"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Inside the training ground deep within the Apostolic Palace, the sounds of fists and feet colliding echoed nonstop, and the surging air currents bounced around the spacious stone-built hall.
Estelle and Wright were going at it in close-quarters combat, their movements as sharp and fast as lightning.
Despite their young age, their combat skills went way beyond normal people—each strike was precise and fierce, and their crisscrossing footsteps stirred up gusts of wind. Even experienced adult warriors would have a hard time getting an advantage against them.
Under Adrian's baptism and blessing with Elemental Control, the four could train without holding back at all.
Elemental energy not only healed all their hidden injuries but also constantly strengthened their bodies. Exactly because they had no worries, their progress was fast.
Combined with the constant tempering of their bodies by elemental power, despite their young age, their physical fitness was already on par with elite veteran soldiers in the army.
As Mutants, Clarisse and Savis, in particular, showed crazy potential.
Especially Clarisse.
As a space-type Mutant, she adapted to her abilities insanely quickly, and her progress was shocking.
"Not enough! Still not enough!"
Adrian's deep shouts echoed in the training ground. He and Clarisse's figures flickered like ghosts, appearing and disappearing, and space seemed to tremble with their movements. Each appearance came with a strong collision, waves of air surging and a buzzing sound piercing the eardrums.
"Boom!"
With a heavy punch, Clarisse flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tracing an arc of more than thirty feet, finally falling hard at the edge of the training ground.
"Your reaction speed still isn't fast enough."
"Space-type abilities rely most on two things: first, reaction speed, and second, mental fortitude. You need to specifically train and strengthen these."
Adrian walked steadily, his voice calm but allowing zero room for doubt.
Clarisse struggled to her feet, wiped the dust from the corner of her mouth, and nodded with determined eyes.
Space-type abilities are insanely valuable.
The portals Clarisse opened were capable of cutting through everything, and even those terrifying Sentinel robots had a hard time resisting them.
She could attack and defend, and even transport teammates thousands of miles in an instant. In the original timeline, with this ability, she could even travel to and from the Moon.
As long as she'd been to a place and had its coordinates, she could open a portal. The only constraint was mental fortitude.
In the original timeline, Clarisse was often controlled by people with bad intentions because of her insufficient mental fortitude.
"Lord Adrian, His Holiness the Pope requests your presence," a believer respectfully entered the training room and reported with his head bowed.
As the commander of the Star Saint Legion, the head of the Vatican's only military organization, and a divine envoy, Adrian's status within the Vatican was already on par with the Pope.
"Got it, I'll be right there." Adrian nodded, his gaze distant.
He knew the test had arrived.
His Holiness the Pope sat behind a long table, his face unable to hide his exhaustion. The establishment of the Star Saint Legion was like throwing a giant rock into a lake with surging undercurrents, alerting countless entities.
Especially those creatures lurking in the darkness.
Recently, the Vatican's business had exploded. The Pope was old, and even though his body had recovered somewhat after Adrian's elemental baptism, he still couldn't handle the continuous days of exhaustion.
"You've come." The Pope looked up, showing a tired but relieved smile, and pushed a document toward Adrian.
Adrian took the document, quickly scanned it, and showed no change in expression.
"Sure enough, they still couldn't sit still."
The document recorded a horrifying supernatural event.
A church in a remote town in the United States had been turned into a slaughterhouse overnight. The blood of ten clergy members had been drained, and the scene was horrific.
The case was initially handled by the local police but went nowhere, eventually getting reported through church channels all the way to the Vatican.
The victims' families begged the Vatican to step in, praying for divine justice.
"Even without a miracle, the establishment of the Star Saint Legion has already touched their most sensitive nerves."
"This is a provocation from the dark creatures against us."
The Pope's voice was heavy with sorrow, and his eyes held back anger.
"Leave this to me."
"I'll handle it personally. Whoever's behind this has to pay the price."
Adrian closed the document, his voice as calm as iron.
His body had fully recovered, his Cosmo had started to awaken, and he had Elemental Control backing him up.
Unless those legendary beings on Earth personally stepped in, nobody could stop him.
"You sure there won't be any problems?" The Pope hesitated slightly, as Adrian's identity as a Mutant was still sensitive, and the bounty on the black market hadn't been pulled yet.
"Don't worry."
"I'll take Clarisse with me. For every mission from now on, I'll bring one Legion member. This way, they can gradually get used to real combat."
Adrian's tone was firm.
"Good, you decide everything."
"The future of the Vatican will ultimately be handed to you."
The Pope nodded, his trust obvious.
He'd wanted to retire for a while now, but right now, Adrian's foundation wasn't stable yet, and the Legion was newly established, still needing his presence to support it.
When the time was right, he'd naturally give up his authority.
Returning to the training ground, Adrian directly called for Clarisse.
"My Lord, is there a mission?" Her eyes flashed with anticipation, and also a hint of nervousness.
"Yeah."
"After this, for each mission, I'll take one of you to participate, until you're mature enough to stand on your own."
Adrian nodded.
Less than thirty minutes later, the two started their journey.
Adrian was still in his white robe with gold patterns, a magnificent tome glowing faintly in his hand. Clarisse wore a close-fitting combat suit under her clerical robe, convenient for movement and combat.
The incident happened in a remote town in the United States. Adrian hadn't expected to come back to this country so soon.
Their outfits clearly marked them as clergy, and with Vatican passports, their passage through customs was smooth. They didn't deliberately hide their whereabouts, so they were quickly noticed by various forces.
"Interesting... Are they here for that church bloodbath?"
"Star Saint Legion? We'll have to see what they're actually capable of."
In the darkness, countless eyes watched them.
"Wait, isn't that the Mutant with a bounty on the black market? How'd he suddenly become a clergyman?"
Some recognized Adrian and were surprised by his change in identity.
The black market bounty was still high, and the huge reward was tempting.
A lot of people were already getting ideas.
If this job succeeded, it'd be enough to live comfortably for over a decade. As for the Vatican's payback afterward? They didn't believe that tiny country really had the power to seek cross-border revenge.
The hunt quietly began.
"He actually dared to come back..." A certain financier behind the lab also learned of Adrian's whereabouts through his informants, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.
This was his perfect opportunity to eliminate future problems. He wouldn't show mercy.
"My Lord, looks like a lot of people are watching us," Clarisse said quietly, her perception sharp.
"Ignore them."
"Stay close to me and focus on the mission."
Adrian stepped into the special car arranged by the Vatican, his tone calm.
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