The Weight of Origins
Riasna had been a subordinate of the Magic God of Dimensions, but she had refused his direct orders for battle and gone off to find her old lover. At this point, she no longer mattered.
‘It’s a little pitiful that her father and Origin is about to die right in front of her because of her, but if things go wrong, my own life could be in danger. Turning a blind eye is the best course of action.’
The result was exactly as expected, yet the sheer futility of it all—the way the Origins were dying off in this future—finally drew a hollow laugh from him.
‘Heh heh—! As expected of the greatest Eternal Being. A Spiritual Being, whether an Origin of a Master Universe or not, gets disposed of the moment they become an eyesore? Still, they’re an Origin. Only three minutes? That was a fast decision. Haaaaaaa—!’
Once he accepted the future that was about to unfold and looked reality in the face, a sigh naturally mixed with the cigarette smoke.
‘This is something that will happen soon, and it has nothing to do with me… but it’s not entirely someone else’s business either. After all, we’re both Origins of the same Master Universe.’
More than anything, the Magic God of Dimensions had nearly defied the orders of the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension earlier. It was only because that matter had been an internal affair and the Dimensional Origin was a lower direct subordinate that he had been given a warning. Otherwise, he might have been finished before he could even fight the Lord Gods.
‘To an Eternal Being, no matter how much of an Origin you are, you’re ultimately worth about as much as a god looking at a living being. If a subordinate lacks the power to defy a superior, this is what happens. Anyone who becomes incompetent or unnecessary is discarded without mercy. This is the world of the highest ruling class. Seeing it in person… it really is harsh.’
With just a single act of rudeness, the high-ranking Origins of the Master Universe had met their end. Yet he felt neither rebellion nor any sense that it was too much. After all, he himself had stood in this very position by opposing and defeating everything that stood against the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension.
‘I ordered the deaths of five hundred million High Elves who had betrayed me, and I waged war when a fellow Lord God committed insubordination. If you count my days as a mercenary god, I’ve killed and triumphed over tens of billions of enemies to survive and reach where I am today. So getting emotional and criticizing the Dimensional Origin for killing just two Origins is laughable. To me, they may be equals, but to him, they’re nothing more than one of many lower beings.’
The Magic God of Dimensions now understood that if he had hesitated or stepped back during any of those processes, he would never have survived.
‘If you lose to or fall behind those beneath you, it’s naturally over.’
If the remaining five hundred million High Elves—after he had killed the five hundred million who opposed him—had refused to accept him as the God of the Elves, he could not have remained a Highest-Ranked God. If he had tolerated and overlooked the insubordination of the Lord Gods, he would not have been able to maintain his position as the number one Lord God; only endless decline would have awaited him.
In the end, through the endless process of disposing of opposing factions that inevitably arose, the Magic God of Dimensions now stood here as a Lord God. The number of lives he had personally taken during that process would easily exceed ten billion. If the value of life were truly equal, as some claimed, then he would be an unforgivable sinner.
‘What’s even more absurd is that the subordinates I showed endless goodwill toward keep challenging me, while those I thoroughly disciplined and showed the tiniest bit of mercy to in the end become grateful and loyal. It really is ridiculous.’
He had come to realize that superiors must be resolute toward those who oppose them. That was why he had no intention of becoming like those foolish Origins who were about to die.
Still, the fact that the rule of the strong had to be built first by disposing of useless or defiant weaklings—rather than through goodwill and consideration toward the weak—felt bitterly true.
Beep—!
Creator General. You understand the situation, don’t you?
This urgent contact was similar to the one in the first future, when he had been told to return the Origin of the Dimensional Tribe because he could not handle it. Tension gripped him as he answered.
“This is the number one ranked Lord God, the Magic God of Dimensions, greeting the Creator General. What situation are you referring to?”
I won’t waste words. Save Civil Rights. We cannot lose the Origin of the Ideal God Tribe, the cornerstone of the Divine Realm’s military power, over something like this.
…….
The Lord God tournament had ended successfully. All danger was over and safety had been secured, yet now he was being told to walk into the jaws of a beast.
‘In about two minutes, Civil Rights’s head will fly off at the hands of the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension. There is no logical way to save him.’
Even now, the man still failed to grasp the situation. His emotional voice arguing with the other Origins made the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension’s fingers twitch continuously. The man’s life was already forfeit.
‘Even the smile that never left his face is slowly hardening. He must be truly furious.’
When a superior tried to dispose of a subordinate out of anger, any other subordinate who tried to stop it would only incur that same fury. It was an action one should never take unless they were suicidal.
‘If I step in there, I’ll just die with him.’
Above all, the Magic God of Dimensions had already received a warning. The man had clearly stated that any subordinate who did not follow orders would be killed. The favor he had shown as a lower Origin was immense, but he could not expect a second chance.
‘This is different from the warning he gave me. This isn’t an internal matter of the Dimensional Tribe. If an outsider tries to block the actions of a direct superior, that fury will be impossible to endure.’
Because he himself had a similar disposition, he understood it even better. He would have almost tolerated it if it had been an internal affair of the Divine Realm, but he never forgave interference in external matters.
“My Dimensional God Tribe does not yet exist, but it will definitely become a military force for this Master Universe that will not fall behind the Ideal God Tribe. Are you telling me to block the decision of the Dimensional Origin and die with him? And if I incur his wrath and die, the position of Dimensional Tribe Origin in the 499th Master Universe will most likely become vacant. Please reconsider.”
It was a gentle refusal, yet the Creator General’s instructions continued.
And make the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension leave the 499th Master Universe for somewhere else, if possible.
…….
He was being told to tell the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension—who treated the disposal of Origins like swatting annoying mosquitoes—to go somewhere else. For a subordinate to tell a superior to leave was not mere insubordination; it was tantamount to treason. Moreover, since the other party was not even the same kind of Spiritual Being but an Eternal Being, the level of punishment would be entirely different.
This wasn’t walking into the jaws of a beast. It was walking straight into its stomach. Even Sangharama, who was giving the order, seemed to find it embarrassing and unreasonable, as he had added the words “if possible.”
‘Even if the Creator General did it himself, it would be suicidal, wouldn’t it?’
…….
At that response, even the Creator General paused for a moment. When the Magic God of Dimensions offered no further reply, a pleading tone finally slipped through.
The 499th Master Universe is already at its limit with just the Creator and Jinri. If the Origin of the Wind Family’s dimension is added on top of that, no one will be able to endure it. It will certainly be impossible for me as well, but if it comes from you—his direct Dimensional Origin—he might at least listen. Do whatever you can. If you succeed, I, the Creator General, will personally guarantee the position and status of you, the Origin of the Dimensional Tribe. No—if he simply leaves satisfied that there are no problems here and moves to another Master Universe, the other Highest Creator Gods will have no choice but to acknowledge your achievements and ability. No, they already do. All the Supreme Creator Gods will prepare a seat for you and the Dimensional God Tribe as the highest-ranking divine race in the Creation Realm and provide full support. This is a one-time opportunity to instantly gain the trust and position of a highest-ranking divine race that would normally require hundreds of millions of years of time and achievement. An opportunity like this will never come again.
…….
It was an extremely tempting offer. It seemed he had already analyzed the protagonist’s personality completely—the one that would flip his eyes and rush forward at the mere mention of compensation.
However, he would soon be dispatched to the Otherworld. There was no longer any need for him to risk his life in the Master Universe. Moreover, as a Creator God of the Divine Realm and the Origin of the Dimensional Tribe, he had no obligation to obey the Creator General’s commands with absolute loyalty. The greater one’s contributions to the Master Universe, the more freedom of speech an Origin was granted, along with maximum autonomy.
Besides, with the title of “99-Second Hero God,” he no longer faced the risk of being summarily executed for insubordination due to lack of power. Most of all, the compensation itself did not sit well with him. It was all flash and no substance.
‘They say they’ll recognize us as a highest-ranking divine race, but since we don’t even have any members yet, it’s meaningless. And once the Dimensional Tribe is created and operates normally, that level of position is only natural. It holds no real meaning right now, so I must refuse. The time when I would waver at immediate rewards in front of me has passed. I need to make decisions while looking at the distant future. That said, for an Origin to lack the sense to protect his own life and need protection from those around him is pathetic. Just die well. Hooooooo—!’
The heart that had wavered at the desired reward settled down, and cold reason returned. As soon as he gained confidence in the power he could wield, composure came with it, and the future became visible.
He decided to refuse lightly and was pondering how to phrase it nicely while taking a deep drag from his cigarette when another communication arrived. Unexpectedly, it was from the Demon Emperor.
Beep—! Beep—!
Since he was the Origin of the Dimensional Tribe, it was not strange that he also concurrently held the positions of Origin for both the Dimensional God Tribe and the Dimensional Demon Tribe. However, as both a Creator God and a Lord God, receiving the call felt uncomfortable. The connection was forced through, and rough words that sounded like immediate provocation poured out.
It was the same request to save an Origin as the Creator General, yet the reason was completely different.
He could now refuse even the words of a Creator General despite being a Lord God; there was no special reason he had to obey the Demon Emperor either.
“I don’t want to die, though.”
He refused with a perfectly reasonable justification, but the next words made his expression crumple completely.
!!!
The Creator General had at least spoken in a polite, coaxing tone, but as expected of the Demon Tribe, the moment the situation turned sour, it became outright thug-like threats mixed with curses.
And the lethal threat about attaching the Sage of Omniscience—something that would have left him no choice but to step forward in the past when he lacked the title of “99-Second Hero God”—made a flame surge up from deep within his chest.
He still did not have enough power to completely defy either the Creator General or the Demon Emperor, so he was caught in a dilemma.
Endless orders and instructions poured in from both sides.
As the Origin of the same divine race, you must save him immediately. Such insolent behavior in front of the Origin of the Wind Family is extremely dangerous.
Even refusing just one side was burdensome, but now the Creator General and the Demon Emperor were working together, pecking at him from both sides. His head began to throb painfully.
‘I thought the headache had finally eased a little, but it’s only getting worse. So this is what can happen when one holds all the qualifications of the Origin of the Dimensional Tribe.’
Even so, he could not ignore either side. The Dimensional Tribe was the collective name that encompassed both the Dimensional God Tribe and the Dimensional Demon Tribe. It was the same as how the Almighty Tribe referred to both the Almighty God Tribe and the Almighty Demon Tribe combined.
The difference was that Hwi of Omnipotence and the Sage of Omniscience divided their roles between the God Tribe and Demon Tribe respectively to manage them, whereas he was handling both alone.
‘No matter how strong an Origin is, handling four or more equals from the opposing side is difficult, but for me it’s easy.’
This was possible because the Magic God of Dimensions possessed the authorities of both the Origin of the Dimensional God Tribe and the Origin of the Dimensional Demon Tribe. However, this was the first time he realized that such a situation could create a troublesome dilemma where he could not ignore either side.
Many positions brought high authority, but they also came with equally heavy responsibilities.
‘Damn it—! Why is everyone making such a fuss at me? What kind of say do I have with the Dimensional Origin? That aside, getting hated by both sides is dangerous. Should I have only taken one—either the God Tribe or Demon Tribe Origin? No! The moment an Origin of the Dimensional Demon Tribe with the power of dimensions appears, it would be extremely dangerous. It was the right decision. But the burden really is doubled.’