The Final Clash of Absolutes
The war in the Otherworld had reached its climax, and in the Absolute Realm, the Grey Absolute and the Black Flame Absolute were about to begin their final showdown. The best opportunity to attack came at the exact moment when each other's greatest secret techniques created an opening, so they activated them simultaneously.
The Black Flame Absolute's Pahoton drew a wide arc with a thunderous battle cry as it swung forward. “Die—! Perish—! Thunder RoarPahoton—!”
Rumble—! Craaaack—!
What could be heard was the deafening roar of a colossal thunderbolt. What could be seen was the illusion of a massive black axe slicing everything in its path cleanly in half. The attack carried the Always Coin Heads authority, which guaranteed perfect accuracy, so there was no chance of it missing. It struck the Grey Absolute head-on, cleaving his world apart with lethal force.
He witnessed his own body being bisected. For the first time in a long while, the joy of victory surged through him.
I won—!
But at that exact moment, the mage’s incantation activated as well. It happened simultaneously with his body splitting into two pieces.
“Explosive ShatterYggdrasil—!”
The illusion of the World Tree that had filled his vision rapidly withered and vanished into the Black Flame Absolute’s body. The simultaneous suicidal attack—abandoning both defense and counterattack—momentarily suppressed the Black Flame Absolute’s momentum. The follow-up strike drove straight into that opening and detonated inside his body.
Eight absolute authorities exploded in a chain reaction from within.
“Guh—!”
No matter how strong the Black Flame Absolute’s body was said to be, the internal damage was unbearable. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose like a fountain as he collapsed. Thanks to his thoroughly reinforced body, he barely avoided being blown to pieces.
However, the Grey Absolute’s condition was even more horrific. Although the cut ran from his neck to his groin, he had narrowly avoided having his head split in two. A groan still escaped his lips.
“Kgh—!”
The Black Flame Absolute, whose internal organs had been completely pulverized, and the Grey Absolute, whose torso had been severed, were both on the verge of instant death. Yet neither showed any sign of retreating.
Recovering from injuries like these consumes an enormous amount of divine power and leaves one completely defenseless for a moment.
So they simply glared at each other with murderous intent, reading their opponent’s next move from that frozen state.
Watching this spectacle, the rest of the 10 Mainstays—excluding the Golden Absolute and Yuil Yongsinje, who were fiercely battling for the number one spot—casually offered their critiques. Or rather, they were astonished by the Grey Absolute’s unexpected performance.
“He took a hit from 2-Star Thunder Roar, not even 1-Star Explosive Roar, and he’s still alive?”
“The Black Flame Absolute was clearly aiming for the head. Yet he dodged at the last second. Is that even possible?”
“Can you actually evade an attack infused with Always Coin Heads, which guarantees perfect accuracy?”
An attack empowered by Always Coin Heads could never miss. How much had they themselves suffered because of that authority?
The only answer they eventually reached was to counter it with an attack of nearly equal power. Of course, since the Black Flame Absolute held the clear advantage in maximum output, they had to accept the disadvantage. Pahoton at full power could only be unleashed fewer than ten times even by the Black Flame Absolute, so whether one could endure that barrage was the true key to victory.
Only the top three in the hierarchy possess that level of offensive power, defensive power, and regenerative ability combined.
Yet the Grey Absolute, a sage-type with notoriously weak defenses, had taken a direct hit and still survived by protecting only his vital points. Of course, his body had been split like a log struck by an axe, but the important thing was that he was still alive.
In response to that question, Soma—the pinnacle of magic users—answered.
“It’s perfect evasion through sorcery. One of the highest-tier spells capable of avoiding any attack.”
For a moment, the other 10 Mainstays fell silent and turned to stare at Soma, who wore a silver mask and smiled brightly. Their expressions clearly asked why he had never used such a spell himself and instead always chose to negate attacks at a loss.
Soma shrugged at their reaction and elaborated.
“Due to the nature of sorcery that distorts reality, it doesn’t work that well against beings of equal rank. However, judging by how he partially avoided the Black Flame Absolute’s guaranteed-hit attack, it seems he mixed in another authority rather than using pure sorcery. That’s why I can’t replicate it.”
“So you’re saying he activated three or more absolute authorities simultaneously just now?”
It meant the Grey Absolute was operating three at once: the strongest sage-type authority Yggdrasil, the highest-tier evasion sorcery Perfect Evasion, and an unknown third absolute authority. Before even evaluating their power or level, the computational capacity required was monstrous.
At those words, Daeshin shook his head.
“Yggdrasil requires the simultaneous calculation of eight absolute authorities. That brings the total to ten.”
“Ten…”
To chant ten 14-Circle absolute authorities at the same time was an absurd level of computational power. Seeing him use Yggdrasil, sorcery, and divine authorities together, it appeared he could wield every category. Of course, the power wasn’t equal to what the 10 Mainstays could produce themselves, but it came dangerously close.
Individually they lacked lethal force, but when combined they became unpredictable and extremely difficult to counter.
Seeing them in person, even we cannot dismiss their performance.
Mixing or fusing those abilities could produce who-knows-what kind of authority. In that case, fighting the Black Flame Absolute, whose attacks were predictable in their absolute power, seemed preferable.
Daeshin stroked his long white beard as he observed the battlefield and spoke, as if commenting on someone else entirely.
“The Grey Absolute stands at the pinnacle as an omnipotent sage, not an omniscient one. Omnipotence allows one to do nearly everything, but its shortcomings require the help of others. A true sage’s value is revealed by filling in the deficiencies of other categories. That is why an omnipotent sage who must actively consider others contributes the most to reality. For that reason, the Silence of Truth—who was once so overwhelmingly strong and capable that he was practically omniscient—could never become the Grey. He needed no help, and therefore offered none. I always tell the Black Flame Absolute this, but he never accepts it. Who else but a sage would be so harsh toward others yet lenient with himself? How can someone so indulgent only toward himself claim to be the pinnacle of sages? The Black Flame Absolute, who solves everything with raw power, is far more suitable.”
“……”
If the Black Flame Absolute—who had once been the greatest sage and now coveted the Grey Absolute’s position—heard those words, he would fly into a rage. You’re too smart and too capable. You don’t listen to others and don’t need help, so you won’t help others either. Who would accept it if you were told you’re disqualified for that reason?
Even they couldn’t fully understand it. Perhaps finding the topic uncomfortable, Daeshin added one more thing.
“After forcibly appointing the Silence of Truth as the Black Flame Absolute, Jinri said exactly that.”
At those words, everyone nodded. There was no way they could completely understand what Jinri meant. From basic common sense to ultimate goals, everything about him transcended imagination. His brand of “common sense” was to give a reward and a punishment at the same time, to offer help and hindrance together—like prescribing medicine and then a worse disease.
Their suffering in pursuit of the absurd goal called “eternal happiness” was beyond words. Even more absurd was the fact that while he possessed power great enough to solve every problem himself, he left the actual work to them and the Eternal Beings.
At first they had asked him directly and agonized over it, but the conclusion was always the same.
“It seems that’s how it is.”
“That must be the case.”
“Apparently so.”
“It has to be that way.”
“It could be.”
Though their words differed, they had all realized that forcing themselves to understand was better for their mental health. If they failed to understand and dared to question him, Jinri would immediately resort to violence. If you can’t understand with your head, understand with your body.
Having reached the rank of 10 Mainstays, none of them wanted to experience being beaten to a pulp again, left groaning on the ground in agony.
But at that moment, a change occurred on the battlefield.
“Looks like he’s going to do something again?”
“Heh heh—! What a fascinating body.”
“His life force is incredible.”
Even with his body split in half, the Grey Absolute was activating sorcery once more. It was a feat no ordinary god of war could manage, and they could only marvel at it.
Around his bisected form, the spacetime bombs known as Koa gathered again, forming orb-like shapes.
“Absolute DistanceKoa—!”
The black orbs that had become Koa hurtled toward the Black Flame Absolute like a dimensional barrage alongside the incantation.
But his defenses were already perfectly prepared.
I’ve already been hit by this once. I’ve established a way to block it.
He could have used his own Black Flame authority—which eroded even spacetime—to create a barrier, but for safety’s sake he enlarged Pahoton to its limit and used it to shield his front.
The sound of Koa striking his body and Pahoton in rapid succession began to echo.
Booom—! Boom—!
The tremendous impact made his body feel like it was being pushed back, but that was all. As expected, a perfect Black Flame barrier could not be pierced by dimensional travel. Moreover, the front protected by Pahoton felt no impact at all.
Since he had used that much sorcery again in his current state, he surely had no energy to spare.
“You’re finished—! Huh…? Eh?”
He swung Pahoton to open a path and charged forward, only for a cry of confusion to burst out.
The Grey Absolute’s figure was far too distant. No—he was rapidly shrinking. The reason was immediately obvious. The spacetime bombs called Koa were concentrated on exploding in front of him. That tremendous thrust was pushing him outward.
“Don’t tell me—! It’s not penetration power, it’s propulsion?!”
The explosive propulsion generated by an attack that pierced spacetime could not be stopped by the Black Flame authority, which relied solely on physical ability. To escape, he would need an absolute spacetime authority, or he would have to wait for the sorcery’s power to fade.
Then he remembered the location where he had been struck by this authority and had his heart blown away.
It was the Main Divine Realm, located roughly halfway across the 499th Master Universe.
The Grey Absolute had sniped him from the outer edge of the Grey Realm across that immense distance. That meant he himself could now be launched even farther.
“A range exceeding 499 universes—! Damn it—! Son of a—!”
Thanks to the Golden Absolute, long-distance travel through the Cyber Realm was blocked for him. For someone with over 1,000 trillion units of Innate Divine Power, it was no easy feat for a single universe to send him across vast distances. Crossing even one universe would take at least a year.
The only one who could lift that restriction was the Golden Absolute, who was currently engaged in a life-or-death duel with Yuil Yongsinje.
No matter how injured the Golden Absolute is, the immovable power of the undisputed number one doesn’t disappear. Even if Yuil Yongsinje is perfectly healthy, he’ll need to be prepared to win.
However, since this was a ranking match where lives weren’t truly on the line, they were locked in a tedious stalemate, searching for openings. There was no telling when it would end. That meant there was no time to lift his long-distance restriction.
Boooom—!
A tremendous impact struck, and the defensive barrier set up by the Wind Family’s Origin stopped him.
How far have I been pushed? At least I’ve stopped. I need to break free somehow.
But there was no way to escape these Koa that had been converted into simple explosive force. The surrounding spacetime was already so twisted that no authority could create a reaction. He could only be pushed backward. On top of that, the strength and durability of his Black Flame body had turned him into a living bullet, gradually increasing his speed.
Worse, the moment he was hit, he had been caught by a simplified Yggdrasil authority, allowing only a portion of the physical force to be used.
It’s like flailing in water.
To exert proper force, he needed something to brace against. There was simply no way to escape.
Still struggling to break free, a cold verdict reached the Black Flame Absolute’s ears.
“Absolute Distance Koa was never meant for ultra-long-range sniping. Its purpose is to buy time for the incantation by increasing the distance from the opponent. Disappear into the far reaches of the universe until I think of a way to finish you off.”
“Grey—!”
The moment the swarm of Koa engulfed the immobilized Black Flame Absolute, even the barrier created by the Wind Family’s Origins could not endure and shattered.
Craaaaaack—!
“The range of Absolute Distance Koa exceeds 1,000 universes. See you in a thousand years. Pray that the Golden Absolute lifts the ultra-long-distance restriction before then.”
“You cowardly grey bastard—! Fight fair and square like a proper member of the 10 Mainstays—!”
“You stupid black flame bastard—! A sage like the Grey wins if he wins. Where does ‘fair and square’ come into it? Spouting such nonsense with that mouth of yours is exactly why, despite all your power, you couldn’t become Grey and ended up as Black Flame instead—!”
“Kuaaaaaaaa—!”
The Black Flame Absolute’s roar, filled with rage and malice at having his sore spot touched, echoed out, but the result did not change.
Turning into a black meteor streaking across the universe, the sight of the Black Flame Absolute being blown away left even the Wind Family’s Origins—who had been maintaining the barrier—standing with their mouths agape.
Since Yggdrasil’s attack hadn’t worked, the Grey Absolute’s defeat had seemed certain. With Pahoton in the Black Flame Absolute’s hands, the victor had been easy to predict. Yet no one had imagined that when the attack failed, he would simply launch his opponent away.
Even more shocking was the fact that the Koa attack—which had failed to finish off the Black Flame Absolute—had effortlessly pierced the defensive barrier they had created together.
What that meant was that the gap between themselves and the 10 Mainstays was still quite large.
We’re still not there yet. Our power is still insufficient.
Having assessed the situation in their own way, the Wind Family’s Origins nodded. With the Black Flame Absolute now gone into the far distance, their burdensome defensive duty was over.
And the Grey Absolute, who had launched the Black Flame Absolute beyond the universe, clutched his head with both hands and began muttering.
“Ah, damn it—! Even Explosive Shatter Yggdrasil didn’t work. Eight absolute authorities detonating simultaneously inside his body and he still doesn’t die? Does that even make sense? What kind of monster is that? Now what? If mixing doesn’t work, should I try fusing them?”
He pondered for a long time, even pulling various materials from his subspace to begin research, when an unfamiliar voice reached him.
“Grey Absolute.”
“……”
Far away, Daeshin was calling out to him. There was no grudge between them, but no debt of gratitude either, so ignoring him would have been fine. However, he was already struggling to deal with the Black Flame Absolute, whom the Golden Absolute protected so fiercely. He couldn’t afford to make more enemies.
So he answered with as much courtesy as he could muster.
“The duel is not over yet. What do you want?”
“It may not look like it matters, but please restore your body. It’s quite grotesque to look at.”
“Hm? Ah.”
Only then did he remember. While he had avoided having his head split by Pahoton earlier, his body had been cleaved from his left shoulder to his groin. He had been so focused that he had completely forgotten. The thought that he had been about to pull out books and read in this state left even him stunned. His trump card had failed, so he must have been quite rattled.
“Hup—!”
With a light shout, his body immediately reattached. The black flames flickering across his entire form absorbed the Black Flame authority that had been burning at the wound. Since he was also of the Black Flame race, the authority didn’t inflict that much damage. It couldn’t have been fatal unless Pahoton had completely destroyed his head. Moreover, as long as his head remained intact, his own authorities and sorcery could heal an injury of this level easily. Adding every healing authority he possessed made it instantaneous.
Confirming that his body had returned to normal, he fell into thought.
This time it won’t work. Damn—! I need to finish that thing off to rest easy, but his body is ridiculously strong. How the hell do I break it?
It was a problem that went beyond the simple superiority of their forces. Since neither had a decisive finishing move, they wouldn’t be able to end it this time.
I suppose I’ll have to wait for the next opportunity.
The sight of the Grey Absolute casually healing the damage he had taken from Pahoton drew gasps of admiration from the 10 Mainstays. They had suffered greatly in the past trying to heal wounds inflicted by the rampaging Pahoton. It had taken them hundreds of millions of years to fully recover, yet the Grey Absolute had done it in mere seconds. They couldn’t help but be impressed.
“They say sage-types have many tricks, and it seems it’s true.”
“If one healing doesn’t work, you just layer multiple authorities like that?”
“They say the Black Flame Absolute is the natural enemy of sages. Then the reverse must also be true.”
The other 10 Mainstays had no intention of helping the Black Flame Absolute, who had been launched beyond even the Wind Family’s Origins’ barrier. It was a duel, and more importantly, the Black Flame Absolute had done nothing but complain the entire time and had been of no help whatsoever. On top of that, he had gone berserk and suffered critical injuries in what was essentially a sparring match for ranking. It was impossible not to develop ill feelings. Instead, they were starting to feel favorable toward the Grey Absolute, who had landed a solid blow.
Reading the atmosphere, Daeshin stepped forward and even prepared a chair beside him.
“It looks like it will take the Black Flame Absolute quite a while to return, so why don’t you sit here? It would be good to watch the battle between the Golden Absolute and Yuil Yongsinje.”
“?”
The Grey Absolute sent a suspicious glance at the sudden kindness. Daeshin stroked his white beard again and spoke.
“Strength and capability are qualifications that deserve respect. To drive the Black Flame Absolute—ranked fourth—into such a corner and launch him away in his very first ranking match is worthy of praise. Therefore, the Great God welcomes the new Grey Absolute.”
“…Thank you.”
He made an expression that said he felt something was off. But since he hadn’t been able to finish off the Black Flame Absolute—with whom he had a grudge—due to lack of power, he couldn’t afford to create more enemies. In the end, he returned the courtesy and sat down on the chair personally prepared for him by Daeshin, who held the third rank despite being the lowest in the current seating.
And then he sincerely answered the barrage of questions about sorcery and authorities that poured in from all directions.
There was no trace of the life-or-death battle they had just fought. It was pure curiosity toward a new colleague, so he couldn’t very well stay silent.
Anyway, he had received these authorities and sorcery almost for free from Jinri, so there was no reason to be stingy with them. Besides, the Black Flame Absolute who had been launched beyond the universe would return soon. He couldn’t let them form an alliance, even a temporary one.
Yet the fact that they could engage in a deadly struggle one moment and then interact without the slightest hostility the next raised a question in his mind.
Just what exactly are the 10 Mainstays?
Daeshin watched the clearly uncomfortable Grey Absolute with a satisfied smile, continuously stroking his white beard.
Thanks to his assigned domain and duties, he had dealt with countless sages. The problem was that his impression of them was terrible.
Almost all of them did nothing but talk endlessly and make noise.
Most sages were beings who upheld lofty convictions and ideals with the knowledge and wisdom they had accumulated. But conviction was simply another word for stubbornness that made them impossible to get along with. Ideals were dreams that could never be realized. Because they tried to uphold those ideals with absolute rigidity in reality, they ignored human relationships and their surroundings, insisting that only they were right and forcing their will upon others.
Was it any wonder most sages lived in mountains or remote places?
If their ideals happened to align well with the world, they could be helpful. In other cases, they became lethal poison. It was only natural that both they and those around them suffered from that poison. Sages wise enough to recognize this problem could not abandon their convictions and ideals, so they had no choice but to isolate themselves.
But the current Grey Absolute had no such convictions. His only clear goal was to defeat the Black Flame Absolute. And like a god of war on the battlefield, his methods were adaptive and impulsive. Charging straight at the Black Flame Absolute—a sage acting so recklessly was something he had never seen before.
And when the situation turned unfavorable, he immediately launched his opponent away and tried to win favor with the other 10 Mainstays by preparing a seat.
A thoroughly worldly sage.
The literal meaning wasn’t flattering, but he was several times more useful than a lofty, solitary sage.
Isn’t he currently doing his best to explain the effects of various authority combinations to gain favor with the other 10 Mainstays?
Since each of them was unrivaled only in their own category, this was incredibly helpful to the 10 Mainstays, who only had conceptual knowledge of other fields.
When the Silence of Truth acted as the representative sage of the Absolute Realm, he was truly unhelpful.
Claiming the conversation level didn’t match, he had ignored even the 10 Mainstays, discussed directly with Jinri, and only enjoyed debating with lower-ranked sages. They had all planned to correct his habits someday, but because he was so intelligent and never crossed the line, they could never find the right opportunity. After he was forcibly appointed as the Black Flame Absolute—a position he despised—he had been furious, but the other 10 Mainstays had felt incredibly refreshed.
Because of that negative impression of sages, the Grey Absolute’s current behavior and speech were a refreshing shock.
A sage possessing magic and authorities worthy of becoming one of the 10 Mainstays is calmly and fairly conversing with beings other than Jinri. How fascinating.
Not only that, but he is sincerely answering even the words of an enemy he was fighting until just moments ago—an enemy allied with the Wind Family, who could be considered the common foe of the 10 Mainstays.
Of course it’s because he can’t defeat the Black Flame Absolute alone, but it’s still surprising. The old Silence of Truth would have upheld his pride, kicked his chair over, and left immediately. He would have thrown away the chance to turn an enemy into an ally.
If he were a god of war it would be fine, but for a sage that would be a failing grade. Jinri is certainly accurate in this regard.
Indeed, a sage must be helpful to those around him more than he relies on his own ability. As the Golden Absolute said, his power is certainly lacking, but his disposition is too valuable to discard. For now, we’ll observe. Personally, the insufficient power is something we can supplement, so I will approve.
When he sent a slight signal of intent to the other 10 Mainstays, they all nodded. Just as Daeshin had said, although his raw power was weak, the versatility and understanding of his authorities were astonishing. And there had never been a sage who explained and answered questions as kindly as a teacher.
Above all, the second-ranked Yuil Yongsinje and the third-ranked Daeshin had given their approval.
The opposition of the number one, the Golden Absolute, is not an issue. If he insists on excluding the Grey until the end, he will have to be prepared to face the combined assault of two others.
If the fourth-ranked Black Flame Absolute opposed, it would be an alliance between first and fourth. But fighting an alliance between second and third carried considerable risk. The Golden Absolute would never take such a risk, so the matter was settled.
For those in the lower ranks, they were busy enough building their own power and had no desire to fight. If a being capable of providing help was added to the 10 Mainstays, it was an unqualified benefit. There was no reason to oppose it. Since it would be helpful, they approved.
This was the moment the Grey Absolute was officially recognized as a member of the 10 Mainstays for the first time and took his seat among them.