[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] Chapter 343/344 (Patreon)

The dark void of space.

The blue Earth.

A massive, fiery red giant loomed over the planet, gazing down with an overwhelming presence.

Satellites turned their lenses toward the figure, and countless humans on Earth watched in horror.

"Arishem the Judge… again?"

Seeing this scene, Syd surprisingly felt a sense of relief.

Compared to facing an unknown entity or the true form of an Old God, Arishem at least was familiar—his abilities were well-documented and understood.

If it were an Old God's true form, who could predict the extent of its power?

As this thought passed, Syd's attention returned to the Celestial Judge before him.

"Why would this Judge come to Earth just to eliminate me?" he murmured, his mind swirling with questions.

After pondering for a moment, Syd whispered, "Could it be because of the sleeping Celestial, Tiamut, in Earth's core? Does he see me as a threat to Tiamut's emergence?"

He delved deeper into his memories of the Celestials.

According to legend, every billion years, a new Celestial must be born to maintain the balance of energy in the universe.

Arishem the Judge would scatter the seeds of the Celestials across the cosmos, embedding them within various life-bearing planets—like Earth.

The choice of life-bearing planets wasn't random. The birth of a Celestial required vast amounts of energy derived from intelligent life.

To ensure the proliferation of such life, Arishem even created the Eternals, superpowered humanoids tasked with protecting humanity and fostering its growth.

Once the population of intelligent life reached a critical mass, the Celestial seed, slumbering within the planet's core—Tiamut—would begin to absorb the life force of all beings on the planet, including the Eternals, to fuel its birth.

This process, known as the Emergence, would result in the planet's destruction—an unavoidable sacrifice akin to a chick breaking free from its shell.

In simple terms, Tiamut's birth would come at the cost of all life on Earth.

And, unfortunately, the billions of humans currently on Earth meant the conditions for Tiamut's emergence had been met.

Syd was acutely aware that the planet's destruction was inevitable.

He couldn't be certain whether he would survive the cataclysm.

In a twisted sense, Thanos' snap, which halved Earth's population, had delayed Tiamut's emergence…

Syd suspected that Arishem was here either to prevent him from interfering with Tiamut's birth or because Arishem had discovered his presence while inspecting Earth and decided to eliminate him for reasons unknown.

As these thoughts churned, Syd refocused on Arishem.

Before long, he saw himself in the vision, clad in white and standing in Earth's orbit, staring down the Celestial Judge.

This time, there was a noticeable difference—he was holding something in his hand.

"The Space Stone…" Syd mused.

A flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.

"Can I resist Arishem with the Space Stone's power?"

As before, Arishem wasted no time. A familiar red energy beam shot from his fist, illuminating the void.

Before the attack could strike, the white-clad version of Syd in the vision cast Divine Speech and activated Sunshine.

"Light!"

In an instant, the boundless light of the sun converged in the vacuum of space.

The brilliance of Divine Speech combined with Sunshine to meet the red energy beam head-on.

The collision lit up the void with violent flashes of platinum and crimson light.

Within moments, the platinum brilliance overwhelmed the red beam, completely annihilating it.

Arishem stared in astonishment as the platinum light bathed his colossal form.

A mere being from Earth possessing such power? Enough to nullify his energy beam entirely?

Arishem was shocked.

Though the attack had been casual, it was still unfathomable for a planetary life form to neutralize it.

Moreover, he sensed something peculiar—the red energy beam had not merely been neutralized; it seemed to have been wholly eradicated, converted into… nothingness.

Confusion flickered across Arishem's expression.

While Arishem pondered, Syd watched the vision, his expression calm and unsurprised.

The last time he faced Arishem, several of his abilities hadn't reached Level 5. Now, significantly stronger, he could erase the red energy beam with ease, even without the Space Stone's aid.

However, defeating Arishem was another matter entirely.

As expected, the platinum light touched Arishem's form but was halted by an invisible barrier.

Previously, the light had quickly dissipated upon encountering this barrier. This time…

Syd's eyes gleamed with expectation.

Infused with nearly all the divine light energy in his body, Sunshine and the Divine Speech light rapidly began to break down Arishem's barrier.

But halfway through the process, Syd frowned.

The barrier's decay had slowed to an imperceptible crawl, barely making a difference.

"How is this possible?"

Arishem's power was staggering. Even with multiple Level 5 abilities, Syd couldn't fully breach the barrier.

The light began to wane, signaling that his divine energy was nearly exhausted.

Then, Arishem's deep, resonant voice echoed.

"An Asgardian god?"

The astonishment in his tone was evident.

It was clear that Arishem had recognized something.

Before the vision's Syd could respond, Arishem continued coldly, "Asgardian god. Your existence hinders me."

Three golden rings abruptly materialized around Syd, binding him and restricting his movements.

"Your power is insufficient."

Arishem's tone carried a dismissive air, as if even an Asgardian god was insignificant to him.

The fading brilliance of the light confirmed his judgment.

Though this being's strength was surprising, it was ultimately limited.

The next moment, Arishem unleashed a terrifying energy beam, spanning kilometers, directly toward the immobilized Syd.

After one last glance at Syd, Arishem's massive form began to shimmer, preparing to leave.

In Arishem's mind, this Asgardian god was as good as dead.

(End of Chapter)

Just as Arishem the Judge prepared to leave, an unexpected scene unfolded.

His gaze instinctively shifted toward his target, still bathed in the red energy beam.

The fading brilliance around Syd suddenly flared, glowing even brighter than before.

Endless light converged in an instant.

In a blinding flash, the brilliance met the red energy beam, completely overpowering it.

The colossal energy was erased in mere moments, leaving no trace behind.

For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed Arishem's mind.

This Asgardian god should have been out of power—so how?

Where had he drawn the strength to unleash such overwhelming brilliance again?

And…

The sheer intensity of the light had grown even stronger.

As the light filled a 200-kilometer radius, the red energy beam vanished as though it had never existed.

Despite his surprise at the display of power, Arishem remained indifferent.

As the light began to dissolve the invisible barrier surrounding him, Arishem spoke in his usual detached tone.

"Asgardian, your strength is unexpected, but this is a futile effort."

With his words, the barrier around him stabilized, its density increasing significantly.

It seemed Arishem had not been using his full power earlier.

The next moment, a new red energy beam, deeper and more intense than before, materialized.

In an instant, it pierced through layers of light, striking the white-clad Syd directly.

Though Syd channeled the energy of the Space Stone and combined it with Sunshine, Divine Speech, and chaos magic, it wasn't enough.

The red energy beam tore through every defense, striking Syd's body.

Even his divine physique, at Level 5, began to disintegrate. Golden divine blood scattered into the void.

Finally, the beam engulfed him entirely, and Syd disappeared within its devastating radiance.

Boom!

The beam continued its path, slamming into North America.

The collision triggered seismic activity—volcanoes erupted, tsunamis surged, and disasters spread across the continent.

But what shocked humanity most wasn't the destruction.

It was the death of the White-Clad Hero.

"Even the White-Clad Hero can die?!"

"That red giant is terrifying!"

As the world reeled in fear and disbelief, Arishem, floating in orbit, gazed at the spot where the Asgardian god had fallen without a hint of surprise.

Even if the target was an Asgardian god, it made no difference to him.

Having eliminated this minor obstacle, Arishem's form began to shimmer. Space around him distorted with a ripple of light, and in an instant, he vanished, as though he had never been there.

From afar, Syd observed everything.

His brow furrowed.

"Arishem's power…"

The display left Syd with a sense of impending doom.

If the Judge arrived soon, he might have no choice but to flee.

The vision faded, and Syd returned to reality.

Once back, he immediately resumed training a simplified version of Sunshine, hoping to raise it to Level 5 before Arishem's inevitable arrival.

Perhaps then, he could change the outcome.

[Sunshine Experience +1]
[Sunshine Experience +1]

...

Stark Tower

At this moment, Black Widow and the others wore expressions of disbelief.

"Are we certain about this?"

"Ultron is really gone?"

"Is it true?"

The team pressed Tony Stark for confirmation.

Tony pulled up data on his computer and replied, "Yes, Ultron seems to be gone. There hasn't been any trace of his activity recently…"

Listening to him and glancing at the displayed reports, Thor and the others were stunned.

"Ultron was such a pain to deal with—who could have taken him out?" Hawkeye asked incredulously.

At his words, everyone turned their gaze to Tony.

"Based on surveillance footage from Sokovia, it looks like it was the White-Clad Hero—Thor's brother," Tony said, showing them the footage and glancing at Thor.

The White-Clad Hero?

Watching the footage, Natasha and the others slowly relaxed, their initial shock fading.

If it was the White-Clad Hero, there was nothing to worry about.

To them, only the White-Clad Hero or Messiah could take down Ultron so effortlessly. If it was one of them, it wasn't surprising at all.

Compared to Ultron, the White-Clad Hero and Messiah were the real anomalies.

After calming down, War Machine commented, "Well, that's good. At least the Ultron threat is dealt with. Thor, thank your brother for me."

The others nodded, while Thor scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't even know where he is right now."

Meanwhile, in a dark and fiery domain, Odin was in conversation with a towering figure.

A deep, unfamiliar voice echoed.

"Odin, you cannot stop Ragnarok. I can feel it—it's about to begin!"

The speaker, Surtur, a fire giant with a body of molten lava and constant flames, growled, "All shall be consumed in fire. Nothing will escape."

"I am the destroyer of Asgard, its end, and its doom. Asgard will fall by my hand. Not even you, Odin, can stop me!"

"Until my destiny is fulfilled, I cannot die. You cannot kill me!"

Surtur's words dripped with mockery as he addressed Odin, who stood before him, clad in golden armor and wielding the Gungnir spear.

Odin's expression was grim. He knew the fate of Ragnarok was almost impossible to break.

Since the birth of Asgard, its end had been foretold. He had seen the prophecy long ago.

While Odin had tried to change fate before, every attempt ended in failure.

Even so, delaying Ragnarok was still an option.

His children needed time to grow—this wasn't their time to face Ragnarok.

Raising Gungnir, Odin prepared for action.

Surtur's expression shifted in shock.

"Odin, what are you doing?"

"Stop!"

(End of Chapter)

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