Coincidentally, Hayden was also under a lot of pressure at the same time, and the reasons for his troubles were quite similar.
Today is the day of the duel between the main gods, so Hayden had naturally already prepared and modified Mickett's substitute warrior—Vodhimo. He doesn't have the habit of staying up all night to finish a project on the last day, at least not now.
At this moment, his true form, as the son-in-law of the Peacock King, was sitting rightfully in the front row of the giant arena.
This is the arena of the South American pantheon, and also the hall for their highest sacrificial ceremonies, vast and boundless. First, it's open overhead, with a huge stone plaza in the center, surrounded by stands and seats capable of holding 100,000 people. The floors and walls are made of dark stone, the inlay between the stones elegant and mysterious, extremely pleasing to the eye, the flowing textures seemingly moving and shifting beneath the surface.
Thanks to thousands of years of refinement, these dark stone walls remain undamaged and do not even heat up, even at the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. This is because this is a sacred site in the South American pantheon.
As the son-in-law of the Peacock King, and Karen's husband and envoy, Hayden was naturally entitled to sit in the front row of the arena. Although Karen had not yet arrived, Hayden was already seated in a box in the stands.
However, despite the fact that Smoke Mirror seemed eager to turn this duel between the gods into something like the Olympics, Hayden was not in a very good mood at the moment.
"What? You're worried I'll lose?"
A cool and elegant voice rang out from the door of the private room, and it was Miket who walked in.
She wore the elaborate attire worn by Aztec gods during their most important ceremonies, a long, form-fitting crimson gown, its colors and patterns extremely vibrant, covered with countless inlays and gemstone-studded symbols. She wore a headband, and her hair was styled high up in a tower-like fashion.
To be honest, this looks a bit funny, but it's essentially just a cultural difference. These divine artifacts are powerful in themselves, but more importantly, they truly represent the importance the gods place on them. This is their ancient "ritual," much like how ancient emperors wore specific clothing when offering sacrifices to heaven.
In Aztec culture, blood sacrifice duels were sacred battle rituals that determined the balance between natural forces and the survival of the universe.
However, Mickett smiled slightly at Hayden, looking quite confident.
“I understand your concerns, but there’s no need to worry. I’ve already inspected your final enhanced [Vodim]. Its strength is more than enough even in battles at the minor god level; there’s no reason for it to fail. Hayden, you’ve done a great job.”
She really knows how to set a flag before a competition. Hayden couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard her say that.
Hayden wasn't just worried that Mickett would lose the duel with the gods.
Of course, he was indeed worried about Mickett losing, after all, he had already invested a lot in Mickett and collaborated on many projects with him. Even now, some of New Sprout City's business still includes Mickett's shares. If Mickett suddenly went bankrupt, Hayden would have a headache for a long time.
But that wasn't all he was worried about. What he was really worried about was... well, this was a war between the Dark Sun and the Goddess of Death, a pivotal turning point where the victor would decide and influence the future of the world in his own way.
For example, imagine if Smoke Mirror really won today, and then decided to cancel all pharmaceutical cooperation projects with Mithra Group, causing drug prices worldwide to increase tenfold, how many innocent and unfortunate poor people would die as a result?
Smoke Mirror might want to turn today's duel between the gods into an Olympic-like spectacle, but Hayden is someone who truly cares about the lives of innocent civilians. He can't be as casual as if he were watching the Olympics, nor can he be solely concerned with his own gains and losses.
...On the other hand, Hayden was actually troubled by something else. But that's a story for later.
Now, he still had to make up an excuse to his partner, Mickett: "I've done all I can. You just don't want to lose, or we're all doomed."
Mickett smiled slightly, looking quite confident: "We won't lose."
"Even if we lose, it doesn't mean I'll let Smoke Mirror control me; it just means I'll be temporarily restricted. Our business cooperation will continue."
Her nonchalant tone might not have been meant to deceive Hayden, but it precisely illustrated that the two were thinking on completely different things. Mickett might genuinely have a way out, but what about the others? The struggle between the gods could threaten the lives of countless ordinary people. Hayden couldn't afford to laugh.
In reality, Hayden himself was the one controlling Voldemort, since it was his alter ego. Mickett didn't even know this.
"Karen is coming too. I'm going to give Voodoo a final check-up before the duel, so I won't disturb you two."
Micket had no idea that her substitute fighter was Hayden's alter ego, nor did she know what Hayden was troubled about. She even said this in a "friendly" manner before leaving.
Hayden didn't know what expression to make.
Not long after, Karen and Hela arrived, both having come in clones. Hela saw her son-in-law sitting alone in the private room and was about to wave hello when Karen frowned and asked, "What's wrong? The fight hasn't even started yet, why do you look so dejected?"
"I've been under a lot of pressure lately."
Hayden shook his head, then rubbed his face. "Was my expression that obvious?"
Karen raised an eyebrow: "I'm your wife."
“That makes sense.” Hayden sighed. “My wife really understands me.”
Karen was now completely bewildered and felt extremely ashamed.
Hela closed the door to the private room and watched her daughter and son-in-law talking, feeling a sense of joy.
Unfortunately, the time for joy was short-lived.
The gods and their messengers solemnly entered the arena one after another and took their seats in the semi-circular tiered hall. Soon, the guests had stopped entering, indicating that the main event of the day was about to begin.
It was noon. The bright, round sun was directly overhead.
At the same time, the dueling master of the Smoke Mirror Company, the Plague and Gold God, [Skinner], walked from the entrance to the center of the arena. He was dressed in the skin of a sacrificial victim and held an obsidian sacrificial knife, a symbol of his refereeing authority. The circular ritual arena, filled with hundreds of gods and thousands of deities, fell into a solemn silence due to the dignified atmosphere.
They all saw and heard the Skinner speak, his calm words echoing in the hall: “Messengers of the great gods from all corners of the world, it is noon. Under the witness of the great sun, today’s duel is about to begin.”
"We have fought and hated each other on this land, engaging in countless bloody battles. But today, now, let us set aside our past grievances. In this ancient and solemn ceremony, let us witness who can forge the strongest warrior."
"The first to enter is the champion prepared by challenger Miktikashiva—the undead Voldemort!"
Since it was a challenge from feudal lords to the God-King, it was only natural that the challenger should go first. So a tall figure in a black robe stepped onto the field first.
Voodoo's flesh golem body was paler than a skeleton, its long, thin limbs showing little muscle. Its red eyes gleamed, its pupils narrow like a cat's. Despite this, it still exuded an aura of terrifying power… As for its actual strength, since this was a duel, only the fight would tell.
This is common sense.
However, today Smoke Mirror has no intention of using such common sense in this solemn and sacred duel!
At the highest point of the semi-circular staircase in the arena, on the top level of the dark stone steps, stands a grand platform. At the center of the platform sits the great chief god of Aztec, Smoke Mirror, and His solemn throne. Today, He is not wearing battle attire, nor even the traditional robes of the South American pantheon. Instead, He is dressed in a full suit of fine business attire, white silk gloves on His hands, and smoking a Cuban cigar. It's impossible to know what He's thinking.
Just after Voodoo had taken his place, Smoke Mirror said:
"Friends, it would be too boring to just start fighting like this. You've all come all over the world not to watch a few minutes of excitement. So, let's begin today's product demonstration."
What kind of performance?
The words had barely left his lips when everyone saw the emcee, Skinner, press a button. The massive obsidian sliding doors in the center of the arena swung open—and out appeared a horde of military monsters manufactured by Smoke Mirror Corporation! There were companies of zombie soldiers equipped with various weapons and tactical skills etched into their brains; flocks of modified ferocious birds; undead butchers wielding enormous cleavers; giant centipedes over ten meters long with rudimentary intelligence; and even a ferocious, bio-engineered lion from Mexico! In the blink of an eye, they pounced on Voldemort—how terrifying!
Even the Night Axe Warriors from the Smoke Mirror Company would struggle to defeat this suddenly appearing army of bio-weapons. Especially the ferocious bio-lion from Mexico—a terrifying beast that even Hercules had to fight to defeat! How terrifying!
But look! Voldemort raised a wand with his slender fingers and calmly and swiftly waved it at the bio-weapons: "Abracadabra."
In the blink of an eye, a beam of green light shot from the wand, striking the leading zombie soldier and bringing it down—nothing remarkable, any magician with a university degree could do that. However, the moment the first zombie soldier fell, the green light, like a plant sprouting roots, split and shot off, striking a second zombie soldier and a modified bird!
Two became four, four became eight. The green light grew wildly, like branches sprouting from a plant. Before the bio-weapon army could react, it was engulfed by the green light curse at a speed far exceeding expectations! A few monsters noticed the anomaly and tried to escape, but the green light had already devoured them mercilessly! Within moments, all the bio-weapons simultaneously let out terrified screams!
Then, they were all turned into sunflowers by Voodoo!
Upon seeing this strange sight, gods and messengers from all over the world whispered among themselves, and many gods showed expressions of interest.
Wiping out an entire army with a single spell isn't unusual; most capitalists possess similar weapons. But to rapidly spread and multiply using a low-cost spell, accomplishing this with minimal energy, and even turning harmful biological weapons into sunflowers? That's truly remarkable!
The only problem is that many gods are somewhat suspicious that this is similar to Karen's "Dream Flower".
"This is our company's newly developed combat-type undead, and the life-death conversion spell that is used in conjunction with it."
At this moment, Mickett spoke up with a smile.
"Pollution-free, mass-producible, low-cost, highly autonomous combat capability... Only the combination of life and death can mobilize the greatest power and achieve the highest efficiency. No matter whether the enemy is an army of the dead or living soldiers, this new type of combat undead is invincible and can completely replace the old-style Jaguar warriors."
"As for the fact that some parts look very similar to the 'Dream Flower' technology of Flower Magic Company, it is just a coincidence. There is absolutely no issue of technology theft or infringement."
Oh dear, that's what she said.
Many gods turned their gaze to Karen, only to see her merely sneer and say nothing—Karen, of course, knew Hayden was behind it all. But she also believed that Hayden would recoup his losses with interest, and might even take the heads of one or two evil capitalist gods along the way, so she wasn't worried at all; letting the gods watch the show first was perfectly fine.
However, some gods misunderstood what Karen meant.
“This is really amazing, hey you,” an elderly Capitalist, clearly bio-modified, whispered to his secretary beside him, covering his mouth with a fan, “Buy up Miktikashiva stock right now! A lot!”
Immediately, a large amount of money began to flow into the Smoke Mirror Company like a dam bursting.
This is just a simple example. Similar situations are occurring in many places. And this is clearly the kind of product demonstration that Smoke Mirror wants to achieve. Just like a karate master demonstrates breaking bricks and bottles with his bare hands before a match; just like an arms dealer fires a few shots at a target before selling weapons to show potential buyers. At the same time, it's like a military parade or exercise—an opportunity to showcase the quality of military equipment.
But then again, this sacred and solemn traditional duel ceremony between the main gods is actually being used by the Smoke Mirror to create a commercial performance, and He doesn't even feel a trace of guilt! What a wicked and heretical path!
In any case, Mickett and Voldemort's performance was over. Next up was Smoke Mirror and his champion. This was something Hayden was actually quite worried about, because until now, he still hadn't figured out the background of the champion Smoke Mirror had prepared.
Mickett felt there was nothing to fear. True skill was everything, capable of overcoming all schemes and tricks. The perfectly enhanced Voodoo should be able to defeat any opponent head-on. To be honest, Hayden also admitted that Mickett's words made a lot of sense.
If that's the case, why does his prophetic intuition keep beeping in his mind, issuing warnings?
"Now entering the arena is our reigning God King, the fighter created by Chairman Smoke Mirror."
The master of ceremonies, after peeling off the skin, began to speak.
Many of the gods and messengers who had been discussing the matter enthusiastically just moments before quieted down and returned to their solemn demeanor. Even though the ritual had been turned into a commercial performance by Smoke Mirror, the audience still had to be mindful of etiquette.
So, in the silence, the obsidian sliding door at the other end of the arena opened once more. A familiar figure stepped out of the door.
The figure elicited gasps of surprise from many gods, and instantly wiped the smile from Mickett's face, replacing it with astonishment. In fact, many of the gods present were quite surprised. Smoke Mirror, however, took a puff of his cigar and burst into laughter again.
The person who emerged from the door possessed not only dazzling, snow-white hair but also a long black maid's dress. Her figure and face were instantly recognizable to all the gods and messengers present. Consequently, all the guests were captivated by this scene, as if witnessing a turning point in history.
because,
The Smoke Mirror Fighter who emerged from the door at the other end of the arena... was basically a 2P version of Miktti Kashiva.
338: No life signs
This is impossible!
Upon seeing Miktti Kashiva (the clone) emerge from the opposite side of the arena, Hayden's first reaction was—this is impossible!
Although it was a low reaction, Hayden just couldn't believe it—the stolen Micket clone had already become Isam, so where did the Micket clone in the Smoke Mirror come from?!
Two seconds later, Hayden realized how stupid his question was: he knew that Isham had not been stolen, that was true; Mickett thought that she had no other clones missing, that should also be true.
But who says Smoke Mirror can't obtain a clone through other channels, long before Mictor even noticed? Of course, He could. For Smoke Mirror to do things Mictor can't even imagine, all He needs is a richer imagination than Mictor.
To be honest, it wasn't that difficult, because Mickett's imagination wasn't actually that great—at least that's what Hayden always thought to himself.
Look at Micket herself now. She was completely dumbfounded when she saw the clone walking out from the other side of the arena!
The gods present, on the other hand, were surprised in a different way.
They could all see that this was a clone of Mictor, after all, apart from the color of his hair and eyes, this fighter looked exactly like Mictor. Moreover, gods don't just see with their naked eyes; a quick scan was enough to confirm that it wasn't just a physical resemblance, but an exact replica inside and out, with an extremely high degree of perfection!
Besides, they could also see that Mickett was a little confused—this was going to be a big problem.
Why did Smoke Mirror send a clone of Mickett as a fighter? Everyone present knew who Smoke Mirror was, and that he was possibly the world's most powerful master of life magic. So, could he really have a way... to replicate a true god?
Anyone with even a modicum of crisis awareness, once in the position of a financial tycoon, cannot truly become a tyrant. Having read this, many big and small-time investors now want to know the answer to this question, to see through the smokescreen's tricks, and how they should make their own decisions.
The smoke mirror did not disappoint them!
"What are you all standing there for?" He waved his hand impatiently and said to the Skinner, who was in charge of the ceremony, "Let the duel begin! Everyone has come all this way to watch them fight, not to watch a fashion show!"
Just as he was about to release the Mexican Bio-Lion, the Skinner was taken aback: "Chairman, it was decided beforehand that both fighters would perform. Besides, Voodoo had just fought the bio-weapon, and it would be impolite and unfair for it to start a duel with your fighter directly."
"That's not fair?"
Upon hearing this, Smoke Mirror turned his head and looked across the arena at Mickett himself.
"My dear daughter, do you also think this is unfair?"
How utterly unreasonable! What a despicable way to pass the buck! However, using provocation and questioning to create openings for the enemy is a common tactic employed by the ancient gods in social situations. Mickett's expression darkened further upon hearing this, but she couldn't lash out. Because Smoke Mirror was already making a joke of her by using her clone as a fighter, she couldn't afford to become that joke herself.
“I don’t care,” Mickett replied decisively. “Let the duel begin? I wholeheartedly agree. Everyone has come all this way to witness our ceremony, not to hear your sarcastic jokes. Let’s settle this now!”
Was she angry? But instead, Smoke Mirror grinned and said, "Hahaha! It's like talking to a brick wall! But since my daughter brought it up, I have no choice but to comply."
He beckoned to the clone dressed in a maid outfit in the dueling arena and asked, "Come on, tell me, what would be a fairer way?"
Something terrible happened immediately.
The Mikker clone, with a smile as serene and elegant as the original, replied, "Since Mr. Voldemort has just finished fighting a squad of bio-weapons, I'll let him have three moves. Let him attack three times first, and then I'll retaliate, how about that?"
The way he spoke, his tone of voice, his every gesture and mannerisms—all of these caused the gods to exchange bewildered glances, for many of them already knew Mikkert. Now, seeing the clone's appearance and aura, they all couldn't help but have the same thought: "...Is this the real person?"
Moreover... and it's not just about demeanor, not just about appearance, not just something that can be imitated with money—the key is that aura, that radiance! She even has the same aura and radiance as the original Kamui!
...If two gods are identical in both physical genes and spiritual aura...aren't they the same god?
Could it be that Smoke Mirror can really clone a god, replicate a god?! Smoke Mirror, you have such audacity and ability! How exactly did you create a clone that is indistinguishable from the real one in terms of aura and even magic, with such a high degree of perfection?
What exactly do you intend to do with this technology?!
So it's no wonder that many big and small gods have changed their expressions drastically.
So it's no wonder that Mickett himself looks extremely grim.
Several deities turned to look at the bodhisattvas in the VIP seats, only to see the incarnations of Guanyin, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra smiling slightly, remaining silent, and their thoughts unreadable. This made the situation even more perplexing.
Then, the man with the smoke-filled glasses grinned and suddenly burst into laughter, a smug laugh: "Hahahaha! How does it feel, daughter? Creating a god, that's something any of us can do. But creating another you, that's something only your father can do!"
"If you had listened to my advice more often in the past, you wouldn't be only now realizing that eating yourself is not a good habit!"
Insult! What an insult! Now even the dead man Mickett is so angry that his eyebrows are raised!
But at the same time, these words elicited another round of whispers among the gods, both great and lesser. It turned out that while not everyone among the great gods knew that Mikt could eat his own clones, it was a secret that wasn't exactly a secret either.