Clockwork Bride

Page 316

Takemikazuchi frowned: "All divine armies are like this. That's nonsense."

“That’s not nonsense. Because everything that’s put together can be taken apart, and therefore has structural weaknesses.” Hayden blinked. “I’m one of the world’s top archmages, and you should have heard of my ‘great achievements,’ and you should know how many divine and demonic things I’ve messed up since my debut. Even if you doubt my allegiance, you can’t at least doubt my professional competence, right?”

For a moment, even a serious and solemn god of war like Takemikazuchi was left speechless by Hayden.

"Speak plainly, Hayden, don't beat around the bush. What do you want my help with?"

So Hayden raised his eyebrows and whispered something to Takemikazuchi that even the gods outside couldn't overhear.

Upon hearing this, Takemikazuchi immediately shook his head: "Very creative, but we would never help or protect those anti-human traitors who are trying to restore the rule of the devil, much less use force against the Mithra Group for this. The crime is too great."

"The premise is that if this charge is really pinned on me and I can't get it off," Hayden finally laughed. "But, although these two [heavens] keep saying that the evidence is irrefutable, it's not actually that irrefutable, right?"

Takemikazuchi finally couldn't understand.

"What exactly do you mean?" At this point, Takemikazuchi glanced again at the Demon-Subduing Golden Net that was enveloping everyone. "Besides, you don't have time either. We only have a few minutes left at most."

“Time is not an issue.” Hayden turned to the five hundred Arhats, to Dakini, and to Dhritarashtra. “Next, hey, just watch how I solve the time problem with my professional performance!”

Yes, Hayden has not forgotten, nor should he have forgotten.

He was a wizard, a prophet, and basically not a warrior.

Although he was not incapable of killing, nor did he completely dislike killing, killing was not his primary occupation or specialty.

"Venerable Mingzhao!"

Hayden shouted at the Arhat who had just spoken to him.

"I'm willing to turn myself in! So please stop using this [Demon-Subduing Circle] to hurt other people!"

His main job is speaking.

Takemikazuchi was dumbfounded.

Dhritarashtra and Dakini were also stunned.

Hongye was stunned.

Angela laughed instead.

Only the five hundred Arhats remained unfazed and unwavering. They immediately stopped the golden net of the Subduing Demons Circle from closing in. These five hundred Arhats, having honed their profound meditative skills within the dream of reincarnation, were of one mind, so there was no need to choose a leader or representative. Venerable Mingzhao simply said, "Excellent. Then, benevolent Haiden, you may lay down your weapon. We will use the Subduing Demons Circle to capture you and take you away, and then we will naturally remove the golden net."

“Okay, I’ll cooperate.” Hayden nodded and released the staff in his hand. “I did kill dozens of priests, two Yamato gods, and seriously injured the Ame no Boro. I did all of that.”

At the same time, the giant wolf Fenrir quickly released the Yatagarasu it was stepping on, showing Hayden's willingness to cooperate.

But he hadn't finished speaking: "However, Venerable Ones, these two [Heavens] actually accused me of trying to revive the devil and resurrect feudal society. This is absolutely untrue; it's their slander!"

“Hmm,” Venerable Mingzhao said calmly, “You can appeal these matters after you return to headquarters.”

It seems he doesn't care too much about this kind of thing.

But Hayden laughed instead: "I've already appealed. From the moment I started speaking, I immediately sent all the conversations and recordings to Guanyin Bodhisattva to appeal—I didn't say I had to appeal to Mithra Bodhisattva, right?"

The next instant, just as Hayden had expected, the five hundred Arhats still didn't say anything, but Dakini and Dhritarashtra behind them changed their expressions slightly.

Indeed, everyone knows, or at least vaguely suspects, that the situation within the Mithra Group's board of directors has become somewhat complicated recently, with potential disagreements among the bodhisattvas—but this is merely an internal matter and hasn't been brought to the forefront yet. On the surface, Mithra Bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva remain harmonious, friendly, and affectionate. Saying things like, "What business is it of ours if you appeal to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva?"... at least for now, Dakini and Dhritarashtra cannot openly utter such sentiments.

More importantly, the Five Hundred Arhats are definitely not a force commanded by Dhritarashtra or the other Heavenly Kings. At least for now, they are a new type of force directly under the group's board of directors, not a private army that only obeys the orders of Mithra Bodhisattva. They were only summoned by the two Heavenly Kings because they received reports of vicious criminals and terrifying rebels here, who were trying to resurrect demons and restore feudal society. Dakini and Dhritarashtra do not have the authority to command them.

To put it bluntly, it's just that two people pressed the report and alarm buttons.

That's why Hayden said at this point: "Besides appealing, I also want to confess something to the Arhats and Bodhisattvas."

Venerable Mingzhao finally frowned: "What?"

“I have never attempted to revive the devil, much less to resurrect feudal society. But there are indeed people here who want to do so. They have even been lurking within the group all along, harboring malice and resentment!”

Hayden pointed to the "Five Hundred Arhats"—Dajini and Dhritarashtra behind him.

“I confess that it was these two who were recruited from the old gods and joined the group as the new [Heaven] under the identity of the old gods. They are always thinking about turning back the clock of history, trying to restore the devil, and trying to revive feudal society! I killed the people, but they did all these restoration things. They even tried to frame me and wanted to silence me!”

His main job is talking, and he is best at spouting nonsense to gods and demons.

389: Wield my tongue like a greatsword of adamantite.

As is widely known, many of the "gods" within the Mithraic group were originally ancient Indian and East Asian deities. They were defeated by the newly rising Mithraic group four hundred years ago, or surrendered when things turned against them, and were then given a fresh coat of paint and joined the harmonious new family of gods within the Mithraic group.

Of course, not every "Heaven" is an old god repainted; in fact, most are not. But Hayden was well aware that Dakini and Dhritarashtra were old gods four or five hundred years ago. Although they were old and repainted as new gods, their roots were not good, so the Mithra Group's higher-ups never truly trusted them completely. No matter how long they served, they remained at the "Heaven" level, just "deputy" positions, and could never be promoted.

So when they heard Hayden's sudden counterattack, Dakini and Dhritarashtra were first taken aback, and then their expressions changed.

"What utter nonsense!" But Dakini was still laughing. "Who brought the princess of the ancient Japanese gods to this wasteland connected to the seal of [Ashihara Province]? Who cast a spell to resurrect these 100,000 ancient gods? [Five Hundred Arhats], don't listen to this vicious criminal's ramblings. Quickly arrest him and take him back!"

But Hayden had been waiting for her to say that. So he laughed too: "Look closely. Did I come to this wasteland to help the devil regain his power?"

At this point, he pointed to the rocky mountain behind him—the place where the shimenawa rope was used to seal the passage to the Ashihara Province.

"Look what I just did! I—twisted this passage!" Hayden said solemnly. "I've ensured that this great demon—will never have the chance to escape from the seal again! This is not something a cultist who restores the demon would do! Rather, it's proof of my rebellion against the demon! These two [Heavens] who were born from the Old Gods originally wanted to rescue the great demon, but I ruined their efforts, so they're now angry and trying to frame me! Venerable Mingzhao, you should take them back to the Tushita Heaven for a thorough investigation!"

Nonsense! Where do you get the audacity to spout such nonsense?!

This finally made Dajini Tian's smile vanish. She didn't believe for a second that Hayden could have truly distorted spacetime to resurrect the old god-like monsters in order to destroy the passage to the [Ashihara Kingdom]. That was simply impossible!

"Don't jump to conclusions." So now that things had come to this, Tujini Tian's expression turned cold, and his tone became more threatening and angry. "Even if you have a silver tongue, you can't make up for the fact that you resurrected 100,000 old gods."

That's a gross underestimation of Hayden's words.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." He waved his hand at the monsters behind him and said seriously, "Are these 100,000 Old Gods demons?"

That's not actually the case. Most of the beings resurrected by Hayden this time are simply native Japanese yokai, such as land gods, elementals, and spirits. It's true that they were in the demon's camp and were their servants four hundred years ago, but that doesn't mean they were demons themselves.

Similarly, if we only consider race, Dakini is of course also an ancient god, so we can't use race as a basis for argument. For a moment, Hayden silenced her. Although it was only a brief pause, it was enough for Hayden to play his next move. He turned to look at the five hundred Arhats and said:

“Venerable Mingzhao, the great vow of Bodhisattva Mithra is to save all sentient beings. The wronged souls who died four hundred years ago in this wasteland can only be temporarily suppressed, and cannot be truly led into the cycle of reincarnation to attain liberation, enlightenment, and salvation. How can this be acceptable?”

At this point, Hayden patted his chest solemnly and declared, "I resurrected these 100,000 Old Gods in the hope that they, like the other Old Gods loyal to the Mithraic Group, could be freed from their vengeful spirit state and attain enlightenment and salvation in the cycle of reincarnation!"

"One hundred thousand ancient gods! One hundred thousand ancient gods! Such a huge deal! I finally managed to resurrect them, but Dakini and Dhritarashtra interfered and pinned the blame on me! I had barely resurrected these ancient gods when they immediately notified you to come and arrest me. Don't you think that's strange? What a coincidence! Shouldn't it be reported to a Bodhisattva or a Wisdom King so that they can handle it?"

Hayden argued vehemently,

"Too many people appearing at the same time and too many coincidences—the possibility of so many groups of people appearing in the same place at the same time is too small. There must be a hidden connection. So no matter how you look at it, those two are the real traitors!"

Stop talking nonsense!

Tujini almost screamed in anger. How could Hayden distort the truth to this extent?! Is there no justice left?!

"Five hundred Arhats, don't listen to this man's nonsense! Quickly suppress him and take him back to the Tushita Heaven for interrogation, and this farce will be over!"

She said this sternly.

However, the five hundred Arhats did not do as instructed. On the contrary, the five hundred people, who were of one mind, remained silent for a moment. After a few seconds, Venerable Mingzhao said, "Well, since both sides hold their own opinions, then we will have to take Haideng, the virtuous man, and the two [Heavens] back to the Tushita Heaven for a thorough examination."

As Venerable Mingzhao finished speaking, he opened his eyes and glanced at Dakini and Dhritarashtra. His gaze did not reveal doubt, but rather a simple, pure indifference.

And so, at this very moment, the genius Dajini finally realized something that should have been obvious from the very beginning:

In the eyes of these Arhats, whether it's Hayden or Dakini, these old gods who have become new gods, they are probably all the same thing.

Couldn't they see that Hayden's words were mere sophistry, lacking sufficient evidence, and merely circling around the question of possibility? Of course they could, but they didn't care. Because the "Five Hundred Arhats" weren't police. They weren't there to find the truth, but simply to arrest the traitors and send them to "reincarnation." Arresting one was less effective than arresting three.

In the eyes of the Arhats, all those who haven't undergone the baptism of reincarnation, haven't attained enlightenment, and still get bothered and quarrel over these worldly trifles are pretty much the same. They'll all be sent to reincarnation anyway, to be properly educated.

At first glance, Dakini and Dhritarashtra appear to be leaders, but in reality, they are merely "masses" who file reports.

Whether Hayden's nonsense is true or not, the Arhats simply don't care.

But Dakini Deva cared a lot! The reason she went through all this trouble, scheming and plotting against Hayden, was to capture him and offer him as a gift to Mithra Bodhisattva, all so she wouldn't enter the cycle of reincarnation and could instead enjoy a stable life of wealth and honor! She absolutely didn't want to lose her current identity, be thrown into the cycle of reincarnation for a thousand lifetimes, and become something completely different from who she is now!

She doesn't want to! Aa ...

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the chaos and the distraction of the two "Heavens," Takemikazuchi silently approached Momiji, Angela, and the resurrected leaders of the ancient Japanese gods and monsters. The vast majority of the dead and resurrected ancient Japanese gods had a very poor relationship with Takemikazuchi, the Yamato warrior god. Seeing him approach, they immediately and warily raised their weapons.

“I am not here to fight you,” Takemikazuchi said bluntly. “Hayden can’t possibly get away with this by just talking; he knows it himself. So Hayden just gave me an idea, but it needs your help to put it into practice.”

These words caused the ancient gods to exchange glances for a moment, then Momiji nodded and said, "Please speak, Lord Takemikazuchi. If it is indeed Lord Hayden's instruction, I will certainly lead my people to help."

This girl is incredibly loyal to Hayden, perhaps even a little too loyal.

“I don’t need your people,” Takemikazuchi said calmly. “Hayden’s plan only requires four things: you, the Valkyrie Angela over there, the help of our Yamato God Clan, and the passage behind us leading to the [Land of the Dead].

He pointed to the rocky mountain behind him—the place where the shimenawa rope was used to seal the passage to the Ashihara Province.

But wasn't this passage accidentally twisted and broken by Hayden?

Before Hongye could even process what was happening, she heard Angela behind her say happily, "It seems that Master's mental state has recovered somewhat, which is truly cause for celebration."

Uh, does "restoring the state" mean continuing to manipulate the gods with words?

Hongye couldn't help but feel a little desperate, sometimes she really wondered if she had chosen the wrong monarch.

However, she will still obediently listen to Hayden.

This little dog can be really useful sometimes.

390: Balance

Finally, Hayden, relying on his nonsensical ramblings, kept arguing with Dakini and the "Five Hundred Arhats" for a good ten minutes, until these enlightened Arhats got a little annoyed.

"Stop talking, Mr. Hayden. This humble monk is about to put golden ropes around the three of you who are filled with anger and drag you back to the Tushita Heaven."

Venerable Mingzhao's tone remained calm, but Hayden could sense that the temperature of his voice had dropped by about 30%.

The ability to exhaust even the Arhats with words—is this the true power of the "sword of words"? Unfortunately, it's ultimately impossible to persuade the five hundred Arhats to let Hayden go with just empty talk.

“Okay.” Hayden stepped forward, raised his hands, and looked completely obedient. “I will fully cooperate with the investigation.”

However, Dajini Tian had no intention of cooperating with him!

For a moment, she even had the thought of "whether to take action directly or just run away?"

However, Dhritarashtra, who had remained silent from the beginning, immediately grabbed her and sent a private message to Dakini: "Don't do anything foolish."

"If we don't do something foolish soon, we'll be dragged into the cycle of reincarnation!" Dakini exclaimed anxiously. "No matter how eloquently Mithra Bodhisattva speaks, I don't want to be brainwashed into hundreds or thousands of lifetimes of dreams, only to end up becoming something that isn't even myself!"

"Stop making a fuss. I don't want to either," said Dhritarashtra calmly. "But haven't you understood the attitude of these Arhats? They're like police officers with guns, hoping you'll put up some serious resistance so they can shoot you dead and drag you back into the cycle of reincarnation."

Tujini was speechless.

The core of the [Reincarnation] magic is currently on the European battlefield, busy beating up the gods of the Wotan Corporation and the Mars Group; it's impossible to bring it to Japan. However, if the [Celestial] beings die, no matter where they are, their souls will definitely be taken back by [Reincarnation]. After all, Mithra Bodhisattva isn't stupid. The souls of these corporate gods are resources; how could they be simply discarded after dying in a different place?

Therefore, Dhritarashtra said: "Let's admit defeat here for now. Once we reach Tushita Heaven, at least Mithra Bodhisattva isn't as rigid as the Arhats. We can still report to him about Hayden's attempt to break into Reed Plains to find Asmodeus. There's still a chance—at least it's better than courting death here."

That's certainly true, but Dakini was still secretly worried: although they knew Hayden wanted to break into the Reed Plains to find Asmodeus, they didn't know what Hayden actually wanted to do. With Hayden's talent for spouting nonsense, what if he really managed to distort the truth even before reaching Mithra Bodhisattva?

But she didn't seem to have a better choice, so Tujini Tian could only shut up and accept it.

And so, the two "Heavens" and Hayden were taken along by the five hundred Arhats, preparing to be teleported back to the moon... or at least that's how it was supposed to be.

Just as Hayden and his companions were about to be taken away, Hayden suddenly sent a private message to Dakini: "Dakini, you say I colluded with the devil and are trying to frame me with this charge of restoring feudalism to Mithra Bodhisattva. This is easy to understand, so I won't bother asking. I killed the fifty vigilantes and two Yamato gods in a fit of rage, and I won't deny that."

"But there's something I don't understand. Why are you insisting that I killed Komakusa Tayu?" Hayden asked in a low voice in the private chat channel. "You clearly killed her. Besides, accusing me of killing an ancient god's courtesan doesn't really benefit you much."

By now, Hayden had figured out most of what had happened today. Only one thing remained puzzling: the death of Komakusa Tayu. When Hayden rushed to the scene, Komakusa Tayu had been brutally murdered; all life force and soul had been drained from his body. This couldn't have been done by an ordinary god. Hayden immediately concluded that this death must be attributed to some deity. Later, when the Yamato gods and the Mithra group deliberately confronted him, Hayden assumed they were responsible, that they were deliberately trying to frame him.

...But now, thinking about it more carefully, Hayden felt that something seemed off.

Why did the Dakinis kill Komakutayu, and why did they kill him so badly? Was it to provoke Hayden? There must have been a better way, right?

So, feeling that this was the last chance to ask them questions, Hayden seized the opportunity to ask them.

But for a moment, there was only a confused silence in the audio channel.

After a long pause, Dajini coldly asked, "Why should I discuss this with you?"

"I promise you, if you tell me clearly now, I won't utter a single word about this in front of Mithra Bodhisattva again," Hayden replied, raising his eyebrows. "I care about the truth more than I appear."

Could someone who was just spouting nonsense to deceive the Arhat really be convincing when saying such things? Dajini Tian clearly also felt that Hayden was completely unconvincing, but after considering the pros and cons, she reluctantly replied: "Why would I kill Komakusa Tayu? What benefit would I gain from killing Kyoto's top courtesan who makes money for me? I originally just sent a few subordinates to find her, intending to trap you in the brothel or provoke you into doing something foolish. But both my subordinates and she died inexplicably. How could it not be you who killed them? No one else present could have done that."

……ah?

This answer was completely unexpected by Hayden.

Komakusa Tayu wasn't killed by Dakinisan and his people? And she even thinks Hayden killed him? What's going on? If Dakinisan wasn't lying, Komakusa Tayu couldn't have just collapsed and died on his own, dismembered himself, and incidentally killed several of Dakinisan's subordinates, could he?

But Hayden looked at Dagini and examined her closely with his prophetic eye, yet he didn't find her to be lying. This was very strange.

Unfortunately, Hayden doesn't have much time to investigate this matter thoroughly, as the five hundred Arhats are about to capture them. Although Hayden can easily manipulate these Arhats and Devas with his words, these tricks will certainly be useless before Mithra Bodhisattva. Hayden will surely be brutally killed by Mithra Bodhisattva and thrown into the cycle of reincarnation, where he will be transformed into a completely distorted version of an enlightened being.

If Hayden hadn't given Takemikazuchi some advice beforehand, he would probably be in big trouble now.

"Wait a moment."