Chapter 7: That Which Was Buried
Hikigaya did not get his wish of finding a "zombie."
Under his control, the small mound of earth—which had been silent for countless years—surged like quicksand, spitting out earth and stone to reveal what it had hidden.
This small mound might truly have been a grave, but it didn't bury a person; it buried a sword—a sword that looked incredibly familiar to Hikigaya.
The Japanese would call it a ken, and just yesterday, Hikigaya had seen a replica of it.
Simple, with no redundant decorations on the hilt or scabbard, the blade was long and straight. Embedded in the flat-oval guard was a massive, rounded jade bead, ancient and unadorned.
Hikigaya beckoned, and the sword flew from the earth into his hand. He drew the blade from the scabbard; he didn't feel the slightest resistance. The moment the long, straight blade was unsheathed, a flash of azure light flickered and vanished instantly. The blade and edge were brilliant and smooth, without a trace of rust.
With a casual swing, accompanied by a cutting sound, a crescent-shaped arc of blade-light was thrown out by the movement of his arm. It sliced into the distant wall, carving a deep fissure.
Despite being just a casual flick, this sword perfectly accommodated and utilized Hikigaya's wind power. The blade itself required no protective power reinforcement, and not a single bit of Hikigaya's energy was wasted.
Leveling the blade before his chest, Hikigaya saw a line of text on the metal. It was written in ancient Chinese Bronze Script (Jinwen). Coincidentally, Hikigaya had a strong interest in this script—the ancestor of Chinese characters—and after becoming a Campione, he had used his "cheat" learning ability to study it to his heart's content.
Thus, he quickly deciphered its meaning. It was an incantation. Translated, it roughly meant:
"Aspire to the Way of the Wind God; though thou reachest immeasurable eons, stay far from desire with deep mindfulness; with pure will, cultivate true practice; thou hast attained divine power; Heaven deems thee the Wind God."
The incantation was quite wordy and rather chunibyo. Compare that to something like "In the name of the Moon, I will punish you"—how popular, easy to understand, low-key, and down-to-earth that was. Ancient people just loved being mysterious, but as a descendant, one had to be considerate of the ancestors; after all, they had so few forms of entertainment.
There was nothing left in this pyramid to interest him anymore, and an ancient relic that no longer held interest didn't need to be "cherished."
So, Hikigaya flipped his hand and struck again. This time, with an upward slash, the pyramid was completely split open, exposing the subterranean wilderness outside. The power of the blade did not diminish but instead surged, cutting through the underground hurricane roaring in the wilderness after exiting the pyramid, causing the winds to dissipate rapidly.
His conceptual powers of "Cutting" and "Pulverizing" were also handled beautifully by the weapon.
With a clank, he returned the sword to its sheath. Hikigaya took a single step and was already standing on the wilderness. Behind him, the pyramid and everything inside it collapsed and shattered under the sustained force of the cutting and pulverizing power, turning into a beach of gravel.
This sword was truly useful—unquestionably a divine artifact. Hikigaya felt he should have Ena consider whether she wanted an equipment upgrade.
Giving the gravel beach one last look, Hikigaya left without lingering. He flew to the rocky ceiling and dove in. Because it was the return trip, he ascended faster than he had come down. When he emerged from the ground, he was in a forest.
Leaping onto a treetop, Hikigaya used the Eye of Horus to survey the nearby mountains and rivers. He found that the place he had come out was actually the back mountain of Hinata House. He had drifted quite far.
'I'll just go back and give Alexander a call' he thought.
Just then, he saw a bolt of lightning pierce out from Hinata House, shooting straight into the sky. It seemed a phone call was unnecessary. He had almost forgotten that he had told Alexander where his shop was. Alexander had even given his shop's name a "thumbs up."
With a thought, Hikigaya vanished from the treetop, leaving only an arc of electricity.
In an instant, he appeared at the entrance of the Yorozuya. He saw Alexander studying the door of the shop as if researching it. Additionally, Alexander was carrying two swords. One was identical to the one Hikigaya had found underground; the other looked similar, but the guard was different—it was star-shaped.
But without a doubt, they were still fakes. Although both swords had the aura of magical items, they were far from being divine artifacts. Hikigaya, with the real deal in hand, was just that confident.
"Alex, been here long?" Hikigaya chuckled and stepped forward. Then, "carelessly" and "unintentionally," he let the hilt of his sword show.
Alexander, who had just turned around to say hello, saw this movement and the muscles in his cheek twitched. But he quickly showed a look of surprise. He, too, realized that the sword in Hikigaya's hand looked extremely familiar.
"Where did you find that?" he asked in astonishment.
"Buried under the foundations."
"I see," Alexander realized. "I didn't think of that. No wonder I felt a barrier earlier, but it disappeared quickly."
"Quickly?" Hikigaya was puzzled. "It should have taken me some time. What were you doing?"
"Oh, I met a strange kid. Quite interesting. I spent some time chatting with him." Alexander casually mentioned something that piqued Hikigaya's curiosity, but he clearly didn't plan to waste time on that topic. Instead, he continued, "It seems the ones in the museum were indeed fakes. If I had known, I wouldn't have played that prank on the magician; it was a waste of my time."
He shook his head as he spoke, making Hikigaya very curious about what Alexander had actually done at the museum.
"Forget it, let's talk inside." He invited Alexander into the Yorozuya, into the breakroom that had never been used since its renovation. He took a bottle of whiskey and glasses from the wine cabinet.
His way of drinking was the most common: over ice. He said "over ice," but he actually used his heat-extraction ability to condense water into ice instantly.
Alexander placed the two replicas on a side table, took the glass Hikigaya handed him, and thanked him. After a sip of the drink, he asked, "Can I see it?"
"Sure." Hikigaya handed him the sword.
Alexander unsheathed the blade with a movement that was definitely not that of a martial artist, sensing its weight. Whether it was because he was using it incorrectly or not, even Hikigaya could feel the sword seemed to be resisting him.
Alexander felt it too and wore a look of regret. At first, Hikigaya thought he was regretting being rejected by a sword, but the moment he spoke, Hikigaya realized he had overthought it.
"What a shame. It's not quite what I imagined," Alexander said, sheathing the sword and returning it to Hikigaya.
"A very strong weapon, but I am not a martial artist. Otherwise, I would definitely want to truly collect the other one."
Then, he gave the two replicas to Hikigaya as well, saying with a certain tone, "I believe there must be another authentic piece for the lightning version. I suggest you find some time to look for it, Hachiman. You might be in for a surprise."
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