This time, Ethan Voss had successfully gained the trust of both Professor Charles and Jason at the same time. That outcome was far safer than allowing Jason to awaken freely without supervision. After all, a psychic illusionist of Jason's level could cause endless trouble if he decided to tamper with reality unchecked.
Once Ethan returned from the Kingdom of God, he quickly handled several pieces of routine work that had accumulated during his absence. The evening was already approaching by the time he finally finished.
Just as he stepped out of his office, something soft suddenly collided with him.
A faint fragrance drifted through the air.
Ethan instinctively reached out to steady the person, only to pause slightly when he saw who it was.
The woman standing before him had soft brown curls that framed her face perfectly. Her lips were painted a striking shade of red, and her eyes carried a gentle, almost liquid softness that made them difficult to ignore. A subtle smile rested on her lips, adding an air of calm elegance.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Voss," she said politely.
Behind her, Felicia hurried forward to explain.
"Boss, this is Natalie," Felicia said. "She's the new administrative assistant. From now on, she'll be handling part of your work schedule."
Only then did Ethan remember that he had indeed planned to hire another assistant recently. Felicia's workload had become overwhelming, and adding someone to support her had seemed necessary.
Still, the identity of this particular "assistant" was unexpected.
Black Widow.
Fury moved fast.
They must have been planning this for a while. Had Fury come earlier that day to evaluate him before sending her in?
Ethan studied the woman carefully.
"Hello, boss," she said with a professional smile. "My name is Natalie Rushman. I'll be serving as your administrative assistant from now on."
Ethan shook his head lightly.
"No," he said.
"I don't agree to you being my administrative assistant."
Natalie's expression shifted instantly, a trace of concern appearing on her face.
"Did I do something wrong, boss?"
Before she could react further, Ethan suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek with a playful grin.
"From now on," he said casually, "you'll be my personal secretary."
He turned toward Felicia.
"Felicia, go ahead and hire a new administrative assistant."
Natalie almost dodged the gesture out of instinct. However, remembering her mission, she forced herself to remain still.
Her smile tightened slightly.
"Understood, boss."
She turned and walked away.
Ethan watched her retreating figure with interest.
For a moment, an idea crossed his mind.
Perhaps he should bring her into the Kingdom of God and adjust her thoughts a little. Someone like Natasha Romanoff was both intelligent and dangerous. But under the right circumstances, she could easily become loyal.
Besides, such a beautiful woman could live comfortably even as a gilded bird.
Better that than getting injured—or killed—in endless battles.
Just as that thought formed in his mind, a sudden chill ran through Ethan's spine.
A warning.
Flames suddenly swirled before his eyes, twisting into the shape of a circular portal.
From within the portal stepped a bald woman dressed in simple white robes.
The Ancient One.
"Hello, Theodore Vane," she said calmly. "I am the Ancient One."
Ethan stared at her for several seconds before finally speaking.
"I was wondering when you would show up," he said slowly. "What took you so long?"
"You know who I am?" the Ancient One asked, tilting her head slightly.
"I do," Ethan replied calmly. "I'm a mutant with rather special abilities. I know about you—and many other things."
"You're a mutant?" A faint smile appeared on her lips, though it carried a hint of skepticism.
"Yes," Ethan said confidently.
"So what brings the Sorcerer Supreme to see me?"
The Ancient One folded her hands calmly.
"A few months ago, a Time-Space Demon God fell within the Dark Dimension," she said. "Its death caused considerable chaos. I've spent the past few months dealing with that disturbance."
"When everything finally settled, I returned my attention to Earth."
"And I discovered something unusual."
She looked directly at Ethan.
"There was suddenly… another soul."
"A soul from another world."
Ethan's muscles tightened slightly.
At any moment, he was ready to open a portal and escape into the Kingdom of God.
The reason he had avoided causing large-scale chaos in this world—despite possessing such overwhelming abilities—was precisely because of people like the Ancient One.
And Odin.
And perhaps Zeus, though that old god was probably too busy entertaining himself with attendants to care.
Odin and Zeus were unlikely to intervene.
But the Ancient One absolutely would.
If she truly decided to eliminate him, Ethan knew he would probably have no choice but to retreat into the Kingdom of God and hide.
"So," Ethan said calmly, raising an eyebrow, "what do you intend to do about my… foreign soul?"
The Ancient One remained silent for a moment.
Then she sighed softly.
"Normally," she said, "I would simply destroy such a soul."
Ethan felt a chill run through him.
That blunt?
"But you are different."
Her voice softened slightly.
Ethan rolled his eyes internally.
Different?
He was a Hydra operative running half the shadows of this world.
Different indeed.
"Since the moment you appeared," the Ancient One continued, "the future I once saw has become unclear. The timelines are chaotic and fragmented."
"Even I can only see scattered pieces now."
"But from those fragments," she said quietly, "one thing is clear."
"You are important."
Ethan relaxed slightly.
"So you came here today just to meet me?"
"No," she said.
"I came to warn you."
"Warn me?" Ethan asked.
"You can see fragments of the future as well," the Ancient One said. "So you must understand something."
"Do not casually alter the fate of important individuals."
Ethan frowned slightly.
"What exactly counts as an 'important individual'?" he asked. "And what do you mean by fate?"
The Ancient One's expression remained calm.
"For example," she said, "the woman you just met."
"You cannot place her inside your special space and turn her into a caged bird."
Ethan blinked.
"You can read minds?"
The Ancient One ignored the question entirely.
"If you break the rules," she said calmly, "I will not be so polite next time."
With a wave of her hand, another portal appeared.
She stepped through it.
And vanished.
Ethan clicked his tongue.
Just wait.
One day, when he became powerful enough, even the Ancient One might end up as the one sitting in a cage.
Still, after speaking with her, a heavy weight lifted from his mind.
From the way she acted, it seemed she was wary of him as well.
Perhaps she feared that if she pushed him too far, he might retreat into the Kingdom of God and emerge later as a far greater threat.
Still…
Her warning had been interesting.
He couldn't change the fate of "important people."
Which implied something else.
The fate of unimportant people didn't matter.
If that was the case…
There were many plans he could finally put into motion.
Hell's Kitchen.
A bar hidden deep within one of the district's narrow streets pulsed with music so loud it shook the walls. The air was thick with sweat, alcohol, and the wild screams of people dancing under flashing lights.
The crowd moved in a frenzy.
In the center of the dance floor, a man danced wildly, grinning from ear to ear.
He had been single for thirty years.
Tonight, his adrenaline surged as he moved to the music, his entire body vibrating with excitement.
The music reached its peak.
At that exact moment, red liquid suddenly sprayed from the ceiling across the entire bar.
The man laughed and opened his mouth, assuming it was some kind of alcohol effect.
Only after the liquid touched his tongue did he freeze.
The taste was metallic.
Bloody.
As the flashing lights illuminated the room again, he noticed something terrifying.
The people around him had stopped dancing.
They were staring at him.
Their eyes glowed bright green.
Even worse—
Sharp fangs protruded from their mouths.
A horrifying realization struck him.
Vampires.
The crowd closed in.
Claws and fangs gleamed in the flickering lights.
As despair flooded his mind, one final thought appeared.
No.
I can't die like this.
Not as a virgin.
He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain.
But it never came.
Instead, a scream pierced through the chaotic music.
When he opened his eyes, a tall, imposing man stood in front of him.
The man was dark-skinned, wearing combat gear with a long blade strapped across his back. In his hands was a firearm that fired with relentless precision.
Each shot dropped a vampire instantly.
And every time one died, its body disintegrated into a cloud of gray ash.
The vampires panicked.
They fled in all directions.
The man advanced through the bar like a storm, drawing his blade and cutting down everything in his path as he pushed from the entrance toward the stage.
The terrified dancer watched in disbelief.
When he finally regained his senses, he covered his head and sprinted toward the exit.
Several minutes later, Bullseye arrived with a group of enhanced police officers.
The bar looked like the aftermath of a slaughterhouse.
Blood covered nearly every surface.
But there were no bodies.
Only one figure remained.
In the corner of the room lay a charred corpse.
Bullseye listened carefully.
With his enhanced hearing, he could clearly detect something unusual.
The body wasn't completely dead.
A faint heartbeat still echoed from within the burnt remains.
Bullseye raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell is this?"
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/InfinityWeaver
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon