The Heracles Precedent
The assembled gods and goddesses stood frozen in astonishment at the sight of the Magic God of Dimensions. He had shed the pitch-black combat robe that always concealed even his face during the Otherworld War, revealing himself now in the full, flawless regalia of a high Creator God.
Yet the Magic God of Dimensions found the entire situation deeply unpleasant. They were all staring at his face as if spellbound, bodies locked in place like statues. 'No matter what my appearance might be, in the end I am still myself. How can they not understand something so simple?'
The nearby divine beasts wore expressions of open pride, but the current crisis left no room for such indulgences. Snap! At the light click of his fingers, the goddesses and representatives jolted awake as if emerging from a trance. They hastily averted their eyes and took their seats at the table that had materialized in the center of the chamber.
The hierarchy was straightforward enough. Gaiana, acting as representative of the Main God of the Divine Realm, sat at the head. Lokina, Lord of the Flipside, took the position beside her, followed by Granraha. The spirit gods and goddesses filled the remaining seats in a careful intermingling.
The atmosphere crackled with hostility. These were rivals who constantly vied for dominance over the divine realm, the sort of gathering where violence could erupt at any moment. Yet right now every head remained bowed in silence. Gods displayed their greatest power within their own temples, after all, and this was the personal sanctuary of the Main God of the Divine Realm—one who had grown so powerful that even their combined strength could achieve nothing against him.
Having witnessed the fate of the spirit god from the Otherworld, they were taking no chances. Any rash action might bring the same disaster upon their own heads.
'This is my temple. There is zero possibility they could defeat me. What matters now is not this spectacle, but my actual problem.'
He settled his mind into a relaxed state and issued his command. Political maneuvering and endless back-and-forth debates had always disgusted him.
"Activate the Divine Realm's self at maximum capacity regardless of divine rank. This is an emergency."
"Understood."
The concise reply from the Divine Realm's self echoed through the chamber. When the original divine power support resumed, fresh shock rippled across every face. They had clearly been calculating the price they would have to pay for such measures. But the authority of a Main God held no value anymore now that he had ascended to Lord God. Even the Devotion Pledge, which increased innate divine power, had become useless. The karmic contracts in which they offered Main God Stars in place of receiving measures had dissolved automatically.
"I promised the highest level of support. Simply deliver appropriate results. There is a more important matter at hand."
At those simple words, understanding dawned in their eyes. Traces of respect and goodwill surfaced, but he paid them no mind and moved directly to the core issue.
"I have received a request from my superior that presents certain difficulties. I wish to hear your counsel."
Question marks practically hovered above their heads. He was the Main God of an independent divine realm. Proprieties had risen to mid-level Creator God through the achievement of birthing a Main God from mortal life and various other merits, but that did not make him the Magic God of Dimensions' direct superior. A Creator God managing a given territory had no obligation to obey orders outside specific circumstances.
'Their faces are asking who it could be, but I have no duty to answer. Besides, if they knew, they would all give up immediately.'
Even ordinary beings from the main universe became objects of wonder in the Absolute Realm. If the superior in question belonged to the 10 Mainstays—the supreme rulers—or stood among the Origins of the Wind Family, the gap was simply too vast.
"What this person desires is reconciliation with the hostile faction. They have instructed me to obtain signatures as proof of that reconciliation."
In truth, it amounted to nothing more than collecting a simple signature. Growing up within the Wind Family, which revered strength and worshiped power, had given him an excessive appreciation for the 10 Mainstays, the strongest existences in the Absolute Realm. He understood that much. Yet the Origin of the Wind Family could not possibly be so naive or clumsy. Having received full authority delegated by the other Origins, they would have considered every variable.
If he had not framed the situation this way, they would have dismissed it as a joke. As expected, the moment the words grew serious, everyone fell silent and listened with complete attention.
"The leaders of the hostile forces stand incomparably above me, and their dispositions are..."
He paused. The image of the Black Flame Absolute rampaging madly in battle had surfaced in his mind, along with the hidden divine spirit known as the Silence of Truth.
'That overwhelming presence was literally a warrior and fighter who had achieved everything through his own power alone.'
It was an aura of intimidation that seemed forever out of reach. And yet the Black Flame Absolute was merely ranked fourth. That rank had only been achieved through desperate, near-berserk exertion. One could easily imagine what sort of dispositions and abilities the Golden Absolute above him—or those of even higher standing—must possess.
"They represent the purification and ultimate pinnacle of the path of supremacy. They are true powerhouses who accomplish everything through raw strength."
The goddesses' eyes widened. They understood perfectly what the Magic God of Dimensions—who now held the first rank among Lord Gods—meant by "true powerhouses." The mention of "supremacy" alone told them the level involved. To obtain even the smallest thing from such beings, one would have to offer far more in return.
"My sole advantage is that one of them shares a connection with me. Unfortunately, even that connection is viewed poorly by the other powerhouses. Two of them are practically mortal enemies, and both occupy the highest ranks that represent the entire group. Full cooperation is therefore impossible. If they were to intervene actively, it would only worsen the situation."
From the Black Flame Absolute's perspective, it must feel as though some weak, idiotic newcomer had stolen his position and the person he least wanted to see had stabbed him in the back. The Golden Absolute despised the weak, so there was no helping that particular grudge.
Because of the enmity with both the Golden and Black Flame Absolutes, the Grey Absolute could not step forward directly. Given his past self, he likely had no intention of bowing his head to the 10 Mainstays anyway.
"To summarize, my connection with one of them is why my superior assigned me this task. Yet because that connection creates poor relations with the others, receiving help has become difficult. The situation has grown even more complicated. From my position as a Lord God, these are not beings I can simply ask favors from. They are existences I would struggle to even meet face-to-face. I seek your advice on how to safely obtain signatures of reconciliation from them."
When the Magic God of Dimensions finished speaking, the goddesses, spirit gods, and even the spirit deity from the Otherworld sank into heavy silence. From the brief explanation, they had realized their Main God had become entangled in the political struggles of vastly superior beings.
It would be easier if this were a battlefield with clear enemies and allies. Political matters like this are exhausting.
A being so lofty that even a Lord God cannot look upon their face? One misstep and he could end up neither dead nor alive.
Yet they could not pretend ignorance. They had already received the Divine Realm's self's full cooperation—the very thing they had desired—without offering any compensation. No subordinate willingly served a superior who brought them no benefit.
The Divine Realm's self has grown uncooperative, claiming it does not deal with Main Gods. Our faction stands on the brink of collapse.
Despite this, their own insufficient divinity meant they had to seek permission from the Divine Realm's self even for the most basic measures. Currently, the only being in the Dimensional Divine Realm above the level of Creator God was the Magic God of Dimensions himself.
Everyone had inwardly steeled themselves for the worst, only to find the situation resolved far too easily. The tension drained away, leaving them feeling strangely hollow. That this same Magic God of Dimensions—who had acted entirely as he pleased until now, even waging a war against a Lord God—would now seek their counsel represented a remarkable change. They all recognized that this moment carried tremendous importance.
Unfortunately, they lacked sufficient information. In the end, the God of Knowledge, seated in the farthest corner, spoke up. As a Main God his power ranked at the bottom, but situations like this fell squarely within his expertise. This was the perfect opportunity to remind them of his value.
"If you could reveal who this superior being is, we would be able to assess the situation more accurately."
A dangerous glint flashed in the Magic God of Dimensions' eyes. Killing intent and fighting spirit leaked outward. In the suddenly oppressive atmosphere, his warning rang out clearly to the tense gods.
"Do not attempt to learn more than what I tell you. These are not beings that the Main Gods of the main universe may dare to speak of. However, the difference between them and myself is more than three circles. Use that as your frame of reference."
Even that estimation was set deliberately low, but it should be enough for them to guess the general scale. They might not realize it involved the 10 Mainstays exactly, but they would understand that the highest echelons of the Absolute Realm were entangled in this matter.
The gods' faces grew even darker. Their expressions turned bleak.
Three circles sounds simple enough, but for a ten-circle Main God, that is equivalent to a thirteen-circle Creator General.
What sort of request could a Main God possibly make to a Creator General?
And if the pretext involves a connection to a hostile Creator General, the moment he appears he will likely face immediate annihilation.
Sending such a low-ranking being as an envoy of reconciliation to a hostile faction was absurd. The goddesses of the Goddess Alliance exchanged thoughts in an instant and reached their conclusion. Having served as Main Gods for a long time, they were well-versed in political matters of this nature.
This is impossible. Reconciliation requires at least an equal envoy. There is no chance they would listen to someone so far beneath them.
This doesn't feel like a genuine reconciliation mission at all. It seems more like sending a disliked subordinate into a trap to die.
Since killing him directly would look bad, they're having the enemy do it instead?
Surely not. Who would dispose of a Creator God of that caliber so casually?
Who knows? The Absolute Realm operates under different rules than the main universe.
They had already witnessed the Magic God of Dimensions' strength and creative power. Among the Creator Gods of the main universe, his raw power placed him in the middle ranks. When his creative abilities were factored in, however, he rose to the very top. Even a Creator General could not afford to discard such an existence lightly.
Yet from the perspective of the other Main Gods, this was the only conclusion they could reach. Lokina, Lord of the Flipside, had arrived at the same assessment. True to her nature as a mage god, she evaluated only success and failure.
Excluding the two mortal enemies, obtaining signatures from the others might be possible. But the price would be enormous. Given that reconciliation requires every signature, ultimate failure is inevitable. There is no prospect of success.
Connections carried weight. An introduction might secure a meeting. Afterward, a price resembling retaliation would have to be paid, but completion remained theoretically possible. The greatest obstacle was the nature of the task itself—mediating reconciliation.
If they encounter someone they judge as an enemy, they would kill him on the spot.
The position of Lord God of the main universe, which judged karma as absolute good, might prevent immediate execution. But the likelihood of suffering severe consequences later remained extremely high. Should the envoy of reconciliation be killed or subjected to terrible humiliation, the mission would fail by default.
Watching all the gods hang their heads in endless contemplation finally irritated the Magic God of Dimensions enough to add further explanation.
"In essence, I must earn recognition from the other beings through my connection with one higher existence. Though they dislike that particular being, they cannot ignore the connection. A meeting should be possible. The crucial question is how to obtain their signatures of reconciliation during that encounter."
Though ranked tenth and therefore the lowest, that position was determined solely by individual combat prowess. The Grey Absolute's true strength lay in support and assistance. Moreover, he had thoroughly proven his individual power—previously considered insufficient—during the recent judgment of the grey region.
When you factor in the notoriety of the 'mad grey,' considered the worst stigma in the Absolute Realm, even the 10 Mainstays cannot dismiss me after receiving a proper introduction. But that is as far as it goes.
Everything after that point would be up to the Magic God of Dimensions himself. The gap in power was simply too vast, and the existing ill will made success unlikely. In his frustration, he added a concise clarification.
"I am asking for advice on how to make a lower-ranking individual—introduced by an uncomfortable colleague—accept an unwanted request. It would also help to know how to gain permission even from those with whom one shares an enemy-like relationship. All to obtain a reconciliation in which they have no interest whatsoever."
The words grew increasingly undignified, yet they struck directly at the heart of the matter. The 10 Mainstays had no desire to reconcile with the Wind Family. On the contrary, they viewed them as enemies who must be suppressed by any means. There was no reason they would grant a request coming from a disliked colleague and an incomparably inferior subordinate. If the subordinate in question was problematic, they could kill him without consequence.
No matter how he considered it, no solution presented itself. Those with extensive social experience were unlikely to produce a different answer.
Then, from an unexpected direction, a voice spoke up.
"Huh? You're going to stir up trouble just to gain permission for something nobody cares about? Haven't we seen a similar situation before? Didn't we resolve it quite well back then? Hera. I mean, Granraha."
It was Hephais of Infinite Alchemy. She had almost called Granraha by her past name out of habit, but the other woman's sharp glare made her correct herself immediately.
The tension between them remains strong. It seems their relationship still has a long way to go before it improves.
There was no way Granraha could feel affection for the successor born from the divine power of the partner who had once forced himself upon her. Still, blood relations might eventually bridge the gap.
"I have no idea what situation you are referring to. Moreover, the past? I don't understand what you mean at all. It seems the aftereffects of your injuries are still quite severe."
Granraha's icy tone completely rejected any mention of the past. Hephais sighed as if she had no choice and embellished her words slightly.
She altered her form to something resembling an assassin's physique and lived in hiding. It changed her personality as well. In the past she only grew jealous. Now she immediately takes decisive action.
Revealing the past now would clearly invite retribution. Hephais decided to adjust the story somewhat and began her explanation.
"Of course the background and purpose differ somewhat. However, the situation itself is remarkably similar. At that time, it concerned the process by which a powerful demigod ascended to true godhood. In that case, the higher being connected to the demigod was the Main God who had given birth to it. This Main God wished to officially accept the astonishingly powerful demigod as a high-ranking deity within the divine realm. Naturally, this required the approval of the other great gods, but none would consent. The problem was that the demigod possessed combat strength equivalent to a great god, meaning a high position would have to be granted. A human-born demigod with an unstable mental state was already problematic as a lower god—elevating it to high god was considered impossible."
Hephais cast a nervous glance toward the Magic God of Dimensions. Understandable, since she too was a human-born deity. But now that he had become a Creator God, such evaluations could no longer harm him. Anyone who called a Creator God unstable would simply be laughed at.
"It doesn't matter. Continue with the details."
With permission to proceed, Hephais continued.
"Above all, the fact that the Main God had created a demigod possessing a mutant-like body and power from a human woman was viewed extremely negatively. When he insisted on formally inducting the demigod into the divine realm, the fury of his partner was immense. Since that partner was also the queen of the goddesses, such a thing could never be tolerated. She refused to even allow the matter to reach the agenda. It was the equivalent of a Main God asking others to acknowledge a child born from an affair. There seemed to be no solution. However, the Main God could not abandon the demigod because its power was simply too great. So he devised a completely unexpected approach."
Hephais looked directly at Granraha, who still wore an expression of confusion.
Weren't there countless human women and celestial beings that Zeus, Hera's partner in the past, had laid his hands on?
It had happened more than once or twice that he attempted to bring the resulting demigods and deities into the divine realm to serve as political allies. But this case was special. She would understand immediately.
"When asking failed and they continued to ignore him, he provoked them into action. He drew in the judgment of wrath. Then he had the powerful demigod overcome those trials using its own strength. He made it endure ordeals that ordinary gods could never face. In the end, by overcoming them all, the demigod earned acknowledgment from every god."
"!!!"
Granraha shot to her feet, her face filled with shock. She had realized the identity of the figure in the story.
"Yes. It is the story of Heracles—the demigod whose name means 'Hera's Glory.' The Main God attached the very name of the queen of the divine realm to his illegitimate child born from a human woman, thereby summoning trials for him to overcome. Through that magnificent achievement, the powerful demigod eventually earned recognition from all the gods and ascended. The situation bears great similarity to your own, O great Lord God, Magic God of Dimensions. The only difference in the request you have received is that the objective is the establishment of reconciliation."
"Anticipating their disregard, I am to draw their attention through provocation they cannot ignore?"
The Magic God of Dimensions' grip tightened unconsciously on the armrest of his chair. Crack! The sound of adamantium—the supreme metal—being crushed beneath his fingers filled the chamber as his mind began to race.
The true nature of the unease he had felt when the Dimensional Origin smiled innocently and ordered him to obtain those signatures was finally beginning to reveal itself.