Congratulations on Being Acknowledged as Strong
It was all the more so because they had shown a degree of consideration after seeing how he had coveted the heads of the administrative Main Gods to compensate for his insufficient computational power during the Otherworld War. Yet once the Dimensional Origin granted him a personal, exclusive Dimensional Authority, that need vanished entirely. The shortfall in processing power had been completely resolved. He no longer required even the heads of the existing Magic Gods.
“Then I’ll take the Origins’ heads myself…”
The Magic God of Dimensions lifted his head to answer, but the words never left his mouth. In that instant a figure flashed across his vision, and a fist blazing with divine power slammed down onto his skull from above.
Though the Dimensional Barrier blocked the blow, it could not fully dissipate the shock. His head snapped downward. A single layer of the Dimensional Barrier—one capable of nullifying attacks that would annihilate even an Intermediate Creation God—shattered and vanished.
The only divine being present capable of exerting such force was Civil Rights, the Origin of the Anomalous Divine Race. He had seized the opening the moment the Magic God of Dimensions became distracted while speaking with the Dimensional Origin. For an Origin of the divine race, notorious for their towering pride, to launch a surprise attack was genuinely shocking.
“Kuh—! An ambush? A Higher Origin against me? Why in the world?”
That was not the end. A hand blade surged upward from the floor like a shadow, its edge wrapped in magic-power claws aimed to pierce straight through his forcibly lowered chin. The Dimensional Barrier that met it rang with a chilling roar as the claws collided with enough force to penetrate.
The magic claws and Dimensional Barrier erupted on contact. Sparks of power that crushed divine authorities and jets of black lightning exploded outward as though to pulverize everything in existence.
A portion of the Dimensional Barrier he had trusted as invincible within the Main Universe disintegrated. The Origin of the God-Destroying Black Lightning Demon God Race was visibly gritting his teeth, driving the magic claws forward with even greater force.
“Two Origins ambushing me at once? Gah—?!”
The Dimensional Barrier itself remained intact, yet an emergency had unfolded. The barrier, driven inward from its original position by the assault, was now crushing his head between forces from above and below. Civil Rights’ fist hammering down from overhead and the magic claws rising from beneath to strike his chin had both penetrated the section of the Dimensional Barrier that protected his skull, forcing their way inward and threatening his main body directly.
The compressive force squeezing his head was no joke. It felt exactly like metal placed on an anvil being hammered flat; the Dimensional Barrier was narrowing, and his skull was in danger of being crushed between its walls. The Magic God of Dimensions had never imagined they would choose to forcibly shrink the gap through a surprise coordinated assault in order to pulverize him, since they could not break through the successive layers of his defense.
And it was proving terrifyingly effective. His own Dimensional Barrier was pressing against his cranium, sending waves of excruciating pain through his mind. A little more and it would rupture.
I’m finished—!
Yet the instant he reflexively kicked off the floor, his body shot forward at a speed beyond sight. The compressing force from above and below lost its alignment as its target suddenly lurched, launching the Magic God of Dimensions backward like a cannonball. He punched straight through the wall of the Main God Temple and flew into the distance.
The eyes of the two Origins as they watched him go were filled with the bitter regret of hunters who had let their prey slip away. They had wasted a perfect opportunity to finish him with their meticulously prepared ambush.
“Hmm—! He bounced out. The impact point was too narrow.”
“Damn it all—! That was the perfect chance—! After him—! Ugh—!”
The Origins were about to chase after the flying Magic God of Dimensions when they instantly switched to a defensive posture.
The Magic God of Dimensions, burning with rage, was hurtling back even faster than he had been sent flying.
“You bastards—! I’m reporting to the Dimensional Origin of the Wind Family, and you Main Universe Origins dare launch a cowardly ambush? After pulling something like that, you still call yourselves Main Universe Origins?”
He had come within a hair’s breadth of having his skull shattered by the unexpected surprise attack, and worse, he had shown such a disgraceful sight in front of the Dimensional Origin he most needed to impress. The Magic God of Dimensions was so furious his mind nearly spun, yet he had not forgotten the recent crisis. He charged again wrapped in dozens of fresh layers of Dimensional Barrier.
The Origins’ response, however, was a sneer.
“Victory is everything.”
“The one who gets hit is the fool.”
They lightly mocked his protest, raising their authorities as Origins to the limit and forming defensive barriers of their own. Then they collided head-on with the oncoming Dimensional Barriers.
A tremendous roar shook the Main God Temple as the violent aftershock swept outward.
The Dimensional Barrier remained unscathed, but the barriers created by the Origins generated such massive shockwaves on impact that the Magic God of Dimensions’ charge halted. He was sent staggering backward several steps in a daze. The Origins were pushed back as well, yet only by a single step. The difference in superiority was now painfully clear.
“As expected, you’re being ruled by your authority. Remove the Dimensional Barrier and you’re no better than a Main God. That Dimensional Authority is wasted on you.”
“Kekeke—! A classic example of an undertrained divine who relies solely on the authority he was granted. Are you truly a former Mercenary God? Why are you so weak and full of openings?”
“Y-y-y-you—!”
The Dimensional Barrier that had guaranteed him victory through invincible defense in the Main Universe had been completely neutralized. Not only had he been ambushed and provoked, he had even been mocked. The Magic God of Dimensions, nearly losing his mind from fury, suddenly heard the voice of the Dimensional Origin in his ear.
“Congratulations.”
“…Pardon?”
It was a completely unexpected remark, and the words of the Dimensional Origin of the Wind Family could never be ignored. The Magic God of Dimensions felt as if cold water had been poured over him; his reason returned, yet the statement remained utterly incomprehensible.
“Congratulations on being acknowledged as a powerhouse.”
“?!”
He stood there stunned, but the way the Origins’ faces twisted in clear displeasure told him the words carried weight. The Dimensional Origin sighed at the sight of his confusion.
“Haa—! You’ve lived alone without much interaction, so your understanding of the world is nearly nonexistent. There really is no helping it. Listen carefully.”
The Dimensional Origin rose from his seat and spread both arms wide. It looked as though he were addressing a vast assembly. His voice dropped into a dignified, resonant baritone.
“Grandfather Jinri once said: if you wish to know an ally’s true worth, ask their enemy. The one the foe fears most and curses most bitterly is the most useful comrade.”
“?”
He could not grasp the meaning, but the Origins gave small nods of agreement. They clearly concurred, yet he still did not understand why an enemy’s evaluation should be considered accurate. The explanation continued.
“And if you wish to know whether you are strong or weak, observe how your enemy behaves. If they challenge you fairly, it means they believe they can win easily even without tricks. But if the enemy cowardly targets your weaknesses and resorts to any means necessary without hesitation…”
The Dimensional Origin of the Wind Family glanced at the two Origins, then back at the Magic God of Dimensions.
“Rejoice—! You are a powerhouse they can never defeat in a fair, head-on fight. You have been recognized by your enemies as a formidable adversary.”
“!!!”
Something surged up from deep inside his chest. It was not anger; the emotion was so intense it even reddened the corners of his eyes. Fragments of his past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
The desperate struggles to complete nearly impossible missions as the Mercenary God. No—those were the days he had fought with everything he had simply to survive.
When he first received missions as the Mercenary God, his heart had naturally swelled with hope for the world and dreams of a glorious future won through victory.
Of course I wanted fair, honorable battles. But everyone else had also fought with all their strength to survive. There was no easy opponent for me, a newcomer stepping into that world for the first time.
Both clients and enemies were stronger than the lone Magic God of Dimensions, and their forces were overwhelmingly vast. There was no path to victory through normal means. In the end, he had been forced to struggle like a madman simply not to be crushed by that towering wall of reality.
Ah—! That’s right. I didn’t start out ambushing and clinging desperately from behind. The opponents were too numerous and too powerful; I had no luxury to choose my methods. That was the only way I could win. So now I have become strong enough that even the Origins feel they must resort to ambush? Have I truly…
Yet the surge of emotion did not last long. The enemies would not tolerate the momentary lapse in his guard as his mind wandered.
This time they widened the area of impact to prevent him from bouncing away, striking his chest and back simultaneously rather than his head. Civil Rights hammered the Dimensional Barrier with full strength from the front while the magic claws of the Origin of the God-Destroying Black Lightning Demon God Race slashed down from behind as if to sever his spine. His mind snapped back to full alertness.
The way the Dimensional Barrier is being driven inward again looks dangerous. Could it actually be on the verge of breaking?
The center of the impacted barrier even showed signs of penetration. Such a feat would have been impossible without considerable understanding of the Dimensional Authority. These two had already analyzed a counter to the Dimensional Barrier—the ultimate defense—to this degree.
As expected of the highest-ranked War Gods of the 499th Main Universe! If I let my guard down and underestimate them, I die.
Hiding his rising sense of crisis behind harsh words, he immediately counterattacked.
“You cowardly bastards—! Origins repeatedly ambushing and ganging up on me? Get lost!”
He swung both hands from within the barrier to deflect their attacks and prevent further compression and penetration. He even tried to add a counter, but the Origins immediately created distance and, just as before, formed barriers with their authorities and slammed them into his own.
“Keuk—! Again—!”
Pressed by the aftershock of the colliding authorities, only the Magic God of Dimensions—whose Innate Divine Power was inferior to the Origins’—felt his body about to be hurled away. Magic was difficult to invoke without a stable stance. To stop himself from being thrown backward before he could even begin chanting, he drove his feet into the floor. The sound of grinding teeth echoed from his mouth.
This was completely different from his expectation that he would achieve total victory by fully chanting his magic from inside the Dimensional Barrier that nullified every enemy attack.
“GRIIIIIIIND—! Damn it—! This can’t be happening—!”
Even when he tried to activate his magic, he was flung about against his will and could not complete it. The defensive power of the Dimensional Authority was still flawless, yet the force of their attacks made it nearly impossible to maintain proper distance from his own body. The moment the Dimensional Barrier collapsed would be the end, so he had no spare energy to devise other measures while blocking with everything he had.
The Origins he had looked down upon were pressing him relentlessly with ambush and coordinated strikes, showing neither openings nor carelessness. And they were utterly brazen about it.
“Rejoice, just as the Dimensional Origin of the Wind Family said. You are worth this much effort—!”
“You filthy bastard whose only strength is that damned authority—! Just die already!”
Whenever he showed the slightest opening they immediately coordinated an attack. When he attempted to counter they retreated to gain distance. When he tried to solidify his defense and chant they slammed him with overwhelming divine-power barriers to force him to cancel. Against a defense-oriented Dimensional Authority, this long-range checking style of combat left him completely helpless.
Yet he could not allow himself to be pushed back so pathetically. He continued creating Dimensional Barriers and colliding with theirs.
Watching the Magic God of Dimensions and the Origins repeatedly collide and cancel the countless barriers created by each side’s authority, the Dimensional Origin sat back down, smiled, and continued.
“Therefore, do not grow complacent just because you are strong and end up taking a hit. The mindset that refuses to tolerate even an instant’s weakness the weak might exploit, and that strives with all its might to eliminate the enemy, is the very foundation of strength. I never understood why he emphasized something so obvious, but now it makes sense. Kahahahahaha! So even the Dimensional Authority can be blocked this way in the Main Universe. Since they cannot penetrate it, they push it back to apply pressure? They narrow the gap between body and barrier, compress it, and aim to destroy the physical form? This is truly fascinating.”
The authority possessed by the Origin of the Dimensional Clan could not be destroyed by anyone below the level of a high-ranking warrior of the Absolute Realm. A barrier founded on world creation nullified and transformed most physical impacts. Ordinary authorities naturally had no effect, which was why it had been invincible in the Main Universe. He had never anticipated the method of using canceling aftershocks to push it back.
Rather than piercing the strongest shield with the strongest spear, they push with raw force to crush the person holding the shield? Quite novel. There is definitely room to correct this weakness. A very profitable discovery.
The belief that the Dimensional Authority was perfect had been discarded the moment he witnessed it completely shattered by the aftershocks of the duel between the 10 Mainstays. Since it was an authority that required constant improvement, he needed vast amounts of experimental data and real combat experience. He had expected experiments against the highest-ranking warriors of the Absolute Realm to be helpful, yet he had gained an unexpectedly rich harvest here in the Main Universe.
Moreover, the Creation Gods of the 499th Main Universe are fearless. To ignore the presence of an Eternal Being and fight with full power? Impressive.
Mere Creation Gods of the Main Universe had shaken off the aura of an Eternal Being and launched an ambush the instant an opportunity appeared. It was like mice ignoring their primal terror before a god and brawling among themselves. He was also deeply impressed by their decisiveness in forming an alliance without hesitation or past enmity the moment they saw a chance to seize victory.
It is no easy thing for opponents who were once enemies due to a direct bloodline grudge to instantly form an alliance and combine their strength for the sake of victory.
Despite belonging to the Magic God Race and the Divine Race respectively, their coordination was so superb that the Magic God of Dimensions—armed with the authority of the Dimensional Clan Origin—was left utterly helpless. No matter how superior one’s authority, if the enemy gave no opening to counterattack and simply kept pressing, even the greatest defense had no answer. It was a remarkable display.
Is “choosing any means necessary for victory” their basic premise? Are these the War Gods of the Main Universe that Grandfather Jinri seeks? Quite unique. Completely different from the feeble gods of the Otherworld.
Although he had raised his evaluation of the Main Universe, the fact that an Origin of the Dimensional Clan was being pushed back like this wounded the pride of the Dimensional Authority. In the end, he decided to offer a small piece of advice.
“The Dimensional Authority I envisioned was originally conceived as a mobile fortress and battery. It is an absolute authority designed for thorough wide-area suppression. Fighting by mindlessly chasing the opponent in front of you like a common foot soldier will naturally fail. As a being who possesses Dimensional Authority, you must fight with the momentum to sweep away the entire hostile world single-handedly. Therefore, if you remain concerned with dignity in a situation like this… you will die.”
Though it sounded like muttering to himself, the Magic God of Dimensions—who was paying the closest attention even amid the chaos—clearly understood. His combat stance changed at once.
“Fine—! I no longer care about the dignity of an Origin or anything else.”
The Magic God of Dimensions drove both arms straight into the floor. With his legs already embedded, the posture looked like prostration, yet the reduced surface area let him escape much of the barrier-collision aftershock. Being firmly anchored also freed him completely from the interference that had disrupted his magic chanting. Though the sight was humiliating, the Magic God of Dimensions had finally stabilized his body. The activation chant burst from his lips.
"Eat this."
⟨ Dimensional Divine Annihilation Cannon ⟩
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAAAAAAAANG—!
For an instant the entire space of the Main God Temple was engulfed in the blinding light of the God Destruction Cannon, swallowing the two Origins whole.