We Follow Only the Strongest
In the war across the Otherworld, the number '1' was inscribed on his chest in place of the supreme commander's rank insignia. Realizing what this meant, the supreme commander wore a complicated expression.
Now that I look, at some point all the official rank insignias on the chests of the Void Realm Blockade Army have vanished, replaced solely by numbers. And the numbers written up to the ten-thousands range closely matched the order of strength I had imagined.
The one with '2' written simply before him was, in his estimation, the strongest within the entire army. Having witnessed him fighting at the very forefront against the Void Realm deserters, there was no way he wouldn't know.
If this is the work of Dimension Genesis God Core, the Truth Deputy who was dispatched here, then this is the hierarchy of strength.
It was an assessment that judged pure individual power, proof that one had been recognized as the greatest even among the top one hundred thousand elites.
It was an honor earned through his own power alone, without any help from his family, making it all the more priceless—yet I cannot rejoice.
Not only was there an individual's attempt at rebellion, but with the highest elite army in tow, one slip and they would instantly become a rebel force worse than the traitors themselves.
I must proceed with caution. The reason the War God before me, despite being beaten by Dimension Genesis God Core, suddenly shows respect and goodwill is perfectly clear.
He was well-known for his strength and had led the suppression of the Void Gods, so his face was familiar. Yet his family background was ordinary, leaving his rank quite low—until he suddenly rose to second place. Such a meteoric promotion would have been unthinkable under the existing system, which relied on a complex web of evaluations.
"So you've become Number Two? What of the other senior officers?"
Though his expression flickered with slight displeasure, he answered at once.
"It is thanks to all of them retreating after losing consciousness. Because of that, I had to issue even the detailed orders myself. It was I who commanded that the flag of Truth be held in the left hand rather than the right hand that grips the divine instrument. Still, I truly never expected you would come here."
"Is that so? However, becoming rebels is out of the question. I will provide an explanation and allow them to pass so they may descend to the main planet."
Fortunately, since a separate War God had issued the direct order, the chance of avoiding punishment had increased. The decision had to be made with extreme haste.
One wrong move and everything will proceed exactly as that vicious, cunning Dimension Genesis God Core intends.
There was little time. If a Creator God of that caliber descended upon the main planet and entered battle, even if the Creator Gods of the Supreme Committee managed to subdue him, the damage would be catastrophic. The frontline defense army, whose primary duty was protection, would never tolerate it.
The urgently deployed Third Defense Army's attention is fixed on Dimension Genesis God Core as he descends upon the main planet. Should destruction occur there, they will charge in at once, prepared to accept any losses. Therefore, if we withdraw to a safe distance and open the path, we can prove our innocence. After that, we must contact the committee immediately and await their directive.
The frontline defense army's highest priority was to block and repel high-ranking War Gods hostile to the planet. They had to track and stop them before they reached the surface, and they would never view the Void Realm Blockade Army obstructing them with kindness.
Yet there was no leisure for such standoffs or deliberation.
"I understand your position. However, if Lord Dimension Genesis God Core completes his suppression all the way to the main planet and suffers interference from them, it will become extremely troublesome afterward. It may not pose a threat, but since you allowed annoying additional forces to pass so easily, he will not let it slide. From our experience thus far, he does not kill those he acknowledges as strong, but I suspect he will impose a punishment even more painful than death. Are you prepared for that?"
"Khuk—!"
Throb—! Shiver—!
The fact that Number Two was already addressing Dimension Genesis God Core with honorifics no longer mattered. At the mere mention of his punishment, the pain from his previously struck jaw and lips surged back with overwhelming force.
Having now experienced the strike of the Sword of Ruin and Soul, which carries the authority of non-killing and non-destruction, this is not something that can be endured.
Anyone who heard that a useless divine instrument incapable of killing or destroying its target stood at the highest level among absolute artifacts would naturally laugh. Yet the authority and impact that could annihilate a divine spirit multiple times was converted directly into pain while leaving one's life intact. It was utterly horrifying. He now understood perfectly why it represented the authority of Truth.
"You cannot possibly believe the Frontline Defense Army could handle Lord Dimension Genesis God Core when we failed to stop him. It would be impossible even for the Creator Gods of the Supreme Committee. Please keep in mind that we, who are evaluated as capable of enduring the full military power of the main planet, collapsed without accomplishing anything."
"...I will await the orders of the Supreme Committee."
Number Two's assessment of their forces was accurate.
The Void Realm Blockade Army could defend itself even if the entire Supreme Committee and all its members came at once.
It was an army originally formed by gathering only the finest elites and forging them to be as strong as possible to stop the Void Realm deserters—yet Dimension Genesis God Core had shattered it in an instant.
It is an achievement the Creator Gods of the Supreme Committee could not accomplish.
When predicting the outcome of a battle between Dimension Genesis God Core and those Creator Gods, he had no choice but to retreat. If he did nothing and even interfered in order to clear the stigma of rebellion, he feared what would follow.
In response to that reaction, the War God who had become Number Two smiled faintly, took one step back, and spoke.
"This must be why he placed us in this position and descended alone. Since he arrived alone as the Truth Deputy from the Otherworld, I suppose there is no other way if he refuses to become a puppet of the committee. Absolute power begins with strength and is maintained by blood. And it cannot tolerate any equal being capable of defying its commands. I believe deciding your heart quickly will benefit your future position and authority. I trust you already know the mindset with which we have endured the Void Realm blockade. We follow only the strong who deliver victory. Hesitation and calculation belong to the weak. Now you must choose—whether you will remain the supreme commander of the Void Realm Blockade Army or become Number One of the Truth Guard Army."
Grind—!
Is this bastard aiming for my seat as well?
The supreme commander bit his lip at words that bordered on outright threat.
In the end, the very thing I feared most has occurred.
Even though it was officially designated as the Truth Guard Army on paper, the Void Realm Blockade Army showed no resistance whatsoever; the atmosphere was one of open welcome.
It was an extremely dangerous situation, caught between the endlessly evolving Void Realm that even the deserters struggled to handle and the decaying current world.
Most of the Void Realm Blockade Army are already captivated by the strength displayed by Truth and his bloodline. We should have replaced not only the command staff but the majority of key position holders.
But that was impossible.
There are no War Gods comparable to them anywhere in the current world.
The strength that Void Realm beings temporarily displayed by abandoning physical reconstruction and deserting in a Void God state was terrifying. Ordinary War Gods could not oppose them. They had carefully selected only those capable of handling such foes from among all War Gods, leaving no surplus for replacement troops.
Only they possessed the power to withstand the Void Gods, so there was no capacity to replace them.
Thanks to the combined assault of the finest War Gods, they could barely hold back the deserters, but the real problem came afterward.
The Void Realm deserters—who could make even thousands of the Void Realm Blockade Army, recognized as the greatest in the current world, struggle helplessly—would rather choose self-destruction in battle than approach the main house of the Wind Family where Truth resided or attempt to return to the Void Realm.
Exerting authority continuously without a physical body was suicidal. Only when the moment of self-destruction arrived at the hands of those desperately blocking their escape did they finally look back. Most would then bow politely, shed tears of regret, and face annihilation.
Strangely, though they fear Truth so greatly, they do not hate him.
The sight of them offering endless reverence to Truth, lamenting their own weakness as they vanished, was shocking. They were clearly cowardly deserters without bodies, yet the fact that such powerful beings—requiring thousands to stop—offered infinite respect meant no such existence existed in the current world.
If one can be acknowledged through pure strength alone, he is the ideal superior for a War God.
If it was Truth, who single-handedly shook the current world and endlessly developed the Void Realm, there could be no better. Moreover, more than half of the main gods called the greatest—who arrived as supreme commanders—had been erased by Truth as weaklings. Those who barely earned recognition and survived became undeniably capable individuals racing along the path of success, which only deepened their longing.
Thus, the bizarre phenomenon emerged in which they most respected the very Truth they should fear above all.
In the end, it has happened. Losing consciousness even briefly and relinquishing command was fatal.
It was the exact scenario previous commanders had always dreaded. But Truth showed no interest in the Otherworld. Since their own lives were in immediate danger, they had been too desperate to grow stronger through personal training to spare any attention for such matters, and so it had been overlooked. Yet this time, the absurd actions of Dimension Genesis God Core, who had come as Truth Deputy and branded them as rebels, had caused it to erupt.
If they do not wish to become rebels, they need only discard the flag of Truth even now, yet no one releases it. While I was unconscious, the atmosphere has completely shifted toward the Truth Guard Army. It does not seem they will listen if I order them to abandon the flag and withdraw. Should I issue a command that most of my subordinates oppose, I risk losing all authority.
There was a reason the War God who had become Number Two pressed so aggressively. He desired the position of command.
I would rather become the leader of a rebel army than an incompetent commander stripped of authority by his own subordinates.
Being branded incompetent was worse than annihilation. Moreover, with command authority one could still resolve the situation somehow, but once it passed to another, even that opportunity vanished.
The supreme commander, having firmed his resolve, issued his order once more.
"Blockade the main planet until this disturbance subsides. Issue the detailed blockade orders—! Number Two—!"
There was no cheer. Only the thunderous sound of acknowledgment rang out.
"Great Army Blockade Formation—!"
Their unhidden conversation had already reached the ears of every War God in the Void Realm Blockade Army. And honestly, their decision had been made long ago.
As War Gods who pursue strength, their feelings toward Truth—who displays absolute power—do not matter, even though he once devastated the current world. They had not been the ones directly involved at the time.
To those who lived each day risking their lives against Void Realm deserters they could never handle alone, a powerful being of overwhelming strength shone like brilliant light.
Moreover, they shared a common grievance.
It is utterly exhausting to simply maintain the defense line and remain in constant tension, never knowing when they might emerge. We would rather settle things decisively with the traitors.
They already knew there was no hope left in the current world due to the chaotic state of the main planet and the steadily dwindling supplies. Yet the moment they were helplessly beaten and forced into formation by the one called the Truth Deputy, Dimension Genesis God Core, they sensed that the change they desired was finally approaching.
The transformation has begun. The moment of the decisive battle draws near.
Meaningless waiting is over.
We are War Gods. Not gods who protect, but gods who seize.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh—!
The military flags bearing the name of Truth soared into the air as one. With banners raised high overhead and divine instruments drawn, their momentum was that of the Truth Guard Army—the greatest military force in the current world.
The faces of the Frontline Defense Army, who had faced them in standoff with disbelief, now filled with shock and dismay.
Though they held the numerical advantage, twice the military force would not be enough to defeat them.
Having repeatedly battled powerful Void Realm entities and been strengthened under the command of only the finest main gods forcibly selected by Truth, their power already overwhelmed the other defense forces.
The commanders of the Frontline Defense Army who witnessed this sight burned with frustration. The War Gods of the Void Realm Blockade Army became nearly permanent once dispatched, raising serious concerns about them forming personal factions. The very scenario they had always feared had now become reality.
"Did they truly rebel?"
"See? Didn't I say we needed to replace the entire force at least once?"
"With what? Where would we find more troops capable of stopping the Void Gods?"
"Damn it all—! I prepared myself when I heard the Truth Deputy was coming, but I never imagined it would come to this."
It was a clash between the Frontline Defense Army, tasked with stopping the unauthorized intruder from the Void Realm, and the Void Realm Blockade Army, now transformed into the Truth Guard Army, who blocked their path.
With objectives so radically opposed, vicious fighting spirit surged like a tidal wave from both armies, threatening to ignite battle at any moment.
Watching this scene, the eyes of Dimension Genesis God Core—who had devoured the desperate resistance of the final air defense network above the Otherworld's Main Planet Seourina as he descended—shimmered with delight.
The Otherworld's level is an absolute mess and it's already ruined, so a little shaking was all it took for things to turn out like this. No matter how much you tighten control, what does it accomplish? You must treat them well according to how much you exploit them and give them hope if you don't want betrayal. Obtaining forces that can serve as my limbs so easily makes seizing power almost too simple.
The moment he arrived in the Otherworld, he had gained troops sufficient to become his minimum cadre. Though the situation remained unstable, he was satisfied with the results he had achieved.
And at last, Dimension Genesis God Core—having reached the planet's surface not only without suffering damage but having converted the incoming attacks into vitality to further strengthen his authority—descended.
Dooooooooooooooooooooooooong—!
Just before colliding with the planet's surface, he halted with a heavy, resonant boom. Vibrations and shockwaves spread outward in concentric circles, shaking all of Seourina.
Dimension Genesis God Core, who had shifted the absorbed attacks from beneath his feet to above his head, surveyed his surroundings. The joint temple known as 'Cape'—where the ruling class of the Otherworld, the main gods and Creator Gods referred to as the committee, had gathered—stood directly before him.
For reasons unknown, the general gods who had filled the streets with flags and clubs were now screaming and fleeing. He burst into laughter as he observed the lower gods surrounding the joint temples that covered the planet. Though their fighting spirit and killing intent were faint, they were unmistakably present.
The level of armament seemed slightly odd, but the atmosphere—where war erupted without rest for a single day in the name of authentication and survival—was not so different from the main universe. He was thoroughly satisfied.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah—!"
"Kyaaaaaaaah—!"
Yet there was neither answer nor resistance. No one possessed the courage to stake their existence against a Creator God radiating unbearable killing intent and fighting spirit. The general gods, who had only picked up clubs out of frustration and sought nothing more than safe demonstrations that would not threaten their lives, simply screamed and fled.
Watching their pathetic display, a vein bulged momentarily on Dimension Genesis God Core's forehead before vanishing.
"Their patheticness truly knows no limits. I should never have expected anything from them at all."