The forest was dead quiet at night.
Adrian and Logan had cleared a small area, and the fire wasn't huge, but it was enough to keep the chill away.
Some bloodstains were still visible by the fire, left over from the animals Logan had hunted.
"Our luck's pretty good—those guys didn't follow us."
Logan flipped the roasted rabbit in his hand and grinned.
"Logan, have you ever thought about changing things for Mutants?"
Adrian suddenly asked.
Logan was caught off guard by the question.
"That's not really something I should be thinking about."
"I'm not strong enough."
"Far as I know, there's quite a few Mutants who've tried."
"Like the Hellfire Club, and later Magneto and Professor X."
"They're all crazy powerful Mutants."
"But even with all that power, they still couldn't change how this world sees Mutants."
"To humans, Mutants are like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads."
"Could fall any second."
"Humans are scared of us, but they also want what we've got."
"In my opinion, peaceful coexistence between humans and Mutants... isn't possible yet."
Logan's tone was steady, but it carried the weight of years.
He'd lived for nearly two hundred years, saved people and been saved, seen both the best and worst of humanity.
So yeah, he didn't have much hope left.
His past kindness had only brought him endless pain.
"Kid, it's good you're thinking about this stuff."
"But I don't want you going to extremes."
Logan added.
Adrian's abilities were seriously powerful.
Even though he hadn't shown everything during their few days traveling together, Logan could piece together enough.
It was a power that even Magneto couldn't pull off.
"So to solve the problem between humans and Mutants, we've gotta start from the root."
"To actually achieve peace, there's only one way."
Adrian's eyes sparkled with thought.
"Back home, a great man once said: 'If you don't erupt in silence, you'll perish in silence.'"
"If Mutants and humans keep going at each other like this, there's only one outcome—mutual destruction."
"Either humanity dies out, or Mutants get wiped off the map."
"But who remembers that we were all the same group to begin with?"
"The best way is to completely smash the current system!"
"Create a whole new social order."
Adrian's words made Logan pause mid-motion.
He was stunned by how bold the idea was.
In nearly two hundred years, he'd traveled through various countries, seen just how complex and stable the current world order was.
Hell, that's why there'd been two World Wars.
"Let extraordinary powers come out into the open. Stop making them a secret."
"Rip off the mysterious veil and make the extraordinary something everyone knows about!"
"Build a new order based on humanity, with Mutants as the path to advancement."
Adrian continued.
"Your idea... it's insane."
"I don't think you can pull it off."
Logan said it, but deep down he knew the plan was actually feasible in some ways.
The catch was whether Adrian truly had the ability to make it all happen.
"Interested in helping me out, Logan?"
"Or are you gonna keep drifting around aimlessly like this?"
In Adrian's mind, Logan was a natural Saint candidate.
His crazy regenerative ability let his body constantly break through its limits, making it easy to reach peak human potential and then sense the power of Cosmo.
As long as Adrian planted the light of Cosmo in him, once it awakened, Logan could smash through his current strength limitations.
More importantly... Adrian had this vague feeling he might be able to become something like Kronos in the Marvel Universe.
Sure, it was still just a theory, but if it worked, everyone whose Cosmo he ignited would become another tool on his path to cultivation.
Omega power was exactly that—the power of belief formed when billions of Cosmo lights converged.
That was the conclusion Adrian had reached after all his exploration in the Saint Seiya world.
"So, you got a clear destination now?"
Logan looked at Adrian, his expression dead serious.
"Yeah, the Vatican."
"I want to stand openly in front of the whole world."
"If I become the Pope, with thousands of believers backing me, nobody would dare touch me."
"And my abilities happen to be perfect for pulling this off."
As he spoke, a golden light gradually started glowing from Adrian's palm.
The light was warm and peaceful—Logan just watched quietly and felt way calmer inside.
"My ability is Elemental Control."
"Like it sounds—I can control all the elements in the world."
"Which means I can easily create miracles that normally wouldn't be possible."
"I can mass-produce gold, so I'll never run out of money."
"I can also extract the life essence from plants and trees to heal injuries and sickness."
"Even regrow limbs and extend life."
"Use that to get in good with high-ranking officials and billionaires in different countries."
"Right now, Mutants haven't been exposed on a large scale."
"This is the perfect opportunity."
"Once I succeed, I'll become the spokesperson of God... or hell, maybe even become God myself."
When he said all this, Adrian's tone stayed completely calm.
He'd personally seen Gods and fought against them.
Those experiences meant he didn't get swept up in grand visions anymore.
Everything he did was just paving the way for himself.
The existence of Mutants pointed directly to the Celestials.
Those beings that'd existed since the beginning of creation weren't easy to deal with.
They were the masterminds behind countless major events in Marvel.
"Then what happens after?"
"When you become this new God, will you still stick to your current ideas?"
Logan looked up, staring at Adrian seriously.
"Of course."
"I've got no obsession with becoming a God."
"But I'm confident I can become the founder of a new era, and also the Guardian of whatever order comes next."
"Even if I'm gone years from now, this system will keep running."
"Humans are the foundation, and Mutants are the evolved form within humanity, with more powerful abilities."
"Only by integrating with each other can we go further."
"Besides, threats don't just come from inside."
Adrian's words carried deeper meaning, but Logan didn't fully get it.
Aliens and stuff like that were still way too far off for him right now.
After a long silence, Logan finally spoke again:
"My strength isn't anything special."
"Even if I help you, I probably can't get you to that kind of height."
Adrian smiled slightly.
He knew Logan had already agreed.
This was his first ally since arriving in this world.
"Just leave the rest to me."
"Your potential is way more than this."
Even though he wasn't sure what method Adrian had to boost his strength, Logan wasn't the type to go back on his word once he made a promise.
"So our next stop is the Vatican?"
"That's right."