Chapter 424: Chapter 424 Exile Punishment_1
"Halo?" Aiden looked towards the doorway of the infirmary. Halo was taller than Meiruki’s slave, and although she hid her body behind the slave, half of her head was exposed.
This woman didn’t seem to doubt their ability to target her vital points, but was convinced that no one among them dared to shoot—that anyone who did would suffer a fatal wound themselves.
Halo didn’t react to the address but instead posed a nonsensical question on her own, "Where is that guy?"
"Who?" Aiden asked.
Although he didn’t show it on the surface, he was quite astonished inside. Halo was actually speaking to him—this lunatic seemed to have truly returned to normal.
Before he arrived, he’d listened briefly to a report and knew that Halo had woken up and was behaving abnormally, had seized a gun, and then taken Meiruki’s slave hostage, but he didn’t know that Halo could now hold a normal conversation.
"Of course, I mean the master behind you, that dead bitch who loves plotting in the shadows. I remember you followers calling her ’the Great Goddess of Conspiracy,’ right?" Halo suddenly looked up and shouted into the air, "Hey, hey, you’re watching, aren’t you? Do you like to watch me talk to dogs?"
Veronica and the other prison guards were immediately baffled; Halo had only acted normally for a minute or two after waking up, but now she had begun to spout nonsense once again.
However, Aiden realized what the issue was: Halo seemed to have regained her memories, remembering how Melifilia had controlled the Blood Moon Cult to destroy the Temple of Vengeance.
But the tone of her speech didn’t quite sound like Halo herself.
Previously, Presia had mentioned that another personality was sleeping deep within Halo’s consciousness, and it seemed that this personality had been awakened...
"Everyone, get out and seal the gates," Aiden commanded, his voice grave, "I’ll handle things here."
The riot control officers all looked surprised at Aiden, but Veronica did not hesitate to repeat the order, "All personnel vacate the area, seal all gates!"
After she finished, she whispered to Aiden, "Commander, be careful not to get too close to her. She can control someone else’s body for about three seconds... That’s how my gun was stolen, I’m sorry."
Upon hearing this, Aiden got the idea that what he was dealing with might be the power of "Betrayal," under the authority of "Hatred." The power "Halo" could now wield was no longer limited to rebounding damage.
"I understand," Aiden whispered back, "We’ll discuss the matter of the lost gun later."
The guards retreated quickly, leaving along the corridor, and soon the sound of the iron gates falling echoed from both ends of the hallway.
"Kid, what are you planning to do?" Halo asked.
"Are you truly Halo, or are you the Goddess of Vengeance?" Aiden posed the question directly.
"What do you think, mortal?" Halo revealed a sinister smile, "Did you really think you managed to kill me?"
Meiruki looked uncertainly back and forth between the two, the Goddess of Vengeance... The deity worshipped at the Temple of Vengeance? Did she actually exist? Was the warden negotiating with a ruler?
"Pleased to meet you, I never thought we were imprisoning a deity here. But please don’t say ’you.’ I’m not part of that cult," Aiden pointed a finger at Meiruki, "How about you release the hostage? I’ll stay here and talk to you alone about what you want to know."
"Warden!" Meiruki immediately displayed a touched expression.
She felt somewhat relieved, it seemed she still had some value in Aiden’s eyes, and while Veronica had not cared at all about her wellbeing during the hostage situation, the warden was still willing to save her life.
Halo didn’t answer at all. With the hostage in her hands, releasing or holding onto the person was entirely up to her. There was no reason for her to do whatever Aiden said.
At this point, Aiden added another sentence, "If you refuse to release her, killing her is also fine. This woman deserves to die anyway. This hostage is useless to you, believe it or not... It’s lucky for you that you took her hostage, or else I might actually have some concerns."
"Warden!?" Meiruki’s eyes widened in shock.
"Avansa’s treatment plan is already in place, and even if there are issues later, I can still contact Lamia. Although it’s a shame not to let you continue contributing to the medical advancement of this world, sacrificing yourself to ensure we don’t bow down to dark forces is a death you’ve earned," Aiden said, waving at Meiruki, "I will remember you, Queen Ant Meiruki."
"You—" Meiruki was almost about to curse out loud.
Halo eyed Aiden suspiciously, but Aiden, unbothered, met her gaze and drew his gun, saying, "Do you need me to shoot her first before you believe that this hostage is just a burden to you? I just want to have a talk with you alone."
Meiruki immediately tensed up.
Halo let out a light snort and released Meiruki.
"Now that you’re rescued, get out of here fast. Take a right at the corner over there and head toward the gate," Aiden gestured to the side.
Meiruki gave him a disgruntled look but didn’t dare to stay longer in that place, so she hastened down the corridor.
The scene was left with only two people, and Aiden’s mercury golem behind him.
Looking at Halo, Aiden began to say, "So, Goddess, let’s go in and talk—"
He was only halfway through his sentence when Halo suddenly raised her gun. Aiden, reacting instantly, lifted his gun to shoot. Although he was slower to act, he was much quicker in his movements and was far more proficient with a gun than Halo, so he was the one who pulled the trigger first.
A gunshot rang out, and Aiden knocked the gun out of Halo’s hand.
"What’s the matter, Goddess?" Aiden asked, "I just wanted to have a chat with you—why this?"
"You’re definitively linked to that scheming goddess, just looking at you ignites in me a burning desire for revenge that simply won’t stop," Halo said, stepping forward aggressively, not minding the gun aimed at her, "Let me inflict some wounds on you first, then we can talk!"
At that moment, Aiden suddenly recalled what Melifilia had said about the vengeful goddess. Although she was different from Halo, in that she could be reasoned with, it didn’t mean her mind was normal.
Aiden remembered Veronica mentioning that the goddess had a divine power that allowed her to control others’ bodies for a short time, and it seemed to have a range limitation.
"What an arbitrary goddess," Aiden sighed, seeing Halo closing the distance between them, he began to recite holy words.
The holy words of "Punishment"!
Aiden pointed towards Halo and loudly proclaimed the decree of punishment, "Exile!"
A perfectly square "door" suddenly opened behind the vengeful goddess, leading to a pitch-black void.
The vengeful goddess, who was advancing forward, suddenly lost her balance, fell backward, and the opened "door," exerting a powerful suction directed solely at her, forcefully sucked her in.
Meanwhile, a similar door opened inside the medical room in the distance, and the vengeful goddess was "spat" out.
