The Goddess's Daughter, Herself a Goddess
Horus had originally been Isis's first daughter. She had been granted the greatest share of her mother's power, and she bore the heaviest of responsibilities among the goddesses.
That she and Isis had parted ways was, perhaps, no great surprise.
When word reached her that humanity had turned its back on Isis, Horus burned with rage.
"Filthy mortals. I knew it. You were never even Mother's true creations — just dirty little worms playing at being her children!"
Horus had despised mankind from the very beginning. It felt as though the love that should have been hers from her mother, Isis, was being poured out upon humanity instead.
But now, at last, she found a measure of joy in it. She finally had a righteous cause to wipe them out.
"Things whose very existence is loathsome!"
Horus hung in the sky, looking down upon a village.
Built along a river, it was one of the places where humanity had lately begun to swell in number.
As casually as swatting away a fly, Horus flicked her hand toward the settlement.
The entire village shuddered and shook — then, in a single instant, crumbled into dust and vanished.
Shaaaaaak!
Of course, the humans who had lived there, and their livestock with them, shared the same fate.
But it was not only the village that disappeared. The whole surrounding region was scoured bare across a vast expanse.
"Hmph. So a whole country is gone? I don't care. I have to get to Mother…!"
In a single bound of spatial travel, Horus reached Isis.
First she saw the sealmasters who had bound her mother.
On the far side, Isis lay sealed and stripped of her power. Left like this, she would simply fade with time.
"M-Mother… Mom!"
"My daughter…"
"Mother, what is this?!"
At Horus's sudden appearance, the sealmasters panicked.
"What? There's another goddess?"
"Just seal her too. Move!"
"We'll make you just like Isis!"
As the sealmasters started forward, Horus ground her teeth and roared.
"Filthy worms like you… dare not speak my mother's name so lightly!"
Pseudo Sun
In that instant, a sun bloomed into being in the empty air above the sealmasters.
It belched fierce flame and annihilated them in a heartbeat. The power was overwhelming.
But even she could not alter Isis's fate.
"Mother… ah…"
"Horus, why did you do that? Humans have always been hasty creatures."
"Mother, tell me how to fix this!"
"The sealing is already complete. There is nothing to be done."
"No — an effective way to wipe out humanity!"
Horus seethed with fury. Looking upon her, Isis's face grew heavy with sorrow.
"…What did you say?"
"Those creatures worse than demons who did this to you — shouldn't you punish them?! If you vanish like this, it won't be long before I lose my power too!"
Isis smiled sadly. She had always known that Horus hated humanity.
But to think she still had not understood — that she still carried that hatred…
"My daughter. I beg of you. Never, ever abandon humanity."
"Why? Are you afraid? These are the ones who betrayed you!"
"It was my mistake. I believed that only to cradle and to shelter was love… and yet… ah, if only I had taught them a little more sharply."
Smiling through her grief, Isis's form began slowly to fade.
It was the moment she was sealed into this land as if held in pawn. Horus flailed and asked in desperation.
"What am I supposed to do? Mother! Mother!"
In the end, Isis was gone. Recalling the mother who had vanished before her eyes, Horus's great eyes filled with tears.
"No — please, Mother! Mother! My mother! Do not leave like this! Please, please do not leave me behind!"
With a plea that was nearly a scream, Horus sank to her knees. In the end she was alone, and alone she had lived on. She had endured a span of time that approached eternity.
What the hell was going on? Now even the Goddess's daughter had shown up.
Which meant she was a god too. A goddess!
My brain short-circuited. On top of that, she had a different kind of alluring beauty from Isis, and an overwhelming presence that felt like it could crush me flat.
Horus fixed her gaze on me, and her eyes lit up. I didn't know why, but unlike with Isis, I could feel killing intent rolling off her in waves.
"Hoh. And what is that black thing? It does not suit your crude flesh."
"It's a family heirloom."
"Humans are primitive, are they not? Heirlooms this, heirlooms that — why do you load the past with so much meaning? Foolish. Utterly foolish."
I sighed.
"You don't seem like a very good god."
"Must I be good? You are the ones who betrayed us. Must I play the kindly deity for the likes of you?"
Having just seen Isis's past, I flinched. Had that incident been what turned her hatred toward humanity?
If so, this was bad. I was standing face-to-face with a god who despised humans. Not ideal.
"Lashu, what are you doing over there?"
The Goddess's voice came from behind me. I felt a little relief — and then the two women recognized each other.
Across Horus's arrogant face, a smile laced with killing intent flickered for an instant.
I knew it by instinct. This one was dangerous.
The Goddess went pale with shock.
"You… you're… Horus?!"
"It's been a while. I thought you'd vanished completely after those humans stabbed you in the back like idiots."
"…Horus, why are you here? All this time, how have you— khk!"
Whoosh — thud!
I didn't even register it. Horus closed the distance in a single rush and seized the Goddess by the throat.
There was no smile left on Horus's face. Only raw, primal rage.
"Shut up for a second. It's because of you that I'm this weak now. Do you have any sense of responsibility at all?"
I had to stop her. If I didn't, the Goddess could die!
"G-Goddess! What the fuck are you doing, you crazy bitch?!"
I drew my sword and charged at Horus. I had to tear her off somehow!
I swung with everything I had. Horus sighed and flicked a finger.
Taaang!
Absurdly, my blade was knocked clean away. What the hell?
She smirked, and above her head a golden sun began to take shape. She just made a sun?
Tsz-tsz-tsz-tsz! Clatter, clank, crack!
Light from the sun twisted into chains and began binding my limbs.
Again, I never saw it coming. Horus gestured at me as if already bored.
"You can sit there and watch for a while, you primitive thing."
"Kh… it won't come off, dammit!"
I thrashed, trying to break free. It didn't budge an inch.
Just being bound by those chains felt like my strength was being drained away.
"These are chains no mere mortal can sever. Watch carefully. See how helpless a piece of trash your precious goddess truly is. See what a fool she is — still trying to shield the ones who betrayed her."
After unloading every insult she could on the Goddess, Horus moved to twist her neck.
Then she let out a scornful laugh.
"Mother, you've gotten so weak. Before, you could pin me with a glance alone."
"Ho… Horus… nngh… my daughter…!"
"Who's your daughter?! A bitch who gets betrayed by mere humans! A bitch who won't even pass judgment!"
Crrrk! Crack — whoosh! Thud!
Screaming in fury, Horus hurled the Goddess into the temple wall. As she crumpled, Horus ground her teeth.
I could feel the rage in it — an enormous, long-fermented emotion.
"Countless ages have passed, and I still want to know. Why didn't you use the power you had to wipe out humanity?"
"Nngh…"
"Why did you just sit there and take it like an idiot? You could have destroyed them. You could have made them pay the full price for betrayal! Why didn't you?! Don't you know that if you disappear, I lose my power too? Was I not even important enough to matter?!"
It was almost a plea. Horus looked as if she had lived all this time just to spit those words out.
I felt a flicker of pity for her. The Goddess barely managed a voice.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, my daughter…"
"Don't call me that!"
The sun flared. The light touched the Goddess, and she screamed.
"Aaaagh!"
Horus smiled slowly and even licked her lips.
"I came here today to kill you. I happened to sense your presence. I was in the East and came running in a hurry, you know?"
"Horus… nngh… don't do this, please… I'm sorry."
"Look how pathetic you are, this weak. Even if they'd called you a calamity god, you should have passed judgment. What else is a god for?"
Horus laughed once and went on.
"Do you know why gods stand above humans? Because we receive offerings — and because we pass judgment. You raised me. Like. That!"
She bit off each word like a hammer blow, then walked toward Isis.
Isis forced herself upright, her expression full of sorrow.
"I will… stop you. My daughter."
"Try it."
Ziiing — vwoom!
The Goddess's whole body began to blaze with radiant light. It was larger and denser than when I first met her.
The light spread in every direction and began to press down on Horus.
Crrrk, crrk!
It felt like she was trying to crush the very space around her. Horus sneered.
"Is that all?"
Vwoooom — crack!
In a single motion Horus shattered Isis's power. She closed the distance and carved a knife-hand strike across the Goddess's belly.
It cut clean through. Blood sprayed in every direction.
"Nngh!"
"Is this a god, or a joke?"
Seizing Isis by the hair, Horus subdued her with ease.
It made no sense. The Goddess had clearly grown stronger since our first meeting.
So why was she losing to someone like this? Why?
Goddammit, at this rate the Goddess is going to die!
◆ The Goddess Turned Calamity
Objective: Protect Isis from Horus.
Reward: 10,000 CP, Random Item ×2
On Failure: Half-body paralysis
A quest even popped up. Which meant this was truly, seriously bad.
Desperate, I tried to rouse the Goddess.
"Goddess, get up. Why are you so helpless… please!"
"I'm… sorry."
Her face was bleak — as if she didn't know what to do. Or as if, even knowing, she simply couldn't.
Goddammit, I'd never seen her like this!
I thrashed against the chains with everything I had.
"Come on, break already — please, dammit!"
"Hahaha. They won't break, little worm. Watch closely as this bitch dies."
Horus moved as if to finish it, lining up a cut across the Goddess's throat.
No. I didn't want to lose the Goddess here.
She was the only one of her kind I had. Someone precious and captivating I would never hand over to anyone!
I want to protect the Goddess. Even if I die doing it! Please, just one more time…!
I clenched my teeth and forced my body to move as hard as I could.
Tszzt — crackle-snap!
Aura and lightning aura ignited at once. I roared and detonated the energy through my entire body.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
Crack — shatter! Clatter!
The chains broke. I lunged straight at Horus.
Try blocking this. My fastest strike!
White Thunderbolt
I swung for Horus's chest. This time, the blade never even reached her.
Taaang!
It was like slamming into a transparent barrier; I was thrown backward. Horus put on a show of being impressed.
"Hoh. Even drained as I am, you break those? For a worm."
"One more time…!"
I meant it when I said I wanted to protect the Goddess. I meant it when I said I was ready to stake my life. I wasn't going to let some insane bitch like you kill her!
I tightened both hands on the sword that had bounced back. One more time — I'd reach an ultimate technique.
Sparrow Drop
The blade split from one into two, from two into three. As if following a natural course, the strikes swept over Horus.
For an instant her eyes flew wide — and she laughed. The swords bounced away.
Taaaaang!
How? An ultimate technique never bounced. It couldn't even be blocked.
"How…?"
"Because I am a god. That crude little technique crafted by mere humans!"
Horus pointed at the sun. The moment I tried to settle it with mobile combat, she wore a murderer's smile.
"Now — I shall halt the sun's time!"
Time Stop
Zuuuung — whoooosh!
Centered on the sun floating above Horus's head, the world seemed to flush gold for a moment — then every color drained out of it at once, leaving everything colorless.
And everything stopped. In that state, I couldn't move at all.
Only my consciousness stayed awake, forced to feel the terror of death.
"No — Apostle, run! Please! You mustn't!"
So the Goddess was all right, at least. In this frozen reality, Horus walked toward me at a leisurely pace.
She looked me over, spun once, and drove a reverse roundhouse kick into me.
Whooosh — crack!
With that ominous sound, the world's colors snapped back.
My head rang as if it would split, and I toppled sideways.
"Urgh…!"
I nearly blacked out, but I clung to consciousness. Thank god. Learning what it felt like to lose consciousness in the fight with Lao must have paid off.
I can't lose. Absolutely not!
A fight I couldn't afford to lose. But my opponent was a mighty goddess.
How the hell was I supposed to face her?