Chapter 32: Before the Battle
Hikigaya finally experienced the kind of feeling others had toward him in the past.
Godslayers were all lawless people, and when a group of such people gathered together, even if the outcome could be anticipated, no one could control the process.
After uniting Voban and Doni, Hikigaya could roughly determine the result, but how many unexpected events would have to be endured was still not up to him.
The intrusion of the Martial Arts King was just an incident that, although not small, was also not a big deal in this context.
Because when the four Godslayers gathered at Kinugawa, a divine phenomenon appeared again on Mount Nikko.
An unknown deity clad in medieval knight armor and a hawk-headed god arrived, reinforcing the Great Sage's allied forces.
The Monkey King's army also grew larger, engulfing Nikko City.
This monkey army had now gained the strength to contend with the wolf army that Voban and Hikigaya joined forces with.
It seemed some hidden power was working hard to maintain the balance of power between the two sides.
Standing high above Kinugawa, Hikigaya used the power of Osiris's Underworld Day to activate spiritual vision under the night sky.
He saw the vast ocean-like light of life permeating every corner of Nikko.
Under this power, Hikigaya's control over life energy reached its peak.
Although Osiris's authority was not his first power, after a series of battles and especially following his journey to ancient Egypt, this power had become the best and most deeply understood one he possessed at the moment.
The Underworld Day refers to the afterlife sun in Egyptian mythology.
As the most famous ruler of the underworld in ancient Egypt, Osiris's exalted status was achieved through gradual development and absorption of other gods' functions.
From early scattered and obscure inscriptions, it appears he might have originally come from the city of Busiris in the Delta.
On some mastaba platform tombs from the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, he is called "Head of Busiris," having replaced the original protector god Anjety.
Anjety was likely an early local king in that region's early history, and this fact was probably borrowed by the Osiris myth to create a king's story. But at that time, Osiris did not yet possess solar power.
His solar function and influence were developed in the sun city of Heliopolis, where the god Ra was the creator and supreme god of the universe and also Osiris's father.
By the late Middle Kingdom, worship of Ra as the sun god and Osiris as the representative of the afterlife belief were cleverly merged.
The daytime sun was considered Ra's image, shining on the earth and blessing the people, while at night it transformed into Osiris, who became the sun in the afterlife. This established Osiris's highest status and power in the afterlife kingdom.
Later, he first merged with Sokar, a god representing underworld forces in Memphis, linking him to ancient Egyptian funerary practices for the first time. Then he was accepted by Abydos in Upper Egypt, replacing the local death god and cemetery god Henti-Imentiu, finally becoming the lord of the underworld and guarantor of resurrection, extending his underworld kingdom over all Egypt.
The latest insight Hikigaya gained was this layer of power: life energy does not necessarily only nurture beautiful things but can also give birth to great terror.
The power of the living dead that Voban usurped from Osiris was another way to use this power.
At this moment in Hikigaya's spiritual vision, that vast sea-like life light was transformed by the Great Sage into the monkeys' possession.
They were originally humans but were changed by the Sage's power, no longer living humans but half-living, half-dead monsters.
But before the afterlife sun, this power would have nowhere to hide.
Hikigaya only needed time.
Ending his routine spiritual vision of Nikko, Hikigaya fell from the sky and returned to the hotel where he stayed.
Upon returning to the hotel, he was not surprised to see Voban and Luo Hao opposing each other again over some unknown matter, though they had not yet started fighting.
Interestingly, Luo Hao could finally reach an agreement with them because of Voban, seemingly because Voban was the only opponent she recognized.
The two had known each other since the mid-19th century and had fought many times without a clear winner.
Now the entire Kinugawa area had no ordinary people left; they either left or were forcibly relocated elsewhere.
This place had completely become the edge of the divine battlefield.
Of course, this was no problem for Hikigaya and Doni, because there were still enough sorcerers here to meet their basic living needs.
The problem was only with Voban and Luo Hao.
These two fought whenever they got a chance, but they also obeyed the agreement to not resolve issues through combat.
But this was very annoying; sometimes Hikigaya actually wished these two would just fight it out.
"Brother, you're back?" Seeing Hikigaya push open the door, Luo Hao, who was releasing cold air, turned her head with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "The weather is very nice today, come out for a walk with me."
"Better not," Hikigaya shook his head. "I haven't eaten breakfast yet."
"That kind of thing isn't important."
"Sorry, leader, I'm not used to skipping breakfast."
After politely declining, Hikigaya slipped away to find something to eat.
But after stepping out, he found someone had followed him.
"You haven't eaten breakfast either?"
"Yeah, yeah, I want to eat noodles!"
"Then let's go eat soba."
The two Godslayers slipped into the hotel buffet restaurant.
Upon seeing them enter, the sorcerers working as temporary waiters quickly prepared utensils and menus for them.
Hikigaya ordered a bowl of cold soba with yuba (tofu skin). The Sword King shamelessly said he wanted the same.
Soon, the noodles arrived. The flavor was good, the texture tender, and very to his liking. The noodles even had ice cubes, which explained the "cold" in the dish.
The two Godslayers ate several bowls in one go before rubbing their bellies and showing satisfied expressions.
After a while, the Sword King spoke up: "When are we going to fight the gods?"
"In a hurry?" Hikigaya retorted, then said, "The numbers are the same for everyone. I'm currently working on skill coordination with the marquis."
"But this is too slow. My sword is already very sharp."
"My sun is also eager. Having so many prey within reach but not attacking feels quite uncomfortable."
Hikigaya watched as the waiter cleared their bowls and replaced them with wine utensils.
It was strange — when did he start liking to drink alcohol?
"You mean your daily routine of looking into the distance? What did you see?"
"I saw many monkeys," Hikigaya reminisced about the feeling, trying to explain as simply as possible, "A very strange life form. Humans were transformed, becoming the life light, while the monkeys, who originally didn't exist, became the bodies."
"Even if you say that, I still don't understand a bit."
"What I mean is, there's nothing left to prepare. We can set off."
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