The Tower of Babylonia Stands in the Sky
The Goddess Department was at war. To the gods ruled by the Goddess Department, the new War God revealed his majesty.
"The Tower of Babylonia Does Not Fall and Stands in the Sky."
⟨ 10th Circle Projection Magic ⟩
A colossal screen covered the entire ceiling of the grand hall in the Main God Temple. It was the same magic the new War God had once used to address his believers in the Middle World. Yet the screen did not show the War God himself. It displayed the Main God Temple, then slowly rose to illuminate the Main God Star. The view continued to pull back until it revealed the sun and the entire planetary system.
Ooooooo—!
The fourth planet of the solar system—the Main God Star—shone with a brilliant blue light, while the ninth and outermost planet of the stellar system, home to the Substitute Gods’ planetary fortress, burned crimson. The fifth planet, which the gods had named the Boundary—the defensive line against the Substitute Gods—blazed pure white.
At the Boundary, the gods and demons had formed an alliance to battle the invading Substitute Gods. The headache was that without an invasion, the two sides immediately turned on each other in all-out war.
By the Karma Contract between the Main God of the Divine Realm and the Demon God, they cooperate in battles against the Substitute Gods. But aside from that, it is a battlefield where they kill each other.
When the War God showed them the scene of the Boundary where gods and demons clashed, the audience found it puzzling. The next instant, however, they were struck speechless with shock.
Gooooooo!
The stars of the stellar system shown on the screen were moving.
The first and third planets had altered their orbital paths, sliding into an almost perfectly straight line between the fourth planet and the sun.
“What is this?”
One of the Upper Gods unconsciously blurted out the words at the impossible sight of planets freely changing their orbits.
Thwack—!
“Eek—!”
He recoiled in terror as the Lord Slayer spear grazed the tip of his nose and buried itself in the floor.
The new War God’s cold smile turned toward the offending Upper God.
“Save your questions until after the presentation is finished.”
“Y-yes! Yes!”
The War God’s fully unleashed divine power crushed the entire assembly. No one had seen when the Lord Slayer spear had been thrown, and the realization sent an icy chill through every god present.
Ruuuumble!
The screen moved again. Once the aligned planets halted, the fifth planet—the Boundary—began to shift. It stopped directly in front of the Main God Star where the Divine Realm resided, a distance Highest Gods could cross in a single breath.
Drrrrrr—!
Now the sixth red star moved. That crimson world served as the Substitute Gods’ forward base. The sixth star, glowing the color of blood, stopped before the Boundary planet. Its red light flickered, then changed to blue.
The newly blue fifth star began sliding behind the Main God Star.
“……”
“……”
The conference hall had grown so silent that even breathing seemed to have stopped. They had finally understood the meaning behind the images.
The gods dispatched from the Boundary had annihilated every last Substitute God at the fifth forward base.
The procedure that followed was identical. They dragged the stars occupied by the Substitute Gods in front of the Boundary, purged them, then safely relocated them behind the Main God Star where the main headquarters lay.
In this way, every star in the stellar system was brought inside the Main God Star’s inner orbit.
All the outer planets had been cleared. Only the ninth and outermost world remained—the planetary fortress that served as the Substitute Gods’ true main base.
Ruuuuuumble!
Even that final stronghold was pulled in front of the Main God Star. Its red light flickered, gradually shifting to blue. At last the planetary fortress shattered and vanished completely.
All that remained was a neat line of stars behind the Main God Star.
Once the war ended, the stars would return to their original positions.
Flash—!
The screen vanished. The War God appeared with thirteen pairs of radiant wings spread wide, and he spoke.
With my dimensional authority, the planets will be moved so that all battles occur only in front of the Boundary where the regenerators stand. There will be zero estimated allied casualties. As long as orders are followed, no god shall perish. This is total victory.
The War God’s words, overflowing with absolute certainty, sent pleasant shivers racing across every god in the hall.
The War God intends to relocate every outer star and create the battlefield most advantageous to the god race.
Just as he said—if the fighting takes place right in front of the Boundary with its regenerator and the Main God Star, the fallen can resurrect in the Divine Realm and return to battle instantly.
The intermediate losses caused by long-distance travel will be reduced dramatically.
Above all, the shortened travel time after resurrection will nearly double our available combat strength.
The minds of the battle-hardened gods and war deities spun at blinding speed.
Battlefield fatigue from prolonged warfare will be lowered to the absolute minimum. The forced alliance with the demon race will no longer be necessary.
With only the god race, we can overwhelm the Substitute Gods.
Moving the giant stars orbiting the stellar system would have been difficult even for the Main God of the Divine Realm. Yet the War God could summon dozens of planets simultaneously using dimensional authority and magic, then relocate them through space. With him in command, the absurd tactic of dragging enemy planets directly in front of allied headquarters for an immediate assault had become possible.
“The Substitute Gods draw their strength not from divine power but from the life force of the stars themselves. Without stars in the intermediate zones, they cannot perform long-distance movement. Deprived of stellar replenishment and exhausted by the journey, they will be severely restricted in manifesting the God Slayer authority that demands enormous power. The Substitute Gods without that authority and already worn down are all at the Upper God level or below. The primordial gods and Highest Gods will deploy to annihilate them. Any who fall can be immediately resurrected and thrown back into battle. Fortresses approaching via long-range spatial movement, along with any Substitute Gods at the Main God level or higher, will be destroyed by the Main Gods’ personal intervention. Therefore this strategy is called Clearing the Field Lightning Strike, and the tactic is One Warrior Against a Thousand.”
Shaaaaa—!
It felt as though the sound of wind that was not blowing whispered through the gods’ ears.
If it goes according to plan, it is possible.
We can win against the Substitute Gods without losing a single god.
This wretched, eternal war of ascension will finally end.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Loud applause rang out.
The one clapping alone was the Main God of the Divine Realm. The smile had vanished from his face completely; he looked one breath away from erupting into mad laughter. Seeing that expression, the primordial gods broke into joyful smiles and joined the applause.
Their God King had returned.
Clapclapclapclapclapclapclap!
The sound of applause filled the grand hall to bursting. Victory in the eternal ascension war stood before their eyes. The certification war against the Substitute Gods that had long blocked the Divine Realm’s progress was drawing to a triumphant close.
The Main God of the Divine Realm’s muscles rippled with power. A shining sword appeared from thin air beside him. Gripping the divine blade tightly with an expression full of deep emotion, he continued.
“There is nothing more enjoyable than a battle where victory is assured. Especially a complete victory. War God, ask for whatever you desire. I will support you in anything.”
“The one greater than any other—the Main God of the Divine Realm—has a separate task.”
“Huh?”
When the Main God looked at the War God with a puzzled face, his expression changed at the answer.
“When the war begins, you must restrain the Demon God and the Demon King at the Boundary. According to the Karma Contract, the alliance is suspended if there is no assault from the Substitute Gods. We need controlling forces stationed at the Boundary to prevent any surprise invasion by the demon race or the Substitute Gods into the Divine Realm.”
“I must keep the Demon God and Demon Kings in check at the Boundary?”
“If the Substitute Gods or the Demon God enter the Divine Realm and destroy the regenerator, every strategy becomes meaningless. It would be the same as throwing the castle gates wide open. Every Highest God capable of combat must devote their full strength to defending the Divine Realm from the Boundary. If the Demon God or Demon King invades and the Divine Realm takes damage, it is over.”
“Hmm! I see.”
It was indeed true. The face that had overflowed with fighting spirit hardened. No matter how powerful the Main God of the Divine Realm was—with two billion followers and the strength of a supreme sword god—the Demon God was an equal. If they fought each other with the Substitute Gods watching, the surrounding area would simply become a slaughterhouse with no solution.
The Demon God is stronger than me. Didn’t I only barely win last time by using every trick I had?
Although he had become the Main God of the Divine Realm, he was still no match for the Demon God who had reigned for eternity. And if the Demon God or Substitute Gods entered the Divine Realm, it would already be too late.
They are not opponents who need much time to destroy the Divine Realm.
They might decide the time had come to break the alliance with the Demon Realm. They could not withdraw the demon forces from the Boundary.
“Then what if we dissolve the alliance with the Demon Realm and carry out the strategy alone?”
“The only way to counter this strategy is an all-out assault using the planetary fortress. The alliance with the Demon God remains necessary to defend against that. The Divine Realm alone cannot stop the Substitute Gods’ full-scale attack.”
“I understand. It has been a long time. I suppose I should go mingle with the Demon God again.”
The sword of the Main God of the Divine Realm, held after so long, hummed with power. The cheers of the gods shook the grand hall.
The primordial gods and Highest Gods, sensing victory, poured their cheers and admiring gazes upon the War God. He looked back at them, offered a small smile, and folded his wings. It was the first time he had received so many favorable looks, and the experience left him slightly awkward.
The expectant gazes of former enemies? Not bad at all.
The original plan had been to lead only the finest elite of the god race and destroy the stars occupied by the enemy. Yet calculations showed that nearly every participant would be annihilated.
It will take a great deal of time, but this is the only path that avoids any sacrifice.
The sure-victory force created by the War God would consume considerable time, yet they would fight while moving the stars themselves.
Moving the stars is not a problem. The real issue is the excessive time required to stabilize their orbits afterward.
The eyes of the highest-ranking goddesses from the Goddess Department surrounding the War God began to shine with even greater intensity. They looked like lionesses staring at massive prey.
Something feels very off…?