[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] Chapter 388/389

With this thought in mind, Syd grasped the black stone artifact and casually retrieved the Power Stone. Channeling its energy, he directed it into the black stone.

Soon, familiar energy waves rippled out.

Without resistance, a familiar scene unfolded before Syd's eyes.

Earth appeared, along with the colossal figure of Arishem, the Celestial Judge, looming in the distance.

"Will it end in death again, or did I manage to defeat him this time?"

Under Syd's curious gaze, the death vision began to shift.

At first, events played out as expected.

"Asgardian, your presence obstructs my purpose," Arishem declared.
"Your power is insufficient…"

With those familiar words, Arishem initiated his attack, locking down space and movement. Following that, the Celestial released a familiar torrent of fiery red energy, intending to obliterate Syd entirely, already preparing to depart the scene.

The sky filled with crimson light.

On Earth, those watching through satellite feeds were struck with terror.

"That's horrifying!"
"The White Knight is doomed this time!"

As these thoughts raced through their minds, a voice echoed.

"Light!"

In an instant, a region spanning 1,200 kilometers became bathed in sunlight.

Simultaneously, Syd gripped the Space Stone tightly, frantically drawing its energy while invoking Sunshine under the divine authority of his words.

Within moments, sunlight within a 200-kilometer radius intensified, becoming overwhelmingly brilliant.

"The maximum range of Sunshine at Level 4 is still 200 kilometers…"

Syd wasn't surprised. He had already confirmed this limitation during his last attempt.

However, despite the unchanged range, the power of Sunshine was significantly enhanced under the amplification of his fifth-tier divine core. The range might have reached its limit, but its intensity had not.

Staring at the dazzling spectacle, Syd had a sudden thought.

"If only I could control this directly…"

Watching the distant vision of himself casting Sunshine, Syd frowned.

Driven by curiosity, he decided to experiment.

Before long, he felt his perspective shift as though he had taken control of the version of himself within the vision.

Without hesitation, he attempted to manipulate the sunlight covering the 1,200-kilometer radius, condensing it into beams of light. Moreover, he pushed further, trying to merge the light from Sunshine.

Although the latter was more challenging, Syd managed it.

In an instant, the divine sunlight from the 1,200-kilometer radius and the radiant light of Sunshine condensed into a tangible beam of light.

The beam, moving at lightning speed, pierced through the crimson energy Arishem had unleashed, creating a fist-sized hole.

As the remaining crimson energy surged toward him, Syd made no effort to defend himself.

Instead, his entire focus was on the Celestial.

The beam, now cloaked in red chaos magic radiating from Syd's hands, struck Arishem's chest.

The Celestial was visibly surprised as his protective barrier cracked and shattered.

The beam composed of divine sunlight, Sunshine, and chaos magic touched Arishem's armor, causing the fiery, rock-like exterior to disintegrate into nothingness.

Though the process was slow, it succeeded in wounding him.

When Arishem regained composure, a fist-sized hole had formed in his chest, penetrating deep into his body and erasing everything within.

"You…"

Arishem's voice carried a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.

How long had it been since he was last injured?

A mere being from a planet had managed to harm him?!

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he realized that the beam, seemingly insignificant in size, suddenly detonated.

Boom!

An overwhelming brilliance engulfed everything in sight.

On the other side, Syd, having exhausted his energy to fuel Sunshine, divine authority, and chaos magic, was left defenseless.

As the remaining crimson energy swept toward him, Syd braced himself.

His fifth-tier divine body, significantly enhanced, allowed him to endure.

Even the symbiote, Venom, awoke to form a protective armor around him, absorbing some of the impact before retreating in agony.

Despite his efforts, the relentless assault left Syd's skin disintegrating, exposing raw flesh beneath.

Yet, Syd paid no attention to his injuries. His focus remained entirely on Arishem.

As the light dissipated, Arishem's state became clear.

A massive hole, hundreds of meters wide, marred his chest.

Syd's heart sank.

The combined power of divine authority, Sunshine, and chaos magic should have caused far greater destruction.

Then he noticed it—a familiar, invisible barrier actively suppressing the spread of the remaining light.

Even with Syd still channeling energy into his abilities, he couldn't breach the barrier quickly.

The scene felt all too familiar. Arishem's defenses were weak when he was careless, but once he became serious, their strength increased exponentially.

As the crimson energy around Syd dissipated, his bloodied form became visible, golden divine blood glistening as it dripped.

Those observing through satellites were stunned.

"Is this a draw?"
"The White Knight… actually hurt that gigantic red monster?"

They watched as Syd's damaged body began to regenerate, his flesh writhing in an attempt to heal.

Unfortunately, Arishem gave no such opportunity.

"Asgardian, your power is formidable enough to wound me…"

"It has been so long since I've been hurt…"

(End of Chapter)

Arishem, the Celestial Judge, spoke with a deep and commanding voice that seemed to carry a hint of admiration.

"However, this ends here," he said calmly. "Your power is still far too weak."

Even as he fended off Syd's relentless attacks, Arishem unleashed a massive, concentrated crimson energy beam.

Boom!
Under the gaze of humanity, the fiery red energy engulfed the regenerating Syd.

Boom!
Syd could feel his body disintegrating. Despite the formidable strength of his divine body, it was pure folly to believe he could emerge unscathed against the Celestial Judge Arishem's assault without defense.

If he had abandoned his offense and focused purely on defense, he might have lasted a while longer.

But it was meaningless; any defense would eventually fall.

"Forget it. This is just another death simulation..."

Realizing the vast power gap, Syd decided there was no point in continuing to resist.

Boom!
Under the stunned eyes of humanity, the crimson energy surged relentlessly. When the chaos subsided, his figure had vanished completely.

Witnessing this, the onlookers were left in shock.

"Is the White Cloak really dead?"
"What is that giant red monster? It's terrifying!"

While they were still grappling with these questions, some residual crimson energy struck the North American continent, triggering another wave of tectonic shocks.

Volcanic eruptions and tsunamis grew even more intense.

Having dealt with the nuisance in front of him, Arishem's surrounding space warped with distortions and strange phenomena. In an instant, he vanished as though he had never been there.

Syd's perception faded quickly, plunging him into darkness.

In the blink of an eye, his consciousness returned to reality.

Frowning, Syd muttered, "There's still a gap in power compared to the Celestial Judge Arishem."

Still, he wasn't overly disheartened.

After all, considering his Omega-level abilities, Sunshine and Chaos Magic, hadn't reached level five yet, the fact that he could even injure Arishem was impressive.

Once Sunshine and Chaos Magic reached level five, everything would be different!

With this in mind, he looked at the progress bar for Sunshine's upgrade, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Without hesitation, he began practicing.

[Sunshine EXP +1]

"Right, the attack earlier must have been orchestrated by the American military," Syd mused, frowning slightly.

"When Sunshine reaches level five, I'll give them something big to remember!"

Determined, he resumed practicing in the desert.

[Sunshine EXP +1]

Meanwhile, in New York City, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters...

Nick Fury's laptop suddenly received an update from one of his agents.

"Marinus?"

Nick Fury raised an eyebrow.

He had some memory of Marinus.

Due to the White Cloak and Messiah incidents, Fury, though reluctant to make them enemies, had been seeking ways to counter them. Among his strategies, he had dispatched teams to gather and monitor various mythological artifacts worldwide.

Naturally, Egypt's enigmatic sites were a focus of these efforts.

Marinus had been assigned to infiltrate a group guarding the pyramids. Had he found something extraordinary?

Curious, Fury opened the report.

"Strange activity at the pyramids?"

Initially unimpressed, Fury's expression shifted to one of shock as he read further.

"Pharaoh resurrected?"

Nearby, Agent Hill heard the comment and gave Fury a questioning look. "Director, what pharaoh is resurrecting?"

Fury, however, was too engrossed in the report to respond, his attention riveted.

"Is the White Cloak disguising himself as Ra, the Egyptian sun god?"

"Did that pharaoh actually say this?" Fury murmured, dumbfounded.

Hill was equally stunned by the statement.

Shaking his head, Fury struggled to dismiss the notion.

The White Cloak as the Egyptian sun god?

Yet the information provided by Marinus seemed strangely plausible.

The White Cloak had appeared suddenly, with no known past. Coupled with his ability to manipulate sunlight, bend reality, and create seemingly godlike effects…

The more Fury thought about it, the more alarmed and frustrated he became.

Dealing with the White Cloak as an Omega-level mutant was troublesome enough. Now, the possibility of him being the legendary Ra compounded the problem.

"If that's true, will our mistletoe-based weapon even work?"

Hill, having pieced together the gist of the situation, was similarly astonished.

Naturally, word of this incident also reached Hydra agents embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D., causing ripples of shock in their ranks.

Far away, at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters...

Wolverine, Logan, abruptly sat up in bed, breathing heavily.

There was a newfound depth to his gaze, a sense of weariness that hadn't been there before.

Looking around the familiar yet strange room, Logan's expression turned to one of astonishment.

He moved to the window, pulled back the curtain, and let the sunlight flood in.

Logan's eyes reflected a mix of disbelief and nostalgia.

The sight of the pristine, undamaged Xavier's School was worlds apart from what he had experienced.

Images of the bleak future flashed in his mind:

A dark, devastated world overrun by sentinel robots that hunted mutants and humans alike.

Under relentless attacks, both species had been driven to near extinction.

In the final moments, with the remnants of Xavier's School about to be annihilated, the Professor had proposed a desperate plan.

Using Kitty Pryde's powers, they would send someone's consciousness back in time to prevent the catastrophic future.

Normally, Kitty could only send someone back a few weeks—at most a month. Any further, and even the Professor's mind would break under the strain.

This mission fell to Logan, whose regenerative abilities could repair his mind.

With Kitty's assistance, after a painful ordeal, his consciousness successfully traveled back to the past.

Recalling the tragedies of the future, Logan's face hardened.

(End of Chapter)

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