King of the Gods (3)
Having ascended to the throne as the King of the Gods, Baal diligently carried out his duties. Gazing down from the heavens, he managed countless gods—from petty squabbles among them to desperate battles where they seemed intent on killing each other. Baal quelled every single one of those conflicts, beginning his rule over the divine realm.
Of course, the haughty gods weren't about to submit easily, but Baal, a god of the heavens, couldn't possibly fail to overpower lesser deities. Before the lightning he wielded, all gods were equal—pierced through without distinction.
In this way, Baal managed an uncountable number of gods, darting here and there repeatedly until, at last...
"I'm exhausted..."
"Yeah. Not an easy job, huh."
...he came all the way to the room in Sagarmatha's place where I was staying and started whining.
"I'm clearly the higher god, right? So why won't they listen to a damn thing I say? Are all these gods deaf, with their ears plugged shut? Or does my voice just bounce off and scatter? Why the hell won't they obey me?! Does the King of the Gods hold no authority at all?!"
Baal wailed his complaints like a peacock. He still hadn't shed his boyish traits, looking just like a little bird chirping away. Well, appearances aside, he was the King of the Gods.
"Gods are just like that by nature."
The pride of gods born from the gathered minds of humans couldn't be low. These gods of the era were formed from humanity's fear of the incomprehensible mixed with longing. Having existed above humans even before gaining self-awareness, they naturally assumed superiority afterward.
Good thing Baal became their king. If it had been me...
I might've smashed them all to bits and turned everything to rubble.
"Still, some gods do obey you quietly, don't they?"
"Some...?"
"Yeah. Some mountain or river gods follow you without issue."
Baal nodded slightly at my words.
"A tiny handful, yeah. There are a few who listen decently enough."
They had no choice but to listen. They'd been utterly wrecked once before.
Those obedient mountain or river gods were originally dragons who lost their bodies, became spirits, and settled into godhood before losing their memories. Like Yama, the former mountain god of North Ridge Mountain. Though most were too late and forgot they were ever dragons.
"But the obedient ones are a tiny minority! The rest treat my words like a dog's bark! Argh! So frustrating!!!"
Now Baal was rolling on the floor, throwing a full tantrum. The poor guy must've been really worn out.
Maybe I should give him a tip.
"Want an easier way to handle those types?"
"Yes! I hate being ignored anymore! But I can't just beat them into oblivion! Got a good method? Teach me!!"
Baal, who had been sulking on the floor, shot up at my words and clung to my leg. He was desperate, alright.
"For haughty gods, brute force just breeds rebellion. Better to use other methods. Like... spreading rumors about that god among humans."
"Rumors?"
"Yeah. Didn't you use that to birth Nyx?"
"With Nyx... Oh. So, spread rumors like back then?"
"Exactly. Twist them to your advantage as much as possible. Gods are bound by human thoughts."
It only worked in this era, before rumors could spread far and wide. But for gods tied to human minds—not independent like me—they had no choice but to be affected.
"You could alter a god's essence entirely or tweak it slightly and blackmail them. But choose what suits you."
Gods linked to human thoughts could change with them. If a stern, strict god suddenly became a ridiculous clown, and realized it...
They'd feel terror. Knowing I held the power to reshape their very nature? They'd cower.
Power born of fear was real enough.
"Or... spread rumors of creating a replacement god, then erase the rebel and make a new one."
Of course, birthing a god from human thoughts took time, so it'd be a last resort.
"Isn't that a bit much...?"
"That's why it's the last resort. Hm. If that's no good, how about splitting the god to weaken them?"
"Splitting? Into two?"
Like turning a greatsword into twin blades... No, wrong era for that analogy.
I cleared my throat lightly and spoke.
"Gods usually have multiple aspects, right?"
Take me: Goddess of Life, Genesis Dragon. Plus Destruction Dragon and Gaia, Goddess of the Earth... And... wait, why's there a God of the Hunt? From elven faith? Ahem.
Anyway, gods typically had various facets. Splitting them into separate gods weakened the whole.
Some had only narrow essences and little power—those would cower at Baal's word anyway.
"Splitting gods... Never even imagined that."
Of course not. Who'd think to cleave a god?
I wouldn't have either, if I hadn't considered detaching my Goddess of Life aspect into an auto-responder. Still unfinished, by the way. Tricky stuff.
"It's splitting a perfectly fine god in two, so mess it up and you could cause big problems. Use it carefully."
"Got it... Use sparingly, huh. I'll treasure it."
Best save it for gods who outright rebelled. Splitting one risked major issues.
If erasing and remaking was the absolute last resort, this was just before it.
"But if you can split gods... could you merge two into one?"
"Hm. Who knows."
If splitting worked, merging might too... but?
"Never tried, so no clue."
Possible, maybe. But untested.
As we chatted like that...
"I'm back."
Sagarmatha, the room's owner, returned. He'd rushed off because dwarves were praying en masse; looked like it was finally over.
"Welcome back, Sagarmatha."
"Yeah. Tired..."
Sagarmatha started toward me with his usual curt words, then spotted Baal. His face hardened.
"You. Why are you here."
His voice was low, laced with chill.
"Had to consult Gaia."
"This is my room. Not for you. Out."
Sagarmatha's low voice dripped with ice. Baal brushed it off with cheeky ease.
"We're done anyway, so I'll head out. See you later, Gaia."
"Don't come back."
Ignoring Sagarmatha's words—now faintly murderous—Baal slipped away quick.
Why were these two always at each other's throats? Heaven's god versus earth's? Or some other grudge?
They could get along, for once.
After Baal left, I gave the complaining Sagarmatha a lap pillow.
"Can't you get along better with that guy?"
"No. Impossible. Can't live under the same sky as him."
Whoa. Blood feud level.
What the hell did Baal do to make Sagarmatha hate him this much? No idea.
The heavenly god, Baal. The search for clues to that name continued.
The Pantheon Roster I had yielded no more hints, so time for other leads.
Best to check other races' records. Deep history meant elves, living a millennium, but their city Albheim was off-limits to outsiders.
Dwarves were doable, though. Especially since I'd helped one before. Dwarves honored debts scrupulously.
Leverage that favor, and they'd help without hesitation. Plus, with lifespans far beyond humans' (if shorter than elves'), they might hold clues on Baal or the heavenly god.
With that hope, I headed to the dwarves' capital, Nidavellir.
