The Absurd Commission
The moment he came to his senses after the war in the Otherworld, it was already too late. The words of consent had left his mouth, and the Origin of Dimension from the Wind Family had immediately handed over his own Sword of Ruin and Soul before sending him straight back to the Dimensional Divine Realm. The process had been so swift that there had been no room for further negotiation.
“Heh. Damn dimensional authority. It really shows no mercy.”
Thud! The words denying half of his own authority slipped weakly from his lips as he collapsed into the seat of honor in the audience chamber of the Dimensional Divine Temple.
‘As expected of the Origin of Dimension from the Wind Family. The range and activation speed of his authority were nearly on par with the Grey Absolute. I was teleported back to my original position before I could even get another word out.’
Sitting alone in the Dimensional Temple—the same one that existed before the Origin of the Mage God had summoned him—he finally began to grasp the full weight of what he had done.
‘After seeing the hidden power of the Black Flame Absolute, “Silence of Truth,” I know these are monsters I should never associate with. That’s why I never wanted to get tangled up with the 10 Centers, even if it meant death. Yet here I am again.’
His hands rose instinctively to his throbbing head. A groan escaped him as he clutched his skull, overwhelmed by the urge to wail.
“Aaaaargh—!”
The beast-like cry burst out as he frantically rechecked the request, but nothing had changed. The absurd commission written on the Origin of Dimension’s Sword of Ruin and Soul—“Become the glory of the Wind Family, dear Cha-ho. —Han Jin-an, 110th”—still bore the signatures of the 10 Centers, unaltered.
‘If there had been no content at all, I could at least have lied about it. But this? This is impossible. What am I supposed to do? The Grey Absolute would sign it, though he’d make me suffer for it. But the other 10 Centers? I can’t even approach them. Getting close to the Black Flame Absolute or the Golden Absolute would probably get me erased. They’re the type who don’t tolerate ordinary weaklings from the start.’
The title of Creator God King of a Master Universe was equivalent to a Creator God, yet it ranked only in the top ten thousand among lower beings. Across all Master Universes, that would drop him to around five millionth place. And once he entered the Absolute Realm—where even a Creator God King was judged as barely a mid-tier warrior—the ranking became truly horrifying.
For someone of such low standing to approach the 10 Centers, who occupied ranks one through ten in the Absolute Realm, was unthinkable. The only thing he could rely on was his identity as the past self of the Grey Absolute, and even that was far from trustworthy.
‘Judging by how he summoned me to devise a way to challenge Jinri, he clearly has no intention of getting along with the other 10 Centers. I have no idea what he’s planning.’
Still, the Grey Absolute wouldn’t kill him outright just because he was his past self—though predicting his actions was impossible.
‘The 10 Centers, who maintain their ranks through sheer power, are nothing like decent people.’
The Golden Absolute, whose proxy had been killed, and the Black Flame Absolute, who had been blasted to the outermost edge of the 999th Master Universe, would never look kindly on him. Moreover, this commission had been accepted on his own initiative, so he couldn’t even ask the Origin of the Mage God for help. A mere Creator God King of a Master Universe attempting to handle a request involving the 10 Centers of the Absolute Realm alone—there was simply no solution, no matter how he thought about it.
And the role itself made no sense.
‘I’d rather be dragged into the worst war imaginable. What am I, some messenger of reconciliation? If the Origin of Dimension himself, representing the Wind Family, went to negotiate peace, even the 10 Centers couldn’t ignore him. There’s such an easy method, yet he wants signatures? I’m not some obsessed fan chasing a movie star.’
Yet refusal wasn’t an option either. As someone who had lived as a mercenary god, he understood that loyalty and goodwill were given in exchange for compensation and didn’t expect them for free—but the young masters were different.
‘They’ve grown up taking such things for granted. If something goes against their expectations, it’ll be terrifying.’
The Origin of Dimension was stronger than him, and like the Origin of the Mage God, he was currently an opponent he couldn’t face. Even if he abandoned the request and fled to the Otherworld using dimensional authority, he would be caught effortlessly. No matter how much he agonized, only the brutal reality sank in. The fact that modifying or rejecting this despair-inducing commission was already impossible only made it worse.
As he continued to torment himself over the mistake he had made while blinded by the enormous reward, the signal tone of the audience chamber in the Dimensional Temple rang out.
Beep—!
A clear female voice called from beyond the door.
“My lord. May I enter?”
The divine power he sensed outside belonged to five individuals. They were the Beast God Lords, each possessing elemental power surpassing even the Spirit Gods of the Otherworld.
‘The Beast God Lords? Come to think of it, they were the greatest help this time.’
He didn’t want to see anyone, but he owed them a debt.
‘They’re the ones who taught me this archaic attire and speech.’
In the 499th Master Universe, most were combat gods, and power was everything. High-ranking gods above the Main God level had long abandoned etiquette and decorum. Spending time on such things instead of training simply lowered one’s chances of survival. That was why he had entrusted the task to them—the only ones who had thoroughly learned court etiquette as princesses of the Beast God clans in the Otherworld.
“Enter.”
Watching the Beast God Lords enter with their heads bowed demurely still felt awkward. It wasn’t as if he were dressing dolls, yet the endless adjustments to their outfits and decorations had become tiresome. Still, he now agreed with their advice that a superior needed to project arrogance and wear a mask. The results had been undeniable. The shabby appearance of a mercenary god had vanished, replaced by a flawless image of a Creator God—so perfect that even he questioned who he was seeing.
Thanks to that, he had returned safely.
‘I didn’t receive even a single strike from the Origin of the Mage God. This attire and manner of speech are definitely effective. I’ll keep pushing forward with this.’
He felt grateful, realizing that if he had stubbornly worn his combat robe out of laziness, he would have been subjected to brutal training.
The sight of the Beast God Lords lifting the hems of their skirts slightly with both hands and bowing at the waist was burdensome, yet he found himself willing to accept it. When he lightly nodded in return, voices immediately followed.
“Your hair and attire are disheveled, my lord. Allow us to correct them.”
At those words, he felt his neatly arranged hair had become tangled and ornaments had fallen off. It must have happened while he had been thrashing in self-loathing over his own foolishness. Though he didn’t think it mattered right now, he had nothing else to do anyway.
‘No matter how I think about it, I can’t handle this alone.’
When he nodded, the five approached like a painting and began retrieving combs and tools from their robes to set everything in order. Surrounded by five goddesses who demonstrated what dignified beauty truly meant, having his hair and robes tended to wasn’t unpleasant. Their wholehearted effort, as if crafting a work of art, even brought him a measure of calm.
Knowing that styling this appearance would take considerable time, he let his thoughts drift naturally, and a murmur escaped his lips.
“If one must ask a favor of a god of higher rank—especially one who is hostile—how should it be done?”
The careful movements of the Beast God Lords froze in surprise. Though he realized his mistake upon seeing their questioning glances, he sent them a clear will to answer. After exchanging looks, the representative—the Beast God Lord of the Yellow Dragon God Clan, with radiant golden hair as if forged from gold and golden antlers like a deer—spoke.
“A high-ranking god never accepts requests from lower gods. They only issue commands and reward obedience. That is domination.”
“Indeed.”
It was common sense. A subordinate’s request might seem trivial, but granting it repeatedly blurred the lines of authority. Thus, requests were never accepted—only repaid as rewards in exchange for loyalty. And to the 10 Centers, his existence held no value whatsoever, except as the past self of the Grey Absolute.
“However, there are exceptions, my lord.”
The Yellow Dragon God Clan woman resumed tidying his hair as she continued.
“If a lower being possesses strength or utility that even a superior cannot ignore, then requests may be granted. My lord, you are stronger and more exceptional than any god I have seen in the Otherworld. No high-ranking god could disregard you. Face them with confidence.”
“……”
It was sound reasoning, yet he had no reply. Strength and utility were relative.
‘A Creator God of a Master Universe would never be able to ignore me, but the 10 Centers of the Absolute Realm are a different matter. Factoring in the backlash from whatever the Grey Absolute is doing makes it terrifying. If it weren’t for the absolute good karma imposed upon Creator Gods, the Black Flame Absolute might have killed me on the spot.’
When the Yellow Dragon God Clan Beast God Lord received no reaction, she added more.
“I do not know the details, so my words are limited, but this is merely our humble opinion. My lord has many capable and wise Main Gods under him. It would be wise to hear their counsel as well.”
Twitch!
‘Those headaches—!’
Just thinking about them made his body tense and fighting spirit rise. His dimensional authority already encompassed the Dimensional Creation Star and the Main God Star. He could perceive the actions and wills of every sentient being and god living within them. All the gods were preoccupied with managing the chaos of the forcibly relocated sentient beings on the newly created Main God Star and solidifying their own factions.
‘Yet they’re still growling and ready to fight each other the moment they meet.’
Regardless of the past, the Divine Realm had now evolved to the level of a Highest Creator Star. There was a mountain of work to be done to secure their positions, yet they couldn’t suppress their emotions. No matter how he looked at it, they weren’t in their right minds.
As if reading his discomfort, she gently stroked his hair and spoke soothingly.
“All problems stem from one’s own stubbornness and life beliefs. No belief or ideal is perfect, and as errors accumulate over time, they grow into threats even to oneself. That is why solving them alone is difficult. If the Main God of the Divine Realm carries an unsolvable worry, it will greatly harm the Divine Realm. In such times, seeking wise advice from subordinates with different thoughts and perspectives is no shame. Though they differ greatly from you and lack harmony, they may offer alternative solutions. If our meager strength can be of assistance, we shall prepare it.”
“Hmm?”
Only then did he notice that high-ranking Main Gods had gathered in the Dimensional Temple. They were representatives of each faction: Gaiana, the acting Main God of the Divine Realm, along with the Goddesses of the Goddess Blood Alliance, the Spirit Main Gods, the God of Knowledge, and the Spirit Gods of the Otherworld.
At his questioning look demanding an explanation, the Beast God Lords smiled softly.
“They have all volunteered to reconcile. As loyal subordinates, instead of receiving orders, they request the active assistance of the Divine Realm’s ego. This is all thanks to my lord’s strength and dignity.”
At those words, something he had overlooked suddenly came to mind. The Divine Realm’s ego did not listen to gods of lower rank than himself.
‘I never told the Divine Realm’s ego to assist the gods even if their levels were lower.’
A Divine Realm ego at the level of a Highest Creator Star would never willingly help mere Main Gods who weren’t even Creator Candidates. Given how it treated even Gaiana, the Divine Realm Management Main God, with such disdain, it had probably attached various conditions or ignored them outright. As leaders who needed to extract maximum support from the Divine Realm for their respective factions, the ego’s disregard was an unbearable pressure.
Yet their relationship wasn’t good enough for him to make requests of the Main God of the Divine Realm, nor could he resort to threats. Now he was stronger than them.
‘As long as they don’t catch me off guard in close combat, that is.’
In short, as the Main God of the Divine Realm, he couldn’t possibly win through normal means, and the sheer scale of managing the now-enormous Divine Realm had left him overwhelmed and in need of help. It was vexing to see them bow their heads the moment things became difficult, but this wasn’t the time for such considerations. Right now, he desperately wanted someone’s help or advice regarding the worst commission he had received.
However, aside from the Grey Absolute—his future self—he had no one to discuss it with. At the very least, these were leaders who commanded many gods. They might have a good solution.
“Tell them to come in.”
At those words, the door to the audience chamber opened, and the visibly exhausted Divine Realm Management Main Gods entered. Their tired expressions made it clear just how much they had been ignored and tormented by the Divine Realm’s ego.