By the time Hayden and his companions rushed to the scene, the battle was already over.
This once-ancient temple ruin is now almost entirely collapsed. The floor has become a deep pit, filled with rubble and silt. Fresh signs of destruction, mostly scorch marks from fire, are visible on the walls and most of the ruins. The walls, floors, and ceilings are covered in scratches. Pitfalls and traces of melting are everywhere; anyone who looks closely will know that a battle once took place here.
And there were indeed bodies here. Several workers' bodies were scattered here, chopped up and charred.
Looking at these images alone, it's unlikely anyone could understand what exactly happened here.
Fortunately, there was another living person here.
In that deep, scarred, and dilapidated pit, lay a person.
The sight and the person were completely unexpected for Hayden. It wasn't Abigail, but a little girl who looked about fourteen years old, with waist-length black hair as dark as night, unconscious. Her skin was the palest color a human could call beautiful. Not snow-white, but very white, yet now covered in small wounds and cuts from which blood flowed, making her look as if she had just fought a small battle.
What's even stranger is that the little girl looks a lot like Abigail.
But she's definitely not Abigail. Even if she looks like her, she's definitely not.
Because Hayden realized the moment he saw her that this thing was not human at all.
Her breath was like the surging tides, her blood like burning flames, and her pale skin radiated moonlight, brimming with astonishing power. Even in her unconscious state, this power still carried a commanding and oppressive aura.
What are you commanding? Of course, you are commanding all things in the heavens, the earth, and the sea.
So this thing isn't human at all. Her physical form is a powerful form of magic.
Hayden had seen similar life forms before.
"I'm alive……?"
Just then, the thing opened its eyes and murmured in a voice very similar to Abigail's.
"what happened?"
Her eyes were a fiery red, and the flames were flickering slightly.
Therefore, after a moment of stunned silence, Hayden immediately turned to the others and gave the order: "Bring over the energy wavelength comparison table that Mars Group uses to issue wanted bounties!"
"Huh?" The thing sat up groggily. "What's going on?"
Hayden wanted to ask what was going on.
He took the device that compared the energy wavelengths of wanted criminals, scanned the humanoid creature that looked and spoke like Abigail, but was indescribable in every way, and immediately got the results:
Hecate, a wanted criminal of the Mars Group and an escaped demon.
212: The Weasel and the Raccoon in the Same Cave
Hecate, a wanted criminal of the Mars Group and an escaped demon.
Hayden stared at the results displayed on the scanning device for quite a while.
Then he turned to look at the "little girl" who was still sitting in the deep pit, looking dizzy and half-conscious.
Whether it was Hayden's intuition or the results of the scanning device, they all told him the same conclusion: although this black-haired, red-eyed "little girl" looked 80% similar to Abigail, she was definitely not human.
Because the power in her body, the spiritual energy in her body, and the fire in her eyes all represent only one thing—a genuine ancient god from beyond the heavens.
Hayden had personally witnessed several ancient gods from beyond the heavens, so he couldn't possibly be mistaken about the nature and origin of this power. Therefore, in his psychic eyes, this "little girl" appeared to be an indescribable being draped in human form, sending chills down the spines of those who could see these powers.
"Uh, Hayden, what's going on? Why are you looking at me like that?"
At the same time, the "little girl" also regained some of her senses and finally realized that something seemed wrong.
"What's wrong with me?"
She pinched her cheek, looked down at her hands, and saw her naked body, skin, and of course, her long, dark hair. She immediately understood the reason for Hayden's expression.
At the same time, she also sensed something else. As she understood it, a wave of dizziness washed over her mind and body. There was also a feeling of powerlessness… even a thirst, like fire surging from within her.
She had never felt so weak before, because she felt so hungry. Hungry like a wildfire, wanting to roar down the valley like a fire, wanting to devour everything in its path.
She also felt stronger than ever before. But this powerful body yearned to devour everything like fire, to fill its insatiable body.
So, for a fleeting moment, her hungry gaze shifted to Hayden. That yearning look was almost like that of a vampire goddess. Because Hayden was practically a fragrant, viscous body imbued with secret fire, like the flesh of Tang Sanzang within reach—and no matter how she was devoured, it could potentially satisfy her body's insatiable hunger.
However, Hayden simply watched her actions in silence.
Then, a look of astonishment and even fear finally appeared on the "little girl's" face, and she quickly covered her face and said to Hayden, "Hayden, I really am Abigail!"
Hayden scratched his head, his eyes lifeless, and handed her the energy scanning device to show her the results. The "little girl" looked even more bewildered.
"Of course I know you could be Abigail, but if you weren't, you would have said the same thing."
Then Hayden sighed.
"Even if you genuinely believe you are Abigail, you may not actually be. Even if you might be Abigail right now, it doesn't mean you will be later. Not to mention, you don't look like a real human being at all right now."
However, at the same time, she also happened to have a striking resemblance to Abigail, and spoke in that witch's tone. Hayden knew this, so things had now become very complicated.
Thinking this, he turned to the religious experts behind him:
“Abigail may have been possessed. Take her back to the lower level and isolate her for observation.”
————————————————————————————
And so, the "little girl" who was suspected to be the "Great Demon Hecate" was temporarily imprisoned.
She seemed to understand things, and never tried to resist from beginning to end; she was just pale-faced and looked very gloomy.
To be honest, Hayden wasn't in a good mood seeing her like this. However, the situation was that serious, and it absolutely couldn't be taken lightly. At the very least, she had to be isolated and thoroughly examined; otherwise, if something went wrong, it would be a matter of life and death.
Who knows if this "little girl" has been possessed by a great demon? Or bewitched by some insidious witchcraft? Or perhaps she has been cloned into a personality that thinks it is Abigail, but is actually a great demon inside? If that's the case, even she herself doesn't know her true identity.
Besides these, there are many traps that Hayden could never even imagine. Magical techniques have almost limitless possibilities. Aside from the absolutely impossible, an Old God of magic only needs a richer imagination than others to do what others cannot.
Before sending the "little girl" to quarantine, Hayden quickly notified Professor Albion and Angela, and had the ninja Momiji quickly search the entire underwater ruins—needless to say, she did not find the "real" Abigail, who might have been hidden.
Upon learning of the situation, the old professor rushed over. He glanced at the gloomy-faced "little girl" in the isolation room, then frowned at Hayden: "Hayden, are you sure she's not the real Abigail?"
Hayden gave a weak laugh: "Are you sure? I can't be sure of anything right now. All sorts of identification and diagnostic magic indicate that she is an Old God or a Greater Demon, and that she is in good physical health. The spell to detect mental influences didn't detect anything, but I can't be sure whether she really doesn't have one or if it's hidden. The spell to detect the soul can confirm that she has a soul, but I can't be sure whether it's her original soul."
That's how complicated things are.
It is extremely difficult and worrying for the weak to speculate on what the strong are capable of and what schemes they might plot. The best among the ancient gods of the heavens failed to defeat the Bodhisattva of Capital back then, but Hayden and his group were not the Bodhisattva of Capital.
Hayden has recently begun to grasp the mysteries and realms of divine power, and he has chosen a different development path than the capitalist gods. But this is only "grasping" it. To give an analogy, if the ancient gods from beyond the heavens are holding pistols, the capitalist bodhisattvas are holding machine guns, and mortals only have a utility knife, then Hayden is still researching gunpowder.
Hayden had no idea what tricks the ancient demoness could pull off with this magical technique.
Upon hearing this, the old professor frowned even more deeply: "Have you tried classical exorcism magic?"
Of course he tried. Not long after Hayden brought the "little girl" back, he thought he could try using an exorcism spell he hadn't had a chance to use in a long time. So he used silver foil to draw a three-layered concentric circle exorcism array outside the isolation room, engraved ancient divine names in gold, and then, holding aloft a six-pointed star amulet (lamen), gave the command to the "little girl":
"Evil spirit! I command you by the name of that great power! Speak your true name!"
However, the "little girl" inside the exorcism array looked at Hayden with a very helpless expression and sighed: "In my opinion, I must be Abigail myself."
Whether it's true or not, that's definitely what she thinks. Clearly, relying on this half-baked classical exorcism technique to break the great demon's plot is useless. Hayden, after all, isn't a professional when it comes to demons.
So how do professionals solve this problem?
"What is Miss Angela's opinion on this?"
Professor Albion asked.
He would naturally ask that question. Both the old professor and Hayden knew that Angela must have her own methods of perceiving and judging demons—the ancient gods from beyond the heavens. In fact, Hayden had already called Angela over. Once there, he pointed to the "little girl" in the isolation room and asked Angela who she was.
Angela looked at the "little girl" through the glass and immediately replied to Hayden, "Isn't that Hecate?"
Hayden's headache only worsened upon hearing this. But he still tried to ask, "Is this the real Hecate?"
Angela tilted her head, puzzled: "Master, are there any other women who aren't the real Hecate?"
Now even Hayden didn't know how to answer her.
So what should we do next?
The "little girl" of course says she is Abigail.
But Angela said she was the great devil Hecate.
“Master, I also believe this is an ancient god, not a human.” Even the ninja Momiji said so. “Demons can also feel pain and can be interrogated. I can interrogate her for you, Master.”
Yes, of course. Hayden could even torture this "little girl." The question is, is that really the right thing to do?
Could Hayden really do such a thing to someone who might be innocent, or even someone who might actually be Abigail's (friend)?
It is clearly neither possible nor appropriate.
So Hayden could only scratch his head, racking his brains—what should he do? Torture was out of the question; that would be too foolish. Similarly, he dared not use the sword of words to cut open the thing's soul. What if it was truly dead?
"In that case, we can only isolate her for a long time, observe her carefully, and examine her slowly."
Professor Albion frowned and said,
"But if the devil has only created a clone to play tricks on us here, while actually taking the real Abigail somewhere to torture, brainwash, or even transform her, then the problem is in trouble."
“I know,” Hayden replied, rubbing his forehead. “That’s why I had Red Leaf lead a thorough search of the entire underwater ruins. But now, let alone finding Abigail, we haven’t even found a trace of the kidnapping. We can’t be sure of anything… That’s the most troublesome thing right now.”
It was like a fog, like darkness. Unable to see the direction or know where to go, only anxiety filled my heart. The schemes of the great demon Hecate were truly terrifying.
The professor fell silent, stroking his beard in deep thought. A few minutes later, he suddenly spoke, asking, "Hayden, have you tried using time magic to find clues, shining a moonlight on the scene, and rewinding to see what happened?"
Hayden paused, then shook his head. "I tried it immediately, but it didn't work. Abigail has almost perfect resistance to time-space magic; the Moonlight can't rewind to see anything related to her. Her time-space resistance is a cursed contract Hecate placed on her. Presumably, that's why Hecate isn't worried about us using magic to rewind."
Otherwise, Hayden would already possess the world's most advanced detective skills—shining a moonlight on the scene to reflect the time and space of that moment, solving any mystery.
...That being said, Hayden suddenly had a potentially useful idea pop into his head as he finished speaking.
How did the newly emerging gods defeat the feudal old gods four hundred years ago?
Is it because the new god invented a particularly advanced technology? Yes, it is.
However, this so-called advancement did not mean that the new gods developed a shield that the old gods could never penetrate, nor did it mean that they themselves wielded spears that could absolutely pierce the old gods' defenses. The advancement at that time was not manifested in an absolute, overwhelming difference in quality.
The new gods' superiority lay in their production efficiency. While the old gods could produce one gun, the new gods could produce ten. While the old gods forged a single battle demon, the new gods had already created five battle gods. At that time, the quality difference in their fighting power wasn't actually that significant, but the difference in quantity was enormous.
Perhaps the same logic applies to Hayden?
"I've got an idea."
————————————————————————————
The isolation rooms prepared by the Sofia Order in the lower section were temporary and lacked any complex or special design. Apart from ensuring isolation, they contained almost nothing else.
A simple bed, a chair, a table, a few odds and ends, even the windows are one-way glass—and of course, there's no internet connection, no free exchange of information. Otherwise, what's the point of this isolation?
In other words, staying here is extremely boring.
However, the "little girl" lay on the bed, neither angry nor making a fuss. She simply lay there, occasionally sighing.
Because this "little girl" herself was well aware of the seriousness of the situation. She couldn't even be sure if she was the real Abigail.
What if she really is just a trap indoctrinated with a cloned personality? Isolating herself would be safer for everyone. Since the truth can't be confirmed right now, she can only wait and see. That's the only option.
...although she didn't want to call it an option.
So she could only lie on the bed, and she still feels mentally exhausted.
This "little girl" was not without confusion.
She didn't quite remember what happened before she lost consciousness. She only remembered that her contractor, the great demon Hecate, appeared and seemed to ask her to do something, but she didn't agree.
What happened next, and why things turned out this way, the "little girl" had no idea. She had no memory of that period.
But thinking about it afterwards, she found it very strange.
Why did she refuse her contracted master? Is she tired of living?
Those who make a pact with the devil are practically his slaves. Hecate could kill her with a single thought. Why did "she" refuse Hecate's request before? Honestly, the "little girl" believes she has always been very selfish. If she had to betray her friend and lick Hecate's feet to survive, based on her memories and past personality, she should have been capable of doing it.
Why did "she" suddenly change her personality today?
If "she" were given the choice again, "she" would definitely obediently kowtow to the contract holder.
The little girl was completely baffled by this.
Just then, Hayden politely knocked on the door of the isolation room and then appeared. Just seeing Hayden, whose secret desire was overflowing, the "little girl" immediately felt a new, irrepressible hunger, forcing her to quickly bury her head in the pillow to prevent her from drooling.
Hayden looked at the "little girl" lying limply on the bed, then asked, "Is there anything you want?"
These words made the already eager "little girl" tremble slightly on the bed: "Huh?"
Hayden waved his hand: "Or rather, do you have any requests? For example, regarding food, if you suddenly crave caviar or pelmeni, Angela can make it for you. Or if you want a velvet mattress, or if you really want to read or watch videos, that's fine too. I just don't dare to give you a messaging device."
Before he could finish speaking, the "little girl" was already speechless: "...Don't tell me you came all this way just to spout this nonsense."