The Hero and the Clown
The war in the Otherworld grew louder the closer the Almighty Hwi and the Dimensional Mage God drew to the ring. Every voice in that roar belonged to a high god, so the collective cheer transformed into a colossal wave of divine power that slammed into every corner of the Main Divine Realm. Uwaaaaaaaaaah—!
It was a reception so fervent it startled even the Almighty Hwi, who had always marched to war beneath the respectful farewells of his subordinates. This was a tribute that would make any recipient’s heart tremble. And part of that tribute was aimed squarely at the Dimensional Mage God trailing just behind and to his right—though the man’s face remained hidden beneath his grey robe.
“Remarkable.”
“What is, sir?”
The reply was utterly flat, as if the frenzied welcome had nothing to do with him.
“Dimensional Mage God, are you truly unmoved? The high gods of the Main Divine Realm are offering encouragement to a war god about to enter battle on a scale never seen before. This is less praise than outright worship, and half of it belongs entirely to you.”
“Great Almighty Hwi…”
Yet the voice flowed out calm as a river of cold moonlight.
“This is only possible because you stand here—respected and beloved by all. Therefore it belongs wholly to you. Even if the smallest fraction is mine, praise means nothing to one long accustomed to condemnation. Any acclaim lasts only a moment. Still, I suppose I should offer some small repayment. Please, ascend first.”
Thud—! Thud—!
The words were so icy that the Almighty Hwi faltered. The Dimensional Mage God simply strode past him and began circling the ring. With every step, divine power and magic power intertwined and thundered outward.
Boom! Rumble!
Where his feet fell, dimensional divine power and dark magic surged upward, weaving themselves into a colossal magic formation that decorated the arena. Golden dimensional divine power and magic like black pearls interlaced like a net, rising to envelop the space-time bomb hovering in the void. A grey radiance then exploded outward, projecting an enormous three-dimensional image into the air.
It showed the Almighty Hwi upon the ring, fighting spirit made tangible and flickering across his body like a mighty war god. The cheers swelled to a new peak. It was now painfully obvious exactly whom every high god’s adoration was meant for. When the Almighty Hwi’s name and authorities were inscribed across the sky in glowing script, the roar only intensified.
Almighty Hwi — Origin of the Almighty God Tribe
Karma Attribute: Comprehensive Judgment — Absolute Good Only (Individual Judgment — Absolute Good / Group Judgment — Almighty God Tribe Origin, Absolute Good Only)
11th Circle or Higher Preliminary Creator God: Innate Divine Power 100 billion+ / Maximum Divine Power Amplification 1 trillion+
※ When the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors is activated, combat strength is incalculable.
Detailed Divine Power: Almighty God Tribe Divine Power 100 billion+
Main Techniques: Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors. Racial authority of the Almighty God Tribe allows use of nearly all divine authorities. Omphale: Can utilize every authority of the God of Light (excluding certain unique and racial authorities). Almighty Omphale: Raises the user by 2 circles (calculation power excluded). Omphale of Elbruz: Instantly manifests every authority of the gods of light to annihilate the opponent.
※ Highest-tier offensive technique in the Master Universe; still ranked high even in the Absolute Realm.
Equipment: Body itself functions as a divine weapon due to the effects of the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors.
Special Authority: No divine power consumption in normal combat due to the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors.
All-Knowing and All-Powerful Holy Name: Activated in tandem with the Sage of Omniscience, Origin of the Almighty Demon God Tribe, to rise by 2 circles or more (also partially assists calculation power).
Final Authority: ???
Special Note: Hero god who mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors, an art said to be impossible to learn except by the Wind Family, bloodline of Truth.
Judgment Result: Intermediate Creator God or higher. A God of Light whose karma—already supremely difficult to raise the higher one climbs—approaches Absolute Good. Possesses the finest abilities obtainable by a Main God. Even during his Preliminary Creator God stage his final evaluation was Intermediate Creator God. Now that he has become a General Creator God, he is expected to display at least high-ranking Creator God strength. He is among the strongest of the strong within the God Tribe.
The Almighty Hwi, first to step onto the ring, felt pride and satisfaction bloom across his face as he regarded his own displayed abilities. The product of unmatched talent and effort within the Almighty God Tribe, further supported by the entire clan. I am confident that no general Creator God possesses greater power than I.
Of course, the evaluation was entirely combat-oriented, so one detail that did not appear directly was quietly overlooked.
If we exclude only creation power, I am the strongest among general Creator Gods.
The figure and status of the Dimensional Mage God, who was still circling the ring, now floated into the air as well. And every sound in the realm died.
Dimensional Mage God — Holder of the Title “Origin,” Black Flame Tribe
Karma Attribute: Comprehensive Judgment — Extreme Good or Higher (Individual Judgment — Extreme Good / Group Judgment — Highest-Ranked Main God of the Divine Realm, Extreme Good or Higher)
11th Circle or Higher Preliminary Creator God: Innate Divine Power 18 billion / Maximum Magic Amplification — Maximum Output 440 billion
※ Maximum Magic Amplification: (Innate Divine Power 18 billion + Equipment 4 billion) × 20 times (20-fold chanting of 10th-circle magic)
Detailed Divine Power: Dimensional Lord Authority 4 billion, Solar Authority 2 billion, Magic Power 7 billion, Authority of Black Flame 5 billion
Main Techniques: Simultaneous use of 4,000 ninth-circle spells, 400 tenth-circle spells, 40 eleventh-circle spells, 4 twelfth-circle spells.
Equipment: Main God-Slaying Spear, Demon King’s Magic Tools, Guide of the Origin
Special Authorities: Instant restoration possible via Origin’s Sun and Moon and Black Flame Body. Absolute Dimensional Maneuver: Moves through continuous dimensional shifts, crushing enemies with the impact of dimensional breakthrough.
※ Mobility and barrier penetration are the highest rank among all authorities.
Inferior Eternal Chanting: Continues chanting until the brink of death to manifest magic. No impact or authority can interrupt the chant.
Inferior Black Flame: Weakened the original Black Flame and anchored it to instinct.
※ Automatically reacts to the fighting spirit and killing intent of higher beings and engages in combat by instinct. Precise control is impossible; stopping it requires conscious will.
Final Magic:Eternal Samsara — Forbidden magic that designates a target and forces them to challenge the user through space-time manipulation until victory is achieved. ※ Uses even the opponent’s own authorities; if unrecognized or unanalyzed, activation is restricted. Failure results in the erasure of the caster’s existence and everything around them.
Special Note: When the title “Origin” is fully activated, the user surpasses Creator Gods in every domain. Guarantees infinite life force and potential to all subordinates as long as their fighting spirit remains. The Dimensional Authority can raise an entire area by 1 circle and assist their abilities. Recognized as high-ranking Creator God or above based solely on the effect of the wide-area authority.
Judgment Result: Below Intermediate Creator God.
The silence that followed the naked revelation of the Dimensional Mage God’s abilities and authorities was absolute. It was a reaction born from the sheer impossibility of reconciling what they saw with the concept of a God of Light.
Amid a hush completely unlike the earlier cheers given to the Almighty Hwi, the Dimensional Mage God looked up from beneath the ring at the Almighty Hwi standing above it and spoke. A faint, lonely resignation colored his voice.
“A hero who rises with the support of everyone around him. A criminal who must claw his way upward not only with his feet but with his hands through every shortcut, terrified he will lose everything because of it. An emperor who stands atop the mountain yet still gazes at the sky above. A clown who balances on a pole driven into the ground and fears falling at the slightest breeze. This is the difference between you—the Origin of the Almighty God Tribe, a hero god—and me, a human-born mercenary god who had no choice but to choose the path of the dark mage. I have no intention of rejecting that reality anew. Because if I refuse to accept this world as it is, I cannot survive.”
With those words he leaped straight onto the ring.
Kuuuung—!
A heavy wave of magic power rolled outward. The magic power he had raised to maximum output for full combat formed eleven vast circles of light above his head and began to spin. The surging light of divine power and magic power rising from him was the complete opposite of the Almighty Hwi’s brilliance—unstable and threatening. Magic power was inherently opposed to the divine power of gods of light; when it surged at a level comparable to a Demon King, it was all the gods of the tribe could do not to scream in terror.
“Because my position is what it is, I thank you for granting me this nearly abandoned chance to rise higher. Now, let us begin.”
Faced with the Dimensional Mage God’s perfect battle stance, the Almighty Hwi also settled into position. His opponent’s numbers were clearly lower. But because he was a dark mage, there was no telling what tricks he might pull. No matter how well he had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors, taking an unguarded hit from magic power nearing five hundred billion in maximum output would wound even a god of the tribe. Moreover, the evaluation claimed that with less than one-fifth the opponent’s innate divine power, his combat strength still fell below the intermediate Creator God level. And that twenty-fold amplification of innate divine power when equipment was included was something the Almighty Hwi had never even heard of.
A simple calculation meant that if he possessed one hundred billion innate divine power, his maximum output would exceed two trillion. In terms of authority amplification alone, he already surpassed the Almighty Hwi—who stood at one trillion—by more than double.
If his innate divine power were truly one hundred billion or higher, he would surpass even the highest Demon Kings. If magic and authorities are combined, he might even reach the level of a Demon Emperor.
He was not an opponent to be taken lightly. As the Almighty Hwi prepared his signature straight punch, a secret message from the Dimensional Mage God slipped into his ear.
‘Therefore, take all their cheers and support for yourself. To me they are worthless illusions and dreams, so I give every last one to you. However, the profit shall be mine. All of it—!’
That was the Dimensional Mage God’s true heart. Confirming the man’s resolve to abandon everything and pursue only profit, killing intent surfaced in the Almighty Hwi’s eyes. In that case, the incompetent successors who coveted the position of Main God despite having no ability were a hundred times preferable. A dark mage who had obtained overwhelming power by any means necessary, yet had given up even the most basic virtue expected of a superior, must never be allowed to become Main God.
No matter how limited the authority, the rights of a Main God are equal to those of a Creator God. The risk that he would commit unimaginable tyranny and despotism was simply too great. And all of it would eventually return to me, the one who handed him the position.
Moreover, as the Origin of the God Tribe of Light—who valued stability and progress—he could never tolerate the Black Flame Tribe, infamous for frequently losing their reason, going mad, and destroying everything around them. Ten billion years ago the Black Flame Absolute had rampaged during an official ranking battle and nearly shattered the entire Absolute Realm. They were an extremely dangerous tribe that could not be controlled unless Truth itself resided among them. The idea of such a tribe leading the Main Divine Realm was unthinkable; the realm would collapse immediately. One more reason he had to win had just been added.
From the standpoint of the Almighty Tribe, antagonizing the Dimensional Mage God—whose usefulness was immeasurable—would send the Sage of Omniscience into a frenzy, but his decision was now firm.
“What a shame, Dimensional Mage God of the Black Flame Tribe—! I cannot appoint a berserk warrior at risk of rampage as Main God. Die as you are—!”
Tu-ha-ha-ha-ha—!
With perfect preparation and lethal resolve, the Almighty Hwi’s strike poured down upon the Dimensional Mage God.
And there were those who watched the scene in utter stupefaction, unable to speak. The 10 Mainstays had been observing the fight as light entertainment while the ceasefire lasted; they had planned to deal with the past self of the Grey Absolute once the ranking battles ended. Until now, even when Creator Gods of the Master Universe had requested that members of their tribes be treated with respect equivalent to Creator Gods, the 10 Mainstays had refused because the vitality of the Master Universe was too weak.
Yet now they were witnessing a member of the Black Flame Tribe—however low in rank—being denied promotion in the Master Universe, a realm two circles beneath the Absolute Realm, on the grounds that he carried the risk of berserk rampage. They did not fully understand what a “Main God” was, but from context it seemed to be a managerial position at the very bottom, below even Creator Gods.
They had seen every kind of absurdity while living under the absolute rule of Truth, yet nothing like this had ever occurred. Or rather, they had simply never cared how the Master Universe evaluated them. But judging from the current situation, the Black Flame Tribe appeared to be regarded as quite serious threats.
“The Black Flame Tribe can’t even qualify for a low-level managerial post in the Master Universe? A mere Creator God of the Master Universe dares label a member of the 10 Mainstays a berserk warrior at risk of rampage? This evaluation is genuinely severe.”
The moment someone carelessly voiced their inner thoughts, a reaction came at once.
Crack—! Crunch—!
From the Black Flame Absolute came the gruesome sound of muscles and bones repeatedly contracting and expanding. His body swelled rapidly, revealing the true form of the Black Flame Absolute—a giant over three meters tall. Muscles that seemed endlessly inflated pulsed with ferocious presence, while countless scars etched across his skin looked like wild beasts roaring and trying to burst free. He was on the verge of full rampage.
The expressions of the Golden Absolute and the other members of the 10 Mainstays twisted. They knew from bitter experience ten billion years ago exactly what happened when the Black Flame Absolute went berserk. It became an emergency that rendered ranking battles and everything else irrelevant.