The Mock Battle Against Truth
The two Otherworld Spirit Gods who had been placed on the Magic God of Dimensions' lap to both discipline their bad habits and reinforce their attribute powers had long since fainted. They possessed no immunity to the presence of High Gods on the level of the 10 Mainstays. He himself could endure it because he had witnessed far too many high-ranking divinities, but expecting two 10th-circle beings to stare directly at an opponent four circles above them without any preparation and remain conscious was simply unrealistic.
Still, in moments like these, he almost felt envious.
‘Lucky bastards. But beat Jinri? How? Just from the publicly available basic data, there’s no path to victory.’
His head was being violently shaken by the Grey Absolute, yet since he had accepted the request, he continued to coldly derive solutions. ‘Jinri possesses at least 17th-circle power and has mastered the eight ancestral forms of Absolute Sea—the only Eternal Authority capable of defeating opponents three circles or more above him. The power gap between the 10 Mainstays, who sit at 14th-circle with their Absolute Authorities, and Jinri is roughly ten thousand times or greater…’
He was already stuck here. Ten thousand times sounded nice on paper, but even a twofold difference in basic physical ability made victory impossible no matter how many allies you had. It became an adult fighting children. At ten thousand times, it was practically a battle between insects and a god. Ten bugs could never defeat a god.
‘The biggest problem is that all ten Mainstays learned and mastered their Absolute Authorities directly from Jinri. They are like master and disciples, so he knows every strength and weakness. Individually, none of them can possibly win.’
The only viable solution was the synergistic effect created by combining the strongest Absolute Authorities from each lineage. The maximum synergy they could extract was roughly tenfold. With ten Mainstays factored in, the power gap narrowed to within a hundred times. ‘If they can just block Jinri’s attacks…’
His hands and mouth moved on their own. This was a habit born from falling into a near-trance state of concentration whenever he faced an insurmountable problem, devoting every ounce of computational power to analysis and solution derivation. At this point, his surroundings had completely vanished from his awareness.
Ssssssssk—!
Letters of light and formations began to draw themselves in the empty air. Even the Grey Absolute, who had been gripping his head in intimidation, recognized that the Magic God of Dimensions had entered full problem-solving mode and stepped back.
‘As expected, my past self never gives up on reckless challenges.’
It was a bittersweet feeling. Unlike himself, who already knew every answer and outcome before taking action, his past self had been thrown only into battlefields everyone called impossible. He had failed most of the time, yet stubbornly clung on and eventually seized victory. That past self was standing right here now.
The empty space was already densely packed with countless glowing letters, intricate diagrams, and formations. A sound of admiration escaped the Main God of the Divine Realm as he watched the 10 Mainstays react to the content.
"Simulation of a mock battle between Jinri and the 10 Mainstays?"
An image rose from the letters and patterns of light. A boy with black hair wearing martial robes—Jinri—stood with both hands gripping a Sword of Ruin and Soul, the tips of the blades planted in the ground. Before him, the 10 Mainstays stood in a single horizontal line, each in combat stance and holding their divine weapons.
Even a mere Main God’s presence created such powerful reality distortion that recording the scene itself was impossible. That was why, despite the countless challenges the 10 Mainstays had issued against Jinri, no records remained. This, therefore, was a virtual combat simulation created by the Magic God of Dimensions.
Yet even within the image, the presence of each divinity felt vividly real.
“Incredible. It’s almost identical.”
The figures of all eleven individuals then rose in three-dimensional form, visible from any angle. It was no simple hologram or illusion; the sense of reality was nearly that of their true bodies. Each had activated their divine weapons and authorities to the maximum and stood ready for battle.
Since all their data had already been made public, the simulation had been built on that foundation, yet the level of completion was astonishing. As expected, the first to move was the Black Flame Absolute. With a clearly reluctant expression, he stepped out of formation and advanced his right foot. The moment he did, a massive gong-like sound rang out.
Klang—!
Immediately afterward, all ten Mainstays clutched their heads and collapsed in agony. They had each been struck once on the forehead by Jinri’s Sword of Ruin and Soul. Even the top-ranked Golden Absolute and his son, the Second Generation Wind Absolute, now sported fist-sized lumps on their brows and had instantly lost their combat readiness. Only the Black Flame Absolute, who had stepped forward first, was hopping around clutching both his right foot and his forehead.
What followed was a continuous sequence of one-sided beatings with no regard for tactics or formation. Jinri simply stood still while the 10 Mainstays were flung in every direction as if struck by something invisible. They were too busy trying to block the attacks from the Sword of Ruin and Soul—attacks that didn’t even seem to be using their Absolute Techniques—to even think about combining their powers. It was an utterly disgraceful display for the strongest beings in the Absolute Realm, yet none of them could utter a word.
The reason was proven by the groan that leaked from the Sword Bat’s lips.
“…It’s exactly the same.”
The fact that no screams or groans had escaped earlier was probably out of consideration for their pride. Only after every last one of the 10 Mainstays had been reduced to rags and collapsed on the ground did the image freeze.
Among them, only the Black Flame Absolute—who possessed the strongest physique—remained barely standing, his face horribly swollen.
‘Just from the result, this isn’t even a duel. It’s closer to a one-sided beating.’
This was the trial the 10 Mainstays had to endure under Jinri. When experiencing it directly there had been no room to think, but watching it indirectly made their miserable state painfully clear. Even the Grey Absolute, who had never challenged Jinri directly, grimaced fiercely.
He had tried to do something, only to find it was a rehash of the past. He could have created the same simulation himself, but since he already knew the outcome, there had been no need. To end a challenge against Jinri, one had to at least grab the hem of his clothes. Seeing the existing mock battle of the 10 Mainstays, it was no joke. The thought of having to do that in person was staggering.
“……”
What came next was repetition. They were forcibly restored to perfect condition by Jinri, reformed their ranks, and began combat again. The battle only ended when one of the 10 Mainstays managed to land even a single blow on Jinri. Their bodies were fully restored by Jinri, but the scene always concluded with the 10 Mainstays sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, completely exhausted from endlessly pushing their authorities and bodies past their limits.
The 10 Mainstays frowned as they watched their own disgraceful simulated selves and muttered one by one.
“Hey—! What kind of solution is th—”
But then the arrangement of the illusions changed. The single horizontal line transformed into a formation where they stood in a column facing Jinri. The Black Flame Absolute stood at the front, the Grey Absolute in the second row. Behind them were the Golden Absolute and the Second Generation Wind Absolute, arranged roughly according to rank. And then they began to advance.
Jinri’s Sword of Ruin and Soul once again unleashed strikes so fast they were invisible. This time, however, it was different. Instead of a gong, the sound of a massive drum echoed.
Boooom—!
The Black Flame Absolute had completely abandoned offense at the very front line. He covered his face with both arms, focusing entirely on defense. Every muscle in his body was condensed to the extreme as he received the blows from the Sword of Ruin and Soul. It was completely different from the first attempt, where a single strike had shattered his combat readiness.
The 10 Mainstays who realized the difference let out gasps of astonishment.
“Ooooh!”
Although the 10 Mainstays had ranks, the difference in their individual combat power was nearly nonexistent. The weaker one’s personal fighting strength, the greater and stronger the collective power became. Because they were all equal, they had never even considered this approach. The mere sight of them combining their strength to finally make a proper fight caused involuntary groans to escape.
“Hoooo—”
The Black Flame Absolute naturally could not withstand the impact and was pushed backward, but the other 10 Mainstays supported him from behind. They pushed the Black Flame Absolute—who had become their shield—toward Jinri while advancing step by step.
Jinri’s right hand lifted the Sword of Ruin and Soul from the ground. And then calamity descended. The entire space in front of Jinri transformed into the trajectory of the Sword of Ruin and Soul.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam—!
If the previous attacks had been single, frontal strikes resembling iaijutsu, the current assault was a literal wave of slashes striking from every direction. The entire barrage concentrated on the 10 Mainstays with the Black Flame Absolute at the forefront as their shield. No matter how strong the Black Flame Absolute’s body was, there was no way he could endure that unscathed.
“Kuaaaaaaaaagh—!”
Screams finally tore through the air. The shriek the Black Flame Absolute let out while vomiting blood was downright terrifying. A single strike already required his full power to endure; there was no way he could withstand such continuous attacks. Blood sprayed and muscles burst apart. Yet his bones somehow held firm, keeping him in place.
The Sword of Ruin and Soul, now transformed into three-dimensional attacks instead of linear ones, tried to strike the 10 Mainstays behind the Black Flame Absolute as well. That was when the Grey Absolute moved.
“???”
No one could tell what incantation he was using. All they knew was that the trajectories of Jinri’s attacks pouring in from every direction were twisted and redirected entirely to the front. In this way, every strike was forced to land on the Black Flame Absolute.
The peak of magic and negation, Soma—Chris—and the peak of defense, the One Circle’s Pi, shouted at the same time.
“Is that a combination of the Magic of Reality Negation and the Authority of Dimensions? It can even distort Jinri’s attacks? Is that even possible?”
The Grey Absolute did not answer immediately and remained silent. Of course it was possible.
‘My main authority is Perfect Evasion that avoids the Black Flame Absolute’s Perfect Hit, so yes, it’s possible.’
He could not nullify Jinri’s attacks, but he could change the trajectories they followed. By distorting Jinri’s attacks and concentrating them on the Black Flame Absolute, they endured and advanced. The moment they reached nearly point-blank range, the other 10 Mainstays turned the Black Flame Absolute into a literal cannonball and fired him toward Jinri.
They had finally closed the distance. But the price was enormous.
‘The Black Flame Absolute is completely incapacitated, and the Grey Absolute has taken even more damage than the Black Flame Absolute, who absorbed the physical attacks with his body.’
Blood flowed from his mouth. His wings of light and circles of magical power swelled to the verge of explosion, repeatedly expanding and contracting. Although it was a physical attack from what appeared to be 17th-circle or higher, the nature of magic—which was only effective against those of equal or lower rank—made this an absurd overexertion. Twisting even for an instant the trajectory of Jinri’s physical attacks, which seemed to be at 17th-circle or above, was an extreme overdrive of both magic and authority that far surpassed limits where one should have exploded and died on the spot. That was why he could not easily say it was possible.
Nevertheless, he did not stop. Using the Authority of Dimensions, he enveloped the remaining 10 Mainstays and performed a dimensional shift to surround Jinri. The 10 Mainstays who had finally reached Jinri prepared to unleash their full-power Absolute Techniques. Jinri drew the Sword of Ruin and Soul in his left hand.
The moment the 10 Mainstays saw Jinri gripping both swords, complex emotions crossed their faces.
‘It’s just a wooden sword being swung, but I have no idea how much time it will take to endure those strikes and actually reach Jinri.’
To reach that stage, the Golden Absolute, the Second Generation Wind Absolute, the Main God of the Divine Realm, and everyone else had truly given it their all. Most of the 10 Mainstays had lost their combat capability. Yet by changing their approach, they had only lost the Black Flame Absolute and the Grey Absolute while the remaining eight successfully completed the encirclement. The results were so dramatic it was hard to believe they had come from a mere change in tactics.
The movements of the illusions stopped there.
“Beyond this point, I lack sufficiently detailed data on the other 10 Mainstays, so further implementation is difficult. However, with this method, you should be able to cleanly succeed in this particular challenge. You might even receive praise for doing well. Has the worry in your heart been resolved, my future self?”
“Heh—! Fine—! I acknowledge it.”
The Grey Absolute cleanly admitted it in response to the Magic God of Dimensions’ question. His true concern had been that he could not afford to show an unsightly performance during his first challenge against Jinri. He had never thought there was a way to defeat Jinri in the first place. The gap between Jinri and himself that he had confirmed after becoming the Grey Absolute was truly beyond common sense.
‘At the very least, each of us would need to surpass 16th-circle before there would even be a chance of victory.’
The 10 Mainstays were not fools. There was no way they would have continued to suffer only defeats until now. The reason his past self had been asked to find a way to defeat Jinri was because of the fire that had fallen on his own feet—the most urgent problem. Alone, he was weaker than the other 10 Mainstays, so there was no way he could reach Jinri. The higher-ranked Golden Absolute and Black Flame Absolute already looked at him with displeasure, so he would have to fight alone. That would only result in a miserable defeat.
‘The only one who can endure Jinri’s attacks is the Black Flame Absolute. I can support him. But there’s no way the Black Flame Absolute, who holds a grudge against me, would accept a suggestion to use him as a shield if I proposed it.’
To persuade the Black Flame Absolute, the cooperation of the other 10 Mainstays was necessary, but if he brought it up himself, they would never accept it. He needed a trustworthy third party who could present an objective solution. An existence with sufficient problem-solving ability and some connection to the 10 Mainstays would be most effective. When all factors were considered, the Magic God of Dimensions was the perfect candidate. The fact that he had defeated a highest-ranking member of the Black Flame race with nothing more than the position of Main God was enough to earn a degree of trust. Moreover, since his future self was one of the 10 Mainstays, he could not treat the matter casually as if it were someone else’s problem. After all, it would directly reflect on his own evaluation.
‘Still, I couldn’t openly tell him to suggest using the Black Flame Absolute as a shield. The proposal had to come out naturally.’
That was why he had been unable to mention it directly for fear the other 10 Mainstays would notice, but his past self had keenly discerned the hidden intention and presented the solution. Because it was his past self, the method of using the Black Flame Absolute as a shield was the same. The only difference was that if it had been his current past self, he would have flown into a rage saying it was nonsense, yet he had handled it calmly and skillfully. Seeing the other 10 Mainstays actively exchanging opinions, it seemed the plan to use the Black Flame Absolute as a shield would be accepted.
After all, for them, what was called a challenge against Jinri was actually an endless series of sparring sessions while waiting for a rise in power and luck. There was no greater hardship. Even if the Golden Absolute and Black Flame Absolute opposed it, since an easier path existed, they would definitely go through with it. For now, the immediate worry had disappeared.
‘My past self has grown. Becoming the Main God must have played a big part.’
Feeling both a strange sense of pride and a sudden surge of heat in his chest, he said nothing more and snapped his fingers.
Snap—!
A door through space opened, and he sent the Magic God of Dimensions back to his original Dimensional Divine Realm.
The method the Magic God of Dimensions had presented was almost identical to his own, but as expected, the level gap was too great and it was still insufficient.
‘Additional supplementation is needed.’
Watching the Grey Absolute sink deep into thought, the Magic God of Dimensions returned to his proper place. The future Grey Absolute had to challenge Jinri as one of the 10 Mainstays, while his past self, the Magic God of Dimensions, had to carry out his duties as the Main God of the Divine Realm and the Dimensional and War God. Of course, both tasks were incredibly difficult. However, the suffering of the 10 Mainstays who served Jinri and the hardships of a mere Main God were not even worth comparing.
Looking at the Grey Absolute who had entered deep contemplation, the Magic God of Dimensions spoke a single line in his heart.
‘I’m truly sorry, my future self. Hang in there.’
There was a reason he had cut the simulation of the mock battle—where the Black Flame Absolute was used as a shield—midway. It had only been half a solution.
‘We managed to close the distance, but in the next scene everyone was struck down in a single blow. We could approach with relative ease, but after Jinri took both swords in hand, there was nothing more.’
Jinri, holding the Sword of Ruin and Soul in both hands and revealing his true intent, was terrifying even though he was only an illusion. No matter how many times the simulation was repeated with the 10 Mainstays set at the absolute peak of 14th-circle, the result never changed. What followed was simply a repetition of the first mock battle. The only consolation was that, even so, this was genuinely well done. They would have far more opportunities to reach Jinri than in the beginning. How much the Black Flame Absolute and the Grey Absolute would suffer in the process, however, was another matter entirely.