The Challenge of the Main God General
The news of the Otherworld War reached Hwi of Omnipotence, and his head slowly bowed. ‘The Dimensional Mage God is demanding thirty quadrillion in vitality, but we’re short sixteen quadrillion. That’s easy to say, but sixteen quadrillion is the amount we’d get only after wringing dry the Alliance Main God Realm under six Creator God Realms and their thirty-six Creator Candidates for one billion six hundred million years. And thanks to the Karma Contract, we must pay it without fail. Since it’s an absolute-level contract, even a Creator God cannot be exempt.’
If things went wrong, everyone involved could be manufactured into Substitute Gods and dragged away. Just imagining what punishment would be handed down to Creator Candidates made his blood run cold. The administrator god delivering the report and the surrounding Creator Candidates had long since turned deathly pale.
Woooong! Woooong!
At some point, an absolute-level Karma Contract had appeared above the Alliance Main God Temple, radiating a dazzling rainbow of colors. Since ten-quadrillion units of vitality had moved, there was no way the Cyber Realm—which oversaw the flow of vitality across the entire Master Universe and Absolute Realm—could be unaware. At the slightest problem, it would come running to enforce judgment immediately.
Absolute-level binding agreement has been triggered.
Payment of 30 quadrillion vitality is mandatory.
Non-compliance will result in forced conversion of all involved parties into Substitute Gods.
‘To the strong, unearned help is given. But once you lose your qualifications, there is no mercy. If this is a violation of a Karma Contract, there’s nothing more to say.’
‘Especially when it’s an absolute-level contract that even a Main God cannot handle.’
After staring at the rainbow light reflecting off the white floor for a long time, Hwi of Omnipotence finally lifted his frighteningly hardened face.
“Everyone except the administrator god who contracted with the Creator God, get out.”
Rush rush rush—!
At his words, the Creator Candidates hurriedly vacated their seats. If they stayed, they might get dragged into this mess too. They considered themselves incredibly lucky that they hadn’t used any of it and had returned the full amount, and they didn’t even look back as they left.
In the now-empty Alliance Main God Temple, only Hwi of Omnipotence and the highest-ranking administrator god remained. The latter hung his head in shame, unable to meet his eyes or speak.
‘No one expected him to pass the Eternal Judgment in a single day, so this happened. But the crime of disposing of the matter without a report is grave.’
That was why he had been desperately trying to think of something to say to escape responsibility. But every time he did, the absolute-level Karma Contract would shine like a warning, forcing him to give up. It seemed the Cyber Realm had no intention of abandoning its plan to turn the highest-ranking administrator god of the 499th Master Universe into a Substitute God.
No—after the Dimensional Mage God, who belonged to the administrator gods, defeated the forces of the 500th Master Universe and claimed victory, support had increased dramatically, but so had control. What was even stranger was that the Cyber Realm seemed to be deliberately driving the situation toward this outcome. If it was going to be this harsh, it should have intervened midway, yet it had shown no reaction at all.
But now that the worst possible blunder had been made, it almost seemed better to be killed by the enraged Hwi of Omnipotence.
Crack crack crack—! Creeeeak—!
Even though he was simply sitting still on the Throne of Glory, the seat groaned under the violent throbbing of his muscles. Suppressing his extreme emotions, Hwi of Omnipotence bit his lip and spat out,
“What’s the countermeasure? Since a Creator God is involved, forced reclamation will be difficult.”
“We must annihilate the Dimensional Mage God before he requests payment. A destroyed spiritual body has no rights. Moreover, there is more than enough justification to annihilate him.”
He had restrained a spiritual body above the Main God rank without authority and even revived it. And the target of that revival was from the Demon God race. No matter how much it was framed as a mercenary battle, this was beyond acceptable. On top of that, he was the Main God of an independent divine realm with weak oversight and an administrator god possessing the worst attribute—‘Ideal Implementation through Denial of Reality.’
If they went to investigate, they would find any number of disciplinary grounds. No—if there weren’t any, they would have to create them. Although the Creator Candidates had left their seats claiming it had nothing to do with them, the Cyber Realm would never miss this golden opportunity to secure a massive number of high-ranking Substitute Gods comparable to Creator Candidates.
According to the administrator god’s prediction, every single person involved in this incident would be turned into Substitute Gods with their reason and emotions sealed, forced into endless compulsory service.
Hwi of Omnipotence had never experienced such a thing, but he at least possessed the authority to sense danger. No—he himself was the great Origin who had written countless Karma Contracts and revived the Almighty God Tribe. He understood the severity of this situation better than anyone. That was why he looked so tormented.
‘Everything will be resolved if only the Dimensional Mage God disappears.’
And Hwi of Omnipotence, who had mastered the second stanza of the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, was already a being above a Creator General in any other Master Universe. As long as the Dimensional Mage God had not overcome his weakness of being vulnerable in one-on-one combat as an administrator god, he could never win.
But the answer that came back was negative.
“It is easy to defeat the Dimensional Mage God, but annihilating him is difficult. Even if we try to dispose of him, if the situation turns against him, he will definitely flee. Then he will immediately request vitality payment for recovery. Any other options?”
“The best plan would be to reclaim the vitality from the Creator God, pay it to the Dimensional Mage God, then immediately discipline and confiscate everything, but…”
The highest-ranking administrator god could not continue. He lowered his head. There was no way he could suddenly ask a direct superior Creator God to return vitality that had already been borrowed. Moreover, the Creator God already knew it had been used. The reason for taking such a risk to borrow it in the first place was clearly stated in the contract.
‘That was why Hwi of Omnipotence could not simply ask the Creator God to return it and was looking for another way.’
‘That was also why he could not show the contract to the other Creator Candidates.’
The usage was simple. It was to allow the Sage of Omniscience—who was of the same Almighty God Tribe and had learned the same profound meaning of Truth—to pass the endless authentication battles against the Demon God race as a special case.
‘This occurs when excessive vitality or damage is generated due to the authentication battles, when the contest drags on for a long period without a victor, and when the subject possesses strength so exceptional that a Creator God cannot afford to discard them.’
For that to happen, unanimous approval from six Creator Gods and six Demon God Kings was required. It was a special case in which both the affiliated Creator Gods and the competing Demon God Kings acknowledged that the subject had no disqualifying factors whatsoever as a Creator God.
‘Twelve quadrillion was used for that lobbying, and the remaining four quadrillion was used to manufacture Hwi of Omnipotence’s Creator God Star.’
The Demon God Kings had no reason to oppose since they would receive one quadrillion for free, and the surrounding Creator Gods were in urgent need of vitality for their own direct descendants’ revival, so approval had been granted. Once the certificate came down, Hwi of Omnipotence would become a Creator God.
‘All of this was Proprieties’ goodwill. As he ascended to middle-ranking Creator God, he intended to hand over the Creator God Realm he previously possessed to Hwi of Omnipotence.’
‘It was both the price for over a billion years of loyalty and consideration so that he could form a powerful force as a direct subordinate Creator God.’
Sixteen quadrillion in vitality would be difficult for an individual, but once Hwi of Omnipotence became a Creator God, if he turned the strong members of his tribe into Main Gods and mobilized them all, it was a figure that could be resolved within twenty million years. The former glory of the Almighty God Tribe—the greatest ruling divine race—would be revived through Hwi of Omnipotence.
‘Since the Dimensional Mage God’s expected return period from the Eternal Judgment was at least two hundred million years, there was no problem at all.’
‘Rather, the Creator God who struggled to coordinate the opinions of the surrounding Creator Gods and Demon God Kings is like a lifelong benefactor.’
But the Dimensional Mage God’s completely unexpected early return had driven everything into the worst possible situation. No—there was no need to blame the Creator God. If he had won the authentication battle against the Sage of Omniscience, none of this would have happened.
In the end, Hwi of Omnipotence reached the conclusion that it was all his own fault for failing to settle the match and endlessly continuing the authentication battles. A curse nearly slipped from his lips. Of course, as the Main God General, he only uttered it in his mind.
‘Goddammit—! I don’t like this method that treats such corruption as natural. So if I just kill the criminal Dimensional Mage God, it’s over? Take away the victor’s compensation and achievements by nitpicking his methods and then dispose of him? Is that the way of the strong? Then how is that any different from the rulers of the Almighty God Tribe I disposed of in the past? More importantly, why did it come to this? Thirty quadrillion in vitality moved, yet not a single defensive mechanism activated—! It feels like the flow itself is forcing the Alliance Main God Realm to fight the Dimensional Mage God!’
There were questions, but in the end, he had to settle things with the Dimensional Mage God one way or another. The reason was that he could not tolerate failing to give the mercenary god his reward.
However, he could not do as the administrator god wished.
‘I am the great Origin of the Almighty God Tribe and a strong being. I am not a weakling like the past Almighty God Tribe who took the sacrifice of others for granted.’
Fortunately, he still had one thing he could wager. It was the position he had earned through a billion years of effort.
The Main God General was the seat of the leader of all Main Gods under the six Creator God Realms and held authority equal to a Creator God. It was a position that could only be obtained through the trust of direct superior Creator Gods and the faith of Creator Candidates—not through strength alone. It was the seat of the Main God General of the Alliance Main God Realm.
‘Because I hold such a position, no Creator God or Demon God King questioned my qualifications as a Creator God and approved it.’
This was an honor and right he did not want to relinquish even after becoming a Creator God. Since it could influence all Main Gods of the six Creator God Realms, most holders did not appoint successors and held the position concurrently.
But his direct superior Creator God had tried to cover for his incompetence and was now in crisis. This was no time to hesitate.
“Contact the Dimensional Divine Realm of the Dimensional Mage God. I will enact the Main God General’s Divine Realm Main God Temple. The authority of the Main God General of the Alliance Main God Realm is equal to that of a Creator God. The revival and detention of spiritual bodies is possible for anyone below Main God rank. Therefore, if the Dimensional Mage God becomes the Main God General, all his past actions will be forgiven. I will stake the position of Main God General and accept his challenge. In exchange, tell him to hand over sixteen quadrillion in vitality. And I will accept any form of war he desires. I will also leave the time and place entirely to him.”
“Hwi of Omnipotence—! You must not hand over the choice of time and place to the Mage God—! No matter how strong you are, your opponent is the Dimensional Mage God who defeated the 500th Master Universe. Moreover, he has even passed the Eternal Judgment. We cannot make a decision until the Cyber Realm finishes assessing how much stronger he has become!”
“You must not stake the position of Main God General—! How can you grant such honor and rights to a lowly human-born god—!”
The highest-ranking administrator god’s voice was practically a scream, joined by the shouts of Creator Candidates who had been secretly listening outside. Hwi of Omnipotence looked at them as they all spoke at once and gave only a cold, sarcastic reply.
“Then why don’t you people pay me sixteen quadrillion and challenge me instead? If any of the Creator Candidates brings sixteen quadrillion, I will immediately stake the position of Main God General and accept the challenge. Add a postscript that all disciplinary actions against the challenger will be suspended until the outcome is decided and deliver the message.”
The Creator Candidates were momentarily stunned by the unexpected statement. Hwi of Omnipotence was already rumored to surpass a middle-ranking Creator God. Having mastered the second stanza of the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, he was likely comparable to a high-ranking Creator God. The position of Main God General of the Alliance Main God Realm was certainly worth it, but there was no chance of victory.
Yet demanding sixteen quadrillion simply to obtain the right to challenge was outrageous.
‘Sixteen Main God Stars is an enormous sum even for us, direct descendants of Creator Gods.’
‘But from the Dimensional Mage God’s current position, if he wishes to remain a member of the divine race, he will have no choice but to accept the challenge.’
Before their unified consciousness—that a lowly human-born god must not be allowed to become the challenger for the seat of leader of the honored Main Gods—could fully form, Hwi of Omnipotence’s voice rang out above the Creator Candidates with clear disdain.
“Do you still not understand? Right now, it is not just me and Proprieties who are in danger. The absolute-level Karma Contract has appeared in person to seize the opportunity to judge every single being involved in this matter. If we cannot pay thirty quadrillion, everyone will either become Substitute Gods or be dragged off to the Wind Star as insects. This includes all of you. If Proprieties, the direct Creator God of the Alliance Main God Realm, myself as Main God General, and the thirty-four Creator Candidates of the Round Table all become Substitute Gods due to violating the Karma Contract, it is over. This concerns the survival of the Alliance Main God Realm itself. Therefore, as Main God General, I declare: If the Dimensional Mage God pays sixteen quadrillion in vitality, all punishment for criminal acts will be suspended and he will be recognized as a challenger. Anyone who objects must either submit sixteen quadrillion in vitality or present an alternative.”
At those words, silence fell. They slowly returned to their seats with heavy steps. And when they saw the empty nameplate of the Dimensional Mage God, who held the second rank, their teeth ground together involuntarily.
A god of infinitely lowly human birth had ultimately been recognized as the challenger for the position of Main God General.
Then the seat of the third rank, the Cross Sword of Radiance, came into painful view. Though a direct descendant of a Creator God, he was from a concubine, not the official partner. However, since he had cut off one leg of the 500th Master Universe’s Creator General successor and reduced their forces by more than half, he would definitely be revived.
‘I cannot tolerate these beings standing above us.’
‘Since we too have reached the divine rank of Creator Candidates, this is not a simple emotional issue.’
Setting aside the matter of origin, the fact that they fell short of beings who had become independent on their own despite receiving every possible form of support from birth to growth as direct descendants of Creator Gods filled them with unbearable self-loathing.
Yet they knew full well what the absolute-level Karma Contract would do if they refused and could not secure the vitality to pay.
Although they were direct descendants, they had endured fierce competition and brutal survival struggles among themselves. Sometimes they had used means even worse than the Demon God race, somehow passing the authentication battles to reach this point. That was why they understood the terror of the Karma Contract all too well.
So even though they truly hated it, they had no choice but to accept.
They did not know exactly what had happened, but it seemed sixteen quadrillion in vitality had been used and could not be recovered. Otherwise, Hwi of Omnipotence would never have staked the position of Main God General.
If the vitality could not be replenished, their own existences—having intervened in this incident—would be in jeopardy. As direct descendants of Creator Gods, they would definitely be turned into Substitute Gods, their reason and emotions sealed, and forced into semi-permanent star re-creation.
Everyone’s thoughts were brief, but the conclusion had already been reached.
All the Creator Candidates raised their right hands.
“As sixteen quadrillion in vitality… we recognize the Dimensional Mage God’s challenge for the position of Main God General.”
It was the moment a god of human birth became the first to be officially recognized with the right to challenge for the seat of leader of the Main Gods.