Chapter 15: Kadesh and the Pantheon
Hikigaya was flying.
In the modern world, relying on developed three-dimensional transportation, he could go anywhere while lying down.
But this was Ancient Time. Roads were scarce, and all he could do was first fly along the Nile to the delta coast, then follow the coast north.
At first, he wanted to find Moses directly, because he strongly suspected that the god guiding Moses was Horus.
However, he didn't know much about Moses' life after becoming a shepherd in history. So, for now, he had to find Ramses first.
History does not clearly record whether Ramses led his four legions and mercenaries from the delta fortress city of Saru by water or by land. But the latter part of the journey was along the coast.
When Hikigaya reached the Canaanite coast of this era, he finally spotted the slowly advancing Egyptian fleet.
He joyfully accelerated, slicing through the cloud sea, and then descended.
Perhaps his movement caused too much commotion. The Egyptians on the ships panicked when they noticed him. When Hikigaya landed on one of the ships, the men abandoned control and all knelt.
"Se…Set…" It seemed to be the leader—the strongest among them—trembled as he crawled to Hikigaya's feet and attempted to kiss them.
Hikigaya was startled, shocked enough to feel like he'd swallowed a kilogram of fear.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Without hesitation, Hikigaya kicked him away, and all the Egyptians who witnessed it turned into quivering quail.
"Stand up! Where is Ramses?" Hikigaya waved. The muscular Egyptian he had just kicked into the sea floated back.
This guy clearly didn't learn his lesson. He knelt again with a splash and crawled toward Hikigaya.
Hikigaya, annoyed, abandoned his usual approachable demeanor and grabbed the man, giving him a hard slap across the face.
"I am your Pharaoh's friend! Speak properly to me!"
What the hell? Isn't it usually the Greeks who leap at men?
And why were the Egyptians looking at him with envy while he beat this guy? Hikigaya felt he had misjudged them.
"The great Se… the great Pharaoh has led the legions to Kadesh. He will kill every Kadeshite and offer their hearts to the great Sun God."
Muscle Brother was the type who remembered hits but not lessons. Under Hikigaya's murderous gaze, he finally delivered the crucial information. Satisfied, Hikigaya tossed him aside, no longer beating him, even giving him an approving look.
See? Throughout history, scoundrels deserve a proper handling.
Judging from the news, Ramses was as arrogant as history records. No wonder the Egyptians knelt in the first battle.
Looking at the Battle of Kadesh, the Hittites performed admirably early on, while the Egyptians were like a bunch of pigs.
"How do we get to Kadesh?" Hikigaya asked again.
He was genuinely concerned. Horus must have arrived in this era first. If he got careless, it wasn't impossible to completely screw over Ramses, who was still glowing with his idiotic aura.
Change history? Would a Heretic god care? Even Hikigaya didn't!
After all, he wasn't just chatting with Ramses; he planned to thrash the Hittites casually so Ramses could finish quickly and he could lure Moses.
For Hikigaya, as long as Ramses didn't die, and Egypt wasn't destroyed in the delta by some shameless bird god, nothing else mattered.
After figuring out the general direction of Kadesh, Hikigaya floated lightly, leaving the clouds above a chaotic mess like a thief ransacking a house.
Obsessed with capturing people, he didn't care how this drove the Egyptians on the ship crazy.
At a speed far faster than future aircraft, the land beneath Hikigaya's feet constantly shifted. As he penetrated deeper into Hittite territory, more human settlements from the ancient era appeared.
In fact, the population density of ancient human settlements in the Mesopotamian and lower Nile regions was comparable.
Too many civilizations had risen here. Compared to relatively stable Egypt, the speed of civilization turnover was dizzying.
The future Assyrians, who would dominate the Near East, were now gathering strength. Babylon's prosperity was already history. Before Ramses' family came to power, Babylon had been crushed by the Hittites. Mitanni had already exited the stage.
The dominant power in this land was now the Hittites.
As for the Kadeshites, "Black Egypt" was their favorite activity—there was no other.
These city-states naturally clashed with the Egyptians. The Egyptians had fought them many times, yet it was never effective. This time, they planned to hit Egypt hard.
Kadesh was easy to recognize because the Hittites and their allies were now stationed there. When Hikigaya saw a large city completely occupied by dense military forces inside and outside, he knew he had reached Kadesh.
The Near Eastern countries of this era were mediocre in city-building, using mud for walls. One flood and it was done.
If Hikigaya wanted, he could destroy the city effortlessly.
No shame in that; mud walls have been stubbornly used throughout human history, even into the medieval era. Modern civilizations following similar construction methods persisted in using them, just with more tricks.
Simply put, it was a city with no highlights beyond its size. Once the enemy breached the gate, it would be easy to handle.
Hikigaya hovered in the air, stroking his chin, assessing the considerable number of allied Asian troops below, and carefully sensing the divine presence among them.
Unsurprisingly, he felt the power of the gods.
The Pantheon was not first played by the Romans.
The Hittites were fierce warriors toward humans but unusually gentle toward gods. Even enemy gods, once incorporated into the Hittite fold, became Hittite gods. It had a bit of a "music without borders" feel.
Confronting Horus was inevitable for Hikigaya. He felt no need to excessively provoke the Hittites' ancient gods.
His previous time travel had already taught him that ancient gods interacted with the land far more freely than in later eras.
After thinking it over, he decided to descend and show off a little.
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