The Gray Absolute's Humble Submission
The Origin of the Mage God, summoned to the Otherworld war by the Wind Family, could not help but wear a satisfied smile. Thousands of barriers and defensive wards protecting Wind Star had burst from within, and the structures lay shattered into countless fragments.
“The barriers guarding Wind Star are said to have been built to withstand the 10 Centers, and that was reported as well. Every Origin of the Wind Family added their own protective wards and sealing authorities.” Of course, that had once been true. But as time passed, things changed. Now that the ranking wars had grown far more severe than the war against the 10 Centers, the wards’ primary function had shifted toward restraining the unworthy descendants who fled even basic training. Without the power to single-handedly shatter the absolute authorities of the 10 Centers, breaching the interior was impossible. That someone had broken them from within meant a new Origin of the Wind Family had appeared—one whose power far exceeded the existing wards.
“Everything is proceeding exactly as desired.” Having intervened in this hellish reality, he was determined to reshape it into something at least tolerable, if not a paradise.
“As swift as ever. The data was only just released, yet you’ve already constructed an authority as an Origin? Kuhuhuhuhu! That much pent-up frustration, is it? Five hundred billion years is indeed a long time. Our bodies still contain fragments of finite life, after all. Can one truly endure with nothing but precepts? Besides, the Wind Family is a martial house. This sort of thing suits us perfectly.”
“Please come quickly. It is an emergency, Grandfather Gwanho.”
The being rushing toward him with a bowed head was also an Origin active among the divine race. Yet, distracted by the current crisis, he had carelessly spoken the name aloud. The Origin of the Mage God’s face twisted involuntarily. No Origin of the Wind Family wished for their true name to be uttered in this hellish reality.
“Do not call me by that name. Have you forgotten the precept of non-involvement? The Wind Family does not intervene in the present. The one intervening now is simply the Origin of the Mage God.”
“Understood, Origin of the Mage God. The child attempting to run away—no, to leave the family—rather, to declare unauthorized independence, has withstood attacks from the other grandfathers and is still maintaining the barrier. The divine-race Origin grandfather is currently trying to educate the child by destroying it, but the child is regenerating the barrier from within and holding out. It is an unusual barrier, and he is struggling to break it. We believe it was formed based on the data you provided last time.”
The location was confirmed in an instant. A short distance from Wind Star’s entrance, the divine-race Origin grandfather could be seen savagely slashing an entire section of space with the Sword of Ruin and Soul. Seeing him resort to brute force rather than his usual methods, it was clear he had given up on dispelling the barrier. Yet every time space was torn apart, a new layer emerged like an onion being peeled, sealing the breach once more. The Origin of the Mage God’s eyes gleamed. Without realizing it, he had already converted his magecraft into an authority and refined it to a level that would trouble even the divine-race Origin grandfather.
“A complete Origin authority. Remarkable. He never misses an opportunity when given one.” Though he had manifested magecraft as a divine authority, his eyes missed nothing. “He has already fled. It would be absurd for an Origin of the Wind Family capable of shattering the barrier to be caught at the entrance.”
As expected, the Origin of the Mage God’s authority, reconstructed through dimensional magecraft, discovered a thread of divine power extending deeper into the space. His tongue clicked in irritation. “Tsk, tsk. Why must they cause trouble by declaring independence without even obtaining Grandfather Jinri’s permission?”
This time, however, it was a major incident.
“That is not a barrier. It is a world. Tsk—and he has already escaped. That is bait. His destination is the Otherworld? If this goes wrong, Grandfather Jinri might beat me senseless. Kuhuhuhuhut!”
“Pardon?”
“That is a permanently sustained defensive barrier-type magecraft. Bait to lure enemies. There is no activator inside—only divine power. Tell the divine-race Origin grandfather to seal the entire area and move to the Otherworld. The ones who should accompany him are the Origin grandfather of the Omnipotent Divine Race and the Origin grandfather of the Celestial Divine Race. All other divine-race Origin grandfathers need only fix that space in the present. I will track the child first based on that.”
Though the Origin of the Mage God had no intention of crossing into the Otherworld himself, he was already moving. A permanently sustained authority required maintenance by its activator, so the connection remained faint. Once the body transfer to the Otherworld was complete, tracking would become far more troublesome. He could not afford to lose this new divine-race Origin who would play a crucial role in his plans.
“Wait for me, 10 Centers. I will remove you from the ruling powers first—those who maintain and develop this hellish reality.”
The Origin of the Mage God ground his teeth as he felt his body traveling to the Otherworld dissolve and reconstruct. “Now it begins.”
The future Dimensional Mage God, now gray, arrived in his domain only to find himself unexpectedly in the middle of a meeting. Smiling broadly, he looked around at the beings surrounding him. “One hundred of the Absolute Realm’s highest-ranking warriors, each exceeding ten trillion in innate divine power.”
They were the rulers of the major races, including the divine and demon races. The reason they had blocked his entry into the Gray Realm was simple: they had come to serve the new Gray Lord.
“They came politely to escort me to the central authority of the Gray Realm that Golden once used? How amusing.”
After that came an endless stream of situation reports, interspersed with problems, followed by evaluations of him from those around. The most critical issue was distrust toward the Gray created by the Origin of the Wind Family. Since the Gray Realm could be manipulated according to the Wind Family’s intentions, they could not hand over command authority. It meant he must operate under their surveillance and approval.
“Ho? Their words are long-winded, but in the end, they mean they cannot acknowledge me—the Gray implemented by the Origin of the Wind Family—as the legitimate Gray. So they intend to keep me out of the realm and do as they please? They want me to pass the trials they set? And delegate authority as well? My, my. What distinguished figures. Since when did the 10 Centers listen so obediently to their subordinates? They are tyrants who wield absolute power. If I refuse, they will report it to the Golden Absolute, won’t they? So they want me back under Golden’s control? Yet if problems arise, I will have to handle them all, correct? Becoming Golden’s pawn. Puhuhuhuhuhut!”
The Gray smirked with a face that showed no displeasure at all while laughing inwardly at their arrogance. “I never thought the Golden Absolute would so easily hand over the domain he had managed with such difficulty.”
The most ideal handover would be one that preserved authority while shifting all obligations onto the successor. In the worst case, he would plant his own loyalists as middle managers to control things from behind. “Keep all the benefits and dump every problem on the successor.”
As expected of Golden, the greatest and finest of the Absolutes, he had prepared exactly that. Seeing the worst possible scenario unfold brought the Gray genuine delight. “Am I not the Dimensional Mage God who denies this hellish reality and seeks to create paradise? Shattering a reality of this kind is the very reason for the Dimensional Mage God’s existence.”
Every ruler of the Absolute Realm’s domains, granted by Jinri, had received instructions from the Golden Absolute and now directed hostility toward him across the boundary. Most beings would never tolerate such treatment. Especially not a 10 Center-level existence with one hundred billion divine power, when a weaker being dared such insolence. Yet this was precisely what the Golden Absolute desired.
“If the successor to the Gray Realm conducts a massive purge, it will provide immediate justification for intervention. Then they can openly treat me as a subordinate and order me around.”
He could not even become properly angry. If the Gray had been strong enough to defeat the Golden Absolute, these beings would never have acted this way. The moment he received the lowest rank in the ranking war, this situation had become inevitable.
“As expected, this is a hellish reality. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to live far longer. My will to live is surging. Kekekekekek!”
The surrounding rulers of the Gray Realm watched him tensely, awaiting his reaction. They knew well how dangerous their demands were. No 10 Center, those absolute powerhouses, would ever accept such insolence. Yet the highest-ranking bloodlines of the Golden Absolute, who had been annihilated during the ranking war, had already been revived by Jinri and now waited nearby. The highest-ranking bloodlines of the other 10 Centers had also gathered in force.
“Kekeke! How diligent of them. So only eight Absolutes remain in the ranking war? All the others were wiped out by the aftermath of the battles. Yet they deployed every highest-ranking bloodline? To go to such lengths for me—how touching. I am truly moved by the warm consideration of my seniors.”
This was the first meeting between the Gray and the rulers of every race in the Gray Realm. If the Gray yielded here, he would never again possess legitimate authority. That was why, excluding the 10 Centers bound by the ranking war, they had committed their full forces to pressure him.
“Even if I nearly killed them with a surprise self-destruction, isn’t this excessive?”
Yet it was only natural. “Shouldn’t fellow 10 Centers help one another? Do they enjoy gaining equals they must consider and accommodate? Or do they prefer gaining subordinates they can freely order around?”
Such pathetic questions held no value for discussion. Moreover, the current Gray was a body restored by the Origin of the Mage God from erasure—not the legitimate Gray.
“I was always going to end up like this anyway.”
It was only after his self-destruction had annihilated the bloodlines of the other 10 Centers that they had approached him.
“Their demands are finished. Now only my answer remains.”
He had checked his surroundings thoroughly, yet there was no one on his side. No one existed who would say that the Gray, officially recognized by Jinri, should not be treated this way.
“I am the one who died to the Main Universe’s Candidate Creator God, was annihilated by the Golden Absolute, and erased by the Black Flame Absolute. Therefore, aside from the Origin of the Mage God who restored this grudge-filled, erased self and nurtured me to this point, I have no allies in the present.”
Of course, knowing that once erased, he could never side with the eight Absolutes, the Origin of the Mage God’s support was something he understood.
“As befits the Origin of the Mage God, whose primary focus is denying reality, his hatred toward the 10 Centers ruling the Absolute Realm was beyond imagination. After all, it is the 10 Centers who sustain this system and this reality—there is nothing more to say.”
Yet having become a 10 Center only to suffer this treatment as the weakest among them brought a fresh sense of irony.
“I accept everything. I understand well that the Gray implemented by the Origin of the Mage God lacks both the justification and the safety to wield full authority. As you wish, I delegate all authority over the Gray Realm to the rulers of each race present here. Furthermore, every decision within my domain shall be made in consultation with the rulers of each race.”
The Gray’s light, complete surrender sent murmurs rippling outward like waves. Even the highest-ranking bloodlines of the other 10 Centers, who had been hidden in preparation for the worst case, unconsciously released their stealth and revealed themselves. They were shocked to see him willingly accept a defeat their own 10 Centers would never have chosen.
Watching their reactions, the Gray offered a bright smile. “Every gaze has turned toward me. It is no longer wariness or contempt. It is suspicion and shock.”
The Gray had accepted their insolent rebellion without a single word of opposition. Gazing at them, he recalled what he must now do.
“Even after laying everything down like this, my enemies only multiply. I shall open the same hell for all of you. It is no longer only the Golden and Black Flame Absolutes. The other eight Absolutes who intervened in this matter will not be spared either. I only wished to repay a small portion of my grudges and live quietly, yet you force me to relive these memories. I will kill you all, annihilate you, erase you. And every being in the Gray Realm who sided with you—I will never forgive them either.”