Everything is Anime! Chapter 87: Authority, To Sardinia... (Patreon)

A black shadow rapidly took shape before Hikaru.

On closer inspection, it was the form of a dragon’s tail. It moved in sync with Hikaru’s thoughts; so long as he willed it, it could perform any complex movement.

At the same time, it could be used offensively, either to sweep in broad, destructive arcs or to cut with surgical precision.

So he gained shadow-manipulation abilities after defeating Rahu? Someone unfamiliar with mythology might think the two were unrelated.

However, in the myths, Rahu swallows the sun and moon, causing solar and lunar eclipses—both of which, of course, manifest as profound darkness.

As for the dragon tail, that arose from another of Rahu’s legends: he’s a demonic being in ancient Indian mythology, guardian of the southwestern direction, with four arms and a snake’s lower body.

In many myth traditions, a snake’s tail can also be considered a dragon’s tail.

Shadow attacks? Some “dragon’s afterimage”?

Still, Hikaru could tell this Authority was far from fully developed. Beyond manipulating shadows, it surely had other hidden uses that he’d need trial and error to uncover.

Compared to Rahu’s Authority, though, the one he’d seized from Vishnu seemed even more cryptic. Hikaru knew he’d drawn a power comparable to Verethragna’s Ten Incarnations.

The Authority stolen from Vishnu likewise conferred ten different forms. But as to what each form could actually do, he wouldn’t know until he tested them in battle.

…

Once he’d eaten and drunk his fill, Hikaru decided to bathe and wash away his fatigue.

Naturally, that meant recalling Ddraig into the spirit space. When the sorcerers waiting outside heard his request, they respectfully led him to a vast bathroom—where several slender, flower-like girls were waiting in light, airy attire.

Hikaru didn’t turn away the local authorities’ attempts at courtesy, but he also didn’t touch those ordinary girls.

It wasn’t that he was averse to love, only that he had high standards. So they merely helped him and Est bathe, then assisted with dressing.

Meanwhile, as Hikaru and Est enjoyed their hot bath, news that the seventh Godslayer had been born spread through India’s magical community—and, thanks to Liliana’s report to the Bronze Black Cross, it traveled across Europe as well.

“Incredible! Truly unbelievable!”

“I can’t believe the seventh Campione would appear at a time like this!”

“Does anyone know if it’s really true or just a rumor?”

“No idea—but word of this ‘new King’ is coming out of India, and you know how those guys love to brag. They claim to be jacks of all trades, but they’re sloppy at everything, and half the time they just Photoshop other people’s stuff and call it their own.”

“So are you saying it’s fake?”

In magical associations around the world that had caught wind of the news, high-ranking members were gathering to discuss it nonstop.

And one could hardly blame them for taking it so seriously: a Godslayer is a Devil King—an unstoppable walking calamity and an absolute monarch. That’s the truth gleaned from the many who had once dared challenge Campione and died for it.

“Not necessarily. After all, quite recently our sorcerers in India’s capital, New Delhi, detected a massive surge of magical energy.”

“Plus, social media is flooded with reports of disaster in New Delhi.”

They projected a video onto a large screen. It showed the devastated city, as though it had suffered torrential rains, earthquakes, and typhoons all at once.

While there was no footage of anything overtly suspicious, just seeing the level of destruction was enough for these sorcerers to guess at the truth.

After all, normal cameras can’t record Heretic Gods. And given the extraordinary happenings in New Delhi, anyone with half a brain would figure out what had occurred. Better safe than sorry.

As for the “new King,” magical associations worldwide raced to investigate through various channels.

But after several hours, no one had the slightest breakthrough. Instead, they managed to confirm other crucial info: there had been two Heretic Gods in New Delhi.

One was the evil god Rahu, seemingly summoned by a cult; the other was Vishnu, one of the Trimurti, sealed centuries ago by local sorcerers at great cost.

Those two gods had clashed, then both vanished. New Delhi’s mages were in an uproar, having lost track of Vishnu. Hence many concluded that the newly risen seventh Godslayer must have killed both Heretic Gods on the battlefield, given how Rahu and Vishnu—both formidable, with numerous avatars—were now gone.

For the moment, no one could guess what Authorities this new King might hold.

While half the magical associations in the world were searching for any trace of Hikaru, he was already on a private flight from New Delhi’s airport straight to Sardinia in Italy.

The trip would take around ten hours. Aside from the necessary flight crew, only Hikaru, Est, and Liliana were on board.

New Delhi’s sorcerers seemed to have mixed feelings about Hikaru’s departure—some even felt a bit disappointed.

They hadn’t yet pledged their loyalty or done anything to show their reverence for the new King, and now they learned he was flying off to Sardinia.

Liliana was busy on a call with her headquarters. When she hung up, her expression was a mix of surprise and concern. Hikaru’s guess had been right.

Shortly after she had left Italy, reports emerged of a mysterious divine beast on Sardinia, causing no small uproar among local magic associations, who sent numerous investigators to the island. Nobody had figured out much so far.

Liliana shared this bit of news with Hikaru while describing Italy’s magical scene. Hikaru frowned, realizing his decision had been spot on. If he’d lingered much longer in New Delhi, he might have missed two more conveniently “available” Heretic Gods.