Chapter 32: The Alcoholic Godslayer
Annie Charlton had a habit of heavy drinking whenever she encountered something upsetting.
And because of a certain event, she had been in a continuously unhappy state recently, which significantly increased her alcohol consumption.
Human alcoholics might reek of liquor due to long-term drinking, but a Godslayer would not; she still smelled fragrant.
However, for this reason, she recently stopped just drinking at home, and bars became places she frequently visited.
Yet, being served by tables, chairs, and bottles themselves, rather than by a waiter, was a first-time experience.
Simply because the Godslayer from the East, Hikigaya Hachiman, displayed an extremely miraculous power in front of her, making the bar and all its objects come alive.
Seeing a highball glass fly over by itself, and then a nearby bottle hop up to fill it with liquor, Annie felt an illusion that she was in the Other World (Yousei).
In that place, no matter how strange things were, they weren't surprising.
"I've long heard that you are unique in your attainment of the power of life. I think I'm starting to understand now," Annie said, picking up the glass and downing the contents in one go. "Life force and Nature force—those are your characteristics."
Because Hikigaya had explained it to her, Annie understood that this was not the effect of a single authority but the embodiment of combining multiple powers.
The authorities of Godslayers are mostly different and not too related in terms of abilities. Although their abilities reflect their personality, they mostly embody mystery.
Taking Annie herself as an example: she is the Variable Transformer, the Shooter of the Destruction Demon Bullet, and the Dominator of the Fairy World. There is no commonality between the three authorities, and their inherent forms of power are different. Even if Annie uses them cross-tactically, they remain distinct.
But Hikigaya Hachiman seemed different. Although every Godslayer was unique, Hikigaya Hachiman's uniqueness made her quite attentive.
At least she was very curious.
"Earlier, I noticed your eyes. Is that also your authority? Is that how you saw through my disguise?" she asked again.
Because at that moment, she had a feeling of being 'seen through.'
Not in the sense of X-ray vision, but on a deeper level.
"You mean this?" Hikigaya's right eye turned golden. "You could say so, but your life force already told me you were female before that."
"Those eyes are related to the Sun, right?"
"Yes. You seem to be quite sensitive to the power of the Sun?"
"I am." Since the other party had generously revealed information about his authority, Annie decided to return the favor. "My transformation power comes from Tezcatlipoca, who represents the inconstancy, ubiquity, and elusiveness in the eyes of the Aztecs. This power allows me to acquire transformations through sacrifice."
"I see. That bird form must be related to sacrificing land or something?"
"Yes. You also have an authority related to earthquakes, right? But I'm still more interested in your eyes." Annie pushed up her purely decorative glasses. "My intuition tells me they can do more than just see through disguises."
"Indeed. These eyes come from the Egyptian Horus. The right eye has the 'insight into all things' setting, but if the target is a peer, its actions will be limited." Hikigaya retracted his divine eyes, then asked with some hesitation, "However, I think I saw the shadow of a man behind you. Is he someone important to you?"
Hearing this sentence, Annie's expression finally changed.
She grabbed a bottle that was still jumping nearby and chugged the entire thing.
Such a bold gesture immediately made Hikigaya look at her in surprise.
Although he didn't know much about liquor, he was certain that bottle was very strong, just as strong as the one Annie had drunk earlier.
"You... you saw that..." Annie finished the hard liquor and squinted at Hikigaya. "Hachiman, you really are a cunning man. You said peers would be limited, but you can still use 'Spirit Vision,' can't you?"
"I genuinely didn't lie to you about that," Hikigaya waved his hand, telling her honestly. "Because if the person is beneath us, if I want to, I can see clearly everything about their ancestors eighteen generations back. It certainly wouldn't be just seeing a shadow."
Annie: "..."
What kind of monstrous eyes are those?
"What about a Heretic God?"
"Strictly speaking, Gods are not our peers but life forms above us. I believe I would see even less."
"That's not very encouraging," Annie muttered. "Regarding that man, did you see anything more?"
Hikigaya did not answer, as he felt this might be a landmine.
"How about we drop it?" he suggested. "You wanted to talk to me, so why don't I talk to you about my business instead?"
"No, you must tell me!" Annie refused. "You've already seen my secret, and I must know what you saw."
Probably feeling that this didn't align with her original intention, she forced a justification: "Anyway, Hachiman, you didn't mean to harm innocent people, and we are friends now. I can even help."
Hikigaya: "..."
Is she drunk off her face?
Counting carefully, Hikigaya hadn't even finished one drink, but Annie's consumption was already close to a case of beer.
America was truly fortunate to have a Godslayer like this...
"Alright, I'll tell you the truth." Hikigaya rubbed his chin, choosing his words carefully, trying not to provoke her. "He seemed to have been beaten up."
"What!?" Annie's voice rose significantly. "By whom?"
"That..." Hikigaya's gaze drifted slightly.
You were the one who hit him. I just saw you give him a big hot pot (a severe beating) that left him utterly bewildered...
"I can't see clearly, but don't worry, the beating wasn't serious. And there was another woman next to him."
"Hehe, a woman, huh..." Annie made an indistinct sound. "Men... they forget their old love when they find a new one."
"Is that so?" Hikigaya wasn't sure. "But according to what I saw, it looked like his ex-girlfriend... Wait? I shouldn't have said that, should I?"
Hikigaya swore he saw Annie's eyes briefly look like they were about to spray fire.
That man—could he be the guy you were interested in?
In other words, you, a Godslayer, lost a fight over a man?
Hikigaya considered what he would do if a girl he liked was stolen; he'd definitely send a typhoon as a congratulation.
As for the person in front of him, she seemed to use a gun?
"Can I ask about the gun you used earlier? Is that your authority?" Hikigaya asked.
None of the Godslayers he knew were so modern in style.
"You mean this?" Annie slapped the silver handgun onto the table with a thwack.
"May I take a look?"
"Go ahead."
With Annie's permission, Hikigaya picked up the handgun.
It was quite heavy. It looked more like steel than silver. It was styled as a revolver, but crafted exceptionally beautifully. Most importantly, it should not be a product of human technology.
Hikigaya now had a certain ability to appreciate magical items and had seen some so-called masterpieces handed down through generations, but they were all weak compared to this large revolver in front of him.
The difference was comparable to that between a minor medieval nobleman and a Chinese Emperor.
"This wasn't made in the current world, was it?" he asked.
"No, it was forged for me by the Fairies of the Other World. It's the style I like." Annie took the handgun back from Hikigaya and put it away.
"I lost my composure just now. That was an important friend. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to hear about your business. Why did you cause such a huge commotion this time? It doesn't fit your usual image."
It seemed Hikigaya's gesture of asking to see the gun had brought her ego back from the heavens. Annie returned to her previous calm demeanor, though she still seemed a little flushed.
Furthermore, perhaps because her secret had been exposed, she now showed considerable interest in Hikigaya's affairs.
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