The Bait is Set

Grey paid no attention whatsoever to the gazes around him and focused entirely on examining the current stats of the Dimensional Mage God. 'Almighty Hwi is no more than a sparrow to me now.' What mattered now was to assess the results of the training in which the Origin of the Mage God—no, this time as the Origin of the Wind Family—had personally dragged him off for nearly thirty thousand years of forced training. Only then could he make appropriate adjustments to the future schedule. And upon calm reflection, he could not forgive not only the Black Flame who had erased him but also the Gold who had annihilated him.

'I can't kill them all, but landing one solid blow should feel refreshing. The aftermath will be enormous, but that's irrelevant. It's something the Dimensional Mage God will have to handle later.'

To Grey, restored from erasure, this was a reality he wished did not exist—an implemented temporary life. He intended to live exactly as his nature dictated and disappear in good spirits.

The Dimensional Mage God's stats, verified through a light test, were—excluding innate divine power—almost at a level where one could reasonably call him the Origin of the Mage God of the Main Universe. Above all, even when receiving strikes beyond a Preliminary Creator God's limits to test his capabilities, he endured admirably, continued chanting, and elevated his power in a breathtaking manner. As an experiment, even after his eyes rolled back in fury and he charged while running his mouth, only to be sent flying into the distance by a blow to that blabbering face, he never stopped chanting. This proved that it was not merely his physical body but his divine body and divine spirit itself manifesting the incantations.

Such an authority was exceedingly rare, and even in the Absolute Realm it ranked as absolute-grade. 'Remarkable. His innate divine power is still at rock bottom, yet his other values already surpass those of a General Creator God. Moreover, this bastard? Even while charging in with magic chanting, he maintains consecutive casts. On top of that, he ignores decent hits and keeps rushing in? All while continuing the chant? Could this be Eternal Incantation? One of the absolute-grade sage authorities that refuses to cease magic manifestation so long as the divine spirit exists, even if the body dies or is annihilated? No way. There's no chance the past me could have learned that. The required talent is nearly on the level of the Incomprehensible Eight Founders. If that had been possible, would I be in this state now? He must be undergoing the formal Grey process under Truth.'

Whether he sensed the slight opening created by Grey's deepening thoughts, the Dimensional Mage God's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he instantly widened the distance. He raised both hands above his head, drawing his magic power to its utmost limit. At a glance it was clear a threatening spell was activating—the space warped and black dots materialized in the void.

The moment Grey saw this, his eyes shifted from surprise to utter, disappointed disbelief. Just when he thought there had been some improvement, it had reverted to the same old pattern. 'Is this a suicide wish begging me to please kill him? Why suddenly chant while completely defenseless? What is this behavior in front of a superior being who outclasses you in every way? Did this idiot from the past only learn defense?'

It seemed he had learned something after all, but it was still clumsy. When he charged recklessly, there was a certain power to it, yet the instant he gained any breathing room his old habits resurfaced. Clear evidence that he remained accustomed to combat from his human days. He occasionally forgot that distance held no meaning for a spiritual god and committed such errors. His defense appeared to have reached a respectable level, but the moment he switched to offense, this happened. Then again, given how vastly inferior his abilities were to the Origin of the Mage God, he had been unable to attack at all and could only endure, resulting in this imbalance.

The general assessment was complete. There was no need to watch any more of this disgraceful display.

"Die! Future me—! Gigantic Meteor Co—! Kugh—!"

"Hoo. Enough with the useless chatter. You die first. Let's see exactly where the limit of your sustained chanting lies."

Crack—! Thud—! Thump—!

Before the Dimensional Mage God could even finish his activation phrase, the sounds ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of something snapping and being pummeled rang out first. His neck twisted backward, limbs shattered in multiple places, and the Dimensional Mage God collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously.

The Dimensional Mage God, who had no idea what had just happened, frantically restored his body and tried to rise, but Grey was already pressing down on his back with one foot. Wearing an expression of pure disbelief, Grey dusted off his hands and spoke. Though he had struck with lethal intent, the fact that his opponent was still alive and immediately recovered surprised him inwardly, yet he did not forget to deliver a scathing critique.

"Tsk tsk—! You think opening distance from a superior being counts as distance? And on top of that you spout unnecessary words and use magic that requires an activation phrase? Just beg me to kill you outright. And as expected, it's not the real thing. The chanting stops right before death. So this is a degraded version of Eternal Incantation? What a shame. You somehow managed to learn it by lowering its performance. How very like the past me—half-baked. At this rate, should I give up on using Gold? And I told you not to use that. It was supposed to be saved for the finishing blow later. You're still not mature enough."

Though he called it pathetic, he ultimately could not deny the truth. The Dimensional Mage God had moved beyond the level of a low-ranking warrior in the Absolute Realm and reached mid-tier. No—if one considered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only defense and recovery capabilities, he was nearly high-tier. The computational power most vital to a Mage God had doubled, and his primary innate divine powers excluding the Authority of the Sun had risen accordingly. His innate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠divine power had reached eighteen billion; with maximum magic amplification it now exceeded four hundred and forty billion. Overall, the depth of both his authority and power was sufficient, if only barely, to entrust him with the position of Origin of the Mage God of the Main Universe.

Yet the fact that this was all he had achieved after tens of thousands of years of near-death training was indeed pitiful. When comparing only the numerical increases, the training and vitality expended as the price represented the height of waste. Still, from the perspective of other beings, raising one's divine power in merely five minutes was an astonishing figure.

Carefully, he compiled the current level of the Dimensional Mage God.

Grey nodded as he rechecked the capability evaluation report on the Dimensional Mage God he himself had created. He could now understand the Origin of the Mage God's intentions behind this education. He had raised defense and chanting ability while maximizing recovery power. On top of that, he had somehow made him learn "Eternal Incantation," the absolute authority the Black Flame Absolute had been most proud of during his days as the greatest sage of the Absolute Realm. In the end, this demonstrated a clear will to draw in the Black Flame Absolute and land a blow. Since the Origin was the one manifesting him, he knew better than anyone how impossible this task was—yet he had chosen to help proactively. It was truly something to be grateful for.

"The bait is top quality."

Almighty Hwi watched the Dimensional Mage God—who continued to struggle even while pinned under his own foot—with a look of pure shock. Understandable. Hwi himself was suppressed by the fighting spirit of a higher being, so seeing someone defy that pressure would be startling. All twenty-six pairs of distinct light wings were visible, as if he had been recognized as a full Creator God. However, the current Dimensional Mage God, despite being a Preliminary Creator God, already possessed defense and recovery abilities that partially surpassed those of a Creator God. Even his former weakness in close combat would be somewhat manageable with "Eternal Incantation." Though far from its original power, an absolute-grade authority was not called absolute for nothing.

"The fishing hook is also first-rate."

Crack—!

"Graaah—!"

Along with the Dimensional Mage God's short scream, his body went limp. Grey had driven power into the foot on his back, shattering the spine, and injected a portion of the Dimensional Authority residing within himself directly into the other's body. Of course, it was at a level the current him could endure, but it would be enough to deliver a decisive strike against Creator Gods.

Watching the Dimensional Authority settle into the Mage God's body as though it were its rightful home, Grey nodded. Sensing that it had been set to react automatically to unbearable crises, Creator Great God Seongmyeol had begun to manifest, but since Grey was also a Dimensional Mage God, he activated control to halt it once more within the dimensional gap and examined its condition.

The grey Wind Star embedded in Creator Great God Seongmyeol's forehead shone brightly. Perhaps because it alone received the vitality of Grey's Wind Star, the explosive rise in its innate divine power was remarkable. Since its body had been forged with the Authority of Black Flame, even the Black Flame Absolute would find it difficult to destroy.

"The fishing rod and the fisherman need no further praise. Then we're finished."

Having confirmed everything, Grey bowed deeply and presented the Dimensional Mage God's capability report to the Origin of the Mage God. With this, further intervention due to perceived insufficiency was unnecessary. Over-preparing would only make the fish sense danger and flee.

"It is prepared. Utilizing an error in the authority, we have secured a one-in-twenty-five-thousand chance of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠victory. Any further intervention could awaken a sense of crisis in the Black Flame Absolute's 'Always Coin Heads.'"

The Origin of the Mage God nodded while examining the stats of the Dimensional Mage God he had received from Grey. Although he had trained the man himself, the Wind Family's standards were so high that the learning speed had been painfully slow, forcing him to inject various abilities through brute force. Fortunately, the target had been reached, and defense and recovery had even exceeded expectations. Against the Main Universe's Origin of the Almighty God Tribe—who already appeared to be a high-ranking warrior beyond the screen—normal victory remained impossible, but he had certainly reached a level where he could stubbornly endure. It was an achievement worthy of the blood-soaked Sword of Ruin and Soul.

Seeming satisfied, he smiled faintly and erased the report.

"Hmm—! We can show the Black Flame Absolute just how terrifying a Mage God with a one-in-twenty-five-thousand chance of victory can be. Since we've gone this far to help him, he will surely succeed."

"Puhuhuhut—! Indeed. Even a perfect 'Always Coin Heads' cannot help but overlook such a slim chance of victory. At this level, compulsory force will not activate. However, there is no such thing as perfection in any authority, and an opposing authority becomes opposition once more. When good and evil mix, grey is born, and the standard for separating them again according to the surrounding situation is precisely grey. The repetition of such relationship reversals is the very nature of Grey's authority. The meaning of the Dimensional Mage God's existence is to flip desperate odds and seize glorious victory. I will turn that one-in-twenty-five-thousand chance into the opponent's probability of defeat and ensure the Black Flame Absolute takes a blow."

The Origin of the Mage God offered a faint smile at Grey's overflowing confidence.

'I know this is driven by emotion.' He had been aware the success probability was extremely slim, yet hearing him declare with confidence that success was possible once in twenty-five thousand attempts brought a chuckle to his lips. 'Huhu! Who would accept a request with only a one-in-twenty-five-thousand chance of success?'

But for a Mage God who denied reality and pursued ideals, one in twenty-five thousand was clearly worth the challenge. It was precisely for this reason that the Wind Family had offered exceptional support. 'After all, the Wind Family itself aims to challenge complete impossibility, does it not?' Beings who walked similar paths could not help but feel a sense of kinship. The other grandfather must have known how nearly impossible it was, yet he had found the sight endearing and granted approval and assistance. It was like watching an adorable baby show off its tricks. Of course, to preserve that adorableness, he himself would have to work even harder on family matters; that went without saying.

His original duty was the education of those god-race descendants who, upon reaching the Origin domain and becoming swollen with confidence, would overstep their bounds and cause incidents by declaring independence. The blood-drenched Sword of Ruin and Soul bore witness to his efforts thus far. 'Had he not accumulated this much merit, he would surely have been ignored.'

Since the achievements of this request had been greatly aided by the tasks he had voluntarily taken on in anger at seeing someone act purely on emotion despite lacking ability, he would simply have to work harder. That was the greatest help he could offer the Dimensional Mage God—the one who had shone brilliantly as the Origin of the Mage God by achieving victory over the highest-tier Black Flame Race.

"Very well—! I must answer the summons of the Wind Family. Return to your own domain and carry out your duties. Now we can only wait for the results."

"Understood. Do well from here on. Past me. If you succeed, you will gain one complete life that can deny even the most tragic reality. Depending on the results, I may even pass on the authority itself. Give it your all—! Power—! Sixteen trillion—! Sixteen trillion—!"

"Grind… Get… get lost already. I'll handle the rest myself."

"As expected, you're still not mature enough. Kahahahahaha—!"

The Dimensional Mage God, who had already restored his shattered back and risen to his feet, ground his teeth while watching Grey depart with one final taunt. His shout echoed across the area.

And so, the preparations to lure the Black Flame Absolute were complete.