Chapter 52: Essence
Fighting a god really gets your heart racing.
Hikigaya deeply realized this from his battle with Osiris. Experience didn't really matter.
Because you never know what kind of god you'll encounter next.
The power of Osiris that had invaded his body was finally dissolving—he had finally found the correct combination.
Judging Osiris based on his godhood had been a huge mistake.
As a god of wisdom, light, and sanctity, Osiris's essence was hidden beneath seemingly complex divine roles. Once all the distractions and surface appearances were stripped away, the essence of this god became very clear.
Moisture and Flood, represented by the Nile, and heat, represented by the sun—those were his essence. Everything was born through the combination and interaction of these two forces.
Wheat grows from the earth—this is life. But once it ripens, it is harvested and cut, just like Osiris's body was dismembered. As life blooms, death also arrives. Seeds rot in the moist earth, and from that decay, new plants sprout, bringing forth life again.
The sun dies each night and is reborn each morning. The Nile floods regularly. When the waters recede—evaporated or absorbed into the land—in the now-dried earth, Osiris nurtures the force of fertility with ample moisture and suitable heat. He repairs the wounds nature has suffered and prepares for life's next eruption.
Because he wandered between life and death with such order and purity, he became the lord of the underworld in myth. Naturally, he was also seen as king of the afterlife. All the dead were his subjects; deceased pharaohs became a part of him—became Osiris.
Everything was clear now.
This god's essence wasn't based on any single natural entity from a human perspective. Although water was his only natural entity, it wasn't his essence. Rather, it was something shaped by his essence. Through the power of essence, he could evolve forces resembling natural entities.
The first force that had entered Hikigaya's body was a heavy breath from deep within the earth—the breath of death, triggered by heat. The second was the power that rots old life—it was also the power of death, originating from moisture.
That's why, as ancient Egyptian civilization declined, Osiris came to be seen as Hades on Greek soil. It all stemmed from this essence—he nurtured life within death.
Hikigaya straightened his back. The power of death had been dissolved and dispelled.
His gaze regained its sharpness as he looked directly at Osiris. The negative influence the god had exerted on him through essence had now completely vanished.
"God-King, are you ready?" he asked, no longer hiding the killing intent radiating from his entire body.
"Even if you understand my power, defeating me is another matter, God-Slayer." Osiris looked coldly at Hikigaya. In his eyes, this human was now no different from his old nemesis, Set. "Your sins shall be judged by me."
What followed was nothing short of a catastrophe for this land.
With all strategies and schemes stripped away, a full-power battle between a god and a god-slayer ensued. Mortals would only ever know the outcome. Those who could witness the process… their luck was comparable to that of a god-slayer.
When Seishuin Ena cautiously led the Official History Compilation Committee's sorcerers into this land, what they saw was a leveled landscape—everything flattened. The ground had sunken in, smooth as a mirror, as if someone had carved it out by hand.
On this desolate, barren land, only one boy sat alone.
Hikigaya Hachiman sat on a small dirt mound, looking extremely worn out and exhausted.
But that posture alone was enough to earn the awe and worship of all magicians in the world.
Because this boy had once again slain a god.
The god had indeed been here—and was now gone. Everyone knew it. That's the only reason they dared to enter now.
The forest had returned to its original state. The once-devoured Chiba Village had reappeared in daylight. Everything seemed like it had just been a dream.
For ordinary people, it really would be just a dream—the sorcerers of the committee would make sure they believed that.
At the same time, the sorcerers knew—starting today, Japan would be completely different.
Because just earlier, a battle of cosmic scale had occurred here. The aftermath of that battle could even be felt outside the forest. And the devastated terrain confirmed the kind of entities that had fought here.
There was no longer even a shred of doubt—the boy named Hikigaya Hachiman was the seventh god-slayer on Earth. The only beings who could fight him now were gods or other god-slayers—and it certainly wasn't going to be the latter.
They had to admit—it was a real headache. A god-slayer this young was definitely going to be a handful. Just look at him—he was still dazed out…
At times like this, you needed someone familiar to step in.
"Hikigaya-kun?" Seishuin Ena cautiously approached. "Are you okay?"
Upon hearing her voice, Hikigaya, who had seemed completely out of it, slowly turned his slightly vacant eyes and looked at her.
"Oh, it's you." His eyes landed on the blade in her hand. "But… why are you holding up the sword?"
At that moment, Seishuin Ena looked like a housewife who'd just spotted a cockroach and instinctively grabbed the nearest thing she thought could kill it.
"Oh, no reason… I was just feeling a little uneasy," Ena sighed in relief and lowered the divine sword.
"You dumb kid—I told you not to panic. There's no god left here! No way I'd be wrong about that!" the divine sword suddenly spoke up.
"That guy's already been taken down by your boyfr—"
The sentence never finished, as Ena swiftly shoved the blade back into its sheath.
"Agh, totally spoiled by Grandpa…" she muttered.
"I'm done watching you play ventriloquist. Can you take me home now?" Hikigaya stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.
"Ah? You want to go back already?"
"If I don't, are you treating me to barbecue?"
Hikigaya wondered if this girl's brain was malfunctioning—but honestly, he didn't have the energy to make snarky remarks right now.
The fight against Osiris hadn't been easy. Even after grasping his essence, it had been a brutal battle.
Osiris's essence allowed him to become everything humans could perceive—and to make all of it his power. That wasn't just talk. He could really do it.
But in the end, Hikigaya still claimed victory—thanks to Set for bestowing such a useful authority.
As a reward for staking his life, he had also received a new authority.
Receiving divine authority again felt more ordinary and straightforward than he'd expected.
He could feel something flow into his body, making it feel heavier for an instant—and then it appeared in his mind.
This time, he understood it immediately. He had obtained Osiris's "Moisture."
As one of Osiris's essences, he believed this authority would have strong versatility. What Osiris could accomplish with it—he too would be able to achieve someday.
In any case, it was all finally over. He had passed another trial—and grown stronger once more.
Next, he would continue to live on… as a god-slayer.