The Weight of Solitude

One week after the Otherworld War began, the Magic God of Dimensions finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rose from the seat of glory. The subjugation of the Main God Star was complete. The divine robes and equipment intended for the Main God Battle had also finished production, filling the Main God Temple to the brim. He wasn’t sure how much help they would actually be, but at the very least, his forces wouldn’t be pushed back in the coming fight. After all, these were beings who possessed transcendent authorities so overwhelmingly powerful that even he found them daunting.

‘Preparations are finished. All that remains is to carry them out.’

Three weeks remained. According to the predictions of the Origin of the Mage God and Grey, the Ranking War would take exactly one month. The battle that originally required over a year had been drastically shortened due to Grey’s self-destruction. Beyond that point, the consumption of divine power became unsustainable, so the undertrained members of the 10 Mainstays would drop out first, immediately dividing the individual rankings. It sounded absurd that spiritual beings could fight at maximum output — something ordinary spiritual entities couldn’t endure for even a few minutes — for over a year, but since their joint prediction matched perfectly, it had to be accurate.

That was why he had spent a full week creating the divine robes, yet he still had plenty of time to spare. Most importantly, the conquest of the Main God Star Granraha had been completed without a hitch.

‘There’s no way the monsters could withstand gods who can use all their authorities after I dismantled the planet’s barrier with dimensional authority. Even the monster gods created by the Main God Star’s final desperate instinct crumbled pathetically.’

If these had been ordinary gods, they would have faced a difficult foe. But on his side stood ten Lord Gods of the Giant God Race — beings who surpassed even monster gods. With their coordinated assault, they had torn the enemy apart in an instant and sealed their cores. What remained were merely giant monsters under a hundred meters tall. Those could be handled by the intelligent beings living on the planet, so he decided to leave them alone. Leaving the environment too pristine would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only weaken the vitality anyway.

In the process of organizing all this, the only losses suffered by the Divine Realm were a few Lower Gods who had died and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠revived. Normally, planetary subjugation resulted in over half the Divine Realm’s forces being wiped out. To achieve such a result was truly astonishing. The fact that the planetary barrier, which normally reduced power by ninety percent, had been neutralized by dimensional authority played a major role. But the biggest reason was that the Lord Gods leading the gods had completely overwhelmed the monsters.

‘As expected of the notorious Goddess Blood Alliance’s Goddess Lords and the Spirit Gods from the Otherworld.’

Even though they were simply stretching their bodies after a long time without battle, most monsters couldn’t withstand a single strike. When the Sacred Beast Lords and Spirit Lords began competing with each other in combat, the enemy had no chance of holding out. The fact that planetary maturation had been halted right before the Giant God Race appeared, and that the Lord Gods of the Divine Realm’s Giant God Race had imprinted themselves upon the land to stop further spawning, had also been crucial. For various reasons, the gods’ combat experience had increased significantly.

‘How much it will help in the battle against Almighty Hwi remains to be seen, but it’s better than nothing.’

Watching the gods rejoice over their complete victory in the Main God Star conquest, the Magic God of Dimensions calmly settled his mind. His thoughts were already racing fiercely toward the Main God Battle three weeks from now and the problems he anticipated.

The Goddess Lords, Spirit Lords, and Primeval War Gods who once again filled the Main God Temple couldn’t hide their satisfaction at finally loosening up their bodies after so long. The atmosphere was unusually harmonious. Of course, the reason was that after fighting for a week on the Main God Star, they had reconsidered their relationships based on each other’s demonstrated strength.

The Divine Realm, now elevated to the level of a Highest Creator divine realm, had more than enough seats. In fact, there were too few gods to fill them, leaving everyone gasping for more personnel. Though they were unforgivable enemies, none were pushovers, and their absence would be inconvenient. An unspoken agreement had formed to temporarily halt their conflicts. The single rule the Magic God of Dimensions, as Chief God of the Divine Realm, had enforced was a ban on internal fighting. Violating it carried enormous weight. No matter how well he treated his subordinates, he was still the Chief God and a War God. Conflicts would be resolved through strength, and the combined power of the Chief God and the opposing faction could not be stopped.

That was why they had signed a contract to completely divide the Divine Realm and operate their sections independently until it stabilized. Then the bombshell dropped.

The God of Knowledge, who had secured his share of power and was cheerfully handling the backlog of work, discovered an official document from the Main Divine Realm. The shock hit him like a thunderbolt. He rushed to the Magic God of Dimensions in a panic, his voice desperate and loud.

“Huuuup—! Shut your mouth. Who’s the Chief God here, saying we’ll be ruined by civil war?”

“Hup—! B-but—! You can’t do this.”

When the Magic God of Dimensions instinctively released killing intent at the God of Knowledge’s reckless words and issued a warning, the latter hurriedly sealed his lips. However, the situation was so dire that even the God of Knowledge — now the Lord God of Knowledge — wore a foolish expression completely unsuited to his authority as he protested. The Goddess Lords, who roughly understood the military strength of Almighty Hwi’s Main Divine Realm, stood with their mouths agape, unable to close them.

There wasn’t a single god in the 499th Master Universe who didn’t know of Almighty Hwi, the top-ranked Creator Candidate. He was the War God among War Gods, having mastered the absolute authority known as the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, making him difficult for even Creator Gods to face. Ten billion years ago, the Almighty God Tribe had been a prestigious ruling divine race. But everything changed the moment they joined Jinri’s faction. Believing in their omnipotent authority that could manifest every god’s power, they led their entire clan against Jinri, only to self-destruct and fall into ruin in an instant. It was a tragic clan.

All the Creator Gods of the Almighty God Tribe who had participated in that war had perished. Only a tiny fraction of the highest-ranking gods barely survived, leaving the clan on the brink of collapse. Yet Almighty Hwi had single-handedly rebuilt them from mercenary gods back into a ruling clan — a truly great Origin. His capability had been proven when he alone suppressed the forces of the previous Main God Battle and the Main Divine Realm.

Though he had earned the dishonorable title of “permanent candidate” by repeatedly drawing in certification battles against the Demon God Race, the situation would be different if his opponent was the Sage of Omniscience, a fellow member of the Almighty God Tribe who had also mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders. After all, she was the pride of the Demon God Race, boasting martial prowess and forces that surpassed most Demon God Kings.

Moreover, the Main Divine Realm was currently at its peak under the rule of Almighty Hwi, whose strength and influence surpassed even Creator Gods. Ultimately, the power and forces of the Main God Battle decided everything in the Main Divine Realm. Having subdued the successor and direct lineages of all six Creator Divine Realms and incorporated them into his faction, the elite force he had refined was terrifying.

They had to stop this somehow. The Lord God of Knowledge opened his mouth once more.

“There are thirty-six Creator Candidates who are direct descendants of Creator Gods. No — excluding you, Lord of Dimensions, and the third-ranked candidate who died in the previous battle with the 500th Master Universe, there are thirty-four. Each of them has at least ten Lord ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Gods of Divine Realm administration under their command. In total, that means over three hundred and forty Lord Gods. Since this is a Main God Battle, we don’t know exactly how many will mobilize, but given Almighty Hwi’s current popularity and leadership, they will all participate. Yet you know better than anyone how our forces only look impressive on paper. You must cancel this immediately.”

“……”

Even in his agitation, the Lord God of Knowledge couldn’t bring himself to say directly that their Divine Realm’s forces only looked good on the surface and were actually a complete mess. The surrounding Lord Gods couldn’t refute him either; they unconsciously nodded in agreement. Of course there were powerful Lord Gods. In fact, the Dimensional Divine Realm was packed with Lord Gods possessing transcendent authorities bizarrely stronger than those of other Main God Stars. The strength of the Goddess Lords from the Goddess Blood Alliance — powerful enough to serve as Chief Gods in any other divine realm — and the Goddess Lords from the Otherworld who had come from the Spirit Realm had been confirmed during this Main God Star conquest, leaving everyone stunned.

Additionally, although the Spirit Lords’ newly created bodies were still unstable, the attacks they unleashed in a single strike were by no means at the level of ordinary Lord Gods.

‘But can we really trust them as reliable combat power?’

Absolutely not. The Lord God of Knowledge knew these Goddess Lords well. They had no problems when things were going smoothly, but the moment a desperate crisis like a Main God Battle against Almighty Hwi arrived, they would descend into chaos, each trying to save themselves. There was precedent — when the conflict with the Substitute Gods had stalled and they were forced into an alliance with the Demon God Race, the resulting shortage of vitality had immediately turned them back into rivals.

Now that the Magic God of Dimensions had become Chief God and the Divine Realm was rapidly developing with newfound breathing room, they appeared to have regained their senses and were working diligently for the realm. But that was an illusion. As the Lord God of Knowledge continued to foam at the mouth trying to dissuade him, the Magic God of Dimensions finally snapped his fingers.

Click—!

“Ugh—! Ugh ugh—!”

The Lord God of Knowledge, instantly caught by the lightly activated silencing magic, panicked and tried to dispel it, but to no avail. The surrounding Lord Gods’ eyes flashed with astonishment at the sight. Casting a curse-like magic so easily on a powerful Lord God was something not even a Creator God could do casually. Yet the Magic God of Dimensions had activated it with ridiculous ease, and the Lord God of Knowledge couldn’t break free, flailing helplessly. If even the administrator of magic among the Lord Gods couldn’t dispel it, it was obvious that the War Gods would find it even harder. Something must have happened during this past week. The Magic God of Dimensions had grown even stronger.

Having silenced the commotion around him, the Magic God of Dimensions looked around the now deathly quiet Main God Temple and clicked his tongue inwardly. The soaring morale from the easy conquest of the Main God Star had been completely crushed by the Lord God of Knowledge’s announcement of the Main God Battle against Almighty Hwi. If he pushed forward without detailed explanation or overwhelming odds of victory, they would immediately start scrambling for their own survival, creating chaos and ultimately self-destructing. But he couldn’t explain it to them.

‘Tsk tsk—! Who doesn’t know that? If it weren’t a Main God Battle, it would be an immediate subjugation war, so I can’t cancel it. Still, working too hard really is a disease. I knew they’d react like this, so I tried to delay the news as much as possible. Guess it can’t be helped now.’

The Magic God of Dimensions let out a long sigh. Then he removed the robe covering his face, revealing his features. The Goddess Lords were momentarily shaken by his even more beautiful appearance as a pretty youth, but they quickly composed themselves. A Main God Battle against Almighty Hwi, who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, was not something that could be swayed by the Chief God’s appearance or past connections. Unless they had at least a fifty percent chance of victory, they should refuse to participate rather than merely withhold consent. Before they were individuals, they were leaders of the forces that had followed them since the previous Chief God’s era. For their sake, they could not decide their path based solely on emotion or duty.

However, the next words from the Magic God of Dimensions struck them like ice piercing their hearts.

“I have taken over all methods and timing for the Main God Battle. I will personally oversee the entire progression and outcome of this battle. You are to disregard it completely and focus only on your assigned daily duties. No god other than myself will participate in this Main God Battle as part of a large-scale war.”

Saaaaaaaah—!

Silence descended upon every god in the Main God Temple. Their Chief God had just declared that he would fight the Main God Battle alone. The Chief God of the Divine Realm was excluding all his subordinate gods and Lord Gods to face the battle by himself. They couldn’t comprehend what this meant. The odds of victory had become even more hopeless.

‘No matter how much stronger the Magic God of Dimensions has become, he is still ultimately a Lord God.’

A solo battle against Almighty Hwi — the Origin of the Almighty God Tribe who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders and was said to be unmatched by any Lord God — would be overwhelmingly difficult. And if the thirty-four Creator Candidates and three hundred and forty Lord Gods of the Main Divine Realm joined in, it went without saying that he couldn’t handle them alone. The Magic God of Dimensions looked at the gods who were panicking, unable to process what was happening, and sighed inwardly.

Even though he had said it himself, this was by no means the best choice. It was merely the second-worst option, barely avoiding the absolute worst. Deciding to go to war alone wasn’t conviction — it was mere stubbornness.

‘Aaaah—! I’ve done it now. I was planning to coax them more gently and make use of them, but I couldn’t stand watching them tremble and only think about saving themselves. Besides, their personalities won’t be of any help in a large-scale war anyway, so I’ll just follow the original plan. In the end, do I really have to fight Almighty Hwi and the Creator Candidates all by myself without any assistance? Heh heh heh—! How many times will I die? It’s definitely going to be in the red. But is this ultimately my path? Origin of the Mage God… You worked so hard for me, yet things have come to this. I’m truly sorry. I knew it shouldn’t be this way, but it seems I cannot change fate after all. Still, as a dark mage, I will struggle with all my might and revise it as much as I can. Do not worry about the request. No matter what happens, I will first succeed in the request you gave me. Even if I must stake everything I have.’

The decision had already been made. As Chief God of the Divine Realm, he could not take back words he had spoken. It had shifted from the ideal best plan to the second-worst scheme due to his own limitations, but it was still better than any of the choices he had faced until now. Born as a mere human — a lowly creature — he had always been checked by the surrounding gods and lacked ability, so only the worst options were ever presented to him. He had no choice but to cling desperately to life. The Divine Realm he had ascended to as the War God without any preparation, thanks to the prank of fate, had been a complete mess. The chaotic Divine Realm he had been forced to take over as Chief God had been a disaster.

‘There were endless problems, and my subordinates only looked for my weaknesses. Far from loyalty, I broke my back just trying to prevent them from starting civil wars. I did my best, but I was always prepared to run or retreat.’

He could not tell the gods who would live forever by following such a clumsy version of himself to stake their entire fate on him. Even if the Main God Battle ended in his defeat and he was subjugated as a criminal, they knew — as did he — that the members of the Divine Realm could not be touched so easily. In the end, it was someone else’s problem. Relationships formed through profit could share in glory together, but hardship bred betrayal. It was quite different from relationships bound by duty. Therefore, it was better to draw the line like this before he was betrayed.

Yet his eyes unconsciously drifted toward the divine robes and equipment hanging from the ceiling of the Main God Temple — the same formal attire he had diligently created for the Dimensional Divine Realm. Swishhhhh—! The thousands of divine robes and pieces of equipment suddenly fluttered as if blown by a sudden wind. Originally, he hadn’t needed to make so many. But as he kept crafting them, he had unconsciously produced far more than necessary.

As Chief God, he had wanted to display his leadership to the Main Divine Realm by leading high-ranking gods wearing unified formal attire. So he had created them with the intention of distributing them to all high-ranking gods qualified to enter the Main God Temple, showing off the development of the Dimensional Divine Realm and gaining their support. That had been the best plan.

At some point, he had grown attached to both himself — who had become strong enough to challenge a Main God Battle — and to the Divine Realm. That was why he had felt so happy and excited while making the divine robes for an entire week. But if the one who made them and the gods who were supposed to wear them acted like this, it would all be nothing more than the antics of a clown. Realizing he would probably never have the chance to use all of them, the Magic God of Dimensions shook his head and left the Main God Temple, heading toward the Dimensional Temple.

He already knew that the touching scene of his subordinate gods voluntarily wearing the robes and stepping forward to lead the charge in the Main God Battle would never happen to someone like him. All that remained was to sink his teeth into the slim chance of victory and never let go. Just as he had always done.