Chapter 41: The Darkness Never Ends
As they continued walking through the corridor, Hikigaya began to feel that something was off.
The light in the darkness seemed endless.
Even though they could see people ahead climbing up, no matter how long Hikigaya and the others walked, they didn't seem to get any closer.
At some point, everyone began to slow their pace.
"Hey… it feels like we've been walking for a long time…" said Tobe.
But there was something unusual in his usually carefree tone.
"Ah… yeah, it really does… Maybe it's designed that way, to make people feel like they're being reborn as they exit or something…" Hayama analyzed, but his voice had also grown heavy.
They had probably all realized it, but for people who had never encountered the supernatural before, admitting that what they were guessing—what was making them uneasy, even scared—was actually happening wasn't easy.
Someone raised in a scientific environment might enjoy reading ghost stories, but believing that such things actually exist around them is difficult—the subconscious tends to reject it.
Even if one really did encounter something, they'd assume it was a misunderstanding or coincidence.
But this didn't apply to Miura.
Hikigaya clearly felt her trembling, and it was getting worse.
During this, she wasn't just holding onto Hikigaya's hand like Yuigahama had earlier—she was practically climbing into his arms.
Hikigaya guessed this was because he had once helped her get rid of that cursed jar, so when she felt something similar again, she subconsciously sought him out for protection.
Suddenly, his left arm felt lighter. Before he could even understand why, Miura's trembling body was already tightly pressed against his side.
There was no doubt—whatever courage she had left had completely crumbled.
"H-Hachiman… is this… is this like the thing from last time…?"
Damn, girl, cling all you want, but don't speak with that tearful tone—it's creepy as hell.
Sure enough, the moment Miura started crying, Hikigaya could feel everyone else shiver, even Tobe—who always tried to hype people up—gave a violent twitch.
Yuigahama wasn't doing any better; she almost tripped out of fear.
"… this is really starting to feel bad…"
Eventually, everyone stopped walking.
It was too weird.
Even Hikigaya started to feel annoyed.
What the hell was this? He didn't plan on getting involved, but this thing had come to provoke him.
"Hachiman-sama…" a faint voice reached his ear from his shoulder—it was Tamamo no Mae.
Her voice was protected by magical power—only Hikigaya could hear it.
"That stone earlier…"
She softly explained everything into Hikigaya's ear.
After listening, Hikigaya nodded, thinking to himself that his guess had been mostly right.
As expected—it was the work of a youkai.
Even gods needed mythology to maintain their immortality. Youkai couldn't manage on their own, either—they had to inhabit external objects to absorb spiritual energy and strengthen themselves.
The essence of spiritual energy lies in intense human emotions, like worship and awe. Such emotions hold power. The ancients used this power to build mythology, and of course, it could also grant power and life to youkai.
And the creature in the stone had been using the environment to absorb people's fear.
Normally, youkai would choose objects inside shrines or temples—statues, or other spiritual artifacts—as their vessels because those are best suited for absorbing human emotional energy.
But such vessels cannot withstand the visit of a god slayer.
Mythology is the product of the highest form of emotional energy in this world—the merging of human and divine thought. It overrides everything that even tries to mimic its mechanisms, forcefully imposing its rules into those systems.
Its power perfectly covers all things divine and non-divine.
The gods benefit most from mythology—their thoughts are given overwhelming power over humanity. Except for rare beings like god slayers, any human who sees a god will feel affection, reverence, or awe. If a god speaks, they will obey completely—even if they know they shouldn't, their body won't listen.
God slayers share this characteristic. But because they exist to slay gods, their thoughts affect the divine and any natural entities running similar mechanisms. Thus, gods can instantly recognize a god slayer when they see one, because mythology inherently sets them in opposition. They are like bonfires in the dark—blindingly obvious to each other.
Youkai's method of absorbing spiritual energy is also governed by mythology. But since they are completely suppressed in the hierarchy, encountering a mythological entity never ends well for them.
Stealing humanity's offerings to gods to seek immortality comes at a price—even if the gods themselves don't care.
Hikigaya had bowed twice earlier—the stone only shattered after the second time because the first time he had no clear intention. Even that made the stone crack. But when he bowed again with real intent, the stone couldn't bear it and was destroyed.
Clearly, the youkai inside had suffered a disaster and surely thought Hikigaya had intentionally destroyed its home.
To that, Hikigaya could only say three words—"Not my fault."
And if he had to add three more—"Heh heh heh."
Anyway, now that he knew what it was, it was time to beat it up. After that, they could calmly talk about the differences between youkai life and human life, and maybe resolve things peacefully. Hikigaya Hachiman was, after all, a pacifist.
"Hachiman… who are you talking to…?"
Miura was crying again.
Oops, did she hear me muttering to myself? Gotta break that habit.
"It's fine… I'm not scared, so why are you?"
Hikigaya thought about patting her shoulder, but she was clinging to him like a koala—any patting felt more like hugging.
Ah, whatever. If she wets herself from fear, that'd be really bad.
With that thought, Hikigaya wrapped an arm around her and activated a bit of his Authority's power.
As the Light of Life accumulated, Hikigaya's fundamental Authority became increasingly clear. His understanding of it deepened, allowing him to wield it better.
Set was the wind of destruction. Typhoons symbolized destruction and power. The desert represented the aftermath of land's destruction and symbolized devastation itself. Its scorching heat dried and burned everything. But in certain conditions, that heat, if controlled, could bring comfort to humans.
Sure enough, once Miura felt the warmth, she trembled less, and her tense body softened.
"Hikki is so warm…" Yuigahama murmured, linking arms with Hikigaya's right side, also feeling the spreading heat.
It had been getting colder around them since earlier, freezing her to the bone.
Alright, let's all huddle.
Hikigaya pulled Yuigahama into a hug too.
"Ah, it's not cold anymore," she said with a delighted look, replacing her previous panic.
Guess this girl doesn't have much modesty. Couldn't she at least say something dramatic to fit the moment? Warmth is great, but dignity matters too.
Hikigaya ended up feeling embarrassed himself.
Better to move somewhere no one else could see them—otherwise, who knows how this would look.
All because of that rustic, low-class youkai—Tamamo no Mae's words, not his.
But soon Hikigaya faced a new problem.
How should he deal with it?
Actually, it wasn't that hard. He could just release a burst of magical power. But the problem was, such a burst would severely affect the environment. If the place collapsed, he'd be fine—but the others might not.
If he knew magic, it'd be easier. But Hikigaya didn't.
As for Tamamo no Mae, apart from illusions, her powers were currently unreliable…
Alright, guess he'd have to use Authority after all.
But just in case, he thought he'd give a heads-up.
"Say… do you all like watching horror movies?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Miura asked, trembling, while the others showed guilty expressions.
"Hikigaya-kun, now's not the time to joke like that," Hayama said, visibly uneasy.
Since they couldn't see anything, their subconscious expressions showed clearly—Hikigaya saw their truest selves.
With a glance, he judged that the one with the most courage was the big fujoshi. Her unease wasn't as intense as the others'.
"It's like this. We martial artists aren't afraid of ghosts or monsters. If they show up, we beat 'em down," Hikigaya bluffed, "So if something spooky pops out to mess with us, just stay quiet—I'll go give it a good thrashing."
Pfft!
A stifled laugh echoed in the darkness.
What the hell? What's so funny?
"Geez, Hikigaya-kun, even now, you're telling jokes to cheer us up?"
I was being serious, where was the joke?
The most frustrating part for Hikigaya was that the silliness was contagious. Aside from Miura, everyone else began laughing one by one.
And said things similar to what Yuigahama had.
But thanks to that, everyone's fear seemed to ease a bit. Well, except Miura—she was convinced this was another cursed jar situation.
But that was fine. Since most people were chill now, Hikigaya could go all out ghost-punching without worry.
Amid everyone's laughter, Hikigaya activated his Authority.
Where there is life, there is light—and for most spirits or youkai, the devouring light and fire power from Kuafu was something they couldn't resist.
Laughing heartily, Tobe didn't even realize that behind him, a faint grey-white glowing shadow was slowly being dragged out, struggling as if pulled by some invisible force.