Chapter 52: The Descendants of Atum
At this point in time, Hachiman's desire for food stemmed purely from a craving for gourmet experiences, but Egyptian cuisine didn't seem to satisfy him entirely in that regard.
Compared to Seth, who was feasting heartily, Hachiman only took small tastes.
In fact, Seth was the only one seriously eating. Hazazi and the others didn't even sit at the table.
They had booked the entire restaurant, called in more comrades, and had the place completely secured.
All of these "little moves" did not escape Hachiman's notice, but he said nothing.
After all, the same actions carried out by different people give off different impressions. As long as he understood the intent behind them, that was enough.
Tonight, Hachiman was very patient. He waited until Seth was full and satisfied, and until the waiter had cleared the table, before slowly taking something out.
It was the ceramic jar his cheap four-eyed old man had once swiped from Hazazi.
When Seth saw the jar, he was momentarily stunned, clearly surprised it was in Hachiman's possession.
"It really is identical..." he muttered and weighed it in his hand.
In the next moment, his expression turned serious.
"Lord Hachiman," he addressed him formally, then placed the jar back on the table. "I'm afraid we have a problem. This thing is already empty."
"Oh?" Hachiman's interest was piqued. "What do you mean by that?"
"If an object used to summon a god isn't powerful enough, it will be destroyed. The medium that was originally sealed inside has now completely disappeared," Set explained, astonished but not entirely surprised. "Perhaps... It descended during that battle as well."
He glanced at Hazazi, who still looked utterly confused, and for a moment, he found himself thinking that the little idiots who had ended up feeding fish in Tokyo Bay were actually kind of cute—despite being reckless to the extreme.
Opposite him, Hachiman instantly grasped his meaning.
The "battle" he referred to was, of course, the first time Hachiman slew a god and was reborn as a godslayer.
That was also when Horus had embedded His power within Hachiman.
Later, with Voban's help, Hachiman had eliminated the golden eagle.
Thinking back, that creature was probably similar to the giant eye that had appeared just before Osiris's full descent.
"But I never encountered Him," Hachiman said, brushing aside the memory. "Is there any explanation for that?"
"I wouldn't know. We can't guess what gods think."
"I see. Then I won't dwell on it," Hachiman decisively abandoned the line of questioning and continued, "Let's go back to why I can achieve my goals through Horus's temple."
"That's simple," Set said, rubbing his head. This time he finally removed his large turban, and Hachiman discovered the guy was bald.
"To talk about Horus, we have to mention Atum. He is our creator god, originally the sun god of Heliopolis.
Ra only became the supreme god after absorbing Him.
Even when the Thebans replaced the Memphites and worshipped Amun as the supreme deity, they had to merge Amun with Ra. Horus, Osiris, and Set are all children of Atum.
Among them, Horus is the most orthodox descendant of Atum, inheriting all the powers of the cosmos and the earth."
"Sorry, I still don't get it," Hachiman shook his head. "As far as I know, in the Heliopolitan system, Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis."
"That's because there were once multiple gods named Horus. When they were merged together, they became the current Horus," Set laughed. After a full meal, he was clearly in good spirits. "But in doing so, Horus became more complete, becoming the lord of the living world. Only in Horus's name can one command the powers of both the cosmos and the earth. So if you understand Horus, you understand all of Atum's descendants."
So that's it. No wonder Jesus copied Him later!
But…
"This story wasn't long at all," Hachiman gave Set a suspicious look.
This guy... he didn't lie just for a free meal, did he?
"I already skipped the parts that could be skipped. The main content starts now," Set quickly added, seemingly having read the suspicion in Hachiman's eyes. "Before the name of Osiris spread widely, the conflict between Horus and Set symbolized the ebb and flow between the Nile and the desert."
"You mean I should focus on the Nile?" Hachiman realized.
"More or less. The Nile is everything—it embodies life and death, connects humans and gods, and is the origin of all things. Before Menes unified Egypt, it belonged to Horus and Set. The
tribes that worshipped them were the most powerful along the Nile in that era, and they founded Upper and Lower Egypt."
"The tribes that worshipped Set are your sect's ancestors, right?"
"Yes, but the relationship between Horus and Set isn't like that between Osiris and Set.
Their conflict was more moderate—think of it as court rivalry within a unified kingdom. Each carries part of the other within themselves.
From the perspective of the mortal world, their struggle reflects the temple politics of the Old Kingdom.
When the Pharaoh went on campaign, he wore a crown split half red and half white—representing Set and Horus. The queen's title was 'she who will see Horus and Set.'"
Listening to Set explain all this so fluently and accessibly, Hachiman couldn't help but admire him.
This guy really knew how to teach... No wonder he's a native-born priest.
He should really consider opening a cram school for college entrance exams—he'd make bank!
"Now I get it," Hachiman exhaled. "Because Horus is the lord of the living world and embodies nearly all power, understanding Horus means understanding the power represented by all of Atum's descendants—especially Set and Osiris, who are closely related to him.
Both magic and myth are expressions of His power.
That's why ancient pharaohs associated themselves with Horus, right?"
"Exactly. So, are you interested in hearing more about Horus now?" Set asked with a satisfied smile.
"Of course. I know what you're capable of," Hachiman chuckled, then gave a signal to Hazazi behind him.
Without a word, Hazazi turned and left. Not long after, faint sounds of him ordering all restaurant staff to leave could be heard outside.
It was going to be a long night…
Chapter 53: Coming from the Darkness
The human world has become one where even at night, light fills the surroundings.
A hawk flying through the night sky is now a rare sight in this era.
Its eyes gleam with a human-like intelligence, and as a bird it commands more awe than any king on Earth.
The next moment, it descended.
During this transformation, it expanded—its feathers below the head faded away, wings transformed into arms, sharp talons became human legs.
The hawk vanished, replaced by a creature with the body of a man and the head of a hawk.
Not the hawk itself, but He—a god who broke free from myth, acquiring a physical form on Earth.
The hawk-headed god's body was robust but not excessively muscular, his muscles holding enough strength.
On His feet were straw sandals, a short pleated skirt wrapped around His waist, and a long piece of cloth draped over His body, the ends tucked into His belt.
Most of His hawk head was covered by a white headscarf. The headscarf, the long cloth, and the skirt were all white.
The only metal He wore was a golden wristband on His arm.
This god stood above Cairo. Beneath Him, the streets were empty. Even if people looked up, they couldn't perceive this magnificent being hidden by the night.
After a while, the god uttered a word.
"Anu…"
This city was once called Anu, but humans now called it Cairo.
To Him, this was a city of betrayal.
His father should have been the most ancient of gods, the sacred creator, the originator of heaven, gods, and humanity.
His father's eyes were the sun and the moon, illuminating heaven when there was no sky or earth, no humans or living beings, and no other gods.
At first, the priests of Anu worshiped His father as leader of all gods, but later allowed Ra to seize His father's domain, stealing His power and property.
Since then, His father could only appear as the sun god during night or dusk.
Looking down at the humans who were oblivious—not only had they ceased worshiping His father and brothers, but they had even forgotten Ra—the hawk-headed god's eyes flashed with displeasure.
But on second thought, this was not His domain; if anyone should be angry, it should be Set.
Right, His other brother seemed to have been killed.
Osiris! You again!
How many times has it been!?
The hawk-headed god sighed, and His breath became a strong wind, stirring some chaos among the humans below.
Some houses collapsed...
Human craftsmanship was still so poor, but it was natural for humble humans to cower beneath the glory of a god.
Forget it, He would go check on that godslayer—how dare he shatter His eagle, delaying His time to gain form.
And that guy even dared to go to Upper Egypt. Such boldness.
"Let me see what you're capable of."
The hawk-headed god coldly looked north.
The humans below were growing more chaotic, but He ignored all that and made a leaping movement toward the north.
He transformed back into a hawk and soared.
Perhaps still bearing ill will toward this city, when He flapped His wings, another strong wind was created, mercilessly destroying the buildings below.
But that would be the last time. Amid the humans' wails, He flew higher and higher, the city soon disappearing beyond the horizon, unseen again.
The god, in the form of a hawk, flew along the Nile, the land below flashing past in an instant, unable to remain even a moment in His sight.
Yet, during the flight, the god began to feel doubt. The river no longer felt the same as before; something seemed missing.
The riverside land had grown barren, but this was not caused by His brothers' powers.
More concerning was the presence left by the godslayer—he too was traveling north along the river, heading toward His former domain.
Speaking of which, something strange now occupied His territory and deserved punishment.
As for His followers, they deserved reward.
He was a benevolent god who would not be harsh with those humans loyal to Him.
The broad and quiet river flowed beneath Him continuously. After passing one human settlement after another, He finally lowered His altitude.
A city emerged from the flatlands.
His nemesis was there.
The hawk made a sharp turn midair and flashed past like lightning.
The long distance was covered in an instant.
Under the night sky, He finally set foot on the earth—but took the form of a child.
In this state, He symbolized the newborn sun, the protector and healer of the universe's order and hope, as well as of children.
He stepped out of the darkness onto a street filled with humans.
Because He wished to remain unnoticed, no human noticed that a small, old-fashioned boy with hands behind his back was striding arrogantly nearby.
But even gods can encounter "surprises" in this tricky world.
"Yukino, look at that child, so cute," said a woman's voice.
The hawk god paid no mind; there was too much noise nearby for one more voice to matter.
Human women were inexplicably noisy, always screaming over children.
Just then, a figure blocked the god's path.
Frowning—probably because He was now in a benevolent divine state—He did not blow the person away with wind as He might have otherwise, but intended to ignore them and walk on.
However, as He was about to move, a scent from this human caught His attention.
The stench of the godslayer!
He stopped and looked up.
It was a short-haired, foreign-looking human woman, smiling happily at Him, as if seeing a treasure she wanted to claim.
Foreigners were foreigners—she wasn't bald and was quite ugly.
Such a bold and foolish human!
Wait… this human could actually see Him!?
That was strange. He normally did not let humans perceive Him.
Silver light, like moonlight, flickered in the hawk god's eyes.
"Hmph, I didn't expect that I was just a little late, and that boy has already matured to such a degree. Not bad…"
The hawk god immediately understood the reason and nodded slightly, but to the human woman in front of Him, this expression only made Him seem even cuter.
Since she was a follower of His nemesis, this human woman could be upgraded from a weed to a domesticated bird, so He would pay her some attention after all.