Deicide And Destruction, Appear (2)

Biosis’s gruff tone didn’t register at all because of the absurd content.

I had told Arun before that the four years of training were like fattening a pig for the ‘Absorption Banquet.’

But ‘Transmission’ is different. Subduing or killing a representative and ‘absorbing’ doesn’t guarantee you will obtain what you want.

The probability of acquiring a skill is very, very low—in fact, in my previous life, I never once gained a skill through absorption—and no representative dared to be certain they could obtain one.

However…

The ones who proposed the ‘Transmission’ system to the Creator and granted it to representatives participating in the Battlefield of the Gods were Demon Gods and Heavenly Gods?

“Could you please give me a detailed explanation?”

“Hmph. I was about to say that anyway. Do you know what rules and how this damn gods’ ‘Slave Game’ called the Battlefield of the Gods was originally operated?”

“Uh?”

“Ah! You! Why are you spouting such stupid things unlike usual?! Even children’s games in the marketplace change rules over time, so a competition directly benefiting many gods would naturally change its methods and rules. Do you know that?”

“I don’t know.”

Of course, I didn’t know.

The reason I could pretend to know a lot is that in my previous life, I was Lee Hyo-ju’s errand boy.

Investigating and delving into things wasn’t really my style in the past life. So, aside from combat, the knowledge I had was related to what Lee Hyo-ju was involved in.

And in her past life, she pondered ways to win and later struggled to keep the Rebound legion alive. She had no knowledge of the Battlefield of the Gods’ history.

“You seemed to know a lot about gods, but you don’t know this? Strange. Anyway, only one person won the first ‘Slave Game.’”

“One person?”

“Yes, only one. And he didn’t win alone because he wanted to. It was because it had to be that way.”

“…It had to be that way?”

I asked about the first Battlefield of the Gods rules and stated that the first winner was a single person.

“A slaughter game… battle royale.”

“That’s right. Now you’re starting to get it. The first ‘Slave Game’ allowed only one ‘survivor.’ And all beings living in the dimension ruled by the gods participating in the Battlefield of the Gods could watch it happen.”

Biosis called them a survivor, not a victor or winner. Moreover, it was broadcast live like a sport?

“It was even broadcast live? So other dimensions could watch too? Our dimension has no such history of it.”

“Listen further, then you’ll understand. Before the survivor made a wish after the Slave Game ended, the Demon God in charge of the event asked, ‘How do you feel?’ Crazy woman! She was crazy even before suffering madness from us! To the man who just killed his beloved…! Asking ‘How do you feel?’ What kind of question is that!”

Serpens is truly hopeless. I can’t understand how she became so strong with that mind.

I shook my head similarly at Biosis’s bitter sneer.

“Yes, an incomprehensible woman. Anyway, do you know what the winning survivor said in response to that crazy woman’s question?”

“…”

As the story progressed, Biosis’s voice grew more agitated, and no one in the training ground, including me, dared to speak.

“I want to go home.”

“…?”

“Don’t you know what ‘I want to go home’ means? He said that. He just wanted to survive and return to his place. But he didn’t expect to kill the lover he had been with for over ten years with his own hands. I still can’t forget the man staring blankly at his blood-stained hands, trembling.”

“You saw that from then on?”

“Hmph. Anyway, that man who gave his all just to survive and return is Manus, now the highest-ranking god of battle.”

“A god?”

“Yes, a god.”

Biosis said ‘god.’

The gap between a representative and a god is enormous.

Even on Earth, when I angrily attacked Aitas alone but ended up hurt myself, it shows how tremendous such beings are.

But…

“You mean a representative can become a god?”

“Yes, he became a god. And do you know what Manus did as soon as he became a god?”

“…Hmm. Revive his dead lover?”

I just said what came to mind, but Biosis’s expression was unusual, as if recalling something faint and painful.

“Or…”

That expression meant ‘no.’

After some thought, I inferred what that expression meant. Insight draws plausible conclusions from limited information.

“Did he fail? In reviving his dead lover?”

“…Yes, he failed. Reason? Hmph. For representatives participating in the first Slave Game, death meant Destruction.”

He failed… something even a god couldn’t do. If his lover was destructed and couldn’t be revived, what did Manus do?

“Then, did Manus create the condition allowing victory by legion units like now?”

“Yes. He wanted to add conditions for group victories. The Creator gladly and happily accepted his proposal. The Creator must have been shocked by the first Slave Game. Moreover, no one opposed Manus’s proposal because he was the first tournament winner. No, they couldn’t.”

Indeed, the battle royale system allowing only one survivor contradicts the Creator’s purpose for making the Battlefield of the Gods: representative wars to reduce the suffering of creatures caused by reckless wars among gods.

And death meaning absolute Destruction is an absurdly hardcore condition.

“But a problem arose.”

“A problem?”

“Yes, strictly speaking, a good thing for the Creator but the worst for that crazy woman and that slut.”

“What?”

“The dispersion of power.”

The answer came from outside the training ground.

Other representatives listening to Biosis and me, among them, the words came from Lee Hyo-ju.

She blushed and bowed her head, seemingly surprised by her own words and the focused gazes.

“That girl is right. There are too many gods now. You said your dimension has no history of the Slave Game? Now, with nearly 100,000 gods, you might think so, but when the first Slave Game was held, the number of representatives was less than a thousand.”

“Ah…!”

Saying the number of representatives was under a thousand means the number of gods was that low.

Representatives who win in the Battlefield of the Gods can become gods. That means if many representatives win by legion units, dozens to hundreds of gods could be born.

Good for the Creator, but bad for Demon Gods and Heavenly Gods.

“The Creator caught two rabbits: abandoned the cruel and painful single-winner method and simultaneously created gods as a collective to share the power of that crazy woman and that slut.”

Surely Manus’s proposal was a divine move for the Creator. Perhaps the Creator met with Manus separately, like with me, to discuss something.

“As the Slave Games repeated, that crazy woman and that slut grew more and more frustrated. Hehehehe. Disciple, do you know where the power of beings called Heavenly Gods and Demon Gods comes from?”

“…Recognition, popularity?”

“Close. The strength of gods is determined by the wishes of creatures they treat like slaves or insects. Gods perform miracles periodically to avoid being forgotten. But the number of gods increased. And since representatives who won the Battlefield of the Gods, broadcast live in many dimensions, became gods, it’s no wonder the presence of the two gods faded.”

If you still don’t understand what Biosis is trying to say after this, that would be laughable.

“So, for the first and last time, those two women united. The gods they led proposed to the Creator. The packaged intent was good: to introduce a system allowing representatives who died too easily early in the Slave Game to rapidly increase their skills. Also, to abolish the live broadcast of the Slave Game since it allowed spying on other representatives.”

“Did the Creator accept that?”

“I don’t know if the Creator ignored their intentions knowingly or truly didn’t know. But ultimately, all those opinions were accepted, and since then, representatives becoming gods has ‘almost’ ceased.”

“I see.”

“Ha! You say ‘I see’? You’re a representative too. But you say ‘I see’? You could become a god!”

Biosis suddenly raised his voice angrily. Maybe he disliked my indifferent attitude?

Regardless, I don’t want to become a god.

“Isn’t it the same for transcendent beings or gods to live so long they lose life’s meaning? That’s why they get excited about this ridiculous Battlefield of the Gods. It’s no different from a last-term sergeant. I don’t want to become such a god. What I want is revenge and return.”

“…Last-term what?”

“There is such a thing. Anyway, I don’t think you got angry because of that. Why are you suddenly pretending to be angry?”

Biosis cleared his throat with a guilty look.

This man is strong, but unlike Talis, his true feelings show plainly on his face.

He was probing. Asking if I don’t want to become a god. That I could become a god. Yet would I still want to abolish the Battlefield of the Gods system?

“Enough! Do you remember what we said when you brought the registration card?”

“Yes. You said Deicide and Destruction can’t be learned with a registration card.”

“Right. If you learn it that way, your plan will fail.”

Fail? He said it as if he roughly guessed my plan without me mentioning it in detail. After all, I bluntly asked to be taught Deicide and Destruction specifically.

“All skills learned by Transmission are mere replicas. You can’t strike divinity with them.”

Replica. Ludicer said the same. The earth-shaking power of representatives is just a replica.

No matter how low-ranking a god is, creatures including humans cannot withstand a god’s power.

But now the same words came from Biosis’s mouth again.

At that moment, a question suddenly arose.

The ‘Heavenly Strength’ and ‘Argus’s Eye’ I received by Transmission from Jimnas and Shio are real.

When the transcendent Biosis and Talis threatened me, Argus’s Eye found an appropriate solution against transcendent beings.

“You look like you don’t believe me?”

“…To be honest, yes.”

“Good. I thought so, so I called you to the training ground. Bring it on.”

“…What?”

What is this crazy old man saying?

It was only yesterday, about twelve hours ago, that I realized how strong these old men are.

I couldn’t even move a finger just enduring their murderous aura, yet he tells me to attack?

“Hmph! Foolish disciple, I restrained my power weaker than you, so come on in.”

“Confirmed.”

I don’t know how he reduces physical stats like strength, but Violentia did it in her past life, and now Biosis can too. My curiosity about this strange method ends here.

The moment I saw the status window, I thought it was worth trying.

Since the settings apply during training and provide thorough protection, it’s exactly what I wanted. I only need to focus on offense without worrying about defense.

Plus, I can get a bit of revenge for yesterday.

“Ah, before that, representatives have ‘Harm Settings’? Something like that? Five levels total? Instant death isn’t enabled during training? But open it up to just before that, to critical injury.”

“…Damn.”

How does this man know something even I forgot, despite not being a representative?

Grumbling, I raised the setting from level 1 minor injury to critical injury, which I had planned to open during serious training.

There are benefits to raising the setting. Training becomes more like real combat, and growth speed differs dramatically.

“How do you know this?”

“You fool! I’ve been here over 20,000 years. Do you think I haven’t fought representatives even once? I know that ‘Harm Settings’ can only be controlled by the user and that after training ends, all change to instant death until surrender, you brat! Don’t use tricks; just do as you’re told. It’s all for your sake.”

When I heard ‘It’s all for your sake,’ I suddenly thought of my mother who only asked me to handle money during holidays.

First, I cleared useless thoughts before battle and circulate divine power to lighten my body.

My mind became clearer and calmer than ever, like immersing myself in a cold valley on a hot summer day.

My vision changed into grids and scales like a flight simulator game.

At the same time, lifting the seal of Heavenly Strength felt like shedding a sandbag; my body felt light.

Clenching my fist, I felt my strength tighten.

A freedom I hadn’t felt in a long time.

That freedom turned into confidence as I stared directly at Biosis.

“Then, here I go.”

Before I could finish saying ‘Here I go!’, my vision shifted, and Biosis’s back of the head filled my sight. ‘Shadow Ambush.’

A normal longsword ‘Massacre of Thousands’ summoned from inventory flew toward Biosis’s neck, leaving a streak of light.

Whoosh!

My critical strike was futilely blocked.

Around Biosis’s neck, where ‘Massacre of Thousands’ collided, a divine power barrier rippled, leaving a massive shockwave and sending my body flying.

“Disciple, having a lot of divine power isn’t everything in fights. Proper timing and efficient use are important.”

After a brief reprimand, Biosis approached casually with one hand behind his back.

In a blink, Biosis was already right in front of me.

I lightly kicked the ground and suddenly reached the end of the training ground.

“Oh, you’re learning a pretty good Light Body technique.”

The admiration came from right beside my ear.

Turning my head, I saw a fist-like shadow and simultaneously felt pain as my body drifted through the air.

Before hitting the ground, twisting my body to minimize impact was the best I could do.

“Phew, is this really weaker than me?”

“Probably.”

“I will use any means necessary. Is that alright with you?”

“Do as you please.”

I clenched my fist, determined to punch that annoyingly smiling face no matter what.