Chapter 35: The Beginning of Suffering
Regarding Nefertari fainting, Hachiman made what he personally considered a fair assessment.
This lady's psychological resilience clearly needed improvement.
So he was very understanding—uh, sorry, I meant very considerate—and moved her to the large bed Ramesses had prepared, tucking her in comfortably.
He himself sat atop the godly platform, pondering the motives behind the actions of the Egyptian gods.
Well, calling them "gods" might no longer be appropriate; they had started building alternate identities and could no longer simply be referred to as Egyptian deities.
From Horus' words and Set's reaction, it was clear that Set's other avatar was undoubtedly Teshub of the Hittites. Baal from the Canaanite myths was likely included as well.
During the Hyksos rule of Egypt, Set's aspect as a weather god conveniently merged with similar Asian gods. This was probably what Horus meant by "first it was Set."
From this, it was evident that for gods to influence human myths in reverse, it was not easy; both time and medium were indispensable—like Set utilizing the Hyksos' political influence, which ran through that dynasty.
Similarly, the Hebrews' monotheistic god, though borrowing heavily from Aten, required Horus to spend considerable time demonstrating miracles before the Hebrews. If Hachiman remembered correctly, the Hebrews' faith was quite prone to deviation.
So, clearly, whether to intervene or not was basically up to him—but why wait for five disasters before taking action?
Hachiman thought it over and couldn't figure it out; either Horus had a bizarre idea, or there was some hidden scheme—collectively deemed harmless.
Divine power might be strong, but intelligence? That's another matter. To put it bluntly, the ceiling was always on humanity's side.
As someone who had seen five thousand years of history, Hachiman was fully aware that the scheming of the ancient gods was nothing to be feared. He decided to sit back and watch the ancient gods reveal their avatars.
Having made that decision, Hachiman felt refreshed enough to take a nap. But when he looked back, the queen on his large bed had still not awakened.
Not only was she still asleep, she was sleeping comfortably and had even changed positions.
Outrageous!
Hachiman decided to wake her and send her back to her own room—other people's wives were simply not within the scope of his "hunting" activities.
Shadows spread beneath his feet like flowing water, gradually covering Nefertari's body. Then, like a cloth wiping away a wet spot, her body vanished without a trace.
Having sent Nefertari away with the power of shadows, Hachiman rolled onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.
In his dream, he saw a massive sun cradled by a flourishing tree, and he was sitting within that sun.
At some unknown point, he heard the sound of soil breaking and looked down to see vines climbing up the tree toward the sun he occupied.
Then the dream ended, and he awoke naturally, feeling fully rested.
Sitting on the bed, he scratched his head, trying to recall the dream—but he was getting nowhere. The more he tried to remember, the fuzzier it became, until he could recall nothing at all.
Finally, the sound of the wind made him give up trying to remember. He heard the voices of Moses and Aaron again.
Hachiman now had mastery over the wind to the point that it could present him with the exact sight he wanted. Soon, before his eyes, the same great hall appeared, with the same people seated and standing, speaking the same words.
"Pharaoh, please allow the Hebrews to leave!" "No!"
Even the sudden-turn-and-leave behavior hadn't changed.
Hachiman watched Moses and Aaron leave the palace and head straight for the Nile.
As before, it was Aaron holding the staff, stirring the water and then raising it high.
The water's surface soon became agitated. Within moments, a loud popping and crackling sound filled the air as countless frogs leaped from the river onto the shore. Their numbers were so vast they resembled waves crashing over the land, spreading across human habitations.
The palace was the first stop, followed by temples, wealthy households, workshops, and finally the homes of commoners and the poor.
A group of frogs even entered the Million-Year Temple, the hall Hachiman inhabited—but they met a gruesome fate. Extreme heat swept through the hall and surrounding area, instantly turning the little creatures into roasted frogs.
The next day, Moses and Aaron returned to the palace. Moses looked at Ramesses, tormented by the frog plague on his throne, and felt a small sense of satisfaction.
Unlike in the Bible, Ramesses did not waver in resolve; he flatly refused Moses' requests again. Meanwhile, Hachiman began unleashing the power of death the following day.
Moses soon noticed that all the frogs that had left the river were dead, shocking him. He immediately instructed Aaron to perform another miracle with the staff.
Lice, flies, livestock plague, hail…
One by one, all appeared and disappeared, occurring alongside Ramesses' refusals and Hachiman's secret manipulations.
Finally, Moses even spread disease across Egypt using furnace ash and summoned locusts.
The locusts arrived with the eastern wind in massive, black swarms, covering the land, devouring the surviving wheat, vegetables, forests, and fruit on trees. Within a single day, Egypt's fields were stripped bare, left as desolate as if a layer of skin had been peeled away.
Of course, it was all for nothing—within a day, Hachiman used a storm to blow the locusts into the sea.
From this point, Hachiman restrained his power.
The five disasters had been completed. Now it was time to kill a god…
Important Announcement! New Fanfifction
Cote: Daily Intelligence System
Shimizu Akira unexpectedly transmigrated into the world of "Classroom of the Elite," becoming an ordinary student in Class D.
Relying on the advantage of foresight thanks to his daily intelligence system, Shimizu Akira navigates between the various factions.
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