The Weight of Command
As soon as the Dimensional Mage God was confirmed as the new Creator General, everything changed.
When the Black Flame AbsoluteSeongmyeol vanished from sight, the Creator Gods who had been locked in a standoff quietly returned to their original positions. Their hurried retreat—without so much as a backward glance—left a lingering sense of unease, but there was no time to dwell on it. The handover process had already begun.
Even the near-destroyed Main Divine Realm was left as it was. The Management Main God and the Creator Candidates remained seated around the round table, immediately launching into a briefing on their assigned duties. Almighty Hwi, who had taken a brutal blow from the Black Flame Absolute and was still gravely wounded, sat among them.
Most of the reports focused on problems within each god’s specific jurisdiction and the measures required to address them. The Dimensional Mage God found it strange how these same beings—who had been trying to kill one another only moments ago—now delivered their reports with such sincerity and dedication. Almighty Hwi offered a simple explanation.
Despite his poor physical condition, Almighty Hwi listened to every single report from the Creator Candidates until the end. Finally, the Management Main God rose to deliver the concluding summary. He cleared his throat, clearly tense.
“Creator General Sangharama commands ten Highest Creator Gods, with five additional Highest-Rank Special Duty Creator Gods. These special duty gods are deployed for unique missions or serve as proxies when a Highest Creator God is unavailable.”
Though these were facts everyone already knew, he spoke with extreme caution.
“The Highest Creator Gods follow the same structure, each commanding up to ten Supreme Creator Gods and no more than five Supreme-Rank Special Duty Creator Gods. This chain of command is identical at every rank. One commander leads exactly ten subordinates. This is the limit at which a superior can completely control those below them, which is why every Master Universe follows the same system.”
Since the speaker was addressing the Creator General, he omitted honorifics when referring to ordinary Creator Gods. This was the most significant change. Yet the duties of a Creator General, who stood on equal footing with ordinary Creator Gods, were equally critical. He served as the wall separating the Main Divine Realm from the Creation Realm—the final line of defense.
His throat must have been dry; he paused to take a sip of his drink.
“In the end, every Master Universe is built around one Creator General, ten Highest Creator Gods, one hundred Supreme Creator Gods, one thousand High-Rank Creator Gods, ten thousand Mid-Rank Creator Gods, and one hundred thousand ordinary Creator Gods. On top of that, special duty personnel add roughly twenty percent more reserve forces. In total, 111,111 Creator Gods control and manage sixty percent of the 499th Master Universe. Our Main Divine Realm operates with the support of ten ordinary Creator Gods and is responsible for defending the Creation Realm. There are ten thousand Main Divine Realms in total, each with its own Creator General appointed. The problem is…”
He glanced at Almighty Hwi with a troubled expression. When the latter nodded indifferently, he continued.
“Even among Creator Generals of the same rank, treatment and support differ drastically depending on personal power, faction strength, and the number of Main God Stars they possess. Naturally, this leads to vast differences in divine power support, immunity from punishment, and authority. Since the combat capabilities of Creator Generals—composed of the greatest warriors among Main Gods—are nearly identical, even minor issues can drastically shift their rankings. By ability alone, the Dimensional Mage God should naturally occupy the highest tier. However, your rank is currently on hold. The reason stems from your past actions. While all instances of overstepping your authority as a Main God have officially been erased and do not appear in any public records… however…”
“……”
The Management Main God could not bring himself to finish. The Dimensional Mage God offered no reply.
Even though becoming a Creator God supposedly erased past sins, he had never fully believed it. The world was not that forgiving. Somewhere, another record surely remained—one that would continue to haunt him.
At last, the Management Main God spoke with great difficulty.
“The surrounding Creator Generals know the general story but not the details, so it isn’t a major issue. The real problem is that detailed records of these events remain in the separate incident logs shared exclusively among Special Duty Creator Generals. Since their primary role is oversight and inspection, they possess extensive documentation. What you must do immediately is persuade all of them to delete every last entry. There is no other way for the Main Divine Realm to secure its proper ranking and receive full support.”
In other words, even the hidden records held by the Special Duty Creator Generals—who handled inspections and cleanup—had to be erased. Still, the Dimensional Mage God was willing to endure that much trouble. He had fought his way this far, after all.
“How many Special Duty Creator Generals are there, and where are they located?”
“…More than two thousand. The exact number is not compiled because the mid-rank Creator Gods in charge are reluctant to disclose it. Their locations also change frequently depending on their missions.”
Thud—!
He finally understood why the report had been delivered in such a roundabout manner. More than two thousand Special Duty Creator Generals was an absurd number. Not only was the headcount unclear, their locations were unknown. There was simply no way to track them all down.
“Due to the near-certain demotion of the Main Divine Realm’s rank, we are also considering reducing the support provided by ordinary Creator Gods. In that case, due to the resulting shortage of vitality, some of the Creator Candidates present here may need to return to their original realms.”
The faces of the lower-ranked Creator Candidates darkened. No matter how closely related they were to a Creator God, the treatment they received as successors was vastly different. None of them were true heirs. If they had been confirmed successors, they would have been kept under direct supervision rather than sent to the Main Divine Realm. At the same time, those too far beneath the standard were never allowed here in the first place. The support granted by a seat at the round table of the Main Divine Realm was nearly equal to that of a Creation Realm successor.
‘Only those who failed to become heirs but stand in the next tier of power are permitted here.’
Their hope was to build strength in the Main Divine Realm, where they received vitality support nearly equal to a true successor, then return and claim an heir position. But if the realm were demoted to the lowest rank, that support would dwindle, making their path far more difficult.
Unlike ordinary divine realms, the Creator General and every god in the Main Divine Realm were bound together as a Common Destiny.
‘When Almighty Hwi was Creator General, we held the undisputed top rank and received enormous support. Now we’re about to plummet to the bottom. That’s why they rushed through the report. Their own futures are about to take a catastrophic hit.’
The rank of a Main Divine Realm depended solely on its Creator General. The difference in support affected everyone. If the Creator General fell, the entire realm fell with him. Regardless of his human origins, once he had been acknowledged as Creator General, the lower gods had no choice but to obey absolutely. The only alternative was to challenge him, defeat him, and win a vote—an impossible feat considering even he had nearly died to reach this point.
Tap. Tap.
Without realizing it, he drummed his fingers on the round table. Even if the Main Divine Realm fell to the lowest rank, it wouldn’t affect the vitality support he personally received.
‘My subordinates may decrease, but considering my Dimensional Authority and the nature of dark magic, I don’t really need a large faction.’
Still, he could not simply ignore the situation. If he turned a blind eye to problems that arose the moment he became Creator General, he would never be acknowledged as a true superior. Back when he had been Main God of the Divine Realm, his subordinates had been such troublemakers that he suffered endlessly. He could not afford to fail even in this perfectly loyal structure.
‘Persuading the Special Duty Creator Generals through public statements or apologies is impossible. Anyone appointed to special duty must have some kind of problem. It feels strange to say this about myself, but they likely possess ability yet suffer from flaws in personality or authority. Otherwise, they would never have been assigned to special duty. There’s no way such problem children would meekly delete records or hand over documents. Even if they did, they would demand enormous compensation and attach all sorts of conditions. The best option is to avoid dealing with them altogether.’
Yet ignoring the issue was not an option. His past oversteps were now shackles around the entire Main Divine Realm’s ankles. There seemed to be no solution.
Only now did he understand why the report had been delivered with such urgency. Once a Creator General was officially appointed, his rank would be decided. Changing that rank afterward would require tremendous effort. The matter had to be resolved before the decision was finalized.
As the handover finally concluded, Almighty Hwi rose from his seat. Without the title of Origin, there was no way his body could endure multiple near-fatal injuries without consequence. He would need long-term rest to recover. Having taken a direct hit from the Authority of Black Flame, the fact that he had endured this long was already remarkable.
As he left, his final words pierced the Dimensional Mage God’s heart.
The fact that Almighty Hwi, now a Creator God, trusted him was already vastly different from their relationship when he had been Main God of the Divine Realm. The casual order to kill Special Duty Creator Generals showed just how far removed this was from the old days, when even Main God-level gods had been treasured.
Once the individual reports concluded, silence fell over the table. Everyone was watching only his lips. It was not the unpleasant gaze of those hoping to dump a problem on him and see how he handled it. These were eyes waiting for orders.
‘Huh? So this is what it looks like when they finish reporting and wait for commands? I can’t get used to this at all.’
When he had been Main God of the Divine Realm, the goddesses had handled everything without giving him a chance to intervene. Now they simply waited for his decision. The moment he spoke, they would carry it out without fail. If the realm were demoted, it would also be the Creator General’s decision which Creator Candidates returned to their original realms. Their desire to prove their worth was so intense that killing intent practically radiated from them.
‘If I told them to kill all the Special Duty Creator Generals, they’d actually do it. This is starting to scare me…’
Until now, he had only dealt with subordinates who refused to listen and openly distrusted him simply because he was a human-born god. Now he had subordinates blinded by ambition, eagerly awaiting his commands. And there were thirty-five Creator Candidates who looked ready to do anything. Though they had been helpless against him, the ones Almighty Hwi had brought were undeniably powerful. They would not lose to Special Duty Creator Generals.
For better or worse, he had gained an absolute, powerful force bound to him through Common Destiny. He wasn’t sure whether this was an improvement or not, but the situation had completely transformed. These beings would carry out any order perfectly if it meant earning recognition.
‘In the past, I could at least blame the goddesses or the divine realm. Now, if anything goes wrong, it will truly be entirely my fault.’
There was no need for long speeches with subordinates like these. It was too dangerous. If his words were even slightly misinterpreted, a catastrophe could erupt. A war might break out between the Special Duty Creator Generals and the Creator Candidates. They were this confident because they believed they could win. Yet after countless life-or-death battles since ascending to the divine realm, even he had reached his limit. It was time to rest his body, just as Almighty Hwi needed to.
“Understood. I will handle this matter personally and immediately.”
Recalling the dignified tone and aura of Silence of Truth, the Black Flame Absolute’s divine spirit, the Dimensional Mage God spoke briefly and rose from his seat. It seemed he would have to move again. This time, however, it would not be for battle—but for creation. There were many preparations to make.
“I will resolve this at the same time as my appointment ceremony as Creator General.”
“Inviting the Creator Gods of the Creation Realm and other guests will require roughly one year of preparation. Your rank will also be decided at that time.”
The reason the appointment ceremony alone took a full year was the sheer number of Creator Gods and the need to confirm their attendance. Selecting the most convenient date for everyone still left the timeline tight. Above all, no one knew when the next appointment of a Creator General might occur. The event could not be treated lightly, and the hospitality extended to the Creator Gods had to be flawless. Enormous effort and preparation were required.
Looking at the Management Main God’s expression, it was clear he believed that recovering the incident documents held by over twenty thousand Special Duty Creator Gods during those preparations was impossible. His face showed almost total resignation—there was simply no solution.
“We have both the time and the ability. My authority is dimensional, after all.”
The Dimensional Authority possessed versatility and power unmatched by any other in the field of creation rather than war. With sufficient position and vitality, it was time to reveal his true form.
At the Dimensional Mage God’s overflowing confidence, the Management Main God and Creator Candidates stared in brief astonishment before respectfully lowering their heads. Their bows were directed at the back of the Dimensional Mage God as he left the Main God Temple of the Main Divine Realm.