Are we witnessing the birth of a new legend?
Upon closer reflection, what kind of power is it to heal people by defeating the evil spirits that are manifestations of disease?
Isn't this the power of God?
150: A fool's dream
And just like that, Magical Girl Pazuzu became an instant hit.
This is perfectly normal. These days, most people work at least 996 (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week), and many are even worse off, so of course they need to make the most of their spare time and energy to find some enjoyment for themselves.
In this era, the sole purpose of a livestreamer is to provide entertainment for the audience. If someone can do something that others can't, and it's interesting and eye-catching, they can create a sensational program. If they also have capital to help with promotion and hype—then even a pig can become an overnight sensation.
As Shakespeare once said: "How wondrous are you, gold! You can make the old young, the ugly beautiful, the black white, the wrong right!"
Besides, this "Magical Girl Pazuzu" is still somewhat worth watching!
The costume is cool, the singing is great, but let's leave that aside. Has anyone ever seen a virtual idol appear directly in the material world using astral energy, reach out and extract the concept of illness from a viewer's body, transform it into a monster to fight and heal that lucky viewer?
This is indeed something a magical girl would do.
It is also a reenactment of the myth of the gods slaying the disease.
Many viewers who watched the live stream recorded the entire process and uploaded it to various websites, attracting even more attention. With the goddess Mikkuri's behind-the-scenes support, how could [Magical Girl Pazuzu] not become a rising star?
Just one day after the surprise live stream, millions of fans are already eagerly awaiting [Magical Girl Pazuzu]'s next live stream scheduled for two days later, or perhaps some other video.
As for the other virtual idol streamers, how will they deal with this sudden new competitor?
The answer is actually very simple.
Smoke Mirror Company recently completed practical testing of the [Kowtowing Bug] system and is currently enjoying great success. While they were previously ranked relatively low among giant corporations, they now seem poised to climb to third place. With Goddess Micket clearly planning to create the idol [Magical Girl Pazuzu], other virtual YouTubers from other companies are likely hesitant to challenge them and will probably wait and see.
Therefore, the path for [Magical Girl Pazuzu] has recently been smooth sailing.
Only one person, who was neither a spectator, nor a colleague, nor a capitalist, was carefully observing the matter from the sidelines with a calm and inquisitive eye.
He was Hayden, of course.
Hayden was always concerned only with the cause of the magical phenomenon and what could be done with it.
The abilities that 【Magical Girl Pazuzu】 displayed this time seem very similar to the ancient magic of impersonating gods and demons to borrow their power. She impersonates her idol so convincingly that both she and those around her believe she is the embodiment of that idol.
This is a very traditional, even overly traditional, way of performing magic.
—But if that's really all there is to it, why would Hayden pay special attention to [Magical Girl Pazuzu]?
He had already recorded yesterday's surprise live broadcast and studied it repeatedly. The more he watched, the stranger the magic act seemed.
First and foremost, the essence of playing magic is "resemblance." Extreme resemblance—appearance, inner qualities, and behavior all closely resemble the idol, god, or demon, to the point that others cannot distinguish between them. This is the fundamental operating rule for playing magic.
However, let's turn our attention to this Miss Pazuzu. Does she really, uh, really resemble the Great Demon Pazuzu?
If someone were to say that she is truly very similar to the great demon Pazuzu, with identical appearance, inner qualities, and behaviors, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other—the dead Pazuzu would probably be so angry that he would come back to life.
In reality, if we calmly and honestly admit it, the resemblance between the character "Magical Girl Pazuzu" and the real Pazuzu is... barely noticeable. It's like pointing at a fourteen-year-old girl with blonde hair and a cowlick and insisting she's King Arthur—something a sane outsider would say, "Are you kidding me?"
Pazuzu elements? Yes, they exist. The same as Pazuzu? That's blatant lying. The image of that powerful demon has completely collapsed!
【Magical Girl Pazuzu】This is not a perfect role-playing magic at all.
Secondly, Hayden himself had used the magic of impersonating a deity. He had twice donned a wolf skin to transform into a beast god and fight, and each time he was indeed able to unleash power on par with a land god—however, he always managed to do so by borrowing the energy of the earth's veins.
But where does the energy of [Magical Girl Pazuzu] come from?
Industrial ley line energy? Definitely not. Hayden was watching from the side, and he didn't sense any trace of the flow of ley line energy.
The spiritual energy provided by the Astral Network for its fans? Unlikely, since yesterday was her first official live stream, and the number of loyal fans was far too small. Hayden didn't know how much energy it would take to instantly materialize an astral body and perform those actions in the material world, but it was at least of industrial production quality. A quick mental calculation showed that a group of casually watching live streams couldn't effectively produce that amount.
So, was it the residual energy of the deceased Pazuzu's "name" that was being used? Names possess power. Some gods and demons, due to their immense power in life, leave behind remnants of power in their names even after death. Hayden often stole the power of these remnants... but since it's described as remnants, it's clearly impossible for it to possess such immense power.
In that case, is the "Kowtow Bug" system, which Smoke Mirror Company recently developed in collaboration with Mitra Group's Americas branch, providing the energy? This possibility is hard to rule out. Hayden has heard that the "Kowtow Bug" system currently has flaws; the energy it produces is too violent for production and storage, and must be consumed as quickly as possible each day, otherwise it could easily damage the system equipment.
It wouldn't be surprising if the goddess Mikkuri casually extracted a portion of this energy and used it on [Magical Girl Pazuzu].
But then again, since this energy is already so violent, how could it possibly extract the concept of disease from the sick boy's body and materialize it into a monster to kill him, like in yesterday's surprise live stream? That's a very delicate magical ritual. First, find the concept of disease within the body, then precisely extract it, use a large amount of magic to create a shell for it that's no weaker than a mid-level demon, and then destroy it along with the shell—if this were done with uncontrollable, violent energy, the little boy would have been killed long ago.
Moreover, when it comes to this "rage," Hayden remembers that when he played the role of a god, his mind was almost confused or even driven crazy, turning into the mind of a beast.
When Pania transformed into [Magical Girl Pazuzu], her personality clearly became somewhat strange. However, it's not entirely accurate to say that her mind was completely taken over by Pazuzu's original personality.
"In conclusion, I believe this is a completely new kind of magic, based on classical witchcraft but with modern improvements."
Hayden said this after returning home, to a safe place.
"I suspect that it might not be magic at all, and I don't know where the energy came from."
After hearing this, Angela looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by 'pointing at a fourteen-year-old girl with blonde hair and a cowlick and insisting that she is King Arthur'?"
Hayden had no choice but to explain to Angela what constituted commercially motivated cultural creation, and the rampant phenomenon of anthropomorphizing characters in anime and manga for profit: "These days, more and more legendary heroes from ancient times, or ancient gods who died, are being anthropomorphized in artistic creations into characters who only share the same name but whose personalities are completely ruined. While this isn't entirely a bad thing, it's quite awkward when it happens too often..."
Upon hearing this, Angela tilted her head and said, "Isn't this exactly the same situation as [Magical Girl Pazuzu] right now?"
That was a brilliant boomerang. Hayden was speechless.
Indeed, that's exactly what Pazuzu is like now. 【Magical Girl Pazuzu】is no longer the real Pazuzu, but a female version of herself who has been transformed into a character with only a name, but whose personality has been completely ruined.
But she still possesses the true power of Pazuzu.
She is a character who possesses the name and power of Pazuzu, but whose character is completely ruined.
Thinking about this, Hayden finally realized:
"This isn't just playing magic...this is conceptual magic that redefines the name 'Pazuzu'!"
This isn't some perfect role-playing exercise, and there's really no need to strive for perfection. What use would creating an exact replica of Pazuzu be to Smoke Mirror Company? What benefit could a completely identical Great Demon Pazuzu bring to the company?
To be honest, the Smoke Mirror Company essentially modified the remains of the dead Pazuzu (metaphorically speaking), altered its remaining power, and then gave the remains a new core and heart—ultimately creating a new "Pazuzu"!
This is the arcane art of transforming and resurrecting the corpses of dead gods and demons (metaphorically speaking) into new gods and demons!
"Dead people are one thing; I've known for a long time that Smoke Mirror Company has ways to utilize both the living and the dead. But those are dead demons! What terrifying technology! It's truly frightening!"
Thinking of this, Hayden couldn't help but clutch his head and complain.
"As expected of Smoke Mirror's 'Life Construction' company, they can even revive and modify the lives of ancient gods and demons who have died!? But even so, where does all this energy come from?"
Even if he could come up with the answer to one question, many more would follow. Hayden's innate intuition was constantly at work, making him vaguely realize that a part of this energy might indeed come from the [Kowtowing Bug] system... but it should only be a part of it, only half of it.
The excessively violent energy, prayed for through the [Kowtowing Bug] system, satisfied half of [Magical Girl Pazuzu's] energy needs. But what exactly was the other half? What kind of energy could possibly have so much of it, while also being able to neutralize the violent prayer energy?
Angela seemed to sense Hayden's thoughts at this moment and immediately frowned: "Master, please do not easily come into contact with this technology. Technology related to death is generally not good for your health."
Hayden, however, had already thought of something else and shook his head: "No. Angela, you should also realize that this technology can greatly help my research in the field of life magic. Not only that, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Strange flames flickered in his eyes, as if he were looking at something very distant.
"This is a technology that can 'revive' vanished gods and demons to some extent. Don't you understand what that means?"
How could Angela not understand?
"You want to use this technology to resurrect Mr. Alastor, who has become a spirit of a ley line dragon and whose self-awareness has faded, right?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully: "To be honest, Master, I don't think this is a technology that can bring the dead back to life. Resurrection is never an easy thing. Putting the same cloned personality into a new body is clearly far from being called resurrection."
"However, on the other hand, Mr. Alastor, who was permanently suspended in a state of slumber by you, was not actually dead. He did not die, nor did he become an undead creature—perhaps this technology is just right for him."
Hearing this, Hayden finally couldn't help but ask a question that had been puzzling him for some time: "You seem to really dislike undead creatures?"
Angela actually nodded: "That's true. I don't like undead creatures."
It's quite rare for Angela to say she doesn't like anything.
“But let’s not talk about that yet.” Angela quickly changed the subject, asking curiously, “So, Master, what are your specific plans for reversing Mr. Alastor’s regrettable but potentially reversible semi-death state?”
"Of course, we need to first draft a specific cooperation project with the Smoke Mirror Company and discuss exactly what we want to do for Goddess Micket."
Hayden stroked his chin.
"The remaining half of the energy source is still unclear, and we also need to obtain the specific techniques. If we haven't agreed on the terms, she obviously won't let us see these advanced technologies."
It's clear that the goddess Mikkelsen doesn't mind showing Hayden which technologies are feasible; she won't try to avoid it. But she's certainly not foolish enough to let Hayden directly see the specific secrets within the technology.
Furthermore, Goddess Mikkuri knew that Hayden was in charge of technology development under Kallen (or the Peacock King). The fact that she was confident enough to send a technician to her territory to look around without worrying about the technology leaking already indicated that this matter was not easy to handle…
On the other hand, although Hayden was using the Peacock King's name and the banner of unlocking the secret fire, he couldn't actually use Angela's life essence to deliver goods to the Smoke Mirror Company—that would cause huge problems. This path was not feasible.
“Master, I have a different opinion on this matter.”
At that moment, Angela enthusiastically raised her hand.
"Instead of making a deal with that vampire, how about we try poaching her directly from Miss Panya, who uses magic herself?"
Why does she keep trying to get herself to do these kinds of things?
Hayden was completely baffled.
151: The Man in the Suit
[To put it simply, you're using my father's name to try and swindle people at the Smoke Mirror Company, and you're even trying to get me to give you more technical information to scam them out of?]
After hearing Hayden's report, even Karen was speechless.
Didn't I tell you to take a leave of absence and not work for the time being?
“Having heard about Pazuzu, how could I not investigate at all? Now I know that it wasn’t that Pazuzu was really resurrected, but that Smoke Mirror Company was up to something—but who knew what was going on in the first place?”
Hayden, however, did not believe he had done anything wrong.
"If Pazuzu really has been resurrected, it will come looking for trouble sooner or later. Especially you, you used the climate control system to blast it to smithereens, it must hate you to death and will definitely make you its target for revenge. How can I just leave this matter unresolved?"
Why would I be afraid of its revenge? Even if it resurrects and comes looking for trouble, I can just kill it.
Karen is a woman who literally inherited the fighting genes of a martial god, so why would she fear a demon seeking revenge? Her businesses have been thriving lately, her strength is growing, and she's regained proficiency in martial arts she'd neglected. If she were to unleash the [Five-Colored Divine Light] and fight Pazuzu one-on-one, she'd likely have the upper hand.
Besides, what company boss is so crazy and idle as to challenge you, the great demon, to a one-on-one fight? Don't you know how to call for reinforcements?
If Pazuzu's full strength were restored during his lifetime, it might indeed be comparable to Kallen's current individual combat power. However, Kallen's painstaking efforts in managing her businesses and developing her influence have created a level of power that Pazuzu could never match.
That being said, everyone knows Karen's personality. Although she was actually not afraid and scoffed at it verbally, she was actually quite pleased to hear Hayden say he cared about her.
Even so, you don't need to deal directly with Miktikahiva.
But she still frowned and said,
"You really want to get resurrection-related life magic technology from her? It's not like we haven't been researching similar things. The demi-humans of the King Kong tribe already have magic that temporarily resurrects the dead through flesh and blood; we can further improve it!"
Actually, the demi-humans in New Sprout City are no longer demi-humans. Since Karen has helped them obtain official identification codes, they are now legal humans. It's just that everyone is used to calling them that and hasn't changed their way of addressing them.
"The flesh-and-blood resurrection magic of the King Kong Tribe has too many flaws. It would take too much time to improve and develop it again. Instead, using the existing technology of Smoke Mirror Company is more suitable to complement our technology."
Hayden frowned as he finished speaking.
"Resurrection, immortality, and the conquest of death—these are the most profound mysteries of magic, and modern magical technology has yet to fully relinquish these laurels. All related technologies are still imperfect, and the Smoke Mirror Company is the master among all imperfections. That is why we cannot abandon their technology… You surely understand this reasoning."
"Aren't we all comrades who want to conquer death and overcome illness? How can we suddenly hesitate here?"
Now it was Karen's turn to be speechless.
Hayden's intuition was always sharp, and he immediately realized the reason: "Don't you want me to have too much to do with Miktikashiva? Are you worried that she will pose a danger to me—and you already know her?"
Thinking back, Hayden had noticed something odd about Mikkelsen's tone when they were having dinner and talking. She spoke of Karen as if they were very close.
Karen's reaction was exactly as Hayden had predicted. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke: "Yes, I have known Miktikashiva since I was very young. I may not be qualified to say this, because my father was never human—but I still have to say, the higher-ups at Smoke Mirror Corporation are truly inhuman. Their values are different from humans. I don't recommend you get too close to them."
These words should have made Hayden feel very strange.
But that wasn't actually the case. He pondered Karen's warning for a while, and a chill ran down his spine. Karen's words were certainly not unfounded.
But... why is that?
“I actually know that the god Miktti Kashiva is very strange. We often complain that evil capitalists are inhuman, but in reality they are all human, just modern people with divine power. Miktti Kashiva is the first capitalist god I have ever felt is ‘inhuman’.”
Hayden, recalling his previous dinner with the goddess Mikkelsen, then reminisced about the situation.
“It’s not that we haven’t dealt with ferocious gods and demons. Pazuzu is also very brutal, evil, and inhuman. But I always feel that Miktiti Kashiva’s ‘inhumanity’ is quite different from Pazuzu’s.”
He rubbed his temples, somewhat confused.
“I always felt that compared to other gods and demons, Miktti Kashiva was like a monster wearing a human skin…”
You've hit the nail on the head.
Karen gave a dry laugh.