"Yes. Unfortunately, both my mortal and my divine neighbours found my success threatening. The problem fed on itself; someone would attack me, I would defeat them, I would gain yet more territory or followers in the exchange, everyone else would become slightly more nervous, and then the cycle would repeat with the next god or king. The last few kings surrendered, and the last few gods fled rather than wait a few more centuries for all their followers to abandon them, and now I have an empire."