The Goddesses' Proposal
The War God sat upon the Chair of Glory in the Goddess Department's war council chamber, his thirteen pairs of wings blazing with golden light. Whoosh—! Whoosh—! His recovery as the War God was already complete, yet his mind remained troubled by the coming battles. The core of his concern was the unexpectedly low divine power of the Divine Realm's forces.
'The Main God of the Divine Realm's strength is far lower than anticipated. I thought he was hiding at least half during our duel, but that was nearly his full power. With that level, he could never overpower the Substitute Gods' Main Gods.'
Assuming the Substitute Gods' Main Gods' god-slaying capability was on par with divine slaying, even a joint assault by the Demon Gods and the Main God of the Divine Realm stood little chance. 'If the war drags on, the Substitute Gods' Main Gods might abandon their individual stars and launch a coordinated attack.' Even facing two at once was precarious; if multiple Substitute Gods' Main Gods converged, it would be over instantly.
'My Dimensional Net lacks the divine power to cover the entire battlefield. Magic can deliver decisive blows, but leaves me defenseless afterward. I still lack sufficient strength.'
Crack—! Crack—! The War God rose from his seat and checked his physical condition. His divine power and mana were at full capacity as always. Only mental fatigue had accumulated. 'Solar and dimensional divine power at two billion, mana at one and a half billion? At maximum output with unlimited barrages, my body can sustain it for roughly an hour. That means only short-term decisive battles are possible. Though solar divine power and lunar vitality are rapidly increasing through absorption, they will become unusable in two months.'
With his current strength, even if he relocated the six planets serving as the Substitute Gods' forward bases directly before the Divine Realm's main territory, a grueling fight would be unavoidable. 'The Main God of the Divine Realm's twenty billion divine power was supposed to be the solution, yet his combat effectiveness has fallen this low?'
Originally, the Main God of the Divine Realm had possessed power comparable to the Demon Goddess who reigned as an Absolute Being in the Demon Realm. Yet upon inspection, he had been pushed back so severely that he had nearly surrendered the Divine Realm itself. 'The Main God of the Divine Realm is desperately training with the Primordial War Gods to regain his former combat instincts. But it is too late.'
Having set aside his sword after the pact with the Demon Realm, the Main God of the Divine Realm would only recover his former martial prowess near the war's conclusion. 'Victory itself would be problematic. A civil war with the Goddesses would immediately follow. Their accumulated grievances run deep; it cannot be resolved peacefully. The moment the Main God of the Divine Realm attempts even minor reforms to the current system to become a Creator God, civil war erupts.'
If the Main God of the Divine Realm with twenty billion divine power and one hundred Primordial War Gods clashed against eight Goddesses and thousands of high-ranking goddesses, not only the Divine Realm but the Middle World would perish in the aftermath. 'Even if I, an immature Main God, employ every means available, I cannot prevent ruin. I must stabilize the Divine Realm somehow and secure the Middle World's safety as well.'
The former War God, being beaten senseless by the Main God of the Divine Realm during training, came into view. It was not training—he was fleeing in tears while the Main God furiously pursued and struck him. The God of Knowledge watching the scene with his head in his hands looked pitiful beyond words.
'The former War God is unfit as a successor. It would take far too long, and he could never handle the Goddesses. If a male god inherits the Main God of the Divine Realm's position, civil war in the Divine Realm is inevitable. Ultimately, Granzoa must return and rise as a candidate Main God. Yet I have no obligation to go that far.'
Even if the War God supported Granzoa with his full power, creating twenty billion High Elves would be possible in a short time. But the cost would be immense. 'I helped out of past memories and respect for the strong. I have no obligation to sacrifice myself. I have already given enough.'
Divine power equivalent to two highest-ranking gods was currently being expended for Granzoa's sake. 'I should speak with the Main God of the Divine Realm. If necessary, I will invoke the exception clause of the Karma Contract and relocate the Magic Tower and Great Forest to another star. If the Divine Realm's destruction is the cause, even Karma should acknowledge the exception.'
The War God had not the slightest intention of sacrificing himself for this Divine Realm. He had grown disillusioned with the unexpectedly weak Main God of the Divine Realm and the noisy, selfish, incompetent goddesses of the Divine Realm. Goddesses of Main God rank might warrant respect as powerful beings, but those below had long since lost his interest.
"Are there any goddesses who have come seeking an audience?"
When his divine words reached the high-ranking angel, a somewhat exhausted voice replied. "The eight highest-ranking goddesses of the Round Table came and left. Lady Granraha has requested a work-related meeting."
"Inform her of my arrival. I shall meet her in the inner sanctum's resting chamber."
"Understood. I hope you enjoy a comfortable rest."
The high-ranking angel seemed unusually disciplined, which was a good sign. 'If she works that diligently, I should reward her later.'
Step! Step! As he walked the long corridor and the forest and lake came into view, he felt his breath ease. 'I was right to restore it. All my worries seem to vanish.'
For a moment he stared blankly at the scene, lost in thought. 'Something feels off. When did I, a dark mage, start worrying about and taking responsibility for the entire Middle World and Divine Realm?'
The War God had once been a practitioner who struggled merely to survive against the High Elf Empire, desperately honing his magic. 'When did I begin agonizing over a future beyond my reach?'
Each day had been a struggle to handle what lay immediately before him. He felt as though he had realized something. Without realizing it, an exclamation and insight escaped his lips.
"That's it—! Once this matter is settled, I'll hole up in the Survival Magic Tower and research the eleventh circle. What does it matter to me if the gods ruin the Divine Realm and Middle World? As long as the Karma Contract isn't violated, it is none of my concern. I am already busy enough surviving alone. I'll cleanly break the contract by violating the Divine Realm's terms and relocate the Great Forest and Magic Tower to another star. After that, if I fight to the death as a mercenary against the Spirit Main Gods of the Otherworld, something will work out."
The War God felt as though his spirits would soar upon deciding to return to the life of repeating training and struggle to survive as he once had. Yet a chilling voice from a goddess drifted from behind him.
"That will not do."
"!?"
Though his guard had been down, the War God was startled to realize his senses had been deceived and slowly turned around. There stood the Queen of the Sky, Hera, breathtakingly beautiful in the attire he had given her, her appearance immaculate and resplendent.
'With her shining golden hair whipping about and her sharp eyes fixed on me, this is no joke.' There was no killing intent or fighting spirit, yet she seemed terribly angry. 'The Queen of the Sky Hera's authority was Lord Slayer—an assassin of Main God rank with stealth attributes.' Experiencing it firsthand sent a chill down his spine. He had been caught completely off guard from behind. In the distance, seven other Goddesses approached. They too wore colorful dresses and appeared somewhat adorned, though their attire was of noticeably inferior quality and far less impressive than Hera's, their divine power was unmistakably that of Main Gods.
The War God cautiously checked his dimensional authority. 'If necessary, I must risk it and flee to the Otherworld.' Seeing the Goddesses unleash their divine power, he knew he could not handle three or more. 'They are all nearly complete Main Gods who have reached one and a half billion divine power.'
The Goddesses' radiant beauty failed to register; a sense of crisis surged like a flood. He could not discern what authorities they possessed. 'Damn it! If even one more possesses Lord Slayer or God Slayer attributes, I could die instantly here. Yet I only feel a vague unease—combat intuition is not activating.'
'Huh? The sense of crisis is low? This is not combat?'
Indeed, even as all eight Goddesses drew near, no combat instincts stirred within him.
"There is no need to be tense or flee. We have come this time for a legitimate transaction."
"Is that so? Queen of the Sky Hera. Shall I address you as Granraha?"
"Within these walls, Hera is fine. And since you are a Main God as well, there is no need for honorifics."
"As you wish. Then, Hera? I agreed to perform divine power transfers in order as time permits—why have you all suddenly gathered? Is there something more you desire from me?"
The Dimensional and War God found it absurd that eight Goddesses of nearly equal standing to himself had all converged to speak of a legitimate transaction. Ready to dimensional shift at the slightest sign of trouble, Hera let out a deep sigh and surveyed the other Goddesses before speaking.
"I told you not to follow. How are we supposed to have any conversation like this?"
Hera felt a headache coming on at the sight of the Goddesses who had done their best to adorn themselves in the current situation and were now avoiding her gaze.
"Shall we draft a Karma Contract? Stating that no battle will occur here?"
"What other scheme are you plotting now? Draft the contract precisely in front of us."
"Enough already! We will not be deceived any further! Proceed exactly where we are."
"It seems nothing has been decided yet after all. You spoke as though it were confirmed."
"Mother and daughter really are alike! What are you scheming without regard for method?"
"Monopolizing is unacceptable—! We have urgent circumstances as well."
In an instant, the Goddesses devolved into a chaotic scene of mutual accusations, leaving the Dimensional and War God dumbfounded. 'What in the world is this situation? These goddesses of the Divine Realm truly cannot be handled.'