The Guillotine of the Incompetent

The Creator Gods, positioned incomparably higher than a mere lower-tier Lord God like the Dimensional and War God in this Substitute God War, were seething with rage and screaming at the Demon King. Watching the absurd farce of the Demon King covering his ears because he refused to listen, the Dimensional and War God felt utterly lost about what he was even doing anymore. 'Looking at them, I really do seem like a fool for entering this battle with such desperate resolve.'

'If that blade so much as grazes me, I’ll be wiped from existence. I have to end the opponent’s life before then. Yet I can’t even twitch a finger while enduring the power waves from those three.'

Of course, the highest-ranking Lord God of the Substitute Gods, his divine power downgraded to a mere billion, was in the same helpless state.

'Can’t you at least stop the momentum and actually fight? This is driving me insane.'

The highest-ranking Substitute God Lord before him seemed to share the sentiment; he could only stare at the blade of light hovering above his head and at his own Creator God. Even so, he didn’t dare voice a protest or any opinion whatsoever.

'I think I’m starting to understand the temperament of the Substitute God Creators.'

After all, even a Creator God would be performing a miracle if they managed to keep a pleasant personality while living under the constant pressure that they, too, could become fish bait at any moment. Watching them bicker among themselves while their subordinates faced annihilation was enough to drive anyone mad.

'What pitiful new gods, always the ones getting stepped on at the bottom. I must never become like that. But isn’t this really too much?'

Some were fighting with the resolve to die, yet these beings had come to spectate and were throwing this ridiculous tantrum. The unfairness of it all was unbearable.

'To survive, I need to grow stronger somehow… or start preparing for retirement…'

In that instant, the three overwhelming waves of power suddenly froze.

The Dimensional and War God’s mouth moved faster than his thoughts.

'This is my chance!'

“Continuous launch of the Lord Slayer Spears!”

That was the only thing he could trust now. He pulled every Lord Slayer Spear he had crafted during his skirmishes with the Divine Realm from his subspace. The sheer quantity exceeded two thousand.

'They can only inflict surface wounds on the highest-ranking Substitute God Lord’s bio-armor anyway. But I’ll crush him with numbers.'

In his vision, thousands of spears floated in the air before embedding into the main body’s outer skin.

With a relentless series of heavy thuds—!

“Graaaah!”

The highest-ranking Substitute God Lord screamed.

'Good. It’s at least the effect of being stung by bees.'

He felt a flash of joy that it actually worked, only for frustration to surge up immediately afterward.

'Bees? What kind of life force and defensive power is this? These are Lord Slayer Spears. A normal Lord God would suffer a fatal wound. So why does it feel like nothing more than a light prick? The Lord Slayer Spear that forces thirty billion damage on a Lord God is only a bee sting to a Substitute God Lord with one billion divine power? Even if their bio-armor is specialized against the God Clan and Demon Clan, isn’t this too ridiculous?'

The Lord Slayer Spears continued dealing damage, but the pace was agonizingly slow. It looked like it would take half a day to finish the job.

'There isn’t much time left! At most five minutes now—! Damn it all! Those three spectators and their farce just wasted five precious minutes.'

The blade of light now shone directly above his head.

'I’m never letting that Demon King off the hook later. If he came to watch, he should have just watched. Instead he threw me into this cesspit. What kind of nuisance is this?'

Thud—!

“Ow—!”

Another familiar impact struck the back of his head. This time the force was on another level, shaking his divinity to its very roots. He clutched the back of his skull and collapsed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the spot.

The Demon King’s voice, thick with killing intent, rang in his ears.

“Who are you calling a nuisance? A mere Transcendent lower than a bug dares say he won’t let someone be? I spared your life because you were cute, and now you dare to climb above your station?”

“Stop it—! No matter how much your role is to stir up chaos, don’t you feel even a shred of pity watching someone fight desperately just to survive?”

“How amusing. Then he shouldn’t have started the fight in the first place. Besides, that thing still has plenty of room to spare. Stop playing around and show your full power already. Or just get annihilated as you are.”

They weren’t even giving him time to think now. The Creator God who only offered empty verbal restraint felt even more infuriating.

'If you truly feel sorry for me, can’t you at least return this situation to the original timeline? Isn’t erasing five minutes of such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠precious time too cruel? After all, aren’t I a Dimensional Lord from the Creator God lineage?'

As if reading his thoughts, the Creator God’s voice echoed.

“That is because if even a fragment of his authority is involved, we cannot intervene. Should you be annihilated, I will reflect it in the budget and resurrect you later. As a lower Lord God, it will only take about ten thousand years. Wait that long and the spare budget should be available.”

“......”

Only ten thousand years, he says. Considering how gods who lived forever perceived time, the Dimensional and War God’s head began to throb.

'I really just want to go somewhere, drink until I can’t see straight, and pass out.'

Of course, he had no such luxury. The shock from the Demon King’s blow to the back of his head had interrupted the continuous firing of the Lord Slayer Spears, and in that opening the Substitute God Lord’s counterattack began.

“Aaaaaah—!”

'The Substitute God Lord’s God Destruction Cannon!'

The God Destruction Cannon’s ability dealt damage equal to twice the user’s current divine power.

'With his current power, that’s twenty billion! All the Lord Slayer Spears I embedded will be shattered!'

With a grinding crunch—! The God Destruction Cannon that erupted from the Substitute God Lord’s mouth wrapped around his own body, stripping away every embedded Lord Slayer Spear. Then the divine power cannon fired straight at him.

With a deep, resonant hum—!

'Even a graze means death.'

His current divine power was one billion. Taking twenty billion in damage would kill him instantly. Yet he could not evade the massive God Destruction Cannon, which spanned several kilometers in radius, in a single moment.

“Damn it—! A clean end is already impossible. This is worse than being torn to shreds.”

The Dimensional and War God clenched his teeth and began to chant.

With an explosive boom—! His left hand detonated to secure the magical power required for the spell.

'My left arm’s blood and bones scatter into pieces right before my eyes.'

In exchange, nine circles of magical power blazed with brilliant light, pouring energy into his body. The star he had embedded within himself regained its original colossal form and blocked the incoming attack.

Whoosh! Boom—!

The planet that had suddenly swelled back to its true size collided with the force of the explosion, slamming into his body and hurling him backward across the ground.

'There’s no time to dodge with my body, and spatial movement is too unstable to escape.'

The impact of his entire body smashing into the earth and the shockwaves from the God Destruction Cannon swallowed him whole.

“Urghk!”

An ugly scream tore from his throat.

With a deafening roar—! Fortunately the God Destruction Cannon had been stopped by the star. In exchange, one-fifth of the planet shattered with a thunderous explosion, scattering debris across space.

'I blocked it! No matter that it’s a Substitute God Lord, with only one billion divine power it cannot destroy a planet in one strike. Consecutive shots should be impossible too.'

His prediction was instantly proven wrong as the God Destruction Cannon began charging once again.

“Awoooooong—!”

The highest-ranking Substitute Gods gathered around began to glow. Linked to their power, the Substitute God Lord fighting him also shone, his divine power recovering at terrifying speed.

'Damn it! I forgot that a massive number of Substitute Gods had gathered here. This is outright cheating.'

The divine power of the Substitute Gods drew from stellar vitality; the more they gathered, the stronger and faster their recovery became. With thousands of highest-ranking Substitute God Lords present, restoring a mere billion was instantaneous.

Boom! Rumble—!

Another fifth of the star was obliterated by the newly fired God Destruction Cannon.

'If only they hadn’t come, things wouldn’t have come to this.'

Had the highest-ranking Substitute God Lords not shown up merely to watch, he would not have been pushed back so badly. On top ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of that, his opponent had fully recovered from every injury dealt earlier and was now increasing his divine power even further.

'This is truly cheating!'

Looking closer, even the Substitute God Creator was participating in the divine power restoration.

“Creator God-level Substitute God wide-area divine power parallel connection—! O Creator God! This is too unfair!”

“It is the inherent authority of the Substitute Gods, so it cannot be helped. I will help you gather the resurrection budget a little faster.”

Even the complaint he had raised in desperation was dismissed instantly. If a Creator God intervened here, it could spark a full-scale galactic war.

'Is the Creator God’s help truly beyond reach? It looks like the Substitute God’s Creator came fully intent on ending this.'

A scream of despair threatened to tear out of the Dimensional and War God’s heart.

Then the Demon King’s voice rang out once more.

“Show your full power quickly. Hold back and you will be annihilated. Even a Lord God suffers heavy losses upon resurrection. Can you afford that?”

“Awoong—!”

The Demon King had been grating on his nerves since earlier. Moreover, he could see the mountain-like lips of the Substitute God Creator curving into an arc.

'That’s definitely a smile, isn’t it?'

He was clearly laughing at him.

“Grind—!”

His teeth clenched so hard they felt ready to shatter. Pain surged from the severed stump of his left arm. Even after cutting off the nerves, the boiling indignation shook his bodily control.

'Since when did I, who lived as the God of Light, end up suffering such humiliation?'

In his days as a black mage mercenary god at the Lord God level, no one had dared mock him. Regardless of raw power, those who saw him leading from the front felt only reverence. So when had he started hiding behind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠planets, trembling in fear of enemy attacks?

It seemed that after briefly enjoying the comfortable life of a Lord God, he had allowed himself to fall into such a pathetic state.

'I’ve become worse than those young master Lord Gods I once despised, or those born with natural talent.'

He reminded himself that failing to win the battle before him meant there would be no future, not even survival.

'Thoughts of tomorrow are for those who are guaranteed a tomorrow. For the current me—alone and weak—they are a luxury.'

Considering only tearing his opponent apart and surviving, he quietly began the final incantation of the Root School.

In his mind, the only things worth trusting in war for the sake of survival were the power he had built, the fighting spirit to win, and the killing intent to slaughter his enemy. Everything else was merely impurity in the struggle for survival.

'I had momentarily forgotten that mysterious authorities or divine power drawn from believers are ultimately nothing but numbers. Yes, this is who I truly am. A black mage of the Root School—the first magic god in history to transcend the tenth circle.'

Though he might be weak at this moment, he was a member of the Absolute Beings, one who had pioneered a realm no one else had ever reached.

'Who dares to mock me?'

Deciding it was better to fight and be annihilated than continue this humiliation, he drew his final card.