The gods, omniscient and omnipotent beings beyond all comprehension.
Though the scale of their divine power varies from one to another, some stronger, some weaker, the essence of that power remains the same.
In the heavens, the gods' ranks are divided according to their strength, but these ranks are not the same as mortal hierarchies of authority. It's more like a group of children comparing who's stronger in a game.
After all, gods all possess omniscience and omnipotence. True conflicts of interest rarely exist between them. They don't need to fight over resources or compete for survival. The disputes of gods are usually not for gain, but for pride.
And in fact, the ones most obsessed with the title of "King of the Gods" (or "King of the Kids") are often the younger ones, such as Zeus and Odin.
As for the truly ancient gods, like Gaia, Tiamat, or Uranus, they've long since lost interest in such childish games.
In the heavens, the gods are fundamentally equals. Though some wield greater power and prestige, those revered as "Great Gods", that doesn't mean they can truly command the others.
There is indeed a concept called "subordinate gods," but it's not like the master–servant relationships of the mortal world, let alone one of lord and slave.
In truth, the relationship between a god and their subordinate gods is closer to that of a "leader among children" or a "young lady" with her "followers."
Among all gods, only a few possess subordinate deities, and those few are typically the so-called "Great Gods." Of them, only a very rare handful have multiple, or even numerous, subordinate gods.
For instance, the sun goddess Amaterasu, being a "Great God", is the deity with the most subordinates.
However, that doesn't mean Amaterasu is the strongest among the Great Gods. The reason she has so many followers lies elsewhere.
In her homeland, there is a custom among gods to form groups and rely on each other, creating vast divine collectives. And since Amaterasu was the most esteemed among them, she naturally rose to the position of "leader," becoming the universally acknowledged "Onee-san(Big Sister)" of the gods.
There's also a simpler reason: in her homeland, there are just too many gods.
And compared to the gods with many subordinates, there exists an even rarer case—
"If Shirou were to become a subordinate god, then of course, the main god should be me," The goddess Hephaestus declared seriously. Her tone left no room for argument, and in her crimson eyes burned a fiery determination.
Her logic was simple and straightforward. Before Shirou became a god, he had been her follower, blessed with her divine Grace.
Therefore, after his ascension, if he were to become a subordinate god, his main god could only be Hephaestus. In her view, there was absolutely no room for dispute in this matter.
The setting was a refined tearoom in the labyrinth city of Orario. Several goddesses sat around a carved wooden table, tasting fragrant tea.
It had begun as a casual tea party. Their conversation flowed from the latest news in the city, to current fashion trends, to which tavern served the richest wine.
Until... the topic of "subordinate gods" was brought up and the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
Hephaestus's declaration had barely fallen when a soft, melodic laugh followed.
"That, I simply cannot agree with~", Freya gently lifted her teacup and took a sip, smiling serenely at Hephaestus. Her silver-violet eyes glimmered with confident amusement.
"The one qualified to be Shirou's main god should be the most beautiful goddess," she said, tilting her chin slightly with natural, unquestioning pride.
"What kind of reasoning is that?", Hephaestus frowned.
"Because we're goddesses, of course~", Freya spread her hands gracefully, her smile radiating an elegance so confident it bordered on absurd, "The most important quality of a goddess is, naturally, beauty!"
'What kind of twisted logic is that?'
The corner of Hephaestus's mouth twitched violently. She had never expected Freya to make such an outrageous claim with such shameless conviction.
But before Hephaestus could even retort, another voice cut in, calm and serious.
"That's far too biased," Artemis folded her arms, her expression solemn, "You must remember, Shirou is a war god. Therefore, the one most suited to guide him should naturally be a goddess of war."
A "War God," as the name suggests, is a deity who holds dominion over warfare itself. Their existence represents the ultimate form of battle, the sharpest spear and the strongest shield among the gods.
And Artemis was one of them. Her combat power ranked just below the "Great Gods." In terms of pure martial skill, she even surpassed many of them.
However, before Artemis could finish, another gentle voice chimed in.
"If it's about martial strength...", Astraea smiled lightly, her chestnut hair gleaming softly in the light. She brushed a strand aside and continued, "I'm quite confident in that area myself. And I also possess part of the authority of the Sword God... So, by that logic, I should be the most fitting one."
Like Artemis, Astraea was also a goddess of war. In terms of battle prowess and martial skill, she was by no means inferior.
And so, none of the goddesses were willing to back down. At first, they were still earnestly debating who should rightfully be Shirou's main god, if he were to become a subordinate god at all.
But as the discussion went on, the topic gradually derailed... and then completely went off the rails.
Before long, the debate was no longer about who would be Shirou's "main god," but had devolved into a full-blown bragging contest over who was closest to him.
Sitting silently to the side, sipping her tea, the goddess Loki watched the escalating argument with an increasingly blank expression. Her eyes grew hollow, and her mind could only form three questions, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I even doing here?"
'I mean... you hear about a god having multiple subordinate gods, but when have you ever heard of one god being the subordinate of multiple goddesses? Just who's the subordinate of whom, exactly?', Loki muttered inwardly.
'I really shouldn't have come...', she thought seriously, glancing down at the teacup in her hand.
Meanwhile, the goddesses' quarrel finally escalated into a formal "duel challenge."
Since no argument could settle the matter, they all agreed on one solution. Once they returned to the heavens, they would let their strength decide.
Artemis and Astraea were both war goddesses, while Hephaestus and Freya, though not known primarily for combat, were still formidable beings not to be underestimated.
As for what happened afterward, when they created a small world as their battlefield, only for stray traces of their divine power to leak into a certain world connected to Shirou's existence (the Type-Moon world). Well... that terrified that world's Counter Force so badly it nearly caused the birth of several Lostbelts.
But that's another story.