The Burdens of a Main God
Returning from the Otherworld War to the Dimensional Divine Realm, he found to his immense relief that not much time had passed. It was as if he had simply vanished for a moment and reappeared. Still, it seems my future self showed some consideration after all.
The urgent matter wasn’t these people. It was confirming the arrangements made by his future self, the Grey Absolute. He summoned the divine egos of both the Main Divine Realm and the Dimensional Divine Realm, then ordered them to investigate every single record concerning himself.
It was the complete erasure of my past as a mercenary god and the removal of all related memories.
The life of a mercenary god consisted almost entirely of battles on hopeless battlefields. One had to wonder how they had even won those fights. If the one who had led them from the shadows suddenly disappeared, problems were bound to arise.
Information errors could occur, and there might be administrative gods attempting to trace them.
He had expected numerous complications, yet when he reviewed the battle records from that period—obtained with the divine egos’ assistance—a hollow laugh escaped him. There were no problems at all.
Hahaha—! I expected as much, but they took all the credit for themselves. They treated me like a mere foot soldier.
If victory had been achieved through a mercenary god summoned by contract, it would have been a disgrace for the Main God of the Divine Realm. Moreover, to prevent any drop in karma, there was no reason to award meaningless military merits to a mercenary god whose name had been permanently sealed and who had hidden his identity as a weakling.
Therefore, unless it involved the demon race being defeated by an overwhelming majority, accurate records of achievements simply did not exist for the god race. He felt anger rising, but the events were already in the past.
No matter how many times I check, every detail related to the mercenary god’s battles has been erased. It is correct that I was appointed Main God of this divine realm upon the Grey Absolute’s recommendation.
The timing was somewhat delicate, but there was no administrative god foolish enough to question the Ten Centers about it. It was slightly regrettable that his achievements had vanished, yet it was a cheap price to pay for completely shaking off his past as a mercenary god.
Achievements or faults? In the end, it’s all the same, isn’t it? After all, it’s entirely up to the superiors’ judgment. This much is acceptable. Only…
The sole issue was that his appointment had been an emergency delegation for a dangerous divine realm—one that would face immediate problems if the previous Main God of the Divine Realm vacated his position in order to ascend.
Afterward, nothing had changed about the fact that he had used the vitality earned from fighting the Substitute Race to become the Main God of an independent divine realm. In other words, the evaluation of the Dimensional Divine Realm remained an absolute mess, a complete disaster.
On top of that, the formal evaluations his affiliated high gods had given him were appalling. The data handed over by the Main Divine Realm’s ego even included subordinates’ assessments of their superiors, which proved quite illuminating.
A capable but untrustworthy god of human origin? In a situation where changing the worst possible divine realm evaluation is already difficult, they spoke ill of me behind my back. These bastards just…
His head began to throb on its own. Being the Main God of the Divine Realm ultimately meant being the face of that realm. It was as though the face’s own hands and feet had smeared it with excrement. Yet he could not afford to lose his temper. The situations faced by other Main Gods of Divine Realms were no different.
All evaluations and survey reports from lower ranks were the absolute worst.
He fell naturally into thought, his right fingers tapping against the floor.
Tap. Tap. Tap—!
The sound was slightly odd, but he needed to focus on the problem before him. He could not stoop so low as to evade responsibility by claiming the worst divine realm evaluation was entirely his predecessor’s fault.
Even if viewed as the lower ranks’ backlash against a superior holding absolute power, this is a serious level. It must stem from long-term stagnation in promotions.
Independent divine realms where mercenary gods had been appointed as Main Gods were especially precarious—close enough to rebellion that it raised suspicions. In any divine realm, rivalry between concubines and official partners, or succession struggles between heirs and direct bloodlines, was standard.
Even the sentient beings of the Main God Star were showing signs of revolt. It’s a wonder they’ve kept the divine realm intact at all.
Without the overwhelming personal power of independent divine realm Main Gods, problems would have erupted long ago. This was precisely why he had been reluctant to intervene in the battle to decide the next Main God.
Participation would inevitably result in serious injuries, which would weaken his control over his divine realm. The Main God position was supposed to protect that vulnerable moment, yet both Almighty Hwi and the Dimensional Mage God considered themselves equals. Since it was impossible to know who would claim the position, participation had been out of the question.
This is horrific. I only intended to review my own records, yet why are problems pouring out endlessly like this? Still, to properly fulfill the role of Main God…
If Almighty Hwi became Main God, none of this would matter. The Creator Gods supported him enough to create special opportunities for his promotion.
This is the origin of the Almighty Tribe, whose revival is nearly complete. Considering his future influence, being seen in a bad light would make living as a god in the divine realm extremely difficult. Therefore, one cannot dare cause trouble.
All problems had been buried and the faction allowed to develop under the overwhelming power and influence of a superior being—the origin of the Almighty God Tribe who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors.
All the strengths and weaknesses of a force that developed at breakneck speed under a powerful leader are gathered here.
This was why an ordinary Main God could never handle the position. My own situation isn’t bad. The Grey Absolute’s recommendation truly carries enormous weight.
Even if the Main God position were transferred to him, the Main Divine Realm would remain perfectly tranquil. It was stable enough that its inherent problems were irrelevant. Everyone wants to see how this plays out.
The Main Divine Realm’s report added that after the Dimensional Mage God assumed the Main God position, communications and data exchanges between divine realms had gone quiet. However, once the Grey Absolute’s information manipulation and selective memory incineration occurred, unhealthy exchanges of information had exploded.
Yet the internal reactions are almost entirely fear and despair. Huh? What is this now? They’re asking if he’s a spy unless the recommendation came from the Grey Absolute? Claiming the Absolute Realm is the vanguard for an invasion of the Master Universe? Why would the Ten Centers of the Absolute Realm invade the Master Universe? They already have more territory than they need. Why would they want a weak Master Universe with low vitality that could be crushed by sending only a few members of a lesser tribe? Why are idiots spouting such nonsense appearing? Hmm? The root cause is fear of the Grey Absolute. They think I might act the same way? The great purge of the Grey Realm and the replacement of its ruling forces must be the problem.
It had not even been a few months since the Grey Absolute became one of the Ten Centers. Yet he had annihilated the entire existing ruling class, mobilized the Substitute Race, and completely reorganized all forces. The deaths and damage occurring in the process were so enormous that the Master Universe could not comprehend them.
It was the Grey Absolute’s request, but the position of one of the Ten Centers carries far too much weight.
As a result of the Substitute Race’s general mobilization, spiritual and living beings equivalent to more than one entire Master Universe had perished, and half their territory had been seized. This was the outcome of every Substitute Race across all 499 Master Universes concentrating their full power, leaving behind only the minimum required for defense.
It is the aftereffect of the previous rulers of the Grey Realm dying completely at the Grey Absolute’s hands.
Still, because they were the ruling power of the Absolute Realm, they had begun creating new rulers and mounting a comprehensive response. The situation had now reached a near-stalemate. Even Creator Gods possessing more than ten times the power of ordinary Creators were appearing one after another—beings so strong that no one could afford to be careless. They blocked the advance and even launched counterattacks.
On the front lines against the Substitute Race, countless battles continued to rage even now.
Some evaluated the situation as the complete elimination of existing forces in order to develop new ones, but the scale far exceeded anything understandable. Still, to accumulate such notoriety in such a short time was genuinely impressive.
The gods’ evaluation of the Grey Absolute is even more vicious than their opinion of the Demon Emperor or the God of Destruction.
If one became Main God of the Divine Realm—and even claimed the Main God position—on the recommendation of such a being, what would that imply? It would be like staring at a bomb that could detonate at any moment.
For now, this state of tension is preferable.
The nervous atmosphere was not entirely bad. I still lack the kind of forces Almighty Hwi possesses.
He had to handle everything through personal ability alone. Leading forces requires both reward and punishment, along with the leader’s own power.
Upon becoming a Main God equivalent to a Creator God, he had been granted full authority and permission to create a Main God Star. If his ability allowed, he even had the right to create a Creator Star. As a reward, this was more than sufficient.
Countless Main Gods would willingly give their lives for the chance to become a Main God of the Divine Realm. If one can become stronger than anyone else within one’s own divine realm, there is no greater glory for a battle god. From what I have confirmed directly, the Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe possess absurdly weak creation power compared to me.
When Almighty Hwi had asked how long it would take him to create a Main God Star, curiosity had prompted an investigation. The answer was that it required nearly ten thousand years.
Compared to the less than one year it takes me, that is not even one ten-thousandth.
It was an exceedingly satisfying situation. There is no other Main God who can offer as many rewards as I can. This is my greatest advantage.
For punishment, he had the Divine Spirit Purgatory—a prison that confined spiritual beings. Unlike the Spirit Realm, which was managed directly by the Main Divine Realm, this one was bound to him personally. No one knew when they might be released. Since releasing them depended entirely on his whim, it inspired even greater terror than the Spirit Realm.
Is the punishment the Divine Spirit Purgatory? As a symbol, it is more than adequate.
What remained was the leader’s power. This, too, presented no major issue. He had single-handedly devastated the Main Divine Realm and defeated Almighty Hwi—who had mastered the Incomprehensible Eight Ancestors—in single combat. No one could deny that among the Main Gods, I am a powerhouse. Currently, I do not believe I lack anything.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
He swept his palm across the floor. The texture was strangely soft, but it helped calm his thoughts.
For a Main God, this power is more than enough, yet to the Creator Gods it would still appear childish. Even Almighty Hwi could not have won without drawing in the Black Flame Absolute. And even Almighty Hwi is merely a mid-tier Creator God. Unless I prove both my capability and utility to Creator Gods stronger than myself, I will be unable to properly fulfill the duties of the Main God position.
The greatest strength Almighty Hwi possessed as Main God was the absolute trust of his direct Creator Gods. The support of the surrounding Creator Gods also prevented lower beings from even considering rebellion. Such things could never be built overnight. The trust and support of the Creator Gods was something he would have to cultivate from this moment forward.
This was where the biggest problem arose. Just thinking about it made curses bubble up his throat.
Goddammit! The Creator Gods are all absent from the 499th Master Universe. Before the Grey Absolute could partially erase the memories that regarded the entire 499th Master Universe as his territory, they all vacated their positions to protect and restore the boundary between the Absolute Realm and the Master Universe. In the end, it means the Creator Gods’ memories were not altered.
Of course, they would not remember the past of mere Main Gods and mercenary gods, but he had rampaged far too wildly after ascending to the divine realm. There is room for them to remember.
Since the Grey Absolute had simply deleted and replaced data rather than changing the past, a detailed investigation could still cause problems.
I could ask my future self, the Grey Absolute, to take additional measures, but I would rather die. There is no telling how it might become entangled and create new problems.
His future self was too extreme to handle. He was the Main God of the Master Universe, not yet one of the Ten Centers. He must not cause any more problems in the future.
Both the Black Flame Absolute’s request and this current concern regarding the Grey Absolute were beyond what he could reasonably handle. At least the Grey Absolute was his future self and had shown some consideration, allowing him to pass through. Even so, it felt as though he had experienced all the hardships of his life at once.
In particular, he never wanted to fight the Black Flame Absolute again. His combat strength was monstrous, but the shudder he had felt when facing the divine spirit known as the Silence of Truth still sent chills down his spine.
Squeeze—!
Strength unconsciously flowed into his grip, and a sudden scream tore through the air.
The mind that had been lost in thought snapped back at Storm Annihilation Enlil’s scream. Looking at the situation, his right hand was tightly gripping Enlil’s left buttock.
My body possesses the strength of the Black Flame physique, which far surpasses the realm of Main Gods.
That was why Enlil, regaining her senses from the bruising pressure and pain, had screamed. For a moment, he was at a loss for words at the sight of her tear-filled eyes glaring at him.
I became lost in thought and completely forgot the current situation. Then… have I been tapping, touching, and grabbing Enlil’s buttocks this entire time?
A quick glance around showed the goddesses wearing thoroughly fed-up expressions while most of the high gods were staring at him as if he were a pervert.
It’s the exact look one gives a color god. Huh? Damn it, of course.
Just when he had barely begun to shake off the stigma of being a color god, it had returned in full force in a single instant. A sigh escaped him naturally.
The risk of the Creator Gods remembering his past is not the real problem.
Gaining the trust of his superiors was the first priority, but right now, this situation had to be resolved first.