Hearing this, Mordo and Wong glanced at each other, seeing shock and excitement in each other's eyes.
"Great! Amazing! If the MagicNet is successfully built, we'll be able to detect external threats in advance!"
"The Sorcerer Supreme… it's unbelievable! How did he… create this?"
At this moment, every master of Kamar-Taj, young and old, looked at Lucci with nearly fanatical, god-like reverence! One man's power to suppress the world! Drawing a grand blueprint to protect all life, using the planet as his canvas and energy as his brush!
Such courage, such vision, such wisdom… it truly was something to behold!
..
In the Sorcerer Supreme's Private Chamber
Lucci slowly exhaled, the rough breaths around him gradually calming. He looked up, as if seeing the energy center hanging atop Kamar-Taj, the Path of Flame Sword at its core. He could clearly sense the invisible giant network extending outwards across the globe, at a steady pace—Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, even the vast Pacific and frozen Antarctica. The veins of the MagicNet quickly encompassed the entire Earth like a neural network.
"Not bad," Lucci nodded with satisfaction.
This MagicNet was not only a defense and early warning system, but also an extension of his power. As long as he was on Earth, he was the master of the net, able to mobilize the planet's energy with a single thought.
At that moment, his brow furrowed. His gaze fell toward North America. Just as the MagicNet began to take shape, at its most turbulent moment, his senses keenly picked up an especially powerful spiritual force—someone observing the Earth from the spiritual plane like a high-powered detector.
Though the other party hid well, before Lucci's vast, sacred mind, harmonized with the universe, this snooping was as obvious as a firefly at night.
Combining the detected location with records from Asgard's sacred archives, a name immediately appeared in Lucci's mind:
"Mutants… Professor X, Charles Xavier?"
A hint of interest crossed his lips. Now that the MagicNet was complete, its further spread would take care of itself. His new "Soul-Refining Technique of Seven Emotions and Six Desires" had greatly enhanced his soul and body as well. Next, it was time to put his plan to expand his personal team on the agenda.
While ordinary mages had infinite potential, their growth cycle was long. But gifted people like mutants, born with unique abilities, could rapidly become powerful if properly guided. And the spiritual leader of the mutant, Professor X, was the perfect breakthrough point.
With this thought, Lucci acted without hesitation. He reached up toward the sky—
Buzz!
The Path of Flame Sword instantly transformed into a streamer and landed in his hand, then disappeared. The sword was an artifact bound to his very being; wherever Lucci was, it would follow, without affecting the MagicNet's normal operation. Moreover, with the blessing of the net, at least within its vast range, his spatial abilities were stronger than ever!
Now, he could not just "tear" space, but walk and leap freely along the "veins" of space as if strolling in his own courtyard. He took a step forward. No portal opened, no space was torn—he simply appeared on the steps outside Kamar-Taj's hall.
At this moment, Ancient One, Mordo, Wong, and all the mages in the square—plus the ever-baffled Hulk—were still basking in awe and worship of the MagicNet. When Lucci's figure appeared out of thin air, everyone held their breath!
Ancient One and the others immediately bowed respectfully: "Welcome, Sorcerer Supreme!"
A tsunami of voices echoed across Kamar-Taj, full of heartfelt awe and fanaticism. Everyone's faces flushed with excitement. Mordo stepped forward, almost in a pilgrimage, and asked excitedly:
"Sorcerer Supreme! What Master Ancient One just said—the MagicNet… is it really true? Will it really work?"
Lucci looked at their excited faces and nodded calmly. "Yes. Soon, the MagicNet will fully cover the world. When that happens, nothing from the outside world will be able to easily cause ripples or threaten peace on Earth."
With his positive answer, the crowd erupted in cheers again—their eyes shining with hope and safety!
Lucci watched their excitement, smiled indifferently, and waved his hand. "It's fine, the net will continue spreading on its own. Next, I'll be heading out."
Hearing this, the crowd fell silent. Ancient One asked, "Heading out? For what?"
Lucci gazed westward, smiling faintly. "To visit… a professor skilled in the power of the mind."
"The power of the mind?" Ancient One, Mordo, Wong, and the others were all taken aback. Magic, they understood. Physical power—they'd seen Hulk's. But pure "mental power"? Was such a technique usable too?
"Someone like that really exists in this world?" Ancient One wondered.
Lucci nodded confidently, "Of course. The world is vast, full of wonders, with many strong people unknown to us."
At that moment, Hulk, hearing "psychic power" and "professor," immediately perked up. As a top scientist with multiple PhDs, the word "professor" naturally drew his interest. And "mental power" touched a blind spot in his knowledge.
He quickly bent down, eagerly asking, "Teacher, are you going to meet another professor? Can I come too?"
Lucci glanced at him and nodded slightly, "Sure."
"Alright!" Hulk cheered and hurried to Lucci's side.
The next second! Lucci took another step forward—no portal, no spatial fluctuation. The two vanished into thin air before the entire crowd's eyes. Left behind, the mages could only look at each other in utter shock and speechlessness.
"The Sorcerer Supreme has gotten even stronger!"
…
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
Professor Charles sat frowning, brooding over what had just occurred. The mysterious, majestic energy network covering the entire world was like a giant riddle, deeply imprinted in his mind. He sensed a secret behind this event that could change the world.
Just then, a tall, burly man with blue hair and glasses entered. He was a curious mixture of a wild beast and a scholar—Hank McCoy, codename "Beast," one of the X-Men's core members and a leading biologist and geneticist.
"Charles, you seem troubled. What happened when you summoned Logan and the others so urgently?" Beast asked.
Charles raised his head, rubbing his temples with fatigue, and briefly recounted what he'd discovered. Beast's intelligent eyes immediately widened to their limit.
"A global… energy network? Charles, did you really see that?"
As a top scientist, Beast knew well the terrifying energy and technology required to build such a network. This was far beyond current human science!
"Of course it's real!" Charles replied firmly. "My telepathy has never lied to me." He added, "I sent Logan and the others to fly the Blackbird to the source for on-site investigation."
Beast nodded, then unconsciously wondered, "Why not use Cerebro directly to actively trace the source, or… try to communicate with whoever created this net?"
This question struck Charles like lightning! He was shocked—how could he have forgotten? He had always treated Cerebro as a "tracking radar" and "communications hub" to find and help undiscovered mutants, never considering using it as a weapon or for other purposes! This mindset had caused him to ignore one of Cerebro's most powerful functions: actively locking onto and connecting with powerful spiritual sources!
He'd always just passively "felt" the net, never thought to "trace it back" proactively!
"You're right, Hank!" Charles suddenly slapped the armrest. "We can do both! Let's head to the underground fortress!"
"Understood, Charles!" Beast immediately pushed the professor's wheelchair to the massive spherical device.
Charles took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and donned the metallic helmet filled with wires and sensors. But—just as he was about to press the start button, something happened!
Buzz…
The air before them rippled like a stone thrown into a still lake. Light shimmered, and suddenly, two figures appeared out of nowhere—utterly out of place in this high-tech room.
One was a handsome man with a mysterious aura, almost otherworldly. The other was a giant over two meters tall, with bulging muscles and oppressive green skin—an unmistakable super-strong giant!
This scene was beyond all comprehension for Charles and Hank. The world's best security system was in place here, deep underground at Xavier's School. How did these two get in? Teleportation?
Beast instantly took a fighting stance, lowering his head and growling, muscles tensed, claws unsheathed.
"Who are you? How did you suddenly appear here?" he demanded sharply.
But Charles was struck by an even greater storm than when he first sensed the MagicNet. Until just before they appeared, his telepathy had registered nothing—these two had simply "jumped" into reality from a dimension that didn't exist! His telepathy hadn't sensed a thing!
How… how was this possible?
Facing Hank's question and Charles' fearful gaze, Hulk scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Uh… hello, don't be alarmed. I'm Hulk—Bruce Banner."
He pointed to Lucci, introducing him with reverence and pride, "As for my teacher… let me see… He's the Crown Prince of Asgard, heir to the Nine Realms' guardians, and the current Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj!"
"…"
"…"
The string of titles from the innocent-looking Hulk left both Professor X and Beast dumbfounded. Asgard? Guardians of the Nine Realms? Sorcerer Supreme? Was this all… real? Even Beast, with a supercomputer for a brain, felt information overload for the first time. It was like listening to the ramblings of a madman—except the evidence in front of them was all too real!
Lucci looked at their confused expressions, smiled, and waved his hand, using a more straightforward tone:
"Greetings, I am Lucci Odinson."
His voice was warm and peaceful, carrying a unique power to calm hearts. But Charles couldn't relax at all. As the world's most powerful telepath, he knew better than anyone just how… bottomless this man called Lucci was!
From the instant Lucci appeared, Charles instinctively tried to probe his thoughts—to see his intentions, to determine if he was friend or foe. But as his psychic "tendrils" carefully approached Lucci, he was met with the strangest sight of his life.
He felt no "barrier" or "defense." His psychic power was like a drop of water… swallowed by a vast ocean of stars!
Within Lucci's mind, stars were born and died, laws flowed, countless thoughts surged. Charles' formidable psychic control, which could manipulate thousands of minds at once, couldn't even stir a ripple here—his power was quietly… assimilated and absorbed!
Then, like a shockwave from the Big Bang, a grand and irresistible consciousness rebounded from the center of this ocean!
Buzz!
A violent stabbing sensation filled Charles' brain! He gasped, his face instantly pale, his head jerking back as if struck by a supernova!
"How… how is this possible?" he cried, eyes full of terror and fear.
This wasn't just a question of strength or weakness—it was a complete and utter overwhelming of his very level of existence!
…
Bonus chapter at 100 PS
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