Chapter 26: A unique invitation method
The moonlight was bright. In ancient times, when people firmly believed that all things in the world were governed by the gods, the light of the moon symbolized life. Worship of the Moon God was one of the earliest forms of celestial worship.
Even later on, when people gradually came to believe that the sun was the sole source of light, the moon's glow still retained its original status. Gentle moonlight was seen as a mild and tender illumination, whereas the sun's primal brilliance often carried danger.
Nowadays, people know that these are not deities, just celestial bodies. Still, it's considered quite stylish to do certain naughty things under the moonlight.
Of course, doing not-so-naughty things is also fine.
In his own courtyard, Hikigaya was practicing martial arts.
Moonlight spilled onto his body, and it seemed to cling to him. From a distance, his form looked hazy, as if it were wrapped in a film of light.
The practice of martial arts hinges on one word: diligence. Regardless of one's talent, this is the most basic requirement. Without diligence, there is no mastery—just like with anything else.
Now that Hikigaya was a God slayer, if he wished, he could obtain various martial arts from the Yomi itself. Even the martial arts of the Nine Fists or the One Shadow— Yomi would offer them all willingly. But he chose not to.
The physical attributes granted by being a God slayer gave him an incredibly strong foundation. His learning ability became extraordinary. As a result, his martial arts skills leaped from disciple-level to the peak of expert-level instantly. But he had not yet reached the realm of a true master. This could be seen clearly from the Demon God Fist.
However, after that huge leap, his progress slowed drastically.
Clearly, this was the dilemma Tamamo-no-Mae had mentioned—"unless one fights with others of equal status, they cannot grow."
Pandora's ritual enabled humans to borrow divine power, usurp the abilities of gods, and thereby elevate their spiritual rank to be equal to gods, with bodies that surpassed all other creatures. It was a realm ordinary humans could never reach through training alone. But it also nearly sealed off the path to grow stronger through effort.
It was "nearly" sealed because martial arts and magic—human skills—could still be cultivated by a God slayer, but the effect was very slight. The time required to make progress far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
For a power-type God slayer like Voban, this wasn't an issue at all. But for someone like Hikigaya, who relied on skill in addition to authority, it was a real headache.
Still, that wasn't a reason to give up.
Hikigaya knew that unless he was killed by a god, he would live a very long life—perhaps even become immortal. Given that, there was no need to make the growth of his martial skills as fast and violent as the power he wielded.
He certainly didn't want to become like Voban, constantly looking for gods to fight.
After finishing a full martial routine, Hikigaya wasn't sweating in the slightest. He felt no fatigue at all.
His body had already absorbed a layer of moonlight, and with a single thought, he absorbed it all completely.
The artificial light of a city couldn't compare to even this thin layer of moonlight. Though artificial lights were dazzling, their life force was pitifully weak—almost negligible. But in just a sliver of moonlight, the source of life was rich and dense. And moonlight was gentle; it caused no harm to the body and could quickly be converted into vital energy.
Truly, moonlight could be called the essence of light. The sun's violent light, after being reflected by the moon, shed its harmful aspects and retained only its benign, life-filled side.
No wonder the worship of the Moon God predated that of the Sun God, and for a time was even more flourishing—comparable in status.
After thinking for a bit, Hikigaya once again activated his authority. The moonlight in the air began to flow like water, surging toward Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been lying nearby.
The fox spirit, who had been yawning while watching his practice, immediately perked up. She stood at attention, letting Hikigaya pour a large amount of moonlight into her body like filling a vessel with water.
In myths, demons and spirits often cultivate by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Most tales mention moonlight.
And in reality, moonlight also benefited Tamamo-no-Mae greatly. But she lacked the ability to actively absorb it, only able to passively receive its glow. Naturally, her efficiency was nowhere near Hikigaya's.
Since that day, Tamamo-no-Mae had maintained her fox form. Honestly, after being seen by Komachi, she had become quite beloved. If Hikigaya hadn't forbidden it, she probably would've been snuggled by Komachi every night.
After a while, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly bristled, her fur standing on end. At almost the same moment, Hikigaya stopped injecting her with moonlight.
"Lord Hachiman."
"Yeah, I felt it too."
Hikigaya looked in the same direction as Tamamo-no-Mae.
Just now, a burst of intense magic surged from that direction. It only lasted a moment, but for magicians and God slayers, it was like a bonfire in the dark—impossible to miss.
And because he was a God slayer, Hikigaya could sense even more.
It was a summons—or perhaps a greeting. Either way, Hikigaya could clearly feel it.
"Lord Hachiman, it seems one of your kind is inviting you," Tamamo-no-Mae said. "Human spellcasters can't do that. Even if many high-ranking sorcerers performed a ritual together, they couldn't imbue magic with their own intent."
Hikigaya nodded.
He agreed. Only gods and God slayers could do such a thing.
Gods didn't use magic. So if this was indeed magic, and contained this level of will, it could only have come from another God slayer.
Authorities are powers beyond comparison to magic—not just because they come from gods, but because their magic requirements are monstrous. Ena once told him that even the most magically gifted human, if they poured out all their magic in a single burst through a ritual, still wouldn't meet the minimum requirement to use an authority.
That's why authorities, though powered by magic like spells, are considered vastly superior. Their raw magical demand determines their overwhelming strength.
For the same reason, even if a God slayer doesn't use an authority, they still surpass magicians completely. Their magical reserves and output far exceed human limits. Because of this, when God slayers use human martial arts or spells, those techniques are elevated to an entirely different level—capable of battling gods.
The same technique, in human hands, wouldn't even threaten a god.
"Well, since someone sincerely invited me, it'd be rude not to go," Hikigaya smiled. This magic didn't belong to Voban—the intent conveyed didn't match his style. Some things could be faked, but this couldn't.
In that case, it could only be that idiot sword from Italy. Hikigaya didn't believe there'd be a third God slayer who'd come to Japan.
"Lord Hachiman, please be careful. Perhaps your kindred came to fight you," said Tamamo-no-Mae. "When many Rakshasa Kings dwell on the same land, conflict is inevitable. That is the age we live in."
"Yeah, I know. You stay here and watch the house. But whatever you do, don't sleep with my sister. It's for your own good."
With that, Hikigaya leapt into the night, leaving behind a conflicted and teeth-gritting nine-tailed fox who had clearly taken his last words to heart.