The Price of Pride
The moment the beating continued in utter silence—regardless of whether the other goddesses or high gods were watching—Enlil’s struggling body finally went limp. Her pride, tall enough to pierce the heavens, had kept her from screaming, but in the end she had passed out from the pain. Ignoring the Storm Annihilation Enlil, who now looked up at him with genuine terror in her eyes for the first time, the Dimensional Mage God began to speak.
“God of Knowledge.”
“Yes, sir!”
The God of Knowledge answered like a fresh recruit standing at rigid attention. No one dared laugh. Compared to treason, this punishment might seem light, but crimes committed by high gods or above—beings who could become the core of the Divine Realm—were usually overlooked. The 499th Master Universe even tolerated, and at times encouraged, rebellion in order to foster powerful main gods.
Yet the meaning of such a humiliating punishment, delivered in front of every high god present, was enormous. This was a Divine Realm where the Goddess Department held overwhelming influence and female rights were absolute. It was like a parent spanking a misbehaving child. For high gods, whose authority was everything, this was a wound that would be nearly impossible to recover from.
The highest and most noble goddess has just had her ass spanked until she fainted. There will be no exceptions from now on.
The fact that she could do nothing while being treated this way also made the difference in power painfully clear. Above all, the knowledge that this man was the past self of the Grey Absolute—the being currently turning the Absolute Realm into a living hell—pressed down on the God of Knowledge’s mind with icy dread. Once someone obtained power beyond what others could handle, there was no telling what madness they might commit.
Yet the command that followed was perfectly reasonable.
“Most of the lower gods newly accepted into the Divine Realm are battle gods. Classify them all according to aptitude and place them under the management of the primordial battle gods. Their representative will be the Indomitable Hero God.”
Although the number exceeded a million, aptitude classification was simple work. Entrusting their management to the primordial battle gods was only natural. It was also reasonable for the Indomitable Hero God—who had earned the greatest merit in the recent public vote for the Main God Election—to take the role. His authorities were oriented toward command, making him the ideal choice.
“Understood.”
The God of Knowledge answered lightly, but an additional order immediately followed. This one was a bomb.
“In one year, I will test the primordial battle gods and the lower gods together. If one primordial battle god leads his subordinate lower gods against another group and loses, his divinity and vitality will be confiscated and given to the victor. The losing primordial battle god’s faction will have all members demoted by one rank as punishment, and the winning faction will be granted appointment rights over them.”
Thud—!
It was a bolt from the blue for the primordial battle gods. Nearly all battle gods in the Divine Realm were male, and aside from the goddesses, every one of them belonged to their ranks. Being demoted one rank from their current main god status meant returning to the original main god level. If their factions were demoted along with them, the consequences would spiral out of control.
The biggest problem was that the current Dimensional Divine Realm had an extremely high standard of gods. There were hundreds of elemental main gods alone; anyone below main god rank could not even join the ruling class. On top of that, more than two hundred Origin beings from the 500th Master Universe had been added. With the help of the Highest Creator Divine Realm, even high gods aiming to become main gods through their own power were slowly emerging.
In this state of extreme competition, if the leader of a faction falls to high god rank, they may never sit at the round table again—perhaps not even at the surrounding seats.
Their subordinate battle gods would leave them, forcing them to fight alone again. In that case, they would have no choice but to accept treatment no better than mercenary gods.
A battle god without subordinates had to handle everything by himself. This was an enormous measure. It was essentially a declaration that half of them would be demoted without fail. Since the God of Knowledge himself belonged to the primordial battle gods, this was no one else’s problem.
His mind went blank. He struggled to find words, but the death sentence continued.
“This is both punishment and opportunity for the primordial battle gods—who are the military might of the Divine Realm—yet foolishly engaged in political collective action. The strong shall rise, and the weak shall fall.”
Kuuuooooong—!
This time, something rang inside their hearts. The one who had granted them perfectly controlled main god bodies—when they had been nothing more than high gods—was the Dimensional Mage God. The resentment they had accumulated from being unable to interfere in the politics of the Divine Realm because they were merely high gods had driven them to political action the moment they became main gods. And now it had come to this worst possible situation.
Since the Main God of the Divine Realm, who had obtained absolute power through strength that surpassed every god in the realm, had made this decision, half of them would inevitably fall back to high god status in one year.
Looking at the primordial battle gods, whose faces had gone completely pale, the Dimensional Mage God spoke again.
“What are you afraid of? Are you worried about losing your bodies and vitality, about being demoted?”
As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand and slipped it beneath the skirt of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, cupping her buttocks.
Slide— Slide—
The sound of fabric and the back of his hand rubbing together filled the Main God Hall. Gasps of shock erupted from every corner as people held their breath.
‘Huk!’
‘Hup—!’
Even though every goddess and high god was watching, he showed no hesitation. His right hand disappeared completely between the curves of her ass, its position clearly visible even through the skirt. The fingers covering her in a possessive grip were unmistakably pressing against both her vagina and anus. This was something that should never be done in such a public place. It was unforgivable.
“Or are you afraid of having to compete with your comrades?”
Thrust— Thrust— Slide— Squish—
Though hidden by the skirt, everyone knew exactly what he was doing. His thumb dug into her anus while his index finger plunged straight into her vagina. Doing something like this openly while every god watched—if she had been conscious, she would have gone mad with shame and resisted violently. On top of that, he was drawing circles with his fingers, stimulating her further. Each time, her body twitched and flailed, but she remained unconscious.
Even if she had been conscious, she could not have resisted. A god’s body was designed to enter maximum defensive posture the moment divine control disappeared. Yet he had casually pierced the most sensitive and vulnerable vital points—her vagina and anus—and invaded inside. It was yet another confirmation that the gap between them had widened to the level of a main god and a lower god.
“Fear of the test is proof of weakness. As befitting the strong primordial battle gods, rejoice and be glad that the opportunity to prove your ability has arrived. Always strive, always challenge yourselves, and grow stronger. I, the Dimensional Mage God, ruler of the Dimensional Divine Realm, will gladly face those challengers who choose trial and grant them strength.”
Fwaaaaaaaa—!
Golden light burst out from beneath the robe covering his face. Thirteen pairs of wings of light and thirteen pairs of wings of darkness rose from his back, spreading wide and covering the entire Main God Hall. In that instant, every god was momentarily overwhelmed by the wave of divine power exceeding one trillion.
The light of dimensional authority concentrated from the wings into his body, then flowed through his right hand to his fingertips. An enormous solar radiance—different from anything before—poured out from the goddess’s entire body. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu’s attribute power was the sun itself, the origin of life.
As expected, this public humiliation was not mere punishment.
It’s magical bestowal to strengthen her attribute power.
So that was the reason.
There’s no way she could accept that with a sane mind, right?
The goddesses who had already experienced the Dimensional Mage God’s magic nodded in understanding. He was concentrating divine power and magical power through the fingers buried in her vagina and anus to strengthen both her attribute power and divine power. The fact that he was also improving the connection according to their contract showed he was seriously committed to raising her properly. Or perhaps the upcoming creation required an enormous level of attribute power.
The Dimensional Mage God’s creative power was ultimately based on the elemental powers of the spirit gods of that otherworld. Therefore, strengthening those spirit gods was a natural measure.
But doesn’t he already possess creative power capable of making a Main God Star with ease?
Some held that question, but they could only watch for now. Stepping forward recklessly would only give him justification to do the same to them. Becoming stronger was good, but they absolutely refused to end up in that state.
Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung—!
As the solar light subsided, thirteen pairs of wings shining with even more brilliant solar radiance appeared on the goddess’s back. He stroked those wings of light with the right hand he had withdrawn from beneath her skirt. It was a gentle touch, as if caressing a satisfying work of art.
Yet the voice that came from his mouth was a stern warning aimed at the God of Knowledge and the primordial battle gods.
“If you abandon struggle, form factions, settle for comfort, and become weak, I will take back everything I have given you.”
At those final words, the God of Knowledge and the primordial battle gods could not utter a single word of protest. They simply lowered their heads. The gap in power between a Creator God and a main god was truly beyond description.
The Demon God Kings focused on attack power and had weak defense. There was at least a chance to win if one exploited an opening. But the defensive power and authorities of the Creator Gods they had felt directly were an impenetrable iron wall. When that was combined with creative power capable of instantly restoring the body, a main god literally could not inflict a fatal wound.
Just as the joint attack of the otherworld’s spirit gods—who possess the worst mental states but the highest level of combat power—proved, they cannot even leave a scratch.
The goddesses looked at Enlil, who had just been publicly and mercilessly humiliated right above them, yet could only tremble in fear without moving a muscle. The sight overlapped with their own possible futures, making them feel even colder.
They were not foolish enough to miss the meaning behind doing it so openly: even goddesses would end up like this if they dared challenge him. There was no way to oppose him unless it was a defensive war supported by the Highest Creator Divine Realm.
In the end, they had no choice but to acknowledge the absolute difference and superiority of power. Therefore, although this was normally a situation that would cause an uproar, everyone remained silent. The other goddesses were also being forcibly restrained from acting rashly.
Even in this situation where the Dimensional Mage God was committing tyranny that the goddesses could never tolerate, there was no reaction or protest. They had acknowledged who now held the initiative.
Having confirmed the atmosphere, the Dimensional Mage God lightly flicked his thigh. The two goddesses on his lap were bounced upward by the recoil.
Thud— Tap—
The Sun Goddess Amaterasu, whose attribute power enhancement was complete, fell downward, while the Storm Annihilation Enlil was lifted upward. Perhaps because her body was specialized in kicking techniques, her buttocks and thighs boasted an overwhelming volume that looked at least one and a half times larger than normal. His palm seemed far too small to strike such a target. It was doubtful whether appropriate stimulation could even be delivered through the tremendous elasticity of muscles trained beyond their limits.
Nevertheless, his hand rose even higher. His upper body leaned slightly forward. Enlil, who instantly realized what he was about to do, cried out desperately.
“Wait—! Stop—! Kyaaaaaaaaaah—!”
Whiiiiiiiiiing—!
SLAAAAAAAAAAP—!
He was not striking her buttocks with his palm. His palm, wrist, and more than half of his right arm swung like a club, cutting across the center of her ass and digging in. A Creator God’s arm, which possessed ten times the physical durability of a main god, striking her buttocks with full force delivered an impact greater than being hit directly by divine magic. And since it landed directly on the most sensitive areas above her vagina and anus, no matter how tough she was, there was no way she could endure it.
While pressing down on Enlil’s back as she trembled violently and tried to struggle without even being able to scream, he spoke.
“In one year, there will be the official appointment ceremony for the Main God Election. All goddesses, excluding the male battle gods, shall devote their full power in their respective fields to supplement the Divine Realm and beautify its environment. You may use as much vitality as needed. However, if the result falls below the level of the Main Divine Realm or the divine realms of the other main gods….”
Once again, the arm raised high struck her buttocks without mercy, despite her pleading eyes.
Whiiiiiiiiiiing—!
SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAP—!
“…….”
Enlil could not even scream. Her eyes widened, and in the end she could not endure it and fainted.
While gently stroking the fainted Enlil’s buttocks, the Dimensional Mage God declared,
“I will not forgive any of the goddesses.”
The faces of the goddesses and female gods twisted horribly, but there was nothing they could do. It was the goddesses themselves who had monopolized the operation of the Divine Realm and assigned the duty of battle gods exclusively to the male gods. This was an unavoidable outcome. The other side held both justification and power, so they had no choice but to obey.
No—the greater reason they remained silent was the fear of the Dimensional Mage God, who was acting to completely shatter the existing order and preferential treatment toward goddesses. They might end up suffering the same fate, and they no longer had the power to resist.
Thus, the hierarchy of the Dimensional Divine Realm was reorganized. For the first time, the primordial battle gods and battle gods felt genuine gratitude for the fact that they were male gods.