Clockwork Bride

Page 346

Abigail muttered to herself as she watched the live stream in the conference room.

"Mid-level, third tier, Vanguard Battle Angel."

Including Hayden, no one knew what this so-called "Middle Third Level" meant or what level it was, but it was clear that these angels were all mass-produced, seemingly printed from the same mold. Hayden roughly counted through Odin's single eye and found that there were about a hundred newly appeared angels, all of them radiating dazzling light, like burning flames, their bodies composed of flames or light, pure and beautiful.

They are soldiers of the Outer Gods.

Nearly a hundred little angels flew towards the remaining eighty-three spaceships, finally beginning a rather interesting battle. Their graceful flight through space seemed weightless, able to move freely regardless of the laws of physics, turning and stopping at will. They caught up with the spaceships, unleashing pillars of fire and beams of light upon them. Ten spaceships that failed to teleport away in time were immediately struck and instantly exploded.

Some warships also hit the Exias with their gravity beams, but even when hit, they seemed to be only temporarily pushed away by the gravity waves and did not appear to be injured. Gravity weapons that could kill gods like chickens could not effectively harm the soldiers of the outer gods.

If Mithras only possessed such limited abilities, his attempt to challenge the Outer Gods would likely have ended much sooner.

...So, is that all Mithra is capable of?

That's probably not the case.

As the hundred spaceships were about to be pointlessly destroyed by the Exias, Mithra, far away in the Tusita Heaven on the moon, seemed completely unconcerned. He simply closed his eyes, silently watching the battlefield from afar, calculating the opportune moment.

He only opened his eyes when the space fleet had been lost by more than half and the universe was filled with the debris of explosions and tragic deaths!

"Very good, now's the time. Start the system!"

In the blink of an eye, the sound of chanting immediately resounded throughout the cosmic space surrounding Neptune!

【Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha】

(Go, go, go to the other shore, you will surely attain enlightenment and achieve everything.)

Normally, using common sense, it's impossible for the sound of chanting to emanate from the universe. Yet, this incredible thing actually happened. A wondrous chant, seemingly sung in a mixed male and female voice, resounded loudly throughout the cosmos!

This is indeed the technique of Mithra! It is the mantra chanted in unison by the "kowtowing worms"!

Hayden and Karen, who had suffered from it before, jumped up from the conference room table, their faces changing drastically. And their astonishment was not unfounded, because this strange scripture could do what light spears, plasma arcs, matter accelerators, and even gravitational wave cannons could not!

Fire, heat, and lightning—these elemental forces have never been Mitra Corporation's strongest suit. Super electromagnetic cannons, in general, are also something Wotan Corporation excels at. So what magical domain does Mitra Corporation excel at? It's always been [mind].

The power of the mind is the most powerful power! As the scriptures were chanted, a pure and powerful force of the mind began to circulate in the universe, and the speed of its rotation increased rapidly. It did not originate from the spaceships—the number of minds there was simply not enough—it came from something else that was omnipresent and could expand wherever there were people, from the greatest magical technological achievement of the Mithra Group.

"It's the StarNet!" Alastor, the super hacker god, was the first to react. "Mitra is mobilizing all of humanity's StarNet resources to fight the angels!"

The psychic storm swirled in space, counter-clockwise, growing stronger with each rotation! Even worse, the angels seemed unable to comprehend it, unable to grasp its nature. Just as they stared bewildered at the countless crystals of the [Kowtowing Bug] system, Mitra slammed the psychic storm down upon them!

Approximately sixty or seventy beams of light were shattered by the mental storm unleashed by the StarNet in that instant and were thrown back into the spacetime tunnel!

Now, everyone in the conference room, including Hayden, was dumbfounded.

"Incredible."

Abigail, who possessed the memories of a fallen angel, stared in disbelief.

"I don't think an angel can be killed like this, but at least it's like being sent back to the fountain, right?"

“It’s really impressive.” Even Hayden had to admit it, but… “its significance is limited.”

Half of the hundred angels were instantly wiped out, and even Uriel's massive mechanical body was shattered by a third by the mental storm. Unfortunately, before the Vajra Warriors on the spaceship could celebrate, Uriel absorbed the vaporized metal from the ship's explosion and instantly reformed.

Moreover, the number of spacetime portals behind Him increased significantly. This time, as many as two hundred Archangels flew out of the portals.

The battle continued for a while. Mitra seized an opportunity and once again channeled the spiritual power originating from all of humanity within the StarNet to bombard the angelic legion. However, the result of repelling over a hundred angels only allowed more than three hundred angels to escape again.

One isn't enough, so try two; two aren't enough, so try countless more. Hayden's friends, just watching the live stream, felt a chill run down their spines at the endless stream of angels pouring out of the passage, and even couldn't help but have the illusion of wanting to cheer Mitra on.

Finally, the mere hundred ships in the space fleet could not withstand the losses and began to teleport away, retreating to Jupiter's orbit.

But their struggles and sacrifices did not seem to be in vain. As Mitra mobilized the Star Network and the spiritual resources of all humanity, he also erected a giant golden wall in Jupiter's orbit. This was a barrier constructed with pure mental power, enveloping and protecting a small portion of the solar system within Jupiter's orbit.

It's unclear what Uriel or the Outer Gods behind Him were thinking, but they didn't rush to attack; instead, they seemed to be waiting.

Meanwhile, Mithra had already announced this news to the whole world and to all mankind:

"Dear compatriots."

"Invaders from outer space have attacked us."

433: Hell Reincarnation

"Invaders from outer space have arrived."

Mithra conveyed this message to all of humanity through the Star Network.

"They are flying in from the direction of Orion, intending to invade our home."

"These extraterrestrial invaders are the source of the feudal old gods who enslaved and oppressed us more than four hundred years ago."

He used the StarNet to transmit the images, scenes, and feelings of the battle around Neptune to all of humanity. Then he told humanity:

"Once the invaders from outer space take over our world, we will return to the dark ages before the Glorious Revolution, an era when humanity was manipulated and humiliated by monsters."

"All of humanity should set aside past grievances and prejudices, and fight against this unprecedented crisis for the survival of our world."

"These extraterrestrial invaders are exceptionally powerful, while the other gods of capital have weakened. Only I, Mithra, am strong enough to lead you to defeat the invaders! Only I possess such power and wisdom!"

...This is basically the core message that Mithra conveyed to all of humanity through the StarNet, only he expressed it more cleverly and had a more powerful control over people's hearts.

When he showed all of humanity footage of his solar system protection fleet battling Uriel and the Exias, everyone gained a full understanding of just how powerful Mitra and the invading extraterrestrial invaders truly were.

What? You're saying this footage clearly shows Mithra's fleet being destroyed? How can you say that? It's clearly a back-and-forth battle, and Mithra even successfully kept the extraterrestrial invaders outside Jupiter's orbit!

In short, the public's behavior is indeed quite subtle right now.

Faced with invaders from afar, from outer space, and the first-ever alien invasion in human history, the global panic that Kallen had worried about and anticipated did not materialize.

For the past four hundred years, since Mithras and the new god of capital ruled the world, although history has indeed experienced some ups and downs, the human world has generally been peaceful. Although there have been some conflicts with the remnants of the devil in Africa and the Middle East, the vast majority of the world—or rather, modern humanity—has not experienced anything like war.

War, world war, or even war between two worlds, are concepts that exist only in games, movies, and artistic creations for them.

(Although Western Europe had just suffered Mithra's [Reincarnation] attack, that was only a small part of the world. Besides, those sucked into [Reincarnation] wouldn't complain online.)

For four centuries, a consensus has formed in the subconscious of all humankind: no matter how bad the world's fate becomes, there will always be someone to maintain the overall order, and it is certainly not something that ordinary people like us should concern ourselves with.

Since Mitra, who seems so powerful, has announced to the world through the StarNet the crisis facing all of humanity, the power he wields, and the identity he represents—after all, Mitra is the owner of the world's largest super-corporation—why not let him handle this? What's wrong with that?

However, not all of humanity really thinks this way.

How could all of humanity possibly share the same idea? There has never been such a thing in history.

Therefore, many people, upon learning of this situation, immediately mocked it online: "Why should I fight for this human society that forces me to work tirelessly from nine to nine every day, to work myself to the bone, to never be able to afford a house, to be too poor to afford medical care when I'm sick, to never be able to get married, to never be able to have children—a society that's worse than garbage?"

This reaction was exactly what Mithra had anticipated.

So he took out the [Reincarnation] to show everyone, and then told them: "As long as you enter [Reincarnation], you can instantly gain power greater than that of the previous God of Capital!"

"Therefore I promise you victory, and a better future! You will have better lives, better housing, better healthcare, and you will become taller, stronger, smarter, and happier!"

"You don't even need to fight, you don't need to worry about death and pain, just trust me and entrust your faith to me completely!"

And so some people believed it. Because Mithra's voice—a voice transmitted throughout the world via the StarNet—was a voice deeply filled with boundless faith and wisdom—regardless of age or gender; such a voice and gaze awakened the primal feelings within humanity. He was not lying in the slightest, nor did he harbor any selfish desires or scheming; his entire being exuded an aura of great compassion, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

He genuinely wanted to save humanity and protect the world!

Fortunately, even so, only a portion of humanity believes him. Many still doubt: "You haven't done anything to improve society, and you've exploited us so much. Now you come out saying you're doing it for everyone, why should we believe you?"

As for the remaining people, Mithra could only sigh compassionately: "Now that all of humanity is facing a common and immense problem, why dwell on past personal losses? However, this is normal human nature, and I can understand it. Let it go. At the end of the cycle of rebirth, there will surely be the all-encompassing light of Nirvana."

The gears of reincarnation turn, and tens of millions upon tens of millions of souls chant mantras and scriptures together, instantly converging into a huge wave of sound, allowing infinite Zen light to shine out through the star network.

Attacking someone across the internet is something both Alastor and Pania can do, so Mitra can certainly do it even better. Moreover, this all-encompassing light of reincarnation has no offensive power; it's purely for salvation. The netizens caught by the light of [Reincarnation] felt as if they had lived ten lifetimes in an instant. They all suddenly understood, all their hatred for capitalist society and the god of capital transformed into peace, all their resentment dissolved, and they became grateful to Mitra, sincerely worshipping her.

"Thank you, Mithra Bodhisattva, for guiding us to wash away the poison of anger within the cycle of rebirth. All that was before was vanity. From now on, under the guidance of Mithra Bodhisattva, we will diligently practice, pursue liberation, and subdue the demons!"

These reborn beings prayed devoutly to Mithra. Their faith, combined with Mithra's unwavering support, coalesced into supreme divine power, propelling the gears of reincarnation even more powerfully.

If this cycle continues, it probably won't be long before Mithra's "reincarnation" will have converted the entire human society.

....................................

Of course, not everyone likes to see this kind of development.

"Is this how you brainwash someone!?"

Watching Mitra's actions on the StarNet in the conference room, Karen was both shocked and furious.

"Even if Mitra has extraordinary abilities, how could he possibly brainwash people on such a large scale? And people brainwashed by magic can't generate mental power, right?!"

“Because this isn’t brainwashing magic in the narrow sense.” Hayden rubbed his temples. “Karen, imagine this: Suppose I capture someone, lock them in a basement, and torture them severely. I don’t use any magic to brainwash them, but I torture them with all sorts of physical means, forcing them, using pure physical pain to shatter their will, forcing them to submit to me… Is that considered brainwashing magic?”

In terms of magic, of course not.

"So, reincarnation isn't magical brainwashing. Magic lets you have a hundred dreams in an instant, and each dream is a life designed for you by Mitra. Each life is your own. Magic doesn't force you to think or do anything, but after you finish these dreams, what kind of values ​​do you still hold in your mind?"

I've come to terms with oppression and exploitation. For the greater good, enduring some hardship first is perfectly reasonable!

"So Mithra was really smart. He realized very early on, maybe four hundred years ago, that the human mind is very difficult to directly and forcibly control. It is impossible to directly and forcibly control all of humanity with magic, but indirect control is much easier... Once you are skilled and have designed a standard process, it is not much more difficult than an industrial assembly line."

For a moment, all of Hayden's companions, except for Hayden himself, turned pale. To have someone like this was worse than killing him.

But what's so surprising about that? Reincarnation is inherently more powerful than killing, isn't that obvious?

"But what's the point of him doing this?" Pania, who was an idol after all, was horrified by Mitra's actions. "Just for the power of faith?"

“That’s certainly one aspect, but only one aspect. The key point is that if he truly controls the vast majority, or even all, of humanity’s thoughts, he becomes the entirety of the human mind. Although I’m not certain about some of the mysteries, I at least know that the outcome of humanity as a whole fighting against angels might be truly different,” Hayden murmured. “You just saw it yourself. Fire and lightning cannons were useless, gravitational waves were useless, only the power of the human mind could repel the angels. Moreover, Mitra’s methods are probably very strange even to the angels.”

At this point, Hayden recalled something from a long time ago.

When he first brought Angela online, she was confused, and even a little scared!

That was an extremely rare, almost never-before-seen record of Angela's fear. Hayden hadn't thought about it much then, nor had he revisited it afterward. Fortunately, he now knew. After four hundred years of arduous training through the time-space portal, Hayden discovered this overlooked clue, and thus... devised a way to deal with [Reincarnation].

The system of reincarnation looks terrifying, and is actually even more terrifying, but it is also Mithra’s biggest weakness.

"Alastor, do you have a way to hack into Mitra's live stream?"

The team's top hacker shook his head: "If it were somewhere his attention wasn't focused, maybe it would work. But this time, most of his attention is focused on this, so it's really impossible."

The StarNet, after all, was created by Mithra, and is Mithra's domain, a magical network connecting the thoughts of all people. It's very difficult to confront him head-on here. Even the strongest hackers can only scratch the surface.

“It’s a shame, I’m getting a bit tired of watching OMO all the time. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to go straight to his live stream.” Hayden pondered for a moment, then said, “Oh well, it’s better not to alert him. Anyway, I expected him to pull this stunt. While he’s focused on that, let’s make our move first.”

After saying that, Hayden turned to Odin. Only Odin and Hayden seemed completely unmoved in the meeting room. Then Hayden said, "With Mithras doing this, the first to weaken quickly will be you, the God of Capital."

“Indeed.” Odin nodded. “The wars he waged have already weakened us, and on top of that, there is the attack of the Outer Gods… Since ancient times, social unrest has been a wonderful way to shake the faith in the gods.”

“But we have never sat idly by. Loki, you know that ever since we first met Mithra, we have been wary of his dominance and his specialization in the magic of matter. The mind is fickle; even if truth is etched into the brain of a flesh body, it will be forgotten immediately after the imprint. However, magic etched into steel does not change with the human heart.”

This is the pride of the Aesir, and it sounds like Odin is very proud of it too.

But Hayden still criticized him: "Yet you still learned from Mithras. Four hundred years later, you are still oppressors and exploiters of the people. At best, you are just a little more conscientious than Mithras, and your behavior is not as ugly."

Odin remained unmoved: "To achieve such high productivity and efficiency, one cannot avoid learning the magic of Mithraic capitalism. It is essentially the same everywhere, under any leader. Capitalism itself is nothing more than an effective tool for exploitation and production."

“So you are all guilty. I advised you to be careful with your methods, but you still didn’t.” Hayden turned his face away. “But I am not the judge; I only want to save people. So now I only ask you one question—Odin, leader of Asgard, my sworn brother. You promised me that in the final war between good and evil, you would come to fight for me, give everything, and fight alongside me against the evil god who rules the world.”

"The day has come. Do you keep your word?"

“If I didn’t stand for it, why would I have come here?” Odin chuckled self-deprecatingly. “My eyes can also see the future. Although they may not be as far-reaching and accurate as yours or Mithras’s, I know that if things continue like this, everything we cherish will be destroyed. Either by Mithras’s cycle of reincarnation, or by the Outer Gods in the heavens.”

“We Assassins all have this spirit, knowing that we must perish together with our enemies in the final war. I don’t mind dying in the great war of Ragnarok, but I still hope that some children can survive and pass on our story to the next generation… However, my eyes can no longer see a future without destruction.”

"So my spear will support you. Loki, if you have any good ideas, don't keep me in suspense, just say them."

This last sentence wasn't just what Odin wanted to say. Everyone present wanted to say it. Everyone wanted to know what Hayden's solution was. This couldn't be kept in suspense any longer.

So Hayden said it.

"I don't have any brilliant plans, I just have one idea."

He said it directly.

"While Mithra is busy having a good time with Uriel (those angels), we'll send our entire army to Tushita Heaven on the moon. You guys distract Mithra. I'll go release Angela. Destroy [Reincarnation], and it's over."

434: I am Uriel

Different people naturally reacted differently to Hayden's "plan".

For example, Pania thinks in the simplest way, with the purest thought and reaction being, "Huh? Is Angela locked up on the moon?"

The intelligent thought processes of others were far more complex. While equally surprised that Angela was on the moon, Alastor's first reaction was, "How did you know that?"

"She told me herself."