The 99-Second Hero God
In the body of the Magic God of Dimensions during the Otherworld War, inside his own domain of the Dimensional Divine Realm, he was being completely ignored. The lowest possible evaluation had been laid bare before him, and rage set his killing intent and fighting spirit ablaze. The fact that those responsible were weaker than him only magnified his fury.
Thanks to the Troop of Creation God, there is zero consumption of Dimensional Authority. I can unleash my full personal authority without any restrictions.
The ultimate expression of Dimensional Authority was World Creation, so its defensive power was nearly impossible to measure by the standards of any Master Universe.
Even though there are two upper-level Creator Gods who are Origins of high-ranking clans, there is no chance I lose in single combat.
It was not his full strength, yet after completely neutralizing what they believed was their decisive strike and openly craving battle with absolute confidence in victory, tension carved itself onto the faces of the watching Origins.
Did a mere Lord God General just nullify an attack from me, an upper-level Creator God? Or did he redirect it?
What is this? It is not magic.
Though they had spent a long time away from the battlefield while tending to their clans, they were all supreme battle gods. Excitement lowered one’s odds of victory, so their reason returned automatically the instant combat began. In that state, what they felt now was a terrifying sense of crisis they had been deliberately ignoring so as not to show weakness before their opponent.
The source was not the killing intent or fighting spirit, but the sheer presence radiating from the beautiful youth sitting behind the Chair of Glory.
As Creator Gods—the highest form of spiritual beings—and Origins besides, there were extremely few existences capable of making them feel this way.
An Eternal Being? But not even the Creator feels like this. Could it be the Origin of the Wind Family?
The sense of crisis emanating from the being smiling gently right in front of them was far more severe than the killing intent pouring from the Magic God of Dimensions.
It feels exactly like our clan committed a grave sin, was summoned by the Creator for punishment, and is being personally disciplined.
The Origins finally realized what kind of crisis they had stumbled into, faced with a presence equal to the Creator yet overwhelmingly greater.
This is madness. Why did it have to be the Origin of the Wind Family?
From the rumors they had heard, they needed to flee this place immediately, but they had already confirmed that every form of spatial movement was perfectly sealed by Dimensional Authority.
We should stay as quiet as possible, but we cannot ignore the Dimensional Magic God who is openly demanding a fight.
The Dimensional Authority they had just witnessed, which had completely nullified their own powers, possessed incomprehensible might.
In desperation, the two who had been mortal enemies ready to kill each other only moments ago swiftly exchanged their wills.
Fortunately, that person still shows no interest in us.
Let’s deal with that bastard first. Quickly.
The god race and demon race were once unforgivable enemies who fought for dominance, but against the Substitute Gods they were allies. After so many years of that arrangement, joining forces against a common foe had become second nature.
Right now, the Dimensional Magic God disturbing the calm in the face of the Wind Family Origin’s threat was their mutual enemy.
The Magic God of Dimensions, however, was focused elsewhere as he watched the Origins fall silent and slowly enter combat readiness—on the expression of the Dimensional Origin and his right hand.
Fortunately, the expressionless face had softened, and the fingers that had been curled inward were now unfolding.
The Dimensional Origin is smiling again. Does he find this situation amusing? Or does he see it as a chance to gather excellent experimental data? Well, it isn’t every day the Origin of the Dimensional Clan crosses paths with Origins of upper-level spiritual beings. Whew.
It was truly fortunate he had stepped forward, unable to suppress his temper for even a moment.
If he judged that I had intervened to save the Origins, my life would have been forfeit for interfering. But seeing him smile, lean back comfortably, and settle in to watch like an audience member, it seems the immediate crisis has passed.
Moreover, he had removed the Origins from the Dimensional Origin’s direct judgment, and the fact that both the Creator God King and the Demon Emperor remained silent was also pleasing.
This is very good for everyone. That is—if these two survive my hands. I’ll make them pay dearly for daring to ignore me. Hehehehe—!
If the Dimensional Origin was not going to intervene, he could vent this anger without any obstacles.
Feeling reassured, he kept the pipe clenched in his mouth and activated every authority of the Dimensional Clan’s Origin upon himself.
Paaaaaaaaa—!
Dozens of rainbow-colored barriers bloomed like flower buds in radiant splendor.
The moment the Origins realized each layer was a defensive wall that had nullified attacks capable of erasing their mid-level Creator Gods, they finally understood the true gravity of the situation.
Even for upper-level Origins, continuously firing attacks of that caliber is difficult.
Papapapapa—!
Watching those same barriers overlap endlessly like rose petals, they were left speechless.
Feeling the need to fight with full power, they unfurled their wings of light and wings of darkness to assume combat stance. The Magic God of Dimensions, however, continued to exhale calm puffs of tobacco smoke.
He was frowning at someone, conversing through will. Now he wasn’t even bothering to hide it and spoke outright.
“What the hell are you doing? Any method works as long as you obtain it, doesn’t it? Now they have to bear the consequences of the rudeness they showed the other Origins. Drawing weapons without permission inside another’s divine realm and entering a combat stance is equivalent to a declaration of war. If they’ve gone so far as to destroy the Seat of Glory, they must offer their lives. Do not interfere in matters between Origins any longer. If you have nothing more to say, I’m hanging up. I’m busy for the next six seconds or so.”
When the Magic God of Dimensions answered in such an insolent tone, the other party seemed truly desperate; a real voice, not will, flowed out.
“Wait. Origins must never fight one another. Moreover, the Origin of the Dimensional God Race—who doesn’t even possess a clan—is challenging the Origin of the Ideal God Race? This cannot be allowed. I will make them apologize and offer compensation for this incident.”
“What the—! You idiot! Who are you to talk about killing anyone, you Creator God King? An upper-level demon race Origin fighting an Origin without a clan? Does that even make sense? More importantly, are you trying to completely erase the Dimensional Demon God Race from the 499th Master Universe? Stop it right now—!”
Both the Creator God King and the Demon Emperor were frantic.
If Origins fight, it will never remain a personal matter. In most cases, the clans beneath them become mortal enemies as well.
When vast forces clash internally over emotional grievances, there is no solution. That is why Origins normally avoid fighting each other and tread carefully.
Moreover, judging by the authority the Dimensional Clan possessed, they were certain to become the highest ruling clan in the future. If they somehow incurred the wrath of the Wind Family’s Origin and the 499th Master Universe was excluded from the Dimensional Clan’s selection, the consequences would be catastrophic.
They were already at war with the 500th Master Universe; they could not afford to give their future enemy a strategic weapon their own side lacked.
If countless Lord Gods ascend to Creator Gods and charge in, even the powerful Creator Gods of the 499th Master Universe would have no way to endure.
It was a warning that a lesser being should never dare challenge a superior, mixing power, forces, position, and future implications. Yet the Magic God of Dimensions remained perfectly relaxed.
He had just confirmed through defense that the power of the Dimensional Clan Origin he had obtained could secure the strongest seat even within the Absolute Realm.
“I am the Origin of the Dimensional Clan. One who simultaneously holds the qualifications of Origin for both the Dimensional God Race and the Dimensional Demon God Race. Even without a clan, my value equals theirs. I shall prove that fact. Of course, it only lasts 99 seconds… Wait, is it 20 seconds now? Whew—! It only replenishes with positive karma? At the 10 Mainstays standard of positive karma, how exactly am I supposed to fill this? There really is no such thing as free.”
From the voice, he could tell the other party consisted of the Creator God King and the Demon Emperor—the representatives and strongest existences of the god race and demon race of the Master Universe. Yet the gaze of the Magic God of Dimensions as he gave such insolent answers sent fresh chills down their spines.
It was shocking that he felt a sense of crisis from a Lord God General possessing roughly twenty billion in innate divine power. Frustration also surged toward the opponent who still desired battle while the Origin of the Wind Family was present.
He was about to crush him on the spot when suddenly a dazzling light erupted from the jewel embedded in the Magic God of Dimensions’ forehead.
The jewel of Divine Spirit Purgatory radiates light.
⟨ 99-SECOND HERO GOD ⟩
“Rejoice. Since you are Origins, I’ll specially invest two seconds each.”
It was the preparation for activating the 99-Second Hero God.
A hero was a being who transcended the limits of humanity and possessed transcendental power. A Hero God was likewise a being who transcended the limits of the existing god race. They implemented miracles by surpassing common sense and established norms. The fact that Hwi—the Origin of the Almighty God Race and a Hero God—could land an attack on the Black Flame Absolute even while descended was proof enough.
The 99-Second Hero God partially reproduced the Wind Family’s talent that produced one 10 Mainstays-level powerhouse every ten thousand years among such heroic talents.
At first he had used it by accident and failed to grasp its true value, but after repeated activation and careful analysis, he realized its astonishing power.
Even before activation, merely preparing the 99-Second Hero God makes everything around me look different. The 13th circle of magic that remained beyond my grasp at the talent limit of the 12th circle now unfolds brilliantly before me.
The summit that had only been faintly visible after endless crawling up a mountainside when he could no longer walk had now fallen beneath his feet.
It was not merely a body possessing talent that could at minimum reach the 10 Mainstays level; the endlessly expanding perception and understanding revealed an entirely different world.
Even after the 99-Second Hero God ended and he returned to his original self, the level he had once grasped could be reached again with relative ease.
The path of evolution is visible! This is the true power granted by the Wind Family Dimensional Origin.
He had obtained the fastest and most accurate route to the 10 Mainstays level.
It will still be difficult, but it is completely different from not knowing any path at all. There is no need to blindly fumble about. If I train exactly as the path shows, I will arrive one day—and at the fastest possible speed.
Moreover, even the Origins’ movements, the use of their authorities, and the flow of their magic power were all predicted and understood.
This was only the preparation stage. Once properly activated, there was no possibility of defeat.
The 99-Second Hero God that exhausted every possibility of a spiritual being in a single instant—calling its power equivalent to the 10 Mainstays level was no exaggeration.
A cry filled with ecstasy and wild joy burst involuntarily from the Magic God of Dimensions’ lips.
The Wind Family Dimensional Origin lightly received the declaration.
“Only within the Master Universe, though.”
“...That is true.”
At the Wind Family Dimensional Origin’s kind and immediate correction, the Magic God of Dimensions quickly bowed his head in humility.
Though the other party’s mood seemed improved, he knew with bone-deep certainty that he must never let his guard down. If the being was of the same fickle nature as himself, there was no telling when anger might lead to disposal.
His head bowed even lower at the additional explanation.
“In the Absolute Realm, you would barely qualify as an upper-level warrior. You also cannot defeat the Creator God King or the Demon Emperor. This is truly strange. Is it a fundamental talent issue? The 99-Second Hero God completely reimplements talent and existence itself at the highest level among spiritual beings, so this should not be possible. Ah—! The unstable mental state is the problem. Tsk tsk. If I fix that as well, you would cease to be yourself. What should I do?”
“......”
To be openly insulted about his poor mental state right in front of him should have been humiliating, yet since he himself knew it was true, he had nothing to say. More than that, the fear that the Origin might decide to overhaul everything terrified him.
“A mindset this shaky will accomplish nothing. If you continue doing things roughly, the moment you encounter even one expert who has reached the pinnacle in any single field, it will be your end. Stop growing impatient when answers do not appear immediately and jumping from one thing to another. You must see either magic or Dimensional Authority through to its conclusion before reinforcing the other side. Shortcuts may show immediate effect, but they cannot endure. Only endless devotion and repeated training is the answer. First you must create an unshakable foundation rather than a high tower or mountain. Do you understand?”
“I will work hard.”
“Anyone can say they will work hard. If you keep giving reflexive, clichéd answers and actions like that, I will get angry. It means do not create situations where you must hear such words in the first place.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you even pop out from there? No matter what those around you say, you must hold your center. I was planning to add the heads of those useless Origins for use in the Otherworld, but I cannot understand this at all. Improvising to escape a difficult situation is fine, but remember that it invites greater anger later.”
“...Yes.”
The Wind Family Dimensional Origin knew the entire situation surrounding the Magic God of Dimensions. And because every word was true, there was nothing he could say except “yes.”
I feel like a naughty child being scolded by an elder of the house.
With the other Origins watching, he could not get angry at being reprimanded. If he mishandled this, he would be dragged into the Wind Family’s training—which was the most effective for mental remodeling but recklessly extreme. The thought made the Magic God of Dimensions bow his head even lower.