Chapter 10: New Posture of the Alpaca
Whenever night fell, Hachiman's desire for sleep became an unavoidable urge. He wasn't sure if this was due to the powers he had acquired from the Earth Mother Goddess.
But as soon as he felt the warmth of the sun shine upon the land, he would awaken.
His whole body would be filled with energy, and even if he were buried deep in the earth, he could easily break through the soil.
BOOM——!
In the early morning forest, a thunderous explosion erupted. The land was burst open from below by an internal force, and Hachiman's figure emerged from the flying dirt and stones.
"So refreshing," said Hachiman, now standing firmly on the ground.
Mm, what a fine morning—perfect for a fight.
He raised his hand, and immediately a gust of wind swept across the flat ground. He jumped up, letting the wind lift him into the sky.
Without the trees blocking his view, he could see the earth in its entirety. The golden sunlight poured over the layered tree canopies—a breathtaking scene.
At the edge of the forest sea stood a solitary, towering peak, and on its summit, flocks of birds could be seen circling.
That was Mount Phoenix.
In terms of appearance, the mountain looked nothing like a phoenix. If anything, it resembled a... well, a dong.
Riding the wind, Hachiman flew toward Mount Phoenix.
Below him, the forest passed like a surging river. In terms of speed, Hachiman now rivaled a commercial airliner.
Yet Mount Phoenix remained distant, seemingly unchanged.
Strange, is it really that far?
Hachiman suddenly stopped midair.
"Something's not right…" he muttered, then turned his hand into a blade. With his arm extended, he slashed diagonally from bottom right to upper left.
The wind turned into a blade, forming a visible wave that sliced through the forest.
Anything touched by the wind was pulverized in an instant.
However, this destructive wind vanished upon encountering the solitary mountain.
As if it had never appeared at all.
What the hell…?
Set is chaos, is power, is destruction. His winds cut everything, destroy everything. If even a solitary mountain can't be toppled, then he has no right to stand alongside Osiris as part of the Egyptian natural order.
The only explanation—this mountain has a problem. Considering the circumstances of Jusenkyo, this was clearly a supersized, buffed-up version.
"This is a headache…" Hachiman sat cross-legged midair, wearing a troubled expression. "To think I'd really run into this kind of ability from a light novel."
Spatial manipulation and such… Isn't that more of an eastern fantasy cultivation thing?
Don't tell me there's actually some kind of dimensional slash here? Don't scare me, I can't take it.
Originally, he'd planned to show up, act cool, and say hello. But given this…
"Ladies, don't blame me—I'm innocent…" After finding a legitimate excuse for his next actions, Hachiman made his decision. "If I can't get in, then I'll just blow it up."
Flames erupted from his body.
But on closer inspection, it wasn't fire—it was light, though it behaved like flames.
The light grew stronger, first engulfing Hachiman's figure, and then…
A second sun appeared in the sky, far brighter than the natural one. But it had no warmth. Instead, it radiated a violent, unstable, and wild aura.
This was the Sun of Set—it did not exist for growth, but to dry out all things, to set everything ablaze, leaving behind only desolation.
And Mount Phoenix, as if sensing this violent sun, finally "slipped up" in Hachiman's eyes.
A bit of green began to seep from its barren cliff face. Soon, that green spread over the entire mountain—though one might say the "slip" was a bit too large.
Once completely overtaken, it continued to grow until even the outline of the mountain vanished.
In an instant, what appeared before Hachiman was… a tree! A massive tree!
"Not a Sun God, but a Plant God?" Hachiman paused, then grinned. "Well then, even more reason to blow it up…"
He didn't know if the Shang Dynasty had the theory of the Five Elements and their mutual interactions, but using wood to counter his sun felt pretty absurd. Was this ancestral god just too old and already half-blind?
Time to show him what's what.
The Sun of Set exploded—or rather, transformed.
The side facing Mount Phoenix burst open like a punctured balloon, turning into columns of light and searing flames. They roared ferociously, sweeping toward the massive, light-filled tree.
This kind of attack could reduce any city on Earth into a crater in an instant. All matter would vaporize, and any living being caught in it wouldn't even have time to realize they were dead before being obliterated.
Even mighty mountains would be pierced and flattened, all moisture evaporated.
And yet… this attack was caught.
No mistake—it was caught.
The attack didn't vanish like the earlier wind. But when it struck the tree, it was like a brat running into a violent mom.
The power of the Sun of Set was absorbed by the giant tree. The light and flame flowed along its burning branches, ultimately coalescing into a large flaming bird that settled upon the tree.
What the hell kind of tree is this? And how did my sun turn into a bird?
Hachiman felt like he was being bullied. What happened to "one solar blast and done"?!
"My enemy… it seems you also possess the power of the Sun God."
Like a bell tolling in the heavens, a voice echoed suddenly across the sky.
"Very well. The sun is my incarnation. Though your sun bears no vitality, it is peculiar indeed—but I accept your challenge."
The burning tree still stood tall, not weakened by the flames, but strengthened—like someone who chugged a huge bottle of ginseng tonic and wasn't bloated but suddenly got hungry again.
This isn't a tree! No way I'm calling this thing a tree!
Just as he thought that, Hachiman's gaze was drawn upward.
Because there, a light distinctly different from the Sun of Set began to manifest—warm, full of life.
Around the tree, the phenomena of wind, thunder, rain, snow, and seasonal cycles appeared!
Though it was close at hand, Hachiman felt as though he was gazing into another world—so fantastical it defied reason.
Such a dramatic entrance—so over-the-top it was inhumane! Was this guy really a Sun God?
Before he could complain further, the ancestral god of Mount Phoenix finally appeared.
A huge-ass bird…
It looked like a swallow, but—this version was ridiculously oversized! What kind of swallow mom could birth a chick this big?! Even with the determination to split her butt open, she still couldn't pop that out!
Also, if it's a swallow, then go with black feathers—what's up with this rainbow mess?!
"Mmm, it's been a while since I took physical form on earth. Feels nostalgic…"
The massive rainbow swallow landed atop the giant tree, lowering its massive head to look down upon the dumbfounded Hachiman.
"Well then, let's have a duel."
With that, it flapped its great wings.
In an instant, it was as if time had shifted. The sun and daylight receded like a tide, replaced by moon and stars—darkness descended.
Between heaven and earth, only one place remained lit: where this unknown god stood, where the great tree stood.
And on that tree's branches, the firebird formed from the Sun of Set also lifted its head to look at Hachiman.
But what he saw wasn't a "Dad, let's go show off together" kind of look—but one filled with boundless aggression and killing intent!
A look that said, "You're not going anywhere till I beat you to death…"
All Hachiman could feel was a million alpacas stampeding through his heart—galloping in all kinds of weird poses. And then turning back for another round!
What happened to "three suns are enough to do the job nice and easy"? Dammit, someone please tell him what kind of expression he was supposed to make right now!?