The Main God Election Battle
The Divine Realm's war had reached a point where sitting alone on the throne of glory in an empty Main God Temple no longer bothered him. In fact, he had no time to care. The preparations for the upcoming Main God Election Battle were piled up like a mountain.
'This Main God Election Battle won't end with a simple duel against Almighty Hwi. Since it decides the leader of the Main Divine Realm, the challenger must prove the strength of their faction and their ability to command it all.'
Of course, any gods below Main God level who couldn't serve as reliable combat power against the Substitute Gods were excluded. Main Gods and above would fight to make their respective Main God of the Divine Realm the Main God King. It was an honorable battle not to steal the Divine Realm, but to elect the representative of the Main Divine Realm.
In the end, the Main Gods of the Main Divine Realm who witnessed the battle's progress and outcome would select the most fitting candidate. That was the Main God Election Battle.
'The gods of the Main Divine Realm vote for the one they want to follow after watching the battle, and it's decided by majority vote. Even if you win, if the gods reject you, you have to challenge again. Damn majority vote.'
For the Magic God of Dimensions, whose power was Reality Denial, there was no stupider form of combat.
'Where in the world is there such a thing as an honorable battle? When words and negotiations fail, combat is simply using force to determine superiority.'
Yet the Main God Election Battle wasn't a duel to determine individual superiority. It was an election to choose the leader of a collective, so it aligned perfectly with pitting the full capabilities and strength of all forces against each other. The only catch was having to mind the eyes of those around you.
This peculiar fight invited countless variables in analyzing the Main Divine Realm's forces and preparing countermeasures. In the end, it meant becoming the Main God King as a challenger was extremely difficult.
'You have to win overwhelmingly or win in a way that's impressively cool. Only then can you move the hearts of the Main Divine Realm's gods and gain their support to become Main God King. It's truly ridiculous. There's no way a challenger's faction could surpass the Main Divine Realm, so the Main God King position almost never changes. But it's what Almighty Hwi accomplished 1 billion years ago. He single-handedly suppressed the previous Main God King and all the Main Gods, then proudly ascended to the position. So it's not completely impossible.'
'But for me, the Magic God, it's impossible. My magic guarantees victory against equal or lesser opponents because of its casting time, but it doesn't work on Almighty Hwi, who's on the same level or higher. If beings on my level help him and keep me in check, I'll be eliminated immediately.'
The most troublesome factor was, after all, the Preliminary Creator Gods of the Round Table. They were powerful Preliminary Creator Gods who ruled the direct Main Divine Realms under the six Creation God Realms. Their strength had been proven when the third-ranked one cut off the arm of the 500th Master Universe's Creator General successor.
Though there had been some manipulation in the rankings, they were formidable war gods that even Main Gods wouldn't dare challenge.
'Among the Main Gods, we have the upper hand thanks to the Goddesses, Spirit Gods, and the Otherworld's Spirit Gods. But what about the Preliminary Creator Gods of the Round Table? Currently, the Main Divine Realm has thirty-four Preliminary Creator Gods, excluding the second-ranked me, the 500th Master Universe's Creator General successor, and the third who died fighting them. Though they're pampered young masters, as direct descendants of Creator Gods, they all possess Transcendent Authorities. What am I supposed to do about this?'
No matter how much he thought about it, the only ones currently capable of responding were Shuddering March and Lokina. If the battlefield wasn't a restricted area like the Spirit Realm, they couldn't even keep them in check. Gaiana was of the Almighty God Tribe, so she couldn't be deployed against the Origin of the Almighty Race. The Goddesses and Otherworld Spirit Gods only had Main God-level divine power, so they weren't even opponents.
Even if the Goddesses or Otherworld Spirit Gods possessed Transcendent Authorities, the Preliminary Creator Gods were beings aiming for Creator God status, so Transcendent Authorities were the baseline for them. There was no difference in authorities, and no matter how superior their combat experience was, the fundamental gap in capability was too vast. In the end, they couldn't win due to the overwhelming difference in divine power.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed he'd have to resort to underhanded methods again. But the biggest problem lay here. No, it was the reason Almighty Hwi had confidently proposed the Main God Election Battle.
'I'm the one praised as the Undefeatable Battle God of Ascension in public, but cursed behind my back as the worst and most vicious Magic God. That's me—the Magic God of Dimensions.'
He had revealed the authority of Divine Spirit Purgatory, which forcibly imprisoned spirit gods modeled after the Spirit Realm as a loophole to defeat the 499th Master Universe, and had even resurrected demon gods. The Creator Gods must be grinding their teeth at this challenge to their authority. It was obvious that all the things he'd done during his mercenary god days just to survive had been dug up.
When you added it all up, his current notoriety completely overshadowed even that of the Goddesses who had swept away the male gods in the past and possessed Lord Slayer. When fighting alone as an individual, he could make excuses about doing it for victory, but now that he was the Main God of the Divine Realm, he couldn't even say that.
'Otherwise, why would I have participated alone in the Spirit Realm battle? If I'd sent my subordinate Main Gods and turned them into Creator Gods, I could have won easily. But I couldn't do that, could I?'
If he had fully unleashed Origin's title and used Troop of Creation God, he might not have been dragged to Wind Star. But in the end, he hadn't summoned his subordinate Main Gods because he knew it would be wrong.
And most of that wrongdoing lay in the abuse of loopholes that bordered on crime—reviving demon gods, surprise attacks as standard procedure, even taking hostages—instead of normal combat. But if he did such things openly as the Main God of the Divine Realm, it wouldn't just be about the battle; he'd face impeachment from his subordinate gods.
Even when he was just a mercenary god using them secretly and only had suspicions, his reputation had been the worst. Now that everything had been revealed during the battle and he was on the verge of being subjugated, he couldn't even claim it was unfair.
'Loopholes can never be used in the Main God Election Battle, which determines victory through honorable combat. Moreover, I'm a despised Magic God, and not only am I not from a prestigious Almighty God Tribe, I'm from lowly human origins.'
Under normal circumstances, he could never have become the Main God of the Divine Realm. He was keenly aware that his position was barely maintained through the benefits and power he'd poured into his subordinates as if distributing them. So even a small problem could lead to impeachment from both inside and outside. Since their relationship was bound by self-interest, they'd turn on him the moment it harmed them.
'I was on the verge of being subjugated as a criminal for only using loopholes to survive, so if I use them in the Main God Election Battle too, there's no way the gods of the Main Divine Realm would support me even if I win. No, my current position is already precarious. At this rate, I'll be finished before I can even hook the Black Flame Absolute. It's hard enough to win while leading inferior forces, but I also have to look impressive doing it? I'm going crazy. But there is a chance of victory. The fact that I have the right to choose the timing and method of the Main God Election Battle. That's already heaven compared to my hellish past.'
A smile formed on the lips of the Magic God of Dimensions.
'Heh heh! The odds are slim, but when has a comfortable battle ever been given to me? And this time, there's no client nagging about how I should fight and win. Unlike the past when superiors with only living mouths tied my hands and feet and demanded I win honorably, this time I get to decide the method.'
Though it was called an honorable Main God Election Battle, it was ultimately just for show. As long as the process and result of winning looked good, that was enough. Moreover, the reward at stake was enormous.
'The basics are one complete life through absolute reality denial equivalent to Absolute Authority. No, depending on how I do it, I can obtain up to three.'
And if the results were good and he could learn them, he could even acquire them. For him, who feared death the most while awaiting the Judgment of Truth, there could be no greater reward.
'Kuhuhuhuhuhuhuhut—! If loopholes don't work, then proper methods it is. The mistaken prejudice that the Magic God only wins through loopholes is dangerous. Proper methods can be used in a way that looks just as good. No, even more so than the God of Light. Almighty Hwi. Your biggest mistake will be leaving the timing and method to me. If I can drag in the Black Flame Absolute and, if possible, the Golden Absolute as well, it will be truly entertaining. I can fully predict why my future self grinds his teeth at them, so this time I should inflict as much damage as possible. If the Golden One, who always pursues only the best and the highest, becomes rank one, he'll try to catch me like swatting a fly. Moreover, even the Origin of the Mage God has personally gathered this much support and raised my personal power. I should do my best. To think I have become equal to Almighty Hwi, the Origin of the Almighty God Tribe who has mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders. What grace is this? I will make this Main God Election Battle the greatest spectacle in the history of the Master Universe. I'll blow away all that notoriety in one go this time.'
The Magic God of Dimensions had already erased from his mind any complaints about the pain he'd endured during three thousand years of forced training. He was already accustomed to romanticizing painful pasts as fond memories. Just thinking about how he'd grown strong enough to compete with Almighty Hwi, who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, the support from the Wind Family, and the enormous rewards he'd receive made his heart feel like it would fly away.
Moreover, although there was a restriction that he had to damage the Black Flame Absolute before the 10 Mainstays ranking battle ended, he could choose the timing and method as he pleased. There had never been such equal favorable conditions before.
'It must be too natural for other gods, but for me—a lowly human-origin mercenary god and despised Magic God—to finally receive equal treatment...'
Honestly, it was a situation that brought tears of joy. Even if Grey was scheming and defeat would turn him back into a criminal facing subjugation, at least Almighty Hwi and the Main Divine Realm had officially recognized him as a challenger for the Main God King position. Being acknowledged as a challenger itself was an incredibly high evaluation. That was the important point.
This was the result of gritting his teeth, never abandoning hope until the end, and surviving. He had not lived a futile life.
“Uhuhuhuhu—! Puhahahahahaha—! Yes, it's just the beginning now. It's only the beginning. It was so hard and long. There's no one around, but this is something, isn't it? I've finally gained qualifications equal to those arrogant, high-and-mighty ones. I can fill in whatever's empty somehow. Kuhahahahahahat—!”
The laughter of the Magic God, his face covered by a black robe, echoed like a reverberation as he sat alone in the empty Main God Temple. Though there was no one around him now, someday he would fill it completely. Even if those relationships were bound not by loyalty but by self-interest, he vowed to gather even more countless gods under him and achieve even greater success.
The screen turned off, and Almighty Hwi's complexion hardened terrifyingly as he maintained silence. It had only been a day since he'd seen the Magic God of Dimensions being dragged to Wind Star during the Spirit Realm battle. Until then, he'd been nothing more than one of the troublesome but manageable Preliminary Creator Gods among the administrative gods.
But now, seeing him with thirteen pairs of wings of light and even wings of magic power, he was absolutely not to be underestimated. Of course, he wasn't on the level of the Holy Demon Sage of Omniscience, who fused divine power and magic, but he would display power at least equivalent to the combined assault of a top-tier Preliminary Creator God and a Preliminary Demon God King.
Even that wasn't something he couldn't handle. However, before the decisive Main God Election Battle, one of the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm—Grey—had appeared and briefly intervened. And the short conversation he'd had with the Magic God of Dimensions was completely incomprehensible.
Asking the administrative Main God directly wasn't reliable either. Since he was a key figure in this incident and had handed over all secrets after being hit by Grey's magic, there was little trust. Seeing him hanging his head in shame as if he had no face left suggested it wasn't betrayal, but it was impossible to believe.
But in the end, he had no choice but to ask.
'No matter how much I think about it, I don't understand, and Grey is definitely not someone to be ignored and overlooked.'
Excluding the Origin of the Wind Family, the 10 Mainstays were tyrants who had directly destroyed countless life forms or spiritual beings that hindered progress, and they were the only beings who could even ignore the Creator Gods depending on the situation and get away with it. He had no idea what kind of fate ignoring them would bring, yet he couldn't understand why they would step forward in something like a mere Master Universe's Main God Election Battle. He keenly felt that he was ultimately a war god, not an administrative god.
“What exactly are the 'bait', 'lure', and 'mutual benefit' that Grey mentioned and the Magic God of Dimensions spoke of? What do you think this Main God Election Battle is?”
“……”
The administrative Main God tightly closed his eyes.
'So that question has finally come.'
Looking at how things were unfolding, he had a clear sense. He had completely gotten caught up in the secret struggles of extremely exalted beings. And of all things, it was the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm—the worst possible scenario. It was a relief beyond measure that it wasn't a subjugation war. Otherwise, the entire Main Divine Realm might have been overturned. To them, the Main Divine Realm of a Master Universe was nothing more than an extremely minor thing they could recreate anytime.
He first spoke the conclusion he had painstakingly inferred.
“It is a proxy war.”
“What?”
“The previous Spirit Realm battle, which was meant to build justification as a preliminary skirmish, expanded into an almost all-out war. Thanks to your heroic battle, Almighty Hwi, and the participation of the Magic God of Dimensions, we achieved a miraculous complete victory. It was an astonishing achievement even from the perspective of the 499th Master Universe that ultimately won.”
“And?”
“It seems that caught the attention of the Absolute Realm.”
“!?”
A chilling sensation swept over Almighty Hwi and the Preliminary Creator Gods. They were rulers who had lived as Main Gods of the Divine Realm for over 100 million years each. They knew that drawing the interest of exalted beings never meant anything good. And for them to intervene directly like this signified the worst possible meaning.
Moreover, since the administrative Main God had directly said “proxy war,” pretending not to know would be foolish. Almighty Hwi eventually spoke the conclusion plainly.
“It means we've become chess pieces for the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm. So even the Creator Gods are all remaining silent about this?”
“We must find out what request the Magic God of Dimensions received from Grey. Only then can we prevent the worst outcome.”
“……”
The administrative Main God urgently offered his opinion, but Almighty Hwi kept his mouth firmly shut. In his view, the situation was at its worst. And only now did he realize this uneasy feeling.
'It's the same as back then when I first stepped forward as a mercenary god for the revival of the Almighty God Tribe. I unknowingly got involved in the emotional games of the highest rulers and nearly got annihilated despite winning.'
The current reason—a lowly being without qualification for victory had won—was something that could never be tolerated. It hadn't been that long since he'd overcome that and been recognized as the greatest Main God, yet now that the Creator Gods had fallen into decline, he was once again being tested on his qualifications as a victor.
'They're making me feel the decline of the Creator Gods to the bone. I was the best as a Main God, but as a Creator God, I'm at the bottom of the ranks. In the end, I'm suffering this kind of hazing again. But even then, I kept winning and ultimately seized victory. In the end, the principle that only victory guarantees a war god's future remains unchanged.'
Almighty Hwi looked around at the Preliminary Creator Gods seated around him. By his standards they were lacking, but they were already powerful enough to become Creator Gods once their divinity was guaranteed. There were thirty-four such powerhouses. He could confidently say that there was no Main Divine Realm as mighty as this even in the 499th Master Universe.
'Together with them, I've protected the Main God King position and the Round Table for over 1 billion years and developed the Main Divine Realm to this extent.'
He didn't know how the Magic God of Dimensions would come at them, but honestly, he was confident of victory.
'In any case, loopholes are powerless before even greater proper methods. Whether this fight is a proxy war or entertainment for the exalted ones doesn't matter. No matter what form the war takes, the capability to win lies with the Main Divine Realm I lead. As Main God King, the challenger simply fights with all forces and overcomes them.'
The Magic God of Dimensions definitely did not possess the overwhelming martial prowess that he himself had in the past.
“I will show that it is impossible for a Magic God who denies reality and pursues only ideals to defeat an Almighty God who creates perfect reality. All gods above Main God level in the Main Divine Realm, prepare for the Main God Election Battle regardless of this situation. We will win so overwhelmingly that even the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm cannot say a word. This is total war.”
“We shall obey the Main God King's command.”
The thunderous replies of the Preliminary Creator Gods, fired up by Almighty Hwi's confident command, shook the Main God Temple. It was a scene that contrasted sharply with the Magic God of Dimensions laughing alone in an empty Main God Temple.