The Mercenary God's Pride
The divine sword resonated with a satisfying hum as he swung it lightly—Vwoooong-! The unity with the blade that once demanded every ounce of his strength now felt as natural as breathing. Whiiiing-! Swinging the weapon freely in this exalted state made both body and mind feel like they might take flight. His physical form, which should have long since hit its limits as a mortal, only grew hotter, as if savoring the exquisite stimulus. He had reached the point where he could converse so casually with the divine sword even while exerting his full power.
‘It’s definitely not that. The Main God of the Divine Realm hasn’t issued a single order since then. He’s simply preparing something inside the Main God’s Temple.’
“So? The Divine Realm keeps running smoothly even without the Main God stepping forward? Isn’t that the ideal? A nation that functions perfectly fine without its king intervening is the best place to live.”
‘Do you still not understand? A full week has passed, yet not one god has come to visit the Main God’s Temple. The area surrounding it is the core from which divine power support radiates. The highest gods’ temples should naturally cluster around it, yet they’re all parks? I can only conclude this was done deliberately. This has to be intentional isolation.’
From what they had determined, every zone except the Main God of the Divine Realm’s personal sanctuary and the Main God’s Temple itself had been completely cleared and converted into parkland. On top of that, the Main God’s Temple was being filled with divine trees as though it had been waiting for exactly this. There were no physical barriers, but the entire arrangement was abnormal.
“Isn’t one of the highest gods right there?”
Right beside the main gate of the Main God’s Temple stood a prefabricated heavenly dwelling identical to his own. A high-ranking god resembling a beastman, covered in golden fur, lay sprawled there asleep. He snored loudly, occasionally scratching his belly in complete abandon. Yet every snore sent fighting spirit rippling through the air in the shape of an enormous lion, growing larger with each breath.
‘He looks as peaceful as a dog guarding its master’s house, but that fighting spirit is the real thing.’
The sensation that any challenge would result in being torn to shreds washed over them in waves. Even from the distant edge of the forest, it sent involuntary shivers down the spine.
‘The Beast God is an exception. The instinct of his authority itself is so strong that he must live exactly as he pleases. He has long been famous for openly challenging even the goddess queens.’
“The affairs of such lofty beings have nothing to do with us. The Main God of the Divine Realm entrusted me with the Main God Tournament, so I must prepare with everything I have.”
‘That may be so, but at this rate we could end up excluded from the Divine Realm ourselves.’
“Ah, that? Hasn’t it already been decided? I belong to the faction of the Main God of the Divine Realm.”
‘What? Who decided that? When?’
“Even though it’s the restoration of the Divine Realm, an entire week has passed without any god mentioning the basics, personal temples, or compensation. It’s their way of saying do whatever you want. That’s why we must stay here. If we wander outside, we’ll be singled out immediately. And they’ll impose disadvantages for any reason whatsoever. There are already gods watching us from the perimeter.”
‘You’re right.’
When the divine energy heightened its own detection senses, the gazes scattered across the forest outskirts became clear. They weren’t even hiding; they were monitoring openly. Detection had been delayed simply because the surveillance was so blatant.
“Even if I wanted to join some faction, a bottom-tier newcomer like me has no such right. The higher powers would need to evaluate the situation and extend an invitation, but there’s been no contact at all. The existing factions are already entrenched. They’re thoroughly blocking any entry by newcomers. In the end, even a lower god of human origin like myself is only needed by one being—my War God, the Main God of the Divine Realm, the Magic God of Dimensions. The fact that he permits me to reside in the very center like this for an extended period is proof enough. Living this way in the royal palace of the Middle World would earn an immediate death sentence.”
‘But no matter how correct the path of the Main God of the Divine Realm’s faction may be, this is problematic. You are now one of the god race, able to live forever so long as vitality exists. Yet the origin of the leader you first followed is…’
“The fact that I’m a god born from human stock rather than the original god race? I am exactly that, so what of it? The reason they tried to prevent me—who so easily gathered other transcendents from the beginning—from officially rising to high god status was precisely to anticipate situations like this. When commoners rise, hundreds of commoner villages are usually razed in the process. Existing powers will check you severely, so to produce results you have no choice but to squeeze the weakest commoner villages. If a commoner actually becomes king, half the population dying is simply the baseline. For one genius to climb from the bottom, enormous sacrifices must serve as stepping stones. Existing powers have always blocked it by any means necessary. It is one of the inescapable truths for any group of beings. Moreover, a black mage who might as well be the incarnation of evil ascending to high god status was an emergency far worse than a demon king’s descent. While easily subduing millions of black mages, wiping out the entire Middle World would have been just as simple.”
He sheathed the divine sword at his waist and began a light chant. A hero had to master magic, swordsmanship, and fist techniques alike. Mastering only one to its ultimate form meant you could never face a demon god head-on. Hearing the thunderous roar that answered his light chant and mere will brought an even deeper smile to his lips. The power and activation speed were on an entirely different level from the spells he had cast countless times in his mortal days.
Ruuuuumble—!
“Yet they appointed me—the one who stood at the forefront of the resistance—as pope based purely on ability. That changed everything.”
Kwaaaaaang—!
“No matter how harshly or cruelly someone behaves, meeting a superior who gives subordinates opportunities, forgives their mistakes, and offers chances to rise higher is like finding luck itself in life. If given the opportunity, one can gladly make the sacrifices that must be paid anyway. But could the representatives of the other factions truly do the same? Seeing how they isolate the Main God of the Divine Realm simply because things aren’t going their way, there’s no chance a flawed newcomer like me could endure among them, is there? In the end, even if they accepted me, my only choice would still be the faction of the Main God of the Divine Realm.”
‘Hmm. It’s logical, but there is one thing Master is overlooking.’
“What is it?”
‘Gods who live forever have no oblivion. Moreover, all information is recorded permanently in both the Main Divine Realm and the Creation Realm. Once a god receives a mistaken perception, the stigma remains forever. That is why everyone strives to live in stable, problem-free directions. The reason they seek to enter the Divine Realm or join major factions is exactly that—the organization adjusts and covers for individual mistakes. But the current Main God of the Divine Realm, while strong, is far too weak in that regard. He has only just become Main God, and both his origin and authorities run counter to the Divine Realm’s nature. No matter how many gods he gathers, they will inevitably form separate factions. It is fatal for him.’
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
‘What?’
“It isn’t only gods who live forever. And nothing is recorded permanently. A hundred years that feels like a moment to gods is eternity to living beings. Even if the data isn’t permanently stored in the Main Divine Realm or Creation Realm, there are always the evaluations of those around you. For us humans, those hundred years are eternity, and the judgment of our surroundings becomes the permanent record. Though it has a shelf life of merely a century, death ends everything. Therefore, living faithfully to the present is best. Those who understand this pour their all into their current lives, striving for good evaluations and the best possible existence. That is what enables such fierce development and the generation of vitality. In my view, living forever is nothing more than the repetition of that short life. I refuse to worry about stigmas that may or may not come, or the losses that would follow. If it doesn’t work out, I can simply disappear. Even an eternal life, it seems, grants gods the freedom to end it themselves. So there’s no need to be afraid.”
Two figures watched the Hero God as he conversed this way with his divine sword. They were the Magic God of Dimensions—who held the entire Divine Realm within his domain and perceived it completely—and the Shuddering March, commander of his direct forces. Inside the vast Main God’s Temple, only the two of them sat listening to the exchange between the Hero God and his blade.
“How cute,” the Shuddering March said. “It feels like watching a naive child. At least there’s no worry he’ll fall into despair and give up halfway.”
“Cute? A lower god who lives doing his utmost while prepared to die at any moment? The very foundation of the Divine Realm’s order rests on the eternity of life and the immutability of one’s evaluation. Gods devote themselves to the Divine Realm, uphold the existing order, and strive to improve that evaluation even slightly. What he preaches is an ideology that directly rebels against the Divine Realm’s order. A god who lives exactly as his heart moves, prepared to end his eternal life whenever he chooses? Not even demon gods act that way. It’s dangerous.”
“Hehe—! That doesn’t sound like a demon god at all. Only someone at that level can endure. With this, it seems I can afford to show him a little care.”
At the Magic God of Dimensions’ favorable response, the Shuddering March clutched her head as if she could do nothing to stop him.
For the entire week the Divine Realm had been shattered, he had offered absolutely no support and simply left everything to his subordinates. She had come because she could no longer stand by. Yet seeing the situation with her own eyes, it was utterly incomprehensible. The only presence near the Main God’s Temple was the Beast God, sleeping like a guard dog beside the main gate, while the entire surrounding area had become forest. The lower god openly camping in that forest was even more absurd. This was the center of the Divine Realm—the royal palace known as the Main God’s Temple—yet the scene defied understanding.
“Just what are you doing, holing yourself up in the Main God’s Temple? I have never seen a god with creation power as overwhelming as yours, yet instead of using it to restore the Divine Realm, what is this? With the realm half-destroyed, isn’t this the perfect opportunity to elevate both your ability and your authority?”
“Restoring the Divine Realm is more than sufficient with the leaders of each faction. There is no need for me to intervene. Therefore, I am preparing for war.”
“War? You mean the Main God Tournament? I heard the only god chosen from the Divine Realm to participate is that single lower god over there. Even with layered divine equipment for reinforcement he’s barely usable, yet what exactly are you planning? Even if you temporarily elevate him to Main God status with your dimensional wide-area authority, it will never work against the Main Gods of the Main Divine Realm. Have you forgotten they are first-rate battle gods armed with the highest-grade divine equipment? And producing this quantity of lower divine weapons? It makes no sense…”
The countless weapons and suits of armor spread endlessly across the floor of the Main God’s Temple were enough to leave anyone speechless. Their exact number could not be grasped, and more were still appearing. There were no gods to wield them, yet he was mass-producing divine armaments at an absurd rate.
“Preparations should be made without shame. There is ample preparation time, the method is entirely up to me, and this is the first time I have received such an easy request. Moreover, the authority I can utilize is nearly infinite and they have even provided detailed information. Ordinary results would be unacceptable.”
“Have you given up on this Divine Realm entirely?”
She already knew it was too late to turn back. She could not fathom his thoughts, and of course he offered no explanation of any operational plan. It was unreasonable to expect one when she could not even participate. Besides, the passionate gleam in his eyes as he spoke made it clear nothing would change his mind.
“Results—! Victory—! Perfect and overwhelming results that no one would dare contest—! That is what everyone demanded of me, and that is what I delivered. Only the worst possible requests—those everyone else had already abandoned—were given to me, yet I staked everything and succeeded. As a human-born black mage, the surrounding evaluations from the gods of light have long since become irrelevant to me. Perfectly succeeding at requests everyone deemed impossible. That is the pride and the proof of life of me, who survived this long as a mercenary god. This time as well, I will surely deliver disappointment to every last person who claims it cannot be done.”
“Ah—! My head hurts. In that case, I should have stopped you from destroying anything in the first place…”
The Shuddering March regretted having left him alone, thinking that when change came to the Divine Realm, the position of the powerful Magic God of Dimensions would improve somewhat.
‘The god of light whose creation power surpasses even his combat ability is none other than the Magic God of Dimensions. He has simply focused solely on combat as a mercenary god; as far as she knows, no one surpasses his creative power.’
Of course, even the demon god known as the spirit god of the Otherworld faced restrictions that required basing his power on absurd rascals, but since those beings had already been accepted as members of the Divine Realm, there was no problem mobilizing their authorities.