The Godslayer's Touch
As the Main Gods of the Otherworld War set foot inside the Main Divine Temple, a heavy, dull roar erupted from the floor beneath them. Thud—!Boom—!
The full-body armor they wore had already lost its luster, drenched in both their own blood and that of their enemies. Even though they weren’t true Creator Gods, the elevated power of these Creator Candidates and Main Gods was enough to threaten even them. The raw force they displayed was something ordinary Creator Candidates, newly elevated Creator Gods, or regular Main Gods simply couldn’t withstand.
Dozens of such beings had swarmed them at once, and several had completely cut them off from their subordinate forces. ‘They only managed to hold out this long because we were in the heart of their own divine realm.’
Yet they knew there was no path to victory if things continued like this. So they moved in unison, aiming straight for the Magic God of Dimensions, who had activated the Troop of Creation God.
However, the moment they forced their way through the dimensional gate, the full-power divine energy deployment combined with the backlash from invading another Main Divine Realm left them momentarily dizzy. They quickly shook it off and tried to locate the one orchestrating this chaos—only for the Magic God of Dimensions to descend upon them like a storm and launch a surprise attack.
In that instant, his right hand—fingers sharpened like a spear—pierced straight through the chest of the weakest among them, the 10th-ranked Main God Lord.
Splat—!
Crunch—!
The sound of a Creator God’s sturdy muscles and bones shattering—something that would normally laugh off any ordinary divine attack—rang out alongside an ice-cold sneer.
“Kuhahaha—! Completely defenseless, huh? If you’re going to invade someone else’s divine realm, you should at least prepare your defenses as thoroughly as I do. Or was that impossible because you were trying to avoid danger while crossing the dimensional gate?”
“Ugh…! How could you damage my body so easily when it’s protected by hundreds of defensive authorities? Don’t tell me it was purely physical strength…?”
The 10th-ranked Main God Lord, caught completely off guard, let out a groan of disbelief. At the level of a Creator God, the moment an opponent activated an authority, defensive authorities would automatically activate to protect the body. The extreme training that forged a Creator God’s physique, further reinforced by those authorities, nullified most attacks.
Yet none of his defensive authorities had even stirred. That meant this attack had shattered a Creator God’s body using nothing but pure physical ability—no divine authority whatsoever.
The realization that the Magic God’s physical prowess surpassed even theirs—the Gods of Combat—was so shocking that their bodies reacted before their minds could process it. Even with a hole punched through his chest, the Main God Lord’s arms and legs immediately counterattacked.
“Haaah—!”
Thud—!Crack—!
With a battle cry, his right foot shot upward like a rocket and smashed into the elbow of the Magic God of Dimensions’ right arm, which was still buried in his chest. Ignoring the way the embedded arm tore his wound even wider, he clenched the chest muscles around it to trap the limb in place. Then he locked both sides and delivered a devastating strike to the joint, snapping it cleanly.
The Magic God of Dimensions clicked his tongue inwardly as his right arm dangled limply, broken. ‘Close combat still isn’t my strong suit.’
The opponent’s attack had been almost purely reflexive—too fast to even register. Because of that, he hadn’t had time to activate his body-strengthening magic, and even after landing a surprise attack, he’d suffered a serious injury to his right hand.
The highest-tier Gods of Combat could unleash a relentless barrage of attacks at speeds that pure calculation and magic manifestation simply couldn’t match. ‘I need to create distance. If I stay this close, I’ll eat another counter.’
Just as he predicted, the Main God Lord ignored the geyser of blood pouring from his chest, clasped both fists together, and swung a full-powered strike straight into the center of his abdomen.
The impact produced a horrifying shockwave and roar that even he found gruesome.
Booom—!
Crack—!
“Ugh…!”
He didn’t get bisected, but every rib and internal organ still shattered. Vomiting blood, the Magic God of Dimensions was sent flying toward the seat of glory.
The Main God Lords, who had finished perfectly adjusting all their offensive and defensive authorities to suit this Main Divine Realm, watched the scene with eyes gleaming in delight. They had come prepared to fight to the death, yet victory had come far too easily.
‘The core that activated the Troop of Creation God has been broken. Even though the remaining divine power of those elevated Main Gods is keeping the effect going, once that power runs dry, they can no longer remain Creator Gods.’
Maintaining such a high divine rank required enormous vitality and support. Without the help of the Main God of the Divine Realm or the core—the Magic God of Dimensions—there was no way for a Main God to endure it alone for long. All they had to do was stall for time and victory would be theirs. It was only natural they were rejoicing.
But then the Main God Lord who had accomplished that feat suddenly coughed up black blood and dropped to one knee. A voice mixed with warning and agony sent chills down their spines.
“Cough—! Careful—! The Godslayer of the Demon King…”
The wound on the Creator God’s chest, which should have rejected death itself, was turning pitch black. Like a human poisoned by extreme toxin, the powerful Creator God’s body was corrupting and beginning to disintegrate.
The only ones capable of dealing this level of damage to a Creator God with a purely physical strike were the highest-ranking Demon Kings who had completely fused the Godslayer authority into their very bodies.
‘Godslayer authority on top of pure physical attacks! Does that mean he’s not only a Creator God but also a Demon King at the Demon King level? A Holy Demon like the Sage of Omniscience? But then how could he be this weak?’
The Sage of Omniscience, once a shared origin of the Almighty God Tribe before turning to the demon race, had eventually become a Holy Demon. A Holy Demon possessed all the advantages of both divine and demonic races while maintaining their own official divine realm.
‘Even the Almighty Hwi, the hero god of the Almighty God Tribe, could only manage a draw against her. The divine race had no choice but to acknowledge some of her rights as an origin.’
‘It was absurd that a demon now held the full qualifications of an origin from the once-greatest prestigious clan of the Almighty God Tribe—at least where goddesses were concerned.’
‘But it was an unavoidable measure, given the catastrophic damage that would result if she became a complete enemy.’
A being as powerful as a Holy Demon should never have suffered such a wound from a simple counterattack. Yet from the Magic God of Dimensions, who had been sent flying by that very counter, came a grotesque series of sounds.
Crack—!Crunch—!Pop—!
Bones and muscles realigned with loud, violent noises. He spun mid-air and landed lightly on his feet. He casually brushed a hand over the abdomen that had taken a serious blow, and even his clothes were completely restored. There was no trace that he had ever been hit.
“Heh heh—! So this is what a frontline commander Main God Lord is capable of? Still, borrowed power really doesn’t cut it.”
Watching him loosen his body and return to a combat stance, the Main God Lords grit their teeth. Instant recovery from such a heavy wound wasn’t surprising for a Creator God or Main God Lord. That level of immortality and indestructibility was practically basic for a Creator God.
‘A Creator God does not die or perish as long as their divine power remains.’
The only way to defeat such a being was to inflict repeated critical injuries, forcing massive consumption of divine power until they were exhausted. The alternative was to cut off their vitality supply and starve them out. That was why the battles between high gods and their clans never seemed to end.
But battles against demons were different. Demonic power and divine power were polar opposites—like water and fire—turning into lethal poison when they clashed. Recovering from normal wounds required several times the usual effort, and critical injuries would almost certainly lead to death or annihilation without external support. That mutual lethality was why the divine and demonic races had no choice but to fight to the bitter end.
‘If that really was a Demon King’s Godslayer, then the Magic God of Dimensions’ ordinary attacks are practically critical hits.’
The proof stood right before them—the Main God Lord who had just been sent flying by his counterattack. The black, collapsing wound on his chest had only barely been stabilized through desperate concentration of divine power. The way he staggered as he stood made it questionable whether he could continue fighting.
Though ranked 10th, he was nearly equal to the top three except for the absolute frontrunners. ‘If we’re not careful, we could die in a single blow.’
‘But we can’t retreat either.’
The Main Divine Realm they were supposed to manage with absolute care was being torn apart by Main Gods elevated to Creator Gods. The only way to resolve this crisis quickly was to subdue or eliminate the Magic God of Dimensions.
The 2nd-ranked Feminist shouted a simple command.
“From now on, treat the opponent as an existence equivalent to a Holy Demon. Solo attacks are forbidden. And do not allow even a single clean hit.”
It was difficult, but possible. The Magic God of Dimensions watched with sharply focused eyes as the Main God Lords formed a semicircular encirclement and prepared to charge. He extended his right hand.
Unsure what kind of magic he was about to use, the Main God Lords braced for defense and evasion—only for him to simply extend his pinky finger and wiggle it. Then, true to his nature as a mage, he clicked his tongue and spoke with mocking sarcasm.
“Tsk tsk—! I am not a Holy Demon. I am the Magic God of Dimensions, the origin of the dimensional clan. As your superior, let me correct your mistaken information. This isn’t the Godslayer of a Demon King. It’s the manifestation of a Magic God’s Reality Denial. The difference is simple. A Holy Demon suppresses divine power with divine power and demonic power with demonic power. But a Magic God defeats the divine race with demonic power and the demonic race with divine power. Through simple combat, we automatically identify the opponent’s weakness and inflict maximum damage. Once a Magic God reaches the highest level of proficiency, Reality Denial is perfectly applied to the body. The moment one becomes a Creator God—an existence at the pinnacle of spiritual beings—the authority of Reality Denial is granted to the body itself.”
Watching the Main God Lords who still didn’t seem to understand, the Magic God of Dimensions burst into loud laughter.
“Kuhahahaha—! Without any need for recognition or incantation, a Magic God’s Reality Denial is always applied to every attack. Among all the magic and authorities I’ve mastered, the worst possible attribute for you is automatically applied during battle. Gods are crushed by magic, and demons are suppressed by dimensional authority. I have finally become a true Magic God and Creator God. Behold the real power of a Magic God who has ascended to Creator God.”
The finger he had been waving folded inward, forming a fist. In that instant, divine power and demonic power erupted like an explosion.
Boooom—!
Waves of both divine and demonic power burst from his body and spread outward. The moment the mixed waves encountered any obstacle, they fused and detonated like a bomb, pulverizing and blasting everything away.
Naturally, the Main God Lords who had been preparing to charge from their encirclement were sent flying backward. The Magic God of Dimensions did not miss the moment their formation and stance collapsed.
Whoosh—!
At a speed that even a Creator God’s senses could barely perceive, he charged once more at the 10th-ranked Main God Lord—the one he had tried to kill earlier but failed. He struck the exact same weakened spot that had only just barely recovered from the previous penetration.
The 10th-ranked Main God Lord’s eyes blazed with fury as he saw the Magic God of Dimensions closing in instantly, aiming for the kill.
“Kuh—! Me again—!”
“Ah—! I do find insubordination quite detestable, but I hold no particular malice or emotion toward you since this is our first meeting. However, targeting an opponent’s weakness in war is simply part of a Magic God’s nature. It’s also a personal habit of mine to deal with the easy targets first, so I hope you understand. Besides, I’m going to kill all of you anyway. Your turn just came a little sooner.”
“…….”
The Main God Lords read the murderous intent in his words—the same cold resolve to pick off the weakest first, just like in the war against the demon race—and hurriedly tried to help defend. But they were too late.
The physical strike enhanced by the Magic God of Dimensions’ Reality Denial struck true once again. Their bodies collided, and the horrifying sound of muscles and bones shattering echoed.
The demonic power radiating from the Magic God of Dimensions’ entire body surged into the wound as if trying to devour the Main God Lord’s body.
Crackle—!Crunch—!
However, although he had not been officially recognized as a Creator God, the Main God Lord was acknowledged as equal in strength. In the divine realm, that meant he was among the highest-tier Gods of Combat. While 10th place was the lowest among the top ten who fought the 1st rank, among the more than ten thousand Main God Lords, he stood at the absolute peak.
‘I won’t fall for the same attack twice.’
He crossed both arms to block the spear-like thrust of the Magic God of Dimensions’ right hand and deflected it to the left. Not only the skin but the muscles of both arms tore open, spraying blood, as black demonic power once again invaded his body.
But in exchange, he had seized the defenseless blind spot outside the Magic God of Dimensions’ right shoulder. All of this was a miraculous, instantaneous reaction gained through endless training and life-or-death battles—something a Magic God, whose main tools required incantation and calculation, could never match.
And without mercy, he slammed his forehead into the area beside the ear.
Craaaash—!
Bang—!
With a sound like something smashing into a wall, the Main God Lord who had struck the side of the head with all his might lost consciousness and collapsed.
The Magic God of Dimensions, who had taken the counter to his vital point beside the ear, merely shook his head. There was no damage at all. As the other Main God Lords watched in horror at how their comrade’s desperate strike had backfired so badly, the Magic God of Dimensions’ voice rang out with glee.
“Kihihihi—! Not bad, but it’s still far from enough to break through the dimensional barrier I created. If a God of Combat can no longer fight, he has no value. Then I’ll be taking that head.”
He truly intended to kill the Main God Lords—the gatekeepers of the Creation Realm—because of their insubordination.
Even though they were in the middle of a war, the Main God Lords who had still been half in doubt now rushed forward in panic. But before anyone could even react, the claws of demonic power extending from the Magic God of Dimensions’ left hand brushed past the neck of the collapsing Main God Lord.
Clang—!Swish—!
A small spark flew from the center of the neck where the demonic claw had passed, and a thin black line slowly began to form.