"You idiot! You used [North Wind] to counter my [Locust Plague] just now, that was because you had an advantage in attributes, so that's fine. But now I'm [South Wind], do you still dare to go head-to-head with me?"
Pazuzu laughed heartily, clearly extremely pleased with himself.
"You really think you can fight me head-on with opposing attributes just because you have the ley lines of this little mountain? What a fool!"
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening "Bang!" resounded, and Hayden was shattered by the black wind. Not only was his beast-transformation magic shattered and his giant wolf form dismantled, but Hayden himself was also blasted away by the immense power of the dark storm. He was forced back into human form, crashing heavily against the rocks and tumbling down the mountainside in a sorry state.
The demi-humans atop the mountain watched the battle unfold and saw Hayden being shot down by Pazuzu. The demi-humans of the Wind-Riding Tribe were terrified, screaming in panic and not knowing what to do. Even the demi-humans of the Vajra Tribe, who had recently spent more time with Hayden and his group, were shaken by the sight.
Hayden was shot down and crashed into the mountains, his blood surging and his whole body aching terribly.
If it weren't for the life energy cycle provided by Angela, the aftershocks of this black wind alone would have broken Hayden's bones and tendons. Moreover, this black wind also concealed a smoldering heat that could burn a person's internal organs to death. Even with the protection of Angela's aura and the enhancement of Hela's alchemy, Hayden still felt excruciating pain in his abdomen.
He inwardly groaned, but quickly realized what was happening.
Pazuzu is an ancient demon that brings disease when the wind blows.
So where exactly did this so-called "epidemic wind" come from?
The answer is "South".
Pazuzu originated from the Mesopotamian plain thousands of years ago, the ancient land of Babylonia. To the south of Mesopotamia lies the Persian Gulf. During the dry summers each year, the winds blowing from the Persian Gulf carried intense heat. The Sumerians of that time discovered that these hot and unclean southerly winds could cause fever and high fever.
Therefore, Pazuzu would naturally be the demon symbolizing the "southern wind".
In fact, this belief wasn't unique to the Sumerians. The idea that southerly winds from the tropics brought disease, and concepts like "humid and hot southern miasma" and "southern miasma poisonous gas," existed in many places and cultures around the world.
Hot winds, drought, epidemics, locust plagues
Pazuzu's supernatural powers may appear complex and varied, but in reality they are simply a multifaceted unity.
But why is it that after Pazuzu transforms into the [South Wind] attribute, it can overwhelm and defeat Hayden's [North Wind] driven by ley line energy?
The answer couldn't be simpler.
In short, because this greater demon is stronger when the attributes are equal and contradictory.
Hayden's modified Beast God transformation sorcery, which draws upon the power of the earth's veins, was out of control the first time it was used, but its combat power is very strong, and it has never suffered a direct defeat in the past.
Unexpectedly, even now, this Pazuzu is even stronger than Hayden, who transformed into a beast god by borrowing the energy of the earth's veins!
With the beast-transformation spell broken, Hayden was unable to cast it again, feeling both speechless and horrified. He had anticipated that Pazuzu would change his form, but he hadn't expected Pazuzu to be so powerful when he got serious!
Besides, has it really gotten serious now?
Didn't it say that it had another form it hadn't transformed into yet?
"Come on! Kid! Let me see what else you've got up your sleeve!"
After Pazuzu's transformed dark storm crushed the North Wind, it rose into the air again, laughing as it charged towards Hayden.
"If you don't have it, then die! If you don't die, I'll use some more hot oil to fry you until you're fragrant and delicious!"
A massive black column of wind crashed down as if the sky were collapsing.
Although Pazuzu has not yet transformed into its final form, at this moment, Hayden truly felt the difference in power between the two, and just how powerful and terrifying Pazuzu really was.
Now that things had come to this, there was no way he could hold back any more cards. Hayden lay on the ground, unable to even stand up. He merely grasped the Yin-Yang Twin Serpent Scepter, aimed it at the dark wind, and began to chant—but it was too late! A fierce wind swept in, and there was no way he could finish the incantation!
That's why a giant gorilla suddenly appeared from the side and blocked the black pillar of wind!
This enormous gorilla, the former beast god of the King Kong tribe, was summoned by the King Kong sub-people on the mountaintop when they saw Hayden in dire straits. If a believer merely clasps their hands in prayer without taking concrete action, they are nothing more than a headstrong kowtowing insect.
However, Hayden, transformed into the White Wolf God, couldn't withstand the attack of the Dark Storm. Could the Ape Beast God possibly withstand it? Pazuzu was used to the magic of these Wasteland Demi-humans, and unlike Hayden's various novel tricks, he found them quite interesting. Therefore, he had no interest in this ape at all.
With a single strike, the massive, building-sized gorilla god was swept in half and torn in two. However, Pazuzu did not expect that as soon as he tore the gorilla in two, flesh would rapidly grow back from the severed parts of the gorilla's body, and it would roar as it regained its footing and protected Hayden.
A gorilla the size of a building grew back in an instant.
Despite its vast knowledge, Pazuzu had never encountered Angela's aura or the energy cycle she created before, and couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh!" before turning to strike again. The gorilla didn't retaliate; after all, even the demi-humans could see that a futile counterattack was pointless. It simply focused on protecting Hayden on the ground, letting Pazuzu tear it apart. The black wind only managed a couple of rips before the gorilla was once again cleaved into pieces.
Although the gorilla was merely an avatar of the ancestral god summoned by the demi-humans, the repeated tearing apart of the gorilla summoned from their bloodline naturally affected the demi-humans of the Kongo tribe. Each time they endured Pazuzu's attacks, several demi-humans would either vomit blood or collapse unconscious on the ground. Although Angela's presence ensured that everyone was healed afterward, Hayden, who was being protected by the gorilla's selfless sacrifice, was still extremely furious upon seeing this.
Hayden couldn't possibly waste the opportunity that the Kongo-like beings had risked their lives to give him.
Just as the gorilla was torn apart by the black wind for the third time, Hayden seized the opportunity to aim his Yin-Yang Twin Serpent Staff at the dark wind and chanted loudly:
"East, I beseech the blue thunder; South, I summon the red thunder; West, I beseech the white thunder; North, I summon the black thunder; Center, I beseech the yellow thunder. Fall, fall, fall, fall, I respectfully invite all the five thunderbolts from all directions to descend upon my body!"
Boom boom boom!
The moment he finished speaking, a thunderous roar erupted from Hayden's body. The next instant, bolts of lightning exploded and crackled across his skin, spinning incessantly!
Pazuzu, an ancient demon with vast knowledge, immediately realized upon seeing this: "Ah! The interaction of Yin and Yang creates thunder! You little brat, you know far too many different spells!"
This was a talent Hayden was extremely proud of. From ancient Egyptian sorcery to Norse runes, from North American Indian witchcraft to South American blood magic, from Indian mantras to Eastern thunder magic—Hayden was willing to learn anything that could achieve his goals, as long as it worked. He would try anything that was useful. He could even combine modern arcane magic and ancient magic in the same ritual.
This is why Hayden used a fragment of the Vajra (which represents thunder), combined it with the obsidian core containing the power of death that he had obtained from the witch, added Angela's life force, and forged the scepter into a pair of intertwined white and black snakes. The white snake held obsidian in its mouth, while the black snake held a white pearl in its mouth, just like the shape of yin and yang.
The snake, which sheds its skin every year, is a symbol of death and resurrection, while the serpent staff is a symbol of "flow" in modern arcane magic. The two gems adorn the yin and yang symbol, and in classical Eastern magic, the yin and yang energies are thunder, which governs the upheavals of heaven and earth, controls the mechanism of life and death, and is the ultimate principle of life and death.
This is the new scepter that Hayden had previously crafted for himself.
The interplay of black and white, yin and yang, life and death, and thunder and lightning, combines two or even more forces into one, creating the scepter of creation and destruction!
"The thunderous power is astonishing! [The Divine Thunder of the Four Symbols Reversal of Yin and Yang]!"
Before the thunderous roar even arrived, blue and white lightning and fury burst forth from the tip of Hayden's staff, churning, leaping, and dazzlingly bright! They were scorching wind, boiling water, and flames that cleaved the earth; they were the interplay of Yin and Yang, and the four elements united in one; they were a symbol of Hayden's extensive learning and mastery of all magical knowledge from East and West, past and present!
Lightning flashes, boundless power (unlimitedpowaaa) can turn everything it touches to ashes!
Pazuzu never expected Hayden to have such a hidden trick up his sleeve. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning have always been the power of the gods, their weapons for attacking demons, and thus their nemesis.
However, even knowing that their attributes were incompatible, Pazuzu was not afraid but rather delighted when Hayden revealed his trump card!
A deafening boom resounded as the [Two Elements Reversal Four Symbols Divine Thunder] struck the pillar of wind squarely. The lightning, designed to subdue demons, instantly cleaved the dark wind pillar in two. The black wind dissipated into mist—from within which came the earth-shattering laughter of Pazuzu.
"Hahahaha! You little fool! Even in my [South Wind] form, it would be easy to pulverize all of you, but since you've used the Demon-Slaying Divine Thunder against me, I'll show you a power more terrifying than death!"
The scattered dark mist and black wind began to gather together in one place.
Seeing that things were not going well, Hayden immediately raised his scepter and unleashed a second divine thunderbolt, but it still could not stop all the wind and fog from merging together.
When all the wind and fog here disappear, Pazuzu, who has gathered and condensed all this power together, is no longer in human form, nor even in a "natural" form like a locust or a storm.
The plants triumphed over the plague, the north wind froze the locust plague, and the thunder dispersed the drought.
But what stands there now is a monster that is neither human nor beast.
It has the head of a lion, hands like lion claws, and feet like a bird of prey. It has two pairs of twisted black wings on its back, and a huge scorpion tail that sways, exuding a menacing dark and evil aura.
"This is my final transformation, and also my true form!"
This is the harbinger of calamity, the demon king who brings disease, death, and madness to all things, a legend still told by the Mesopotamians. His roar, emanating from his lion's head, echoes through the mountain city like the howl of the wind.
【demon】
This is Pazuzu's final form when he gives it his all.
138: My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens!
It has the head of a lion, hands like lion claws, and feet like a bird of prey. It has two pairs of twisted black wings on its back, and a huge scorpion tail that sways, exuding a menacing and evil aura.
Strong
It was as if a thousand troops were surging in at once, causing the wind and clouds to change color—[Powerful]!
Pazuzu, having gone all out and transformed into its final form, was so powerful that Hayden didn't know how to describe it.
Of course, Pazuzu's final form can't actually be as powerful as Peacock King, but in Hayden's opinion, it's at least far stronger than a standard Vajrapani. In other words, its fighting power is at least level 2 or higher.
To be honest, Hayden has never actually encountered a reference point whose combat power is greater than 2 [Vajrapani] but less than that of a deity... If we really want to talk about it, perhaps the energy emitted by the current Pazuzu Final Form seems to be similar to that of the dragon god Alastor at the end of last year's [Marsh] incident.
The energy that Dragon God Alastor used came from the ley lines of the New Yatu Industrial Zone, an industrial-grade energy source from a major international metropolis, far superior to the ley lines of the small mine Hayden and his group currently in. Even with Angela providing the energy cycle, and the energy increasing with each cycle, it still cannot compare to the industrial ley lines of a major city, at least for now.
This explains why Hayden used the "North Wind" beast-transformation magic with the mine's veins, only to be defeated head-on by Pazuzu's "South Wind".
Now, as Hayden looks at Pazuzu, he can intuitively feel an overwhelming power and a fear that makes his hair stand on end as it comes over him.
Now, Hayden has only one last trick up his sleeve.
"Brave and proud Lord of Flowers, grant me wings of radiant light, so that I may fly alongside you!"
He cried out.
Therefore, a response was issued.
A cyan halo emerged from behind Hayden, as brilliant as a peacock spreading its tail, or like a flowing, colorful feather robe draped over his body, releasing astonishing divine power!
"What? The Peacock King!?"
Pazuzu, who had been laughing heartily, changed his expression for the first time when he saw the halo behind Hayden. However, being experienced and knowledgeable, he immediately realized that this was not the true power of the Peacock King, but something whose purity was at least one generation lower.
"So that's how it is. Your new god is a child of the Peacock King! You are a priest of the Peacock King's junior!"
If it were truly the Peacock King himself coming, Pazuzu would surely turn and run immediately. None of the ancient demons who didn't flee at the sight of the Peacock King have survived to this day. But it has no fear of mere priests of the Peacock King's children.
"Today is a truly auspicious day to be able to eat the heart and liver of the Peacock King's children!"
Pazuzu laughed heartily and pointed. Hayden sensed something was wrong and quickly braced himself against the ground with his twin serpent staffs, flapping his wings and taking flight. The next second, a large chunk of the spot where he had just been standing was ripped away out of thin air. Lawn and clods of earth shattered, trees were twisted and torn apart in mid-air, and the shockwave swept everything around them away.
What kind of attack is this?
To put it simply... it's just the wind.
Just as launching a coin at supersonic speed can surpass the power of a cannon, a gust of wind striking at extremely high speed is an invisible and intangible bombardment. This may not sound like a particularly impressive move, but considering that Pazuzu merely flicked his finger, it is nonetheless terrifyingly powerful.
Fortunately, Kallen granted Hayden wings. Hayden activated the azure light wheel, relying on Kallen's wings to weave at high speed through the air bursts of wind strikes, dodging them one by one. One after another, wind strikes with the power of cannonballs rained down, and the forest floor on the mountainside, as well as the newly regenerated Great Ape Beast God, were all brutally destroyed once again.
Hayden, however, seemed to move through the rain without getting wet, relying instead on the speed of the peacock's wings and the brilliance of the blue wheel to launch a surprise attack.
Karen granted Hayden wings, allowing him to mimic her warrior god-like martial arts techniques. This is what is meant by "divine descent"!
In terms of martial arts, Hayden was originally completely clueless. But now, with Karen essentially assisting him, his agility and skill surpassed that of Pazuzu. The Yin-Yang Serpent Staff in his hands constantly changed moves, transforming into countless flower shadows like a peacock spreading its tail, unpredictable and incredibly fast. In an instant, it seemed as if a dozen Haydens were flying around Pazuzu, relentlessly attacking.
Pazuzu knew that the Peacock King's deceptive moves were extremely dangerous, and that blindly following them would inevitably lead to trouble. However, its combat experience far surpassed that of Hayden and Karen, and its pure energy was extremely strong. Therefore, it completely ignored whether Hayden's attacks were real or fake, and directly threw punches at an even faster speed. Unlike Hayden's deceptive tricks, it unleashed a hundred punches in an instant, like a sudden storm.
Hayden tried to dodge, but suddenly felt an immense force, along with burning winds and plague, crashing down on him at the same time, leaving him nowhere to hide!
If this great demon had used such power to attack him from the start, Hayden would probably be dead already. Even the witchcraft of the beast god couldn't save him.
At this moment, sensing the approaching viral calamity, Karen's recently cultivated [Five-Colored Divine Light] reacted on its own, unfolding five great halos of earth, water, fire, wind, and space around Hayden to protect his life—but that was all.
Karen's martial arts skills had been neglected for ten years, and she had only recently resumed practicing them in the last two months. This [Five-Colored Divine Light] was even more new and still incomplete; moreover, it was a masterpiece of the Peacock King, refined over four hundred years, making it inherently incredibly difficult. Hayden was already barely managing to survive using it.
If you want to win, you can't rely on any of these things; there's only one way!
So Hayden twirled his double serpent staff and unleashed an impeccable and beautiful spear thrust, charging like a spear into the ground and stabbing Pazuzu hard in the chest!
*Chirp chi ...
Unfortunately, the next second, it reached out and grabbed the staff of the serpent staff. Hayden immediately felt a tremendous force welding the staff to him, as if it were fixed to space itself. No matter how hard he tried to push it in, it wouldn't budge. He could only watch helplessly as Pazuzu pulled the staff out of the wound. Then, the scorpion's tail behind him lashed out like a whip, sending Hayden flying, staff and all.
This selfless attack left only a small wound on Pazuzu's chest, resembling a cut made with a craft knife.
However, it was clear to everyone that Pazuzu was quite angry.
Hayden was sent flying by a scorpion's tail, crashing into a mountainside. He immediately flapped his wings and rose to his feet, only to see Pazuzu turn around and reach out to him. The black air of plague and drought was compressed to its limit in its hand, swirling into a vortex. The power of its movement was terrifying, like a typhoon being directly compressed.
Although the wind from Pazuzu couldn't compare to the typhoon-like sweeping machines produced by large companies outside, it clearly shared many similarities. Hayden, upon seeing this, couldn't help but break out in an even cold sweat.
"You're too arrogant, kid."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black hurricane, compressed to its limit, was released from Pazuzu's hand. Hayden gritted his teeth and planted the double-snake staff, from which the Yin-Yang diagram appeared, into the ground. The next second, the hurricane struck head-on, carrying extraordinary power and intensity, and with astonishing force, it sliced through the protection of the Five-Colored Divine Light and overwhelmed the protection of the Tai Chi diagram.
So strong!
It wasn't that they were completely unable to exchange blows, but the gap in skill was clearly too large. It felt like the world's number one unorthodox martial arts master casually playing with a first-rate young upstart. The latter wasn't necessarily unable to withstand even ten moves, but both sides knew that if the fight dragged on, the younger one would undoubtedly lose.
Hayden defended with all his might, gathering all his strength, and barely managed to block the attack. But after the demonic wind subsided, only a trace of blue remained of the five-colored halo that had descended upon him; the rest had been blown away. Although he had managed to withstand the attack, the wings that Kallen had given him were now reduced to just a few feathers.
"What a beautiful little peacock that's been plucked!"
Pazuzu laughed loudly.
Hayden braced himself with his staff, writhing in agony, and could only curse the demon in his heart for bullying the weak and fearing the strong. If the Peacock King were truly here, Pazuzu would surely tear his mouth apart rather than dare utter such words.
"Actually, you're not bad. Two or three thousand years ago, you would be a divine priest fighting the demon king with your bare hands. Just the fact that you could fight to this extent would be enough to be praised by the poets of that time."
As Pazuzu spoke, he clapped his hands.
"Unfortunately, they were still too weak. So the result is the same no matter what. The battle is over."
What is it saying?
Before he could finish speaking, Hayden suddenly felt his legs lose all strength. What was happening? He tried to move his legs, but the feeling of weakness immediately spread throughout his body, making it difficult for him to even stand up, just by using his scepter.