The Selection Begins

At the mention of the Otherworld War, Gaiana froze like a mute who had swallowed honey, utterly speechless. ‘It’s true. The moment I restored the Circle of Divine Power, the endless stream of urgent return orders from the Almighty Race suddenly stopped. That was right after I ascended to Highest Lord God status.’

When the Dimensional Mage God explained the treatment process—omitting the parts too awkward to mention—the Almighty Race immediately sent word that they would dispatch several of their sealed Goddesses. ‘I approved it using my authority as Acting Lord of the Divine Realm… but I fear that decision will come back to haunt me.’

Since they had once been incomparably noble as Creator Goddesses, the deities serving them were naturally of the highest rank. Moreover, even during the darkest days of the Almighty Race’s decline—when they themselves had struggled—they refused to abandon these beings, choosing instead to seal them away and endure. Such was the immense power these Goddesses possessed.

Three of those very Goddesses had now been sent on a trial basis. If the treatment proved successful, even more would follow. Looking at it from a slightly different angle, this was no different from expanding one’s personal forces in the exact same way as the Goddess Blood Alliance. ‘Expanding personal forces inevitably leads to a challenge against the Lord God. Whether I want it or not, it will happen. Even if I refuse, someone else within the faction will make it happen.’

What had begun with good intentions could no longer be undone. Even if she tried to reject them, the Almighty Race members had already arrived and were waiting for their temple assignments. Gaiana finally lowered her head completely. The Shuddering March watched her with the intrigued gaze of someone who had found an amusing new toy and opened her mouth to speak again—only to be cut off by the Dimensional Mage God from his seat of honor.

He couldn’t bear to watch a proper Goddess be broken, especially not when she was serving as Acting Lord of the Divine Realm. “Shuddering March. That’s enough. Your primary duties are managing the personal guard and maintaining order in the Divine Realm, not auditing the Lord God. I have already approved the expansion of personal forces. My Divine Realm is desperately short on deities, so I am actually encouraging it. Furthermore, as long as it does not hinder the development of the Divine Realm—with the single exception of ‘do not wage war within the Divine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Realm’—you may do as you please.”

At those words, the Shuddering March burst into loud laughter. It meant that whether one pursued treason or plotted civil war, everything was permitted so long as it stayed within the framework of the Divine Realm’s development. ‘What Lord God would ever allow something like this?’ From the perspective of the Demon Race—who executed traitors along with their entire factions and converted them into vitality—it was an unimaginably bold declaration.

“Hoo—! What astonishing confidence! You don’t even consider the possibility of your subordinates rebelling? Do you possess enough power to defeat a coalition of lower Lord Gods? Or is it faith in your own usefulness? Well, with the dimensional authority support that maximizes individual development potential, I suppose that makes sense. Still, isn’t it dangerous to be so overconfident? Whether they are gods or demons, even those who are personally completely trustworthy will do anything for the sake of their collective. Regardless of their own will. Do you have the strength to suppress even that?”

“Of course…” A faint smile rose to the Dimensional Mage God’s lips. It was the clear expression of absolute confidence. To those present, only a single day had passed. But for him, it had been twenty-five thousand years spent on the Wind Star of Black Flame while undergoing the Eternal Judgment. The desperate battles he had fought there had pushed the bias of his abilities to the extreme and yielded the greatest gains. That power was by no means light enough to be pushed back by a mere Lord God. If the current him truly wished it, he could annihilate even the Main Divine Realm.

“Hoo? The strength of an individual and the strength of the leader of a group are two entirely different things, aren’t they? You, who regenerated even me—a being who perished because I had no trustworthy subordinate Lord Gods—are showing such confidence? If you’re placing your faith in the new rising star of the Almighty Race here, I suggest you wake up. Even if the entire clan desires it, there is no guarantee of safety even with an eternal companion. And yet you trust someone you merely appointed as Acting Lord of the Divine Realm? How can you believe in that?”

Her words, craftily emphasizing harsh reality in true demon fashion, shook the heart. Gaiana’s complexion grew even paler. “Enough. Above all, it doesn’t matter. What meaning is there in a Lord God who would fall to external invasion, rebellion, or civil war? If a god strong enough to surpass me is born in the Divine Realm, I will gladly step aside. That would simply be further proof of my own strength and potential. Therefore, Acting Lord of the Divine Realm Gaiana. The treatment of the Almighty Race will be carried out in exchange for a fair price. The cost of restoring the Circle of Divine Power—the foundation of a deity’s authority—is naturally their incorporation into the Divine Realm. Take them as your subordinate forces. Together with the Primordial War Gods, I look forward to the results.”

“Yes—! I will definitely produce results that satisfy you.”

As the conversation grew endlessly softer, the Shuddering March pouted and interrupted again. This kind of bright, harmonious process was completely incompatible with the nature of the Demon Race. That was why she reflexively stirred up chaos. “This lukewarm, sunny atmosphere is no fun at all. In that case, shall I also summon my demon kin and build my own personal force? Since you are the Lord God in charge of the Divine Realm, you’ll approve it without question, right?”

She had asked half-jokingly, but the answer came without hesitation. “Of course. I look forward to the influx and contributions of the Shuddering Demon Race and the March Demon Race. However, please only accept those at the Lord God level or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above. Even high-ranking demons would find it difficult to endure in the Dimensional Divine Realm if they are weak.”

At the far too casual reply, the Shuddering March was momentarily left speechless. A Lord God who recognized the personal forces of the Demon Race—it was absurd. No, come to think of it, it had been strange from the moment he fearlessly offered her—the upper demon whose combat power rivaled that of a Creator God—the position of Divine Realm Administrator.

There existed a title of honor granted to demons who fully maintained their forces by accepting opposing factions. It was called Holy Demon, and they were great demons who boasted transcendent strength by combining the destructive power of the demon race with the creative power of the gods. However, possessing and operating both opposing attributes simultaneously was no easy feat, so only an extremely small number existed across the entire universe. The only one from the Demon Race was the Sage of Omniscience, who held the top spot among the candidate Demon Kings.

“Ara-ra-ra-ra? Are you thinking of becoming a Holy Demon? You, the Dimensional Mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠God, have absolutely no talent for that. You lack both the potential to accept more authorities and the computational power required.”

“Heh—!”

Seeing the Dimensional Mage God’s face, which answered with a strange, overflowing confidence, the Shuddering March’s face flushed slightly for a moment. The fragile appearance of a girl struggling under the weight of difficult missions as a former mercenary god had vanished. In its place was the aura of a grown male god. And it was precisely that delicate, beautiful-boy-like appearance—so different from his battle-hungry atmosphere—that had piqued her interest.

But suddenly, a voice like a desperate scream echoed through the Lord God’s temple. It was the God of Knowledge, who had thrown the book he had been clutching onto the desk.

“O Great Lord God of the Divine Realm—! The situation is already far too dangerous—! And now you intend to bring in additional forces from the Demon Race? The Main Divine Realm and the surrounding divine realms will not sit still. This must never be allowed.”

At such an obvious statement, the Dimensional Mage God was momentarily at a loss for words. Even with just the Goddesses of the Goddess Blood Alliance, their notoriety was already boundless. If they also accepted the Demon Race—who stood in opposition to both the god race and the giant race—it would be impossible to tell whether this was the Divine Realm or the Demon Realm. Since he was not merely someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had spent a long time in the Divine Realm but one of the Primordial War Gods who had helped create it, his worry was only natural.

However, the level of danger the God of Knowledge was imagining had already been surpassed long ago. Once the Main Divine Realm fully grasped the situation, they would not stop at impeachment—they would dispatch subjugation forces. After all, he had regenerated a destroyed demon and resurrected dead members of the giant race. Even for living beings, violating the laws would cause an uproar. Since they were all enemies of the god race, catastrophe was inevitable.

‘If they learn that all of them were beings who had died or been destroyed and were revived and regenerated through dark magic, they would probably collapse on the spot. It’s better that they don’t know. But the real problem is the 10 Mainstays. What is the Main Divine Realm to me? I’ll handle them easily. The Creation Realm can’t directly intervene in the affairs of Lord Gods anyway, so if the Lord Gods want to come at me, let them try. Wait—now that I think about it, the God of Knowledge’s past is quite interesting too. I should use that immediately. There’s nothing left to hide now.’

Pitifully, the God of Knowledge still hadn’t grasped the full situation. The Dimensional Mage God commanded him with a solemn tone.

“God of Knowledge. You too shall build your own force. To that end, I permit everything. My Divine Realm is far too lacking in deities. All beings shall devote every ability they possess to securing more for the sake of the Divine Realm. This is an order from the Lord God of the Divine Realm.”

Wiiiiing—!

The command, activated with the active intervention of the Divine Realm’s ego—which had grown to the level of a Highest Creator God Star—etched itself into the very souls of every being belonging to the Divine Realm. This comprehensive permission for influx became the fundamental policy of the Divine Realm. It would now take precedence over all other duties. Above all, matters related to the development of the Divine Realm carried the highest coercive force. ‘If you wish to refuse, the only option is to leave the Divine Realm.’

The God of Knowledge’s face went completely blank as he realized that in trying to prevent the influx of other forces, he had ended up having to drag in his own past forces as well. ‘I can’t keep up with this at all. At this rate, the destruction of the Divine Realm is clearly visible.’

No matter that the Dimensional Mage God was a Creator Candidate, he had already far surpassed any controllable limit. If the Lord God’s power became weaker than that of his subordinates, he would be replaced immediately. And if those subordinates were from the Demon Race, the realm would become the Demon Realm. The Main Divine Realm would never tolerate such a thing. While the Creation Realm might not intervene directly since this was a matter among Lord Gods, it was still impossible to handle. Looking at the Dimensional Mage God who seemed to be ignoring that danger entirely, the God of Knowledge felt nothing short of despair.

Watching the stunned God of Knowledge, the Dimensional Mage God inwardly thought with genuine pity, ‘Our relationship with the Main Divine Realm is practically over already, but it’s still difficult to say it out loud. Still, I can’t reveal all my strength just yet. Should I start by sweeping away the noisy surrounding divine realms? Or should I first go through the authentication war with the Demon Realm or the Substitute Gods to become a Creator God? Heh heh—! There’s no end to the things I need to do, and I have to handle them all alone. It’s ridiculous. I have the personal power, but my forces are far too weak. In that case, I need to adjust the Highest Creator God Star so it can finally do its job properly.’

The commotion in the surroundings was no longer his concern. If anyone brought their forces and challenged him, he would gladly accept. Everyone knew the basics—that acting recklessly during such a chaotic period would only result in concentrated attacks. Building their own forces and clashing at a convincing level would take a considerable amount of time. There would be no immediate civil war. In that case, he needed to reorganize the Creator God Star during that time to receive even greater support from the Divine Realm. To do that, he had to improve not only the quantity but also the quality of the vitality being supplied. The weak vitality of ordinary living beings could not properly utilize the Creation Realm. Therefore, superhuman beings who had undergone evolution must become the basic life forms. Just like how the insects on the Wind Star were all above the Lord God level.

The moment the Dimensional Mage God’s gaze turned toward the Middle World beneath the Divine Realm, he saw the pitiful sentient beings living there, bickering among themselves and thinking they were so great. ‘You lot should experience it too. The outside world is truly difficult to survive in. The time has come for you to endure the cold winds outside the protection you’ve enjoyed until now. If you endure, it is glory. If you give up, it is total annihilation.’

The evolution from Lord God Star to Creator God Star had begun. Since evolution required sacrifice and selection, a massive number of sacrifices would follow. But even if he didn’t do it, it would happen eventually anyway. ‘If I am defeated or if I withdraw my hand from this star, a newly dispatched Creator God will reorganize it to fill it with sentient beings appropriate for a Creator God Star.’

Across countless planets, life forms had been lightly culled through great floods or stellar collisions and replaced with evolved life forms. The previous stage’s life forms were all converted into vitality to serve as the foundation for the new sentient beings. Knowing this, the Dimensional Mage God felt no hesitation. At least by doing it himself—a human-born god—he could minimize the sacrifices. However, this was ultimately a personal desire for his own survival. Therefore, he did not hide it and chanted openly.

Once again, the figure of the Dimensional Mage God was projected across the entire sky of the Dimensional Creator God Star. But unlike the past when he had been branded as the leader of the black mages and had attempted to wage war against the Divine Realm, he now appeared as a Creator God with twenty-six pairs of brilliant wings of light. Yet the words he spoke had not changed at all. No—rather, they had become even more stern and cold.

“I shall now conduct the selection. Prove the meaning of your existence according to the standards of the Creator God Star. All those below the standard shall be disposed of. The method is war. The final surviving race shall claim everything. Do your utmost to achieve victory. And while living within the Creator God Star, there shall be no exceptions whatsoever. Summon the racial representatives.”

The divine oracle had fallen without warning or explanation, leaving the sentient beings of the Middle World bewildered, unsure what was happening. However, the few Transcendents who understood its meaning were struck with sheer terror. Before they could even react, they were forcibly transported to the Divine Realm.