Thus, Baal, who had ascended as the King of the Gods, diligently carried out his duties.
Hovering above the sky while looking down, managing countless gods was the task at hand.
From petty quarrels between gods to desperate fights where they couldn’t stop until the other was dead…
Baal began to suppress each and every one of these conflicts, starting to manage the gods.
Of course, the haughty gods wouldn’t be easy to manage, but being the God of the Sky, Baal wasn’t someone who couldn’t subdue even average gods.
In front of the lightning that Baal wielded, any god would be equally pierced without exception.
And so, after repeatedly jumping here and there while managing an uncountable number of gods…
“It’s exhausting…”
“Hmm. It’s not an easy job.”
He came all the way to my room in Sagarmatha to start whining.
“I’m clearly a higher god, right? So why won’t anyone listen to me?! Are the ears of these gods completely blocked like deaf people? Or does my voice just brush past their heads and disappear? Why don’t they ever listen?! Does the King of the Gods have no authority whatsoever?!”
Baal wailed, spilling out complaints. He still hadn’t shed his youthful air, so he looked like a small bird chirping annoyingly.
Well, despite this, he is still the King of the Gods, but…
“The gods are naturally like that.”
The pride of gods born from human hearts can’t be low, can it?
They were born from the fear and awe humans feel towards things they don’t understand, which created the gods of this Age. Since they existed above humans even before their birth, they are beings who naturally think they should remain above others after establishing their sense of self.
Still, it’s fortunate that Baal became the King of the Gods. If I had done this job… well, I might’ve smashed all the gods into oblivion, turning everything into scorched earth.
“But aren’t some gods listening to you properly?”
“Some gods…?”
“That’s right. Some mountain or river gods should follow your words without much issue.”
At my words, Baal slightly nodded his head.
“There are only a handful, but yeah, there are some gods who kind of listen.”
Those guys have no choice but to listen. They’re the ones who broke apart once before.
Some mountain or river gods who listen well were originally dragons who lost their bodies, turned into spirits, and somehow settled down before losing their memories, eventually becoming gods.
Like Yama, who went through the same process as the Mountain God of North Mangsan.
Though, those are very few. Most have forgotten they were dragons long ago.
“But those who listen well are extremely rare! The rest treat my words like barking dogs! Gahhh! So frustrating!!!”
Now Baal started throwing a tantrum on the floor. Looks like he was really exhausted.
Should I give him a tip?
“Do you want to handle such guys more easily?”
“Yes! I hate being ignored! But I can’t beat them up and destroy them either! Is there a good method? Teach me!!”
Baal, who had been lying down and sulking, immediately stood up upon hearing my words and clung to my leg.
He seemed quite desperate.
“Suppressing proud gods with force will only cause continuous resistance. You should try another method. For example, spreading rumors about that god among humans.”
“Rumors?”
“That’s right. Didn’t you use it when creating Nyx?”
“When creating Nyx… Hmm. So I spread rumors like back then?”
“Exactly. Lead the situation to your advantage through those rumors. Gods are beings tied to human thoughts.”
This method only works in this era where rumors about gods haven’t spread far yet.
Still, unless you’re someone like me who exists separately from such rumors, you’ll inevitably be influenced.
“Or you could change the essence of that god, or slightly alter it and threaten the god afterwards. But that’s something for you to choose.”
Since gods are bound by human thoughts, they can be changed by humans.
If a solemn and strict god suddenly turns into a ridiculous clown-like existence, and the god realizes its own transformation, the emotion it would feel would probably be fear.
Knowing that we hold the power to change the nature of a god would naturally instill fear.
Such fear can also become a form of power.
“Or… you could spread rumors about creating another god to replace that god, destroying the rebellious one and creating a new one.”
Of course, since gods take considerable time to be born from human thoughts, this can only be used as a last resort.
“Isn’t that a bit too extreme?”
“It’s a last resort. If that doesn’t suit you, how about dividing the god and weakening it?”
“Divide? Into two?”
It’s like splitting a greatsword into twin blades… No, this isn’t the time for old stories.
I cleared my throat quietly and adjusted my voice.
“Gods usually possess more than one aspect, right?”
Take me as an example: Goddess of Life and Creator Dragon God. Additionally, the Destroyer Dragon God and Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth… And? Why is there also the God of Hunting? Is that faith from the elves?
Ahem. Anyway, gods typically encompass various aspects. Dividing those aspects into multiple gods to weaken them is possible.
There are gods who only hold an extremely limited essence in their hands, but most of them are weak gods.
Those kinds of gods would obediently listen to Baal if he said a word.
“To divide a god… I never imagined such a concept.”
Of course not. Who would think of dividing a god?
I wouldn’t have thought of separating my aspect as the Goddess of Life into an automatic response system if I hadn’t tried it.
By the way, the automated response system that still processes prayers automatically remains incomplete. It’s not easy, alright. This thing.
“Well, since it involves splitting a perfectly fine god into two, if done incorrectly, it could lead to major problems. So it must be used carefully.”
“Hmm… So it means I need to be cautious. Got it. I’ll treasure and preserve it.”
You shouldn’t use it unless they’re not just disobedient but outright rebellious or causing insurrections.
Because splitting a single god into several parts could lead to big issues.
If the ultimate option is to destroy a god and recreate it, this method is the one right before that.
“If we can split a god, can we combine two gods into one?”
“Hmm. I wonder.”
If splitting works, combining should work too, but how exactly?
“I don’t know since I haven’t tried it.”
There’s potential, but I haven’t done it personally, so I’m unsure.
While discussing various topics with Baal…
“I’m back.”
The owner of the room, Sagarmatha, returned.
After rushing out to attend to numerous dwarves offering prayers, it seems her work has finally ended.
“Welcome back, Sagarmatha.”
“Yeah. I’m tired…”
With brief words, she moved toward me, only to freeze upon noticing Baal.
“You. What are you doing here?”
She spoke softly, her voice dripping with coldness.
“I came to consult with Gaia.”
“This is my room. You’re not welcome here. Leave.”
Her soft voice carried icy indifference. Baal casually brushed off Sagarmatha’s tone and replied.
“I’ve finished my rough discussion, so I’ll leave now. See you again, Gaia.”
“Don’t come back ever again.”
Ignoring the faint hostility in Sagarmatha’s words, Baal quickly left.
Why do these two have such bad chemistry? Is it because one is the God of the Sky and the other the God of the Earth? Or is there another reason?
It’d be nice if they got along better.
As Baal disappeared, I offered my knee as a pillow to Sagarmatha, who complained about being tired.
“Can’t you get along better with that guy?”
“Hmm. Impossible. I can’t live under the same sky as that bastard.”
Wow. Seems like they’re sworn enemies.
No, what did Baal do to make Sagarmatha hate him this much? I have no idea.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The God of the Sky. Baal.
The search for clues related to his name continued.
There were no more leads in the Divine List that I had access to, so it’s time to look elsewhere.
First, referencing records from other races would be good.
Among the races with deep histories, the elves who live for a thousand years would be ideal, but unfortunately, Alfhelm, the city of elves, isn’t open to just anyone.
However, the dwarves were feasible. There happened to be a dwarf I helped in the past.
Dwarves are thorough about debts of gratitude, so if I mention my past assistance and ask for help, they wouldn’t hesitate to assist me.
Although not as long-lived as elves, dwarves still have much longer lifespans than humans… perhaps they might uncover some clues regarding the name Baal or the God of the Sky.
With that anticipation, I headed to the capital of the dwarves, Nidavellir.
