"When will we see each other again?"
Logan stopped, turning to look at Adrian. His mission was to gather the Mutants scattered across the world, though this wasn't really his thing.
But for the vision Adrian described, he was willing to give it a shot. Over the years, he'd run into a good number of Mutants, and some of them were definitely forces worth fighting for.
"When the Catholic Church announces me as the Pope's successor."
"That'll be the day we meet up again."
Adrian's answer was short and certain.
"Got it." Logan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk off in another direction.
Adrian looked at the towering cross in the distance, a faint smile on his lips.
The Elemental Light swirled around him, and his figure gradually blurred, eventually disappearing completely into the air.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
Inside the Papal Hall, clear footsteps echoed through the empty chamber.
The elderly Pope raised his head, hearing the unusual sound, but showed no hint of panic—just gazed silently at the empty hall. His attendants beside him showed no reaction, as if only he could hear the footsteps.
Right then, a sentence suddenly sounded in his mind.
The Pope's expression stayed unchanged. He gently waved his hand, signaling all the attendants on both sides to leave.
"Mutant?" The Pope spoke to the empty hall, his voice steady.
He showed zero concern about this sudden supernatural event, his eyes staying deep and calm. He sat alone on the Papal throne, quietly waiting for the other party to show up.
"Looks like Your Holiness knows quite a bit about Mutants." Adrian's figure slowly appeared, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Seemed like the Catholic Church wasn't as simple as it looked on the surface.
Thinking about it, that made sense. If the Catholic Church was truly useless, how could it hold any ground in the Marvel Universe, which was packed with gods and miracles?
You had to remember that even in the godly realm of the Pantheon, located at the ends of the universe, there wasn't a single deity belonging to the Catholic Church.
The only thing in the Marvel world that could be linked to the Catholic Church was maybe the Tenth Realm, Heaven, which Odin had exiled years ago!
But this Heaven wasn't that Heaven—their power was totally different.
"Yeah, I've got some understanding." The Pope nodded slightly.
"There are also Mutants among believers worldwide. They once prayed to the Catholic Church to save them and give them new life."
"It's just too bad I couldn't do it." He sighed quietly, his tone full of deep regret.
He raised his eyes, looking at Adrian with an inquiring gaze, his experienced eyes showing wisdom that saw through everything.
Having held this high position for decades, he'd witnessed way too many people and events and had long since seen through human nature. He could feel that the Mutant in front of him had no bad intentions, so he wanted to hear what he was after.
"I want to become the Pope of the Catholic Church."
"And reshape the current order."
Adrian said, word by word, his statement shocking.
Even the weathered Pope was speechless for a moment, stunned by these two short sentences.
"Young man, do you know what you're saying?" The Pope's gaze held scrutiny and doubt.
He knew Mutants had serious power, but to completely flip the existing social order, power alone was nowhere near enough.
"Of course I know."
"But given how things are, the relationship between Mutants and humans is a dead end. Charles is too idealistic, and Erik's too extreme. Only I can bring real salvation to this world."
Adrian's expression stayed calm as usual. He looked back at the Pope with indifference, but his tone was filled with undeniable confidence.
"What are you relying on?"
"Power way beyond Charles or Erik?"
The Pope's eyes narrowed slightly, the authority of someone in charge slipping out without him meaning to. If anyone thought the Pope was just some kind old man, they'd be seriously mistaken.
"My ability and the wisdom built up by great men."
Adrian stretched out his hand, and a seven-colored Elemental Light flowed and shifted in his palm.
"Elemental Control... like it sounds, I can control all elemental forces in the world. I can easily replicate miracles, heal diseases, extend life..."
He paused slightly, and a golden glow spilled from his hand, wrapping around the Pope.
Right then, the elderly Pope clearly felt a surge of relaxation and vitality deep within his body, as if time had been quietly reversed.
"I can even easily destroy a city... a continent."
Adrian's voice was still calm, but it carried this chilling power.
"You want to become a god?" The elderly Pope saw through Adrian's plan in a flash.
Right now, Mutants' existence hadn't been made public yet, kept only to higher-ups. If handled right, Adrian could appear before the world as a god or a divine messenger.
"No wonder you picked the Catholic Church..." The Pope suddenly understood, finally getting Adrian's real reason for this visit.
The guy wanted to create a god!
With the massive number of Catholic believers, as long as miracles were shown, the Vatican would immediately become a holy land, revered and protected by billions of believers.
At that point, Adrian, as a Mutant, under the title of Pope or divine messenger, even walking around in broad daylight, nobody would dare harm him in the slightest.
Because that would mean making enemies with hundreds of millions of believers globally, which would be a disaster for any country.
Some people might find it over the top, but like Adrian said.
A Pope who could heal diseases, regrow severed limbs, and even extend life would definitely win the absolute loyalty of believers.
"Your Holiness should understand what my ability means."
"I can make the Catholic Church stand at the top of the world again."
Adrian took a step forward, his voice steady and powerful.
These words really hit the Pope's heart.
Having run the Catholic Church for decades, he knew way too many secrets nobody talked about. Like the fact that other pantheons of gods actually existed, even if they were sleeping now. This fact was definitely a huge shock to the Catholic Church.
"Alright."
"I agree to your terms."
After thinking it over for a while, the Pope finally nodded slowly.
As Pope, he'd long since stood at the peak of human power and wealth—these weren't his goals anymore. What he truly wanted was to build an ideal, perfect divine kingdom.
And Adrian's appearance gave him hope.
Not just because of the guy's Mutant identity and abilities, but also because he felt this kind of ancient, world-dominating aura from Adrian.
Even if he refused today, that didn't rule out the possibility that the guy could still reach his goals—the process would just be more roundabout. Since that was the case, might as well go with the flow.
"But you can't show your face yet."
"According to your vision, you can first build your own forces. The current Vatican still doesn't have a reliable enforcement agency."
The Pope added, his tone going back to its usual composure.
"Next, I'll gradually raise you to the position of Pope." The Pope continued, a wise glint in his eyes.
Adrian nodded slightly.
He understood that in an ancient system like the Catholic Church, even if you could pull off miracles, climbing to power in one step was a total pipe dream. Only by taking it steady could you accomplish big things.
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