The Three-in-One Absolute
The war in the Otherworld showed no signs of ending so easily.
The Golden Absolute’s Evangeli flag remained furled. The Yuil Yongsinje had yet to draw his Taegeuk Heavenly Sword. Even without those two trump cards, this was nearly their full strength.
The Golden Authority is the ultimate immortality. It endures every attack and immediately counters. The Wind Family’s power lies in harmonious defense and riposte. Both sides are heavily defense-oriented, so seizing the initiative is incredibly difficult. Deciding a clear victor in a short time is almost impossible.
On top of that, the Golden Absolute had rarely been wounded by the Grey Absolute’s self-destruction, leaving a momentary opening. Even without the Taegeuk Heavenly Sword, this was a golden opportunity for the Yuil Yongsinje to claim victory.
The first to attack is overwhelmingly disadvantaged, so neither side can move. In that case, I need to separate these two first.
Even now, the two were growling at each other. The slightest provocation would spark another life-or-death duel. Jinri never intervened in battles that determined rank among the 10 Mainstays. Instead, he dispatched the Wind Family Origins to prevent excessive damage, then forced the loser to restore everything later.
Of course, if that fails, the burden falls on the other 10 Mainstays as well. That’s why I have to restrain them. I hate playing mediator, but with the first and second ranks acting like this, most of the work will inevitably land on me—the one with the largest faction. There’s no avoiding it.
That was why he had brought up the story of the Sword of Ruin and Soul from the Grey Absolute’s past—the very incident that started all this trouble.
“Looks like those two will take a while. Let’s resolve the original problem first. Grey, hand the Sword of Ruin and Soul over to Black Flame. Black Flame, sign it here and state your desired price. We’ll treat this as granting one request to the Grey Absolute. Keep that in mind. With this, we’ll wrap up today’s matter.”
“The Sword of Ruin and Soul signature? From the Wind Family? And why is the Grey Absolute suddenly stepping forward? Whatever. I’ll accept it first and hear the details later.”
The Black Flame Absolute’s eyes gleamed. The Sword of Ruin and Soul that the Grey Absolute pulled from his subspace had already been signed in the order of the 10 Mainstays’ ranks and was trying to restore itself. The Grey Absolute had fixed it in place using the Trinity of Dimensions.
From the looks of it, this must have happened after I was blasted beyond the 1,000th macrocosm by the Grey Absolute.
A signature itself was nothing special, but he had no intention of making it easy.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but the price will be quite steep. Since this is a request directed at me, bow your head politely first. Grey.”
The Grey Absolute had already used Idea, the Otherworld, and even the Void Realm without finishing the job. Naturally, he found the Black Flame Absolute’s words extremely unpleasant. Still, following the Daeshin’s instruction, he pulled the Sword of Ruin and Soul from subspace and hurled it at the Black Flame Absolute.
But the way he threw it—and the words that came with it—were slightly off.
“Fetch, you mutt. Black Flame—!”
It was exactly the motion of tossing a bone to a dog. Enraged, the Black Flame Absolute’s fist slammed into the incoming Sword of Ruin and Soul.
“You fearless crazy bastard—!”
BOOOOM—!GRRRRR—!
He had released the Bloodless state, but after removing the Guide of the Origin that had been lodged in his heart, both his heart and brain waves had recovered enough to unleash terrifying power. Sparks flew as the Sword of Ruin and Soul bounced straight back toward the Grey Absolute.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!SWISH—!
The sword shot forward like a bullet. The Grey Absolute casually tilted his head, letting it pass through the empty space where his face had been before it vanished into the far distance.
And for the first time in his life, having been treated like a dog, the Black Flame Absolute’s eyes nearly rolled back in fury. A savage bare-handed assault followed—without even drawing Pahoton. The other 10 Mainstays and the Wind Family Origins were watching with hawk-like glares, making it burdensome to summon his weapon. Moreover, the Always Coin Heads had shown him a vision of everyone swarming him like hornets the moment he pulled it out.
The Grey Absolute responded by unleashing the power of the highest Black Flame clan, meeting him head-on.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
The sound of their colliding bodies echoed throughout the ranking battle arena.
The Daeshin, who had tried to mediate in his own way only to be completely ignored, let out a long, weary sigh.
“Haaaaaaaah—!”
It had never come to this before. From the moment of his birth until now, he had always been treated as a supreme being and had risen to the 10 Mainstays. Even after becoming the third-ranked Daeshin, not even the first-ranked Golden Absolute had ever acted this way.
The greatest power in the vast Absolute Realm came from faction size and organizational strength. As the one who operated the largest faction, the Daeshin had always received respect. These two, however, were completely beyond caring.
To think I’d be ignored like this… I never imagined it would happen except with these two.
The only saving grace was that they seemed to have gained some self-restraint. They were refraining from any magic or attacks that could collapse the Absolute Realm and were limiting themselves to pure hand-to-hand combat. At this point, he had no choice but to step back.
Even if they erase each other, Lord Jinri is here, so they’ll return to normal anyway. As long as they don’t inflict irreparable damage to the Absolute Realm or the macrocosms, it should be fine. I’ll withdraw now.
He sent a message to the other 10 Mainstays, left the combat zone, and resumed watching from afar. The Wind Family Origins also withdrew, as if to say they would not interfere unless something like Idea or silent Exploding Blood appeared again. They simply reinforced the barrier.
As the fight resumed, the Magic God of Dimensions grew sick of it and shouted.
“Agh! Stop fighting the Black Flame Absolute when you can’t even finish him off and get no compensation! This was the perfect chance to get his signature easily if you accepted the Daeshin’s mediation! So why the hell are you provoking him instead? I just lost one of my Complete Denial of Life lives because of you!”
“Kahahahahaha! That’s just how the world works.”
“Tsk—! Fine. In that case, I’ll take it by force.”
First, we catch the Black Flame Absolute!
The Magic God of Dimensions, having nearly restored his divine power and mana by activating the Origin title, grumbled as he transformed the retrieved Guide of the Origin into staff form and began chanting. Meanwhile, the Grey Absolute’s past self, summoned from the past at 8th-circle level, seemed to have regained his senses. He radiated murderous intent and fighting spirit as he charged toward the Black Flame Absolute’s rear.
Once again facing a 1-vs-3, even the Black Flame Absolute—who had been pressing the Grey Absolute while using the power of the highest Black Flame clan—found his hands and feet tangled.
The Grey Absolute was of the highest Black Flame bloodline, so ordinary attacks barely worked on him. At minimum, Brain Sound Pahoton was required, but the moment he summoned it, everyone around would swarm him and suppress him. He couldn’t risk it.
Ugh—! These bastards again—!
In front, the Grey Absolute blocked most attacks. From behind, the 8th-circle past self aimed for vital points. On the periphery, the Magic God of Dimensions provided full support. The Black Flame Absolute was being driven into a corner.
It’s like a high-ranking martial artist being ganged up on by an assassin, another martial artist, and a mage. Truly not easy to deal with.
The bigger problem was that, despite their individual weaknesses, each of them possessed one fatal strike.
The past can emit blades of mana that slice through the Black Flame body. The present can pierce the heart with the Guide of the Origin as a hidden weapon. The Grey Absolute, as Coa, can erase the body itself or banish the target beyond the 1,000th macrocosm.
Facing the combined assault of such powerhouses, the slightest mistake would lead to disaster. Curses naturally spilled from his mouth.
“You dirty bastards—! Fight fair and square like proper 10 Mainstays and enforce your will! Stop using these cheap tricks!”
“With the Trinity of Dimensions, we are one. If you’re jealous, why don’t you try it yourself? Hehe—! Though that might be asking too much of a dim-witted Black Flame clansman.”
“Kuaaaaaaaa—!”
If he activated his racial authority, both the Magic God of Dimensions and the 8th-circle past would also reach 14th-circle. Even in a three-on-one battle against opponents with authorities fatal to him, the Black Flame Absolute showed no signs of defeat. Yet he could not win easily either.
I need to create an opening somehow.
He had tried to use Bloodless earlier, but he already knew that the Idea displayed by the Grey Absolute was an authority that must never be destroyed. It was a power that should never have been created for the stability of the Absolute Realm.
“You’re manifesting the Otherworld into the present world? You truly violate every rule! Where did the pride of a sage who creates and maintains order go? And you still call yourself the greatest sage, Grey?”
“The only things forbidden to the 10 Mainstays are invading other territories and losing—! That is the greatest reward and right granted by Jinri. And a sage creates and maintains order? Hehe—! He merely represents the order and rights of the strong. Stop spouting unrealistic idealistic nonsense and eat this instead. Absolute Distance Koa—!”
CRAAAAAAAACK—!
Another sudden point-blank burst of Koa erupted from the Grey Absolute’s forehead. The Black Flame Absolute’s body instinctively leaned back, narrowly avoiding it. At the same time, he spotted the Grey Absolute’s past self behind him, gathering both hands to form a blade of mana and swinging it down.
It was a perfectly timed strike that exploited his broken posture. Even in the Black Flame Absolute’s vision, the movement was a hazy ultra-high-speed blur. The past self had waited for the gap and finally dove in, shouting.
“Got you, you son of a bitch who ruined my life—!”
“What the hell is this guy babbling about?”
He had no idea what the words meant, but taking that mana blade head-on would be dangerous. If Pahoton split and crushed an enemy with pure destructive force, this was pure cutting power based on overwhelming speed. It could even slice through a Black Flame body that ignored most attacks from absolute weapons.
However, it’s too focused on the edge. A glass blade. And finally—an opening.
The Black Flame Absolute grit his teeth, spun on the spot, and lashed out with his foot.
WHAAAAAM—!
“Guh—!”
It was a surprise counter against the momentary stiffness caused by Absolute Distance Koa. The Black Flame Absolute’s right foot drew a perfect semicircle from below, smashing into the Grey Absolute’s chin and launching him into the air. The same foot then whipped backward, kicking away the mana blade descending from the past self.
KAAAAAANG—!
The formless mana blade shattered under a kick of unimaginable speed and power, scattering into light. The Grey Absolute’s past self stared in utter shock. Without pausing, the Black Flame Absolute completed his spin and sent the past self flying with his left foot.
THUUUD—!
The explanation was long, but the entire sequence had happened in an instant. The moment of stiffness from Absolute Distance Koa had allowed a seamless chain of attacks that neutralized both front and rear enemies simultaneously. The Black Flame Absolute finished his rotation and stood upright once more.
Unstable posture, but only one solid hit. Even the highest Black Flame body will take damage from that. And that past self is now combat ineffective.
From his earlier observations during the fight, the physically frail past self had suffered a fatal wound. Sure enough, the Grey Absolute staggered back to his feet, but the past self who had attacked from behind could no longer move. The Magic God of Dimensions remained, but with the Creator God’s divine rank taking precedence, direct combat against the Black Flame was impossible. A Creator God lacked the firepower to damage the Black Flame Absolute’s body.
In the end, the battle was over.
“Don’t arrogantly imitate the strong.”
At the Black Flame Absolute’s cold words, the Grey Absolute spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and let out his signature mocking laugh.
“Ptoo—! Still a bit spicy, I see. Hehe—! But strength is relative. Why don’t you experience for yourself whether you can still call yourself the strong in front of us—the fully activated Trinity of Dimensions? Present, it’s finally your turn.”
A blinding golden light suddenly burst from the Magic God of Dimensions. It was pure restorative power—divine power.
WHOOOOOOOOOOONG—!
The Grey Absolute’s injuries healed instantly. The nearly dead 8th-circle past self looked bewildered for a moment, then stood up fully recovered and assumed a combat stance.
This is completely different from the divine race’s recovery that was used with the Magic God’s Complete Denial of Life earlier.
Moreover, true to the divine race’s authority, both physical ability and power were visibly rising without end. The Magic God of Dimensions looked down at his body, now dyed in golden divine power, and continued.
“It’s only a slight imitation of the Golden Absolute’s Golden Age, but in this state, we are eternal. Even if you use the same destructive power as the Bloodless you activated earlier to erase us, we will eventually resurrect. As long as we do not abandon our will to live, that is.”
“………”
“Unless you erase all three of us at once, we will simply return to our original state. I didn’t originally plan to be this underhanded, but after hearing your pathetic words, I’ve changed my mind. We’ll get your signature after beating you to death and move on to the next Black Flame Absolute. Now it’s a contest of whether your stamina runs out first or our mana does.”
“Kuh—!”