Chapter 39: Countdown to Doomsday
"Ankh" is the name that arises from the fusion of Horus and Shu, another of the Nine Pillars of God.
This god of wind and air carries meanings of "drought, drying, and desiccation" and was created by the sun god Ra through his breath.
Though somewhat similar to the later Set in this regard, its connotation is entirely different—a detail Hachiman could not overlook.
What surprised him most was that Horus could truly hide inside a volcano, which proved that he must also possess an earth-based divinity. Perhaps this was one major difference between him and the Horus of this era.
…And earth-based powers happen to be one of Hachiman's favorite opponent types.
Seizing the power of the King of the Earth, he was almost free of restraints!
The transformation began when he departed from Egypt. According to the covenant, the Egyptian gods had begun dismantling the "ritual" bound within Hachiman before his departure.
It sounded grand, but the method was simple: by amplifying the power that shared origin with them inside Hachiman, they could tear open one link of the binding, triggering a chain reaction.
Much like a modern-day dam demolition.
The first was Set's power, which was the fastest. Hachiman felt almost instantly his destructive authority liberated. The power itself remained, but his perception expanded vastly; natural forces and their carriers in the sky now felt intimately close. If previously he had controlled points to affect surfaces, now he directly encompassed surfaces.
Simultaneously, several memories suddenly appeared—those of a god named Pandora.
Next came the release of Osiris' power, occurring before reaching Crete. This liberation allowed Hachiman to clearly perceive the life and death, growth and decay of all things. At the same time, Athena's weapon was shattered, disappearing completely from his body.
After that, the Egyptian gods' power no longer influenced Hachiman; his own strength replaced their divine power.
It was a strange feeling. Day by day, monumental changes were happening to him, yet without affecting his surroundings, ordinary as any mortal.
Quietly standing not far behind Isiharu, Hachiman revealed no presence. The rising volcanic steam served as perfect cover, and he only needed minimal power to subtly manipulate the currents to hide himself.
His power was so small that the Horus hidden in the volcano didn't detect him; instead, Hachiman located Horus' position.
As expected, he was in a magma chamber deep underground! And in a weak state—far weaker than when he left the sunlight.
However, slaying a god often involved paradox: one must be fearless yet cautious, the balance determined solely by the god-slayer.
Hachiman chose caution. He decided to wait until fully liberated—the King of the Earth's power was about to awaken, but Kuafu and Dijun's powers remained completely dormant.
At that moment, he noticed Isiharu standing up.
But it wasn't because the ritual was complete; on the contrary, he had stirred the hidden god.
From the altar's cracks, snakes emerged, seemingly fleeing, yet their eyes glimmered with the extraordinary consciousness of a great life.
Simultaneously, the ground trembled. A high column of scalding water erupted in front of Isiharu, forcefully pushing him backward to the ground, drenching him from head to toe in mud-laden water.
The god was testing—who could have disturbed Him?
But He was clearly inexperienced. The magma chamber, sealed for 17,000 years, was violently shaken open! The volcano's eruption had officially entered countdown mode.
The destruction of Thera was inevitable.
Isiharu didn't understand what was happening, but it was enough to astonish him.
Hachiman remained still. Such probing could no longer affect him; no matter how the divine power swept around, it couldn't touch him or anything connected to him.
Eventually, the mountain ceased trembling, the steam stopped spraying, and everything seemed normal.
The god, finding nothing unusual, withdrew His power—finding a human worshiper is hardly "unusual."
Though they hadn't met, Hachiman and Horus, these adversaries from three thousand years in the future, had conducted their first preliminary encounter in this era.
Meanwhile, Isiharu had entered shock, clueless about the high-level "interaction" occurring around him. Sitting dumbfounded, instinctively wiping mud from his face, his once handsome features now full of fear.
By the time he calmed down and got up, several minutes had passed.
Hachiman, hidden behind the steam, quietly observed Isiharu, offering no aid—he suspected Horus had not yet left.
His suspicion proved correct.
Just as Isiharu regained his footing and stepped forward, a sudden gale blew him down, scattering the surrounding steam.
Hachiman, prepared in advance, had already merged his essence with the surrounding vapor. Though the wind swept the area like a giant brush, it detected nothing.
Only poor Isiharu suffered—his backside nearly split into eight parts…
After this final probe, Horus fully withdrew his power, his divine energy retreating into the already shattered volcanic mountain.
A while later, Hachiman revealed himself in front of Isiharu.
"Mr. Set?" Isiharu's eyes widened. A familiar face… well, not exactly familiar, but seeing a known figure suddenly still made him happy.
"Did you also come to worship the gods?" he asked cheerfully.
"No, I'm just looking around," Hachiman shook his head. "Better get home early. Your father seems impatient."
"He doesn't care if I attend the banquet," Isiharu said rebelliously.
Hachiman grew impatient. Did he look like a teenage rebellion counselor?
"Your family matters don't concern me. I have things to do," he interrupted Isiharu's complaint and turned to leave.
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