The Council, which was now made up of seven, rather than nine, members since Osiris was absent and Set could not vote impartially, decided at their meeting that Set would be named the supreme ruler. They knew that the kingdom could not go without a pharaoh for long, so they made this concession on the condition that Set continued to fight Apep and that he would abstain from waging war without the Councils approval. The Council bestowed upon the new pharaoh two titles: Protector of the Sun God Ra, and Lord of Virtue and Courage.
Through his unquestioning submission to the will of the Council, Set at long last attained dominion over the entire kingdom.
Time went by, and Set had already been ruler of Egypt for four years. His decrees had raised taxes on farmers and introduced charges on water. He had long dreamed of world domination, and it was by these means that he would raise his army. The Council was unaware of his plans. Set claimed that he was merely replenishing the treasury after years of neglect under the previous pharaoh. Set encountered no opposition to the new taxes. The Council remained neutral so long as Set kept his word by escorting Ra and keeping his army out of neighboring lands. For his part, Set was content with the status quo and did everything he could to ensure the support of the Council.