"I sing of the suffering of those who wander the earth,"
"And the brave who suffer."
"Listen to me sing, New Asia! This song contains our pain and shame, this song contains our glory and honor,"
"But all of this is to make the pain go away forever,"
"It is so that you may know who willingly bears our suffering and saves our lives!"
"Perhaps I am one of them? So, let us transcend our fears! Let us break the chains of our suffering!"
"Let the earth cast aside the specter of death!"
She sings aloud in the spiritual and life network of eight million people, sending her voice into the hearts of eight million within this integrated network.
About one-tenth of these eight million thoughts sensed the familiar radiance of their idol, the little goddess, emanating from Pania's soul, and surged towards her in the ocean of their hearts. But the remaining millions remained in fear and panic, and naturally did not trust Pania.
But one-tenth was more than enough for Karen, who was outside—it would be truly insane if this "great project" really required the consent of millions of citizens to move forward. One-tenth was enough for Karen to push the ceremony to its next step.
"Bloom, my flower of dreams! Flourish, my flower of great aspirations!"
Karen picked up one of her own dream flowers and declared loudly,
"Respond to my wish and rid myself of the three poisons!"
Her immense magical power spun like a wheel, and a five-colored halo emerged from behind her. Yellow, black, blue, red, and white light bloomed in the next instant, spreading across the land of New Jersey!
Why is it this trick again?
However, Hayden was determined to use this trick! He didn't have any new cheat codes, but he could still make the same tricks into new variations! For the past four months, Pania had been flying around New Yatu, searching for those poor people in need of help, and then using the Dream Flower to fulfill their wishes and save them. The number of these people and flowers was already considerable.
Even back then, Hayden's "Great Project" had already laid its foundation, sown its seeds, and spread throughout New Jersey, becoming a part of the city and a part of the hearts of its citizens.
Now, Pania has awakened the hearts of these people, and Karen has channeled her divine power, causing all these dream flowers to suddenly bloom from all over New Asia, spreading endlessly throughout the city! The streets and buildings that were originally devoured and destroyed by karmic fire and lightning are now covered with colorful flowers!
Greed, anger, and ignorance are both poison and not poison; they are poisons of the mind, not of matter. But since they are all poisons, why can't the poison of the mind be transformed and purified by the flower of dreams? Of course not!
So after the five-colored divine light of the Dream Flower swept over eight million people, the fear, panic, and despair in their eyes quickly vanished. In their place came courage and enlightenment welling up from the bottom of their hearts.
When people are no longer confused and afraid, they are actually invincible.
The blazing fire of the Red Lotus has no fuel to burn in the hearts of those without darkness, and can no longer harm the citizens of Hayden or New Jersey.
"It's not about relying solely on the city and its citizens to strengthen ourselves, but about completing a cycle of love and energy between ourselves and the city, protecting all the citizens. This move is indeed a good one."
Fudo Myoo surveyed everything from mid-air and even offered his comments.
"Peacock's daughter, the little goddess of the Smoke Mirror Company, and of course, the most important core figure... Given time, they might truly achieve an unspeakable realm. Unfortunately, those who are attached to small loves will inevitably become confused and hinder great wisdom."
After making these comments, the King of Light turned to Adam and glanced at him.
"As for you, Adam Smith, all you know is to suppress the karmic fire with more and more energy, which is an even worse way to deal with it."
This comment naturally made Adam's expression turn very unpleasant.
Although the Red Lotus Karmic Flames were temporarily suppressed, a closer look at Adam's now-perfect body revealed numerous tiny cracks, with some areas even torn and bleeding. Despite Lilith's singing and love providing him with energy, he was clearly fighting a very difficult time.
Even if they have the contribution of a [God-level] being.
...To be honest, this is really embarrassing.
Despite having two genuine "god-level" beings at their disposal, the couple couldn't defeat Acala, a single "Myō-ō" (wisp of light). If Mithra Bodhisattva had personally arrived and beaten Adam and Lilith to the ground, Adam might have found it somewhat reasonable. But Acala completely overwhelmed him, leaving Adam both anxious and furious.
If Adam had been defeated and killed by Mithra Bodhisattva, the world's strongest god who was theoretically far superior to him, he would have been mentally prepared and even accepted it. But being defeated by Fudo Myoo, a weaker force, was something he absolutely could not tolerate, absolutely could not accept!
Therefore, by this point, Adam could no longer hold anything back.
"Damn it, you spout all sorts of lofty ideals, great love, and great wisdom, but where do you even have any great love to offer? If you want to defeat me, take my final blow first!"
The battle is not over, Adam is not defeated. He is about to unleash his final trump card—
"Adam Smith, my Red Lotus Karmic Fire offensive is not over yet, what are you in such a hurry to do?"
However, Immovable King Ayadam acted even faster, immediately seeing through Adam's plan, and then coldly said,
"Only after the fires of karma have burned away can the cycle of reincarnation begin."
What did he say?
Reincarnation? What is that?
“If you yearn to witness the great love of the Bodhisattva, then I will grant your wish.”
In the blink of an eye, Acala had already lowered his divine sword, clasped his hands together, and chanted a secret mantra.
"I take refuge in and pay homage to the future Buddha, Mithra Bodhisattva. I have become your vessel! May the light of refuge shine upon you now!"
In an instant, a power never before seen in the world descended upon the body of this Mingwang.
On the dark and desolate ruins of New Jersey, a sun rose slowly, like the dawn's first rays, shining not only on Adam but also equally on every person in New Jersey.
Is it dawn? But although the sun shines, its light is utterly devoid of warmth; it is a sun without heat. And for some reason, several enormous metal wheels surround this fireball of the sun.
The largest golden wheel encircles the fireball, rotating approximately 6 degrees per second. It completes a full rotation every sixty rotations. Each time the large golden wheel completes a rotation, a smaller silver wheel rotates, which in turn causes another bronze wheel to rotate slightly… In other words, these enormous metal rings encircling the sun are actually a giant timekeeping machine.
Moreover, as these giant ships turned forward with time, Hayden and his companions actually saw that the souls of the two million New Seattle citizens who had just been killed by the aftershocks were being "sucked" out of the underworld by the giant ships and slowly entered the ships, in rhythm with time, down to the second.
Even the living—whether it was Adam, who was about to unleash his full power, or Hayden and his group, who had just emerged from the flames and pain—were now being pulled by this irrational gravitational force and unable to escape!
The one standing here now is no longer just Acala. This is a descent of a deity, and a descent of a deity performed on a deity! Mithra Bodhisattva has projected a small portion of his supreme power onto Acala, forming this incredible Wheel Jewel!
The great and cold sun sits at the center of its colossal wheel, holding the reins of life and death, controlling time, and determining the future. The sun's fiery orb is like its eye, and the gaze it casts upon all living beings below is one of unconditional, compassionate love!
Hayden, Karen, and Pania had just won a small victory, but the united will of the eight million people of New Asia was as fragile as paper under the invincible gravity—a futile effort! Neither the Azure Emperor of the Hundred Flowers Land, the little goddess of the magical girl, nor the world's greatest wizard could withstand the sun descending upon the earth! Nor could they withstand the wheel of destiny that even time, space, life, and death could suppress and guide!
Mortal life is suffering
Demi-humans are suffering
Humans are suffering.
The Wise King is Suffering
All beings suffer
Only true transcendents can surpass this wheel. Therefore, Hayden and the others are all currently unable to move.
On the contrary, Adam and Lilith, although they also felt their bodies being pulled by the giant wheel and were sore and weak, were still able to move and put up some resistance.
All of this was also observed by Fudo Myoo.
"Adam Smith, in order to completely eliminate you, we had to inflict additional casualties on New Yatu this time. This is all your karma."
Although the Bodhisattva possessed compassion, the righteous wrath of the Bright King towards Adam did not diminish in the slightest.
"Fortunately, the Bodhisattva's great vow has been fulfilled. These millions of citizens can be uploaded to the Pure Land of the Internet after their deaths. Their sins have been burned away, and new lives will begin. The Bodhisattva will provide them with the opportunity to be reborn with supreme compassion, allowing them to achieve the great love of Mithra through their experiences of death and rebirth!"
Like holding up a star, Fudo Myo-o raises his hands, praising the rising sun, while also casting his anger towards Adam and Lilith.
"As for you, you will reap what you sow. Let your sins and punishments prove the great righteousness of the Bodhisattva. This is the new world order—[Reincarnation]!"
293: Taking the right path is destiny.
【Reincarnator】
Neither Hayden Karen nor Adam Lilith had ever heard of such a thing before.
The entire world is now trembling within the sun and its wheel of motion, distorted by infinite attraction, as if enveloped by a scorching heatwave. And it is not only light that is distorted, but time and space are also being pulled apart by the cycle of reincarnation.
Clearly, this should be a great magical technology that Mitra has just developed. Like the great magic of the past—such as [Ritual], [Currency], and [Finance], which were once the most powerful magics—[Reincarnation] is probably a new kind of great magic that can affect the existence, laws, and destiny of all living beings on a world-scale scale.
No one has ever heard of this thing, not even a word of it has been leaked. In other words, this must be a magic recently developed by Mithra Bodhisattva, possessing the power to subdue the world and help him create a new world order!
Reincarnation!
Hayden, Karen, Pania, and the eight million citizens of New Yatu all tried to resist the pull of this "cycle of reincarnation." But the golden wheel spun precisely, pulling them in a little bit with each rotation. The souls of the two million citizens who had died earlier had already been drawn in by the giant wheel, and were gradually losing their original forms as it spun.
"The citizens of New Yatu had no merits or demerits to begin with, and should have been reborn as humans after death. But since they perished in the aftermath of the exorcism, then by the decree of the Bodhisattva, all the deceased citizens will be liberated and sent to the Pure Land to enjoy happiness. This will demonstrate the compassion of Mithra."
Fudo Myo-o raises his hands, praising the rising sun and its benevolence.
Since [Reincarnation] is making its debut today, it's clear that Mithra deliberately wanted to show the gods around the world some big news.
All beings suffer. Reincarnation, from the very beginning, is actually a kind of "demonstration"... but let's not talk about that now.
The key point now is that Hayden and his group, even with Karen's great power, have indeed been pulled in by the unreasonable force of [Reincarnation], suppressed to the point of being unable to move. Hayden and Karen have tried several ways to resist, but to no avail.
What solutions are available?
[Reincarnation] even extends to spacetime. Mithras's compassion is like the sun's gravity, from which even the earth cannot escape. What method can possibly resist it!?
In any case, it seems that only Adam and Lilith, who possess the strength of a supreme god, can barely continue moving under the gravity of this [cycle of reincarnation]. Even so, they feel immense pressure. After all, this is the oppressive force of a miniature sun.
It seems that one cannot move freely within this cycle of reincarnation unless one reaches the level of a "God". Even if one reaches the level of a "God", one is still a being who has not yet attained supreme enlightenment and transcendence, and can only struggle and resist the attraction of reincarnation.
Upon closer inspection, it seems that only Angela is completely unaffected by the attraction of [Reincarnation]... However, she didn't show it, but just stood silently behind Hayden, and it was unclear what she was doing.
Adam only saw Hayden and the others being suppressed by [Reincarnation], and he himself was also having difficulty moving, so he couldn't help but feel a little miserable. No matter what he said, he still vaguely hoped that Hayden could perform some miracle to help him defeat Mitra. However, given the current situation, it seemed that he could no longer rely on Hayden.
"Adam Smith Apsara! Alicia Clari Kazmuk Apsara!"
After praising Mithra Bodhisattva's great compassion, Fudo Myoo turned to Adam and Lilith.
"You have dragged down and harmed an entire state, tens of millions of people, for your own selfish desires. Your sins are unforgivable. Good deeds bring good results, and evil deeds bring evil results. Those who take lives will eventually take their own. Now, by the decree of the Bodhisattva, I will cast you into the cycle of reincarnation, and burn away all your afflictions and delusions in the flames of purity, so that the order of the new world may be revealed! Evil deeds will surely be punished!"
This Myō-ō, who was originally known as the wrathful form of a Bodhisattva, showed no mercy to them at this moment. He raised the Kurikara sword once more. As he tightened his grip, the patterns on the sword's blade shimmered with light, and flames surged, enveloping the edge in the sun's heat.
Order is cause and effect, and cause and effect is reincarnation. For Mithra Bodhisattva, reincarnation may be a manifestation of compassion; however, for Acala, reincarnation is also a manifestation of justice. Now Acala will use this justice to ruthlessly annihilate Adam and Lilith, these two evil beings, and cast them into the cycle of reincarnation!
Death would be one thing, but being thrown into this "reincarnation" magic controlled by Mithra Bodhisattva—who knows what might happen? Brainwashed into becoming Mithra's eternal corporate dog? Wouldn't that be worse than death?!
That being said, Adam and Lilith aren't entirely without power to resist; quite the opposite, in fact. They initially had a somewhat resigned attitude, as if dying wouldn't matter. Adam felt he was basically doomed; Lilith felt the whole world was going to end anyway—but now, things have changed! Both Adam and Lilith desperately don't want to be sucked into the [cycle of reincarnation], desperately don't want to be defeated by Mitra!
This consensus, ironically, caused the synchronization rate of this devilish couple to skyrocket, unleashing an even stronger aura than before! Their combat power, already formidable, continued to surge!
"Fuck your Buddha's compassion, fuck your New World Order!"
【Reincarnation】, a threat even greater than death, has actually strengthened Adam and Lilith's power! Although the sun of Mithra still shines in the night sky, the winds and clouds have changed color because of the devil couple.
"I've had enough of your nonsense!" Adam roared. "If you had killed us earlier, I would have accepted that we were outmatched. But since you're spouting all this talk of mercy and righteousness, let's see how you're going to take our final blow!"
This surge in fighting spirit and power even allowed Adam and Lilith to begin breaking through the suppressive force of [Reincarnation], enabling them to continue moving and fighting! This is the fighting power and domineering presence that the unified god Adam Cardom and Lilith should possess!
It was their turn to retaliate, to launch a fierce attack on Fudo Myoo! Every time Fudo Myoo struck Adam, Adam was guaranteed to retaliate with a punch. With each blow, he would then respond with an even stronger and more powerful punch to this boastful Myoo!
Even if they can't win today, Adam and Lilith will never become Mitra's slaves in the cycle of reincarnation! Even if they have to die, they have the right to choose their fate!
The divine sword struck down, unleashing raging heavenly fire.
But Adam's Star-Shattering Fist continued to strike wave after wave, trying to shatter the Mithraic Sunfire summoned by Fudo Myo-o! Both sides were pushing their power to its highest point to determine life or death!
The aftershocks of this final battle were even more intense than before. Hayden and his group had initially been able to withstand the aftershocks, but now even they were being suppressed by the gravity of [Reincarnation]. What were they going to do now?!
——————————————————————————————
No one knew, perhaps not even the gods, that at this very moment, in the new Metropolis of Arturo, besides Adam and Lilith, there was another person who, despite being suppressed by [Reincarnation], was still barely able to move.
He didn't completely disregard the gravity of [Reincarnation] like Angela, but he wasn't completely immobilized like Hayden and the others. What's even more interesting is that, at the same time, he wasn't a god-level being, or even a god at all—yet he could still barely move within the gravity of [Reincarnation].
Although this was only a very tight squeeze, like "Jotaro can only move around in the [world] for two seconds," the sun's gravity did not completely restrict him.
This person... is, of course, Professor Percival Albion.
To protect the other students remaining in New Seattle, the old professor had been hiding in a satellite town area of the New Seattle metropolitan area. When Adam bombarded the moon, Professor Albion was hiding on the other side of the city.
While he couldn't defeat the enemy, Professor Albion always had ways to protect himself. So while Hayden and his team worked hard to protect the citizens of New Seattle, the professor stayed in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to lend a hand.
Professor Albion had witnessed Hayden and Karen's dedication, sacrifices, and achievements firsthand. He felt immense joy and pride for his two outstanding students. They had grown, matured, and were nearing perfection. Hayden and Karen were now a force capable of changing the world.
...Nevertheless, when Mithras's Cycle of Reincarnation reveals its absolute power, Hayden and Karen are still powerless to resist. They and the eight million citizens of New Seattle they have tried so hard to protect will perish in the aftermath of the final battle, crushed by the wheel of Cycle of Reincarnation, never to rise again.
But why is it that Professor Albion, who is not even a god, is able to barely resist the gravitational pull of the [Reincarnation] magic? This is probably because he has been studying Angela's aura, the mysteries of the Tree of Life, and the knowledge of past, future, and destiny all these years.
Angela's secret fire alone cannot withstand the gravitational pull of [Reincarnation]. However, when Professor Albion's research on the Tree of Life can be combined with the secret fire, he will have gained a slight qualification. When his wisdom and true enlightenment reach an unprecedented level, he might even be able to resist the [Reincarnation] that suppresses space and time to some extent!
Similarly, precisely because Professor Albion's understanding of time had reached this supreme level, he realized even more clearly that Hayden and Karen's inability to resist the cycle of reincarnation was not due to a lack of effort or intelligence, but simply because they had too little time. Mithra, the Bodhisattva, had at least four hundred more years to prepare and gestate. Therefore, if Hayden and Karen were to be defeated, it was because of insufficient time.
But if Hayden and Karen were to be defeated now, the world would have no future. This new world order of "Reincarnation" is not simply about turning Hayden, Karen, and the eight million people of New Yatu into corporate slaves. The "Reincarnation" system's control and selection of life and death, and Mithra Bodhisattva's management and monopoly over "Reincarnation," will ultimately turn the entire world into an extremely terrifying dystopia—Professor Aalbion can predict all of this future with his wisdom.
If Hayden and Karen had been born a hundred years earlier, they would have had more time to develop and grow, and the outcome of this battle might have been different. But no one can skip a hundred years of growth... no one can, right?
So at this very moment, while Hayden and Karen were being suppressed by [Reincarnation], Professor Albion also made a decision.
Just as Fudo Myo-o raised the Exorcising Sword and unleashed its sun-like flames, and just as Adam and Lilith joined forces to deliver their final blow—Professor Albion did something that no one could have predicted!
Using this opportunity that allowed him to move only once, he leaped out from his hiding place and rushed straight into the place where the two strongest divine forces collided!