Chapter 28 – Gathering of the Kings
Hikigaya had no choice but to trouble himself once again and wake up Ena.
Although this girl, after waking up, seemed to have somehow mastered the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms without a teacher and unleashed a full set on him — well… since it didn't cause any real harm, it wasn't important.
Moreover, he had already found the divine nature within the monkey that satisfied him. The preliminary work had been completed excellently.
As for the reality Hikigaya had already created, although Ena found it extremely improper, apart from unleashing another set of mysterious palm techniques on him, there didn't seem to be anything else she could do.
She could only follow his instructions and proceed with the arrangements.
Time was running out.
It had to be said, although Voban was an old relic — and a mischievous one at that — he was very punctual.
Amid the unease of all the jujutsu sorcerers in the Kanto region, the Demonic Wolf King was about to descend upon Kanto once again due to an invitation from a "friend."
Even though allowing the Monkey King to continue expanding his army seemed, on the surface, like a terrible idea — and it might even threaten Chiba, which wasn't far from Nikko — Hikigaya believed the wait would be worth it.
He had decided to obtain Authority from Sun Wukong.
But to achieve that, his enemies would not just be gods.
And it was at this moment that those who had long been observing and trying to fathom Hikigaya's character finally witnessed the darkest side of his heart.
While it left a deep impression on everyone, it also sent chills down their spines.
Compared to that, the bloody night in Chiba wasn't even worth mentioning.
It was also at this moment that they finally realized the worldly power held by the God-Slayers had never truly weakened.
They still stood above all living beings, overlooking billions of modern humans — the highest class conceivable in human society.
And Japan had long since become Hikigaya Hachiman's playground. As for the rest of them? They were nothing more than livestock being raised in captivity.
But as the man at the center of it all, Hikigaya was completely unaware of the deep psychological trauma he had caused many people.
He left Nikko and headed for Haneda Airport.
There, he once again met Voban.
Voban looked the same as he had during their last meeting — even wearing the same clothes. The only difference was that the old man looked radiant, like he was basking in spring sunshine.
Even his tone was more affectionate.
"Long time no see, you cheeky little brat."
Looking past Voban, Hikigaya could see several jujutsu sorcerers standing behind him.
To put it nicely, they were "reception staff." To be blunt — they were clean-up crew.
Obviously, Voban wouldn't go through things like quarantine, immigration checks, or customs inspections.
Even if he was in a good mood, if any of that happened, it would turn into a disaster broadcast on TV in no time.
"Long time no see, old man."
Hikigaya didn't agree with being called "cheeky." He thought the other guy was way more unruly than him.
"This time, I owe you a favor," Voban said sincerely, then added, "But before that, I have a question."
"Don't worry," Hikigaya waved his hand heroically. "We're not taking the airport shuttle bus."
He was sure Voban, like him, hated buses to death.
"…" Voban looked a little puzzled. It seemed that wasn't what he meant.
"Even though I have no idea what you're talking about, it sounds kind of important." The old man gave an enigmatic look, then gestured with a nod to his left rear.
Interpreting Voban's gesture, Hikigaya assumed he meant "there's crap over there."
You're here to party with me and now you want me to look at crap?
Hikigaya firmly believed in his own judgment: Voban was not that kind of person.
So, he looked.
And his face immediately darkened.
"Why is he here too?"
"That's why I said I had a question for you."
The old and the young stared at each other.
After a while, Hikigaya broke the awkward silence.
"How about this," he suggested to Voban tentatively, "we knock him out and toss him into the Pacific Ocean? I bet by the time he swims back, we'll be done."
Then he saw Voban give him a look that said, "Wouldn't it be better to kill him?"
"I'll go ask him myself," Hikigaya sighed and walked over to the blond idiot who had been grinning at him the whole time.
"Yo! My dear friend!"
Even from a distance, the damned blond guy was shouting.
His name, like Voban's, was quite long. If you just used his name, it was Doni, the Sword King of Italy, though Hikigaya always felt that instead of "Sword King," "Bastard" suited him better.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Hikigaya walked over reluctantly but still shook hands with Doni.
Fighting was one thing, but since they were of the same kind, etiquette mattered — even if Doni's face still made him want to punch it.
"How could I possibly stay away when you're in trouble?" Doni was way more arrogant than Voban, carrying a knight's sword in hand, not even bothering with a sword bag.
This drew the attention of airport security, but seeing several jujutsu sorcerers running around them, it was clear they weren't ignoring it out of ignorance.
"New sword?" Hikigaya glanced at the blade with suspicion. "Looks expensive. Let me see it?"
"Hey! I'm not falling for that!" Doni quickly pulled away, staring at Hikigaya. "Don't even think about violating my beloved sword again!"
"Then scram. Just seeing you gives me a headache."
"Shouldn't that old man over there be more of a headache for you? I'm telling you, he loves causing trouble."
You're one to talk!
"So, what do you want?"
Failing to secretly melt Doni's new sword disappointed Hikigaya slightly. But unless Doni gave a convincing reason, he and Voban would definitely team up to throw him into Mount Fuji for a hotpot.
The monkey was his prey — he wouldn't share, especially not with a blond.
He hated blonds, always showing up to NTR people. Total scumbags.
"I know you're worried I'll steal your prey. But don't worry — there are plenty of targets." Doni leaned in with a smug look. "According to my subordinates' hard work, there are at least four gods you'll encounter this time."
"Four?" Hikigaya was shocked, but then narrowed his eyes.
"Your subordinates?" He looked Doni up and down, clearly skeptical.
Hikigaya firmly believed in the saying, 'If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked.'
If this guy was such a clown, how good could his subordinates be?
"Ah, you know her too."
"Who?"
"Wait a sec… She's quite pretty, short, always wears red, loud voice… What was her name again? Alice?"
"You mean Erica?" Hikigaya corrected him. "Can you at least say it properly? You obviously remember."
Doni was also a God-Slayer. Hikigaya knew exactly how good their memory was. Though Doni always acted like a clown, he was sure the guy wasn't forgetful.
But if it was Erica's intel, it couldn't be ignored.
Short jokes aside, her intelligence capabilities were very reliable.
"Four gods, huh…" Hikigaya fell silent. That information was explosive.
So explosive it completely derailed his original plans.
He thought for a while, looked at Doni seriously, and asked, "You're really not going to mess around? We're all God-Slayers here — speak the truth, or we will choose to kick you out."
"I'm not messing around this time," Doni's expression turned serious, noticing Hikigaya was being earnest. "Because someone I once fought a death battle with has come here too. I came this time to settle that score. I'm not the type to leave a fight unfinished."
Hikigaya scrutinized Doni. The Sword King's gaze was sharp and full of killing intent.
To outsiders, the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly tense. The nearby jujutsu sorcerers felt it even more — they were struggling to breathe.
All sounds seemed to vanish, leaving only the increasingly loud and heavy beat of their own hearts.
Just when they began hoping to pass out from the pressure, it suddenly vanished.
Then they heard Hikigaya's voice.
"Alright, I believe you. You're in."
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