Chapter 30: The Entanglement of Sword and Palm
In Hikigaya's understanding, there were only two kinds of people who casually called others "friend" or "brother."
The first kind were those who were extremely friendly by nature. Because they were like that themselves, they saw everyone else the same, and thought as long as someone was compatible with them, it was fine to call them "friend" or "brother" warmly and openly.
The second kind were complete conmen. These guys would drain your wallet dry, and not only would they call you "friend" or "brother," they'd even call you "dad" if it helped.
Salvatore Doni didn't seem to be either of those.
Because when he called someone "friend," it was just to bash their head in like a dog's.
Of course, Hikigaya was more than happy to oblige.
The air temperature around him was rising, and the ground beneath his feet cracked again.
But this time it wasn't due to magical energy impact—it was because the ground had lost all moisture and had become excessively dry.
In some of the cracks, flames even began to appear.
Set's primordial nature was wind. Wind was his only elemental essence, and all of his divine authorities stemmed from that fundamental nature.
For instance, the role of the god of destruction and strength that had always accompanied him originally derived from the form of typhoons.
After becoming a god of Egypt, the wind would stir up sandstorms, invade the Nile valley, turning farmlands into deserts. Thus he also became the god of the desert. The scorching air would invade human dwellings in the form of wind, so Egyptians regarded him as the god of drought, dryness, and fire.
Even during the New Kingdom period when he was revered for a time, it was mainly because the Egyptians needed favorable weather—especially favorable wind directions—during their campaigns in Asia.
It was much like how Osiris' divine authorities were all inevitably tied to the essence of water.
Moisture is water. Water is the source of life, so he became the symbol of plants and the Nile, further leading to the concept of the "water of life" and resurrection. This eventually elevated him, due to the Egyptians' views on life and death, to the ruler of the underworld.
Therefore, Hikigaya, who now held dominion over both drought and moisture, in effect held sway over the entire range of natural transformations as perceived by the Egyptians. Of course, he was far from truly reaching that level of power yet.
Wind had already started to stir around Hikigaya.
The scorching air turned into hot winds, swirling along this coastal area. Even with divine protection, Doni could feel the heat around him intensifying.
And at the center of that heat—was Hikigaya himself.
Then, Doni saw Hikigaya move.
In an instant, he was right in front of Doni. With a twist of his foot, he swung his palm.
Doni was once again caught off guard. It wasn't like he didn't understand the footwork of rapid approach and retreat, but Hikigaya's steps were uniquely bizarre. His distance judgment had failed. By the time he realized it, Hikigaya's palm strike was already right in front of him, bringing with it an intense heat. Even before it landed, his face was already stinging.
There's a saying: "Don't hit people in the face." But Hikigaya clearly didn't know that rule—his first strike went straight for the face.
Doni reacted quickly, tilted his head, activated his footwork, and shifted his body to the side. Still, he was a beat too slow, and Hikigaya's palm landed squarely on his shoulder.
The moment it hit, Hikigaya's five fingers exploded with force. That energy, along with the heat, instantly tore through Doni's steel defense, slamming fully into his left shoulder.
"Ugh!" Doni let out a muffled grunt. For a moment, he felt his entire left shoulder go numb, his left arm sluggish. The violent impact disrupted his balance, and the stab he had prepared veered off course, missing entirely and shooting past Hikigaya.
Even so, it didn't completely cancel out the momentum. His body staggered back several steps, his footwork thrown into chaos.
Doni wasn't unfamiliar with opponents using Pencak Silat. The martial art was very popular in the Western world, no less than Japanese karate.
But Hikigaya's Silat was clearly of a different variety—and what he had just unleashed wasn't like anything Doni had seen before.
The key issue was, Hikigaya had used some kind of authority that managed to break through his steel defense.
This was a first. His steel body had endured countless types of attacks. Even with its vulnerability to high temperatures, very few had ever pierced it so cleanly from a single point. Not even gods had done it this effortlessly.
What on earth was that heat?
Naturally, Hikigaya had no intention of explaining it to his opponent. Taking advantage of the lingering effect from the palm strike, he advanced again.
He knew full well—if this guy managed to create distance and unleash his full sword power, the situation would quickly reverse.
Ultimately, he had some understanding of Doni, while Doni knew almost nothing about him. That's why, from the very beginning, he'd been doing everything he could to press his advantage in close combat.
That advantage wouldn't last long.
He once again employed the footwork of the Bone Style, rapidly closed in, and grabbed Doni's sluggish left arm.
Using the reflexive pull of Doni's arm, he closed the gap again. With a twist of the wrist, he delivered an elbow strike—same routine—straight toward the face.
"Stop aiming for my face already!" Doni shouted in frustration, raising his sword with his right hand and blocking the strike with the blade.
Then—no one knew how—he flipped the sword in such a way that it knocked Hikigaya's arm away, and the blade pointed straight at Hikigaya's face.
Crap!
Without even thinking, Hikigaya let go and leapt back.
A blinding flash of the sword sliced right past his nose, gouging a long crack into the dry earth.
Doni had escaped the pressure.
And his left shoulder seemed to have recovered.
"Heheh, now it's my turn!"
Doni shouted gleefully and launched another flurry of sword strikes.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
All that could be seen were his thrusting attacks.
Hikigaya reused his earlier trick, creating a multitude of illusory afterimages.
But this time, Doni simply let out a chuckle, and loudly declared:
"Let this be my vow! I will not allow anything to exist that I cannot cut! This sword is the invincible blade that can slice through all things upon the earth!"
Doni's sword-wielding arm began to glow silver, and with metallic clangs, it transformed into something that looked entirely like metal.
The moment the silver arm was fully formed, all of Hikigaya's illusions vanished—cut away.
Doni's sword was no longer a barrage of light—it was a single, solid strike, thrusting directly at Hikigaya.
Whether it was because of the defensive authority, Doni didn't seem as fast as before—but this one strike was overwhelmingly pressuring. Just one stab, yet it felt like a full-area attack.
"How badly do you want to stab me, seriously…" Hikigaya muttered under his breath as the blade came at him.
But if it were him, he'd definitely do the same. To have great power and still be held back—anyone would want to break loose with a satisfying stab.
This strike—could not be dodged.
With the Eye of Insight, Hikigaya had already judged that no matter what kind of evasive move he made, this sword would still strike him.
And in this situation, he couldn't destabilize Doni's body or affect the trajectory of the sword.
If that's the case…