The Yggdrasil That Pierces Through 498 Universes
The explosion of the artillery shells from the Otherworld war never came. They simply bounced away. Yet an extremely small number of them pierced straight through the Black Flame Absolute.
The Black Flame Absolute recoiled in shock as shells he had completely ignored suddenly burrowed into his body.
‘No divine artifact or absolute technique from the main universe can wound me. My body is so strong that only beings who have reached the extreme limit of the 14th circle and stand on equal footing with me could inflict even the slightest scratch with their full power.’
Yet here he was, staring in utter disbelief at the long shell embedded in his arm. It wasn’t metal at all. It was a wooden sword far too familiar to him.
It was the Sword of Ruin and Soul—the proof of an Absolute, personally bestowed upon the Black Flame Absolute by Jinri.
And now he understood why Always Coin Heads had remained silent.
‘It wounds, but does not grant death.’
As long as it wasn’t a life-threatening crisis, it was something the Black Flame Absolute could endure. The true purpose of the strike had been to inflict injury rather than death.
“The Sword of Ruin and Soul—and at this grade? From the Wind Family’s Origin of the Mage God? You son of a bitch—! You couldn’t predict this? What kind of stupid shit is this—!”
It was an absolute technique Jinri had granted the property of indestructibility, immortality, and undying for the purpose of educating lower beings. Jinri’s immortality and his own could not even be compared. Moreover, the Wind Family Origins were on the same level as them yet surpassed them in certain authorities.
Such powerful beings had poured their full authority into each Sword of Ruin and Soul. To be struck defenseless by them fired at such insane speeds was the height of foolishness.
‘They’re firing the Wind Family Origins’ Swords of Ruin and Soul as artillery shells. This could actually kill me—!’
Goooooo—!
Tatatatatatang—!
The moment danger registered, the Authority of Black Flame instantly suppressed the Dimensional Mage God’s restrictions. It swept away every incoming Sword of Ruin and Soul without exception.
His giant body moved with unbelievable flexibility for its size. Arms and legs danced as he blocked the relentless barrage of shells surrounding him.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
Puk—!
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
Puk—!
But there were simply too many.
A one-in-25,000 hit rate was, in other words, also a one-in-25,000 defense rate. A Sword of Ruin and Soul carrying lethal power broke through that probability and struck true.
Even so, it could not fully penetrate the Black Flame Absolute when he was exerting his complete strength. It only peeled away skin and drew blood from the impact.
The concentrated barrage of Swords of Ruin and Soul used as artillery shells ended in an instant.
“Krrrrrrgh—!”
Scattered around him were nothing but the deflected Swords of Ruin and Soul.
The Black Flame Absolute groaned as he examined his body.
‘Ten of them are embedded across my entire body.’
Terrifying divine power, magic power, and various authorities wrapped around the Swords of Ruin and Soul, attempting to amplify the damage. The rest had caused bruises and internal injuries, but they weren’t serious.
“Huu—! So eleven were unavoidable after all? It must be the Wind Family Origins who received permission from Jinri to operate outside. Eleven of them… so eleven individuals? Did they really add one more?”
‘Beings who transcend common sense.’
After the Second Generation Wind Absolute challenged the bodies of eight Absolutes and was defeated, the Wind Family had been placed under a sealing order. The main body of the Second Generation Wind Absolute was currently operating as an avatar after being resealed using the bodies of those eight Absolutes.
However, among those under the seal, there were Wind Family Origins permitted to act externally. The reason for their release was simple.
‘Their contribution to karma is great and their strength is exceptional. The standard for “exceptional” here is measured against the 10 Mainstays.’
In short, they had been acknowledged as strong enough to fight the 10 Mainstays.
But being able to fight them did not mean they could win. The 10 Mainstays were true powerhouses on the verge of the 14th or 15th circle. The gap was enormous.
Sssssk— Ssk—!
As proof, the Black Flame Absolute slowly pulled out the Swords of Ruin and Soul—still radiating active authority—one by one and tossed them aside. If he rushed, the suppressed authorities could explode inside him, so he had to proceed carefully.
The Dimensional Mage God’s handling would come after that.
Shyuuuk—! Pat—!
Blood spurted from the open wounds, but he immediately stopped the bleeding with pure physical strength and began recovering.
The Black Flame Absolute had endured an attack of five million Swords of Ruin and Soul imbued with 14th-circle authority.
And his main body had suffered no damage whatsoever.
Even the Dimensional Mage God, who had never imagined there could be any being capable of remaining sane after enduring five million 14th-circle empowered Swords of Ruin and Soul, was rendered speechless.
“……”
‘What an unbearable monster—! He really endured five million shots from Swords of Ruin and Soul granted 14th-circle authority.’
To be precise, Always Coin Heads had reduced it to two hundred shots. Still, taking two hundred strikes of the same grade of authority should have been impossible to survive unscathed. He had suffered severe injuries, but they were within a manageable range.
‘Even with this level of injury, the reflux phenomenon I wanted isn’t occurring. Once I pull out all the embedded Swords of Ruin and Soul, it’s truly over.’
There were no more prepared measures left. No way to respond.
As the Dimensional Mage God began slipping into panic, the will of the Grey Absolute flew toward him.
‘Hey, past me. Failed again, huh? No more methods prepared?’
‘…How the hell am I supposed to defeat this thing?’
The Grey Absolute’s sarcasm helped the Dimensional Mage God regain his composure. He sent his will back calmly.
Now, only his future self remained.
However, since he had been barred from entering by the Eternal Beings at the boundary between the Grey Realm of the Absolute Realm and the First Main Universe, there was no way for him to come.
‘By the way, are you stuck to my forehead right now?’
‘Yeah, it’s my forehead.’
‘Is your current height about three meters?’
Thud—!
Puuuuk—!
Eight of the Swords of Ruin and Soul embedded in the Black Flame Absolute had already been pulled out, and less than five seconds remained on the duration of his racial authority.
If the racial authority was released, the plan to inflict damage by refluxing the injuries to his main body would completely fail. It would amount to nothing more than exhausting the divine power that could be recovered with a single deep breath.
That would mean every desperate plan they had racked their brains over had failed.
In such an urgent situation, the casual question about his height was strange, but he answered anyway. There was no other choice.
‘No, it’s a little over two meters.’
His divine power and physical training were far too lacking to fully withstand the Black Flame Absolute’s power and authority. As the duration of the racial authority continued, his body was rapidly shrinking.
‘Really? Good to know. Last question. From your current position, which direction is south?’
‘Here?’
He reflexively marked the spatial coordinates through his will.
For a moment there was no response, as if the other party was calculating. Meanwhile, the Black Flame Absolute finished pulling out every Sword of Ruin and Soul embedded in his body.
‘Heh—! Thanks for the good answer. Goodbye.’
‘Goodbye? No way—! You finished it—! You crazy bastard—! I’m here too—!’
The Dimensional Mage God instantly realized what his future self was trying to do.
If his future self was correct, and if he had become strong enough to call himself the Grey Absolute while still surviving Jinri’s wrath, then he must have reached it.
The realm and the magic that he himself considered the ideal pinnacle of strength.
‘Kahahahahahaha—! Don’t worry too much about one out of three. The original plan required two, so using one is actually a profit.’
‘Stop—! You’re seriously thinking of using that on me? Are you really my future self? If I die from that, it’ll take who knows how many years to return to normal! Stop—!’
‘Congratulations on becoming a Main God. I struggled all alone and failed, but you succeeded with help from those around you. Hah—! The world really is filthy. I can’t just let it slide. Besides, completing the request is important, and the justification is perfect. So die well, past me.’
‘You insane son of a bitch—! If your past self does well, you should congratulate him! Why are you trying to kill me?!’
He protested with the desperate will to stop it somehow, but it didn’t work at all.
‘Throw away the fixed idea that your future self is your ally. It’s only fair if we suffer the same amount. Of course it’s better than others, but thinking of me as an absolute ally is ridiculous. I lived a life of despair and hardship exactly as it was—why would I want my past self to enjoy luxury? Especially when it’s thanks to me who ended up a complete wreck? I absolutely cannot stand that sight. Above all, this isn’t some children’s fairy tale. This is reality. Since you’ll only suffer indirectly, you should wake up after about a billion years. Live well then.’
Uuuuuuuung—!
The authority that could be felt even through will was unmistakably that one.
It was Yggdrasil, the strongest authority of the Sage line and the very proof of the Grey Absolute.
It was the ultimate sealing technique that sealed even an Eternal Being’s consciousness in the past, fixed their body in the present, and sent their divine spirit into the future for complete imprisonment.
It was the origin of the Eight-Ring Seal that had sealed the bodies of the eight first-generation Absolutes.
Once struck directly, no one could ever escape. Because the maintenance of the seal fused and used the target’s own divine power and authority, it could not be undone from inside or outside.
The only solution, unless the caster released it, was the passage of time. After an immense amount of time passed and the distorted flow naturally returned, the seal would break.
Of course, the basic unit of time here was measured in hundreds of millions of years.
‘It’s not called the absolute sealing technique for nothing.’
In conclusion, being hit by Yggdrasil meant that even if one was revived as a being of complete reality denial, their consciousness, body, and divine spirit would be separated and sealed for over a billion years.
If the Black Flame Absolute was hit, he—who was attached to him—would naturally be sealed together. His divine spirit was already in tatters from the Authority of Black Flame and the damage; maintaining himself was already difficult. For someone who still retained a human sense of time, it was an unbearably long period.
Of course, there was no sign that it would stop for his sake.
If the Black Flame Absolute hadn’t let his guard down, he would never have taken such damage. Even by his own standards, it was a golden opportunity.
“You fucking bastard! You insane grey piece of shit!”
A scream-like cry burst from the Dimensional Mage God.
The Black Flame Absolute also reflexively turned around at the extreme danger warning sent by Always Coin Heads.
But that was the biggest mistake of this entire incident.
No—rather, it was proof that his reaction had slowed. Despite appearing fine, the extreme consumption of divine power from blocking five million consecutive Swords of Ruin and Soul and his depleted stamina had delayed his response.
PuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK—!
With a massive explosion, a huge hole was punched through his chest and his heart burst out.
That wasn’t all. The black line that pierced through his back and raced into the far distance could be faintly seen.
A black line drawn across the universe stretched endlessly.
“Kuhk—!”
The Black Flame Absolute vomited blood with a short scream. He could not believe it.
‘I’ve taken a fatal wound!’
The body of the Black Flame Race under racial authority could not endure it and was beginning to reflux.
‘I’ve been had. Even my main body won’t be able to avoid serious injury.’
But the Grey Absolute definitely could not come. As a higher-ranked being, ultra-long-distance spatial movement was prohibited. That was why he could not receive support from the Cyber Realm, and why the Eternal Beings monitored the passage of the 10 Mainstays.
Yet no matter how low his body’s condition had fallen, the only being capable of activating magic powerful enough to shatter his body so easily was the Grey one.
Always Coin Heads was also clearly identifying the attacker as Grey.
But how on earth had he attacked from a distance of more than 498 main universes away?
It was impossible to believe. He had to confirm it.
“Cyber… Cyber Realm! Show me the Grey Absolute.”
The Cyber Realm displayed the screen.
And there it was.
In the Grey Realm, the Grey Absolute was pointing forward with his right index finger. From the tip of that finger, the black line that had shattered his own heart was being emitted.
The black line passed the astonished Eternal Beings, pierced through the First Main Universe, and continued stretching onward.
The report came back that even the Cyber Realm, which managed all main universes and the Absolute Realm, could not accurately determine how far the black line extended.
“Th… this can’t be. Does he really have an attack range spanning more than 498 main universes?”
“It is the sniping-type Absolute Distance Koa. The prerequisite is the ability to create countless Koa—spacetime bombs created with dimensional authority and magic. If you clump them together, align them in a line, and detonate them sequentially, the shockwaves can continuously pierce through the walls of space. Since it continuously utilizes the aftermath of the explosions, there is theoretically no limit to the distance. Furthermore, all beings caught by the compressed and extended black line will have their bodies destroyed.”
Having already been hit, the Dimensional Mage God had given up completely.
“Just in case, may I ask—can you escape the Eight-Ring Seal on your own power?”
“???”
The duration of the racial authority had run out. The Black Flame Absolute’s divine spirit was already busy trying to minimize the fatal damage refluxing to his main body, so he could not answer.
Taking the silence as a negative, the Dimensional Mage God let out a deep sigh.
“Huu—! After struggling so desperately to survive, you end up done in by your own future self? What a truly fucked-up reality. Just you wait. Future me—! You had better stay alive. See you in a billion years—! I will definitely repay this debt.”
Almost at the same time as those words, eight-colored light burst from the chest wound of the Black Flame Absolute.
It instantly wrapped around his body. They were eight different kinds of divine power and authorities. They interacted with one another, thoroughly restraining his body, divine spirit, and sanity.
Once the restraint was complete, they would separate and perfectly seal him in a different time axis.
The Dimensional Mage God shuddered at the final outcome shown by Always Coin Heads.
There was no way the Black Flame Absolute did not know this sealing technique. No—because it was the basic duty of the second-generation 10 Mainstays to surpass the first generation, Jinri had released the seal countless times to fight them directly. He knew it all too well.
“E… Eight-Ring Seal—!”
“It is a miniaturized version of Yggdrasil. The formula and authority have been simplified and compressed before being fired as an Absolute Distance Koa. No matter where the enemy is, it destroys their body, kills them, and cleans up perfectly like this. The sealing period lengthens according to the target’s divine power, so I suggest the Black Flame Absolute doesn’t even bother calculating it. For reference, mine is one billion years.”
Considering the Black Flame Absolute’s divine power, he would never emerge within a trillion years. But for himself, enduring just one billion years was comparatively better.
He was trying to console himself with that thought when a thunderous verdict fell.
“Is this someone else’s problem? You pair of insane bastards—! You kill me and then permanently seal me with the Eight-Ring Seal? You’re using such a vicious authority on your own past self too!”
“Since it’s something my future self did, please exclude me. I only conceived the idea; I didn’t do the research. W-wait, permanent seal? And together? What do you mean….”
The Dimensional Mage God, who had already given up completely and become calm, was now the one speaking.
There was no way the Black Flame Absolute, who possessed a higher divine rank, had failed to grasp the authority. A voice rang out, startled and flustered by the new information.
But regardless, the eight lights completely transformed into spherical shapes and began condensing.
In an instant, the Black Flame body vanished. All that remained was a single tiny orb glowing with eight colors.
Pat—!
Having confirmed that the simplified and condensed Yggdrasil’s permanent seal had fully activated, the Grey Absolute lightly bowed his head and reported.
“Permanent sealing of the Black Flame Absolute’s divine spirit completed. There are now no eight Absolutes left capable of stopping the Second Generation Wind Absolute. Request completed, Origin of the Mage God.”
“Yeah….”
They had created an opportunity for Grandfather Second Generation Wind Absolute to rise to the top of the hierarchy and lift the Wind Family’s seal. It should have been an immensely joyful occasion, yet the Origin of the Mage God looked at the orb containing the sealed Black Flame Absolute with an inexplicably uneasy expression.
Normally, the Dimensional Mage God should have separated into two orbs. But there was only one.
This was a joint seal.
And no matter how he looked at it, it was clearly intentional.
“Did you permanently seal your past self together with him? In that case, you won’t be able to separate even after a billion years.”
“Truly unfortunate luck. Well, since he fatefully became a Main God, he should have no regrets.”
The Grey Absolute spoke as if it had nothing to do with him. The Origin of the Mage God was so dumbfounded he asked again.
“Is this someone else’s business?”
“It’s my past self’s business. So?”
“Hah?”
For the sake of completing the request, he had permanently sealed the Dimensional Mage God—who was also his past self—together with the target, the Black Flame Absolute.
Yet he openly declared that he had done nothing wrong and that it had nothing to do with him. The shameless response left him speechless.
That alone was worthy of criticism, but he went even further.
“Look at me like this. What changes if my past self lives well? Will my failed divine life improve even a little? And my past self, instead of being grateful for the help, would probably strut around in front of me acting all superior once he becomes a Main God. Just not having to see that sight makes me feel refreshed.”
The Grey Absolute spoke without hiding his displeased expression or his twisted feelings.
His words were long, but the conclusion was one.
He simply could not stand to see his past self doing well.
‘For a being who has reached this level to be so narrow-minded is impossible. This is no different from unchangeable nature.’
Or perhaps it was an obsession forged in his difficult childhood—an obsession that he could trust no one and would never live at a loss.
After making him train for a countless amount of time in stopped space and finally turning him into one of the 10 Mainstays, the only thing that had grown was his power.
This was a disaster.
“Aish—!”
Puuuuck—!
In the end, the Origin of the Mage God, overcome with rage, pulled out the Sword of Ruin and Soul and smacked him on the head.
“Ah—! Don’t hit my head. It’s my only weak point.”
“All the time and effort I put into training you is wasted. Instead of committing suicide after getting revenge on the Black Flame Absolute, go get beaten to death by another one of the 10 Mainstays—! You ill-mannered bastard—!”
Because his magic and authority had been strengthened, his weakness in close combat remained. The other Eternal Beings could only watch with tired expressions as he was helplessly beaten.