Faced with the pull of "reincarnation," Hayden also did something quite strange.
He caused countless souls to emerge from his heart, blocking his path between himself and reincarnation.
The leader of the ghosts was a small giant with a two-meter-tall, strong, and perfect body, golden muscles, and completely naked. It was immediately obvious that he was Hayden's old friend and good brother (deceased) - Adam!
...Alas, why has his distinctive physical appearance been redefined in this way?
Moreover, besides Adam, many other souls that Hayden knew also appeared. For example, there was Adam's wife, Lilith, who was no longer a fallen angel... and many others whom Hayden either knew or had at least met once.
For example, there were many innocent civilians who died during the [New Yatu Flame] incident. Ordinary people died in despair due to the avalanche of unemployment caused by Mitra's [Skill Chips] being released to the market. There were also those who were suppressed and killed by the War Gods during their desperate resistance against Mitra.
...To put it bluntly, most of them were people Hayden had personally witnessed dying because of "society" during his more than ten years living in New Jersey.
In some way, they all had a connection with Hayden. In some way, their deaths were also connected to Mithra.
That being said, Professor Albion, and some of the people Hayden wanted to see, were not among them. Perhaps it was because they did not share that intense grief.
The vengeful spirits that have emerged are all burning. Their very souls are engulfed in flames. Therefore, they curse Mithra, they curse this society. Even if they die prematurely, their vengeful spirits will possess others. One day, they will bring retribution upon this world!
Even now, many vengeful spirits still whisper in Hayden's ear: "Kill Mithra! Hang all the capitalists! Take back everything they took from us!"
The raging flames of resentment in this world can even withstand the pull of reincarnation. The dead, consumed by resentment, cannot fall into the cycle of reincarnation. The ever-burning fire of resentment offers no peace, let alone transcendence.
...Even so, these wronged souls and spirits still did not earn the attention of Kalachakra Consort.
"That's it? The same old routine again? Is this all you know how to do?"
Consort Ming only responded with a cold laugh.
"You prioritize petty righteousness over the greater good, your hearts are blinded by trivial matters, and you can't even grasp the big picture! I bear the fate of the world and all of humanity on my shoulders, while you dead souls, besides being obsessed with revenge and complaining about society, what do you have left? You have no value whatsoever!"
"These wronged souls who followed you into battle are the same! Just because of their own failures, they hate those who succeed, even hate the whole society. They die with resentment, becoming fuel for invaders from outer space, and destroying their own world! I despise you, but it doesn't matter, I will still save you all!"
As she spoke, Kalachakra Vajra Consort began to gather her power. [Reincarnation] wasn't very effective against powerful vengeful spirits, but that didn't matter. Mithra had anticipated this and developed magic to purify their resentment. A single strike would render all these spirits amnesiac. Then, [Reincarnation] would be much easier to use to liberate them.
Mithras, this man who firmly believed in his own correctness, never even considered understanding the suffering of the people. Based solely on this conviction, he judged the masses who were ignorant of the bigger picture and complained about society to be vulgar.
Mithra is actually quite adept at public relations and public image management among the new gods... but it's possible that public relations are usually handled by Avalokiteshvara and the goddess Mira, and Hayden hasn't looked into the details. But what would the people think if they heard his true feelings now?
Is the boiling resentment of the people simply due to the cruelty of life and suffering? Hayden had often seen the phrase "boiling resentment of the people" in ancient history books, but now he truly understood it and could feel the anger of every possessing soul and the discontent in everyone's heart.
These people's discontent wasn't solely due to their suffering. No one wanted things to be this way, but they were helpless and powerless; they desperately longed for society to become better, more prosperous, and more flourishing. However, the world's rulers were too busy looking up at the sky. These people died, and the rulers wouldn't even glance at them.
He does not look at the suffering of the people, nor does he listen to the cries of the masses.
What would the people think if they were not only ignored, but also heard Mithras's insulting words, which were purely out of incomprehension?
Unforgivable.
They will not forgive such a ruler.
"Haha, buddy, this situation is really interesting."
Adam and Lilith were among the few remaining vengeful spirits who still retained the ability to think calmly. He floated to Hayden's side and spoke to him gloatingly: "I think I just heard you admit your mistake, saying that not trusting that useless old man Mitra was a great sin. I think you're overthinking it. You should reflect on this: if you had trusted your old friend me earlier and hadn't kept Angela's matter from me, the two of us brothers would probably have joined forces three years ago and overthrown Mitra before the [Reincarnation] happened. Isn't that your real sin?"
Now that the world has become such a terrible place, whose fault is it?
Mithra himself certainly bears a great deal of responsibility.
However, Adam, a man who would do anything for profit and to climb the social ladder, obviously has no reason to absolve himself of his sins.
Besides these, there are certainly many others. Countless people bear responsibility for the world becoming the miserable state it is in today.
So Hayden was no exception. He nodded and admitted, "Although you're a bastard who would kill his wife and exploit his children for profit, if I had talked to you sooner, trusted you as a friend, and told you the truth... perhaps the world would have ended very differently. I was far too late to be honest with you, and that was my biggest mistake."
This unexpected honesty from Hayden surprised Adam: "...You're actually apologizing?"
"It's not shameful to apologize. What's pathetic is to refuse to apologize. I've already said it, my friends, I will save the souls of all of you."
Hayden extended his hand, assuming a fighting stance as Mingfei was about to make her move.
"So lend me your boiling anger—let's work together to stop this cycle!"
Countless souls floated behind Hayden.
What a wondrous twist of fate.
He's actually going to fight alongside Adam!
442: Gold Forged Through a Hundred Refinements
Billions of vengeful spirits surged forth from Hayden's soul.
Intense anger and resentment can even slow down or halt the cycle of reincarnation, and may even burn the world to ashes.
Both Hayden and Mithra have said that the source of the firepower that Uriel intends to use to blow up the solar system comes from the grievances accumulated by all of humanity over thousands of years, as well as the cries for destruction.
Whether this claim is true or false, no one knows, but Hayden and Mithra both told others the same thing. Everyone who heard it was skeptical. So it might indeed be true.
Perhaps boiling public resentment can indeed burn the world to ashes.
So now, they have rushed toward Kalachakra Consort—an incarnation of Chakravartin—to end the rulers of this world.
However, Consort Ming disagreed: "Do you think I haven't considered the problem of vengeful spirits? If I hadn't considered it, how could I purify all living beings and liberate people from resentment and anger? I have already conquered this problem."
With a flick of her finger, the sound of chanting arose from the core of the sun in the cycle of reincarnation. In an instant, it coalesced into a massive wave of sound, its boundless radiance enveloping tens of millions of wronged souls.
At first, the vengeful spirits ignored the radiance and chanting, relentlessly attacking Mingfei. But soon, the Zen light slowed their movements, leaving them bewildered and confused. The gears of the [Reincarnation] Bell suddenly began to spin rapidly, accelerating wildly and without end! Time continued to flow for the vengeful spirits at an alarming rate!
"Time can erase all pain. Just use [Reincarnation] to accelerate by ten thousand years, one hundred thousand years, one million years, and all resentment will be dissolved." Kalachakra Queen said proudly, "This is the beginning of the path to liberation."
Before the words were even finished, a flash of sword light appeared—the light of reincarnation, the acceleration of time, had been completely severed!
Mingfei turned her head and looked closely, only to find that Hayden was already walking towards them. Moreover, a ball of platinum flames was burning fiercely on his back.
The flames ignited from within his soul, bursting forth from the inside out, and intertwined with countless vengeful spirits connected to Hayden, clinging to his body.
Are these white flames, formed from resentment, the ones that are now helping Hayden, providing him with boundless power, and aiding him in fighting against [Reincarnation] and Mitra? Or are these resentments trying to absorb Hayden's soul and make it a part of themselves?
In any case, the sight and feeling were nothing new. Hayden had hardly used anything new today. What he was doing now was something he had seen elsewhere, a "method" he had inherited from others.
This was the last technique Miktikahiva used before his death.
So Consort Ming realized it at a glance, and was stunned: "You're using vengeful spirits as firewood!?"
"I'm not you, I wouldn't do such a thing."
Hayden answered, gathering the platinum flames in his right hand. He solidified the firelight into a sword, which shone even brighter.
Come on, come on, come on...
A face emerged from the countless flying embers and murmured to Hayden.
You too hate Mithra, you too hate this world, you too lost your parents because of Mithra, and you too want to punch the Earth to pieces...
"Shut up."
But Hayden reached out and pushed those faces back, continuing to approach Kalachakra Consort.
Without hesitation, Kalachakra Consort turned the light of Samsara towards Hayden. The dual great power of time and mind, along with countless mantras, surged toward Hayden.
However, Hayden swung his sword and severed the flow of reincarnation. A literal "slashing water with a knife," indeed; with each swing of his sword, a piece of the great river of reincarnation was cut away, while the flames on his own body surged even more fiercely.
Mitra was undoubtedly the world's greatest magician. Mingfei looked at him a few more times and understood even more: "So you turned yourself... into an alchemical furnace."
Hayden didn't answer, only breathing, advancing, and swinging his sword. Each breath was like fanning the flames in his furnace. Plenty of scorching white smoke billowed out, burning Hayden's skin red. Uncontrollable flames burst forth from his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, between his fingers—and from every crevice in his body, overflowing and burning.
The first and most important step in alchemy is calcination. Impurities are burned to ashes using a clean flame.
Then convert
Then sublimation
The fuel for his furnace was not vengeful spirits, but all the resentment, hatred, ferocity, and madness of four hundred years of vengeful spirits—whether originally good or bad, they were all burned equally.
Each time Hayden cuts through the river of reincarnation with his sword, a portion of the resentment is transformed, and Hayden's firepower becomes even stronger.
It seems like a very clever approach, but it also has two very obvious problems.
So Consort Ming scoffed: "Didn't you say you wanted to save souls? And you're resorting to such a stupid method? It's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
That's not entirely wrong. Even if the resentment of vengeful spirits is forged and transformed, it only reduces the torment of their souls; they are still suffering.
But Hayden exhaled a breath as hot as the surface of the sun, dismissing it: "Aren't you Ben? How can the souls of all living beings be saved if we don't defeat you, the culprit, first?"
"I am now a vessel for the wrath of all beings. To fight in accordance with the prayers of all beings, to defeat you, to stop you—this is the will of the world."
Mingfei raised an eyebrow: "Even if you could defeat me, these social losers who habitually hate the world wouldn't be at peace. They would just transfer their hatred to the next target."
"This is the next issue I need to address."
...That being said, although Hayden spoke with such ease, completely severing the cycle of reincarnation was no easy feat. Despite Hayden's relentless slashing with his sword, it felt like he was digging into a mountain with a shovel, with no end in sight.
In contrast, Hayden himself was engulfed in a furnace of flames that burned ever more fiercely, causing his soul and body to melt, crack, and twist. A blazing red light burned in his eyes, and heat relentlessly emanated from his body.
If their strength were equal, Hayden and Mithra's incarnations might fight for a year without a clear victor. However, Hayden's energy was fueled by his life force; every sword strike was driven by his life. Could such suicidal power be sustained?
Now Angela was no longer there to heal and protect Hayden. However, Hayden did not restrain his power; he continued to unleash even stronger and more ferocious sword strikes. The battle reached a temporary stalemate, but such a stalemate could not last forever. If this continued, Hayden's very soul would be consumed by the flames.
转机
Both Hayden and Mitra are waiting for a turning point.
What kind of turning point?
——————————————————————————————————
The Material World, the War of the Moon
When the Great Wheel Vajra King activated the power of [Reincarnation] to sweep away the allied forces of the gods, Karen ordered the entire army to retreat urgently and used [Five-Colored Divine Light] to push them away.
Then she did something that seemed incredibly foolish: she deliberately rushed into the cycle of reincarnation.
In an instant, [Reincarnation] absorbed Karen.
In an instant, Karen forgot everything.
She seemed to transform into a thousand babies, both male and female, falling into different time-space illusions, gradually growing up, and each starting their own lives.
Her background was also diverse and bizarre.
There are cold, dark, distant star rivers, where only endless racial wars rage.
There is a world where there is no magic at all, only humans piloting giant robots who fight each other endlessly.
It is a tragic country where demons and monsters roam freely, devouring the living, leaving humans to barely survive and desperately struggle to stay alive.
There are also places that, though peaceful and filled with towering skyscrapers, appear pristine and beautiful on the surface, are more vicious and terrifying than jackals and monsters within.
The various time-space illusions are filled with all sorts of bizarre and wonderful sights, indescribably fantastical. However, in every world, there is much suffering and little happiness; in every world, there are more evil people than good people; in every world, the vast majority of people suffer, and suffering is indeed a detestable thing.
Each of these illusions is actually a creation of Mithra, mimicking a parallel world. 【Reincarnation】is both a clock and a kaleidoscope crafted by Mithra after peering into countless parallel worlds with his divine eye. Each reincarnation brings different illusions, different worlds, different confusions, different emotions, and different attachments. Even the vast and chaotic world of mortals alone can ensnare even a Bodhisattva, making it difficult to extricate themselves.
Moreover, Mithra doesn't underestimate Karen; he could throw a thousand [reincarnations] at her. Even with an absolutely unwavering will, Karen couldn't retain her original memories across a thousand lives…
...However, at this moment, something particularly strange happened.
In a thousand reincarnations, in a thousand different lives, Karen was sometimes born into wealth and enjoyed a life of luxury. Sometimes she was born into high position and power. Sometimes, although she was wealthy, she fell from grace; sometimes, although she held power, she experienced many ups and downs.
Sometimes Karen comes from humble beginnings, or is poor, or is mediocre, or is even born into war... but here there is an incredible thing.
That is, no matter what environment Karen comes from, whether she is rich or poor, or even if she is in danger—she/he will definitely grow up to a certain age and stand up to fight against those vicious, powerful, heartless rich people, and monsters that come from the ends of the universe!
Whether on the battlefield amidst the clash of swords or in the political arena, in every aspect of life, in each cycle of reincarnation, Kallen always stands up to fight against the myriad evils and sufferings of the world. Whether that suffering is human, monster, social injustice, natural disaster, or plague. Moreover, she possesses a formidable charisma, making it easy for her to gather a righteous and passionate force.
Every time, Karen would step forward and lead a team to fight against those evil forces!
So in all her thousand lives, she died young. She never died of old age, not even past fifty.
Mitra (his true form) was handling everyone's reincarnation illusions within the core of the [Reincarnation] system. He was somewhat surprised to see Karen in this state.
He uses the concept of reincarnation to cleanse people, hoping to help all beings understand the principle of emptiness amidst the dust of the world. When all things of inherent value in the world cease to exist, there is no reason for the mind to waver. All thoughts can then be dismissed as distractions.
Only by detaching oneself from the world can one attain a state of no-thought.
Mithra wanted all beings to know that, regardless of the era or circumstances, all the joys and sorrows, love and hate, entanglements of interests, suffering and happiness in the mortal world are eternal and unchanging, and at the same time, they are all worthless.
By relinquishing all attachments and becoming free from desires, one can be saved from suffering once desires are eradicated.
Only in this way can all beings transcend suffering.
…As for Hayden's recent complaint that "you, the most obsessed with the world, are forcing a bunch of people who don't want to meditate into the cycle of reincarnation, forcing them to achieve Nirvana, just to help you defeat the outer gods"—this seemingly trivial matter, though it stung Mithra's heart, convinced him that it wasn't entirely illogical. A Bodhisattva, after all, can only achieve the state of perfect enlightenment—benefiting both self and others—after saving all sentient beings.
Therefore, Mithra's logic is perfectly reasonable: he must first liberate all sentient beings, subdue the demons, and save all beings before he himself can achieve liberation. He felt there was absolutely no problem with this.