Chapter 27: Every God Slayers are genius in combat after all
Hikigaya raced through the darkness.
Moonlight shone down, but it didn't reveal his figure; all the light that fell upon him was absorbed, leaving behind only a mass of shadow. In the midst of this black night, he was practically unnoticeable, almost as if he didn't exist.
Leaping over rooftops, he darted toward the source of the erupting magical power.
The houses around him grew fewer, and the view gradually opened up.
A stretch of dark ocean came into sight at the far edge.
This was the very place where Hikigaya had first slain a god.
Even from a distance, Hikigaya could see a young man standing there, holding a long, bag-shaped object.
Blond-haired, fair-skinned—typical European features—wearing a floral shirt.
Almost at the same moment Hikigaya saw him, the young man also turned to look in his direction.
Their eyes met.
Hikigaya released his authority, and after a few quick steps, he landed at the seashore, directly facing the young man.
"I apologize for inviting you in such a manner, but you must understand—hearing that a new member of our kind appeared in the Far East is such joyous news."
The young man smiled cheerfully.
As he spoke, he opened the bag in his hand, revealing the hilt of a sword inside.
"Back in my area, lots of people have been talking about this. They say, 'A new Demon Lord has appeared,' and if it's true, things are only going to get tougher. Oh, right—I'm your kin from Italy. My name is Salvatore Doni. Just call me Doni."
Salvatore Doni. So it really was him.
As Hikigaya thought that, Doni drew the sword from the bag.
It was a two-handed greatsword.
Though a replica, the materials were solid, and it was crafted with care—not something cheaply made just for sale. Once sharpened, it was a fully functional weapon.
Back when Hikigaya trained with the Demon God Fist, he had seen warriors from the weapon division at their base using this kind of sword.
The term "knight" wasn't just a title. These military aristocrats who had swept through medieval Western Europe were exceptional both on horseback and on foot. Their weapon of choice was the sword. In this world, knight swordsmanship, tempered through medieval bloodshed and passed down through generations, was famous across the entire underground world. In Yomi, nine out of ten European swordsmen practiced knightly swordsmanship.
And a god-slayer known as the King of Swords was undoubtedly a master of this art.
"So you invited me… just to fight?" Hikigaya asked, staring at him.
"'Fight' is such a harsh word. I think we could become great friends! Come, for the sake of new friendship, let's battle with all our might!"
The idiot swordsman from Italy said with an excited expression.
Yet Hikigaya wasn't the least bit surprised…
At this moment, this guy was exactly like his anime counterpart—no differences at all.
But since they were both warriors and god slayers, of course he wouldn't refuse such a challenge.
"I'm glad, Hikigaya Hachiman. As expected, you too love martial arts. I definitely came to the right place."
The Italian god slayer who had drawn his sword spoke joyfully, clearly sensing Hikigaya's fighting spirit.
For Hikigaya, this was only natural—when someone draws a sword, how can you not beat them down? Besides, he had originally intended to think of a way to drive this guy off. Now that they'd met, even if it was a bit of a change in plans, since the other party was so straightforward, there was no need to hesitate.
But curiously, from their meeting until now, the two of them had exchanged very few words, and yet their actions seemed perfectly in sync.
No wasted words or movements. As if they had agreed from the start to have a fight here.
From Doni's seemingly laid-back face, Hikigaya could feel his sincere passion for martial arts—unreserved, wholehearted dedication. He had seen many people like that in Yomi.
Salvatore Doni wasn't even the most extreme among them.
After drawing his knight's sword, Salvatore Doni discarded the sword bag and scabbard, then stood there with a slack stance.
Warriors have their preferred stances, and it seemed this was his.
To an ordinary person, using that stance would probably lead to an immediate defeat. It wasn't really a stance at all—full of openings.
"But really, you won't use a weapon? Like a sword? This is a good one, you know."
"No need. I'm a bare-handed type."
Hikigaya said, also taking his stance.
His limbs slightly bent, waist slightly arched, looking ready to pounce at any moment. This was also a stance the Demon God Fist often used.
In the next moment, something seemed to explode.
Energy that spellcasters call magic power and martial artists call qi burst out from both of their bodies with explosive force!
For human spellcasters, reaching this level of magic power would require at least dozens of high-ranking casters working together with ritual support, and even then, it might not be enough.
But here, this was merely the normal release of magical power between two god slayers.
Quickly, space around them began to distort. The ground beneath cracked, and the erupting energy churned the air, sweeping outward.
This was the power that beings known as Demon Kings possessed—overwhelming the entirety of humanity.
Yet neither Hikigaya Hachiman nor Salvatore Doni moved. They simply maintained their stances.
But at this point, the two had already begun to clash.
And at the highest level of martial arts dueling—the realm of Combat Trajectory Battle.
Those stuck at the level of mere visual observation couldn't perceive or participate in this kind of battle.
This was a fighting method only martial artists with the Eye of Perception could employ: predicting each other's attack paths and finding openings even before engaging physically.
Put simply, two equally skilled warriors, though enemies, can achieve a shared understanding at the spiritual level and simulate a battle in their minds.
Through this method, they identify the opponent's weakness before the actual fight begins, and then strike with full force.
For Salvatore Doni, this kind of battle was nothing new. But for Hikigaya, it was his first time—or rather, he had just learned it.
Strangely, though, he didn't feel unfamiliar or forced, as if he had experienced such battles thousands of times.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't reached this level originally—only had a faint sense of it.
But just that slight feeling was enough. At the moment of their confrontation, stimulated by Doni's initiation of the Combat Trajectory Battle, Hikigaya leapt from mere visual observation straight to the level of perceptive insight. Not only did his realm catch up, but he was able to immediately fight Doni on equal footing.
Even he had to be shocked by this. It defied all logic. God slayers really were terrifying beings.
To think he had become such a monster himself—he didn't even know how to evaluate himself anymore.