...Did Angela turn a group of werewolves into some kind of husky monster?
So Hayden couldn't help but ask Eric, "Why aren't you surprised to see these Russians turn into monsters?"
Unexpectedly, Eric was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I've been on several escort missions with them before. They're like this in battle all the time, so I've gotten used to it after seeing it so many times."
噫
So why didn't Hayden know?
This is, of course, because the mercenaries have rarely needed to call upon Haiden, their commander, when they go on missions recently.
However, this also shows how little Hayden knows about what Angela usually does.
"I'll go in first to check the barrier, just in case our base gets raided. You and the others stay outside and keep watch."
So after giving Eric his instructions, Hayden quickly pulled Angela back into the barrier and immediately asked, "How...how did you turn those Russians into those grotesque creatures?!"
Angela tilted her head, wondering why Hayden was making such a fuss: "Master, didn't you install the heart component of [Valkyrie] on me?"
Yes. But what does that have to do with this?
"This month, I learned from Miss Karen how these so-called modern 'gods' transmit energy to their employees through sympathetic connections, and then I tried to sign contracts with those young people in the Volkov family."
Therefore, Angela explained while gesturing with her hands.
"The Volkov family seems to perceive me as some kind of moon deity. So now they can draw power from me simply by using their wolfskin belts as a symbol of communion."
"Because of the Valkyrie's heart component, it's easier for me to divert and manage energy to respond to their prayers. The same amount of energy, when limited to specific effects, results in greater efficiency. In fact, compared to operating it myself, the maximum amount of power I can output simultaneously is actually greater. The modern 'new gods' have indeed invented some very impressive technology."
Hearing this, Hayden felt a chill run down his spine.
What did he hear?
Angela's actions, just as she herself said, are exactly what modern gods do. Supernatural powers may be flexible, and their power may originate from within, but intricate spells, incantations, and rituals are far more powerful, capable of outputting more power simultaneously.
In other words, isn't this something that "only God" could do?
Of course, Hayden had long suspected that Angela was some kind of deity. But he still hadn't expected that Angela would manage to stir up such a mess all by herself without saying a word!
Hayden already knew that Yolanda's students worshipped Alastor (and his Dragon Balls) as a god, and he accepted it. Why, then, are these Russian gangsters now worshipping Angela as a god, and even signing a contract with her?!
And why was Hayden completely unaware of all this?!
Angela was even more confused when he asked her this: "Master, you yourself said that you did not intend to get involved in the affairs of the commune."
He...did say that.
That's why the wording is so important when giving instructions to artificial intelligence.
“Well, but,” Hayden racked his brains for a moment, but finally couldn’t help asking the next question, “even if they borrowed your life force, why did they turn into that indescribable state?”
This question also puzzled Angela: "What's wrong with that transformation mode? Multiple hearts and brains actually increase survivability!"
Clearly, Hayden cannot expect Angela to have the same aesthetic sense as humans.
"Compared to that, Master, I have something more important to report to you now."
Instead, she picked up the conversation, and said to Hayden with a serious expression,
"When you were attacked by the demon just now, I did not directly protect you because I sensed that someone else was monitoring the battle."
Prioritize important matters.
Hayden, who had been astonished by Angela's secret actions, immediately snapped out of his daze upon hearing her words: "Huh? It's not surprising that someone is monitoring this battle. Rather, it would be strange if they weren't..."
Then he finally realized what was happening.
Now, Hayden finally realized something that had been obvious from the very beginning: "...if you act personally under the watchful eyes of the Mithras, they will realize that you are..."
"exactly."
Angela nodded, then frowned.
"They will likely perceive me as a god-like being, just like the Volkov family. Even if we intervene disguised ourselves as other large corporations, as we did last time, it will still have a very negative impact on Miss Karen and you, Master."
"Therefore, I'm afraid I cannot directly intervene in this battle against the demons. Even if high-level demonic enemies appear, Master will have to fight them himself, but..."
As she said this, a look of great anticipation appeared on her face.
"Even if Master were to fight a high-level demon, he should be able to win, right?"
噫
The wizard Hai Zhang Anshi was dumbfounded.
093: Why are there ninjas?!
The wind is howling.
A fierce wind, carrying sand and poison, swept across the deserted wilderness outside the city.
Only in a small, protected area under the full moon's light, on this tiny piece of land, does the vitality of life overflow.
How could such a place have remained undiscovered by the gods for so long?
However, some deities believed that it was the Peacock King who had sent his daughter to work here, and therefore did not intervene.
Therefore, some deities also believed that this was a new project secretly undertaken by the Peacock King, and naturally wanted to suppress it severely.
No deity ever considered whether this was the result of the Peacock Daughter's own independent entrepreneurship—after all, what kind of thing is that?
So they watched everything from the void, observing the battle, teasing each other about the changing states, and speculating on how things would develop... At the same time, of course, they were also moving their own pieces.
The barrier protected by the full moon's light surprised them somewhat, but not particularly strange—after all, it was still technology belonging to the Mithra Group. They couldn't possibly know that the core of that rowan staff was actually a fragment of the Vajra Dagger that Hayden had stolen; they would only think in the conventional direction.
Fortunately, the Mithra Group also had many ways to break the Moonlight Guardian. So the gods quickly issued the order.
A shadow, hidden in the moonlight, swept across the cracked wasteland, trailing a long howl, as it flew towards the barrier. The alien white hounds couldn't see the shadow, nor did they sense its presence. Even Eric, who was keeping watch with them outside, didn't notice the shadow's intrusion.
If the protective barrier were functioning normally, it might not be so easy to breach. However, most of its functions are now overloaded, and Hayden merely used his rowan staff to patch up the gaps, naturally creating an opening.
The shadows hidden under the moonlight have already slipped into the barrier.
Shadow soon saw a large group of little flower fairies, as well as several young humans wearing dark blue protective coats, constantly repairing and reinforcing the barrier of the entire camp.
But honestly, isn't it a bit too late to do this now?
The shadow grumbled inwardly as it crept toward them.
The protection of the moonlight barrier was completely ineffective against this shadow.
--------------------------
Angela said she couldn't help directly.
To say that these words had no psychological impact on Hayden... is clearly impossible.
Fortunately, he wasn't a complete useless person who couldn't do anything without Angela; he was just a little unsure of himself.
High-ranking demons are very powerful.
They possess combat power equal to or even greater than that of ordinary gods. Hayden still remembered how Alicia and her maid were easily defeated by that high-level demon a year ago; neither physical attacks nor magic were effective against them. Generally speaking, to defeat a high-level demon, one needs a very large amount of heavy firepower, or the overwhelming qualitative advantage of the combat gods.
A warrior god could almost certainly win a one-on-one fight against a high-level demon. But Hayden wasn't a warrior god.
Angela seemed to have an overwhelming ability to control the devil, but now she says she can't take direct action.
If Huanxitian really sends a high-ranking devil this time, does Hayden really have a way to win on his own?
...I really have no idea.
But even if we're unsure, we still have to find a way.
As the old saying goes, being overly cautious a thousand times is not a big deal; but recklessly throwing your life away once is too much. Hayden was unsure of himself this time, so he decided to go all out.
He brought out forty silver stakes that had been enchanted with exorcism spells, along with an instruction manual, and instructed the ten Russian mercenaries to drive the stakes into the ground one by one according to the diagrams, setting up an exorcism array around the camp. Meanwhile, he and Angela ran to the camp's hut to prepare other things.
You asked him why he didn't drive these stakes in sooner? The reasons are rather complicated. Firstly, of course, it's because they're too expensive. These magical silver stakes, once driven into the ground, can't be pulled out; to be precise, once pulled out, they're unusable. Although Hayden made them all by hand, so labor costs weren't a major concern, the materials alone for forty stakes cost a whopping 160,000 gold coins! If other mercenaries heard that Hayden spent money like this, they'd faint on the spot.
However, money was actually the smaller of the two main reasons. Although Hayden was short of money, this was official business, and he could have asked Karen for reimbursement. He didn't have money, but Karen was relatively wealthy! The arcane protective barrier around the camp alone was worth far more than his stake.
So another reason is that making the silver stakes by hand is incredibly inefficient. In fact, Hayden made all forty stakes himself, taking time out of his busy schedule to work through the night for Karen, who wasn't doing too well lately. The fact that most magical implements in classical magic need to be handmade is a major drawback compared to industrialized arcane magic.
This isn't the first time this question has been raised.
Fortunately, the other mercenaries here were Angela's "hounds," and they treated Hayden as a priest or prophet, so they didn't question him no matter what he did. Hayden told them to drive stakes into the ground according to the diagram, and they obediently did so.
The "leader" of this group of young Russians, the blonde girl Valeria Volkova, who had previously suffered horrific misery under Hayden's command, now knew very well to obey Hayden's orders.
In reality, the Volkov family isn't a true "werewolf" family; they are human, but they possess an ancient family magic that allows them to transform into wolves. A sufficiently powerful transformation spell can preserve the recipient's human nature, preventing their personality from being corrupted by bestial instincts and allowing them to retain human rationality, transforming them into a large animal possessing both human intelligence and wolfish ferocity.
At least that's the theory.
The problem is that, in reality, human thought cannot be completely separated from the physical body. You can't transform into a wolf and remain completely unaffected by its personality. And if your family members frequently transform into wolves generation after generation, while your DNA will still be purely human and your intelligence won't decline, your habits will begin to slightly lean towards canines.
Both wolves and dogs are highly social animals, living in family units and following a specific social hierarchy. The highest alpha wolf/dog rank consists of a middle rank, followed by the lower rank of ordinary wolves/dogs… their “organization” is highly orderly. Each wolf in the pack plays its own social role.
The same principle applies to dogs; within their packs, there is a clear hierarchy and role assignments. The Volkov family is no exception. Valeria was once an Alpha Wolf among the young men, and a core member of the Beta rank within the family. Now that the entire family has transformed from wolves to dogs, her position remains unchanged. Ten men stand guard outside the barrier, nine help Hayden drive the silver stakes, while she alone inspects and adjusts the camp's barrier system.
However, Valeria was actually naturally good at this. She showed a talent for computers when she was young, and now she is the family's technical shaman, which is why she became the alpha wolf of the young people before she was even twenty.
That's why Hayden dragged her into the screen like she was in a horror movie last time. After all, she's in charge of managing the security system.
So, similarly, that's why there's now a wrist made of black shadow piercing through her chest from behind.
"Ah... ah?"
Before she could even scream, Valeria had already lost consciousness. The cold, black wrist had robbed her of her fighting spirit.
Twice she was ambushed and knocked unconscious before the battle even began. Is this child's luck a bit off? But don't worry, because her sacrifice wasn't in vain—the wolfskin belt and the pact with Angela bound their lives together! In just a moment, the other nine mercenaries noticed the commotion and turned around simultaneously!
There, behind the unconscious blonde, a pitch-black shadow, as dark as night, surged from the void, solidified, and took on a human form.
The silvery moonlight illuminated her obsidian-like attire, causing even the brave Russian hounds to widen their eyes. Everyone present, humans and sprites alike, focused their gaze on this intruder.
Finally, one of the mercenaries swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask:
"What is that? A ninja?"
Another mercenary couldn't help but wonder, "Ninjas? Why would there be ninjas?!"
But this was indeed a ninja, or at least something that would be considered a ninja. She looked like a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, with her long black hair tied in a single ponytail behind her back. The jet-black ninja outfit that clung tightly to her skin outlined the curves of her still-developing body. She wore gauntlets on her left hand and held a samurai sword that exuded a dangerous killing intent in her right hand.
The only truly unsettling thing about her was the long-nosed red tengu mask she wore. This mask completely covered her face, making it impossible to see what she looked like.
This is indeed a ninja.
But who exactly is she?
"Nice to meet you. I am a Tengu Ninja."
The ninja extended his hands and clasped them together in a gesture of respect to the mercenaries.
"I can accept your surrender now. Because you are absolutely no match for me."
She spoke very seriously to the mercenaries.
It is obvious that no mercenary would accept such a persuasion to surrender.
And these young mercenaries weren't fools. The enemy attacked, and Valeria was instantly killed; even if it was a sneak attack, it at least demonstrated considerable combat power. So they immediately reached for their wolfskin belts, fiddled with the brass buckles, and they instantly transformed—before the ninja wearing the tengu mask could even finish her salute, nine white, alien beasts were already roaring and charging towards her! How despicable!
However, the Tengu ninja was faster! A mere 0.02 seconds after the salute, the Tengu's left hand traced a path with astonishing ninja speed. Ten shuriken flew out from the mechanism within the gauntlet, simultaneously striking the heads and hearts of the five mutated mercenaries, causing them to explode instantly! Although they didn't die, they could only lie sprawled on the ground like rotten flesh, waiting to slowly regenerate!
These shurikens are faster than magic bullets and have the power to shoot down fighter jets and destroy armored vehicles!
The remaining four mercenaries, both shocked and enraged, attacked simultaneously from four directions. But the Tengu ninja's katana sliced through the air in an arc. Even with their beastly instincts and dynamic vision, the mercenaries' eyes couldn't keep up with her speed, and they had no chance to defend or dodge. Their four heads were chopped off with a single stroke!
Without the pact with Angela, without the life force Angela bestowed upon them, these young Russians would all be dead by now, instead of lying on the ground waiting to regenerate and recover.
As for the remaining flower fairies and goblins, despite possessing the magic of a lower-level god, they lacked the natural courage to fight. Just witnessing the mercenaries being instantly blasted into mangled pieces and their heads chopped off terrified them so much that their legs went weak and they lost control of their bladders on the spot!
When Hayden pushed open the door of the cabin and rushed out, he was greeted by this hellish scene.
"Ninja? Tengu?"
Even Hayden was stunned for a moment, but he wasn't really stupid, so he quickly recovered.
"...A demon? A ninja tengu demon!?"
In the mythology of Japan, in the far east, the so-called Tengu are said to be vengeful spirits who died with resentment, or monsters that people who failed in their spiritual practice turned into after death. They would hinder other practitioners like the Tenma, and would also abduct lost children in the mountains and forests.
In other words, were they originally monsters belonging to the Old Gods, like fairies or demons?
However, the tengu ninja clearly didn't like the name Hayden had suggested.