Chapter 41: The New Sun
The earthquake did not last long, but the damage it caused was massive, with the number of casualties impossible to calculate in the short term.
Although the city's main structures remained intact, large areas of buildings had collapsed, and those still standing were structurally unstable.
Rusa became extremely busy.
At his strong insistence, the High Priestess agreed to his proposal, allowing the Sera people to temporarily move out of their homes and establish camps outside the city.
Including Rusa, all the Sera believed this was only temporary, and they could return once the city's buildings were repaired.
For centuries, they had grown accustomed to occasional earthquakes. This one was just a bit more severe—though, in reality, compared to what the Sera volcano could unleash, this was like a sneeze.
This made Hachiman abandon the idea of turning Rusa's house into a large protective talisman. Since everyone had moved out, it was much more convenient.
He even had the energy to help speed up the construction of the camp. After all, they were just setting up tents, which were weightless to him.
He noticed that his "liberation" speed had increased.
The King of the Earth's power was in place, and the forces of Kuafu and Di Jun had finally begun to change—changes far greater than the earlier powers he had acquired.
He "heard" and "saw" a giant serpent crashing into a divine tree. The tree disintegrated into flames, incinerating the serpent into nothingness, yet simultaneously nurturing a young sun.
It felt like a burden being lifted. Hachiman sensed the powers granted by these two abilities rapidly disappearing—but the power wasn't lost; it was transforming into a new form.
Hachiman recalled the Egyptian gods mentioning his three "rituals," and now he was starting to understand.
The first ritual was Pandora's power—the mother of the god-slayer—which was key to seizing divine powers.
The second was Athena's manifestation relationship—a complete accident. Even Hachiman still hadn't figured out how it had come about.
The final one was undoubtedly Di Jun. From what he "saw," it seemed Hachiman's appropriation of Kuafu's Sun-Chasing power, once gaining enough "thrust," destroyed it entirely, forming a new power.
This made Hachiman extremely curious.
Judging from the three powers that had already transformed, he could confidently say the new power would also be related to abundance.
For example, the destructive power taken from Set, originally intended to completely eliminate fertility, could no longer be viewed purely as destruction.
It had become a meteorological-type ability—capable of both fostering good harvests and bringing disasters, reflecting Set's essence before Upper and Lower Egypt unified. It was no longer a force of reproductive annihilation but a manifestation of both abundance and war.
The power obtained from Osiris changed less dramatically, but without floods or spiritual sight, it became a single, orderly force, allowing Hachiman to navigate life and death among all beings.
As for his original tremor ability, Hachiman now truly felt like the King of the Earth. Flooding might have disappeared from Osiris, but what if one were to occur underground?
Hachiman was deeply satisfied. Strictly speaking, he now had all the natural-type skills.
After wandering around the camp for a while and briefly playing the role of super strongman, Hachiman left.
He sensed another Horus had arrived.
Far from the camp, he reached the opposite side of the island by the sea and saw a man with the appearance of a Hebrew, wearing a linen robe.
This guy was well-prepared, even designing his appearance carefully.
"You couldn't wait any longer, huh?" Hachiman approached from behind. "Dressing up like that… are you trying to anger the other guy?"
"Anger?" The sky god, in his Hebrew form, turned around. "Not at all. I'm just sending him back to where he belongs… Huh? You've recovered quickly. How does it feel?"
"Even if you know three thousand years later he will seize your divinity?" Hachiman ignored the question and countered.
"I will seize his," the god, still bearing the name Horus, said. "I should thank him. He solved my problem."
"I see… then I have a question." Hachiman stroked his chin. "Will you kill the firstborn of the Egyptians?"
"I know what you're implying, but that's not punishment—it's a reward. As the guide on the path of judgment, the firstborn of Egypt will enter the afterlife, become an immortal spirit, and be under our protection."
The reasoning was solid, thoroughly Egyptian, leaving Hachiman with no rebuttal.
"Fine… what about your siblings?"
"I have no siblings. I am unique, supreme. Besides, this was already decided long ago. They won't interfere."
"Alright… you win. Just tell me what you intend to do now."
Hachiman gave up; he had to admit he couldn't reason with this guy.
Regarding his last question, the sky god answered promptly:
"I hope you leave the final strike to me. You've likely noticed you don't need to destroy a divine body to obtain power."
Hachiman thought he misheard. This statement contained significant information. He asked quickly, "You won't kill him?"
"Spiritual forms make us undying, but crossing time relies on our own power. He must be returned to his proper place, or it will cause trouble for us."
"Oh," Hachiman nodded, now understanding.
Disobedient gods die and return to mythology, but this mechanism doesn't include time travel. So the ancient gods planned a manual adjustment.
Then, suddenly, the god stopped speaking. His previously stern face revealed joy. Before Hachiman could ask, the god's body trembled, transforming into a mass of snakes that scattered quickly into the nearby grass.
"What the hell?" Hachiman was stunned, and the next moment, his expression changed.
The new sun inside him had suddenly formed!
Simultaneously, he sensed the magma in the Sera volcano becoming "excited," rapidly surging toward the surface.
The god hiding inside the volcano had just flapped a wing!
In an instant, Hachiman transformed into lightning, shooting straight into the sky, then making a sharp turn midair, descending toward the volcano.
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