Hikigaya's God Slayer Story

Chapter 36: The Godslayer and the Pretty Boy

While Hikigaya Hachiman was lamenting his inability to ever catch a break, across the ocean, another godslayer was engaged in her daily routine.

Annie Charlton, a graduate student and assistant to a university professor, appeared outwardly to be a stoic beauty with fiery red, flame-like short hair—attractive, reliable, yet seemingly devoid of emotional fluctuations.

Certainly not the type to be called "cute."

But her other identity struck fear into the hearts of many—she was John Pluto Smith, the godslayer of America.

Among the modern godslayers, her hobbies were perhaps the most bizarre.

Not only did she use an alias and crossdress as a man, she even wore a mask at all times, her true face known to none.

And all this... just to live out her dream of playing the hero game.

Today, she was once again airborne—figuratively and literally.

Her first destination was to retrieve the gun she had left at the scene of her last battle.

Despite her unusual tastes, Annie had modern preferences when it came to weapons.

Unlike her fellow godslayers who either fought hand-to-hand or wielded medieval weaponry, she used a revolver.

This revolver was a divine weapon forged from orichalcum by dark elf blacksmiths of the Netherworld.

Only she could wield it. It fired pale white energy bullets—only six per month—and recharged at each new moon.

With it, she could unleash the full power of the Authority she stole from Artemis: Magic Bullet Shooter.

Piercing through skyscrapers was child's play; vaporizing solid rock or altering terrain was well within its capabilities.

The bullets had homing, spread, explosive, illuminating functions, and could even bend mid-flight to chase targets into space.

The range was so immense she could theoretically snipe targets in Europe from North America.

Obviously, she had to get that thing back.

Her second goal?

To chase after a man.

Whether a woman in drag could successfully seduce a man was another story.

Not that it mattered—because the guy in question already had a girlfriend, and he had no idea that Annie Charlton was actually John Pluto Smith.

Nor did Annie know that her fresh-faced crush had already been devoured—figuratively or literally remains to be seen.

His name was Jack Mirupan, her chosen piece of eye candy.

He wasn't exactly an ordinary guy either.

He worked for SSI's Los Angeles division—a government agency tasked with investigating magical and supernatural phenomena.

Comparable in role to Japan's History Compilation Committee, the SSI lacked the same level of authority due to the relatively weaker magic society in the U.S.

Jack not only served as Annie's government liaison under her alter ego, but he had also mistakenly assumed that John Pluto Smith had died.

Now he was carrying her "remains" off to challenge the God Ancestor who once attempted mutual destruction with her—a clearly suicidal move.

Jack, handsome though he was, had no real understanding of the difference between godslayers, deities, and the deeper intricacies of the magic world.

Annie was not pleased.

'How dare my chosen boy toy go and get himself killed? If anyone's going to take his life, it should be me—beneath me! And just when were you planning to push me down, huh? Can't you move faster?'

That was the heartfelt monologue going on in Annie's head.

"The witch Anxhela's movements have been getting weirder and weirder lately…"

As she sped along, Annie reflected on her enemy's recent bizarre actions.

Anxhela was a witch who ruled over America's sorcerer society.

Unlike most Divine Ancestors who were descended from deities, she was a Heretic God herself—a once-Earth Goddess who had lost her divinity but had not returned to myth.

Because of that, she could absorb the essence of water and earth to transform into a Heretic "Serpent" equal in power to a godslayer.

Though it came at great cost, she was still a powerful adversary.

At the moment, Annie had taken on the form of a leopard, her fur covered in yellow and brown spots, and her eyes shimmering emerald green.

This was one of the forms granted by her Authority, Super Metamorphosis, allowing her to move through darkness and cross hundreds of kilometers in mere seconds.

Though she wouldn't be able to use the same form again for seven days, this one wasn't her main combat form.

For the sake of saving her pretty boy, she was more than willing to pay that price.

And if she could stop the revival ritual the sorcerers were performing to bring Anxhela back, the problem could be resolved in one go.

"There it is…"

She felt the enemy's presence.

It was a luxurious cruise ship anchored at Long Beach Port. Overhead hung a full moon, positioned high in the western sky.

Clearly the work of the sorcerers—they had the knowledge and the financial means to conduct a secretive resurrection ritual.

Distance meant nothing under her shadow-traversing magic. Annie reached the ship almost instantly, and with that, the leopard turned back into a human.

In the blink of an eye, Annie Charlton transformed her appearance into that of John Pluto Smith. At least, outwardly.

A thick stench of blood drifted through the air.

"Still as disgusting as ever. Hope I'm not too late."

Annie sneered as she commented on the sorcerers' mess.

Then with a light leap, she landed in the shadows of the deck.

Unlike her fellow godslayers who loved dramatic, celebrity-like entrances, she preferred subtlety.

The deck was stained red with human blood.

Blood, flesh, skin, brains, bones, and all sorts of namable and unnamable fluids were scattered everywhere. Few were left standing. Corpses missing various body parts littered the area.

All the dead were sorcerers—not killed by the enemy, but rather…

Annie knew Jack's capabilities. He wasn't capable of this.

Two figures stood among the carnage.

One of them was Annie's enemy—the Divine Ancestor Anxhela.

This beautiful witch with brown hair and an angelic, youthful figure stood naked amidst the gore.

The wounds from her previous battle had already completely healed.

Her voice, clear and alluring like a bell, was directed at the half-kneeling Jack.

"I know very well," she said sweetly, "that this ugly piece of steel is a toy of John Pluto Smith's. Someone like you isn't even qualified to touch it. Get your facts straight."

A twisted, cruel smile distorted her beautiful features. Annie knew that expression. Last time, she burned that face.

"This steel doesn't fire bullets—it fires the divine arrows John Pluto Smith stole from Artemis. Unless you're a 'King' of equal standing, just pulling the trigger is beyond your worthless self."

The witch laughed cruelly, taunting the kneeling Jack.

But in the shadows, Annie mirrored that same smile.

She had already reconnected with her weapon.

Chapter 37 – Jack Is Doubting His Eyes

A flashing magic bullet turned into scorching lightning, pierced through the small but definite chest of the Anxhela, shot out from her back, and vanished into the sky.

Jack, who had bet everything on pulling the trigger in despair, stared blankly at the scene.

He began to wonder if the great God had really heard his prayer, since even he had only been struggling like a desperate gambler.

Then, amidst the Divine ancestor's agonized roar, he heard the familiar metallic clang of armored heels striking the ground—and with that, he was sure.

This wasn't God's doing...

That chronically late man hadn't died—he had returned.

But before Jack saw him, Anxhela did.

"…Impossible… why are you still alive?!"

"That question is too boring, so I refuse to answer it. But, if it'll make you die a little more willingly, fine… Hasn't it always been you who called me the Lord of the Underworld?"

An elegant male voice came from Anne's mouth.

Her male disguise was executed with thorough precision.

A mask made of black armor, shaped like a racing helmet, with compound eye-like lenses over the eyes, tightly concealed her face.

She flipped her cloak, reminiscent of a vampire's cape, and strode forward with a graceful yet bold gait, appearing before both Jack and the Divine ancestor.

"Even if one journeys to the underworld, one can still return to the surface. You couldn't even predict something so simple—how presumptuous of you to call yourself a Divine ancestor. You always lose because you're that stupid."

"I refuse to be called stupid by a god slayer! You damn slayer!"

The furious Divine ancestor shouted. Apparently, being called an idiot angered her more than being injured.

However, Anne's gaze was no longer on her.

She looked at Jack's black cloak and tuxedo with pleased eyes.

"How wonderful, Jack. You've finally taken an interest in dressing like me. Let's drink the night away in celebration."

"For the record, I have absolutely no perverted interest in this. I only wore this to infiltrate the enemy. It was just temporary and I endured it."

"What does it matter? Every journey begins with a first step. Please continue with it."

"I absolutely will not!"

The two of them ignored the Divine ancestor and bickered back and forth.

"You dare ignore me? Do you think this means victory is yours?!"

Feeling her strength fading from the god slayer's power attack, and now too weak to stand, Anxhela knelt on one knee, coughing up blood while roaring in rage.

"This really is the end, isn't it, Anxhela?" Anne turned her eyes back from Jack to the weakened Divine ancestor. "This gun was made to wield my power. As long as I'm close by and activate my authority, even an ordinary person can pull the trigger. In your current state, even as a 'Heretic Serpent,' you can no longer reverse the tide."

"A despicable sneak attack!" Anxhela cried out bitterly.

"Says the pot to the kettle." Anne's tone was equally mocking. "For someone like you, even a sneak attack is the behavior of a gentleman."

"Then show me your so-called victory!"

With a shout, Anxhela's once-beautiful face was now completely covered in blood. Using the last of her strength, she began to swell and transform.

The air became filled with dangerous energy.

"This move again? So unoriginal." Anne sneered, flipped her cloak, and released a gentle force that sent the stunned Jack flying from the cruise ship all the way to shore.

She added, "Let's drink ourselves silly tonight," not caring whether Jack heard or not, and began to activate her own authority.

The massive cruise ship, 300 meters long and 60 meters tall, was now entangled by a silver serpent—this was Anxhela's transformed form. Despite being covered in wounds, the serpent still exuded an awe-inspiring aura.

In that same moment, Anne completed her own transformation.

The night sky was now shrouded in thunderclouds. Blinding lightning split the sky and struck the cruise ship, turning it into a bonfire at sea.

And standing in the lightning and fire was a giant about 15 meters tall.

With a balanced physique, pitch-black skin like night, striped in black and yellow, and a right leg made of obsidian reflecting the cold moonlight—this was Anne's other powerful transformation: the Great Magician.

And so began the battle between the Giant of Aberration and the Heretic Serpent.

The intense battle defied description. The cruise ship was destroyed instantly, followed by the pier.

The giant, wreathed in lightning, unleashed thunderbolts that sent the serpent tumbling.

It was clear the giant had the overwhelming advantage.

"If you're planning to self-destruct, now would be the time—but I have my doubts. Didn't you already do that a week ago? You probably used up all the essence you'd stored over the years."

"Damn god slayer, how dare you obstruct the great Earth Mother's return!"

Compared to Anne's cold indifference, Anxhela's outcry was filled with resentment.

"Exactly because I'm a god slayer, I can deal with you this way." Real killing intent accompanied Anne's next words. "To destroy you, let me tell you my glorious story—Almighty I, who can command the people, treat them all as my slaves, I rule the heavens and earth, the most noble of magicians."

This was the incantation to destroy both herself and the enemy.

In the next moment, the giant's body disintegrated into smoke and clouds, from which brilliant light burst out, followed by deafening thunder.

"I summon the Night Axe of the End! Creator of Worlds! God of Destruction!"

The cloud transformed into flame.

This was Anne's strongest attack form—Flame of Annihilation.

A fire powerful enough to kill even gods instantly enveloped the silver serpent, burning it. The pale black fire tainted Long Beach's night sky with a strange hue.

And on the surviving portion of the pier, Jack and over a hundred startled local residents silently watched the scene unfold.

"That man… he's protected Los Angeles once again."

The man favored by a god slayer sighed in his heart.

Then, in the next instant, he thought he saw something unbelievable.

It looked like a streak of light flew out from that fire, as if drawn toward something.

"Did I see that wrong…?"

Jack rubbed his eyes.

Just moments ago, he seemed to have seen that light—in the shape of a snake…