A Demigod's Cautionary Tale
After receiving Hephais's advice—which was crude but still useful for the Otherworld War—the tea party came to an end and the main gods departed. The Magic God of Dimensions immediately began frantically digging through records of the Otherworld. He was searching for the story of the demigod Hephais had mentioned: Heracles.
'This is no time to act arrogant when facing the 10 Mainstays.'
Fortunately it was a well-known tale, so he located it right away.
“Zeus’s demigod, Heracles. A main god-level physical powerhouse.”
From birth he had possessed monstrous strength. As an infant he had torn apart the divine serpents Hera sent to kill him. 'Human-sized, yet his raw power is nearly on the level of the giant race.'
The moment Zeus bestowed the name Heracles on his illegitimate son, the hardships began. Even the kingship that should have been his by destiny was stolen, and his life was under constant threat. There was also a fatal flaw.
“Reason and patience far below his strength.”
He wielded power that even main gods could not ignore, yet he lacked the patience and wisdom to match it. In the end he beat his scolding master to death and committed wholesale slaughter. That gave the gods all the justification they needed to impose divine trials upon him.
“The twelve trials.”
Tests personally devised by Hera—impossible for any human or demigod. By completing them all he eventually ascended to the ranks of the gods. Yet there was no glory in it. During those brutal trials he had resorted to any means necessary and sacrificed countless people around him. He had massacred, raped, deceived, and followed every whim of his desire, swinging his overwhelming power without restraint. That was what earned the suspicion and outrage of the gods.
“Kuk—! This really is similar.”
A chill ran down his spine. He too had overcome countless tests and ordeals to reach his current position. 'Is the only difference that I started as an ordinary dark mage rather than the greatest hero from birth?'
Yet the Magic God of Dimensions had received titles, magic, and authorities directly from Jinri and grown stronger because of them. He had even obtained the seat of Chief God of the God Realm—something that should have been impossible. 'I shed an enormous amount of blood in the process as well.'
During his seventy years as a mercenary god, the number of enemies and allies he had personally killed to earn the infamy of the worst and most vicious magic god was beyond counting. 'There were times I nearly shattered an entire star while fighting an eleventh-circle mage.'
Compared to the carnage of his mercenary days, dealing with two demon kings, millions of dark mages, and more than five hundred million high elves was almost trivial. 'Of course, negative karma forced me to avoid harming those around me as much as possible. But honestly, it’s the same sin—hurting others so I could live well. At least I killed one and saved several times more. Is that fortunate?'
The karma the Magic God of Dimensions currently held as Chief God of the God Realm was absolute good. By eliminating the dark mages who had inflicted catastrophic damage on the Middle World through demon-king summons to increase their own power, he had saved hundreds of times more lives and risen to the rank of extreme good. That extreme good was what had allowed him to elevate a mere upper main god realm into the highest creator god realm.
'A highest creator god-level divine realm can nurture over five hundred trillion sentient beings. That achievement was added to the total. At least I never slaughtered indiscriminately like this demigod.'
Moreover, he had restored the female main gods and spirit main gods—who had been on the brink of extinction—to their proper places. That achievement, along with the future contributions once the divine realm management main gods became rulers of other realms, had allowed him to reach absolute good.
'Indeed—I have nothing to be ashamed of!'
Others might criticize him, but in the 499th Master Universe only results mattered. They coldly weighed achievements against losses; if the merits outweighed the damage, one was promoted. 'I killed billions but saved hundreds of trillions. By that standard, I did well.'
It was the same principle as an employee who inflicted billions in losses yet ultimately generated hundreds of trillions in profit being promoted. Those who suffered the losses might never forgive it, but from the company’s perspective it was only natural.
“The value of life is not equal. Even for the same crime, the strong are forgiven while the weak receive aggravated punishment in proportion to that forgiveness. In an organization, you must raise your own value even slightly if you want to survive. The moment you become satisfied with yourself and stop progressing, the organization stops watching over and protecting you. That is when cold evaluation begins.”
The demigod had overlooked exactly that. His desperate use of any means necessary to pass trials difficult even for high gods had been somewhat tolerated. For a hero god who had rendered great service against the enemy Titan race, it had not been an issue. But what he did after the trials and the war ended proved fatal.
'He must have let his guard down, thinking he had passed every test.'
To become king he divorced his existing wife and attempted to marry another princess. Hera—the goddess of marriage—was naturally furious, yet even Zeus could not stop it; after all, it was the sort of thing he himself did constantly. A sigh escaped the Magic God of Dimensions.
“Hera is the goddess of marriage and childbirth, protector of women. To bear the name ‘Glory of Hera’ and then abandon his family like that—he must have been insane. He was practically begging to be killed.”
Bearing a name tied to the gods was never easy. One had to fulfill moral obligations beyond the power one possessed. The restrictions placed on absolute beings who received titles from Jinri were exactly that.
'Jinri realizes his ideals through power. Therefore, if one receives a title, one must possess overwhelmingly superior and perfect ability compared to one’s opponents. Complete victory and one-shot kills are only natural when revealing a title in battle. Failure means accepting the possibility of becoming an insect on the Wind Star. That is both the qualification and the pride of those who bear titles.'
He had once thought it too harsh, but now he understood. Having become Chief God of the God Realm himself, he keenly felt the dignity and heavy responsibility a superior being was expected to carry. Moreover, since he was now aiming for the origin of a prestigious clan, his way of thinking had changed considerably. He now weighed the gazes and influences around him far more carefully than in the past when he had simply charged forward.
'By that standard, the demigod who casually considered trampling the sanctity of marriage—the very divinity of Hera, with whom he has been in conflict—is utterly unqualified.'
A demigod bearing the name of Hera, who revered the sanctity of marriage, had tried to divorce and remarry purely for personal gain. There could be no greater blasphemy. Hera, who had reluctantly allowed the human bastard to enter the divine realm officially upon completion of the trials she herself had imposed, was both furious and delighted. Seeing it as the perfect chance to correct Zeus’s habits as well, she had referred the demigod to the official divine assembly for punishment—charging him with blasphemy against her and every crime he had ever committed.
'The justification is that a human-born god must be judged on character, not strength alone.'
The resulting punishment was merciless.
'A human body that has committed crimes cannot be permitted into the divine realm. Erase the human flesh and accept only the divine spirit.'
The worst possible order had been issued: the demigod who wielded main god-level power in a human body was commanded to abandon that body. Zeus, horrified by the excessive cruelty, tried to intervene, but every criminal act committed during the trials now shackled him.
'Indiscriminate massacre and rape of both gods and humans, plus theft and fraud—it’s horrific. I killed for victory on the battlefield, but this bastard drew no distinctions at all. He simply swung his power wherever he pleased and enjoyed himself. Aside from his strength, his very existence was a public nuisance.'
The gods had once overlooked such acts as the behavior of primitive humans. But they now realized that the same behavior from a high god would become a terrible disaster for the entire divine realm. Zeus, who had provoked his own consort to barely incorporate a supporting demigod into the divine realm, naturally fought with desperate fury. He mobilized every authority he possessed as Chief God of the God Realm, yet when his consort and the other gods asked whether he intended to take full responsibility if the demigod continued such behavior inside the divine realm, even he was forced to fall silent.
His own conduct as king of the gods was already precarious. If he took responsibility for his son committing the same offenses, it would be outright rebellion or impeachment.
'Thinking about shouldering the consequences of the demigod’s rampage must have been horrifying. It was probably more damaging to resolve a high god’s crime than to gain the support of high gods. Even I would have given up.'
Thus the demigod lost his only supporter. Stripped of his powerful physical body, he ascended with only his divine spirit and became a lower god, a mere member of the divine realm.
'A demigod whose only asset had been physical strength—what could he possibly do as a lower god with nothing but a divine spirit? That was the end.'
Afterward, Heracles—the invincible powerhouse celebrated throughout divine history—vanished from the records.
Since the outcome had been exactly as expected, the Magic God of Dimensions tossed the资料 onto the table and closed his eyes.
“Just as Hephais said… it really is horribly similar.”
Even if the twelve trials had not been a request to obtain signatures from the 10 Mainstays, the lives were far too alike. The sole difference was that he himself had been a commoner who received power yet lacked the talent to fully digest it, so he had lived cautiously, watching others’ eyes and restraining his desires. He was nothing like the hero who had possessed incomparable strength from the beginning and slaughtered without restraint.
No matter how strong he became, he had always been the weak one compared to those around him. 'That is the difference between myself—who endlessly questioned his own strength, trained desperately, and looked ever upward—and the demigod who was satisfied with reality.'
That was why their endings differed. The current Magic God of Dimensions was the king of great main gods, while Heracles had ended as an ordinary deity. It was the difference between one who continued striving as a challenger until the very end and one who grew complacent and fell behind.
“Grind—! But that’s not all of it.”
Clenching his teeth, he rose from his seat. The disadvantages of being a demigod and a human-born god on the path to divinity had been the same. The willingness to use any means necessary to overcome the trials had been the same.
'There is a difference in degree, and from the world’s perspective I benefited far more, but if problems arise, they will still be difficult to handle.'
In the end, the difference was that the demigod’s only supporter—the Chief God of the God Realm—could not bear the burden and had let go, whereas he still had supporters remaining.
'Is it ultimately the same fate? Before destruction closes in from behind, I have no choice but to advance further. As a future creator god, I must not create any flaws whatsoever.'
If he acted freely and problems arose like with the demigod, almost no one would step forward to defend or protect him. Most of his relationships were built on exchanging favors through requests or business; they would turn their backs.
'Would the Origin of the Mage God or the Dimensional Origin who gave me this request even be allies? Ah, damn it—I should have listened obediently even if it cost me a little.'
The fact that he had independently pushed ahead in order to cherish the complete life he received while serving as bait for the Black Flame Absolute weighed heavily on his mind.
'He must be quite displeased.'
Yet the fact that the other party still answered his calls and offered convenience suggested he had not given up entirely. That alone was an enormous relief.
'From now on I must listen carefully to my superiors. However, the Origin of the Mage God has entered training, so that won’t work. Which means the only one I can rely on now is my future self.'
The Grey Absolute was his future self, yet the prospect felt deeply ominous.
'I knew from the beginning that my future self’s condition was far from normal.'
The very idea of using his past self as bait to lure the Black Flame Absolute had been completely abnormal. He understood the reason all too well.
'Why is the future me so desperate to devour the present? Is it that unbearable that something is doing better than you? Of course it’s me—who else would pull something like that? What a petty bastard.'
Nevertheless, when it came to requests involving the 10 Mainstays, nothing worked except the Grey Absolute—his future self.
'There is no way to avoid it. No, this request came to me in the first place because I am the past of the Grey Absolute. It can’t be helped.'
Although his future self disapproved of his past self for trying to walk a different path from his own failed one, he would not interfere with success.
'It was also my future self who brought me the enormous reward of three complete lives when I feared death. To someone who would have been judged by Jinri and forced to live miserably forever if I died, he gave me the leisure to look around at the world. He continuously drew me into relationships with the Absolute Realm.'
The request from the Dimensional Origin had ultimately been arranged by his future self as well.
Therefore the conclusion had already been reached.
'If I step forward directly in matters related to the 10 Mainstays, I won’t even be able to collect my bones. In the end, handling it through the Grey Absolute is the only way to survive.'
Since it was the same person, he opened the direct line to the Grey Absolute and spoke.
“Future me. This is a request connected to the 10 Mainstays and to you. Help me.”
“……”
After a brief silence, an answer came in a tone of utter disbelief.
“Do you think I’m some earless cat? You want me to help you after you caused an accident you can’t handle? And you—the Chief God of the God Realm of a master universe—accepted a request involving the 10 Mainstays?”
“Yeah! The reward was just too good.”
“You idiot—! Have you really lost your mind? You accepted it again without thinking, just because of the reward? Since you can’t be killed, have you prepared yourself to suffer even more than that? Since you’re me, you obviously know that even my past self wouldn’t help without compensation, right? I’ll completely cure you of that habit of digging your own grave.”
“……”
As expected, the dreaded response poured out like machine-gun fire. No, it precisely stabbed only the most painful truths—as expected of his future self. He swallowed the words that rose in his throat.
'Can’t you just do it? Receiving a signature from the 10 Mainstays is a matter of life and death for me, but for you it’s just a simple request, isn’t it? No matter how competitive the relationship or how much you fight over hierarchy, we’re still colleagues, aren’t we? Please just ask a colleague for the sake of your past self. Please—!'
But if his future self heard that, he would obviously reach straight for his throat. Still, once he heard the reward he would probably understand to some degree.
“It is a request from the Dimensional Origin of the Wind Family. The reward is the origin of the dimensional clan of the 499th Master Universe and the dimensional authority as the Magic God. I believe it is worth the risk.”
Even in his own opinion as Chief God of the God Realm it was an enormous reward, so he believed the other party would understand. Yet the reaction was even more absurd—a sneering tone.
“Just the origin of a dimensional clan? Not even from the Absolute Realm, and only a master universe at that? That’s not even pocket money. Did you seriously accept a request from the 10 Mainstays for something like that? Moreover, you took it alone from the Origin of the Wind Family—who is in a tense relationship with the 10 Mainstays? You really have gone crazy.”
“……”
It was truly a difference in perception that left him speechless.
'Damn future me. That bastard is one of the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm. Of course an origin from a mere master universe means nothing to him.'
This was how he reacted just from the introduction. The Magic God of Dimensions could not imagine how he would respond once he heard the actual content of the request.
'He’d probably want to flip the table immediately, but I am the incomparably weaker party who needs the help. And having become Chief God of the God Realm, I can no longer choose any method that might cause even the slightest problem.'
Suppressing the volcanic rage that surged from being mocked by himself, he barely managed to speak.
“For me as Chief God of the God Realm, it is the most important reward. I will pay the price for your help with everything I have. I’m asking you.”
“…Tell me the request details. I’ll at least listen.”
He had barely gotten this far. He could not imagine how his future self would react upon learning that the request was to obtain the signatures of the 10 Mainstays on the Sword of Ruin and Soul that the Dimensional Origin had received from Jinri.