Chapter 15: Chase
In Chinese mythology, when speaking of a human head with a snake body, the first image that comes to mind is Nuwa.
But that doesn't mean only Nuwa has this form — in fact, this image is used quite frequently.
Chang'e, who fled to the moon, is also depicted as having a human head and snake body in Han dynasty stone carvings.
So there's no way Hikigaya could determine which god was in front of him based solely on that trait.
However, it seemed like he wasn't the only one surprised at the moment.
Because the suddenly appearing snake goddess also seemed quite astonished by Hikigaya's presence.
"There is a god-who-entered-the-sun on this island as well...?" the goddess slightly furrowed her brow.
That didn't sound quite right...
"In that case, I can use him too."
After speaking, the goddess's black hair rose and spread like a curtain of darkness, absorbing all the light in the room.
Seeing this, even though he had no clue what the heck she was talking about, Hikigaya could definitely tell this goddess had set her sights on him.
It really is too hard for a godslayer and a disobedient god to get along.
Hikigaya's body began to blur, and the next moment, the black curtain formed by the goddess's hair surged forward, engulfing both him and the nine-tailed fox, dissolving them into a pool of water that was absorbed by the darkness.
"Escaped, did they..." The snake goddess's face showed no surprise; instead, she sighed softly. "Another god-who-entered-the-sun, huh..."
With that, her body turned into a gray mist and vanished from the room.
Far away from Sobu High, in a small park, Hikigaya reappeared carrying the nine-tailed fox.
"Damn… that was close…"
He casually tossed the nine-tailed fox onto the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Good thing he reacted quickly.
This was the same little park where he had first encountered Seth.
Speaking of Seth, he wondered whether all those Egyptians from before were dead now.
Come to think of it, does he have bad luck with autumn or something? Just finished a life-and-death struggle with a mummy, and now here comes a snake.
Can't even catch a damn break...
He had everything planned — was going to make proper contact with the Yomi Karate Group and try to pick up some useful martial arts. After all, that was the only method he could think of besides fighting evenly matched opponents to get stronger — to prepare for another encounter with a god.
And now, before he even got started, the third god had already shown up — and with absolutely no warning.
Hikigaya was seriously annoyed.
Then he bent over, reached out — and caught the nine-tailed fox by the scruff of her neck as she tried to sneak away.
"Where do you think you're going?" he glared at the fox. "Be honest and explain everything to me."
Heretic gods don't always descend to earth purely of their own will. More often than not, it's human-related factors that cause them to break free from mythology and take physical form on the surface.
Like Melqart and Perseus in anime, or Set and Osiris whom Hikigaya had encountered.
If this little monster had messed up and summoned this god, then she should know who the god is.
As for making peace or whatever — Hikigaya hadn't even considered it. A god slayer meeting a god? Of course he has to take them down. The only question is how to do it…
For now, the divine power he was most familiar with was still his first Authority — Beast of Set. For that, he had to know which god it was.
"I really don't know…" The nine-tailed fox clearly wanted to escape but was held firmly by Hikigaya, with no way to run. So she slumped down, muttering, "I was just peacefully enjoying the offerings, and then she suddenly appeared, saying I had something she wanted or whatever."
"Oh? And what did she want?"
"That I don't know either…"
"You're asking for a beating, aren't you? Come to think of it, I haven't hit you yet." Hikigaya sneered and waved his palm in front of her face. "Look, we can actually have a nice talk, you know? You don't want to be killed by her, right?"
"Well…" The nine-tailed fox looked a little guilty. "She did say something about the sun, I think."
She tilted her head, seeming puzzled, and added, "But what does that have to do with me?"
The sun…
Come to think of it, that goddess had mentioned something about "entering the sun."
If she really is a deity from the Chinese pantheon, then "entering the sun" could be a phrase from pre-Qin Chinese, commonly seen in oracle bone script, likely meaning the setting sun.
She's looking for the sun? Isn't she an earth mother goddess? Never heard of any earth goddess moonlighting as a sun goddess...
Earth mother goddesses are usually associated with fertility and the underworld. They generally have no interest in the sun, which typically comes from sky god traditions.
Early ancestors used to worship the sky and all it encompassed as a whole — like Zeus, who originated in India and was originally a sky god. With the development of agriculture and herding, different aspects of the sky were gradually divided, with sun and moon worship becoming especially prominent. The sun, in particular, was seen as the most majestic thing in the sky — its heat a direct, visceral power.
So yeah, they were basically all sky gods originally.
Not saying earth gods can't transition into sun gods, but… an earth mother goddess?
The mythology around earth mother goddesses usually comes from matrilineal clan societies. Even as they evolve over time, once you get labeled a "mother goddess," it's not so easy to shake off.
And another thing — it seems this snake thinks the nine-tailed fox has the power of the sun…
Now that's really interesting.
A nine-tailed fox associated with the sun — Hikigaya had indeed heard of such a creature.
Amaterasu's manifestation, right? Everyone knows that one.
Connected to the sun, also the Great Inari God of Bounty — yeah…
Those onmyōji over there — whoever they were — did they really clean up properly back then? Time to confess!
"So, you're saying that snake thinks you have the power of the sun?"
Hikigaya rubbed his chin and looked the nine-tailed fox over with a mischievous glint.
Miura really had a great figure, and with the nine-tailed fox's enhancements — mm-hmm, solid 90 out of 100.
"And… you really don't plan to come out?"
This time, Hikigaya wasn't joking — he was being serious.
Miura was, after all, an ordinary person.
"I-I can't… I need time, okay? The time hasn't come yet, so I can't come out… Ah! Oh no!" The previously stammering nine-tailed fox suddenly looked panicked again.
"There are shadows from the trees here! We can't stay in places with shadows — she'll see us!"
She didn't even need to explain further — Hikigaya already felt it.
From the shadows of the trees around them, a cold divine power was radiating — exactly the same as the snake goddess's from before.
Hikigaya didn't hesitate. Grabbing the nine-tailed fox, he leapt high into the air.
BOOM—!
A loud explosion sounded just as he leapt. In Hikigaya's shocked gaze, the ground of the entire park collapsed into a massive crater.
Thankfully, no one else was here, or the consequences would've been disastrous.
Suddenly, an immense force rushed at him from behind.
Hikigaya's expression turned grim. No time to look back — he activated his moisture power again and reappeared on a rooftop over ten meters away.
The power of moisture allowed him to move along the flow of water. Fortunately, recent rainfall had left the air heavy with moisture, letting him essentially teleport like this.
But just now, he clearly realized — the enemy was using a similar method. The power reached him even before her physical form arrived.
In that moment, he felt as though he had grasped something…