Free Web NovelChapter 466: Chapter 466 Madame Phoenix_1
"The avenging deity?" Aiden looked the woman up and down, "Is this... your true form?"
He had never thought that after letting the avenging deity possess him, he would actually be able to see her original appearance first-hand.
"No, it should be considered the image I am willing to let you see. This image is just a projection created in your consciousness, it is the body I used in the past that I am most satisfied with." The avenging deity said with a smile as she toyed with her hair, "I used this body for the longest time, even aging was something my followers took upon themselves."
"So you’re saying what I see now is just an illusion?"
As he said this, Aiden gestured to the mercury alloy golem, and the golem immediately charged at the avenging deity—only to pass straight through her body.
"Correct, an illusion only you can observe, and only you can hear what I say. Since I am attached to you, our spirits can communicate directly. If you don’t like this form, you can choose to converse with me only in your mind." The avenging deity raised a finger, "Whichever form you prefer is fine by me, I don’t mind either way."
"Sounds like choosing between a communicative split personality and having an invisible friend." Aiden commented, "Both forms sound a lot like mental illness."
"Hehe, you are now truly a dual spirit in one body, how can that be considered normal?" The avenging deity replied with an indifferent tone.
"Can Halo see you?" Aiden asked.
Suddenly, Halo bowed deeply to Aiden and then ignored Aiden’s voice, obviously sensing the presence of the avenging deity within Aiden, and able to distinguish that Aiden wasn’t the deity she worshipped.
"She ’sacrificed’ everything to me, and that covenant is indelible. As long as I exist, I will always be her master. My most loyal follower, she can sense my call." The avenging deity shifted her gaze toward Halo and commanded, "Sit down, stay there quietly and don’t speak."
The avenging deity’s "voice" was audible only to Aiden, and Halo could not see the projection in Aiden’s consciousness, but the command still rang out loud in Halo’s mind.
Halo immediately obeyed the command without hesitation, sitting down quietly with her body erect and her face solemn. Without speaking, she didn’t seem mad at all.
In fact, she was still crazy, but her obedience to the avenging deity was deeply ingrained in her bones.
"So, if you encounter other followers who have pledged their loyalty to you while in my body, you can command them too?" Aiden asked.
"Of course." The avenging deity replied.
In other words, if he took her to Gistas and they ran into the mercenaries of the Avenging Temple, those mercenaries might immediately turn into her minions.
"How far can this summoning reach?" Aiden immediately confirmed.
"To clearly hear my spiritual call, you’d need to be within a few dozen meters or so; I haven’t calculated it precisely. However, as long as it’s a message I’ve left behind, whether it’s in writing, spoken, or through a spirit, distance is irrelevant. No matter how far away, my followers will obey unconditionally." The avenging deity spoke of her abilities carelessly.
Aiden glanced at Halo.
This was the terrifying aspect of the power of "sacrifice." Although the prerequisites were strict, once fulfilled, it could not be reversed. Even if the one who exercised the power fell from their divine status and lost all divinity, leaving only a lingering spirit behind, everything bestowed through "sacrifice" would remain effective. It was like a devil’s pact, deeply etched into the soul.
It seemed that agreeing to let the avenging deity possess him, the most critical risk he had to be careful of was actually her past loyal followers.
"Speaking of which, how should I address you now?" Aiden asked.
After leaving Halo, the avenging deity was no longer the same individual as Halo; thus, he could no longer continue to refer to her by the name Halo, as it would cause confusion. Yet calling her the avenging deity seemed a bit of a mouthful.
"Well, Sovereign of Sacrifice, Embodiment of the Fires of Vengeance, Guardian of the Avenger, Queen of Rebellion, Purifier of the World in Crimson... I have many revered names among my followers; you can pick any one you fancy." The avenging deity responded.
"Stop joking." Aiden shot back without hesitation.
"Who is joking with you?" The avenging deity suddenly looked him straight in the eye.
Aiden also turned his head, and an awkward silence ensued as their eyes met for several seconds.
"..." Finally, Aiden said expressionlessly, "Your cult’s taste in names... is quite unique."
These revered names were excessively fanciful, one more so than the next, and it seemed that the goddess... actually quite liked them?
"Do you have an opinion?"
"I am not one of your followers, so let’s skip the revered title. Just give me a name I can call you by." Aiden replied.
"I can’t be bothered to think of one. In the process of becoming a ruler, I once sacrificed a part of my own memory, and I no longer have a name. After becoming a deity, nobody needed to call me by name anymore." The avenging deity responded, "If you want something that rolls off the tongue, just come up with one yourself."
"Naming?" Aiden paused for a moment.
It seemed that the goddess indeed couldn’t be bothered to think of a moniker; no wonder at the beginning she let others simply continue to call her Halo.
But naming was also something Aiden found quite a headache. Even though her attitude was nonchalant, the name shouldn’t be too bizarre; he couldn’t very well call this avenging deity Lady Eggy or something of the sort...
After a long thought, Aiden replied, "Then, let’s call you Mrs. Phoenix."
"Phoenix? The immortal bird that has vanished into obscurity?" The avenging deity asked with interest, "What does this name imply?"
In this world, the phoenix, a bird fabled to be reborn from its ashes, really existed, but like dragons, their presence could only be confirmed through ancient texts and some biological materials left in the world. They were considered by academicians to be extinct magical beasts, for unknown reasons. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
It was hard to imagine a mythological creature known for immortality becoming extinct, but Aiden guessed that the phoenix’s unending life probably had something to do with the "spirit" aspect. Abigail had mentioned that the "spirit" had been tainted, and that might relate to the phoenix’s disappearance.
"The meaning?... There’s not much, really. You can say you died once and then were reborn, which is quite like the phoenix. That’s all." Aiden responded casually.
"The rebirth of the flaming vengeance..." The avenging deity pondered and then twisted into a smile, "Hehe, not bad! I quite like it."
Did it have to be explained in such an overly fanciful manner? Aiden wondered.
