Chapter 671: A New God Emerges in Space (Part 1) (Patreon)

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"I believe we should take our time to consider this," Connors suddenly spoke. "What exactly is the principle of ascension? What about its safety? Could unexpected situations arise? These are all questions that need thought. I don't approve of attempting it without any safety measures in place."

"Although I've often disagreed with your overly cautious approach to experiments, this is indeed a valid concern," Stark said while contemplating. "The last ascension appeared more like a stroke of luck than a precise experiment. Whether this serendipity can be replicated and what kind of anomalies might arise from it, and whether those anomalies pose a threat are all uncertainties we cannot answer."

Just as Schiller was about to speak, Strange interjected, "Indeed, though you often say that Mysticism involves solving riddles, I must inform you that we have safety regulations. Anything related to demon gods and magic must be handled with great caution. The human Soul is fragile, and once it's corrupted by power, the consequences are dire."

"Looking at it from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s perspective, we also need to ensure Stark's safety," Natasha added. "His intellect is irreplaceable, and he holds significant strategic importance in human civilization. If we can't guarantee his safety one hundred percent, it's better not to proceed."

"Very well, then. Let's discuss how we should approach this artificial ascension to maximize safety while achieving our goals," Schiller said.

Just then, Peter suddenly chimed in, "Um... can I leave now? I have classes in the afternoon."

"Of course, go ahead," they waved him off. Stark advised, "Your car is parked downstairs, so stay safe on the road."

Although he said that, after Peter left, he still instructed JARVIS to keep a close eye on Peter's situation, ensuring that others could reach the scene promptly if anything unusual happened.

Once Peter had left, he went to attend his classes at New York University. While Stark's transformation into a demon god was crucial, he couldn't skip class right at the beginning of the school year.

After finishing his afternoon classes, Peter found himself with nowhere to go. Gwen was busy with her internship, Pikachu was not in the clinic, and Stark and Connors were occupied with their ascension experiment. After some thought, Peter decided to head to Stark Tower's laboratory to complete the experiments from the previous stage.

As Peter entered Stark Tower, he noticed a small figure hurrying toward him.

"Helen? Didn't Miss Pepper say you were going for a dance class? Has your class already finished?" Peter inquired.

Before Helen could respond, Pepper walked in, holding her forehead. She said in resignation, "In just one class, this little one learned an entire set of Swan Lake movements. Her dance teacher says I should send her to a ballet school in Russia for more professional training, as she's an exceptional dancer. However, I lack the expertise to teach such a talented dancer."

Peter widened his eyes in surprise, and Helen gave him a little smile. Peter then expressed his astonishment, "Oh, your teeth?"

Helen's teeth had already transformed into a regular human appearance, except for her two front teeth, which were still slightly sharper than the average person's, giving her a unique appearance for a human child.

Moreover, her slightly eerie vertical pupils had disappeared, replaced by brown eyes exactly like Stark's.

"I did it to fit in," Helen explained. "Otherwise, people would give me strange looks."

"Your language has become so fluent?" Peter was amazed and picked Helen up, looking at her.

Then, he gently lifted the little girl in his arms and said, "Is it my imagination, or has she become considerably heavier?"

"It's not your imagination," Pepper replied. "Stark told me that his research shows Helen's growth rate is about six times that of a normal human."

"Oh my goodness, so does that mean she'll grow up very quickly?" Peter exclaimed with a gaping mouth.

"I can control my growth rate myself. If I don't want to grow up, I'll maintain this appearance," Helen said somewhat smugly.

"It's truly amazing. There are so many things in this world that are beyond my understanding," Peter sighed.

He then put Helen down, and she blinked her eyes quizzically, asking, "Peter, why are you glowing?"

"Glowing? I'm not... Oh, you mean that Power of Belief they were talking about? I don't know what it is, but Mr. Stark and they said..." Peter began to explain.

Helen nodded in understanding and then followed Pepper out.

When Peter entered the laboratory and started preparing for the experiment, Helen suddenly rushed in.

"Didn't you close the laboratory door properly? It could be troublesome if there's a leak!" Peter immediately walked to the door to check if he'd forgotten to lock it.

Helen hopped onto the table and said, "Your door was closed properly. I teleported in."

"Oh, I forgot, you can use magic. But who taught you to teleport?" Peter inquired.

"My mom... maybe my dad now," Helen explained.

Peter was somewhat puzzled at first, but then he suddenly realized and asked, "You're not talking about Loki, are you?"

"Correct, Loki Odinson."

"But... isn't Mr. Stark your dad?" Peter had a very complex expression on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, correct, he's also my dad. What's the matter?" Helen replied with a fearless attitude.

Peter's mouth hung open, unsure of what to say, but Helen continued, "Actually, Thor Odinson is my dad too."

"So..." Helen snapped her fingers with her chubby fingers, producing a soft "poof, poof, poof" sound, and three layers of halos appeared behind her.

Peter was left stunned. At that moment, Helen asked, "What's with the strange golden light on you?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but Dr. Strange said..." Peter proceeded to provide Helen with a brief explanation of what the Power of Belief was and recounted the events of the Bat God incident. Helen pondered for a moment before saying, "This must definitely be related to that Morlun Family they mentioned. By the way, have you ever tried actively using this power?"

Observing the small Helen trying to act like an adult in front of him, Peter found it quite amusing. He lifted her up and remarked, "The last time I saw you, you couldn't even talk."

Helen shook her head and said, "Learning a language isn't difficult, and magic isn't too tough either. However, the hardest part, I feel, is... emotions."

"Emotions? Do you have to learn emotions?" Peter asked, looking a bit puzzled.

Helen remained silent, her young face carrying an age-inappropriate expression filled with confusion, doubt, and longing.

Soon, the two began to investigate the energy on Peter's body. Standing in front of the lab table, Peter said, "Dr. Strange said this may be the cause of my recent excessive excitement, but apart from that, I haven't discovered any other effects."

"It definitely has a purpose, or it wouldn't be causing these changes in your body... I think you should try using this power," Helen suggested.

"I'm not entirely sure I trust this mysterious source of power," Peter frowned, appearing somewhat hesitant.

Helen stood on the lab table in front of Peter, pondered for a moment, then extended her hand and placed it on Peter's shoulder. Peter was bewildered, not sure what she was doing.

A faint golden light became visible on Helen's hand, extending to cover her entire body. Peter seemed to realize what she was doing and said, "Helen, stop! This power might be dangerous, and you're still too young..."

Before Peter could finish his sentence, the golden light around Helen vanished completely, and the halo behind her became even brighter.

With an astonished expression, Peter asked, "Can you extract this power?"

"Yes, I can also convert it into magic energy that I can use..." Helen shifted her gaze, and Peter noticed that her expression resembled Loki's during that brief moment, as if they were carved from the same mold.

Taking into account Helen's complicated background, Peter decided not to delve too deeply into the reasons behind her birth. Overthinking it could lead to a crisis of values.

After some thought, Helen continued, "If I can use this power, it means you can too. But maybe because you haven't learned magic, you don't know how to use it... How about this, I'll teach you magic. What do you think?"

Helen looked at Peter, who stared back at her, saying, "I can certainly try to learn, but I can't guarantee that I'll succeed."

"We can give it a try," Helen said. "Close your eyes, start meditating, and focus your mind. In your mind's eye, visualize a pattern with a circular shape..."

Peter followed her instructions. After a short while, he noticed an image of a human figure in his mind; it appeared to be his own silhouette.

"That's your Soul, see it? If you maintain this state and then control the figure you see to leave your body, you can achieve Soul Roaming... but it's better not to do this. It consumes a lot of Soul strength and can leave you feeling exhausted."

"Did Loki... Miss... or Mister... teach you all of this?" Peter inquired.

"Yes," Helen replied, then continued, "Alright, next, concentrate on your Soul and start observing for any anomalies."

"Anomalies?" Peter focused his attention and observed, and he soon noticed a faint golden thread surrounding his Soul. Without needing Helen's reminder, Peter's consciousness started to follow this golden thread.

He felt like he was passing through a barrier, and vaguely, he saw a group of dark shadows streaking across the sky. Just as he was about to scrutinize it further, a terrifying darkness overwhelmed him. Peter woke up abruptly, drenched in cold sweat. Helen, with her short legs in motion, rushed to the water dispenser, filled a glass with water, and handed it to him, asking, "Did you see something scary?"

Peter, still shaken, nodded, and Helen reassured him, "It's fine; this is normal. When you communicate with a mysterious power, the images you see aren't always pleasant. Now, can you recall what you saw?"

Although he didn't want to relive the terrifying vision, Peter made a conscious effort to remember. He eventually said, "I saw a group of dark shadows... not human, but somewhat resembling a kind of animal."

"An animal?" Helen said, "I don't know much about animals. Which Earth animal do they resemble, in your opinion?"

Peter thought hard for a moment, his face serious, before replying, "Bats... they looked like bats."

[Shane: Guys, I can't wrap my head around why he see bat. I checked raws multiple times but it says bat.]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 672: New Gods in Space (Part 2)