"Their power is no match for it. Although I resurrected my master, you did not gain any new power, and your fighting strength is no greater than before your death. What do you intend to do?"
As Angela said, although Hayden was resurrected once, he did not become stronger. He did not level up, nor did he gain any new cheat codes.
He was just an ordinary person who was resurrected by Angela and barely avoided dying.
In contrast, the stillborn child now possesses boundless divine power and is beating two ancient god-level demons. These are both true god-level combatants.
Hayden, to put it more grandly, was merely a wizard who didn't contribute much to the War God race.
What good would it do him to be resurrected now?
can
"Hey, life is so unpredictable."
Hayden rubbed his temples and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Over the past few years, I have never stopped learning and researching in search of power. Unexpectedly, my so-called rationality has prevented me from truly trusting the source of wisdom right beside me, and has prevented me from moving forward. And the mystery of this wisdom is even more beyond my imagination."
Perhaps it was because Hayden had always subtly resisted, not wanting his power and wisdom to originate from vague intuition or fate. Perhaps he hoped all his power was the result of his own continuous learning, practice, and research… However, there are mysteries at play. Death and the underworld made Hayden look back on his past, and at the same time, they increased his insight to a level that even he himself did not understand.
Since ancient times, death and the wisdom of prophets have been closely associated.
Now, reflecting on his life in the afterlife, Hayden has come to understand. This profound and unparalleled wisdom makes him smile involuntarily.
His fighting ability did not increase.
But did he need to increase his combat power to defeat the stillborn child? Absolutely not. He wasn't the strongest fighter in the team to begin with. He relied on his intelligence.
Like the mystery of resurrection, true wisdom does not require dazzling visual effects.
"Come with me, Angela."
Hayden looked up at the stillborn fetus in the night sky.
"I have attained the wisdom of spirit and flesh. I have understood its origin and know its principles."
"Let us go and absolve ourselves of this sin."
225: The Unborn
The material earth of life
Sea of Deathly Spirits
The two opposing forces are still locked in battle.
That being said, they are not entirely without commonalities. As a fallen angel, Astaroth could not possibly be completely devoid of spiritual qualities.
On the other hand, this stillborn fetus could never be a complete spirit.
Thus, the battle between the two sides resembled the opposing forces of Yin and Yang, with each side attacking and killing the other while maneuvering.
An ancient saying goes, "When Yin and Yang contend, life and death are separated." This struggle between Yin and Yang brings disaster and plague to the world. Their power struggle between the supernatural and the material simultaneously affects the natural environment of both the spiritual and physical worlds, influencing celestial phenomena and the land. Dark clouds obscure the moonlight, and the lightning of the spirits, as if imbued with life, strikes down, killing and stealing people's souls.
These people were either Astaroth's assets or her customers. If they were to be slaughtered and devoured by the stillborn fetuses, Astaroth would suffer a huge financial loss. Unfortunately, she couldn't protect everyone at the moment, so she could only divide the city's inhabitants into different classes, prioritizing the protection of wealthy customers.
She didn't want all the people of Fallen City to die; she really didn't, after all, they were what made her money. But Astaroth truly couldn't spare the power to protect them right now.
Especially the poorest people in the city's lowest slums. They already lacked even the most basic protection, making them incredibly vulnerable. Furthermore, being so close to the sea, they were even more severely affected by the eerie environmental changes. What were once the outer walls of a space station were now possessed and corrupted by the undead, transformed into malevolent, haunted machines. The civilians scattered in panic, only to be captured and twisted by these machines, and then devoured by the spirit of the dead.
The lower levels of the Tower of Babylon now seem to be gradually merging with the underworld. The mechanical city is turning into a twisted hell. Countless human faces emerge on the walls scorched by the dark lightning, wailing incessantly like wound-up toy bells, emitting mournful cries before their death.
The streets of the slums were filled with a murky current of the dead, writhing and reaching out to the collapsing buildings, crawling around and devouring those who couldn't escape in time.
A small group of residents had just escaped from their homes when a truck, seemingly possessed by a ghost, pounced on them from behind. The poor were naturally defenseless and could only flee for their lives.
Strangely enough, when the haunted truck struck the first victim, the poor man should have already died, his soul taken by the stillborn fetus. However, the haunted truck didn't immediately chase after the next target; instead, it ran over his body from both ends—as if venting the rage of the evil spirit.
The material world and the spiritual world overlap vividly here, eroding and tearing at each other.
fortunately,
Fortunately, there are other forces here that will lend a helping hand.
Just as the ghost truck was about to pounce on its next victim, a blade of light, as bright as the moon, flashed out from its shadow. The katana struck the haunted truck, instantly cleaving it into countless fragments.
It was the ninja Momiji. She emerged from the shadows, cleaved the haunted truck in two with a single slash, and turned back to shout at the stunned residents, "Don't stand there! Get to the union building for refuge!"
After watching the residents flee into the distance, Hongye took one last look around the city, now corrupted by the underworld. Even now, the spirits continued to surge in like a tide. Young and old, all the ghosts wore expressions of terror, their eyes bulging from their decaying forms. Mud spontaneously seeped from the city streets, a supernatural stench permeated the air, and even the air itself began to defy the laws of physics.
The dead can possess objects, influencing their properties and actions. This is common knowledge and nothing surprising. But just how many dead would it take to possess an entire city?
Having received enhancements from Hayden and the others, Hongye's strength was now comparable to that of a standard battle god. Furthermore, she possessed a small portion of ghostly and shadowy attributes, allowing her to move freely in this place. Just looking at the truly hellish scene around her, Hongye couldn't help but feel troubled.
In her eyes, it all seemed like a giant wave of sin.
what on earth is it?
On the other hand, Professor Albion was also considering the same problem at the union building.
He was already among the highest-ranking mortal mages, and had also consumed the elixir given to him by Hayden. Although the professor's individual contribution was slightly less, combined with his wisdom and knowledge, he could accomplish even more than the War Gods. He was currently leading the mages of the Sophia Order, directing the workers to help set up a temporary shelter barrier in the guild building, managing to hold out against the attack from two realms and protecting many civilians.
However, even Professor Albion couldn't help but consider the same question at this moment:
what on earth is it?
Hayden went to the bottom of the dead sea to hold a grand engineering ceremony, and not much time had passed since then, but now the sea surface has become this horrible place.
The professor certainly didn't think Hayden would deliberately create a stillborn spirit to kill everyone, but even he couldn't help but wonder if Hayden had made a mistake in his spell and caused trouble.
How long can they sustain themselves with the resources they have? And when exactly will Hayden return from the seabed?
Similarly, the Sofia Order also began to stir. They followed Hayden primarily to seek his knowledge and wisdom, and also because Bogomir had been keeping them in check. Now that Hayden was not returning and the situation had suddenly changed, the members of the Order began to have second thoughts.
Of course, many scholars in the cult are fanatical, obsessed with knowledge, truth, and the Great Way. Even when death is at their doorstep, they will be busy taking photos, recording data, and testing data.
"Aha! This is a spacetime anomaly we've never seen before! Quickly, record it all!"
Has the duality between the spiritual and the material world dissolved? What exactly is driving this?
The experts continued their excited discussion, offering various hypotheses.
Unfortunately, a religious organization can never be composed entirely of fanatics or fanatics.
Inevitably, there are still more normal people who are afraid of death.
"Time and space shift, spirit and flesh clash. This [Fallen City] is about to be sucked into the underworld..."
"Such a large spacetime transformation must have a reason. I think there's something wrong with Hayden's great engineering ritual. Look at the incantation he left behind, the structure is written too roughly."
"Why would Mentor Bogomir believe that young wizard brat's words..."
Many such discussions could be heard around.
They murmured amongst themselves, partly complaining, but also partly out of fear. The experts of the Sophia Order had all received classical magical spiritual training, making their mental strength far superior to that of ordinary people. Yet, even so, they were still, in essence, mortal humans.
When the divine calamity struck, even this sturdy shelter, protected by multiple layers of barriers, was at risk of being swept up in the clash between spirit and flesh. Everyone felt uneasy. Whether you were an expert or not, you could only wait anxiously with the thousands of poor people living nearby for the situation to change.
Bogomir also heard the complaints of the believers, frowned slightly, and glanced at them.
"This building was enchanted and reinforced by our own hands, not by the Prophet. When we finished, we believed it could even withstand the bombardment of a Protoss-level weapon. Now, you're starting to get scared just because it shook a little?"
Several followers immediately fell silent, their expressions somewhat fearful. They might have doubts about Hayden, this newcomer, but the Grand Master Bogomir had long held considerable power. His beliefs and authority were something these followers dared not disobey.
“The prophet Hayden is doing what he is supposed to do at the bottom of the sea. You must hold firm to your faith and maintain the protective barrier of the refuge. We just need to hold on and wait for him to return.”
So Bogomir said decisively, and then sent those so-called experts away to shut up and focus on their work.
...That being said, although Bogomir said so, the complaints of these experts still disturbed his thoughts.
Without a doubt, Bogomir didn't actually know what had happened to Hayden. Perhaps that self-proclaimed prophet really messed things up underwater. Next, everyone would be swallowed by the underworld and die a miserable death.
He's under immense psychological pressure right now, even more so than others. This is because Bogomir actually has the option to escape. The spacetime blockade has been lifted; the Dead Sea is currently just experiencing spacetime chaos. If you're powerful enough, you can certainly teleport away. Bogomir even has a way to teleport away with several people.
In fact, several close followers had secretly come to him and hinted, "Great Master, no matter what the reason, we should conserve our strength and consider the future situation!"
After all, who doesn't want to live?
...But on the other hand, Bogomir dared not run away. Because if he did, and if all the academic experts of the Order fled—and then Hayden suddenly sent a message after they teleported away, asking them to prepare for the Second Great Project again, or to help with something else—wouldn't that be a huge problem?
The power of Arcane Industries does not reside in itself. Its core may be a master craftsman, but the peripheral systems rely on the coordination and support of subordinates. If these top technical experts were to leave, Hayden alone would absolutely not be able to orchestrate a second Great Engineering Ceremony.
...But then again, who knows what Hayden's situation is now? Perhaps his first great project has failed, perhaps he's already dead. Perhaps Bogomir would be foolish to stay here instead of fleeing.
So Bogomir was experiencing a complex mix of emotions. He did have something that could be called faith or conviction, preventing him from simply running away. But at the same time, he was a leader. A leader of an organization couldn't be too obsessed; his instincts and reason seemed to be screaming at him, urging him to take off running and teleport away.
That's just human nature.
Once a leader or guide leaves the organization, people's beliefs quickly waver. Even if a prophet has performed a miracle that split the sea in two, if he leaves even for a short while, believers will turn to worship and follow other religions.
Fortunately, Hayden didn't intend to make them wait that long.
[Bogomir, can you hear me?]
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the building's shelter. Everyone there recognized the voice. Everyone immediately realized it was Hayden's voice.
Although the sound didn't travel through the air, it suddenly echoed throughout the shelter. Red Leaf was outside fighting monsters and rescuing people, but Professor Albion immediately moved closer to the sound to avoid missing any important conversation. However, Hayden's next words were:
I'm still underwater, but things must be terrible up here. How are you all? Are you holding on?
These words caused Bogomir and Professor Albion to exchange a moment of surprise, but Bogomir immediately answered truthfully: "We believe that the underworld is eroding the entire tower from the bottom up, which is why the supernatural changes in the lower area are particularly severe. However, the sanctuary barrier in the guild building can hold for a while longer. There have been no casualties among the cult and the workers, but everyone is very frightened. When will you be back? With you here, we can arrange for everyone to evacuate... or anything else."
We cannot evacuate. It's impossible to evacuate everyone from the Dead Sea under these circumstances. We need to solve the problem.
Then Hayden's next words surprised him.
So I'm still at the bottom of the sea, and I can't go back now. There are some things I need to do here, and some things you need to do on land.
You can't come back right now, and there are things we need to do for you now?
Bogomir was completely dumbfounded. "Are you really going to say something like that to everyone? Don't you know how panicked we are? If we knew the leader wasn't coming back, people might even explode!"
Bogomir, of course, couldn't say these things directly. Moreover, some of the people in the shelter had already begun to hesitate after hearing Hayden's words.
If this situation continues, something bad is bound to happen. As a rather experienced religious leader, Bogomir felt that Hayden had handled things far too carelessly this time.
—Until the next instant.
I need your faith and strength, and I need your personal assistance. Otherwise, death will devour this entire tower, and the sanctuary that is barely protecting you now will become a cage, where you will all be slaughtered.
Hayden spoke calmly, addressing everyone in the shelter.
[If the ghostly forces lurking outside your gates were to truly break free of this tower, the damage would be far beyond what's contained within the Dead Sea. For your own sake, and for the lives of your loved ones, are you still unwilling to do it?]
If someone else said these words, it would only cause greater chaos and panic.
However, Hayden's words now possessed a power, like a flaming sword piercing the minds of every listener. He wasn't trying to brainwash them; he was simply forcing everyone to hear, to realize that these were the truths.
As for what to do after listening, that's up to people themselves.
Soon, the surrounding crowd quieted down, no longer as tense and panicked as before. Hayden's few words had made the crowd obedient. Even through their voices, Bogomir could feel the powerful force emanating from his words.
That's certainly impressive... but it doesn't mean all the problems are solved.
So before any further unrest could occur, Bogomir hurriedly asked, “Prophet, what do you need us to do? Although we have no casualties, our equipment is severely damaged, and we are afraid we will not be able to prepare the ceremony for your second great project.”
A second great project? No need. The first one is enough.
Hayden's answer once again surprised him.
[Bogomir, have you considered what's really going on here?]
How could he not have considered this? Before becoming a religious figure, Bogomir was at least a scholar of magic: "A spirit of death has risen from the Dead Sea, wielding the power of an ancient god from beyond the heavens, and is leading the underworld and the dead to erode the material world. Unless it is defeated, the erosion and encroachment between these two realms will not cease. Unfortunately, the lord of Astaroth seems to be willing but unable to do so."
[She has indeed lost a lot of power, but it should have been enough to deal with a monster born from the blood of an ancient god from beyond the heavens. This situation is abnormal. Haven't you realized it yet?]
Hayden's voice was very serious.
[I have already taught you how to pull souls from death and nothingness. Our great project this time also uses a similar method to pull souls across time and space. They are essentially very similar. But regardless of the method, an anchor is needed in another realm to pull them. This is the foundation of all sympathetic magic, all causal magic.]
It's like cursing someone; you at least need that person's name, hair, or even blood. Since the two sides have absolutely no connection, even the greatest magical power can't curse the target because it's impossible to lock onto them.
This is similar to when Hayden fought the Dark Moon Goddess, and she removed her own name, so Hayden couldn't lock her down with the Great Project.
Angela had just told Hayden that anything that has ever existed will not disappear in the dimension of time. Therefore, she could use Hayden's body to pull his shattered soul back from nothingness. His body was his anchor at that moment.
Hayden had already grasped the meaning after hearing Angela's words.
Now, let's think about this situation from the opposite perspective:
This stillborn spirit was something that never truly existed. It never existed in this material world... If that's the case, what exactly is its anchor that allows it to pull the underworld over and erode the material world?
Or we can put this question more bluntly:
Where exactly is the physical body of this unborn being?