Everything is Anime! Chapter 97: Quick Ceremony... (Patreon)

While Liliana was berating herself internally, Hikaru was already indulging in the services of professional local massage therapists.

In the process, there was a slight mishap: after seeing him in person, their hands became noticeably clumsy.

Only after Erica gave them a little “psychological nudge” did they get past their nervousness.

Not only Hikaru got the VIP treatment—Est did as well. Though seeing a sword turn into a lovely girl caused a minor uproar at first, the staff soon calmed down, chalking it up to one of the many wonders that follow a god-slayer.

After all, nothing that happens around a Campione can really surprise people anymore.

When the massage ended, a spread of dishes prepared by professional chefs was laid out.

Though this was Europe, Italy’s standing in the culinary world was not to be underestimated. Admittedly, the dishes weren’t quite on par with what Hikaru could whip up himself, but at least nothing looked bizarre or inedible—definitely no “stargazy pie”–type monstrosities.

As long as the food didn’t waste ingredients, Hikaru had no complaints.

“Life is good, partner,” came Ddraig’s voice in his mind. “I never expected that in this world, a strong being could enjoy such huge privileges.”

The battle over, Hikaru hadn’t returned Ddraig to the spirit space. After all, the dragon had at least done some heavy lifting.

True, its main role these days was being a “vessel” for Hikaru’s power—once the God-destroying Sacred Gear’s energy fully merged with him, he might not even need Ddraig’s help anymore—but it still deserved some credit.

As the once-proud Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig found it amazing that people would treat Hikaru with such reverence, even though he’d set foot in this world less than twenty-four hours ago.

“Because I am the center of the world—simple as that,” Hikaru said with a light smile.

In truth, not every god-slayer automatically received such preferential treatment. Consider a certain other Campione who, after slaying a god, was bossed around like a slave, subjected to all kinds of tests by magic associations, scolded and beaten, openly reprimanded.

But the heads of those associations were old foxes; they could see a person’s “depth,” temperament, and terrifying bottom line just by looking at his face. Hikaru, showing no regard for the local Roman mage groups at the airport, already ended up with the label “Don’t mess with him.” Hence these sorcerers were now falling over themselves to fulfill his every whim.

He did wonder briefly if the so-called “Seven Sisters Alliance” had passed word along to the Sword King, Salvatore Doni. Knowing that musclebound idiot, he might sprint here as soon as he heard the news. But Hikaru didn’t dwell on it. While he ate, he took stock of his spoils from the battle:

First, the hidden backup energy was no small boon. Slaying two Heretic Gods again granted the Dimensional Gate a healthy dose of power.

More importantly, of course, were the Authorities seized from those gods. Unlike his first god-slaying, he wasn’t summoned to the Netherworld by Pandora for a chat this time—perhaps a quirk of the Usurpation Circle, or maybe Pandora’s own decision.

Certainly, if he’d been badly wounded or knocked out after the fight, there was a strong likelihood he would have met Pandora again. But at his current level, a battle with Heretic Gods wasn’t enough to knock him unconscious.

He could guess Pandora was still watching him in secret. When he slew Melqart and Verethragna, he seemed to faintly hear a woman’s startled voice.

In any case, the two Authorities had safely fused with him. He wasn’t fully used to them yet, and to his mild surprise, the power he got from Verethragna wasn’t the famed “Ten Incarnations.”

That was a bit disappointing, especially since one of those incarnations was the “Golden Sword,” notorious for its bug-like ability to counter any Authority by reciting the enemy’s myth.

But, likely because Hikaru already possessed a “Ten Incarnations”–type Authority stolen from Vishnu, he didn’t get the identical set from Verethragna.

And that was fine. The new power from Verethragna was no less potent, as far as he could sense.

By comparison, Melqart’s Authority seemed less of a priority. Pandora and the Usurpation Circle had done their job well.

Apparently, if he’d tried to kill the gods while they were incapacitated—true “vulture tactics”—the Circle might have judged that unfit for awarding new powers.

After one becomes a Campione, every subsequent god-slaying is no less difficult than the first; the Circle disallows blatant easy-mode. Still, the only real shortcoming in gaining multiple Authorities is that his overall magic-energy pool didn’t keep increasing.

But that wouldn’t be a problem, thanks to his “Heaven Rewards Diligence” trait. Every time he used his magical power in a fight, it would inevitably grow afterwards. By that means, he would leave other Campiones far behind.

Having finished his meal and reorganized his thoughts, Hikaru finally retired to a room to rest. Ddraig was sent back to the spirit space. Est remained in human form, curled up comfortably in his arms, dozing off. Meanwhile, Erica and Liliana stood guard outside.

Looking at the closed door, Erica sighed. “...I think I get now what makes Lord Hikaru so different.”

“Really?” Liliana hadn’t wanted to say anything to her, but hearing the topic of Hikaru, she couldn’t help asking.

“He’s incredible. And like the sun, so vast that it can shine even on tiny specks like us,” Erica said gently.

Liliana paused, thinking it over. Then she nodded. “That’s true. Perhaps in Lord Hikaru’s eyes, even Heretic Gods are just another set of small obstacles.”