The Absolute's Fishing Hook
The Substitute God Clan war raged on. “The Demon God of the Demon Realm’s vitality is rapidly gathering mana inside the magic tower, yet even the planetary essence stored within my body is barely enough to contain it.” Still, that was the one factor that gave him a fighting chance. “My current state is that of a Lower Main God with 2.5 billion divine power. At worst, it might drop to 1.5 billion. But I possess the Lord Slayer authority I obtained from Hera. When the joint authority activates, the Substitute God Clan’s Main Gods will fall below one billion. Losing 19 billion divine power in an instant will be difficult for them to adapt to.”
Of course, the Substitute God Clan’s God Destruction Cannon would still affect him while he remained in his Main God state, so a simple comparison was impossible. However, this joint authority only recognized and activated in one-on-one combat, giving the former dark mage and current Dimensional and War God the highest odds of victory. “Against the Substitute God Clan, pure divine or demonic races stand no chance in single combat. Only I, a Mage God who wields both divine power and mana, can do it.”
The Main God of the Divine Realm and the Demon God of the Demon Realm finished their analysis and nodded. Guuugugugugugung! The Substitute God Clan’s Main God was now approaching, pushing through the star’s debris and explosions. “The original plan was for me to charge in using this authority, but my death would have been certain. With this, however, there is a very slim chance of survival. Best not to dwell on probabilities.”
He had already been stabbed in the back by someone, so his only thought was to survive by any means necessary. “Guillotine of the Incompetent.” The true name of the authority resounded, striking the approaching Substitute God Clan’s Main God directly. Uuung—! Uuung—! The Substitute God Clan’s Main God poured out divine power to its limit in resistance. Yet it could not resist an authority that was part of his own power. Tududududududuk! Both the Substitute God Clan Main God’s divine power and the Dimensional and War God’s divine power were mercilessly stripped away.
“Kuhk—!” “Keuk—!” Involuntary screams escaped both of them. It felt as though their divine power was being forcibly torn away, their minds and bodies violated. Suddenly, they felt an intense sensation of being watched. Clap—! Clap—! Clap—! Applause echoed through the soundless universe. “Who is it? Not one or two…!” Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of gazes were fixed upon him and the Substitute God Clan’s Main God, both standing upon the Guillotine of the Incompetent.
“They are the highest-ranking Main Gods and Great Demon Gods who have nearly reached the level of Creator Gods.” The applause of those who had transcended the divine and demonic races reverberated through the cosmos. Overwhelming all of them, a colossal mana surged with excitement, followed by the Demon God King’s delighted voice. “I will not kill you specially. To think you would even reveal the Guillotine of the Incompetent here—how truly adorable.”
“Isn’t that too great a privilege? Wasn’t your law to kill every lifeform that catches your eye?” “It is a reward for showing me such an entertaining spectacle. Who would have thought I would witness a Transcendent daring to challenge a Substitute God Clan’s Main God in single combat? How amusing.” “It is certainly amusing. There was meaning in closing my eyes for a moment.”
The being speaking leisurely from the opposite side of the Demon God King was the Creator God. “The Creator God and the Demon God King have brought all their highest-ranking Main Gods and Demon Gods to watch!” The Main God of the Divine Realm and the Demon God of the Demon Realm had already dropped to their knees in submission. Curses rose to his lips, but he could only think them. “These damned bastards! This is fun for you? But I could be erased at any moment!”
The Demon God King immediately noticed his thoughts. “Your thoughts are quite vicious. Being able to think that in our presence is also adorable, I suppose.” Thwack—! “Kuhk—! Urgh?” A sudden, extreme pain struck the back of his head. It felt familiar. “The shape and sensation of the hand that struck me is exactly the same as before! It’s the same feeling as when someone hit the back of my head and forced me into a contract!” The Demon God King’s truly amused voice followed. “According to the Law of Karma, my role is to slay the weak and subject the strong to trials. Yet you even showed me the Guillotine of the Incompetent? My expectations are high. Go ahead and rampage to your heart’s content.”
Grind—! Fearing his thoughts would be read again, he could only grind his teeth without thinking further. Seeing this, the Demon God King laughed once more, clearly enjoying himself. “Hohohohut—! Even the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God is watching, so you had better perform well. If he is not satisfied with the outcome of this battle, he will send another Substitute God Clan’s Main God to raze this place.”
“It is merely one Upper Main God and one Lower Main God. Here, a coalition of one Upper Main God and one Upper Demon God has driven an Upper Substitute God Clan tribe to the brink of annihilation. He claims this result makes no sense and that we must have cheated, so he is coming personally to confirm? How absurd—!” “Ignorance breeds courage. I would also like to see someone bold enough to break his laws.” Uuuuung! Behind the Creator God and the Demon God King, a massive spherical form appeared. A gasp escaped the Dimensional and War God’s lips. “That is the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God……”
A Substitute God Clan entity comparable in size to the solar system was approaching from afar, its enormous mouth open wide. Even his transcendent senses as a Main God were insufficient to fully perceive the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God. “Its size and divine power are so overwhelming that I feel frozen.” The Demon God King and the Creator God wore only bored, pitying expressions. Even the highest-ranking Main Gods and Great Demon Gods showed no reaction to the shocking appearance. Furthermore, they remained relaxed even as countless highest-ranking Substitute God Clan Main Gods emerged from the Creator God’s open maw.
“What the hell is this situation? The Substitute God Clan are star-eaters, the common enemy of both the divine and demonic races!” The Demon God King was even yawning. Only he, the Main God of the Divine Realm, and the Demon God of the Demon Realm were restless and confused. Gogogogo! Thousands of highest-ranking Substitute God Clan Main Gods spread out into a wide encirclement, constructing a vast divine power barrier that blocked spatial and dimensional movement. “Insane—! They intend to attack.”
An absurdly massive wave of divine power surged violently. “I can sense the God Destruction Cannon from the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God. At that size and power, the solar system would be wiped out in an instant. Even the Creator God and the Demon God King would not be safe.” It was a dire crisis. Yet the Demon God King and the Creator God were smiling lightly. Gogogogogo—! The light of the God Destruction Cannon gathered within the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God’s impossibly massive maw. The rampaging divine power threatened the entire solar system.
“Very well. You may serve as bait on his fishing hook like your predecessor. Forever, that is. A novice who has never experienced or witnessed the contract violation of a Creator God is truly troublesome.” The Demon God King’s mocking divine words echoed through the universe. “Truth’s Karma Contract.” A massive Karma Contract appeared before the Demon God King, the Creator God, and the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God. It was not golden. Written in blood-red letters upon pure white, it radiated an ominous aura.
“Little child. Shall I read it for you? As the price for challenging and losing to me, the divine race cultivates life while the demonic race harvests it. The Substitute God Clan increases the number of strong life-bearing stars. The sole purpose is the evolution and development of strong life. All rights and actions pursuant to this purpose are recognized. Those who reject or obstruct this purpose are deemed useless and treated accordingly. The divine and demonic races shall be turned into insects, while the Substitute God Clan shall serve as bait for my hobby of fishing. Kahahahahat—! Damn you, Truth’s Karma Contract—! I will tear those Absolute Beings to pieces—!”
Shraaa! Shraaaak! The Demon God King madly shredded the Karma Contract before him. The scattered fragments gathered into a circle and shone once more. Within that light appeared the scene of a tranquil countryside. There were no large trees, only a quiet rural landscape with an endlessly stretching training ground. “He is there!!!”
He wore plain white robes, his long black hair tied back and wrapped around his neck. “A wooden sword hung at his waist, and a massive greatsword was strapped to his back. He looked like a typical martial artist in training.” He had cast a small fishing rod into a small pond and was leisurely gazing at the water. Yet something was caught on his hook, letting out a desperate scream. No one knew what he was fishing for. Only that the circular object struggling on the hook was unmistakably the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God. “Something in the pond is biting it, making it scream. And beside it, in a small box, dozens of Substitute God Clan Creator Gods were wailing pitifully.”
His body trembled at the sight of the Substitute God Clan Creator Gods, each the size of the solar system, in such a wretched state. Kyaaaaak—! The Substitute God Clan’s Creator God, witnessing this, let out a scream filled with terror. Even the Demon God King and the Creator God’s faces turned deathly pale. “They never expected such a scene to appear either!” He could be seen casually flicking the insects clinging to his face into the pond. On the backs of these mosquito-sized Creator Gods and Demon Gods were twenty-six pairs of white and black wings each. “Damn it—! Those are Creator Gods and Demon Gods.”
The Creator Gods and Demon Gods, no larger than mosquitoes, fell into the pond one after another and were devoured by something. “Hmm. There are unusually many useless insects today. I suppose I should stop fishing.” His voice was so devoid of emotion, so mechanical, that it sounded like gears turning. Buuuuung! Buuuuung! The Creator Gods and Demon Gods that had fallen into the pond and been eaten regenerated and flew about once more like insects. Upon the faces of these beings, who were so great in the universe, only endless despair and pain remained. “Their emotions were more wretched than those of humans fallen into hell. Because they were so great, such humiliation was all the more unbearable. That is why they sought only annihilation and charged at him.”
The Creator God and the Demon God King watching this scene broke into cold sweats, trembling. The vision ended with only the sight of him setting down his fishing rod and walking away from the small pond. “If he had looked at us, what would have happened? The thought alone is terrifying.” The Great Demon Gods and highest-ranking Main Gods were frozen stiff, unable to speak. The moment the vision disappeared, the Creator God’s furious roar erupted. “What have you done?! Demon God King—! Have you lost your mind?! How dare you damage his contract—! It is not only you who will suffer. I, as the divine race in charge of the same galaxy, will also be punished. Do you want to become an insect and fish food?!”
The Creator God shouted in extreme agitation. His twenty-six pairs of light wings on his back flickered from how worked up he was. “Huk—! Huk—! I wish he would either stop or go mad. There are people I know in there too. How long has it been, and he is still like that.” The Demon God King was also breathing heavily from the tension. “So that is why the divine, demonic, and Substitute God races maintain their own order without mutual destruction despite hating each other. Living under such a harsh superior must be exhausting. In a situation like this, giving a subordinate who fails to show proper respect a hundred thousand years of errands is truly an act of mercy.”
As he thought this, the Substitute God Clan’s Creator God was shrinking and compressing. Its solar-system-sized body grew smaller until it became the size of a Main God Star, positioning itself opposite the Creator God and the Demon God King. The compressed planetary body transformed into a complete metallic form, appearing as a silver metal sphere. “Kaaauuuung—!” A sound like a fierce protest rang out. “The Substitute God Clan is completely different from us. They can hear and understand our conversations, but they never speak. Their purpose and way of life are different, so they reject all negotiation. Only rage and destruction remain.”
Whenever the Substitute God Clan appeared, they destroyed the divine and demonic races and seized stars to erode. This universe was always in a state of war, merely without large-scale conflicts. The Demon God King’s bored reply came. “I know—! I did not expect him to appear suddenly either! It is because you suddenly went on a rampage in the first place!” “Krrrrrrk—!” Uuuuooooooong! The Substitute God Clan’s Creator God now let out a beastly roar, threatening with a powerful wave of divine power. Other beings would be erased just from the aftermath of the Substitute God Clan Creator God’s power. “I understand now. These two are a nuisance just by existing. What the hell is this sudden appearance?”
The Creator God’s voice was no joke either. “Stop it already—! I could have been promoted to a rewarded Main God this time, but it all flew away. What are you going to do now? Stop causing me damage. If you keep this up, I will formally report you all and have you removed.” “You really like promotions through flattery. And it is not like it hinders the universe’s development, so do you think he will even blink if you report it? Development is proceeding normally, so it is pointless. You spineless sycophant—!” “What? You are in the same boat! And I like this world with its absolute rule called Karma and him. Does it make sense to miss that crazy mess from the old days? If you do not want to be loyal to him, go to another Main Universe! Why are you causing trouble while occupying the Demon God King’s position here?! If you do not want to be the Demon God King here, go to another Creator’s Main Universe!”
“I do not know—! Shut up—! I cannot hear you—!” “Kaaauuuung—! Kauung—!” “Ugh—! Now I have no idea what is going on.”