Chapter 31: The Temple Wants to Show Off
Anyone familiar with the Exodus story knows the role of the Egyptian Pharaoh.
According to the Bible, God first "hardened Pharaoh's heart," refusing to let the Hebrews go. Then, through Moses, He performed the ten plagues, culminating in the last plague, which wiped out an entire generation of Egyptians. Yet whenever the disasters abated even slightly, Pharaoh's heart hardened again.
Without some supernatural interference, this is clearly impossible.
With a meticulous, never-miss-an-opportunity mindset, Hachiman had been closely observing Ramesses—and indeed, he discovered the problem. Not only did he save Pharaoh, but he also confirmed the identity of this so-called "God."
One must admit: Horus being the god of the Hebrews fits surprisingly well.
First, the monotheistic system of the Hebrews was heavily influenced by Egypt's Aten reform. This short-lived Egyptian deity had drawn heavily from the solar god Ra, and as the supreme fusion god of Egypt, Ra's elements formed the deity's essential framework. Among Ra's various fusions, the most famous is Amun-Ra, but Amun was not the only one.
Horus was included, inheriting Ra's solar divinity and also being a sky god—thus a deity with both celestial and meteorological aspects.
As the saying goes, all religions are largely borrowed. The "fighting ace" that is Hachiman naturally wouldn't miss nearby ancient Egypt. Egyptian mythology was a primary target of early plagiarism, and Horus, who held a pivotal place in Egyptian myth, could easily serve as a Hebrew-style God. This version often manifested a solar deity aspect.
The golden flames that Hachiman had extracted from Ramesses' mind were the power of Horus, still carrying traces of Mariya Hikari's aura.
Who knows why this god, impersonating the Hebrew God, needed to bring a young girl, or how he took her from that monkey's hand—but that no longer mattered.
Ramesses, whose foolish settings had been destroyed by Hachiman, naturally became furious upon "waking" and cursed the Hebrews' god as an evil deity. Observing him, Hachiman felt embarrassed to reveal that this was actually Egypt's royal guardian god playing a minor role.
But that was fine—it conveniently allowed Ramesses to draw the other party out.
Hachiman's karmic entanglement with this god ran deep. It was through its power that Hachiman defeated Set and became a god-slayer.
However, Horus had left a Trojan horse inside Hachiman's body. Were it not for Voban pointing out a clear solution, he might have been trapped—getting KO'd before even seeing the opponent would have made other Campioni laugh to death.
Finally confronting the original form of Horus, the god accidentally influenced ancient Egypt, then began hiding—appearing only on Sunlight Mountain.
This hunting god truly resembled a hunter: marking targets, setting traps, and moving incredibly fast.
Though Hachiman did not know why Horus had gone to the Hebrews, his patience was exhausted. This time, he was determined to kill Horus.
Once Ramesses vented his anger, Hachiman began negotiating with him. Naturally, Ramesses, who despised the Hebrews' god, gladly agreed.
The next day, Ramesses announced to ministers and priests who "knew" Hachiman's identity that Hachiman had departed.
Disregarding the subtle expressions of temple priests and palace magicians, he declared that the weather was hot and he was going swimming in the Nile.
Ministers, eager to report their work, had no choice but to follow Ramesses to the riverbank.
But upon arriving, they discovered the Pharaoh had no intention of swimming. He simply lay on a chair eating fruit.
"No rush," the Pharaoh said to his ministers. "Moses will arrive shortly."
"Great Pharaoh, please forget your friendship with Moses," a priest said, bowing. "He is not only a murderer but also incites the Hebrews to slack off and escape. He should be executed."
"But the magicians lost to him," Ramesses replied. "You claim to be messengers of the gods, yet a foreign god is displaying power in Egypt, and all you can say is to kill a slave?"
"Allow me to defend myself, Great Pharaoh," the priest said, turning red. "If Moses comes again attempting wonders, the gods will not allow it."
"Hopefully so. I will speak little. Do your best to resist Moses' miracles."
With that, the Pharaoh closed his eyes to rest.
The priests were furious, eagerly anticipating Moses' arrival.
Their anticipation was rewarded.
Soon, Moses and Aaron appeared on the opposite bank of the river.
Ramesses' city, like Venice of the era, was not built entirely along the river. The wide river branched at this location, forming a sizable river island where the palace sat. Buildings also existed along the outer riverbank, and the narrower water allowed clear visibility across.
The priests, skilled in magic (later called sorcery), could use powers often stronger than ordinary magicians, as Egyptian magic drew on divine prayer or manipulation.
Seeing Moses, priests on the opposite bank immediately shouted and attempted to act—but were too slow.
This time, Moses did not act directly. He handed the staff to Aaron, who waved it and struck the water.
The instant the staff touched the water, a faint "hiss" was heard, then the water where the staff struck turned red, quickly spreading across the river. A strong stench of blood filled the air.
One priest immediately grabbed a wide-necked jar of holy water, pouring it into the river with confidence, saying to Ramesses: "Pharaoh, watch me purify the river!"
As the water poured, it too turned into blood, frightening the priest into dropping the jar, shattering it.
The other priests were dumbfounded.
Holy water, created through constant devotion and granted divine power, was rare in a temple—yet it too turned to blood. Did this mean the Hebrews' god was more powerful than Egypt's gods?
The priests were shaken and tried to calm themselves.
Watching their disgrace, Ramesses felt deep contempt, yet seeing the river completely red, he grew slightly uneasy. Were it not for Hachiman telling him it was just a "pre-meal appetizer," he might have panicked.
The Nile was Egypt's sole water source, and Moses truly dared to act. Fortunately, water had been drawn all night; seven days' supply was enough.
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