ve already designated as a target before the attack. If the opponent is strong enough to activate something like that, there’s no way they’d miss the opening. The moment you try to dodge at the last second, you get hit instead.”

“So you take the hit together? Several tens of thousands of times your own divine power? What an absurd secret technique.”

“A highest-ranking Black Flame clansman can survive 500 trillion destructive power if he avoids a direct hit. The one receiving it has an extremely low chance of survival even if they endure an attack far stronger than themselves, but it’s not zero. But the user is taking 50,000 times their own power? You’re willing to risk that? How exactly do you plan to survive?”

The more they understood it, the more absurd this final secret technique seemed. 'One small mistake and it’s over.'

'Looking at his condition, he poured everything into the summoning and activation. Only a tiny amount of Dimensional Authority and physical ability remains.'

If the first hit didn’t finish the enemy, the only option was to flee. And even if it landed perfectly, he had to cling on until the attack actually arrived. On top of that, he needed to withstand a blow equal to tens of thousands of times his own divine power.

If he were strong enough to endure such an attack, there would be no need to resort to such a method in the first place. This was nothing more than a suicidal technique meant to drag the opponent down with him.

Yet from another perspective, admiration arose.

“But how is he dodging so perfectly?”

“It’s truly incredible—! I’ve never seen evasion like that before.”

“Both conscious and unconscious mind are completely specialized in evasion? Even attacks that land are reflexively twisted away by the body.”

“With that kind of magic and authority, there should be almost no need to run or dodge. So why is he doing this?”

“Can you believe this? That mere Absolute-level authority and physical ability are surpassing the Black Flame Absolute’s authority?”

“Has he spent his entire life only dodging and running away? Those movements are completely ingrained in his body.”

“What? My Always Coin Heads is unchanged and stable.”

“It’s either a 1 in 25,000 error rate, or it has gone silent because warnings no longer hold meaning. The Magic God of Dimensions has evolved into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worst possible counter for the Black Flame race. The defeat of the Black Flame race would also be the defeat of the 10 Mainstays. Moreover, if the highest-ranking clansman—who stands as the opponent in the Eternal Judgment presided over by Truth—were to be killed in a single blow, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠humiliation would be unbearable, and the Absolute Realm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would not tolerate it.”

Gold’s eyes gleamed with icy killing intent.

'The reason I’m angry right now is absolutely not because these disobedient bastards always get me beaten up by Jinri.'

Maintaining order in the Absolute Realm relied on the overwhelming power and dignity of the 10 Mainstays and the various races. If that was damaged, restoring it would require tremendous effort and time.

'Something that could be ended with a single word now requires me to step forward and demonstrate power. As a representative of the Absolute Realm, I cannot overlook this.'

Of course, there was some personal emotion involved as well. Honestly, even if he were Jinri, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew he couldn’t beat all of them. That would be perfect interference and control. There could be no development or evolution in such an environment. That was why he granted autonomy while the person in charge bore the responsibility—this was the style of governance he himself practiced.

But understanding it and accepting it were two different things. His pride as the greatest among them, Gold, would not forgive calling these beings comrades just yet.

Still, he had to fulfill his role as representative.

“That is why I will ensure victory. Activate the Black Flame race’s racial authority immediately. If left like this, they will die together.”

“What? You want to go that far? And didn’t Jinri say not to interfere in the children’s fight?”

When even the racial authority—which was only used in full-scale wars—was brought up, the hesitant Black Flame Absolute received a decree from Jinri that rang like an abstract truth.

The blood descendants of the Wind Family stood rigidly tense behind Jinri, who smiled as if the situation were truly amusing.

'There has never been a single instance where Jinri revealed emotion like this and both the Absolute Realm and the Wind Family remained peaceful and unharmed. An enormous uproar had always followed.'

The other 10 Mainstays, who knew this, turned deathly pale. The repercussions would never spare even the 10 Mainstays. No, because they as administrators would have to shoulder most of the burden, it would be even harsher.

Gold’s head began to throb as he wondered what fresh chaos was about to unfold.