The Final Card
The Dimensional Mage God's final trump card in the Otherworld War was, as expected, the Creator Great God Seongmyeol of Black Flame. He had poured every last drop of the Black Flame's vitality—something akin to a lethal poison for his computational power—into a dried-up alternate self that had taken tens of thousands of years to create. The Authority of Black Flame embedded within the body of a Substitute God, whose physical form was more than ten times stronger than that of the Divine Race, was powerful enough to kill even the highest-ranking members of the Black Flame clan.
Right now, the power of Creator Great God Seongmyeol, who is holding back the Creator Gods swarming toward the Main Divine Realm, stands at the very top even within the Absolute Realm. Although he lacks divine power matching his divine rank and cannot display his full original strength, it should be more than enough to annihilate the 499th Master Universe. If things go wrong, everyone dies.
Beneath the grey robe, the eyes of the Dimensional Mage God began to shimmer with a faint killing intent.
After the Spirit Realm battle, I was dragged off alone to the Eternal Judgment and nearly died from the injustice of it all. Since my future self, the Grey Absolute, exists, Truth will probably let it slide. So let's clean things up and live for once. If I don't blow up this damn reality, I don't think I'll ever be able to close my eyes. This time, I will absolutely not die alone. I'll smash everything to pieces and, if possible, survive by myself.
But the one thing I truly regret is that since entering the Divine Realm, I've never once been acknowledged as an individual or succeeded as the leader of a group. It's all been failure—! If I die like this, the resentment will bind me so tightly that I won't even be able to pass on.
This was the one desire he had never voiced even to his future self. Individually, he had achieved countless military exploits as the Mercenary God, yet the final evaluation was always that of the worst and most vicious Magic God. As the leader of a group, he had been the chaotic Main God of the Divine Realm. Of course there were plenty of excuses, but that was the conclusion.
At first, he had tried to console himself that he would live quietly while enjoying the special treatment of divine power support. But the anger born from the wounded pride blazing in his heart had been tenacious. No matter how many times he told himself to face reality and abandon his greed after seeing his own miserable future, if that were truly possible, the Crystal of Fate would never have been impossible to change.
In the end, fate approached according to one's true nature. It could be delayed, but never altered. Not even for the greatest sage who had realized every principle in the world, and not even for the Magic God.
Looking at the army of Lower Gods who can't even attempt to activate the 'Eternal Samsara' that would let them win immediately if triggered, all because of the price it demands... it feels like my insides are about to burst.
The magic he had personally infused into their divine artifacts was his own. Forcing activation was, of course, possible. And the moment a fatal magic was suddenly injected into the divine artifacts of the Lower Gods, even the army of High Gods who feared it saw their morale crumble.
If activating it once meant victory and promotion, anyone would try. It was a battle of one million against five thousand. Only one out of every two hundred needed to succeed. An easy fight. If so, the war would end right here.
If I intervene directly just once and force the activation, we can win. Let's do it. No—! The situation is already precarious. If I force things my way any further, I'll become an object of fear just like I did in my days as the Mercenary God. No—! If I just win, everything will work out somehow. If I lose here, nothing will matter anymore. Shut up—! You've never succeeded all the way through by doing things your way. Besides, right now I'm not the Mercenary God—I'm the greatest Main God of the Divine Realm aiming for the position of Main God of the Divine Realm. What comes after victory is far more important.
The primal impulse to return fate to its original course was overwhelmingly fierce. If the Lower Gods used it of their own will, it was a sacrifice. If he forced the activation, they would be treated as mere consumables on the battlefield. No one respected a superior who treated their subordinates as disposable goods. Those people needed to become his support base, but this would completely ruin that relationship. It was exactly the same as in his Mercenary God days.
The struggle against himself—obsessed with victory, gaining immense power through his desire to win, yet unable to control it and on the verge of falling back into the abyss—was like fate itself for the Dimensional Mage God. If he couldn't control it or let his guard down, he would be betrayed by everything he had risked his life to protect, just like the Flipside Main God Lokina, and ultimately destroy it all. That was the price paid by the Magic God, who wielded both magic power and divine power, for losing the balance between desire and reason.
The fact that even he, who knew this, found it this hard to endure was driving him insane.
Hurry up and move. Before I activate it without even realizing...
The completely frozen battlefield was now so silent that only the sound of swallowed breaths could be heard. The Lower Gods could not endure the terrifying magical power granted to the divine artifacts in their hands and the price they would have to pay. The High Gods feared the Lower Gods, who had escalated from mere rats to a swarm of venomous snakes.
You have to sacrifice your own body to gain a higher power, and then the Eternal Challenge awaits. If you give up, not only yourself but everyone around you could be erased. How are we supposed to activate this? Are you out of your mind?
That was what the Lower Gods thought as they worried about their own and their surroundings' futures. But the thoughts of the High Gods gradually changed.
If it can defeat an opponent more than two circles above, that is an absolute authority. Even though it's magic and thus restricted, it's an incredibly high-level authority. We can no longer afford to be complacent. We absolutely cannot lose easily. I must see it with my own eyes and confirm it with my own body.
The longing for an absolute authority that far surpassed the authorities they possessed was greater than the fear of death. The mindset of the Lower Gods, who worried about their own damage before wielding such immense power, and the High Gods, who craved that power, were fundamentally different.
Moreover, the eyes of the successor to the Main God who reigned in the heavens—previously restrained by the Hero God, his companions, and the High Elf Queens—were slowly beginning to burn with a fighting spirit.
Is that the absolute authority that surpasses my Transcendent Authority? I want to know. And through it, I want to learn an even stronger authority. If so, an even better future will await me.
For the Divine Race on the frontlines, who repeatedly fought life-or-death battles to determine dominance between the Substitute Gods and the ruling species, power was position itself. This was especially true for the divine realms of the Mercenary Main God, who had seized everything through sheer force. Among nearly a hundred direct descendants, the only one who ultimately became the successor was himself, who had become a Main God. Even his mother, who had been nothing more than one of many concubines, had risen to a position surpassing her partner. The moment he became a Main God, everything around him and even the future had changed. Formal recognition by the Main Divine Realm and the granting of a divine realm had been given to him first. The successor had been decided, the competitors had all fallen into despair, and now they were desperately struggling to become Main Gods themselves.
From that point on, his blind faith in power had never wavered, becoming a conviction even stronger than human faith. He had been bewildered upon arriving at the Main Divine Realm, where things other than power were valued, but that too would soon end. If he, who had learned a Transcendent Authority, could experience an Absolute Authority, he would see the path to promotion.
A Main God who possesses an Absolute Authority is practically a Creator God.
The Almighty Hwi, who had learned a portion of the incomprehensible Eight Primordials, had become a formal Creator God without even undergoing the certification trial. He too would soon reach that level, and he had confidence he could learn it. He believed in the talent his father had officially acknowledged.
You are an unparalleled genius of the Heavenly Sky God Tribe. You will surpass me, a High Lord God, and become a Creator God. Go to the Main Divine Realm and become a formal Main God first.
Recalling those words again, the tension from the danger now surpassed mere nervousness; instead, he began to hope that it would be activated so he could charge in.
His true nature is speaking. That magic called Eternal Samsara is literally a double-edged sword.
Through the manipulation of time and space, it forces repeated challenges against superiors to raise one's level, but at the same time, it unknowingly makes even the opponent repeat their experience. Of course, facing those weaker than oneself would hardly be of great help. Fighting the weak could instead dull one's edge. However, a chaotic melee against such an enormous number of Lower Gods would certainly be beneficial.
What would happen if such repeated experiences exceeded tens of thousands and reached millions? It might allow one to cross the wall of limits. As expected of the highest gods of the Main Divine Realm. They've already noticed the true nature of this authority to some extent. This is an opportunity for me and for the High Gods as well.
Among the High Gods of the Main Divine Realm, there were several highest-ranking gods who possessed Transcendent Authorities that even a Main God like himself could not afford to underestimate. They were the greatest among the greatest, possessing the highest-level Transcendent Authorities that even Main Gods dared not disregard. With such Transcendent Authorities, their analytical abilities were naturally outstanding.
The true powerhouses, who until now had been clicking their tongues in annoyance from the rear as if swatting away bothersome insects when dealing with the army of Lower Gods, were suddenly burning with motivation and stepping forward to the very front. Though they lacked complete confidence in their judgment, they had recognized something to a certain degree and were gradually advancing to the foremost line.
From the way the High Gods urgently bowed their heads and made way, one could sense their presence and power. In an instant, the two highest-ranking gods who silently took positions beside the successor to the Main God who reigned in the heavens completely transformed the atmosphere of the battlefield.
The Lower Gods, sensing the momentum of those who were steeling themselves to take on any risk to become Main Gods, unconsciously began to retreat step by step. The battle that had been tilting toward the Lower Gods was slowly reversing.
Watching this process, the Dimensional Mage God ground his teeth.
Damn it—! Two more highest-ranking gods with authorities above Transcendent have joined! Both are above ordinary Main Gods. Why are those bastards suddenly treating the Lower Gods they considered insignificant with genuine seriousness? Could it be that by repeating the manipulation of time and space, they've noticed the flaw in my magic that allows even the enemy to accumulate a bit of experience? Even the 11th-circle Magic God realized it in the end. If there's one Intermediate Main God with wide-area authority and two ordinary Main Gods, the Lower Gods won't stand a chance. Are we going to lose like this? In the end, am I unable to become the Main God of the Divine Realm, just as my fate dictates? Damn it—! Everyone, die together. Forced activation...
He could no longer wait for the Lower Gods to choose of their own volition. Since the game was already lost, it was do-or-die. He had no interest in being the tragic protagonist who sacrificed himself alone and died. If it was going to end, he preferred a spectacular finale that suited his temperament.
But then, from the 7th-circle Lower Gods, a voice carrying faint divine power rang out.
We have a request.
It was the desperate will of a Lower God who had only just reached the 7th circle. The divine power was so weak that he would not have heard it if he were not their direct Main God of the Divine Realm. Because it was an earnest plea from a Lower God to their Main God of the Divine Realm, he could not ignore it.
What is it?
We wish for guidance on magic above the 8th circle.
It was an absurd statement. Higher magic held value greater than life itself for a Magic God—or anyone who studied all forms of magic. Because it aligned with the superior's very essence, it was like a shortcut to that realm. Any mage would risk their soul to obtain it, yet no one would ever give it away. They feared that a subordinate might easily learn the magic they had struggled their entire lives to master and eventually surpass them. The only exception was when they taught it to their direct disciple at the very last moment before death, out of fear that the magic they had spent their life learning would vanish with them.
It wasn't for nothing that I was moved when Truth gave me 8th-circle magic without any price. I'm not repeating this crazy behavior just to become his pride. Who the hell do these unqualified bastards think they are, daring to ask for higher magic?
Anger surged within him and he was about to take immediate action when the next words stopped him in his tracks.
The Demon Race raises demonic power but never teaches higher magic. Moreover, they cannot be trusted. The Divine Race possesses authorities but knows nothing of magic. You, the 11th-circle Magic God, possess not only the authorities of the Divine Race but magic of equal caliber. However, other Magic Gods or Magic Gods are distorted beings who deny reality, so their teachings would also be warped. Only you, who overcame that and ultimately became the Main God of the Divine Realm, can be trusted to properly teach higher magic. Therefore, please teach us magic. In return, you will gain subordinates who will never betray you.
It felt as if a heavy impact had struck his mind. He had never thought of it that way before. Just as the bad reputation of the Magic God suggested, he had thought of the Main God of the Divine Realm position he was forcibly maintaining as nothing but a burden. He had ground his teeth, thinking he would quit the moment he no longer needed the divine power support. Pouring out endless favors to his subordinates just to maintain his position had been reaching its limit, and he had grown sick of it.
Yet this difficult position of Main God of the Divine Realm was opening another path for him.
Properly teaching higher magic is something only I, the Magic God who became the Main God of the Divine Realm, can do? And through that, I can gain the loyalty of those beneath me. Subordinates who will not betray me...
For the first time, he realized that the title of Main God of the Divine Realm alone could easily earn the trust of others.