Chapter 55: God is an Acquaintance
The white-gold radiance was so magnificent that its brilliance surpassed the light brought to this world by the Golden Crows. In an instant, the world was dyed with the hue of a foreign god's light. What emanated from that pillar of light traversing heaven and earth was a familiar will and power.
As expected of an ancient celestial god who, as early as the early Vedic period, could span the heavenly and mortal realms in "two steps," mere spatial manipulation was not enough to cut Him off.
However, Hikigaya strongly doubted whether this battle could continue, because...
Amidst the angry cries of the Golden Crows, another power was likewise awakening from the magnificent Divine Solar Tree. An ancient force permeated the air, space-time was being reconstructed, and the Divine Tree was tinged with a golden-yellow hue. As the ten Golden Crows landed back in their respective positions on the tree, an even more dazzling light erupted from there.
Endless divine light transformed into tens of thousands of arrows, reclaiming dominance over the sky and driving away the foreign divine power that attempted to lay claim to this world. One by one, white-gold suns were pierced and fell, subsequently swallowed by the vast and boundless Xian Pool.
Clearly, the master of this domain was no pushover either.
He revealed His form at the summit of the Divine Tree.
The Huainanzi: Earthly Forms records, based on the Classic of Mountains and Seas, that "the Jian-Tree is in Duguang, where the various emperors ascend and descend." The "Jian-Tree" is a divine tree recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and the "various emperors" refers to the "multitude of emperors" or "group of emperors" within the same text.
The ancient emperors mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas include Emperor Yao, Emperor Ku, Emperor Danzhu, and Emperor Shun; those explicitly titled "Emperor" (Di) include the Yellow Emperor, the Flame Emperor, Emperor Ku, Emperor Jun, Emperor Shun, Emperor Hong, Emperor Yao, Emperor Zhuanxu, and Emperor Danzhu—nine in total.
However, starting from the Warring States period, due to the loss and confusion of ancient records and the political and academic needs of various thinkers, many names of ancient figures or gods from the period between the Yellow Emperor and Yu were extensively modified and reorganized. The "Five Emperors" system, regarded as the orthodox understanding by later historians, was founded upon this.
But was it truly so?
The phenomenon often seen in mythology where "one person is split into two, or one event is split into two" frequently occurred within the Classic of Mountains and Seas. In Chinese
culture, the term "Emperor" (Di) was mostly used before the Spring and Autumn period. In the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Ruins, it had three usages: first, it referred to the "God on High" (Shangdi), a title for a supreme deity who was also an ancestral god; second, it was used for "Di" as a name for a grand sacrifice; and third, it was an honorific for deceased former kings.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas utilizes the first meaning.
Hikigaya's concern for this seemingly useless knowledge was naturally because he had later read many books on the subject and specifically sought out many ancient Chinese texts. The result of reading so much was his belief that the Yellow Emperor, Emperor Ku, Emperor Jun, and Emperor Shun were actually the same god.
Now, he was seeing this old acquaintance once more.
Identical to their first meeting, Emperor Jun stood atop the Divine Tree. Sweeping His gaze past Hikigaya in mid-air, the Ancient God on High looked toward the now-shattered white-gold pillar of light and snorted.
"Rama, do you intend to imitate the matter of Xingtian?"
The divine voice shook heaven and earth. The pillar of light, already heavily damaged, could no longer maintain itself and shattered like an exploding iceberg, pouring into the Xian Pool—it seemed there was nothing this thing could not consume.
The King of the End, holding the Divine Sword of Salvation, walked through the air. For the first time, He did not fix His gaze solely upon His opponent. Having His name spoken by Emperor Jun, the King of the End's expression remained cold.
"Though You are an Emperor, I too am a King; there is no necessity for me to obey You." He raised the divine sword. "I have undertaken the task of eliminating the Devil Kings. Until the power of the Earth Goddess is exhausted, I shall remain here."
"But You are not the Savior—at least not here." Emperor Jun likewise raised a hand, and a bronze-colored longsword appeared in His grasp. "This sword was forged from Kunwu; it once decapitated Xingtian. It will not dishonor Your status."
Then, Emperor Jun performed an action that left Hikigaya utterly astonished—He threw the sword toward Hikigaya.
Subconsciously catching it and feeling the solid weight in his hand, Hikigaya inwardly cursed. What kind of rhythm is this?
On the other side, the expression on the King of the End's face didn't seem too surprised.
"What do you both mean?" Hikigaya thought for a moment. Adopting the mindset that "it's a waste not to take it," he used sorcery to store the sword and then summoned the ancient blade he had found in the pyramid.
Emperor Jun seemed too lazy to speak, so the King of the End answered Hikigaya's question.
"Likely, you are 'Yi' in His eyes. You Devil Kings were once called 'Yi'—allies of the sun, but also those who usurp and rescue the sun."
God-slayers had indeed been called by many different names in different eras and places; being unified under the term "CAMPIONE" was a relatively recent occurrence. But Hikigaya had not expected that "Yi" was once the title for God-slayers in the land of China within this world.
Doesn't it represent being skilled at archery?
That must have been a truly ancient era. After all, by the time the Yi tribe became active, the main players in the land of China were merely a large group of sun-worshipping tribes led by the Xia people.
"You had better use the Sword of Kunwu," Emperor Jun spoke. "The sword in your hand will be of no use."
This was likely the truth. Hikigaya generally admitted that not only was his swordsmanship inferior to the King of the End's, but his sword was also indeed not as good as the other's. The Divine Sword of Salvation not only had a "Kamehameha" blast, but its electric shocks were also powerful. Crucially, it was automatic and possessed great inherent power, whereas Hikigaya's "Taobao-quality" blade relied entirely on his manual operation. Setting aside "DPS," the "AI design" was worlds apart.
If it weren't for the fact that the King of the End before him seemed low on "Mana" and couldn't muster his full strength, the sword dug out from the underground would very likely have been useless.
But... was Emperor Jun really this kind-hearted?
Without taking it back to check it several hundred times first, Hikigaya certainly wouldn't feel at ease. Of course, storing it away was a mandatory move; if he couldn't use it himself, he would just list it for sale in the Yorozuya.
Suddenly, space trembled again. The one man and two gods looked toward the direction of the vibration.
A giant dragon was manifesting its form in the sky, and Hikigaya could see the three God-slayers standing upon it. Because of his excellent eyesight, he could also see two more gods flying toward them from behind.
After going in circles, everyone was gathering once again...
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