The Beast's Mercy and the Creator's Shame

The mere fact that the forces staked on the outcome of the Otherworld War included not only themselves but even Granzoa, a goddess they had served for so many years that the memories had grown hazy, left them shuddering in awe.

‘The Magic God of Dimensions once came as a mere human boy to offer a single negotiation, only to be surrounded and attacked. He barely escaped thanks to his master’s desperate sacrifice.’

After that, no matter how bloodied he became, he never spoke another word to them. Even after he reached the 7th circle as a black mage of the Root School—a level where they could no longer handle him alone—he said nothing. And even after he attained divinity and stepped into the 8th circle, nothing changed. When he finally reached the 9th circle, the High Elf Empire suffered a catastrophe as he plundered every treasure vault and archive they possessed. From then on, he was treated as an equal to the Demon Kings.

‘It was around that time that we sent an emergency report to Granzoa, the goddess who once led the goddesses of the Divine Realm as a Main God, begging for her help.’

Afterward, when he emerged from the Great Forest—which had become a gateway to the Demon Realm where dimensions and space were warped—he was forcibly summoned to the Divine Realm. There he clashed violently with Granzoa and became bound by the restrictions of karmic sin. Since the curse of karmic sin was something even a Main God could not escape, everyone believed it was truly over. And indeed, all news of him vanished.

Who could have imagined he would return after serving as a mercenary god in another divine realm and reaching the 10th circle? No one. Yet here he stood, positioned as a challenger beside a Creator God, watching the battle of the lower gods with eyes that had not changed in the slightest.

They were the eyes of a starving beast, stripped of all emotion and fear—the same eyes that had once fought even Demon Kings without hesitation just to obtain a scrap of food. They were the eyes of a mad warrior who would use any means necessary for victory and purpose, even wagering his own life as collateral.

Such a being would show respect to the strong who proved useful in battle, but he would never forgive the weak who became obstacles. He would dispose of them eventually. The fact that he had already transformed more than five hundred thousand lower gods into insects proved that extreme tendency beyond doubt.

The dizzying realization that this Magic God of Dimensions had become their new Main God of the Divine Realm—and was now stepping into a position equal to a Creator God as the new Lord of the Divine Realm—left them reeling. Most of the reason his personality had been forged into this monstrous shape was because of them. The irony was almost too much to bear.

With that, the illusion of the Magic God of Dimensions vanished from the battlefield. All that remained were hundreds of thousands of writhing insects covering the earth and a handful of gods.

‘The fierce war from moments ago has disappeared. Now only the final clash between the Main Gods and the lower gods who possess power equal to or greater than intermediate gods remains.’

Hwi of Omnipotence gazed upon the battlefield now swarming with insects that had once been lower gods and let out a low groan. No matter how low-ranked they were, they were still gods. Normally, such bodily transformation magic would meet an immutable resistance that even high-level mages could not overcome. Yet they had offered no resistance whatsoever; every single one had been turned into an insect.

Even Hwi, a Creator God, had no clear idea how to undo it. Unless the Magic God of Dimensions released them himself, they would likely remain in that form forever. For a mage god who surpassed even Creator Gods, it was both overwhelmingly powerful and unbearably cruel.

“Hmm… Still, they are gods. Don’t you think this is a bit too harsh?”

Hwi of Omnipotence spoke, but the Magic God of Dimensions remained silent and offered no immediate response. When the similar thoughts of the other preliminary Creator Gods and Main Gods turned toward him, he finally opened his mouth.

“I am more merciful than anyone else.”

“Huh?”

“Hah?”

“Ugh—!”

The completely unexpected declaration drew stunned gasps from Hwi of Omnipotence, the preliminary Creator Gods, and the Main Gods alike.

The administrative gods had desperately investigated and quickly delivered additional reports, so everyone now knew the full circumstances of those lower gods.

The sentient beings required to fill the dimensional divinity that had been promoted to Creator Divinity needed to be, at minimum, roughly equal to Transcendents. The vitality produced by the sentient beings of a Main God Star was simply insufficient to operate a Creator Divine Realm normally.

Therefore, sentient beings who possessed power above a certain threshold and had contributed to the divine realm were usually accepted as celestial beings, while the rest were culled. That culling, of course, was done in a gentle and peaceful manner—halting their reproduction and allowing them to meet natural deaths.

‘Every sentient being would live out their lifespan happily, without any pain, and disappear.’

But the Magic God of Dimensions had rejected that approach. He had introduced a selection process, summoned all the Transcendents, threatened them, and was using them as tools of war.

Yet he spoke of it so confidently and naturally that it was clearly sincere. One had to seriously wonder whether the meaning of “mercy” had somehow shifted from “loving and pitying others” to “cruelty without compassion or mercy.”

Regardless of the reactions around him, the Magic God of Dimensions continued speaking in a calm tone.

“A happy death may be mercy to those above, but to those below, it is simply the end. Those lower beings would never have had the chance to become gods, nor even the chance to become members of a Creator Divine Realm, if not for me. Under the current system, lower Transcendents of their level becoming gods is impossible and unacceptable. Without obtaining a title, authority, or even black magic from someone like me, their only fates after death are to become spirits or celestial beings. But I did not allow that. Whether they were human-born or of any other level, I gave every being an equal opportunity. Granting a fair and equitable chance to ascend—that is the greatest mercy a superior being can offer.”

Though Hwi of Omnipotence and the other preliminary Creator Gods could not agree, the statement was so thought-provoking that they could not immediately refute it. After all, it was nearly identical to the current policy of the 499th Master Universe, which accepted Main Gods from outside to strengthen its forces and even granted them the position of Creator God. It was simply far more extreme.

So he continued.

“Furthermore, I am more generous than anyone else.”

At those words, everyone’s expressions stiffened involuntarily. If “generosity” had not somehow transformed from “having a broad and magnanimous heart” into “disregarding all reason and morality,” then these were words that a mage god famous for being even more cruel and ruthless than demon gods should never utter. Especially not from someone who had instantly turned subordinates into insects simply for performing below expectations in battle.

The more they listened, the worse it became.

“The defeated are treated worse than the lowest insects that everyone despises. And if they are of lowly human origin, it is even more so. That is the reality of this world. Therefore, rather than offering them a hundred touching speeches, I engraved the lesson into them thoroughly with a single experience. Of course, I could have given them sweet encouragement and comfort. However, for those human-born beings for whom even a single failure or defeat can be fatal, offering emotional consideration that might breed complacency or optimism would be a worse measure than outright execution. So, at the cost of my own reputation and extra effort, I made my subordinates realize reality.”

Having said that, the Magic God of Dimensions snapped his fingers once more.

“I believe you all understand what level these beings are.”

This was the count even after excluding his personal direct forces, the highest-ranking demon Shuddering March and her troops, and the prisoners currently detained inside the Creator God’s jewel embedded in his forehead—the Divine Spirit Purgatory.

Their ability levels were, just as Hwi of Omnipotence had experienced, all at the highest tier whether they were Main Gods or highest-ranking gods. The gathered deities looked on with faint surprise at a military roster that already surpassed most Creator Divine Realms.

However, those who knew the origins and pasts of these beings could only clutch their heads in pain at the sight.

‘Even if it were us, we would desperately refuse to directly manage a divine realm with them.’

‘Every single one is an extremely dangerous element who has either betrayed a Main God of the Divine Realm or contributed to the destruction of a divine realm.’

They were beings who had gone to the absolute extreme. There was no hope of reforming them through education; they could only be suppressed by force. Yet every one of these Main Gods was a powerhouse who had broken free of ordinary standards. The only reason the realm had been maintained at all was because the former Main God of the Divine Realm had once been called the brightest sword in the divine realm—an outstanding Sword God capable of keeping them in check.

With so many overwhelmingly capable rebels gathered in one place, any ordinary Main God of the Divine Realm would have already been devoured.

“Do you truly believe they can survive intact among such beings and grow into High Gods who contribute to the divine realm? I judged that ordinary methods would obviously be insufficient. That is why I am pouring in vast amounts of divine artifacts, support, and consideration. Any superior can offer encouragement, but very few actually provide support. Yet I, with the mercy and generosity of the God of Light, have given them the opportunity to become members of the divine realm and am supporting them. Furthermore, as their superior, I endure the losses and effort to thoroughly teach these weak beings the cruel reality that is far too harsh for them. I even give them the chance to challenge again even after failure. I am upholding the highest standards of what I desired in a superior being when I became a god.”

To Hwi of Omnipotence, something about this felt enormously twisted from ordinary reason or morality, yet he struggled to find words to refute it. No—the gap in their respective positions was simply too vast. Understanding each other and holding a proper conversation was incredibly difficult.

Having spoken this far, the Magic God of Dimensions delivered his conclusion.

“Finally, compared to the trials I endured in the divine realm, I am treating them far too well. Most superiors try to pass on the hardships they suffered to those below them and even take out their frustrations in the process, but I have never done so. This is the basis for my claim that I am more merciful and generous than anyone else.”

Hwi of Omnipotence lightly tapped the table.

So that was it.

‘A human-born mercenary god who had never felt any benefits or happiness in the divine realm except for divine power support—what could he possibly have learned about a god’s mercy and generosity?’

The past he had investigated while preparing to face him as the opponent for the Lord of the Divine Realm position was so riddled with unfair contracts that it made one question whether such things were even possible. Every contract he had made with Main Gods of the Divine Realm as a mercenary god had produced nothing but resentment rather than respect.

‘If even the sanitized official reports are this bad, one can hardly imagine what actually happened.’

Doing only this much to lower beings he disliked could indeed be called an enormous act of mercy. But that was a matter of personal disposition, not something Hwi should interfere with. This current matter seemed a bit excessive, but since it ultimately concerned the operational authority of a Main God of the Divine Realm, it fell within his discretionary power. Whatever happened to the human-born lower gods was not the real issue anyway.

“Let’s set that aside for now. Before that, there is something I want to ask.”

The high-ranking gods who had opposed the Magic God of Dimensions becoming the new Lord of the Divine Realm and the lower gods who had been driven onto the battlefield under the premise of selection already had their fates decided ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by the difference in their attitudes toward combat. The Main Gods had been the variable, but after seeing the abilities of the newly deployed Dimensional Pope and Saintess, victory seemed assured without any problems.

What remained now was only the one-on-one duel with Hwi himself.

Before that, there was one thing he absolutely had to confirm.

“At your level, you must have already grasped almost everything about creating a Main God Star, correct? Then how long does it take you to create one? Of course, I mean at full power.”

The Magic God of Dimensions stared quietly at Hwi of Omnipotence for a moment after the sudden change of topic, then answered. Since it was a matter of creation ability unrelated to the outcome of their duel, there was no harm in answering accurately.

“The production of a Main God Star is among the highest difficulty in the field of creation. It requires the authority of a Creator God while simultaneously implementing and mixing a certain amount of mana.”

The fact that he had accurately identified that a Main God Star was created by a Creator God manifesting even mana through creation power meant he truly understood. A Main God Star was a celestial body created by forcibly evolving a star through the implementation of demonic attributes—completely opposite to the divine race. Only then could it reach a size over ten thousand times that of an ordinary planet and produce enough vitality to nurture sentient beings.

Implementing mana and divine power simultaneously was an enormous strain even for a Creator God. Stabilizing the planetary evolution without causing an explosion in the middle required tremendous creative power.

‘One must implement mana and divine power at the same time while advancing planetary evolution and stabilization simultaneously. That’s why it ends up taking more than ten thousand years. As a close-combat specialist War God, I can’t even guarantee a success rate. Even in a perfectly prepared state, my success rate is only about sixty percent. This is the worst.’

A Main God Star required a living planet to serve as its core and one hundred billion units of vitality. On top of that, a Creator God who was usually an Origin of a clan would invest ten thousand years and then bestow it as a reward upon a Main God who had sworn absolute loyalty.

If such a project failed, even the most prestigious clan would stagger. From a Creator God’s perspective, failing to produce a Main God Star that had been promised to a close aide was a humiliation so severe that one might seriously consider suicide. That was how difficult the creation of a Main God Star was—it could be called the unique authority and qualification of the Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe.

The problem was that creative power could only increase by accumulating vast amounts of knowledge and creation experience. For a close-combat specialist War God like himself, stopping physical training to read books was simply absurd. Therefore, the correct answer was to ascend to a higher Creator God rank and receive assistance with creative power from the elevated divine realm ego. Most did exactly that.

Since it was not something Creator Gods could boast about, they never revealed it to lower gods, which was why he had never known. As a result, when he actually became a Creator God and tried to create a Main God Star immediately, he discovered he lacked the creative power to do it alone. Even with the divine realm ego’s help, the risk of catastrophic failure was too high. That was Hwi of Omnipotence’s current weakness—he could not create a Main God Star and was so afraid of failure that he had not even attempted it.

Because of that, the Sage of Omniscience, who had become a Demon King and roughly grasped the situation, constantly berated him until he was ground to dust.

However, the Magic God of Dimensions freely wielded the wide-area authorities of magic and, most importantly, the dimensional authority that required the most complex calculations. Their positions could not be more different.

‘Still, since he is a mage god with high computational ability, he should be able to succeed in about five thousand years with a success rate over seventy percent. That alone would make a trade worthwhile.’

That was why he had asked before their final duel. His response would completely change how Hwi approached the fight.

“Even when everything is perfectly prepared, I must devote my full power for about a year. It is quite a difficult task.”

“……”

For a moment, Hwi lost the ability to speak. More accurately, he had barely managed to prevent his reason from collapsing from sheer disbelief.

‘For me it’s ten thousand years, but for him it’s one year? That means his computational ability is more than ten thousand times greater than mine? Even if he is a mage god who handles both divine power and mana, does that even make sense? Does he think a Main God Star is some kind of temple he’s building? If the other Creator Gods or lower gods ever learned of this, they would never let it go.’

This was something he absolutely could not show on his face. The main reason the 499 Creator Gods rarely created Main God Stars was not a lack of vitality, but a lack of creative power. It was one of the greatest shames of the Creator Gods. Of course, the creative power of Creator Gods from other Master Universes exceeded the standard, but it was still insufficient for creating a Main God Star. Most of the ruling class knew this, making it an open secret. But if the lower gods learned of this fact because of him, he would truly be buried alive. A Creator God would never tolerate having his creative ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power compared.

He was still the lowest-ranked ordinary Creator God. He had to be extremely cautious in everything he did. So he changed his expression as naturally as possible and asked for further confirmation.

“What is your success rate?”

“What are you talking about? In creation, there is no concept of success or failure. If it is not perfectly implemented, it is nothing. Naturally, the success rate is one hundred percent.”

The moment he heard those words, the phrase repeated itself over and over inside his head like a ringing bell.

‘Naturally one hundred percent. My limit is sixty percent? Naturally one hundred percent…’

Suddenly, Hwi of Omnipotence was struck by the thought that the world was both unbearably unfair and perfectly fair at the same time.

And at that very moment, the outcome of the duel was being decided as a complete defeat for the high-ranking gods.

The lower gods who had achieved victory within the gap of time and space were beginning their return.