The Stubbornness of the Mage God's Origin
The Origin of the Mage God had never simply talked back during his growth process. His stubbornness was on an entirely different level—he fought with the ferocity of someone ready to settle things once and for all. It wasn’t once or twice that he’d been beaten to within an inch of his life.
‘No matter what question or training he faced, he never yielded. He charged forward like a fanatic. As a result, his Innate Divine Power skyrocketed past 1,000 trillion at an absurd speed, and he even mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders perfectly. He was one of the strongest in the Wind Family. Even after reaching adulthood and completing his direct-line education, his pursuit of answers never stopped. There were almost no superiors left who could discipline him, so eventually it fell to me—his own Origin within the Divine Race. If even I couldn’t handle him, we’d have no choice but to ask Grandfather Truth for help. So I gritted my teeth and drove him mercilessly. Still, because he was a member of the Wind Family, he never openly challenged me. He endured the brutal beatings and held his ground.’
In the frozen time, he had no idea how many times he had struck the boy. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d used the blood-soaked Sword of Ruin and Soul to wake the unconscious Origin of the Mage God only to beat him again.
The reason for all this was simple. The arguments from the adult powerhouses of the Wind Family were always the same.
The deeper their pride in their abilities and their love for the Wind Family, the more their obsession transcended imagination. What began as a verbal admonition inevitably turned into a contest of raw power. After all, the Wind Family was a martial house. The strong were right. Or rather, the judgment formed by those who had trained harder and longer to become stronger was the correct one.
In his own view, the Wind Family must never become the ruling power of the Absolute Realm. There was only one reason: the superiority complex that came with being the bloodline of Truth. Because they had inherited such overwhelming talent and environment from Grandfather Truth, they were transcendentally stronger than other clans. That pride would inevitably manifest as a chosen-people ideology. It would earn the resentment of the entire Absolute Realm and the Main Universe. In the end, only absolute oppression through overwhelming force would remain. Development would be impossible; they would be lucky if they didn’t regress. Therefore, the current situation was the best possible outcome.
‘Every ruling class receives the envy and schemes of the lower classes.’
Naturally, the 10 Mainstays also received just as much resentment for maintaining order through sheer power. They were shouldering the envy and checks that should have been directed at the Wind Family. Meanwhile, the Wind Family received only respect as the Origins of the major clans that kept the 10 Mainstays in check. From the Wind Family’s perspective, the 10 Mainstays were a kind of shield that absorbed the dissatisfaction of the lower clans. Even if they overthrew the 10 Mainstays, all that would return was the thankless burden of administration and the direct discomfort of facing the lower classes’ complaints head-on.
As long as they possessed Wind Star, which rivaled the vitality of the Main Universe, there could be no shortage of material resources or life force. ‘As a family that contains the Origins of countless major clans, they receive endless respect.’ Even the 10 Mainstays could not completely ignore them, so they made reasonable concessions and deals. It was the perfect position for a prestigious family to maintain. Indeed, for over five hundred billion years, they had been praised as an unmatched noble house.
Yet all of that could be overturned simply for the self-satisfaction of becoming the dominant power because they were the strongest in the Absolute Realm. How could he make these young children understand that being the best was not as good as being the optimal?
The position just below the 10 Mainstays—yet one that could never be ignored—was the best place to be. In the end, his final words were always the same.
The battle that followed was, of course, no match for him—an Origin of the Divine Race who had been personally educated by Grandfather Truth until adulthood. But the Origin of the Mage God’s authority of Reality Denial was truly astonishing. He restored any damage through reality denial and used opposing authorities like tools to crush them head-on. Moreover, because he was a Divine Race member who also used magic power, his authorities had greater versatility than those of ordinary gods. While the raw power was lower than the original, he overcame that limitation through countless combinations. He was not an omnipotent being who could do everything, but he was an all-purpose God of War capable of responding to any situation.
‘As expected, he was strong enough to declare that he would single-handedly restore the glory of the Wind Family. But in the end, he revealed his limits. At first I was flustered by his strange methods, but he could not inflict a fatal wound on me, who was purely stronger than him. Any combination of authority or magic was ultimately a trick. They were powerless before pure, overwhelming force.’
The Mage God had shown that while he was confident of certain victory against those below or equal to him, he had limits when facing those above. When pushed back with sheer brute Innate Divine Power, he couldn’t prepare a counter-authority and was simply overwhelmed. Yet even in such a disadvantageous position, he stubbornly held on, creating new magic and authorities in terrifying combinations. Occasionally, spells that sent a chill down the spine would activate, and crushing them required accepting some damage.
‘In conclusion, even I, an Origin of the Divine Race, could not completely subdue the Origin of the Mage God.’
Although their opinions differed, they were family, so neither used their final measures. Still, the difference in strength was clear. In this way, he mostly drove him back one-sidedly, testing that will through physical pain. The time of persuasion through force flowed endlessly until, after learning the truth, he finally stepped back. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that the target he needed to surpass had changed from the 10 Mainstays to the reality of the Otherworld.
After that, the Origin of the Mage God had cut off his interest in reality and instead stood on the side of maintaining the Wind Family’s laws. That such a person would respond so actively to the Dimensional Mage God’s propaganda was astonishing.
‘Well, if one of the Divine Race had defeated a higher-ranked member of the 10 Mainstays, I would have been delighted too. Since I’m out on a rare excursion, I suppose I should step in. Seeing a direct report like this, it seems the child below isn’t someone who can be completely suppressed. And since it’s a Divine Race member, my expectations are high.’
Woooong—!Srrrrrrng—!
The sound of space tearing open echoed, and from within, a wooden sword slid into view. As expected, it was stained with blood, its dark-red color and ominous aura unmistakable. This was the Sword of Ruin and Soul, the very blade that had educated every descendant of the gods born in the Wind Family and enforced its laws.
When he showed his intention to go personally, his direct descendant—the Origin of the Demon God Race—bowed deeply and added an explanation.
A dry cough escaped him in disbelief. Just how much trouble had the child caused, and how far had he run, that the younger descendants—who usually trembled at the mere mention of the terrifying Origin of the Mage God—would specifically request him?
He briefly checked Wind Star and found himself nodding, teeth grinding together. The defense barrier was completely shattered, and the facilities that made up the formation were utterly destroyed. It was an absolute barrier meant to stop powerhouses above the 10 Mainstays. Even though the damage had come from within its vulnerable interior, it had been totally demolished. Repairing this wouldn’t be ordinary maintenance—it would require complete reconstruction.
The culprit behind the incident had already established a domain in the area and was preventing the other descendants from escaping.
The Origin of the Demon God Race rubbed his forehead as if suffering from a headache and muttered words that didn’t suit his race at all. But their father, the Origin of the Divine Race, had already departed.
Left alone to maintain the barrier of the rank battle, the Origin of the Demon God Race sat down with a helpless sigh.
Because powerhouses with over 1,000 trillion Innate Divine Power were fighting with full force, the aftershocks were enormous. They always had to block it like this to keep the Absolute Realm safe.
Woooooooooong—!
A pair of enormous black crystal horns and wings of darkness sprouted from his head, glowing as they completely isolated the aftermath of the rank battle.