Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
After Fini departed, Nick Fury sat in silence, lost in thought for a long while. Eventually, he looked toward Natasha, who stood nearby, and asked, "Do you believe what he said is the truth?"
"Judging by his facial expressions, his tone, and the look in his eyes when he answered, he didn't appear to be lying," Natasha replied honestly. "Besides, I can't think of any reason for him to deceive you at this moment."
A moment later, Nick Fury stood up. The issues raised by Fini were too significant to ignore; preparing for rain before it falls had always been the operating style of S.H.I.E.L.D.
He glanced at Natasha, and his footsteps faltered. He had witnessed Fini's attitude earlier today; the boy clearly harbored some kind of prejudice against her. Sending her to maintain contact might actually produce the opposite of the intended effect.
"Lately, General Ross seems to have resumed his operations against Bruce Banner. Go over there and keep an eye on things."
Nick Fury issued a new set of orders. Banner was a crucial piece in his long-term plans, and he certainly couldn't allow Ross to haul him away for experiments.
Meanwhile, after returning home with the "Obelisk," Fini didn't immediately tell Skye about it, nor did he head to Stark to conduct research. He planned to wait until evening and consult the Ancient One first.
After hiding the suitcase securely in his room, Fini headed off to school.
Upon arriving at campus, he found everyone caught in a frenzy of discussion regarding yesterday's battle. Fini's recent display had attracted a massive following; after all, young people were always drawn to displays of overwhelming power.
During the incident with the Iron Monger, Fini hadn't participated in the first half of the fight. Consequently, people were merely curious and found him mysterious, but they had no real grasp of his true strength.
However, yesterday's battle had successfully demonstrated to the entire world exactly how powerful Fini was.
If anyone were to check the statistics now, they would find that at least half of Iron Man's former fan base had migrated over to Fini's "Silver Knight" persona.
"Hey, Fini! Did you see it when you were heading back yesterday?"
As soon as Fini reached his seat, his friend Billy—whose excitement seemed to have no other outlet—immediately leaned in close.
"See what?" Fini replied listlessly. Listening to the surrounding chatter of his classmates, he thought to himself that Spider-Man was probably the only person who could truly empathize with how he felt right now.
Thinking of Spider-Man reminded Fini that Peter Parker likely hadn't been bitten by that radioactive spider yet. He was probably still just a very bright young boy.
"The Divine Punishment!"
Billy excitedly whipped out his phone. While playing a video clip, he continued, "Don't tell me you don't know! Just after you left yesterday afternoon, Iron Man and the Knight of Divine Punishment got into a massive brawl with a whole army of robots."
"The Knight of Divine Punishment is insanely cool! That 'Divine Punishment' move was seen by almost everyone in New York. You really missed it?"
Hearing his friend praise him so fervently felt incredibly bizarre to Fini. His lip twitched slightly as he asked, "Aren't you afraid that he might actually be a villain?"
"How is that even possible!"
Billy's expression immediately shifted to one of an idolized fan being insulted. He argued firmly, "The Knight of Divine Punishment is definitely the strongest superhero. Plus, he's a friend of Iron Man!"
"Tsk."
Fini hadn't expected that acting alongside Tony would yield such an accidental benefit. He pursed his lips and added, "Also, he might not necessarily like that nickname."
"You don't even know about the great battle yesterday; what could you possibly know about the Knight of Divine Punishment?" Billy looked at Fini with a face full of disdain.
"..."
Fini opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
Right. He was just a mere mage from Kamar-Taj; what could he possibly know about the Knight of Divine Punishment?
Giving up on the argument, Fini slumped onto his desk to think. Beside him, Billy continued to babble incessantly, relaying intelligence he'd gathered from gods-know-where to "educate" Fini on how powerful the Knight of Divine Punishment truly was.
That evening, after returning home and greeting Skye, Fini quietly slipped away with the "Obelisk" and traveled to Kamar-Taj to seek out the Ancient One once again.
"Teacher, could you help me check if there's anything wrong with this object?"
Fini opened the suitcase, allowing the Ancient One to examine the Obelisk.
The Ancient One studied the silver artifact. Just as she reached out a hand to pick it up, Fini hurriedly warned, "There might be a danger in touching this thing directly."
"Mm."
The Ancient One nodded. She held her palm open and made a slight lifting motion. The Obelisk floated up from the suitcase, a faint orange light flickering across its surface as if it were performing some kind of scan.
"This is a protective outer shell. It seems there is something stored inside," the Ancient One observed after a moment.
"Uh, I know that part. But can you remove the shell?" Fini asked. He vaguely remembered that a specific type of crystal was housed inside—crystals capable of awakening the powers of those with Inhuman genes.
If possible, Fini naturally didn't want to travel to that eerie underground temple. Furthermore, he was concerned about whether undergoing the transformation there might carry hidden risks.
"Hmm..."
The Ancient One pondered for a moment. After glancing at Fini, she formed a ritualistic seal with her hands in front of her chest, opening the Eye of Agamotto hanging around her neck.
This was the first time Fini had seen the Ancient One utilize the Time Stone. His eyes widened instantly, his face filled with curiosity.
A shimmering green light glowed, and for a split second, several ghost-like afterimages appeared around the Ancient One's body. Then, as if nothing had changed, she closed the Eye of Agamotto a few seconds later and looked back at Fini.
"It will be a bit troublesome, but it can be done. However, why do you need the crystals inside?"
Fini's face lit up with joy. He didn't hide his intentions and replied, "Skye's body should contain a type of alien-modified gene. These crystals can help her awaken her abilities so she can protect herself if she encounters danger in the future."
The Ancient One nodded. Looking at the Obelisk, she began casting several spells that Fini didn't recognize.
However, Fini noticed a faint mark flashing on the Ancient One's forehead. He knew exactly what it was—the source of her longevity, the dark dimension power stolen from Dormammu.
But Fini didn't care about "darkness" or "light." As long as a power could be mastered, it was a useful power. The Ancient One hadn't lost control, nor had her personality shifted. She was still that kind, wise mentor—the Sorcerer Supreme who had guarded Earth for centuries.
Under the influence of the Ancient One's magic, the outer shell of the Obelisk began to peel away gradually. Fini cautiously took a few steps back. Although the chances of anything going wrong with the Ancient One present were slim, it was better to be safe than sorry.
As the shell fell away completely, the crystals inside were finally revealed.
"It is done."
The Ancient One concluded her spell. She looked at the cautious Fini and asked, "How do you plan to use these?"
"I... I don't really know."
Fini scratched his head. He only remembered that in the original story, Skye and another woman simply entered a temple, placed the Obelisk inside, and completed the awakening. He couldn't remember the specifics of the process at all.
The Ancient One looked at Fini helplessly and said, "You can bring Skye here first. Let her try to absorb the energy from these crystals and see what happens."
"Alright!"
Fini nodded vigorously, his heart filled with happiness.
This was precisely why he had come to the Ancient One first. With her there, even if an accident occurred, it wouldn't be a major disaster. At worst, she could just use the Eye of Agamotto to rewind time.
Opening a portal back home, Fini quickly found Skye in her room. She had just finished her shower and was wearing pajamas while playing on her computer. He said directly, "I have something very important to tell you."
Seeing Fini's solemn expression, Skye's hand shook with a start, nearly dropping her mouse. She asked stutteringly, "Wh... what is it?"
(End of Chapter)