The Weight of Unanimous Faith
While the Grey Absolute was busy memorizing the rulebook in the Otherworld War, the election for the new Main God of the Divine Realm began.
Elections among the gods were ultimately a way to convey the collective will of the Divine Realm. However, since the Divine Realm placed the will of the Main God of the Divine Realm above all else, there was always the possibility of foul play. To prevent any potential misconduct by the Main God of the Divine Realm, a higher divine realm oversaw the process. The only entity above the Main Divine Realm—the gateway of the Creation Realm—was the divine realm of the Creator General. Therefore, everything was reported directly to Sangharama, the Creator General.
The 499th Master Universe was currently locked in a standoff against an overwhelming foe: the Creator Great God of Black Flame. In such a situation, the election of the Dimensional Mage God, who controlled Seongmyeol, naturally became a subject of intense interest. Both Creator Gods and Demon God Emperors watched with equal attention. If things went wrong and the Dimensional Mage God caused a Creator Great God to run amok like during the Eternal Judgment and then fled, it would immediately turn into a stalling battle. Sangharama, who would then have to beg Jinri for help, clicked his tongue as he felt the weight of those expectant gazes.
‘Even the slightest adjustment is impossible. Did he calculate this too? It’s impossible for everything to align so perfectly in one person’s favor. Is the law of karma truly siding with the Dimensional faction? Does it value them more than the origin of the Almighty God Tribe?’
As he pondered this, the voting ended in the blink of an eye. There were no foolish beings who would hesitate in their choice—none who could have risen to the rank of High God. Yet as the nearly finalized results came in, the eyes watching them widened. The expressions were the classic look of those witnessing something incomprehensible.
Even Sangharama, the Creator General, found his voice turning rigid as he issued a direct command to the divine self of the Creation Realm.
“There are 102,210 High Gods and above with voting rights. More than 90,000 of them support the Dimensional Mage God becoming the new Main God of the Divine Realm? Almost no one expressed neutrality? Verify each individual’s will immediately—! This cannot be.”
The problem with human-born gods was clear. Having lived finite lives, they burned fiercely at first and produced outstanding results. But they also caused problems just as quickly. A god’s limit was enduring roughly ten thousand years of the monotonous, boring repetition that could last a hundred million years.
‘Passion has its limits. Once that passion cools, they quickly fall into laziness and even corruption. A god’s lifespan is eternal. That is why so many human-born gods eventually become demon gods or gods of destruction.’
The divine race prioritized the collective over the individual to maintain the glory of the ruling power in the 499th Master Universe. In exaggerated terms, they were merely cogs in the vast machine that was the universe. Human-born gods, especially the higher their rank, failed to understand the personal desires and freedom they had to abandon, and eventually rebelled. If they went mad alone as a God of Destruction and rampaged, that was still manageable. They could simply be subjugated. The worst outcome was when they became an overwhelmingly powerful Demon God, led the opposing faction, and sought to relieve their boredom with eternal life through fierce struggle against the existing order of the divine race.
There wasn’t a single High God who didn’t know such precedents, yet this level of approval was incomprehensible. It was practically unanimous. It far exceeded the threshold needed to approve a replacement for the Main God of the Divine Realm.
“We have already completed additional individual verifications. Those who opposed have been transported to the battlefield prepared by the Dimensional Mage God. Those who refused to move all expressed support.”
Even the mechanical voice of the divine self of the Creation Realm carried a faint hint of astonishment. The result defied common sense. Even the Demon God Emperor, who had no stake in the matter, raised an objection because he could not understand it. It was an impossibly swift shift that contradicted everything known about the rigid divine race.
“Is he not cheating with the magic of reality negation? Can a few personal temples and some campaign promises really change them this much? Not even demon gods act like this.”
“Election fraud? If it’s magic or authority powerful enough to alter the will of over a hundred thousand High Gods of the Main Divine Realm or even deceive the divine self of the Creation Realm, it already far surpasses the level of a Creator God. To such a powerful Mage God, Sangharama’s divine power support would be meaningless. Moreover, would such a powerhouse even bother struggling to become something as trivial as the Main God of the Divine Realm of the 499th Universe? He would aim straight for the 10 Mainstays in the Absolute Realm. Just stay quiet for a moment. I think I understand.”
Jinmyeol dismissed the absurd speculations and fell into deep thought. It didn’t matter what promises the candidate for Main God of the Divine Realm made. The higher divine realms would manage everything, ensuring duties were carried out properly. Bribes or whatever else—as long as it was within their personal capability, they could do as they pleased. Originally, elections existed to tempt influential figures within a group with the honor and authority of representing the collective, encouraging them to voluntarily contribute and serve.
‘Of course, the divine race has a perfect higher system to manage and control everything, so preventing corruption is possible. Humans have the risk of the wealthy and many incompetents rising to the top, but for gods, the chance of being incompetent despite possessing such wealth and authority is nearly zero. The election, which filters out the extremely dangerous radicals among such competent individuals, has now created a problem. He simply changed it to an open election and forced those who opposed to fight against Lower Gods? No matter how many Lower Gods there are, it’s merely annoying for High Gods. Why? How? There was a similar case somewhere in the Otherworld…’
While others shouted about election fraud, it was impossible for a Mage God to do such a thing. Election fraud was a grave offense that would result in the complete revocation of one’s qualifications as a god if discovered later. A Mage God who placed victory above all else would never create such a massive weakness just to win an election. Losing one’s qualifications as a god meant eternal defeat. No second chances were ever given to those who had once lost their divine status. Moreover, the divine self of the realm would never cooperate with something that would lead to its own erasure. On top of that, they had re-verified individual intentions, and those who opposed were immediately sent to the battlefield, yet the vast majority of gods simply remained in place. Even while electing the Main God who would rule over them, their faces suggested it had nothing to do with them.
Looking at those expressions, something finally clicked. He had heard of a similar incident occurring somewhere in the Otherworld. Of course the circumstances were vastly different, but it had led to a situation on the brink of destruction due to an impossible outcome.
Clap—!
“That’s it. The greatest flaw of majority-rule democracy maintained through secret ballots. That flaw becomes maximized the moment the electoral system is changed like this. He struck it right at its core.”
Jinmyeol slapped his palm. He had realized why such a result had emerged. It was such a basic truth that even the ruling class knew it, yet they had overlooked it. Only he—who surpassed the highest rulers in authority yet had willingly placed himself at the bottom due to personal circumstances—had always faced it directly, clicking his tongue at it.
Sangharama, the Creator General, and Jinma, the Demon God Emperor, turned to him with sparkling eyes.
“What is it? You always say human-born gods must never be allowed, yet why have you suddenly changed your attitude?”
“As expected, you weren’t just sleeping all the time. Unlike that rigid Creator General.”
In the end, the number of gods who opposed the Dimensional Mage God becoming the Main God of the Divine Realm did not exceed ten thousand. Over ninety thousand gods remained on the side of approval, resulting in an overwhelmingly dominant support rate exceeding ninety percent. It was a level of support unprecedented in the entire history of Main God of the Divine Realm elections.
“T-this… Ninety percent—! He received ninety percent support?”
It was an overwhelming level of support that even Hwi, the All-Powerful Splendor, had not received when he became the Main God of the Divine Realm. Although he had fallen, he was the origin of the great Almighty God Tribe, an unfathomable being who had mastered the 8 Primordial Ancestors. Even after single-handedly shattering the previous Main God of the Divine Realm and the entire Main Divine Realm through a long battle, he had only managed seventy percent support. Conquering the Main Divine Realm and its Main God alone was an achievement no one at the time could have accomplished except him. He possessed the perfect status as the origin of the Almighty God Tribe and abilities no one could match. Even then, barely crossing the line of seventy percent overwhelming support—rather than a simple majority of over fifty percent—was a moment that still brought cold sweat and glory in equal measure. Replacing the Main God of the Divine Realm was that difficult for the divine race, which valued the existing order.
A replacement only happened when the predecessor was incapable or the Main Divine Realm was on the verge of collapse. Without all the gods uniting with that shared understanding, such overwhelming support was impossible. It was clear proof of the previous Main God of the Divine Realm’s incompetence. Being forcibly replaced rather than voluntarily stepping down was an unbearable humiliation for a supreme god who aimed to become a Creator God. Unable to endure that shame, the previous Main God of the Divine Realm had chosen self-destruction. The thought that he might have to do the same now even crossed Hwi’s mind.
Yet even though he had suffered a crushing defeat in the election, many additional steps still remained. He had found it strange that the Dimensional Mage God had made a proposal that bound him so tightly, but now he considered it a stroke of immense luck. Above all, ten thousand High Gods could not possibly lose to a million Lower Gods who possessed no meaningful authority. And if close combat had not remained within that restricted space called the ring, it would have been truly unbearable.
Still, many questions lingered. The gods of the Main Divine Realm knew the problems of human-born gods better than anyone and had opposed them. Yet he could not understand why such an incomprehensible figure of ninety percent had appeared for the Dimensional Mage God. The only one with the exact answer was the Dimensional Mage God himself, who had predicted and orchestrated this. In the end, that realization forced Hwi to speak.
“Did he really change the will of High Gods with the mere promise of slightly better personal temples? The promise to share power and autonomy is far too insufficient for the highest gods of the round table—no, the mid-level managerial gods. And giving fair opportunity regardless of origin? Why would direct descendants of the Creation Realm’s High Gods care? Or was it because of that absurd promise of becoming part of the Grey Clan? Even if there is a chance to join the clan of one of the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm, it cannot be easy, can it? Did they fall for proposals that wouldn’t even fool a child? Is such a thing possible?”
It was no longer a desperate measure to cover up the mistake of the Creator God who had urgently loaned out the vitality he needed to store in order to create him. He realized this was not a question one should ask a challenger who had staked the position of Main God of the Divine Realm to decide the outcome. Whether it was a question seeking an answer or simply a monologue, it was the last remnant of Hwi’s pride.
And the Dimensional Mage God answered without hesitation.
“Of course it is not solely because of my campaign promises, All-Powerful Splendor. There is no way the High Gods of the Main Divine Realm would change their will so drastically over such trivial gains.”
The answer came so easily that Hwi’s patience finally snapped.
“Then what the hell is it—! Does merely changing a secret ballot to an open one create this much of a difference? Even if they felt fear at your power that instantly shattered the Main Divine Realm, such support should not appear. Is it because of that battle they must fight if they oppose? Are High Gods afraid of Lower Gods who possess no real authority? That is even more absurd!”
A bitter smile rose to the Dimensional Mage God’s lips as he began to speak calmly.
“In conclusion, it is because they trust you that much. If they oppose in the election, they must fight those Lower Gods. Battling countless Lower Gods who show fighting spirit that does not yield even to Creator Gods is both annoying and troublesome. The great origin of the Almighty God Tribe who has mastered the unfathomable 8 Primordial Ancestors would never lose to a mere human-born Mage God. Therefore, even if they support him, the result will not change, so they might as well close their eyes and approve this once. Even if something goes wrong, there is no way you, All-Powerful Splendor, would lose in close combat—which is your specialty. It is largely thanks to that belief.”
“?”
For a moment, Hwi was rendered speechless by the strange statement that they had supported the Dimensional Mage God because they trusted him. Suspicion began to rise that this too was a scheme to deceive him.
“It is extremely annoying and time-consuming for the gods of the Main Divine Realm—most of whom are close-combat specialists—to deal with a million opponents one by one. After all, even if gods die, as long as their will and vitality remain, they can immediately resurrect and fight again. Because they are Lower Gods, no matter how many are killed, the highest Creation Realm can resurrect them right away to replenish forces. That is why you, All-Powerful Splendor, chose to inspect the divine realm rather than break through, isn’t it? Rather than dealing with an endless swarm of annoying bees that never decreases no matter how many you kill, you would rather face hundreds of rat pups. The problem is that they turned out to be foxes, not rats.”
“……”
“The High Gods are thinking the same thing. If they oppose, they must immediately enter that annoying battlefield and fight a battle with no known end. Moreover, it would be troublesome to be recognized as an enemy by that powerful Dimensional Mage God. They know they cannot defeat me. Even if by some chance he passes the election, there is no way a long-range specialist Mage God could possibly defeat you, All-Powerful Splendor, within the restricted space of that Otherworld ring. Even if they support him, the result will absolutely not change. In the end, the incomparably great All-Powerful Splendor will surely win for them, so they bear no responsibility. They do not need to take any risks or put in any effort. You will take care of everything. It is the problem with organizations that follow and serve heroic beings.”
“!!!”
Crrrrrunch—!
The section of the round table that Hwi gripped tightly with both hands was crushed. Originally, material created by a higher god could not be destroyed by a lower being. Even a higher god would need to exert full power to destroy something they had personally created. Yet the current round table of the Main Divine Realm had been made by the Dimensional Mage God. The fact that it shattered so easily clearly demonstrated who held the upper hand.
His voice began to tremble with rising fury.
“Are you saying the gods of the Main Divine Realm have pushed all responsibility onto me?”
“That is the internal change up to this point. There is a separate reason they changed their decision. Therefore, my explanation ends here. As the one who will become the Main God of the Divine Realm, I cannot directly insult the gods of the Main Divine Realm.”
Hwi looked ready to explode at those words, but the Dimensional Mage God was the real enemy aiming for the position of Main God of the Divine Realm.
“Moreover, the things I promised may mean little to the highest gods aiming to become Main Gods and Creator Gods, but they hold tremendous appeal for the majority of High Gods whose goals lie below that. To those born at the top, they may seem so numerous as to be worthless, but to the vast majority who have nothing, they can become treasures. Please understand it to this extent.”
He was aware that giving even this much explanation was excessive courtesy toward an enemy.
“Understood. Let us begin the battle between High Gods and Lower Gods.”
After confirming that Hwi had regained control of his excitement, the Dimensional Mage God immediately sat down in his seat at the round table and snapped his fingers.