In desperation, the Goddess of the Dark Moon's expression changed drastically, and she mustered all her divine power to fight head-on!
Dark Moon! Witness me!!
Facing the giant hand of stars falling from the sky, she reached out and drew an arc in the void, creating a cold and dark mysterious moon that flew towards the giant hand of stars!
The two forces collided head-on, shattering the moon and stars, as if the universe had just begun in a small world.
Hayden, wielding the ultimate power of the Great Project (arsmagna), possessed absolute advantage and a clear objective, showing no sign of anxiety or worry.
On the contrary, the Demon Goddess felt her whole body creaking and groaning, and the pressure was getting greater and greater!
"Break apart."
As Hayden spoke, he pressed his right hand down completely.
With a sharp crack, the dark moon was crushed by the giant hand of the stars in the sky.
Even the demon goddess, helpless beneath the moon, was struck by this descending giant hand. All her magic and divine power were shattered, and she was gently pressed down by the giant hand, almost unable to move.
The outcome has been decided.
This is just like back then, when Karen used the New Yatu climate control system to obliterate the great demon Pazuzu with a single finger.
Although Hayden has only produced a great project in a hurry, since it was designed against the great devil Hecate, it naturally possesses the same power.
Even the great demon was stunned for a moment, with only one sentence remaining in his mind:
(how so!?)
How could I have been blasted down by a mere half-baked human wizard who wasn't even at the god level?!
"The battle is over. I only need to exert a little force to crush you into a pulp. Although you ancient gods from beyond the heavens will not die, if I kill you a few more times, dozens or even hundreds of times, you will become idiots like Terasque due to insufficient secret fire."
Hayden said calmly,
"Unfortunately, this doesn't meet my needs. I'm fighting you just to get the people you kidnapped back, and crushing you might not achieve that goal—but that doesn't mean I can't."
"I'm not going to play word games with you, so hurry up and release my people, and I'll let you go today."
In conclusion...
Under the prepared and targeted attack, Hecate of the Dark Moon had become like a mosquito in Hayden's palm, ready to be crushed at any moment.
Adam had asked Hayden for help in capturing this great demon, but after careful consideration, Hayden decided not to get involved. He could indeed crush her and hand her over to Adam for money, but Adam wasn't exactly a saint either, and there was no need to rush things. The priority was to rescue Abigail first; whether to release her or capture her, everything else could be dealt with later.
Everything was prioritized on the lives of the innocent, or rather, those who should be saved. Hayden decided to act on this principle, and it was by no means a wrong idea.
That being said... the demoness, pinned under Hayden's giant hand, would only grow angrier upon hearing this, furious beyond measure!
Enraged, the demoness, who was being held down by the giant hand, suddenly let out a shrill laugh!
You want me to return him to you? Fine! Okay!!
In his near-out-of-control rage, this seemingly naked demon somehow conjured up a palm-sized object from nowhere.
【Fine, I'll give it back to you right now!】
It was a black metal fragment of indeterminate material. Although it didn't look particularly bright, its shape resembled the tip of a sword, extremely sharp and spotless, without any rust.
Even ordinary mortals, upon seeing this fragment, immediately realize its overwhelming presence; it's impossible to ignore it even if one tries. Just looking at this fragment gives people the illusion that "their neck has been severed," or as if an unseen hand is strangling them.
Angela, who had been holding the unconscious "little girl" standing beside her, exclaimed "Huh?" and frowned when she saw the fragment: "Oh dear, Master, this is a bit troublesome."
She rarely says things like that.
...So at that moment, Hayden did hesitate for a moment.
He has a choice.
He could choose to crush the great demon right here and resolve the chaos, only needing to sacrifice the unfortunate Abigail as the price.
...But is it really necessary to consider this cost?
He made the decision in a millisecond.
So the Goddess of the Dark Moon raised the black, sharp shard high and slashed her own arm.
The cut caused her to bleed like flames, and at the same time severed something... something Hayden had just been holding in his left hand.
In that instant, even Hayden immediately realized—this was a huge problem.
【Aa ...
The Goddess of the Dark Moon screamed in agony.
It was an extremely piercing wail, a mournful cry, as painful as death itself.
But at the same time, Hayden's vast, starry hands could no longer hold her.
Hayden's prophetic insight told him that beyond the myriad phenomena of the universe, behind the curtain of time and space, somewhere, something like a gear was turning with a clanging sound, undergoing an unusual operation.
It was as if reality and history themselves had been reorganized at this moment.
"Hmm? That's strange, what's going on?"
This was so absurd that Hayden couldn't even fully process it at first. He initially tried to adjust the magic, to adjust the power of the Great Project, trying to recapture the great demon based on the connection of blood and cause and effect.
But the program of this great project, and all the spiritual computers present, simultaneously reported the same result to Hayden:
[Cannot find the target]
Unable to lock onto the great demon Hecate.
Hayden: ? ? ?
In the next instant, Dark Moon escaped the clutches of the giant hand of stars.
For some unknown reason, as she used the black shard to cut herself, the Dark Moon Goddess's aura immediately surged, increased dramatically, and intensified. Even though she had cut herself, her divine power at this moment was at least five or ten times stronger than ever before—incomparably cold, incomparably mysterious, and incomparably terrifying!
What on earth is going on? Could this black fragment actually be some kind of artifact that can enhance her Old God power? But if that's the case, why didn't she use it sooner, instead of waiting until Hayden was about to crush her? What if Hayden had actually crushed her first? Wouldn't it have all been for nothing?
The Dark Moon Goddess is now behaving more strangely than ever before; even Hayden's grand engineering feat can no longer capture her. It's not that her power is insufficient, but rather that she cannot lock onto or locate her target. What on earth is going on?!
He didn't know. Not only did he not know, but although the Dark Moon Goddess had become stronger, her expression was now one of gritted teeth and extreme resentment, showing no joy whatsoever at her increased power. On the contrary, she was so furious that the cold light of the Dark Moon transformed into a flood and sharp swords surging from her hands, rushing towards Hayden!
The scene has become ten times more chaotic than before!
In the blink of an eye, Angela also sprang into action. Holding the unconscious "little girl" in her arms and grabbing Hayden, she turned and ran, avoiding Dark Moon's sharp edge!
"what happened!?"
Because the situation was so strange, Hayden quickly asked her.
“This situation is really not right. Can you forcibly draw upon the power of this great demon Hecate to fight back, just like you did with the Peacock King before?”
Just how powerful is Angela?
This was a mystery to Hayden, but there were at least some things he could understand. For example, Angela had at least demonstrated combat power capable of fighting Pazuzu; her energy output seemed to depend on the strength of her mech, and she could at least kill a War God with a single punch. High-ranking demons were completely restrained by Angela, weaker than a chopstick.
So Hayden originally thought that Angela would also be able to restrain the great devil Hecate.
However, Angela shook her head upon hearing this: "Master, she is no longer Hecate."
This truly surprised Hayden more than anything else: "Huh!?"
Angela didn't explain in detail.
Instead, after creating some distance with Hayden, she turned to look at the demoness and spoke to the evil god.
“You have abandoned your name and are no longer a fallen angel. You are now a nameless being.”
For some reason, Angela showed a rare hint of sadness and sorrow as she spoke.
"But do you know what you're really giving up? Do you know what price you'll have to pay?"
Of course I know! I wouldn't have acted so hastily without being fully prepared if I hadn't been forced into it!
In response to Angela's sorrowful question, the Goddess of the Dark Moon responded with even deeper resentment.
"Without a name, there is no destiny"—this is the incantation your master just chanted!
216: Blasphemy
They were all dashing and spirited.
His appearance surpassed that of ordinary people, possessing the majesty of a king.
They are all the rulers who have seats in heaven;
Although their name is associated with rebellion
It has been crossed out of the Book of Life.
In the memories of all beings in the heavens, now
Forgotten
...Paradise Lost, Volume One
————————————————————————————
Hayden's great engineering arcane spells, originally intended specifically to target the great demon Hecate, have now lost their target and can no longer be locked onto.
No matter how powerful a missile is, it's just scrap metal if it can't target its intended target. Similarly, if Hayden can't refocus his arcane ritual on the Dark Moon Goddess, all his power will be useless—but why is that? What's going on?
Fortunately, Hayden wasn't stupid. Hearing Angela's words, he immediately realized: "Hecate cut off her own name!?"
Angela shook her head: "Not just the name, Master. She abandoned her essence along with her name."
Her words already revealed a hint of sadness.
"A name is part of one's existence; a name contains power; a name interprets one's essence and is also connected to one's destiny. To sever one's name is more harmful than severing one's own limbs."
A true name defines the self and connects to destiny. Therefore, it is widely known that magical cultures worldwide employ methods to curse or bless others through names. Influencing others through names is the foundation of communion magic.
Hayden's grand engineering magic ritual, which he prepared and performed this time, also utilized the same principle. Only through the name and definition of "Great Demon Hecate" could he draw her out with his own blood karma and attack her specifically. Conversely, once this name was lost, the power of the entire ritual lost its target and had to be calibrated and locked onto using other methods.
...That being said, although a name has such a great influence and is a well-known weakness, Hayden had never heard of anyone being able to cut off their real name and become "nameless." What kind of technique is that?
Thinking of this, Hayden couldn't help but look at the black fragment in the nameless goddess's hand—this was indeed a unique artifact of the ancient gods from beyond the heavens.
Only the now-nameless goddess of the dark moon could answer Hayden's question.
Ever since she cut herself with that sharp little black shard, causing her to bleed like flames, her divine power immediately surged and increased wildly.
The aura emanating from her now is less like abandoning herself and more like an adult insect shedding its shell. The black fragment seems to have cut away something heavy within her, making her power five or ten times stronger than before.
This should have brought immense joy to anyone, yet the nameless goddess was not happy. She gazed at Hayden, the hidden red in her eyes beginning to tinge with the dark glow of the moon, radiating a gaze that almost carried a physical pressure.
His eyes burned with resentment.
But she didn't yell or scream, didn't get angry or shout at the top of her lungs. Instead, the nameless goddess suppressed her intense anger, her shoulders rising and falling as if taking a deep breath.
"...I'm extremely, extremely annoyed right now. But strictly speaking, there's really nothing to complain about."
That rage seemed destined to be endless, yet the goddess's face suddenly returned to calm.
The change was like a taut string suddenly snapping. The change was so drastic that even Hayden, who was confronting her, found it quite unusual.
And Hayden was genuinely confused: Hadn't your energy already increased dramatically, five or ten times over? What is there to complain about?
unless,
...Unless she cuts herself, and while her divine power increases tenfold, she also pays a price and loses something.
Complaining about you is pointless. Objectively speaking, the witchcraft you used to bind me was indeed powerful, forcing me to temporarily use an incomplete sword fragment to separate my name from my essence.
The now-nameless goddess looked at Hayden and continued in a low voice,
[That's right. This is the divine sword left behind by your father-in-law, Peacock; it's a fragment that broke off from his sword.]
[I have planned for hundreds of years, spending countless years, to first gather all the fragments, and then, through the complete divine sword and ritual, commit suicide, abandoning this useless name and body, breaking free from the shackles of fate, and perfectly transforming into a transcendent true god, immortal and indestructible, with no weaknesses.]
However, because of the witchcraft Hayden performed through blood and name, and because of the great project Hayden had prepared, she had to temporarily sever her name (self) and essence (blood) with fragments.
Actually, I can't blame you for this. After all, it was a fair fight. This simmering anger inside me... is just me venting my frustration.
The nameless goddess chuckled softly as she spoke. The laughter sounded unpleasant, instead radiating an increasingly cold, dangerous anger, like liquid nitrogen.
Hey, maybe this is fate. Whether a prophet or a seer, anyone who tries to escape the shackles of fate will ultimately be toyed with by it.
The female evil god shook her head dejectedly at this point.
[Fine, whatever. Enough complaining... Originally, since you dragged me into this, I'd just kill you, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to skin you alive, make you scream in agony until you beg for death. Because I'm furious.]
噫