Anubis. I have to beat a god.
Sheesh, I know this is kind of like my goal but I feel so nervous.
"Who is that?"
"A black dog-man?"
"He just burst in..."
"Is he a god of some sort?"
"That woman, she was tossed!"
Seems like he's not well-known. Honestly, other than all of the big mythos, like the Greek mythos, other mythologies and histories aren't popular amongst those in Japan.
Egyptians are one of them. At least they know to be careful around him.
Before I managed to move, the Duke of Arlight and other nobles closed in on Anubis. The jackal opened its mouth.
"@#/!$∆%^°#."
I couldn't understand what it said. As it spoke, those who approached were blown away. From that display, everyone else became discouraged from attacking it.
Anubis took a step forward. It bared its teeth at me. I put Mei down, dashing toward Anubis.
Instead of speaking, it put its fists up. It wants to fight me directly.
"Equip!"
William Goldengate held a sword in his hand. He swung it across. As he sliced Anubis, a golden light followed. Anubis inched forward. As it turned its head to William, I made my move.
‹Don't!›
Ignoring February's warning, I pounced toward Anubis, kicking its head with a burst of lightning.
I think I messed up. It did work but...
Anubis slowly turned toward me with a sharp gaze.
Shit. I quickly made of web of electricity—Anubis' fist shot like an arrow. It pierced through the web, reaching my stomach. I caught it, stopping it from going any further.
His strength is seriously crazy! It's nothing I can't stop though, plus...
Behind Anubis, William's sword burst into golden flames. As the jackal attempted to withdraw its arm, I used Sacred Lightning to claw into it, stopping it from moving. William raised the sword above his head, cutting down fiercely.
"£@#!%#."
Once again, words I didn't understand. The golden flames on William's sword had been blown away.
"...!"
Anubis retracted his arm and slammed me into the ground. My body screamed in pain.
Fuck, it's tough but it doesn't seem like it's trying to kill anyone. No one is helping because they're afraid. I can't beat Anubis by myself.
(‹You may want to run.›)
(I can't do that when we haven't learned about the Godslayer's location.)
I told February.
(‹I'm serious here! Anubis may not be famous among gods but he's definitely up there in strength. He's the God of Death and the current most powerful one.›)
(But what is he doing here then? If he knows I'm here, then wouldn't Eris and other gods come after me? What if... he came by himself?)
I surmised. Anubis isn't saying a word to me. He's simply staring me down while ignoring others. He's the Egyptian God of Death.
Hm? Why am I thinking back to that moment?
I thought back to when I faced Eris. Instinctively, I had called myself Death. That shouldn't have anything to do with this, right...?
Above Anubis, Ameri dropped, striking him with her leg. It cut down like a guillotine; he blocked it with his forearm.
However, Ameri smirked. She followed through, mid-air, adding more force to her kick. Anubis stayed, his feet became absorbed into the ground from her pressure.
"That power is insane..."
Mei whispered to herself. February dematerialised—she chuckled.
(What is it? It's weird hearing you laugh like that in my head.)
Anubis grabbed Ameri's leg, throwing her away. She landed near my side. I spotted a mark on Anubis' forearm. It was a bruise.
(‹This Anubis... It's a shadow.›)
I cocked my head in puzzlement.
(A shadow?)
(‹A remnant would be a better way to explain it. It isn't really Anubis. It's a shadow of his power sent based on his will. He can do this because he's the God of Death.›)
One thing didn't sit right with me. I frowned while speaking to February.
(So, my kick to the face did less damage than Ameri...)
I looked around. There weren't many people willing to fight aside from me, William and Ameri Goldengate. The Duke of Arlight and the other nobles who tried to attack were shivering behind tables.
So far, Anubis has a few strange capabilities. One is his speech. It's not Authority but something different. It's probably some sort of special like an incantation. It can, seemingly, strike fear into people—an attribute of being a God of Death—and blow things away as it did with William Goldengate's enchanted blade.
I hit him with an electricity-infused kick which did not damage. Ameri hit it with a normal kick infused with mana, leaving a mark. Now, why is that...?
"Hey, are you okay?"
Ameri asked me. William joined us. Anubis still stared at me, undeterred.
I get it. Element. The mana that Ameri infused into her kick must've been something other than pure mana.
"What did you just do?"
I asked her. The girl was taken aback. She averted her eyes before answering.
"I imbued the Light element into my mana. I saw that a normal kick didn't work at first so..."
"That's perfect then. Keep on hitting him with that. William Goldengate. You will be a decoy, if I may ask."
The noble looked at me.
"That's fine. I'm just worried about how tough this thing is. It's only taken a single step."
I increased the output of Sacred Lightning to the most I could.
⟨Maximum output achieved.⟩
⟨The effect duration is 15 minutes.⟩
⟨[Sacred Lightning Lv.2] cooldown will last an hour.⟩
The muscles in my body began spasming. It's making me want to move so badly.
"Ameri. When I signal you to, you hit that thing with the strongest Light-based attack you have."
"Hu—wha—oh, sure!"
"Don't hold back. If he attacks you with anything, dodge it as fast as you can."
I blitzed away. I closed in on Anubis; he brought his arm down, crushing the ground. I circled behind him, creating a sword of lightning.
KRK!
As I struck against his skin, it broke. He had guarded with a dark coat of mana on his back.
If sharp weapons don't work...
I've never tried this before but I beg that it works...!
As I clenched my fist, I went in front of Anubis, casting a spell. It was Lightning Rod, a spell to enhance the conductivity of my fist. It was my first time casting this spell.
I twisted my hips, striking Anubis' core. With a shockwave, Anubis coughed, enduring my punch.
For once, the jackal appeared troubled. He visibly gritted his teeth.
"Rupture; Sword of Light!"
"&#@\£*#!"
Anubis shouted.
The flames that burst out of William's sword disappeared in an instant. Anubis, for the first time, turned around. He whacked William away.
"Now!"
I shouted. Ameri opened her palm. Her forearm began to shine. She pointed her finger at Anubis and held her arm steady.
"Luminous Shot."
A laser of light pierced through the jackal's forehead. Ameri cackled.
"Haha! That's a fine shot if you ask me!"
She triumphed.
Anubis stumbled, holding his forehead. The jackal's golden eyes directed themselves toward me.
[Do not hide yourself, boy and fairy.]
(‹Eep!›)
February shrieked.
I heard Anubis' voice resonate in my head. It's similar to the telepathy that February uses to communicate with me. Wait, is he intercepting our... line...?
[Within the next year, you must find me. If you want to know more about yourself and the gods, that is.]
Without saying anymore, Anubis' shadow dissipated. I stood in awe.
Is Anubis not my enemy?
"...!"
Once again, the hall shook like an earthquake.
"What is it now?!"
William exclaimed, picking himself up from the floor.
(‹Hah... That stupid jackal aside, this feeling is Ascalon. Myraliana is fighting.)
I walked over to Mei and picked her up again while turning off Sacred Lightning.
"Where are you taking me?!"
Mei whispered to me.
"We're going to a free room. Please don't disturb us, my sister is currently in a state of shock."
I said aloud for everyone to hear. In reality, I was heading for the source of the rumble. Where Myraliana was.