A great many things have happened since that time.
If I were to name the most significant change of all, it would be the total overhaul of the World Structure.
To put it simply, I partitioned the world into several Sectors.
I then appointed an Assigned Demon King to oversee each one.
Treating each Sector as its own distinct world, I tasked them with its management, always with the ultimate goal of peace in mind.
The Executives primarily served as the Demon Kings for these various Sectors.
This arrangement included both Grom and myself.
We evaluated these Demon Kings from several perspectives, assigning ranks based on their cumulative scores.
This ranking system is the source of the "Second-ranked Demon King" title that Grom so proudly flaunts.
I hold the first rank myself, though in truth, it carries little weight.
Rank is not directly linked to superiority or inferiority; rather, it was intended strictly as a guideline for each Demon King to use when determining their future direction.
Why did I choose to divide the world?
It was because I wanted to explore the various possibilities of what peace could be.
When multiple Demon Kings determine the course of the world based on their own unique philosophies, it prevents the future from falling into a state of stagnation.
I do not believe that my own perspective is the only optimal solution.
That is precisely why such an endeavor was necessary.
By dividing the world, as many new challenges are born as there are divisions.
Cynics might call it an experiment, but I am content with that description.
I have decided to take the long view regarding the realization of my ideals.
World peace is a daunting challenge.
So much so that even after five hundred years, the answer remains elusive.
Perhaps a definitive answer never existed to begin with.
Therefore, there is no need to rush.
I decided to search for a better future while living through the span of eternity.
On a side note, the Will of the World has vanished.
It perished alongside her, and in the years that followed, not a single Absurd Miracle was observed.
However, things have become a bit suspicious recently.
A Phenomenon Resembling the Will of the World has begun to appear sporadically.
Though the scale remains small for now, incidents unmistakably tied to it have certainly begun to occur.
The Will of the World is born from the collective desires of the people.
So long as humanity survives, it will inevitably manifest again and again.
That is the true nature of the Will of the World.
I had intended to eradicate it as an Uncertain Factor, but it proved to be a more troublesome "problem child" than I had anticipated.
I have learned that the laws rooted in the foundation of the world are not so easily rewritten.