A Dangerous Complacency
The war in the Otherworld continued, yet that power was far too weak and helpless. No matter how you looked at it, fifty thousand years of training could never let one transcend a massive gathering of equals. Especially not when Almighty Hwi—who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors at the same Absolute rank—stood as their leader.
Still, his luck had been absurdly good so far. Of course, it wasn’t simple fortune; it was the accumulated result of every force he had built across his existence. The Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe who had tried to intervene on Hwi’s behalf had been stopped cold by the sudden appearance of the Creator Great God Seongmyeol. Though the entity lacked a soul and had to be piloted like a puppet, its rank sat directly below the 10 Mainstays. Even the full-powered strike of the Demon God Emperor—the strongest offensive force in any Master Universe—could barely scratch a true Creator Great God. The restriction that it could not be activated alone meant that even the Divine-Demonic Joint Ultimate Technique Ayuta, registered as an Absolute-rank authority, could never inflict a fatal wound.
And now that same Creator Great God wielded the Authority of Black Flame as well. The entire 499th Master Universe could throw itself at Seongmyeol and still never prevail. The Substitute Gods already possessed physical abilities ten times greater than the God Race; adding the Authority of Black Flame made them utterly untouchable. Factor in the wide-area devastation of dark magic and the ultra-long-range mobility granted by Dimensional Authority, and the moment they turned hostile it would spell a crisis equal to the total destruction of the Master Universe itself.
On top of that, Almighty Hwi had suddenly ascended to full Creator God status and forcibly learned higher mysteries far beyond his current control. His power had grown, but his body was in the worst possible condition—like a bull that could only charge forward without restraint. The goddesses opposing him had become matadors, stabbing at the one weakness in that blind rush: its back. That was the only reason any resistance remained possible. Had it been the perfect, complete Hwi from his days as a Preliminary Creator God, both the Goddess Blood Alliance and the Spirit Gods of the Otherworld would have already been annihilated and seated upon thrones of glory.
In this way, the backlash surrounding a human-born Magic God of Dimensions’ ascension and the worsening state of the enemies he had to overcome had exquisitely combined to fuel such rapid advancement. The progress was so smooth it was enough to make even the Magic God of Dimensions grow complacent. Yet for a being who had clawed his way through the worst crises by any means necessary, letting down his guard was the greatest mistake—and the greatest blasphemy.
It was only natural that the Origin of the Mage God would grab him by the neck and shake him like this.
“Luck is called forth by personal effort and resolve, so a little complacency after such smooth progress isn’t entirely bad, but why now of all—ugh!”
“I told you to stop muttering to yourself and acting all superior! People will think you’ve gone insane. Think of a plan, you crazy gray bastard!”
BOOOOOOM—!
Whether he had overheard the muttering or not, the Origin slammed him straight into the ground. The impact rattled a head that had nearly reached Eternal Being status, sending pain crashing through every cell. His own power might be superior, but the Origins of the Wind Family were opponents even the 10 Mainstays could not afford to underestimate. The gap in raw combat strength was enormous, yet the Wind Family were Truth’s direct bloodline and possessed Bloodline Inheritance—the seventh of the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors.
Because of this, the Wind Family produced a 10 Mainstay-level existence every ten thousand years without fail—an entity who had perfectly mastered an absolute authority surpassing one quadrillion in divine power. The ever-strengthening talent and potential of their descendants, the endless proliferation of authorities… to their enemies, it was nothing short of terror. And since Truth had passed the position of Great Family Head to the Unique Dragon God Emperor five hundred billion years ago, their numbers had to be at least five million by now.
Among them, fewer than ten Origins had accumulated enough achievements to intervene in reality. That alone had shaken both the Absolute Realm and the Master Universes to their foundations. In terms of pure power, the Wind Family was unquestionably the strongest force in the Absolute Realm. Yet nearly all of them remained bound to the Wind Star, so even those who knew the truth deliberately looked the other way.
In an emergency, more than five million 10 Mainstay-level beings who can act alone with zero restrictions. All of them from a one-child inheritance bloodline, so no betrayal, no internal chaos? What kind of absurd force is that? The only trustworthy Absolute Race Authority they possess ultimately came from Truth anyway. If its activation is ever forbidden, how exactly are they supposed to fight? Before they could even oppose Truth, even a small group appearing would be enough to bury and erase me completely.
This was exactly why the Gray Absolute had abandoned any thought of cleanly joining the Golden Absolute’s faction. In the Absolute Realm, aside from the 10 Mainstays themselves, no one possessed more than ten trillion in divine power. There was simply no way to compete. Without the Absolute Race Authority granted exclusively to the 10 Mainstay bloodline—an authority that could temporarily elevate one to their level—the situation would have been hopeless long ago.
To the point that even the other 10 Mainstays, who never hesitated to fight one another over territorial interests, would treat any matter involving the Wind Family as a cause for immediate joint response. For a sage whose role was primarily scheming and calculation, opposing them was pure idiocy. Above all else, the fact that the Origin of the Mage God—despite receiving Truth’s full tacit approval and support—had been able to train someone who surpassed even himself into a Gray Absolute had already decided the outcome.
Still, the Gray Absolute wished the violence would be restrained just a little. But given how many mistakes he had made, he could not even complain. It was sometimes unbearable, yet he had no choice but to endure.
Gaaah—! Please, just stop already. At this rate we’re all going to die.
Whether those words were meant for the Origin of the Mage God—who, still unsatisfied after hurling him to the floor, had drawn the Sword of Ruin and Soul and begun beating him with it—or for his own past self, even the Gray Absolute was not entirely sure.
Meanwhile, the 10 Mainstays, having called a temporary truce in their ranking battle, continued their strangely harmonious conversation while observing the Dimensional Mage God.
“The Black Flame rampage has stopped by itself.”
“Oh! Fascinating. Even with both body and mind intact, he can suppress it now?”
“Then he should be able to wield full power even in his immature state.”
“It seems Black Flame has evolved as well. Congratulations, Black Flame Absolute.”
The strengthening of Black Flame was the strengthening of a rival in the ranking wars, but it was not merely a target of vigilance. The Absolute Realm was simply too vast for perfect control, and no matter how many rebel forces were crushed, more arose endlessly. These rebels were powerful enough to challenge the established order and analyzed their regional overseers with ruthless precision, making them difficult to handle alone. Therefore, management of the Absolute Realm usually involved mixed detachments from multiple clans for joint operations.
The Black Flame clan had proven invaluable at the forefront, blocking and eradicating such threats. There was simply no suitable replacement. The Dragon God race had been tasked with the front lines and main bases, but they had grown pathetically weak and their numbers had dwindled. It would never do for the Origins of the Wind Family—beings even the 10 Mainstays struggled to manage—to earn major merits.
Thus, despite receiving the other 10 Mainstays’ sincere congratulations, the Black Flame Absolute’s face remained terrifyingly rigid. He answered in a low growl.
“Regrettably, that is not the evolution of our racial authority.”
“Hm?”
Under the puzzled gazes of the other 10 Mainstays, the Black Flame Absolute glared at the distant Dimensional Mage God with eyes like burning coals.
“Truth’s title of ‘Origin’ is exerting a negative influence on the Authority of Black Flame. Both its madness and its effectiveness have been weakened to an incomprehensible degree. I have encountered beings bearing the ‘Origin’ title before, but never to this extent. Originally, Black Flame maximizes the killing instinct and fighting spirit of the blood to grant absolute physical reinforcement. Yet that bastard’s very instinct is too far removed from combat. No matter what crisis or fury he faces, he maintains reason and craves only survival. That survival instinct has merged with ‘Origin’ to suppress the Authority of Black Flame and preserve his sanity. At this rate he can never truly become one of the Black Flame clan—so why did Truth subject him to the Eternal Judgment under my supervision? This is impossible.”
The 10 Mainstays fell silent at the words of the Black Flame Absolute, who as Origin of the Black Flame clan understood the condition best. His explanation had been long, but it boiled down to one simple fact: the Dimensional Mage God was essentially a mutant Black Flame clansman. Something strange to use, yet too valuable to throw away. They could understand the Black Flame Absolute’s dilemma.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
It was jealousy.
Grind—! The fact that an official Black Flame clansman can freely wield Dimensional Authority and dark magic—both of which require insane computational power—is the real issue. At first I dismissed it as an underdeveloped, inferior version of the Authority and ignored it. But after investigating again, I discovered that even in the beginning, though rare, it had taken root perfectly. He is unleashing dark magic amplified to the extreme by Black Flame’s supreme physique. Of course the highest-ranking clans couldn’t withstand it. Yet the madness that accompanies a perfectly functioning Authority of Black Flame is so intense that even I—the greatest sage in the Absolute Realm—can barely maintain my reason. So how is that bastard enduring it so easily while still manifesting dark magic? Could he truly be a greater sage than I am? Is that why Truth handed the Gray Absolute—the pinnacle of the sage line that even I could not reach—over to him? Does this mean my own talent as a sage was insufficient to become the Gray Absolute, so I ended up as the Black Flame Absolute instead? This is absurd—! I will not allow it.
The Black Flame Absolute ground his teeth at the conclusion his occasionally functional mind had reached. The other 10 Mainstays, completely unaware of his inner turmoil, simply assumed he had lost his temper again and stopped paying attention.
Only the Golden Absolute, who constantly observed every one of the 10 Mainstays, had somewhat grasped the situation and let out a quiet sigh.
Sigh. Black Flame’s habit of overthinking useless things really is a problem. If he simply lived according to his instincts there wouldn’t be any issue at all. There hasn’t been a Black Flame Absolute in five hundred billion years, yet there were many candidates for Gray. All of them perished before long, but the number of sage-line candidates who use their heads is truly vast. You are the first being to possess both the physical capacity and computational power necessary to become the Black Flame Absolute. Anyone could see at a glance what Truth values more, yet because it concerns yourself you cannot tell.
There was yet another being who, like the Golden Absolute, could read every truth from the surrounding expressions. Unexpectedly, it was the Unique Dragon God Emperor—personally ranked first yet permanently stuck in overall second place due to the other 10 Mainstays’ joint obstruction.
There was a reason why he, who normally paid attention to nothing except his father, had begun to watch so closely. His true body still held the physical forms of the previous eight Absolutes sealed within it, and his current vessel was merely an incarnation. No matter how much he trained, he could not handle more than two opponents at once. Even his own Dragon God race had been pushed aside by the other 10 Mainstay clans, denied any chance to grow stronger, and their numbers had dwindled. With his main body’s power restricted and his race reduced to the weakest rare species, he had no choice but to observe and analyze the other 10 Mainstays even more thoroughly. That long effort was finally bearing fruit.
The previous Gray Absolutes all perished because the sage line’s insufficient power made it impossible to mediate the relationships between the 10 Mainstays while simultaneously managing territories. No matter what ideals or wisdom a sage possessed, they eventually gave up in the face of harsh reality and self-destructed. Of course, since there are so many sage-line candidates, the uniquely emerged Black Flame Absolute is valued more highly. But Golden One, you only look at the surface and miss what truly matters. Because you became the Golden Absolute without committing a single mistake or suffering a single failure, you cannot understand the hearts of the defeated. You underestimate far too much the fact that my father Truth—now an existence of absolute power and position even among the Eternal Beings—once challenged the 10 Mainstays countless times in the past and endured endless defeat. You overlook the protection my father extends to those who dare to challenge again precisely because he himself experienced countless failures. It is the same with the Substitute Gods. It is the same with the current Gray Absolute and with the past Dimensional Mage God. Until the current Gray Absolute’s complete failure is decided, the scales of fate will continue to tilt in his favor. It is the same situation as the Black Flame Absolute’s first ranking battle long ago. Originally, the flow of karma was so strongly with the Gray Absolute that it could have overturned the entire 10 Mainstay hierarchy. I know this from experience, and the Black Flame Absolute senses it by instinct—which is why he cannot sit still. However, now that the Gray Absolute’s ranking battle has ended, the focus of that protection has shifted to the Dimensional Mage God. Strongly enough to negatively affect all the 10 Mainstays.
He always maintained a gentle, friendly expression so that he could read others’ thoughts from the slightest changes in their faces. Beneath the Unique Dragon God Emperor’s endlessly warm smile, a scorching emotion began to seethe.
Which is why now is the perfect opportunity. If I cannot break your Golden Alliance, then I will crush everything by force. Thanks to the Gray’s self-destruction, every one of you suffered a drop of at least one circle in authority. Now, if the perfectly intact Authority of Black Flame is weakened even slightly, I can finally make my move.
He felt the weight of the Taegeuk Heavenly Sword strapped across his back—the proof of his position as Great Head of the Wind Family. The Sword of Ruin and Soul he currently held could only deliver physical shocks, but the Taegeuk Heavenly Sword was different. Like the Golden Absolute’s absolute technique Evangeli, it was a supreme absolute weapon capable of annihilating even Eternal Beings. At first it had merely been an exceptionally sharp famous sword, but as the family lineage continued through one hundred and nine generations, the lives and souls of his ancestors had seeped into it, transforming it into a divine instrument. By his father’s generation, it had become a true absolute technique. It was both proof of the family’s glorious history of turning the impossible into reality and evidence that he was the one ultimately responsible.
How overjoyed he had been when he inherited it alongside the family from his father, who had created the Absolute Realm and set out to pioneer the Master Universes. Yet he had no memory of ever drawing it with pride. It had been used during the very first ranking battle, only to be miserably defeated by the combined assault of the other eight Absolutes and their races. The absurd sealing punishment had come at the same time. The first defeat he had ever suffered without his father present had been too shocking, too overwhelming to overcome.
The 10 Mainstays were simply too strong. One-on-one was manageable, but two or more proved impossible to handle. He now understood perfectly why even his incomparably powerful father had been forced to taste defeat countless times against the 10 Mainstays of that era.
For five hundred billion years I have remained stuck in second place, continuously pushed back by the Golden Absolute’s allied offensive that united the other eight Absolutes. No matter what favors, considerations, or concessions I offered, I could not break the Golden Alliance that was built upon the practical reality of maintaining order in the Absolute Realm. As a result, only I was excluded from any real initiative. I could do nothing, could not even earn a single meaningful achievement in reality. Having been sealed, the only way for a Wind Family Origin to appear in the present is to contribute to the development of both the Absolute Realm and the Master Universes. Most such opportunities have been blocked. At this rate, after being sealed because of my defeat, I will have no face left to show the children of the Wind Family who still wait for me to emerge from the Wind Star. Yet no matter how much I train, I alone cannot surpass the development speed of the other 10 Mainstays. My patience has reached its limit. An opportunity like this will not come again until another of the 10 Mainstays is replaced. Therefore, for the first time since my birth, I have set aside my stubbornness and entrusted the progress of this ranking battle to the child of the Origin of the Mage God. I do not know what plan that child has prepared, but judging from his usual behavior, one thing is certain.
The accumulated history of the Wind Family’s challenges had eventually given birth to Truth—his father—across every Master Universe and the Absolute Realm itself. They were the ideal Wind Family that turned any impossibility into possibility. Yet for him, the son, the impossible task of becoming the supreme Absolute remained a shameful stain. For five hundred billion years he had struggled alone countless times, only to fail. The patience that had endured that shame had finally changed his heart.
All or nothing. Now that it has begun, if I hesitate as that child warned, I will either rise to the very top or fall to the very bottom. Aiming for first place only to end up in ninth would leave me completely powerless against the other 10 Mainstays who have already begun to watch more closely. But show them the true potential of the Wind Family bloodline that eventually turns every impossibility into reality. I believe in you.
It was a first place that had become impossible due to the concentrated checks of the other 10 Mainstays. Now, for the first time, the Unique Dragon God Emperor had resolved to turn that impossibility into possibility—even if it meant borrowing another’s strength. Even if that strength belonged to the tiny hands of the adorable grandchildren he was sworn to protect.
He did not yet realize that the plan carefully laid by that adorable grandchild had been ruined by the Dimensional Mage God’s recklessness and arrogance. Nor did he know that the Origin of the Mage God, furious at the mess, had spent the last while beating the Gray Absolute to a pulp and was now panting with exhaustion.
“Haaaaaaaah—! There really is no plan at all! At this rate we’re truly finished if we slip up even once! How am I supposed to face Grandfather who trusted me completely? How much support did I pull from the family? How can this possibly fail? Why did you get greedy for pointless things like the main god position on top of the simple task of provoking and luring that ignorant Black Flame Absolute? Why did you turn everything into this mess—!”
“Please calm yourself for a moment. He will manage. With so much at stake, isn’t he fighting desperately? The more he stands to gain, the more thoroughly he will carry it out.”
“……”
As expected of a 10 Mainstay, the Gray Absolute rose to his feet as though nothing had happened despite the brutal beating. His nonchalant tone left the Origin of the Mage God glaring at him in silence—a wordless demand for the truth.
“Still… aren’t we on the same side? We should hope for his success. He is my past, after all… so of course I hope he succeeds…”
In the end, unable to withstand that piercing stare, the Gray Absolute weakly offered an excuse that sounded more like a conclusion. If his past self—too incompetent to catch even a single rabbit without help—was now aiming for two at once, the anxiety was perfectly understandable.
“And if he is not your past?”
“I would beat him to death on the spot. If you’re going to do what you’re told, do it properly. Where does he get the nerve to try tricks—! Ah—! Ahahaha…”
At the Origin’s sudden question, the Gray Absolute reflexively answered from the heart, then, finding even himself ridiculous, covered it up with hollow laughter.