444: Communication is very important
The Great Wheel Vajra King has been defeated.
Since the wrathful form in the material world has been defeated, the tranquil form, which is the duality within the StarNet, is naturally not safe either.
Just as Hayden was wielding his sword to slice through the River of Reincarnation, locked in a fierce battle with Kalachakra Consort, a look of astonishment suddenly appeared on the Consort's face.
At the same time, Hayden also felt the strong vibrations coming from the material world.
Flowers rained down from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the earth. Karen had attained her supreme enlightenment, shattered her shackles, and broken free from the bondage of reincarnation.
Although the Reincarnation system itself was not damaged—this is not something that can be achieved by one person's Nirvana, it is not that easy—the Kalachakra Queen, who was busy fighting Hayden, was still greatly affected.
Seeing her wavering, Hayden didn't let the opportunity pass. He took another deep breath, as if fanning the flames of his alchemical furnace, letting more heat and platinum flames overflow from every opening in his body.
"cut!"
Driven by the wrath of all beings and formed from the power of words and intentions, the sword slashed down heavily, along with the Queen of the Cycle of Reincarnation!
The sword blade sliced in from his right shoulder, cutting diagonally across half his body. The sensation of tearing flesh and shattering bone was transmitted through the blade to Hayden, every single detail. And that wasn't all.
Kalachakra Consort is an emanation of Mithra, and words are the tool for conveying thoughts. Therefore, when Hayden cut open Consort's body, he also touched upon Mithra's inner self.
A small part of Mithra's mind and memory... flowed through Hayden's mind in that instant, just like the other vengeful spirits that had entered Hayden's mind.
The outcome has been decided.
"No—! I have not yet been defeated!"
However, even with half her body severed by the sword, Consort Ming still refused to fall!
"Don't underestimate me, Loki! I'm still not dead!"
Unable to activate [Reincarnation], she concentrated her last pure killing intent and pure will, transforming it into psychic power powerful enough to cleave the moon, and blasted it towards Hayden!
Even as Hayden parried with his sword, he was still forced to retreat rapidly by the powerful pure psychic energy. However, instead of immediately launching another attack, he shook his head: "You're the one who underestimates others. Although you no longer underestimate me, you do indeed despise—everyone else."
Before she could finish speaking, a beam of white light silently flew in from the other end of the StarNet space. By the time Mingfei realized what was happening, it was too late for her to change her strategy.
Alastor's Bojun Water Dragon Sword pierced Mingfei's heart from behind.
Mahasthamaprapta Alastor was merely a minor god, albeit one that had been strengthened by Hayden to the point of near-greatness. His water dragon power contained the rage and hatred of the earth god and natural forces towards the new god of capital. Normally, Kalachakra Vajra Consort would absolutely ignore such an attack. However, with their combined form disrupted and severely injured by Hayden, and while engaged in a fierce battle with him, how could she possibly withstand it?
"Mitra, your eyes will never see where they should see."
Alastor sneered and spun the Water Dragon Sword. Kalachakra, who had been struck by Mara's vengeful attack and was kneeling, couldn't even utter a final word before her avatar disintegrated and vanished.
The gate to Raphael's sealed land is now unobstructed.
Alastor sheathed his water sword, cracked the door code with a wave of his hand, and then suddenly said with some emotion, "Hayden, this reminds me of that battle we fought in the sewers of the New Yatu Industrial Zone back then."
At that time, while Mitra's Vajra Warrior squad was busy fighting Angela, they completely disregarded the weak Hayden and the other students, deeming them unimportant. As a result, Hayden seized the opportunity to carry out a grand ritual. Alastor was transformed into a land god by Hayden and killed the three Vajra Warriors.
Even with the best eyesight, if you don't pay attention to the corners you don't care about, some things will never be noticed. At least not before they happen.
But some things, once they happen, are too late to make amends or change... like Mithra now, like the world now...
...Hmm, is that so? Is it too late to make amends?
Perhaps Hayden had other ideas.
“Indeed, and considering what I’m about to do, it feels all too familiar.” He exhaled a breath of hot air. “Alastor, do you think there really is such a thing as fate?”
“I don’t think so,” Alastor replied confidently. “Everything I’ve done is my own choice. If fate were to jump out and say that everything is under its control, we’d save the world today and then rebel against it tomorrow.”
These words finally made Hayden laugh: "You're really reassuring."
He then pushed open the door that had been sealed off by Kalachakra. Before him was something resembling an elevator shaft, but inside was only a huge diamond slab.
Alastor glanced at the program and explained, "Once inside, this elevator will automatically transport the passengers to Raphael's Sealing Chamber, the deepest part of the moon's surface. There shouldn't be any other obstacles along the way."
Hayden nodded: "Alright, I'll go down now. Karen has already defeated the Great Wheel King in the material world and will soon be able to take over the entire Mitra lunar base. But to quickly control the entire base, the spaceships in Jupiter's orbit, and the defensive wall, we need your help as the most skilled IT expert. Alastor, since we're already inside the firewall, you can take control of all of Mitra's StarNet equipment."
Alastor was startled by this: "Are you sure? Although I said there are no other obstacles on the road, Mitra's true form is very likely guarding the sealing chamber. You really want to go and fight him one-on-one? At least let me go along and lend a hand, okay?"
"I just need to talk to him about something. Who said I wanted to fight him one-on-one?" Hayden shrugged. "Besides, while dealing with Mitra is important, the overall fate of humanity is still more important. We have our own plans, but if something unexpected happens and Uriel really wipes everyone out, that would be a real mess. You should go help maintain order."
That made some sense, but Alastor still asked suspiciously, "Hayden, you're not going to secretly do something really stupid behind our backs, are you?"
“How could I?” Hayden replied seriously. “I still have to save Angela, and I still have to save the whole world. What right do I have to do something foolish?”
Hope so.
Hayden was right after all, and Alastor parted ways with him there.
Then Hayden stepped onto the diamond lift and let it send him down into the deepest sealed chamber on the moon.
As the platform slowly descended, the vengeful flames on Hayden's body gradually burned away, while he tilted his head back, slowly reviewing his life in his mind.
Finally, halfway down the slope, Hayden spoke: "Friends."
He spoke to the countless vengeful spirits within his body—inside the alchemical furnace.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear Karen's grand aspirations on the moon?"
Now, these vengeful spirits are no longer just pouring out of Hayden's body openings; they've even begun crawling out from behind him. They stretch out arms of blazing flames, trying to grab anything they can reach and drag it in to burn along with them.
From the countless flying embers emerged thousands of faces, all speaking to Hayden: "We heard you..."
But what does that have to do with us?
That's a matter for the future; we're already dead.
My son lost his job because of a skill chip, couldn't afford medical bills, and died young... I died too...
I'm too tired, let's destroy it.
These deeply resentful, tragic souls who died in capitalist society utter endless lamentations. Their grief seems to encompass everything imaginable. How could mere words possibly soothe these souls?
Adam, Hayden's old friend, who, as a perfect being, retained a relatively high level of rationality among the vengeful spirits, chimed in: "Hayden, buddy, anyone can shout slogans. You don't actually think Karen's words are inspiring, do you? Let alone us dead with no future, even the living might not be entirely confident in the future she created!"
[And you're always worried about Mitra, but why aren't you worried that after Karen rules the world, she'll go from dragon slayer to the next dragon? You're not thinking you'll keep an eye on her forever, are you?]
Adam's tone was somewhat teasing, somewhat sarcastic, but also full of curiosity. Despite his demeanor, this man had always had great faith in Hayden, and even in his death, he eagerly awaited what strange plan Hayden would come up with to solve the problem.
Hayden glanced at him and calmly replied, "No, I don't have confidence in Karen ruling the world either. Of course, I believe she won't make the same mistakes as Mitra, but I really don't think she won't make any mistakes. That's impossible."
Now it was Adam's turn to be stunned: "You yourself don't even have confidence in your wife, yet you expect us to have confidence in her?!"
"Confidence is relative. I don't think Karen can ultimately create a perfect utopia, but I at least believe she can create a better situation than we are now, rather than continuing to endure Mithra's world. History doesn't cycle, it spirals. I believe the tomorrow she creates will at least be better than yesterday—but that really has nothing to do with you, because you're already dead."
The vengeful spirits didn't like hearing this. Many of them immediately stretched out flaming claws to tear Hayden apart. However, Adam was the strongest of all the vengeful spirits, so he immediately swatted the others away.
"We are indeed all dead." A probing light flickered in Adam's eyes. "But you have the power to overturn life and death. Hayden, can't you bring us all back to life?"
"I wouldn't do that."
Hayden answered decisively,
"You are all dead, and there are at least tens of billions of you. And, although I don't want to name names, there are quite a few of you vengeful spirits who actually deserved to die—I won't name names! But in any case, I don't think it would be a good thing for the world to resurrect you all, and I don't want to sift through you one by one to see who deserved to die and who could be resurrected. I'm not a Dragon Ball."
To sift through all the resentful souls of those who died four hundred years ago, deciding who could be resurrected and who deserved to die? This act was arrogant to the point of madness. Hayden certainly wouldn't want to do it.
So Adam shrugged nonchalantly: "Since you won't resurrect us, what do we dead have to do with the future of the world? If the Outer God really intends to use our resentment as fuel to destroy the world, I bet many of the dead would be happy to provide that fuel."
As soon as he finished speaking, the many vengeful spirits clinging to Hayden began to voice their support: "That's right!"
What if the world gets better in the future? My wife is dead, my son is dead, and I'm dead too! I have no future!
We are already dead, with no chance to start over! We can only suffer in darkness forever! Since that's the case, let's drag this world, built on our suffering, down with us! That would be fair to us, the tragically deceased!
The world has become like this because everyone bears responsibility!
A series of cheers and roars immediately rose and fell among the millions of undead.
Actually, what they said wasn't entirely unreasonable. Their resentment towards the world is understandable, even justifiable. Just as Uriel wanted to use their resentment as firewood, placing the world on a pile of firewood.
Some say that Mithras, the god of capital, is the culprit behind the world's current state, and that's certainly true. Mithras was indeed wicked... but the responsibility for the world's current state cannot be entirely placed on those at the top.
Looking at Mithras with worshipful eyes, he tacitly acknowledged that everyone who had made the world this way over the past four hundred years (including many of these dead vengeful spirits) should share a share of the responsibility.
“If everyone wants to survive, they must change. If they want tomorrow to be different, they absolutely cannot follow the same old path,” Hayden said calmly. “Karen wants to change, she will change, and she won’t make the same mistakes as Mitra. So even though she’s unreliable, I still entrust her to her, to Alastor, to… many, many living people who are trying.”
He believed in Karen, but he wasn't naive enough to believe only Karen.
"Then what about us dead?" Adam retorted. "If you don't resurrect us, then the dead can't be changed, and a new beginning can't be started. You say I deserve it? Fine, I accept it! So what do you plan to do? Learn from Miktikashiva and burn all the resentful spirits to ashes?"
Hayden shook his head. He wasn't Mickett. He didn't think forcibly appeasing vengeful spirits was a good way to resolve their resentment. He also disagreed with demanding that the dead forgive the living: on what grounds? Just because they were told that tomorrow would be better?
That definitely won't work! For those who have already died in suffering, empty words about love and the future are too pale, as light as a feather!
Perhaps Hayden could kill Mithra. This would be an act of justice, a way to avenge some of the vengeful spirits. Perhaps some of the spirits would find peace... but this would only be a temporary solution.
Ugh
He has so much to do.
Hayden needs to seek justice for these vengeful spirits who have been here for four hundred years, to soothe their grief, and to heal their wounds.
Hayden must deal with Uriel, who is about to destroy the world.
However, Mickett's previous actions and their consequences did indeed give Hayden a hint.
The living must change the present in order to achieve a better future. What about the dead?
...In fact, Hayden had already seen the solution up close once. He had also promised Mickett that he would create a better world than the one they had now.
"Adam, my good brother, my old friend."
Hayden began to speak.
"You are a selfish, cold-blooded bastard who disregards human life. You have killed many people who should never have been hurt like this."
Adam's ghost did not refute. He simply raised his eyebrows, waiting for Hayden to finish speaking.
“But, at this time when Mithras is making a mess of things and the angels are about to burn us all, if you don’t like this ending,” Hayden turned to look at his friend’s ghost, “would you be willing to repent and start doing some good deeds from now on?”
Adam was stunned, then amused: "I've done so many evil things. Now, if I do good, will you resurrect me?"
"of course not."
Hayden laughed too.
"But I can take you, and all souls who also yearn for change... forward."
[Where to...?]
"How would I know."
Hayden looked up at the sky, at a place he could no longer see, but which was higher than the sky—the place where Mickett had vanished.
"But I believe in the place she will take me. I believe it must be a beautiful place. Even if I have never seen it, I still believe it."
"Adam, my old friend. Do you believe what I believe?"
The silence lasted for a relatively long time this time.
However, time wouldn't wait for them. Soon, the elevator reached the lowest level. Hayden was about to enter the core of the moon, the deepest sealed chamber beneath the earth.
Before that, Adam finally spoke: "Even if I believe you, there are still many vengeful spirits who don't."
"We'll deal with that later. My strength alone is certainly not enough to save everyone. But I have thought of a way."
The lift had reached the bottom. Hayden stepped forward.
“I’m already very happy that you’re willing to believe me now.”
"Let's finish what we need to do right now, one by one."
Ahead lay Raphael's sealing chamber, a circular room located at the moon's core. Hayden walked straight in; there were indeed no other obstacles or barriers in his path.
Except for Mithra himself, who was blocking the way.
The true Mithra has been waiting here for a long time.
445: To sum up a thousand words in one sentence
Raphael's sealing chamber is a circular room located at the core of the moon.
A colossal yellow crystal dominated the center of the room. Raphael slept within that crystal, folding his countless wings and closing his countless eyes. Even so, he continued to radiate a soft light, enveloping everything around him in the purest white.
Raphael, sleeping in a giant yellow crystal, is, to use a less-than-respectful analogy, somewhat like an insect sealed in amber.