The Moment of Intervention
The war in the Otherworld had taken a strange turn. The eight Absolutes, battered beyond recognition by the Dragon God race’s desperate all-out assault, were barely standing. The Second Generation Wind Absolute, in perfect condition, could have ended it all with a single move, yet he simply stood there, wooden sword leveled in silence.
At those words, the Origin of the Mage God shook his head. For nearly five hundred billion years, he and the rest of the Wind Family had served Jinri, Grandfather, traversing the battlefields between the Absolute Realm and the Main Universe. Although they could not intervene directly, certain members of the Origin lineage had experienced countless battles. A romantic notion like that would never fly in their family.
Besides, the Second Generation Wind Absolute was not in his true body but an avatar. As the second-ranked Absolute, he was the only one permitted to intervene directly in reality, and he had fought fierce battles against Eternal Beings. Combat against Eternal Beings, even if their Innate Divine Power could not be compared, became a blood-draining struggle due to their unique immortality. A being with that much experience would never turn down a guaranteed victory.
“Hmmm. That’s not it at all. The Wind Family is first and foremost a martial house. Victory comes before any such justification. This looks like some kind of secret technique… but what kind of technique takes over a week just to prepare? Or is there a Wind Family secret art that even I don’t know about? I thought I knew all of the Origin techniques. This ranking war has far too many variables.”
It’s all thanks to us. Looks like we got a little too carried away. We’ve already slipped beyond their control.
He swallowed the words that nearly escaped his lips. From long years of training, he knew that saying something like that would only earn him a beating. Instead, he changed the subject.
“The situation seems to be worsening. I’ll relay this to the Magic God of Dimensions. We no longer have the luxury of time. This is the best opportunity we’ll get.”
The current state of the eight Absolutes was at its worst. The curse he had cast by sacrificing all his Innate Divine Power in a self-destructive explosion was still in effect. Their authorities had been halved, and their bodies could not exert full strength. Numerically it was only a ten-percent reduction, but considering their original power, it was an enormous drop in combat effectiveness.
They had also burned through nearly all their divine power using the Dragon God race. Moreover, with the second-ranked Second Generation Wind Absolute in perfect condition, even if all eight joined forces, victory was far from certain. Giving them time to recover would only make the situation worse. If they could land one more solid blow on the Black Flame Absolute, who stood at the very front, the entire balance would collapse in an instant.
“Understood. Tell him to begin.”
He sent his will toward the Magic God of Dimensions beyond the screen. The man looked dazed, as if even with the title of Origin he could barely endure the vitality drain from creating so many divine artifacts.
“Preparations are complete. We cannot delay any longer.”
“Wait—! Isn’t there still a week left? Give me a full report on the situation.”
The Magic God of Dimensions lifted his head with a haggard expression. The moment he saw those vacant eyes, a chill ran down his spine. He could clearly read the blazing flame of obsession burning within.
In the past, he had been a mere Creator Candidate who barely scraped together enough miscellaneous divine power to surpass 100 billion in Innate Divine Power, then amplified it through dark magic to barely exceed 1 trillion at full output. Yet now, even as a fully realized Creator God with over 1,000 trillion divine power and the authority of the Magic God of Dimensions—legitimately ranked tenth—he felt completely overwhelmed.
Only then did he realize what he himself was currently lacking.
Is this what I’ve lost? This obsession with victory bordering on madness… or rather, this stubborn refusal to ever accept defeat?
“The eight Absolutes have been pushed to their physical and divine power limits by the Dragon God race. Yet they’re refusing to end it and are simply waiting. What do you make of this?”
“Show me. Once I start, I won’t be able to stop. The plan proceeds exactly as prepared.”
At those words, he glanced at the Origin of the Mage God, who gave a slight nod. He immediately connected the screen. The Magic God of Dimensions already possessed a completely different perspective and way of thinking from his own. Perhaps his analysis would differ.
But the moment the Magic God of Dimensions saw the Second Generation Wind Absolute standing with his wooden sword aimed at the eight Absolutes, and the precarious way they were barely holding themselves upright, he immediately shook his head.
“What?”
“……”
For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He had indeed sent the Dragon God race into battle and only allowed them to use long-range attacks. He had thought that alone would be enough to prevent recovery and drain their divine power. How naïve.
And he had once again caught himself thinking only in terms of divine power levels. In actual combat, while the difference in divine power was decisive, other factors also came into play. In his past as the mercenary dark mage with abysmal karma, he had always dug into those other factors in desperate battles to seize victory. The past version of himself, who had survived by always biting at the strong from a position of weakness, had possessed an outstanding sense for victory and an eye for reading the flow of battle.
It was simply a matter of survival. But that part of him had vanished after becoming the Grey Absolute, when he no longer needed to watch others’ moods. The difference was showing itself now, in the careful reading of the battlefield.
When he could not come up with a reply, the Origin of the Mage God stepped forward.
“Then when do you believe the right moment to intervene will be?”
“No matter how great the Wind Family is, there can’t possibly be a secret art that blocks the simultaneous attack of the eight highest absolute authorities and counterattacks, right?”
Listening to the explanation, he found himself utterly dumbfounded. The Wind Family had completely mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Founders. Thanks to the seventh secret art, Bloodline Inheritance, their talent and physical ability were endlessly reinforced. No one could match them.
Even though the Second Generation Wind Absolute was currently in an avatar body, it was one he had trained for over five hundred billion years. Moreover, he was the head of the main Wind Family house and a direct descendant of Jinri, Grandfather. In terms of training received directly from the source, no one could compare. There was no way such a person would be unable to master a higher-level secret art or even have difficulty activating it.
Yet as he thought that far, something occurred to him.
“There is one.”
But the Origin of the Mage God’s expression hardened instantly. There was indeed one secret art that was so difficult and esoteric to learn that most had given up on it. However, its power was enough to instantly kill the eight Absolutes from the past—who had been worn down by eternal time and driven to madness—so they had never truly abandoned the attempt.
“It is the higher secret art of the Incomprehensible Eight Founders, the one and only Eternal-grade authority. Anyone who can even slightly master it gains the qualification to defeat opponents three circles or more above them. It is known as the Absolute Solution Eight Founders. It is the illusory secret art of the Wind Family that only Grandfather Jinri has ever mastered.”
“Oh? What kind of technique is it?”
Even the Grey Absolute showed interest, so he explained calmly. It wasn’t a secret anyway. All of the Wind Family’s secret arts had already been made public. This was due to Grandfather Jinri’s policy that any secret art that could be analyzed and defeated was useless even as a basic technique. He believed that superiority in secret arts was ultimately determined by talent and effort.
In reality, even after they were opened, almost no one could even begin to learn them, let alone discover their weaknesses. That was why every member of the Wind Family willingly shared their achievements without hesitation.
“First, one must completely master the Incomprehensible Eight Founders.”
That was obvious. Learning the foundational arts was the absolute basics for learning higher ones. But the next words left not only the Grey Absolute but even the Magic God of Dimensions beyond the screen with their mouths hanging open.
“One must be able to manifest the Golden Age with one’s authority, freely wield Black Flame with the body, and transcendently master every authority of the other eight Absolutes to at least an equal level before even attempting it.”
“……”
“……”
There were no words. Just thinking about the talent and effort required to master a single Absolute-grade authority was staggering. And these were the authorities of the 10 Mainstays. Yet one had to master all of them just to qualify to learn it.
“Of course, one must also be able to simultaneously activate the Grey Sage’s strongest sage-lineage secret art, Yggdrasil. Only when one can master and simultaneously wield the strongest secret arts of the other 10 Mainstays alone does one qualify to begin learning the Absolute Solution Eight Founders. With this single strike, Grandfather Jinri once simultaneously killed the eight Absolutes of the past and sealed their bodies.”
His mind went blank for a moment. The shock was especially great for the Grey Absolute, who had gone through hell just to manifest Yggdrasil, which could even seal Eternal Beings. It was an art so powerful that even he could barely activate it in combat, and the burden it placed on the user was enormous. To master and activate multiple arts of the same level simultaneously—this was beyond monstrous.
But when he heard it was Jinri’s secret art, he found himself nodding. If it was Jinri, then it made sense.
“A few have attempted it, but because they tried to master everything, their level inevitably remained low. Due to the limits of talent and body, they could not transcendently master more than two arts and had no choice but to stop and seek other methods. Since it was impossible alone, they created a clan and increased their own talent through racial authority. Those are the Origins of the Wind Family. Of course, learning it independently was impossible, so they had to rely on descendants yet to be born. Therefore, someday it will be achieved.”
The casual statement that it was still a work in progress caused both the Grey Absolute and the Magic God of Dimensions to react with pure disbelief. Beings capable of mastering even the Incomprehensible Eight Founders were rare enough in the Main Universe—maybe one or two at most. Yet here they were, treating it as a basic requirement and striving to master every Eternal-grade authority on top of it. It was absurd.
“Are you even capable of attempting it?”
“And you refuse to give up?”
Well, that’s only natural for the Wind Family, but for other beings it’s impossible. I thought the Wind Family descendants were too strong, but it turns out their goal is set so absurdly high that even giving up halfway and doing something else still gets them this far.
We don’t even know if Eternal-grade authorities exist, and merely having a lower Absolute authority lets one rule the Absolute Realm. Even Transcendent authorities are enough to place one among the ruling class of the Main Universe. So please, I beg you, lower the promotion standards for Absolutes who possess titles from Jinri. We’re going to die trying to keep up.
He didn’t dare voice it aloud. The fist closer than logic was far more terrifying, and even if he did speak, they wouldn’t listen. Watching the Origin of the Mage God grow increasingly excited and eloquent, the Grey Absolute and the Magic God of Dimensions exchanged gloomy glances. Their standards were so different that conversation was simply impossible.
Thank the heavens I wasn’t born into the Wind Family.
They say it’s the greatest prestigious family in the Absolute Realm, and their educational goals are on the same level. Just hearing it gives me a headache. I’m out. From what I’ve heard, even with all that preparation it seems nearly impossible to activate. It’s only at the level of a threat to prevent the eight Absolutes from choosing mutual destruction. The moment the Second Generation Wind Absolute suggests a break, contact me immediately. We will begin the Lord God War then.
Understood. Take care.
The Magic God of Dimensions quietly ended the transmission. A faint smile played on his lips as he returned his attention to perfecting the divine artifacts. The preparations were excellent. It was night and day compared to the past when he had struggled alone. Moreover, he had created the artifacts far more perfectly than expected.
“Fortunately, everything is ready. Whether it’s enough or not, I’ll make use of it somehow. And I will show them. The future that the gods fear most—! And at that moment, I shall become the Dimensional Lord.”
Crackle—! Crackle-crackle—!
The divine artifacts placed on the empty seats in the Lord God Hall began absorbing divine power to the point of saturation and radiating it outward. The black objects attached to each artifact had completely fused with them, emitting black light. The golden lines extending from them were also saturated with divine power to their limit.
The newly created seats of the gods in the Dimensional Lord God Hall numbered one million. The magical power emitted by the black divine artifacts matching that number was so intense that ordinary gods could not even approach.
With all the other gods away attending the festival, the Lord God Hall was empty. Only the lifeless divine artifacts resonated with the presence of their new master, emitting harmonious tones.
And the Magic God of Dimensions’ own divine power, now rising to its peak, was so thoroughly steeped in killing intent and fighting spirit that no one would ever call him the Lord of Light.
A bitter smile lingered on the lips of the Magic God of Dimensions as he murmured to himself.
On the surface of the moon he had turned into a battlefield, countless Transcendents—having been revived so many times that they now attacked the Lord Gods out of pure spite—could be seen. Even with the gods’ help, the best outcome was a draw. Only they could open the path for him to become the Dimensional Lord. Whether willingly or not.