The Bargain of Weaknesses
The goddesses kneeling on one knee behind the Sage of Omniscience, their faces still as serene and unchanging as ever amid the chaos of the Otherworld War, were undeniably beautiful. Yet the Dimensional Mage God no longer felt even a flicker of interest in them. I'm sick of even talking about this now. The endless trade of offering women as payment for healing had grown utterly tiresome. When have I ever truly liked women anyway? It had been nothing more than a fleeting indiscretion back in his hot-blooded mortal youth. But the higher beings, quick to brand him some kind of lust god, refused to grant the vital essence or stars he actually needed and instead kept dumping women on him at every turn. The result was this grotesque, malformed Divine Realm that overflowed exclusively with goddesses.
Objectively assessing his own faction, it was clearly a divine realm ruled by a Main God who might as well be the God of Lust. If I slip up even once here, it'll lock that label in stone. All those vicious rumors will harden into accepted truth. Yet as the Main God of the Divine Realm, simply enduring day after day was difficult enough—he had no interest in women whatsoever. Harem-building and all that nonsense was a luxury reserved for the truly strong, those with time to spare. Just preventing civil war among the chief goddesses and resolving their endless complaints was already overwhelming. On top of that, in three weeks he would have to fight directly against dozens of preliminary Creator Gods led by Almighty Hwi. The mere thought made his stomach churn and his head spin, even as a spiritual entity. After the brutal training from the Origin of the Mage God, he desperately needed rest. Besides, restoring his circle of divine power would require the full strength of the dimensional authority he had received, so he was hardly the one in a position of desperation.
The fact that the Sage of Omniscience had come here in person meant that recovering the circle of divine power through the dimensional authority manifested by the Holy Demon God was impossible. The initiative lay entirely with him.
"The price for your treatment is service to the Divine Realm. The term lasts until the moment you become independent as the Main God of the Divine Realm. I cannot permit you to carry out duties outside the Divine Realm at the homeworld of the Almighty Race. We'll consider it never happened."
"Oh ho! An outright refusal? No matter how worn down you are from that long sealing, to throw away the chance to add goddesses of the Almighty Race to your harem as concubines... The rumors about you being a lust god must be completely off the mark. Having seen you myself, you don't approach women for the sake of women, nor do you act from mere emotion or desire. With your current ambition to claim a position above even the Main God of the Divine Realm, women would only be a burden, wouldn't they? This is quite troublesome."
The Sage of Omniscience began tapping her fingers on the table with a troubled expression. Then her tone shifted into something more polite and measured.
"To speak frankly, Almighty Hwi is a male god so he might not fully understand, but the chief goddesses have their own circumstances. You should have experienced it yourself, yes? There were traces of dimensional divine power mixed with other authorities. The chief goddesses of the Almighty Race can never be sent outside."
"......"
Suddenly the devotion pledges of the chief goddesses came to mind. It was a hidden secret art in which chief goddesses who had reached a certain level gathered to manifest the authority of a Creator God, thereby increasing a male main god's innate divine power. But it was terribly unstable. When goddesses possessing different authorities came together to manifest it, instability inevitably followed. There was always the risk of insufficient output or even an explosion during the ritual. However, if it involved the chief goddesses of the Almighty Race—who could manifest every authority—such problems would not occur. They could select the most suitable authority for the male main god and strengthen him perfectly.
If the unique traits of the Almighty Race's chief goddesses became known, an intense scramble for them would erupt among the main gods. Of course, with the Sage of Omniscience and Almighty Hwi watching, the odds were extremely low. Still, the desire to grow stronger applied equally to gods. If they thought they could get away with it, they would employ any means necessary.
The Sage of Omniscience, who had been studying his face as understanding dawned, nodded.
"As I thought, you do have experience. I guessed as much from the dimensional divine power and other foreign divine energies added to your body. To confess honestly, the 'Devotion Pledge' was originally a secret technique exclusive to the Almighty Race back when the Origin was merely at the level of a main god in the distant past. However, as an ancient secret from the era when main gods were the pinnacle, it lost its usefulness. No matter how many chief goddesses gathered to manifest Creator divinity, it became pointless against an Origin who had grown stronger than a Creator God. Naturally. For an Origin who had become even mightier than a Creator God, a great number of even stronger goddesses would be required, but that is nearly impossible for even the most prestigious divine clans. Since chief goddesses equal to the Origin could not be easily produced, the technique could never be established. Thus the sealed secret art was strangely warped and spread to other chief goddesses. It is truly lamentable that some goddesses now actually perform it while others are cast aside."
"......"
"But when the situation grows desperate, it must be done. The defeat of the Main God of the Divine Realm would mean the immediate ruin of the entire realm, after all. Originally we intended to use this to transform you into a Holy Demon God and welcome you into our clan, but it is already too late. Almighty Hwi has already surpassed the Creator God stage back at headquarters."
"......"
"Then let us make a proposal fitting for a Creator God."
"......"
The conversation continued regardless of his replies. It had never been about seeking his consent or response in the first place. Even the Sage of Omniscience, who had only recently become a Holy Demon God, would not possess such significant decision-making authority. Everything up to this point was simply conveying predetermined facts and desired outcomes. The information he had gained was that the demon god race held some intention of drawing him in as one of their own. The demon gods did not yet regard him as an enemy. That alone was enough. Once the stance of the god race was settled, his position as Main God of the Divine Realm would remain stable for the time being.
But the next words caught him by surprise.
"You know full well that fighting Almighty Hwi, who has become a Creator God, would end in your defeat, yes? I will tell you a weakness that can allow you to win."
"!"
Regardless of his shock, the proposal continued.
"Knowing a weakness does not guarantee victory. At our level, a weakness is merely something relatively weaker than one's strengths. The odds of victory would rise only slightly, but I believe that is sufficient compensation for healing these children. The Main God Battle is right before us, is it not?"
"Wasn't Almighty Hwi an Origin of the Almighty Race like the rest?"
"This was proposed by Almighty Hwi himself."
"!!!"
He could not comprehend what kind of price it was to reveal one's own weakness to the opponent in the Main God Battle.
"I don't understand."
The Sage of Omniscience rested her chin on both hands and continued. A calm voice flowed forth.
"Although Hwi and I have become a Creator God and Demon King, we still lack true Creator divinity. We cannot afford to pay the proper price for healing chief goddesses on behalf of preliminary Creator Gods. Assigning them to the Divine Realm as you requested would be acceptable if not for the secret art. After all, we cannot defy the Origin. But the chief goddesses of the Almighty Race cannot be sent outside because of the secret behind the 'Devotion Pledge.' Even Creator Gods or Demon Kings would not dare demand that we surrender members of our race, yet if they lived externally we could not shield them from the schemes of countless main gods and demon gods. That said, Almighty Hwi cannot openly negotiate with his opponent in the Main God Battle by leveraging the match itself. That is why I have come."
"So because you lack the resources to pay the price, you intend to offset it by revealing your weakness to the opponent in the Main God Battle?"
"Precisely. For the sake of the race, one must sacrifice first. What one receives in return is absolute loyalty and authority. This is the pride and conviction of both the Main God of the Divine Realm and the Origin."
There was no falsehood in her words. And since she had stated that a weakness existed, it must certainly be real. Whether he could actually use it to win was another question entirely, but the information held clear value. The price for healing the four chief goddesses had been more than paid simply by confirming that Almighty Hwi possessed a weakness.
Snap!
Oooooong—!
He lightly flicked his finger, activating the dimensional authority. Having already treated Gaiana, he understood the bodies and powers of the Almighty Race well. They had likely analyzed the dimensional authority during that process, but he too had gained deep insight into the Almighty Race. This method could not instantly and completely heal the circle of divine power in the lower abdomen, but guiding it into the treatment phase was simple.
The four goddesses gazed at his lower abdomen, which glowed with a soft dimensional divine power, and expressions of profound emotion washed over their faces. Though still faint, the shattered fragments of the circle of divine power were reconnecting and beginning to function once more.
They had been half-doubting whether treatment was even possible. Yet seeing Gaiana restored to upper main god status had given them hope. Then, when he declared he would incorporate the healed goddesses into the Divine Realm, they had no choice but to recoil in horror.
They had agonized over what other price they might have to pay, but when the Origin offered his own weakness as collateral, they had been left utterly speechless. No matter how peerlessly powerful those war gods were, having their weaknesses exposed could never lead to anything good. Moreover, revealing a weakness to the mighty Dimensional Mage God with whom they would soon wage the Main God Battle was practically sacrificing certain victory and willingly embracing risk. Knowing he had done so and that they had been healed, they could not simply rejoice.
Completely unconcerned with such thoughts, the Dimensional Mage God spoke in a detached tone.
"I accept the conditions. I have reconnected the severed circle of divine power for now. Remain here, rest for an extended period, and restore your vitality."
The four briefly showed expressions of astonishment at the Dimensional Mage God's swift treatment, but they did not forget their courteous smiles as one continued.
"What remarkable creative ability. It seems even Almighty Hwi has something to learn from you. The original treatment method does not appear to be like this, but since the healing is clearly progressing, it doesn't matter. In that case, I too must pay the price. The weakness of Almighty Hwi is..."
As if the matter was not meant to be spoken aloud, the information came as pure will. He deflected it with dimensional authority and replied.
"I have already heard that a weakness exists. That is enough."
"......"
At the Dimensional Mage God's refusal, a brief silence descended over the room. The opponent facing the Main God Battle against Almighty Hwi—who had become an overwhelmingly powerful Creator God—was rejecting knowledge of that weakness. And it was valuable information offered as payment for healing the chief goddesses. For a moment, they could not fathom how to interpret this.
The silence was shattered by the Sage of Omniscience, who burst into delighted laughter.
"Ohhohohohohot—! Do you truly intend to win against Almighty Hwi in the Main God Battle? And against the Origin of a higher-order Almighty God that the reality-denying Dimensional Mage God has shaped into a perfect ideal, no less? Through a fair and square contest? After only recently inheriting this chaotic, utterly messed-up Divine Realm? Would any main gods even be willing to follow you onto a battlefield where Almighty Hwi and the preliminary Creator Gods of the Main Divine Realm stand ready? Ah—! This is not something Gaiana told me, so please do not misunderstand. A little investigation would reveal it is a rather famous divine realm that everyone knows about. In such a hopeless mess, what preparations could you possibly have made on your own to be this overflowing with confidence, I wonder?"
At the mention of the Divine Realm, Gaiana lowered her head even further, as if she could not bear to show her face. Still, it was the realm she had long served as companion to the Main God. Hearing it called a mess or a disaster was infuriating, but after personally handling proxy duties during the Dimensional Mage God's absence, she understood it was beyond anyone's ability to fix. Most gods leading the Divine Realm belonged to factions, and their leaders comprised nearly all of the highest-ranking deities. Attempting to remove them would leave the realm nearly empty. Yet they were not entirely idle, making official expulsion difficult. In the past everyone had been a main god, so the standards for judging the Main God of the Divine Realm were extremely high and fair; the slightest mistake would immediately be raised as an issue and publicized. She could now understand why the previous Main God had become such a sly old raccoon.
The Dimensional Mage God had nothing to say either. The state of my own divine realm is no longer even worth mentioning.
It seemed the rumor that almost no main gods would follow him into the Main God Battle had already spread far and wide. Or rather, it was something anyone could predict with minimal investigation, so there was no point hiding it. Even if he coaxed them skillfully, he wondered how many would actually follow. That was precisely why he had set the thought aside and chosen to step forward alone.
The Sage of Omniscience now sat back in her chair, leaning her upper body deeply toward the Dimensional Mage God with a bright, cheerful smile as she asked. Whether intentional or not, her abundantly full breasts—displaying incredible elasticity—showed through the characteristic partial armor of the demon race, disturbing his field of vision. As if proving the old saying that resisting seduction from a high-ranking Demon King was harder than fighting one, his gaze was drawn to them of its own accord.
Sensing the Dimensional Mage God's stare, she spoke with a slight sway, her words cutting.
"Have you never received advice not to risk your life on pointless endeavors, I wonder? Have you never overcome a deadly crisis born from unnecessary stubbornness? Have you never been severely punished for ignoring your superiors and insisting on your own way? It seems there have been quite a few such occasions, no?"
"Who—! There are some."