The Claws That Defy the Gods
The mention of the Otherworld War twisted the faces of the Creator Gods and Main Gods in utter horror. Having some grasp of the Circle standards spoken of in the Void Realm, they understood exactly what those words implied.
‘A Creator God stands at the 12th Circle, while the 14th Circle belongs to the domain of the Creator Lords, the Eternal Beings.’
‘In the current world where even the 13th Circle has vanished, there is no possible response.’
Words of lament spilled from their lips unbidden.
“Only someone at the 14th Circle can oppose it? There’s no way anyone could stand on equal footing with the Creator Lord…”
The ranking system was nearly identical between the Void Realm and the current world. In the Void Realm, 11th Circle beings were Main Gods, of which there were countless, while 12th Circle beings were Creator Gods, barely earning a name among the ruling class.
‘The 13th Circle stands above Creator God General, and only at that level does one finally earn recognition from Jinri and the Eternal Beings, receiving permanent permission to exist.’
‘The 14th Circle is an extremely small group even within the Absolute Realm. It is a position equal to or above the Creator Lords and is only acknowledged for those at the level of the 10 Mainstays or equivalent.’
Yet in the current world, where most of their ruling territories had been lost, even the 13th Circle had disappeared. The 14th Circle—equal to the Creator Lords—was quite literally a realm of dreams.
The reason for this disparity lay in the Absolute Realm and the Master Universes, which endlessly expanded and evolved under the bloodlines of Jinri and the Wind Family. This was precisely why they had elevated Jinri, the very being who had laid waste to the current world, to the seat of supreme ruler and begged for assistance.
‘A whale cannot live in a pond. That is why, in the current world, not only has the 13th Circle vanished, but even the 12th Circle continues to dwindle, while the Void Realm’s numbers grow so rapidly that the current status cannot even be compiled.’
‘The only remaining option is to reclaim the lost territories, but the traitors stand in the way. With only ourselves, who cannot even break free of the Creator God level, there is simply nothing we can do now.’
The endlessly expanding vast territories gave birth to and sustained powerhouses that defied imagination. Having lost most of their domains and with their vitality under extreme restriction, the possibility of any existence stronger than themselves appearing was nonexistent.
‘We must break through the traitors’ blockade by any means and reclaim our former territories. We are outnumbered. We need a powerful God of War capable of ignoring the existing defense systems.’
They were 12th Circle Creator Gods, yet with a mere 200 billion divine power—pitifully insufficient to even maintain their authorities—it was impossible. However, they had just glimpsed hope. If Dimension Genesis God Core Coa’s explanation was true, it meant even the traitors would have no means of response.
Wearing the full-body armor crafted from Coa that had completely solidified his defenses, the Dimension Creator God spoke without the slightest hesitation.
“Alright then—! Let us now witness the close-combat capabilities of the Otherworld. And now, all Main Gods shall withdraw. If you were more than one Circle stronger than the Main Gods of Jinri’s personal guard, the situation might differ, but from this point forward, your presence is meaningless.”
The Main Gods, who were not even worthy opponents, bristled at the command to retreat from the Creator Gods’ war. Yet another unbelievable sight carved itself into their eyes.
“Ugh—! That’s magic power!”
“A Creator God using magic power!?”
Magic power so dense that even looking upon it was unbearable for a Main God radiated from the circle of divine power floating above his head and raced toward his fingertips. The lightly extended tips of both hands pointed toward the sky, and something burst forth.
Shugagagagagagaga—!
What soared into the heavens while slicing through Seourina’s atmosphere were ten black claws of magic power. The demon race, who wandered the universe plundering planets like magical beasts, occasionally used similar abilities in place of divine weapons and knew the form well. But the power and scale were entirely different.
Even high-ranking demons could only manifest about a meter, yet these claws rose endlessly, as if they would slice the main planet itself in two.
‘It was only supposed to extend the nails and strengthen destructive force, but this… Moreover, it is cutting through the atmosphere—no, through the authorities and divine power themselves.’
The Claws of Demonic Power. By emitting extremely condensed magic power from the fingertips to sever and annihilate both the authorities and bodies of the god race, this basic and ultimate authority of the demon god race finally revealed itself in the Otherworld.
With both hands raised above his chest, manifesting the Claws of Demonic Power toward the sky, Dimension Genesis God Core Coa gazed at his creation with an ecstatic expression. Large and numerous—it was perfectly to his taste.
‘Is this truly the Claws of Demonic Power of the Demon King that I created? The size and the number are flawless!’
It was a stroke of fortune that he had aimed them at the sky just in case. Had he directed them toward the ground or the sides, the resulting catastrophe would have sliced apart and destroyed the main planet of the Otherworld.
Moreover, when he lightly crossed the claws against each other, even their creator was shocked by the power they contained.
Kaaaaaaaang—!
Satisfied with the tremendous power and size that did not fall short in the slightest of the Claws of Demonic Power he had witnessed from the Sage of Omniscience—who, despite being the Origin of the Almighty God Race, was praised as a Holy Demon God for wielding magic power that surpassed ordinary Demon Kings—he burst into roaring laughter.
“Kahahahahahaha—! The Claws of Demonic Power used by a Demon King will cause instant death the moment they so much as graze anyone who is not a Creator God. Therefore, if you do not wish to die a dog’s death, withdraw. Though I suppose it makes no difference to me what happens to foolish weaklings who cannot even recognize their own place.”
Since arriving in the Otherworld, he had only suffered a little at the very beginning. Once he had properly arrived, there was no one stronger than himself. Moreover, with the justification and position of Truth Deputy, nothing could restrain him.
“And why are there so many useless buildings with no function? I shall clean them all up for you. So do your best to survive as many as you can.”
With those words, the ten Claws of Demonic Power that had soared into the sky came crashing down, hurtling straight toward the joint temples. The sound of them slicing through the air was loud enough to ring in the ears, as though they had nearly materialized.
Hwagagagagagagak—!
It was Dimension Genesis God Core Coa mercilessly swinging the Claws of Demonic Power—capable of inflicting fatal wounds even upon a Main Universe Creator God if they struck directly—toward the committee’s joint temple, the Cape.
Sagagagagagagak—!
With a spine-chilling cutting sound, the joint temple Co-op blocking the attack trajectory was sliced into dozens of pieces like fallen leaves and sent flying. The defensive power of the Co-ops, which had gathered the authorities of high gods, surpassed that of Main Gods. All the defensive authorities they had painstakingly installed were annihilated before they could even activate. There was simply no way to counter this.
‘Even the already activated defensive authorities are being cut apart and erased. There is no effect whatsoever—!’
Seourina had been forged into the final fortress by integrating the authorities of fifty million high gods. Yet a nightmarish scene was unfolding in which its greatest defensive functions were being nullified as easily as tofu sliced by an incomparably sharp blade.
Even after shredding the joint temple Co-ops, the Claws of Demonic Power showed no decrease in power. They slowly engulfed the Cape, which had been transformed into a chair-like shape, emitting waves of magic power.
Gagagagagagagaga—!
The Main Gods, now realizing this was no battle they could endure, hurriedly dodged the trajectory. The Creator Gods, however, could not. If even they avoided it, the Supreme Committee’s Cape would be destroyed, paralyzing all of Seourina’s functions. The symbolic meaning was even greater.
‘If we, the Supreme Committee, flee, it would signify the destruction of the current world.’
So they gritted their teeth, manifested their highest authorities, and flew upward in an attempt to block the Claws of Demonic Power.
Watching the desperate sight of one hundred Creator Gods simultaneously unleashing their authorities in an attempt to collide with the claws, Dimension Genesis God Core Coa let out a deep sigh. To be Creator Gods yet unable to even gauge the opponent’s authority and power—it could not be more pathetic.
“Huuuuuuh—! It seems you have never witnessed the true Claws of Demonic Power. The Claws of Demonic Power most perfectly manifest the demon race’s God-Slaying authority, designed to neutralize the defensive power and recovery ability of the god race. The instant they make contact with the god race, they kill the body and immediately nullify all authorities. Therefore, against Claws of Demonic Power from a Demon God of equal rank, one must dodge rather than block. You must seek openings through evasion, not defense and counterattack. And since that is the field in which the demon race excels most, it allows them to fight even more advantageously. That is why the Claws of Demonic Power became both the basic and ultimate authority of the demon race. In short, if you respond with such ignorant defense against a higher-ranking Demon King, you will be annihilated instantly. You foolish children—!”
Startled by those words, they looked at the highest authorities they had created to block the Claws of Demonic Power. And then they witnessed the result.
“Huuuuhk—!”
“Our authorities—!”
Gagagagagagaga—!
The Claws of Demonic Power sliced through the highest-level authorities of the current world as if there were no resistance at all, annihilating them without the slightest decrease in speed or power. On the contrary, the claws that now engulfed them with even greater momentum carried an incredibly vicious and terrifying aura.
It was now impossible to dodge; the aftermath of having exerted their authorities with full power was simply too great.
Pashashashashashasha—!
In the end, the moment they received the Claws of Demonic Power with their bodies, screams tore from their throats involuntarily.
“Kwaaaaaah—!”
“Kuuoooo—!”
“Kuu…”
The bodies of the Creator Gods, which should have been the strongest and most resilient, were damaged with ridiculous ease. Coa clicked his tongue as he watched the Creator Gods, shredded by the ten freely bending and moving Claws of Demonic Power, spray blood as they fell from the sky.
“Huh? Truly with a single strike? This is a continuous stream of both joy and disappointment.”
Being lofty personages, they naturally lacked real combat experience, but overall they were severely lacking in training.
‘It feels like watching young masters who only raised their divinity and authorities in the training hall, brimming with confidence, stepping into their first real battle.’
Most of them died pathetically in their first fight, but the problem was that they dragged their surroundings down with them. It was good that they were weak enough for him to handle as he pleased, but seeing the Creator Gods of the Otherworld—who were supposed to become his subordinates—in such a state left him in a foul mood.
“Tsk—! It ends far too anticlimactically. Hey—! Bring out your hidden forces before my hands truly destroy everything. This cannot possibly be all you have.”
Yet there was no response at all. Only the thunderous sounds of the Creator Gods crashing to the ground while vomiting blood echoed across Seourina.
Kuuuung—!
Kukung—!
Those sounds were like a bell signaling the end of the existing Otherworld. Seeing no further signs of resistance, he grumbled and retracted the Claws of Demonic Power.
“Damn it—! If this is truly the end, then the conclusion is the worst possible.”
Around him lay the wreckage of the joint temple Co-op sliced apart by the Claws of Demonic Power. Before it, the Creator Gods—left with only their lives—lay scattered and bleeding. The weak Main Gods had never been an obstacle, so there was now practically no force left that could stop him.
It felt almost hollow to see the Otherworld, which had once possessed a scale equal to the Absolute Realm, come to an end in less than a few minutes.
‘The power of the Otherworld’s Creator Gods is below that of the 500th Master Universe’s Creator Gods. If this is the level of the Otherworld, it is fortunate that I can do as I please, but how am I supposed to lead these beings and achieve revival?’
It was welcome that there were no strong beings capable of interfering with his rule, but if his own allies were this weak, it posed a serious problem. In his past as a mercenary god, when only immediate victory mattered, he would have simply killed them all, absorbed their vitality, and rampaged alone. But having risen to the highest ruling class, he could not do so.
He had to maintain the people he would rule and manage the territory.
‘A king without territory, citizens, or subjects is meaningless. And what determines a king’s caliber is the level of the nation he possesses. Yet if the nation’s condition is like this, what is to be done?’
As he walked lost in thought, a roar and shock that shook the entire ground spread outward. Though he was human-sized, the sound and impact were like those of a Main God from the giant race moving, shaking everything around him.
Kukung—! Kukung—!
The full-body armor crafted from Coa, which had swallowed even the main planet’s defenses and the infinite rapid fire of the divine power cannon that had just been activated, was now in perfect condition. Its density had risen to the point where even the Hero God Hwi would find it difficult to destroy, and its weight had increased enormously.
‘Just in case, I increased the density and weight to the scale of a Main God Star, dramatically boosting defensive power. Thanks to that, it now possesses a weight that could crush an ordinary Main God to death. But if they are already gasping at this level, they were finished from the moment of their training.’
The training philosophy of the Wind Family that the Origin of the Mage God had mercilessly drilled into him was singular: while the level of one’s authorities was important, the difference in basic physical abilities ultimately decided the final outcome.
‘By endlessly training stamina, muscle strength, and endurance without regard for limits or restrictions as the foundation, one builds all authorities and profundities upon it to create a strong being that will never collapse.’
The only way to build such a body was the constant repetition of basic training that continuously increased the burden. His physical abilities, forged through the Wind Family’s brutally stubborn training, were enough to disregard ordinary Gods of War.
‘That is why I can even consider fighting while wearing full-body armor that surpasses the weight of a Main God Star.’
Of course, it was still inevitably inferior to the physical abilities of true Gods of War. Gazing indifferently at the gods of the Otherworld who stared at him with eyes full of fear as he shook the planet with every step, he finally arrived.
He stood directly before the Seat of Truth, prepared at the highest point of the Supreme Committee’s seats, which rested atop the joint temple Cape that had been transformed to resemble a seat of glory. The name ‘Truth’ engraved in light pressed down on him with immense weight.
‘I have already experienced the entirety of the Otherworld’s forces. Even if I sit in that seat and wield absolute power, there is no one who could say a word against it.’
Yet the images of the powerful enemies he had encountered in the Master Universe rose in his mind. He recalled the 10 Mainstays he had faced in the Absolute Realm.
‘If they saw me sitting in the Seat of Truth, what would they say? It would not end with mere mockery.’
The seat bearing the name of Truth was that noble, and he was still far too weak. The moment he naturally sat down, he could already guess what would happen, and a hollow laugh escaped him.
“Haha—! I’m going to die. Even though I personally received permission to serve as Truth Deputy, I am far too weak compared to those around me. Therefore, I do not even qualify to sit.”
He could not even hope for the protection of the future. His future self, the Grey Absolute, would never tolerate him sitting in the Seat of Truth. Since even he himself hesitated and could not forgive the act of sitting in that seat, it would be more than enough reason for his future self, the Grey Absolute, to kill him directly.
Anticipating even the Grey Absolute’s reaction, the refreshing feeling of having run wild as he pleased and confirmed everything he desired plummeted to rock bottom. Only those whom everyone would acknowledge as powerful could sit even momentarily in the Seat of Truth, which placed absolute priority on strength.
At the very least, it would not tolerate anyone less than a 10 Mainstay—and not just any, but the highest, the Golden Absolute.
‘Anyone from the Master Universe or the Absolute Realm would immediately try to end me the moment they saw. The future bastard would lead the charge to kill me, so I could not even flee. Kukuk—! They say some people have their future selves helping them with everything they have, yet for me, I am the most feared target? How truly sorrowful.’
To both himself and his future self, who had suffered endless hardship due to a lack of power, the weak held no value. He might be strong here, but when considering the 10 Mainstays, the Absolute Realm, and the powerhouses of the Master Universe, he was still far too weak.
Therefore, instead of sitting, he knelt on one knee before the seat. Bringing his hands together and bowing his head, he showed his respect with utmost formality.