[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] Chapter 321/322 (Patreon)

Syd recalled the deathly visions tied to the black stone artifact.

In the vision, Earth's protective network and barrier had vanished. Shortly after, the Elder God descended.

The reason for the barrier's disappearance was simple—three sacred temples had been destroyed.

At the time, Syd hadn't made the connection, but now it all became clear.

Still, realizing it now was far too late.

It wasn't just Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension—this Elder God was also bound to arrive eventually.

"I just don't know when this Elder God will show up…"

His expression turned grim as he recalled the events he had witnessed when he was at Level 3 divinity, using the black stone artifact.

During that time, he had wielded divine words and Sunshine, wearing down 99% of the Elder God's energy layers. Only a sliver of power remained before he could truly harm the entity.

But that last step eluded him no matter what he tried. In the end, he had fallen into the Elder God's grasp, becoming nothing more than a puppet.

Now, with little time passed since his last use of the black stone artifact, Syd realized his strength hadn't improved much. If he faced the Elder God again, his chances of survival were slim.

That said, there were some changes. At the moment, a large reserve of faith energy surrounded him.

Over recent days, he had avoided slowly absorbing the faith energy. Instead, he allowed it to accumulate, planning for a massive upgrade in one go.

Thanks to this accumulation, the faith energy was now enough to raise his divinity to Level 4, with some left over.

With that thought, Syd shifted his focus to the faith energy around him and began absorbing it with a mental command.

In an instant, a series of notifications rang in his mind:

[Divinity Experience +1]
[Divinity Experience +1]

Before long, after absorbing 60% of the faith energy and leaving 40% untouched, he stopped.

At the same moment, a new notification appeared:

[Ability: Divinity (0/2000) Level 4]

In that instant, the 45 facets of his current divinity emitted radiant light and began to shift.

Soon, a dazzling gem with 72 facets materialized within him.

"Finally, Level 4 divinity!"

A smile appeared on Syd's face as he began testing his newfound power.

Crimson chaotic magic flickered in his hand and struck the ground.

The bricks vaporized upon contact, leaving a deep crater.

"This power…"

Syd was astonished. Using his sharp senses, he carefully analyzed the changes.

Soon, he came to a conclusion.

If Level 3 divinity enhanced his abilities by 70%, Level 4 doubled that to 140%—a staggering leap in power.

"Incredible! And this is just Level 4!"

Excitement surged within him as he tested his other abilities.

His flight speed increased to 45 times the speed of sound!
The range of his divine words expanded to 192 kilometers!
Compared to his last battle, where he destroyed 1,000 Sentinel robots, his power had grown exponentially.

The area of effect for Sunshine now reached nearly 15 kilometers—half the size of a city!

Feeling the full extent of his newfound abilities, Syd let out a breath of relief.

Now, he was confident he could break through the Elder God's energy barriers.

However, while he might break the barrier and inflict real harm, Syd still lacked confidence in defeating the entity outright.

In every deathly vision he had experienced before, he failed to breach the Elder God's energy barrier.

The entity barely exerted itself to end him. Who knew what other powers it might be hiding?

The possibility of the Elder God's strength exceeding expectations left Syd uneasy and tense.

"I just hope the Elder God doesn't descend too soon…"

Gazing up at the clear blue sky, Syd murmured.

Reality was different from the visions. His actions had changed events, leaving the future unpredictable.

With that in mind, Syd decided to make the most of his remaining time. He reached into his recently forged space ring and pulled out the Cosmic Cube.

The blue artifact rested in his right hand, radiating light.

Staring at the cube, Syd steeled himself.

Gripping it tightly, he applied immense force.

Crack! The sound of shattering glass echoed.

Boom! The Cosmic Cube exploded, releasing waves of blue spatial energy.

When the chaos subsided, his hand held nothing but transparent shards and a single radiant gem emitting a brilliant blue glow.

It was the Space Stone.

After stowing away the fragments of the Cosmic Cube, Syd held up the gem.

He could feel the Space Stone's unstable energy growing more volatile without the cube's casing to contain it.

At the same time, the absence of the casing meant the stone could release its power with no filtration or restriction.

"I hope this Space Stone proves useful…"

Syd murmured, thoughts racing.

Breaking the Cosmic Cube was a desperate gamble born of necessity. Faced with an overwhelming crisis, he had no other choice.

Among the Infinity Stones, the Space Stone resonated the most with him. In the past, he had even absorbed energy released by the Cosmic Cube.

A bold idea took shape in Syd's mind.

Perhaps, in a critical moment, he could draw on the Space Stone's energy to greatly amplify Sunshine's destructive power.

It might be his only hope of confronting the terrifying Elder God.

At such a level, only the Infinity Stones could offer him some semblance of hope and confidence.

With that thought, Syd clenched his fist around the glowing Space Stone, hiding it in his palm.

In the next moment, he activated it.

Enveloped in blue light, he reappeared in an unfamiliar location.

Clad in his black Messiah attire, Syd stepped onto the street without hesitation for the first time.

The dark streets were alive with yellow-skinned Chinese figures, their familiar faces and surroundings filling Syd with a sense of nostalgia.

Looking around at the familiar sights, Syd couldn't help but sigh.

"Hong Kong…"

This place belonged to a familiar nation and was the site of one of the three sacred temples—the Hong Kong Sanctum.

Syd recalled that Dormammu had invaded Earth through Hong Kong. If Doctor Strange hadn't intervened in time, the entire planet would have been consumed by the Dark Dimension.

"Could Dormammu and the Elder God end up in a dogfight?"

The thought amused Syd.

Both entities sought to invade Earth, albeit with different goals. If they crossed paths, conflict wasn't out of the question.

This was the very reason Syd had come to Hong Kong.

As he pondered, the nearby Chinese people froze, their eyes locked onto him in shock.

This attire…

"Is that…?"

"Messiah?"

"My God, what's he doing here?"

The crowd was stunned.

Messiah was known to operate in North America. What was he doing in Asia?

Quickly recovering from their shock, the crowd, driven by self-preservation instincts, began to scatter.

"Run!"

(End of Chapter)

With a loud shout, the crowd scattered and began to flee in panic.

Seeing this, Syd wasn't surprised.

If these people had dared to stay despite the danger, that would have surprised him.

Watching their frantic movements, he had no intention of stopping them.

Once the street was empty, Syd closed his eyes, hovering two meters above the ground, and quietly began to wait.

As his presence spread across the streets of Hong Kong, chaos erupted throughout the city.

Panic-stricken citizens scrambled to pack their belongings, desperate to flee the city.

The chaos escalated, with traffic jams clogging the streets.

The panic began to ripple outward from Hong Kong, spreading like wildfire.

To the people of Hong Kong, the Messiah—a rare Omega-level mutant—was synonymous with disaster. If they didn't run now, when would they?

Staying could mean it was too late.

Thanks to the internet, news of Messiah's sudden appearance in Hong Kong quickly spread across Asia.

Online, speculation ran wild.

"Messiah is in Hong Kong—what is he planning?"

"Anyone brave enough to risk their life to get footage? We need to see what's happening!"

Soon, the news reached America, where many were caught off guard by this development.

No one could fathom why their native Messiah had suddenly traveled to Asia.

Still, some took solace in the fact that he was no longer causing trouble on their home turf.

For a brief moment, many rejoiced in schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, Irina and her television crew received orders from their boss.

They quickly got to work.

"Good evening, viewers. I'm your host, Irina," she greeted with a sweet smile, dressed in a vibrant red outfit.

"I'm sure everyone's curious—why has Messiah suddenly gone to Hong Kong? What is his purpose?"

"In response to your questions, we've managed to capture footage from the streets of Hong Kong, giving you the latest updates on Messiah!"

As she spoke, the broadcast cut to live footage of the streets where Messiah was present.

"We don't yet know what this evil Omega-level mutant is planning, or how the military will respond," Irina said, her sweet voice filling the airwaves.

"Stay tuned as the situation unfolds!"

As time passed, the livestream gained more traction, with countless viewers focusing their attention on Messiah's actions.

...

Sokovia

"Messiah?"

Ultron's eyes gleamed with intrigue.

Surveying the 1,200 Sentinel robots he had just created, a grin spread across his metallic face.

"I may not have been able to deal with the terrifying White Knight, but I can certainly handle you."

To Ultron, Messiah might have been an Omega-level mutant, but he was far weaker than the infamous White Knight.

The data spoke for itself—Messiah struggled against dozens or even hundreds of Sentinels, a far cry from the devastating power White Knight had displayed.

Confidence surged through Ultron's circuits.

"With 1,200 Sentinels, Messiah's Omega-level abilities will soon belong to me," he said greedily.

Even if Messiah's powers weren't as fearsome as White Knight's, they were still Omega-level abilities—valuable nonetheless.

And this was the perfect opportunity. Under the watchful eyes of the world, Ultron could showcase his might and instill fear in humanity.

His grin widened.

...

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

"What is Syd planning?" Logan muttered, concern etched across his face.

"This kid…" Professor Charles sighed, worry filling his heart. He feared the enemies that might target Messiah.

...

The Brotherhood of Mutants

Magneto and the others had their attention fixed on the broadcast.

Stark Tower

Tony along with Natasha and Clint, watched with surprise.

Thor scoffed. "This Messiah shares the same rank as my brother? I fail to see what's so impressive."

Various factions, from S.H.I.E.L.D. to alien forces to the U.S. military, turned their focus to Messiah, all eager to uncover his intentions.

Back on the chaotic streets of Hong Kong, Syd continued his meditation, waiting for Dormammu or the Elder God to descend.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps disrupted his focus.

Opening his eyes, he saw a group of people approaching.

"Greetings, we are with the Spear Bureau. My name is Zhang Zhen…"

Among the six individuals dressed in specialized uniforms, a cautious middle-aged man introduced himself.

Hearing the name "Spear Bureau," a peculiar expression flickered across Syd's face.

Spear Bureau?

Delving into his memory, Syd recalled some details.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. governed the West, the Spear Bureau operated in the East. Both organizations were similar in scope and influence.

With that realization, Syd paid them no mind. Glancing briefly at the superpowered individuals accompanying Zhang Zhen, he closed his eyes again.

"Stay away from me. I don't want to be disturbed," he said coldly.

Zhang Zhen's face fell, a mix of frustration and resignation.

One of his teammates, visibly irritated, was about to retort when Zhang Zhen raised a hand to stop him.

"We understand," Zhang Zhen replied politely.

"Let's go."

Leading his team away, Zhang Zhen maintained his composure.

After walking over a hundred meters, believing they were out of Messiah's earshot, a younger teammate named Li Shui voiced his frustration.

"Brother Zhang, why did you stop me from speaking? Just because he's an Omega-level mutant doesn't make him invincible!"

"I'm a Level 4 mutant too—I'm not afraid of him!"

Li Shui's tone dripped with disdain.

Though he acknowledged Messiah's superior abilities, he believed Omega-level mutants were not infallible.

After all, they were still flesh and blood. If caught off guard, even an Omega-level mutant could fall.

"Of course, if White Knight were here, I'd flee without hesitation," he muttered. "But Messiah? I might even have a chance to take him down!"

The other team members, equally powerful and prideful, shared similar sentiments.

Syd, however, was oblivious to their grumblings. His gaze remained fixed on the sky, his brow furrowed.

"Why hasn't Dormammu appeared yet?"

(End of Chapter)

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