The Consequences of Defiance
If not for the robe hiding his face, it would have revealed a countenance twisted beyond recognition. He had endured unimaginable suffering to ascend as the new Main God of the Divine Realm, yet not a single god offered even the pretense of congratulations. They stood on the verge of open collective rebellion.
Of course I dragged them into a war out of nowhere, but this feels excessive. What am I supposed to do with them?
Now that he held the position of Main God, no one could object if he chose to deal with these gods. Still, watching the Grey Absolute rampage in the future had taught him to restrain emotional reactions. He sank into careful deliberation.
The moment his thoughts deepened, dark-red fighting spirit began radiating from his body. Or rather, it ignited into black flames. The violent emotional surge and the computational power he had been suppressing for contemplation had triggered the Authority of Black Flame. Yet it felt so natural that he himself failed to notice.
Whooooooosh—!
What—!
What is this?
Battle readiness? Why suddenly?
The expressions of the surrounding Main Gods shifted dramatically. Once again, the Divine Realm stood on the brink of catastrophe because of a perilous succession battle for the position of Main God. In any other divine realm, a collapse-level crisis might occur once in ten million years. Here, they had already lost count. The Divine Realm had nearly been shattered twice, and this time a Creator God had launched a solo assault. All of it traced back to the Magic God of Dimensions and his sudden pursuit of explosive growth and advancement.
It was a mercy that the battle for the Main God position had ended in victory. Otherwise, they would have plunged into total war against the Main Divine Realm, which housed dozens of Creator Candidates. No matter how powerful the goddesses and spirit gods were, it would have been impossible.
Everyone had answered the collective summons intending to demand explanations and warn against arbitrary behavior. Instead, after a long silence, he had unleashed that horrifying fighting spirit.
Surely not? Surely he wouldn’t…?
The eyes of the Main God of Knowledge—who had orchestrated much of this affair—trembled. The gods’ insolent reactions had bypassed any possibility of dialogue or conference, moving straight to combat readiness. This was the mark of absolute resolve.
A great purge the moment he becomes Main God? Even the demon god race doesn’t go that far… does he?
Only the god race engaged in such petty political games—catching weaknesses, forcing apologies. The demon god race would never bow their heads even if every subordinate rebelled. They recognized only the superiority of power. By their standards, the current moment—with his superior divine rank—was the perfect time for a purge.
But the Magic God of Dimensions still belongs to the light god race, doesn’t he?
He told himself it couldn’t be, yet the situation continued to deteriorate.
Rumble… rumble… rumble…!
The goddesses and spirit gods responded to the fighting spirit of the Magic God of Dimensions. As top-tier battle gods themselves, the reaction was nearly reflexive. The combined fighting spirit of dozens of Main Gods rose to oppose the black flames.
He’s truly prepared to fight. This is insane—! Why are they all shifting to combat stance before any conversation?
If the Magic God of Dimensions—now equal to a Creator God as the new Main God—clashed with the powerful gods who managed the Divine Realm, what would become of it? The answer required no thought: catastrophic damage, teetering on the edge of collapse.
He had induced collective action with mere words and no special schemes, yet the situation snowballed like a lit fuse. The primordial battle gods sent urgent wills flying toward him.
Hey… hey? This is completely different from what you predicted! You said that if we pooled our strength, even the Main God of the Divine Realm would have no choice but to retreat for now. Weren’t we supposed to negotiate from an advantageous position?
What do we do?
Stand by—!
This overconfidence stemmed from the goddesses and spirit gods having personally defeated Almighty Hwi, the greatest Main God and battle god. After fighting him directly, they had concluded that even a Creator God was within their capacity to handle.
The fact that the Magic God of Dimensions had dragged the entire Divine Realm into his succession battle without explanation had also bred widespread resentment.
I saw this as the perfect chance to put a leash on the unpredictable Magic God of Dimensions.
From the Main God of Knowledge’s perspective, knowing his own past as the Demon King was a potential weakness, he had planned to exploit it. Yet something had gone terribly wrong.
This battle must not happen.
Normally, when all subordinates opposed their leader, the Main God of the Divine Realm should yield. Instead, this one seemed ready to crush the dissent immediately, as if pleased by the opportunity.
Then a single piece of information and its grim prediction surfaced in his mind.
The future of the Magic God of Dimensions is the Grey Absolute. The Grey Absolute slaughtered every ruler of the Grey Realm who had been rude to him, erased every governing faction, and even dragged the Substitute Race into the conflict. Ignoring all criticism of being a “mad grey,” he clashed with the other 10 Mainstays. Past or future, they are ultimately the same existence. If the Magic God of Dimensions gains real power, he will act identically.
This was why the Main God of Knowledge had withdrawn from the protagonist’s side to neutrality. He had intended to prepare safety measures before the Magic God grew too strong, but his judgment had been mistaken.
This is extremely dangerous.
If the Magic God of Dimensions already possessed power surpassing the entire Divine Realm, the same nightmare that had engulfed the Grey Realm in the Absolute Realm would repeat here. Should they launch a preemptive strike, the justification would belong entirely to him. Having obtained the position of Main God, he could purge the gods without restraint.
“Please stop right there—! Conversation must come first.”
Swish, swish, swish—!
Before the hastily advancing Main God of Knowledge could speak further, the spirit gods of the Otherworld—who had been watching for an opening—moved first. Despite the horrific fighting spirit radiating from their target, his posture was riddled with gaps. Seven divine swords rose into the air as a translucent figure sliced through space.
They had pooled their strength this time to avenge their previous defeat.
The first to strike were, as expected, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and Storm Annihilation Enlil.
Analysis of the previous defeat concluded it was a conditioned reflexive physical response. I cannot imagine how the Mage God learned it, but it was clearly top-tier close-quarters combat technique.
There were many ways to break such conditioned reflexes. The primary method was to unleash a continuous barrage of attacks faster than the body could react. Naturally, they must avoid direct physical contact. Thus, the seven divine swords activated at full power unleashed countless strikes, while afterimages of kicks formed from compressed divine power filled the Main God Hall in an instant.
It was a flawless coordinated assault.
“Stop—! Everyone, block it—!”
Crack—!
The goddesses and spirit gods, who had already anticipated the coming responses, rose from their seats to suppress the Main God of the Divine Realm.
We must stop this before the Divine Realm suffers the same fate as the Grey Realm in the Absolute Realm.
The others had missed it, but the Main God of Knowledge threw himself forward, inserting his body between the combatants to prevent other gods from joining. The primordial battle gods reflexively formed a barrier, blocking additional forces from intervening.
The goddesses and spirit gods who had been about to leap into battle paused at the sudden interruption. The Main God of Knowledge let out a sigh of relief.
Yet protests flew in from every direction.
What are you doing, Main God of Knowledge? Didn’t you say we absolutely cannot let this pass? We agreed with you—so why are you blocking us?
It seems he’s switched sides to the Magic God of Dimensions again.
Smart bastards always flip like this. I never liked him.
Shall I deal with you first?
The atmosphere had grown so vicious that truly dangerous statements were flying freely.
He drew a long breath and sent his will to every god present.
Huu—! According to my analysis, when we connect the current situation in the Absolute Realm with the power of the Magic God of Dimensions…
Just as the Main God of Knowledge prepared to deliver a lengthy explanation of the Absolute Realm’s circumstances and their relation to the present crisis, a tremendous roar shattered the air.
Kagagagagagang—!
Papapapapat—!
The seven divine swords that had touched the body of the Magic God of Dimensions were brutally shattered and sent flying. The afterimages of kicks—powerful enough to pierce a Main God’s body—vanished before they could reach him, consumed by the black flames of fighting spirit burning around his form. The Authority of Black Flame eroded the indirect divine power attacks and simply ignored them. Moreover, his body crushed top-tier divine weapons as easily as snacks.
Everyone fell speechless at the absurd sight.
Close combat is supposed to be the Mage God’s weakness, yet if no attack works at all, there is simply no solution.
The sure-kill coordinated strike from the top-tier battle gods that had even troubled Almighty Hwi had been neutralized without inflicting the slightest damage. The confidence they had gained from stopping Almighty Hwi evaporated in an instant.
“The power of the Magic God of Dimensions, who has become our Main God, stands above us all. Power in the Divine Realm is determined solely by strength. Return to your seats and await his commands.”
Having confirmed power far beyond his expectations, the Main God of Knowledge instantly switched to respectful address. The faces of the goddesses and spirit gods hardened like stone as they grasped the situation.
Thinking back, Almighty Hwi’s condition during their battle had been strange—as if wearing clothes that didn’t fit, full of exploitable openings. There was also another factor they had overlooked.
At that time, we had full support from the dimensional divine realm that had reached the level of a Highest Creator God.
Without divine realm support, we cannot defeat a Creator God boasting such overwhelming physical ability.
Without divine realm support, we could never have stopped Almighty Hwi.
Of course, the Divine Realm that desired a powerful Main God remained neutral and silent during such internal strife. Main Gods without divine realm support could never gather enough strength to overthrow a Creator God. If one assumed the Magic God of Dimensions also faced no restrictions on his magic power, victory was impossible.
“……”
“……”
There was no need to hear more. They silently returned to their seats. There was no reason to volunteer as fools who would challenge the Magic God of Dimensions—whose true strength remained unknown—and be disposed of.
Two Main Gods were sufficient for confirmation.
The same held true for the other spirit gods of the Otherworld. In fact, they had not joined the fray at all. It was those two who had fought their contractor directly and been miserably shattered; the rest had suffered virtually no damage.
Artemis, the God Wolf Moon Goddess whose bow had been broken, had been furious at first but calmed when told it could simply be replaced.
I told you to stay quiet.
Don’t they realize that as they grew stronger through divine rank support, their contractor grew stronger as well?
At least there’s no bow this time.
As the subjects of the contract, they understood better than anyone how much stronger the Magic God of Dimensions had become. The moment he became Main God, his divine rank had surged nearly tenfold. His authorities had grown more powerful, and even his physical abilities—once his weakness—had improved alongside them.
The current Magic God of Dimensions was no longer an existence that mere Main Gods could handle. Those two had deliberately ignored this truth. Drunk on the strengthened authorities granted through their connection to him, complacent from a minor victory, and furious over past defeat, they had lost sound judgment and charged in.
It was truly a foolish act.
As the Main God of Knowledge and the primordial battle gods hurriedly returned to their seats, a grave voice rang out.
“What is this?”
The Magic God of Dimensions had been so deep in thought about how to handle the situation that he hadn’t even noticed the two Otherworld spirit gods attacking. The tremendous roar and the faint shock that reached his body finally pulled his mind back to reality.
Since the attack posed no real threat to his body, the Authority of Black Flame and his physical reflexes had ignored it completely. Only after seeing the shattered fragments of divine swords scattered around him and sensing the lingering aftereffects still faintly clinging to the black flames did he understand what had happened.
It seemed Amaterasu and Enlil had tried to exploit an opening. His body’s authorities had dealt with them automatically. Seeing the two standing there in a daze, staring at him with shattered expressions after losing all their divine swords, he felt no anger—only disbelief.
“……”
After becoming Main God and improving both my divine rank and physical abilities, the authorities now act on their own.
From now on, he would have to maintain constant tension. If he fell into deep thought as he had just now, this exact phenomenon would occur. It was the side effect of possessing authorities that surpassed his original bodily talent. While it posed no danger to him, he would always need to guard against the risk of sudden, uncontrolled actions.
Sighing inwardly, he considered what to do with these two who had seized the opening for a surprise attack.
Huuu—! Actually, this is perfect. I was wondering how to persuade them, but now I have justification to suppress them by force and push forward. Heh—! My body is moving on its own again—!
The moment his mind reached a decision, his body reacted. From the seat of the Main God of the Divine Realm, the figure of the Magic God of Dimensions vanished as if he had never been there. A violent explosion rang out.
BAAAAANG—!
Crack—!
“Hup—!”
“Ack—!”
The upper bodies of the two wary, retreating goddesses bent forward at the same time. The Magic God of Dimensions had moved at a speed they couldn’t possibly react to, seizing both their waists with his hands and slamming them down.
Thanks to the descent of the Black Flame Absolute and the activation of his racial authority, his basic physical parameters had been readjusted until he nearly reached two meters in height. They had no hope of breaking free.
He lightly lifted them by the waist and slung them over his shoulders. With one goddess on each shoulder, he applied force with both hands to complete their suppression.
Naturally, the moment he pinned Amaterasu and Enlil across both shoulders, counterattacks rained down. Shattered fragments of seven divine swords stabbed at his back while kicks slammed into his stomach.
“Ack—! How dare you commit such insolence toward me—! Release me at once!”
“You—! Ack—!”
Kagagagagang—!Thud—!
Having become a Main God equal in rank to a Creator God, his body’s durability had increased more than tenfold. Attacks from mere Main Gods could no longer harm him.
Since it’s essentially a Black Flame body, it doesn’t even hurt.
The blades of the divine swords that struck him chipped, and the feet that kicked him would be the ones in pain. He suffered no damage, yet irritation welled up all the same.
It reacts even to my thoughts. Whether it’s the Black Flame or the Eight Primordial Beings of the Incomprehensible, these physical authorities are too much for my original bodily talent to control. What am I supposed to do about this?
While pondering, he returned to the seat of the Main God. Loud smacking sounds and screams suddenly filled his ears.
Slap—! Slap—! Slap—!
“Aaaaack—!”
“Kyaaaaaaaack—!”
At first he didn’t understand what was happening. When the two continued struggling despite his arms tightening around their waists, his own arms had begun spanking their buttocks in alternation of their own accord.
Thus, the two spirit gods of the Otherworld who had challenged the Main God of the Divine Realm were suppressed, and the sight of goddesses being publicly spanked unfolded within the Main God Hall.
“……”
Every Main God present was rendered speechless, frantically trying to process the meaning of the scene before them.
The Magic God of Dimensions hurriedly stopped his hands, but the deed was already done. The two struggling spirit gods remained pinned across his shoulders, their buttocks freshly spanked. In a Divine Realm that possessed a Goddess Department, such an event was utterly unthinkable.
I don’t even know anymore. Let fate do as it will.
Thump—!Tap—!
The Magic God of Dimensions sat down upon the highest seat at the round table—the seat of the Main God of the Divine Realm—and laid the two suppressed spirit gods across his thighs, one atop the other. Before that, he had forced them into an embrace facing each other, pressing down on their backs with his left hand until their resistance weakened from sheer confusion.
He began spanking the plump, peach-like buttocks of Amaterasu, who lay on top, with his right palm. This time, it was entirely by his own will.
Slap—! Slap—!
“Mmph—! Mmmph—!”
Only the sound of the Magic God of Dimensions spanking bare flesh without a word and the desperate, muffled screams of the goddesses echoed through the hall.