The silver bullet passed harmlessly through Vincent's elemental body and slammed into the chest of the invisible monk.
"Tsk, tsk. Father, you just killed one of your own. Does he get into Heaven on a technicality?"
Vincent tossed the corpse aside.
The bald priest's face darkened. He racked the slide of his shotgun and fired again, the blast tearing apart the luxury suite's decor.
"What kind of monster are you?!"
He splashed a vial of Holy Water at Vincent. The liquid hovered in mid-air, reversed direction under Vincent's Hydro-Kinesis, and splashed back onto the priest's face.
"Kill him! Kill the demon!"
A Paladin in shining armor burst through the wall, swinging a massive claymore at Vincent's neck.
Vincent caught the blade with two fingers.
The Paladin, eyes wide with shock but devoid of fear, attempted a headbutt. Vincent was faster. He snapped the blade, spun the shard, and drove it through the armor, piercing the Paladin's heart.
Vincent sensed the holy energy fading from the soldier. It was strong—stronger than a normal human—but to him, it was nothing.
During the distraction, the bald priest fled.
Vincent walked into the hallway. Four more Paladins blocked his path, their swords glowing with consecrated light. They swung in unison, a "Cross Slash" formation designed to seal evil.
[Logia Activation: Mera Mera no Mi]
Vincent's body exploded into flames. The swords passed through fire.
He rematerialized instantly, his suit unwrinkled. He raised a hand and clenched his fist.
Ice Age.
Icicles erupted from inside the Paladins' chests, freezing their blood instantly. They fell like statues.
Five more appeared. These were elite warriors, strong enough to hold off the Hulk for a few minutes. Against Vincent, they lasted seconds.
He didn't even touch them. He controlled the water in their veins, froze it into spikes, and shredded their hearts from the inside out.
"The hotel has been evacuated," Vincent noted, scanning the empty rooms. "Good. No collateral damage. Just targets."
He walked to the lobby and looked up at the security camera. The feed had been cut. The Vatican didn't want the world to see their secret army being slaughtered.
"No signal," Vincent checked his phone. "Perfect. No witnesses."
He stepped out of the Hotel Eden and into the cool Roman night.
The square outside was filled with an army.
Dozens of Paladins in chainmail, holding the banner of the Holy Guard. Warrior monks with staves. Priests with Bibles that glowed with arcane power.
And the bald priest, now standing beside a cadre of high-ranking exorcists.
"Demon!" the priest shouted. "This is God's territory! His glory will not be stained by your filth!"
"Is that the best you've got?" Vincent asked, holding up the silver box.
He sensed the dark energy pulsing inside the box—the Chalice. And he sensed the trap.
"A little cup caused all this war," Vincent said, his voice dropping an octave. "If I were a normal man, I'd be in a dungeon right now, being tortured. But I'm not normal. And I don't like being used as bait."
He looked at the priest. "You are ready to die for God. I won't disappoint you."
Vincent's hand ignited. The silver box melted into slag, revealing the Blood Ancestor's Chalice.
A piercing shriek echoed in his mind—a psychic attack from the artifact. Vincent's Mind Immunity flared, shattering the intrusion.
"Holy Guard! Charge!"
"Hoooah!"
Thirty swords pointed at him.
[Ice-Ice Fruit: Pheasant Beak]
Vincent summoned two massive ice lances. His Dragon Elephant Wisdom cycled his internal energy to the limit. Frost armor covered his body.
"Kill!"
The bald priest fired his shotguns. Vincent saw the bullets in slow motion. He swatted them aside with his ice lance.
He moved like a phantom. Eight Extremities Fist combined with spear mastery.
Thrust. Freeze. Shatter.
He danced through the army. Every thrust of his lance pierced a heart. Every slash of a sword shattered against his ice armor, which instantly reformed.
It was a massacre.
The bald priest stared down at the ice spike protruding from his chest. He looked up into Vincent's cold, indifferent eyes.
"I told you I didn't steal it," Vincent whispered. "Now, you can explain your mistake to St. Peter."
He ripped the lance out.
The square was silent. Bodies lay everywhere.
"The Church will not forgive you..." the priest gasped, dying.
Vincent shook his head. "There is only one path left."
He turned back to the hotel.
"Fire Snake Bind."
Two massive serpents of flame erupted from his hands, wrapping around the Hotel Eden. The building was consumed in an inferno, erasing all forensic evidence.
He didn't burn the Paladins. He left them as a message.
Vincent launched himself into the sky, jets of fire propelling him toward the heart of the Vatican.
He hovered over St. Peter's Square. The center of the Catholic world.
Below, the Church's hidden defenders rushed out— Cardinals with magic, ancient gargoyles awakening.
Vincent took a deep breath.
"ICE AGE."
He unleashed his full power. Absolute Zero expanded from his body in a shockwave of white death.
Time stopped.
The fountains froze in mid-spray. The air solidified. The Basilica was encased in a tomb of glacial ice.
The entire Vatican City—0.44 square kilometers—was instantly flash-frozen into a winter wasteland.
[System Alert]
[Desire Points: +8,900,000]
[Total Wealth: $28 Billion]
[Status: Godlike Terror]
He had frozen the Vatican. He had declared war on God.
And the world would go insane.
In the center of the square, he shaped the ice into a massive statue—a demonic figure resembling his "Ice Demon" persona, standing triumphantly over the frozen cross.
"If you're going to be a villain," Vincent smirked, "be a supervillain."
He launched himself into the air, breaking the sound barrier, heading for the ocean.
Once over the water, he dove in.
[Hydro-Kinesis: Water Release Teleportation]
He dissolved into the currents, using the planetary waterways to travel instantly.
It was exhausting. But moments later, he washed up on a beach in New York.
He checked his watch. 3:00 AM.
He sat in the sand, meditating to restore his energy. Then, he flew to his Central Park villa.
He pulled out his phone and called Natasha.
"Vincent?" Her voice was sleepy but seductive. "You're back from Rome already? Did you miss me?"
"You knew I was in Rome?" Vincent asked, calm. He felt lighter. The shackles of his old morality were gone. He was free.
"I'm the head of security for Oscorp now," Natasha purred. "I keep tabs on my boss. Speaking of which... does the company cover my housing? I rented a penthouse at One Central Park."
"I'll pay for it," Vincent laughed. "Are you watching me?"
"I'm looking at your villa right now," Natasha said, standing by her window. "Though the ice sculpture in the park ruins the view."
"I can be there in two minutes," Vincent said.
"Bring wine."
Vincent hung up. He bypassed his own security and flew to her balcony on the 36th floor.
He knocked.
Natasha opened the door, wearing a silk robe that left nothing to the imagination.
"For you," Vincent said, handing her a bouquet of roses made of ice.
"Beautiful," she whispered.
He swept her into his arms and kicked the door shut.
Somewhere over the Atlantic.
On the private jet, Frank raised a glass of champagne.
"To the Chinese kid!" Frank toasted. "He took the heat, and we got the goods."
"To the idiot!" Mary Zero cheered, dancing on the table.
"He was cute," Sandi sighed, "but a hundred million dollars is cuter."
Agent X and Taskmaster exchanged a knowing look. They survived. The mission was a success.
They had no idea that back in Rome, God's city was a frozen tomb, and the demon they thought they had sacrificed was currently seducing the Black Widow in Manhattan.
Now Get The FULL NOVEL at Once!
Get 50% OFF for limited time only.
@patreon.com/Authorizz/shop