Chapter 12: Hikigaya is injured
As a tribe of cave dwellers, the Phoenix Mountain Clan was impressively professional.
Although no one really knew what was wrong with that bird outside—how it could suddenly get all hyped up and then forget it had even been in a fight—when it came to the cave engineering level of Phoenix Mountain, Hikigaya was more than happy to give a thumbs-up.
And then kill their engineers.
Because… damn it, why make it so complicated?! Were they die-hard fans of maze-style hide-and-seek with birds?!
After climbing an uncountable number of steps and turning countless corners, Hikigaya finally snapped, as was expected.
If you're someone who can't stand having a wall in front of you, then remember: always walk in a straight line.
There weren't any traffic lights either—just a stone wall ahead of him.
So naturally, in his fit of rage the stone wall crumbled into sand.
Well there were also some birdman while he destroyed the walls, but they were all blown away.
From this, we can see: blocking the path of a power-wielding, temperamental OP character is absolutely not a good idea.
Still, because of this violent outburst, Hikigaya finally found… no, not treasure. Though, you could still say it was a kind of treasure.
It was a very large room.
Filled with girls.
Yes, girls! Soft, pink-skinned girls!
Hikigaya gave a sweeping glance and figured there must be at least a few hundred.
All the girls were asleep, breathing steadily, with no signs of having their throats slit or organs removed. Though, a few were drooling…
So unserious. Not a single one with the awareness of a proper hostage.
Hikigaya began scanning them one by one.
Probably because the cave was warm, the girls' clothing style was minimal—less fabric was better.
Which made it harder for Hikigaya to find Yukinoshita Haruno, because, well, his eyes were getting… distracted.
Tch. Who would've thought these bird people had such good taste—the hostages they kidnapped were all top-tier.
But to set up such a trap just to mess with his focus? That was way too sneaky!
"An intruder has entered the sanctuary!"
From the breach Hikigaya had made, the raspy voice of a Phoenix Mountain guard rang out.
God slayers have an astonishing language acquisition ability—apparently, just hearing a language repeatedly is enough to master it.
However, this guy clearly didn't appreciate Hikigaya's kindness—after all, he'd already graciously helped his comrades become modern stone wall frescoes.
Wings flapping could be heard growing louder and louder from the cave entrance.
It sounded a lot like his grandfather's chicken coop from when he was a kid. Only difference: no clucking.
He turned around and saw through a gap in the opposite mountain wall that a large number of Phoenix Mountain tribespeople were flying out.
One of them looked particularly flashy—holding a staff topped with a ring, dressed better than the rest, even had a cape.
He seemed like someone who'd be really fun to fight.
Hikigaya got excited and was about to walk over to have some fun.
But before that, the flashy-looking birdman spotted him.
Immediately, the guy's face changed, and he turned around to slap the face of the birdman next to him, roaring angrily. Hikigaya couldn't make out the words, but it clearly wasn't anything polite.
He thought he vaguely heard words like "monster" and "High Ancestor."
"Monster" probably referred to him, and "High Ancestor" was likely the god outside. Wait—if they called that being High Ancestor, then didn't that make them…
Realizing the implications, Hikigaya froze for a moment. In that brief pause, the Phoenix Mountain tribe had retreated like a tidal wave, and the area was quiet once more.
Hikigaya didn't really care. He hadn't planned on doing anything drastic to this tribe anyway.
On the contrary, he was still focused on that god outside.
A god who once held great renown in ancient China, yet after the Qin dynasty, was no longer venerated. Even his iconography faded and ceased to evolve, unlike other gods who continued to be reinterpreted throughout the ages. It was tragic.
Maybe, the god didn't forget how to fight—maybe, from the start, fighting wasn't the purpose of his arrival in this form.
Hikigaya looked up. The central region of Phoenix Mountain had been completely hollowed out, forming a bottomless abyss. Logically, the top should lead to the mountain's summit.
What he saw was a streak of red light—the aura of Fusang.
That deity would definitely sense his departure, especially since he had injured Fusang. So why hadn't the god taken action to stop him?
It was hard to understand…
Hikigaya shook his head and reentered the room.
The scantily-clad girls were still lying scattered across the floor. The lighting was dim, provided only by wall-mounted torches.
Hikigaya walked among them, flipping them over one by one.
Then, when he flipped one particular girl, he was stunned.
It was Mariya Yuri!
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
It really was her! The shrine maiden girl who had once been summoned by the Marquis and later dropped everything just to fight him.
What rotten luck—she had just escaped the Demon King and ended up in the hands of a rebellious god.
This also explained why the Committee had been so concerned about Yukinoshita Haruno's abduction. Hikigaya had long found it strange that the Committee would react so strongly to Haruno's disappearance—and not even send Ena to handle it. Something just didn't add up.
So, it turns out the real hostage was the shrine maiden…
But whatever. Now that he'd seen her, he'd take her with him. He remembered this girl was Ena's friend.
Hikigaya extended his right hand, scooped up the unconscious shrine maiden, and slung her over his shoulder.
Then he gave a satisfied remark—this softness, this curve, truly top-tier!
She was just a student, but that body… way too unfair. How were the boys supposed to focus on their studies?
As he was entertaining such nonsense, he felt the heat in the air spike sharply.
A familiar power was approaching rapidly from above!
"That fast a reaction?!"
Hikigaya was shocked. After causing such a ruckus earlier, nothing happened—but the moment he picked up a girl, bam—reaction.
Seriously? Could it get any creepier?
But now wasn't the time to joke—the ceiling had turned red-hot, melting into dripping magma. All the girls in the room, including Mariya Yuri, were glowing. That light protected them from the lava.
The glow intensified, and then, a portion of it detached from the others and wrapped around Hikigaya.
"This is…" Upon recognizing the power in that light, Hikigaya was first surprised—then sneered.
He activated the power of Kuafu, swallowing the incoming light. Then he smacked Mariya's butt, dispersing her protective glow too.
After that, he held her in one arm and charged toward the opposite wall.
On the way, he used his free left hand to grab another girl, likewise using Kuafu's power to dispel her glow.
"Hmph! One less is one less!"
While muttering this, he kicked the wall repeatedly. Amid thunderous explosions, he carved out a tunnel that led straight out of the mountain.
With the final kick, he burst out of Phoenix Mountain.
But the moment he emerged, everything around him turned dark. He glanced around and instantly understood—he had broken through to the other side of the mountain, a place without Fusang's or Xuanbird's light, only pure darkness.
However, after just a few steps, something felt wrong.
The darkness around him had substance and was closing in on him.
Mariya Yuri and the other girl he rescued were the first affected—their bare arms instantly turned black, with the darkness spreading across their bodies.
Watching beautiful girls turn into blobs of black goo was not the kind of scene that matched his ideal vision of life…
"Truly worthy of a Creator God—so many tricks." He sighed, and in the face of the encroaching darkness, a sound like rushing water flowed from him.
A warm, life-filled light radiated from his body.
Golden sunlight instantly dispersed the surrounding darkness. The blackness on the girls also began to fade.
"Using tricks like this… really unbecoming of your stature, Di Jun!" Hikigaya landed on the ground, holding the girls, and looked up toward the now fully illuminated Phoenix Mountain. "Don't you think that's a bit petty?"
As if responding to his words, branches of a mulberry tree sprouted from the once-barren cliff. Light flowed from these branches.
Within mere breaths, the sacred solar tree Fusang appeared before him. Beneath the tree, a man with primitive attire, a majestic bird-feather crown, and a handsome face slowly emerged from the blinding light.
He was Di Jun, the supreme and ancestral god worshipped by the Eastern Yi and Yin-Shang clans. He was the Xuanbird, the Sun God, the Celestial God, and the Creator God.
Though dressed primitively, he radiated overwhelming divine pressure.
Worst of all, this guy had a ridiculously handsome face—which dealt especially heavy damage to Hikigaya…
"To think someone in this age still recognizes me. As expected of God Slayer who entered the sun. I underestimated you," said the ancient Eastern God-King with a smile, looking cultured and composed.
"My apologies earlier," Di Jun continued, "But I intend to return the world to darkness, take these two as my wives, and have them bear the sun and moon so that my name may once again be revered by all. What say you?"
Scratch that. This guy was filthier than expected…
"Not happening…" Hikigaya said with a dark expression. "You're sick. Get help."
With that, he gently set down Mariya and the other girl, then stood up straight to face Di jun.
"Though you may not like me saying this, your approach is outdated. Once I defeat you, you'll understand."
"Hmm… perhaps so. You and I are destined to clash." Di Jun nodded. He didn't seem angry—actually, he looked even more amused. "But I govern the heavens and time itself. God Slayer, you may end up disappointed."