Chapter 23: Meeting in the Storm
In the blood-soaked ground, while trying to use the Eye of Horus, Hikigaya suddenly raised his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it, the trope of coughing up blood in novels is actually real!"
The power of the Eye of Horus was torn apart, but part of the damage was reflected back onto him.
It infuriated him—who the hell did he offend?
Then, he saw a young shrine maiden appear before him, holding a Japanese katana and still in a slashing stance.
"So you're the one Grandpa mentioned?"
The shrine maiden looked rather disheveled, her clothes clinging tightly to her body from being soaked, dripping with water, revealing her curvy figure at a glance.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to be appreciating such things.
"I don't know your grandpa, but now we're both in trouble."
Hikigaya replied bitterly. Now that he had become one with the Eye of Horus, he could sense that the defense had been breached from that last attack. That willful person outside was definitely about to show up.
"Haha, that's impossible, because Grandpa is here too!" The young shrine maiden flicked her hair, pointed her blade at Hikigaya proudly, and said, "You have to come with Ena now, because that's also Grandpa's order."
Ena? That name sounds familiar...
But before he could recall why, danger had already arrived.
Hikigaya first clearly heard the sound of something shattering, and then everything went black before his eyes.
The torrential wind and rain that had been kept outside the bloody field suddenly poured in. Thunderous noise filled his ears, and the shrine maiden's scream was instantly drowned out.
Hikigaya felt himself being flung into the air. The rain pelted him like countless heavy punches, nearly knocking him unconscious. It felt like he'd been thrown into a washing machine—his world spinning wildly, unable to see or hear anything.
As the storm ravaged him, his brain turned to mush, leaving behind only one thought—was he already dead?
Suddenly, his mind seemed to clear, and his vision, previously shrouded in darkness, was filled with light.
The Eye of Horus on his neck emitted a glow, and he felt a burning sensation near his waist.
It felt like his body was being protected by some kind of power. He no longer spun wildly, nor could he feel the rain hitting him. Hikigaya forced his eyes open and realized he was inside the storm, very high above the ground—if he fell, he'd be a goner.
Though his body hadn't completely stopped moving, it was much better than before. His mind was clearer, and he could vaguely make out the storm's details.
"Ahhhh… so annoying!"
He seemed to hear the shrine maiden's scream again.
How strange. Must be a hallucination.
Hikigaya firmly concluded this in his heart.
Wait a sec... was she crashing into him?
Haha, what a realistic hallucination. Did it really think it could fool him? So naiv—thud!
Hikigaya's expression twisted instantly.
So painful! What the hell is your head, a battering ram?!
Enduring the pain from his stomach, he grabbed the girl who had crashed into his arms headfirst and finally couldn't help cursing out loud.
Damn it, it's real!
He looked down, unable to see her face, but guessed she had probably passed out from the wind, much like he had earlier. Even in that state, she clutched the pitch-black katana tightly with one hand.
Holy crap, this kind of quality! Definitely a professional slasher!
Just as he was thinking that, her other flailing arm suddenly wrapped tightly around his waist.
Crack!
It's going to break!!!
Feeling intense pain in his waist, Hikigaya couldn't think of anything else and quickly locked down her arm.
Then suddenly, Hikigaya's hands froze, the pain in his waist forgotten, because right in front of him, emerging from the storm, was a dog's head staring at him with a very unfriendly gaze.
What a huge dog head!
No, that wasn't a dog!
Its ears were rectangular, and its mouth and nose curved downward. What kind of dog looked like that?
"Hehehe…" Amid Hikigaya's horrified and contorted expression, that thing—which looked like a dog head but definitely wasn't—grinned eerily and said, "Found you!"
It was an undeniably terrifying and bizarre sight.
And that dog head could even speak human language—its mouth full of sharp teeth.
As the head swayed, a neck appeared below it, followed by a body.
Soon, a large, muscular body in ancient Egyptian attire emerged from the storm.
It was Set—the ancient Egyptian god of strength, war, storms, deserts, and foreign lands. He symbolized everything opposite of what Egyptians cherished, like wetness and fertility. He robbed people of wisdom, brought blindness and stupidity, dried up all things, caused withering, burning, and desolation—a true evil god.
"Wahahaha, Horus! Do you dare to challenge me!?"
Fully revealed, Set howled into the sky.
In the unified Egyptian mythology, Set was generally unpopular. Aside from being the god of war, he rarely played a decent role. He was never part of anything good, always the cause of bad things. It wasn't until the Nineteenth Dynasty that he had a brief moment of glory.
But it seemed his vision wasn't great, as he was calling Hikigaya "Horus."
That nearly made Hikigaya cry.
Then, the shrine maiden who had crashed into him and nearly dislocated his waist seemed to wake up.
The best evidence was that she froze.
Hikigaya was furious. Playing dead at a time like this?! Where's your sense of decency!?
Without hesitation, he pried open her stiff arms and flipped her over.
He was met with a pitiful face on the verge of tears.
Unfortunately, that expression was useless now. Hikigaya flipped her again so that, like him, she faced Set directly.
You brought this dog head over, so you'd better take a good look at it—even if it makes you cry.
"Wh-why is he calling you Horus?" she asked, her voice trembling, tears in her eyes, forced to confront the mistake her youthful impulsiveness had brought upon them.
Anyone staring at such a panting, drooling, gleaming-eyed dog head would struggle to maintain a normal expression.
The girl didn't look for long. Maybe the dog head was just too far from her aesthetic standards. Even though Hikigaya had turned her back around, she immediately clung to his arm like an octopus. It seemed to make her feel a bit safer.
That might've been fine—if only this were the right place and time.
Besides, she was asking Hikigaya—but who was he supposed to ask?
His only reaction was to instinctively grab the amulet.
Though it was burning hot, at this moment, it was the only thing that brought him comfort.