Everything is Anime! Chapter 82: Is the Sun (Patreon)

The gods’ battles are not just combats; they are works of art.

As a “Steel” immortal, her fighting technique is on a divine level—something mortals, no matter how many years they devote, can’t hope to glimpse even a fragment of. Yet the more that became evident, the more it shook Vishnu’s confidence.

Though she hadn’t actually fallen behind, simply ending up in a stalemate with a “fool” was enough to prove that this man wasn’t just some fragmentary projection of a god on earth.

But Hikaru wasn’t satisfied. Failing to dominate meant he was effectively at a disadvantage. Techniques honed through training and mortal combat still lagged behind the innate martial prowess of a god.

However, Hikaru wasn’t so foolish as to use only his weaknesses against Vishnu’s strengths. He used the sturdiness and technique of his “Demon Holy Sword” to close in, then suddenly extended a golden dragon fang from one of the emerald-colored gems. The Red Dragon Emperor’s fangs could tear through anything; even a god’s flesh was like tofu before them.

Vishnu’s arm was sliced open, blood gushing like a spring and splattering across the earth of New Delhi—but it didn’t end there. Vishnu swung her blade at that dragon fang, only for another gem set into the Red Dragon Emperor’s gauntlet to produce a crimson-scaled dragon’s hand, which seized Vishnu’s wrist. Vishnu tried to move but was immediately snared by several more dragon arms.

Seizing this moment, Hikaru used the Demon Holy Sword to sever Vishnu’s right arm.

“Aaaah!!”

Even a god feels pain. Having an arm chopped off tore a shriek from Vishnu. But a god’s will is nothing if not unyielding. She summoned flames once again to burn Hikaru to ashes. Yet even more intense energy erupted around Hikaru’s body, making this particular avatar of Vishnu effectively powerless against him.

And then an even more shocking thing happened: from the very outlet that unleashed her flames emerged something like the maw of a giant dragon. Catching Vishnu off guard, those razor-metal jaws clamped onto her neck, tearing flesh and body apart in an instant. More divine blood sprayed everywhere.

“Ugh!!”

Vishnu screamed again, realizing that any further struggle would spell certain death. She immediately chanted an incantation:

“O Narasimha, grant me incomparable might! No enemy can defeat me! Let any foe perish beneath my claws!”

Vishnu’s body rapidly changed. She discarded her shield, and her once-human arms morphed into a lion’s forelimbs. Surging magical power churned the air as razor-sharp claws wreathed in terrifying energy lunged at Hikaru. He raised one hand to block them, but was still knocked back, his body tumbling dozens of meters through the air before stopping.

“Oh? An Authority that boosts strength?”
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

In response to his will, the emerald jewel flashed brightly, and a mechanical voice rang out:

“Boost!”

Not even a tenth of a second later, the voice came again:

“Boost!”

“Boost!”

Within the span of a single second, that automated voice sounded ten times. Feeling his body surge with explosive power, Hikaru immediately launched a counterattack.

“It’s pointless,” Vishnu declared in a ringing voice. “Weak fool—you caught me off guard at first, but now that I’m serious, there’s a gulf between us you can never bridge.”

Vishnu watched Hikaru charge again, then opened her eyes wide: she had lost sight of him for a mere instant—yet that was all it took for alarm bells to go off in her head. The next second, without thinking, she swung her lion’s claw behind her. The air ripped apart, and dozens of buildings in the distance were torn to shreds by the shockwave.

But Hikaru caught her arm with just one of his own. Even for a god, the notion seemed absurd.

How is that possible?!

Vishnu clenched her teeth in fury. Her dignity and majesty had been violated, and in her wrath, waves of raging energy billowed outward from her like a storm. But before those waves could reach Hikaru, they were blocked by a barrier of solid ice. Though it shattered the next instant with a crack, that delay was all he needed.

“Boost!”

Crunch!

Hikaru’s hand, gripping the lion’s forelimb, suddenly exerted force. Despite Vishnu’s fearsome claws, her body began to crack. Seizing that tiny opening, Hikaru thrust the Demon Holy Sword forward. He felt intense resistance—yet the Red Dragon Emperor’s penetrating trait came into full play just then.

It was like slicing through a thin membrane. The Demon Holy Sword pierced Vishnu’s heart. That alone wasn’t enough, of course, but the very next moment a scorching flame poured from Hikaru’s body—through Est—straight into Vishnu.

Instantly set ablaze by this ultimate fire that could incinerate all things, the god became a living torch. That fire, once ignited, would not be extinguished unless suppressed by equal or greater power.

Had Vishnu been at full strength, she might have withstood such flames. But after her grueling battle with Rahu and suffering wounds from Hikaru, her magical energy was dangerously depleted. Meanwhile, Hikaru’s “Juggernaut Drive” form was no small threat.

So she struggled, but it was a desperate, last-ditch effort. The flames devoured her physical vessel, forcing Vishnu from the field. She seemed to say something in her final moments, but Hikaru paid it no heed. Likely some curse or blessing from a god, praising his bravery or strength—he had no need of it.

With Vishnu slain, Hikaru turned his attention to Rahu, who had done nothing but watch. Feeling his gaze, Rahu’s mountain-sized body quivered with the rumble of its chest.

“I stayed out of your petty clash and avoided a sneak attack,” the Asura King boomed, voice echoing like thunder. “But I never imagined you, a mere mortal, would kill my old foe. I, Rahu, acknowledge your courage. And now… I suppose you’re after me, aren’t you?”

The thunder in Rahu’s voice didn’t faze Hikaru at all. Behind his visor, his expression was hidden, but a calm, measured tone emerged:

“‘Fool’? I don’t care for that term.”

“Oh? Then tell me—who are you?”

“That’s a foolish question. Would you ask the sun, ‘Are you really the sun?’”

“Heh, how amusing. You’re no Devil King, yet how can you wield power strong enough to defeat Vishnu?”

“That’s equally foolish. Would you ask the sun why it shines?”

Hikaru’s stance lowered slightly, ready to attack. Rahu blinked, momentarily taken aback. Right now, all the Asura King could feel was the man’s unwavering self-confidence—a presence as immovable as the sun.