With a sharp "crack," the combat suit was ripped apart, and even the angel doll's right arm was torn to shreds by a single claw. The behemoth's savage power slammed her to the ground, the tuning fork spear was broken in half, and the right half of her body was torn apart. The air began to fill with the smell of burning reinforced fibers and ionized oxygen.
The outcome... is already decided?
"Ow!"
Fenrir then let out a triumphant howl, both like a wolf and a man. He looked very much like Hayden himself.
Gazing at this sight and hearing the giant wolf's howl, even Adam felt a chill run down his spine. The power of this [Giant Wolf Fenrir] had clearly reached the pinnacle of the War God race. Even five or six heroic warriors would likely be torn to shreds and devoured by it. Yet, it was merely a summon created by Hayden, who clearly hadn't yet unleashed his full power. This was truly terrifying.
In just a few short years, Hayden's magical power has increased to such an extent. Given time to prepare, and unless truly caught off guard, a top-tier archmage like Hayden, who is not a god, indeed possesses the power to contend with minor gods in actual combat!
Adam could not have done the same thing without exploiting his illicit relationship with the devil and without drawing upon his informal resources within the Mithraic group.
This is outrageous! How could Adam have underestimated him again? How could Hayden's strength always increase so dramatically without anyone noticing?
Fortunately, this "artificial angel" wasn't just Adam's own power. Fortunately, Adam never minded using the power of others, just as any seasoned capitalist would prioritize investing other people's money when dealing with startup projects.
Although he didn't want to reveal his trump card, which he had created with the help of others, Adam couldn't afford to lose now that he had already lured Hayden into the gamble.
“I won,” Hayden said. “Let’s take this doll back and fix it. I don’t like seeing a humanoid thing smashed to pieces.”
He reached out and scratched Fenrir's neck, pulling the giant wolf's head back. The summoned beast wagged its tail happily and stopped tearing the angel puppet in front of it to pieces.
Adam shook his head when he saw Hayden's actions: "Hayden, the battle is not over yet, things are not over, and you're already feeling sorry for the puppet and stopping your attack. With this kind of personality, you're not destined for great things."
"The battle is still undecided?" Hayden raised an eyebrow. "What's still undecided at this point? Your puppet's weapon has been turned ninety degrees by my wolf. What do you have left to fight back with? Will you suddenly pull out a plasma cannon from under your skirt?"
"As for why I don't like smashing the wind-up doll to pieces, that's my own business."
I, Hayden, just don't like smashing angel dolls that look a bit like Angela, and who cares?
But clearly, Adam found Hayden's actions and thoughts ridiculous.
"[Artificial Angel]," he said, issuing his final command, "Transform into Swan Song Mode!"
The emotionless angel doll, which had been knocked to the ground by wolf claws and had half of its body broken, finally showed some change in expression.
Because the sound waves emanating from deep within her chest vibrated, at this moment, they did indeed change in type.
The "driver"-like entity that drives the magic, housed within this angel doll, finally began to play a new melody with an extraordinary speed and complexity that was unmatched when using a tuning fork.
She opened her pale lips, transforming from a player wielding a tuning fork into a soaring singer. Like lost musical notes finding their way again, the melody was revitalized by her song. Invisible sounds emanated from the mouth of the "artificial angel." The voice, too, was silvery-white, bright, hard, and beautiful like metal.
It was only a split second, at most. Hayden and Fenrir had almost no idea what had happened.
The destructive melody, gleaming with a silver metallic sheen, blasted the giant wolf Fenrir apart in that brief moment.
265: Bullshit about decisive action!
Fenrir the Giant Wolf was blasted apart by the song of the Artificial Angel.
The song was so strange and unpredictable that Hayden didn't understand what was happening until Fenrir was blasted away.
The voice of the "artificial angel" was silvery-white, bright, hard, and beautiful like metal. Although it was strange to describe the voice in this way, Hayden could only use this feeling and these words to describe it.
Because even a fragment of that extraterrestrial song, when released under the chanting of the angel puppet, possesses the power of a sword—a silver-white sword! Its power, even if it is just a fragment of the original body, a shadow imitating a grand symphony from outer space, can easily leap to the realm of splitting mountains and cleaving seas!
The battle space created by magic is ultimately fragile. So the silver-white sword song shattered this small dimension. In the distorted space, everything perceptible was washed away. Hayden, Adam, and his half-broken angel doll returned to their original office, and everything vanished like a dream.
But Hayden hadn't forgotten what he'd just heard and seen. After all, it wasn't exactly unfamiliar to him.
That angel doll just sang a song as sharp as a sword… Hey, a song! Isn't a song just a tool for communication with the mouth? It might even be an older and more convenient tool for communication than ordinary speech!
And using words as a weapon was something Hayden was very familiar with. He had such a sword pressing down beneath his tongue.
So now, everything comes back to the same question:
"Adam, what the hell is inside that angel doll shell of yours?"
Hayden could actually believe that the Mithra Corporation had a way to replicate angelic musical magic and embed it into skill chips. After all, the Mithra Corporation was indeed the most powerful super-corporation, and their prisons and laboratories must have sealed away many fallen angels and ancient gods who had been defeated in the past.
Hayden would actually admit that the Mithra Group might even be able to create something like the "Sword of Words." He had never truly underestimated the capitalists who ruled modern society. The modern capitalist gods did indeed possess advanced magical technology.
But if you were to tell him that the Mitra Corporation could arbitrarily use cloned personalities to drive complex and soul-dependent entities like the "Sword of Words," Hayden simply wouldn't believe it. It wasn't that he was skeptical, but rather that even the most magical things must adhere to basic rules and principles, just as 2+2 will never equal 5. Hayden was, after all, a researcher of magic; he had his pride.
Those empty shells, those puppets created from cloned personalities and skill chips, could so exquisitely manipulate musical magic and wield something like the "Sword of Words"? That's impossible!
So Hayden is now quite certain—besides the skill chip, there must be something else strange inside this angel doll's shell. Her magic must have a driving force.
But Adam didn't answer Hayden's question. He simply said, "Man, you've lost. No objections?"
Hayden rubbed his aching temples and didn't argue.
His head was throbbing with excruciating pain, a burning, splitting sensation, as if it were about to burst open or be cleaved in two. His summoned beast, Fenrir the Giant Wolf, had been blasted apart, a beast Hayden had created in his mind.
Do you remember the origin of Hayden's wolf magic? It all started as werewolf magic from the Russian mafia. Donning a wolf skin, unleashing one's animalistic instincts, and transforming oneself into a wolf is an ancient and traditional art. However, as Hayden's skill level has risen, and his knowledge and magical power have increased, he's become less interested in transforming himself into a wolf and attacking. Considering his unpleasant experience fighting Red Leaf in wolf form last time, Hayden simply learned some visualization techniques, modifying the spell that should have transformed his body into a giant wolf into a spell that creates a giant wolf summon from within his mind. Therefore, Fenrir is both an animalistic instinct and a part of Hayden's personality.
In terms of usability, this is undoubtedly far superior to the original. There's no need to physically transform into a wolf, no risk of losing control, and even if the summoned beast is shattered, Hayden can mentally recreate it—however, the sword formed from the song and words is a magic that strikes directly at the heart. The giant wolf Fenrir was shattered by this silver sword of song, and the resulting damage inevitably impacted Hayden's mind…
...Damn it, why does Hayden's mind keep getting hit by divine swords lately? Last time it was the [Heavenly Punishment Sword] striking his spirit, and this time it's something like the [Sword of Words]. Although the excruciating headache has lessened a bit over time, Hayden is still rubbing his head, feeling a sense of mental trauma and exhaustion.
Damn it. He refined the Golden Elixir and gained the body of an immortal, but lately everyone's been attacking his mind and soul. Is this some kind of reverse cheat?
"Okay, you win."
So in the end, Hayden sighed.
In truth, if things really came to a head, Hayden could clearly continue fighting. His mind was indeed damaged by the blast of his summoned beast by the song magic, but it was only a minor injury; his health bar hadn't even changed color yet. Not to mention, he hadn't yet revealed all his trump cards, he still had many spells to cast, and many moves he could use; he was far from being unable to fight.
But since it was agreed beforehand that it was a bet and a contest of skills, not a life-or-death struggle, there was no point in continuing. After all, Hayden couldn't possibly kill Adam, the manager, in the Mitra Group's branch office building, unless he didn't want to leave alive.
Hayden had just gotten married and had no interest in dying together with Adam.
So now, even though Hayden didn't really want to fight Adam to the death, a strong sense of exhaustion welled up inside him. This wasn't just because he had been hit by a spell from an artificial angel, but also because Hayden felt that the whole situation was utterly ridiculous and disgusting.
"Adam, we were all once ordinary children from poor families. We all studied hard and worked hard to become something that could be considered human. Although we were not as miserable as the poorest and most disadvantaged people, we all climbed up from the bottom through learning and hard work, and finally stood in this not-so-bad position through a series of coincidences."
So Hayden is just complaining now.
"And then you, someone who crawled out of poverty, became an accomplice to capitalism, aiding and abetting its evil, and even promoting things like skill chips. From then on, poor children no longer had the chance to change their fate through education and climb up from the bottom. There might have been that one percent chance before, but now you're going to wipe out that last one percent. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Hayden did not consider himself a righteous man. Although everyone called him a prophet, he himself did not think he was particularly just.
So what he's saying now is essentially just him venting his resentment to Adam—his former close college classmate and good friend. Ultimately, it's because Hayden and Adam used to be good friends that he's getting increasingly upset.
"I thought that since we were such close friends, we must have some similar ideas and beliefs. Even if you wanted to climb the social ladder and improve your wealth and status, you should have been able to use other methods. Why did you have to be so ruthless? Why did you have to block the path for those who came after you?"
"If the common people at the bottom were all lazy and unwilling to work, that would be one thing. But the problem is that you're making sure that no matter how hard they work, they'll never have a chance to rise up, and that their fellow human beings, who come from the same background as you, will forever remain lowly rats! Adam, don't you feel any remorse for doing this?"
Ultimately, Hayden is simply lamenting the loss of his friend. Alas, how indecisive and weak he is, lacking even the slightest decisiveness and domineering spirit!
So when Adam saw Hayden's nagging, he felt no remorse. Instead, he sighed for him: "Don't talk nonsense, buddy. How can someone as naive and immature as you, with your head full of morality, possibly achieve anything great? This world is inherently dog-eat-dog, barbaric, and immoral. Ordinary people like us from the bottom of society can only succeed in the competition by being even more ruthless."
Perhaps out of pity for his former friend, Adam actually removed a bit of the "mask" he usually wore, gesturing to the half-destroyed [Artificial Angel] sprawled on the ground, and explained, "You just said I was taking advantage of the Heavenly King? That's right, I was indeed taking advantage of the company. This [Artificial Angel] isn't a legitimate project of the company; I developed it independently by mobilizing company resources on my own."
"But Hayden, have you ever thought about this? If I can produce something like this even by exploiting a few branches, how strong must the Mitra Group's true core strength be? Have you ever considered this question?"
Adam shook his head and, at this point, surprisingly turned around and tried to persuade Hayden.
"The order of modern capitalist society is about to be overthrown by Mitra himself, and they will become the only and last ruling group in the world. Do you think you don't need to worry about the future just because you rely on Karen and Peacock King? Peacock King is ultimately just a great demon who has been recruited. Karen, as his daughter, is even more illegitimate. They are not like Acala, or the current Dhritarashtra, or those gods who have truly entered the core of the Mitra group."
"Once the Mitra Group has wiped out all the other companies and captured all the devils, the first ones to be eliminated will be the Peacock King's family—including you!"
Adam's expressions and demeanor as he spoke genuinely made it seem as if he were earnestly advising someone, speaking with heartfelt sorrow.
"Whether it's the devil or any other giant corporation, they'll all be finished soon. The only way to survive is to jump on Mitra's big ship. And those who actually jump on must have the ruthlessness and the determination and strength to climb up and reach the top! Hayden, don't you really understand this?!"
What outcome can such a dialogue produce?
In reality, there was no result. Even if they opened up a little more, even if they slightly removed their usual social masks and revealed some of their true thoughts, Hayden and Adam could still only stare at each other with two completely different values, separated by an incommensurable and vast chasm.
Even if this kind of dialogue were repeated ten times, it probably wouldn't bring much substantial change. The result of trying to understand each other is that both sides feel the other is simply unreasonable.
So, in the end, Adam spoke first: "I won, Hayden. Give me the technical data we agreed on earlier."
Hayden might have been able to argue further, but he was genuinely exhausted and didn't bother to say anything more: "Fine, what do you want?"
Adam's next words surprised Hayden slightly.
“Hecate once attempted to perform a ritual in the Fallen City that could kill fallen angels and remove their names. She originally promised to give me that ritual, but now it's in your hands. Now, I demand that you make a complete copy of the technical data for that ritual.”
what?
Hayden's memory was not impaired, so he immediately realized what Adam was talking about—wasn't this the ritual that Dark Moon Hecate had used to cut off her own name with the [Divine Punishment Sword] to change herself?
Although the ritual was a unique and unparalleled secret technique, capable of slaying the originally immortal fallen angel, Hayden, after a moment's thought, concluded that it shouldn't cause any real trouble. Adam probably wanted the ritual to deal with his demon "wife." Even if not, it shouldn't harm Hayden's companions. Firstly, the Peacock King himself wasn't afraid of the [Heavenly Punishment Sword] at all, and as for Abigail Hecate, it was unlikely she would be harmed by her own magic.
As for Adam using this secret technique to fight with the other demons, that wouldn't be a bad thing for Hayden. He couldn't care less.
…But on the other hand, Adam's decisive reaction made Hayden somewhat suspicious. Adam invited him over today to discuss cooperation, but after finding that they couldn't reach an agreement, he suddenly changed his mind and wanted to have a magic contest and a bet. Could it be that his real intention was not what he expected, but that he had been preparing to get his hands on Hecate's ritual data all along?
If that's the case, it would explain why Adam's behavior and words during this contest were somewhat strange. Perhaps... perhaps he brought Hayden here today precisely because he was after this ritual data from the very beginning. Thinking of this, a strange intuition even welled up in Hayden's heart—perhaps Adam had always had some grand plan, and this ritual's technical data was the final piece of the puzzle to complete it. Perhaps that's why Adam no longer wanted to pretend. Perhaps that's why they both opened their hearts to each other, revealing truths they usually kept hidden.
If that's the case, would Hayden still hand over this puzzle to him?
“Okay. I’ll send you the ritual information. But that ritual requires a special artifact as a ritual implement, and I don’t have one.”
Hayden was actually planning to give it. Anyway, things had come to this point, and seeing what kind of trouble Adam could cause in the enemy camp might not be a bad thing. Let the bad guys drag each other down.
That being said, he had no intention of telling Adam the details of the [Heavenly Punishment Sword], much less that the [Heavenly Punishment Sword] was actually in the Peacock King's house.
To everyone's surprise, Adam wasn't worried at all after hearing Hayden's words. He simply nodded calmly and said, "Just send me the information, and I'll know how to use it."
There's no point in arguing when things don't go your way. At this point, there's really no need for them to waste any more words.
But after leaving the Mithra branch office building, Hayden returned to the bustling street and looked back at Adam's office, still feeling a sense of desolation.
His intuition told him that today might be the last time he and Adam spoke to each other as friends, as buddies. Although these identities had long been fabricated, he feared that even this superficial brotherhood would soon be gone.
"What nonsense about decisive killing! It's all about the survival of the fittest."
After a while, Hayden muttered something under his breath, then turned and went home.
266: Adam and His Devilish Wife
Hayden is gone; he's been teleported home.
Some people and things are in the past, but he still has his wife and trustworthy team members. Before leaving, he stood on the street and looked back one last time at Mitra's branch office building.
Meanwhile, Adam was also in his senior management office, standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling street. Only after confirming that Hayden had teleported away did he turn and walk away, and then—
"Wow!"
Suddenly, blood gushed from Adam's mouth like a jet of blood. He staggered a few steps, gasped for breath, and then spat out another mouthful of blood, his whole body swaying.
Adam is not a god, after all… no, even if he were a minor god, he would find it difficult to emerge unscathed from a battle against Hayden in his current state. More than six months ago, Hayden and the Dead Sea Child God clashed and both were severely injured. This time, although it wasn't a desperate battle, Adam was still using his full power by over-activating the Artificial Angel. He was controlling the angelic puppet with his mind, but was fiercely attacked by the Giant Wolf Fenrir. Since everyone was fighting with their mental powers, Hayden wouldn't be the only one suffering backlash.
Hayden, however, accepted his injury and yielded, allowing him to begin healing sooner. Adam, on the other hand, had to win the magical duel while projecting an image of strength, concealing his own injury. This resulted in a severe drain on his mental energy, causing damage to his internal organs and leaving him feeling weak and muscular. Although he appeared to have the upper hand, he had suffered a significant internal loss.
Now that Hayden was gone, Adam could finally expose his injuries, but the damage was now even more severe. He was not only coughing up blood, but his face had also turned deathly pale. However, his expression remained remarkably calm and composed, showing no sign of joy or anger. If Hayden saw Adam in this state, he would probably still admire him somewhat.
But then again, why would Adam do something so strenuous and self-destructive? Wasn't that a bit foolish? Wasn't that a bit stupid? Actually, it was a bit. But that's because Adam needed to get the technical information from Hayden, even if it meant resorting to unreliable methods like gambling.
Adam desperately wanted the "Name-Breaking Ritual" that Hecate had used from the true name of the fallen angel, because this ritual magic was the final piece of his secret plan—in fact, strictly speaking, he was willing to sacrifice many other things to obtain it.
In short, regardless of whether Adam's actions this time were a bit strange, he had at least obtained the last piece of the puzzle. So despite the pain of both mental and physical injuries, Adam still felt extremely joyful. However, he didn't show this joy, but quickly used his mind to give an order to his office, instructing the system to immediately retrieve and hide the half-damaged [Artificial Angel] mecha.
Adam knew that although Dhritarashtra was not currently in New Jersey, another troublesome entity would soon sense the battle they had just fought, and she would arrive very soon. Adam absolutely could not allow her to see anything related to this [artificial angel].
Less than ten seconds after Adam's office retrieved the remains of the "artificial angel" and cleaned up all traces, a lovely young noblewoman walked through the office's automatic door and entered.
Meanwhile, Adam was still vomiting blood intermittently. It's truly baffling where all this blood was coming from; perhaps mortals who are transformed into gods simply produce an unusually large amount of blood?
Seeing Adam's miserable state, the so-called "young noblewoman," Adam's "wife," and the great devil disguised as "Alicia," was taken aback.
"I sense you've activated a spatial expansion in your office. What's going on?"
Upon seeing his contractor and agent injured like this in the office, the Great Devil immediately raised his eyebrows and asked.
Adam, however, clearly couldn't tell the whole story. So, despite still coughing up blood, he appeared perfectly fine and replied, "I wanted to bring Hayden in to cooperate with us, since he also hates the new gods. But he wanted me to wager with him first, to show him my strength. After the wager, I was slightly outmatched, and then he left."
Was this a lie? Of course it was. But upon hearing Hayden's name, the fake Alicia's originally drooping eyebrows immediately shot up: "Hayden? Not only did you want that traitor Lazar's son-in-law to join you, but you also failed to defeat him? You still have the nerve to report such a failure to me!?"
Clearly, she disliked Hayden intensely. In this situation, she wouldn't realize that Adam was lying.
"King Samael of the Peacock Clan allied with the new gods of capital because they have greater power. If our old gods could become stronger, he would certainly be willing to return. As for Hayden, I personally witnessed how much he hated the capitalists after his parents died. He absolutely despises the new gods of capital, and he certainly has value in being won over."
So Adam subtly steered the conversation away from the main topic.
“Your Highness, although we now have a plan to overthrow the new god of capital, and the plan is already underway, it’s always better to have more cards in hand. Hayden is a man of exceptional talent who also deeply hates the new god of capital. I can’t even beat him in a battle of wits. It would be a shame not to bring such a person to our side.”
How reasonable that sounds! But Adam knows very well that his devilish wife hates Hayden terribly, so he will never listen to this seemingly reasonable argument.
As expected, the fake Alicia pondered for a moment, then shook her head and sneered, "Once a traitor, always a traitor. The Samael family is not to be trusted. There will be no place for them in our restored dynasty. Besides, his son-in-law Hayden has ruined our plans before! He must die!"