American Comics: Heaven's Reward

"Teacher, we saw it with our own eyes—he absorbed Agatha's dark energy and even took away the Darkhold, which belongs to the ancient dimensional lord, Chthon!"

"He..."

"Mordo!"

Before he could continue, the Ancient One raised a hand to stop him. "There are some things I cannot explain to you, but you must remember—he is the god of magic, not the god of black magic."

Indeed, in the eyes of almost everyone familiar with the ancient gods, the later generations of Asgardian deities could never compare to them.

Chthon's name had spread far and wide long before the birth of the new gods, becoming a nightmare across the multiverse.

Even one of the four abstract entities, Eternity, once described Chthon as his cancer.

This alone demonstrated how terrifying the ancient god Chthon was.

Compared to him, Asgard seemed insignificant.

However, Aaron was a special existence.

As a god, he had no reason to turn to Chthon, for he was the god of magic.

Not just the traditional god of black magic or white magic, but a being who embodied both.

The Ancient One had glimpsed part of the future and understood this.

But such things could not be spoken aloud.

Once the future is revealed in the present, it ceases to be the future.

This was a principle even the ancients adhered to.

Later, she had also told Doctor Strange: "The future is the future. If you speak of it, it is no longer the future."

"Never mind."

Aaron had no patience for Mordo's nonsense.

In his eyes, Mordo was nothing more than an ant—now and forever.

Getting angry at his ignorance was meaningless.

"Just like now..."

"For you, energy is divided into black and white. Black is black, and white is white. You believe people change because of the type of energy they wield."

"But for me, all energy is the same. Black magic, white magic—it is all a part of me."

"Are you afraid that I will absorb dark energy and be corrupted by an evil god?"

Aaron ascended into the sky, spreading his arms and gazing upwards.

"Then what about this?"

As everyone wondered what he was doing, something strange happened.

The air grew cold.

Phil Coulson looked up at the still-burning sun, bewildered.

What was happening?

The same question filled everyone's minds.

Even Mordo was perplexed.

What was Aaron doing?

But soon, their questions were answered.

The Ancient One spoke with a complex expression. "Haven't you seen it yet? He is absorbing the energy of the sun... No, not just the sun, but nuclear energy and countless other physical and metaphysical forces."

"Even... you!"

She turned to Jean Grey, who felt an unfamiliar force siphoning away a part of the unconscious Phoenix Force within her.

Jean did not resist, as it was the energy of another personality.

And in her vision, the world looked different. The sky seemed to shift into a spectrum of vibrant energy.

Various energies converged from all directions, rushing into Aaron's body like a torrential flood.

Then, they vanished.

But the Ancient One could perceive it clearly—every bit of energy was being transformed into its primal state within him.

Even the unconscious Phoenix Force and Agatha's dark energy were not immune!

This meant that Aaron had achieved something that even Dimensional Lords from certain dimensions might be incapable of.

This was divinity.

"Hiss—"

"This is too unreal!"

Everyone gasped.

Phoenix Force!

Charles Xavier instinctively gripped the arms of his wheelchair.

Could the power of that primal force be absorbed?

That beast—driven purely by instinct—was being drained!

Mordo fell silent.

The difference in power was undeniable.

While he still debated the nature of energy, Aaron had already surpassed the boundaries of classification, converting all energy into his own strength.

And he was immune to corruption.

His understanding and perspective were leagues beyond Mordo's comprehension.

"If he so desired, he could even drain the energy of everyone present to strengthen himself!"

"But he did not..."

"Mordo, do you understand now?"

The Ancient One's tone carried an inexplicable weight.

"I understand, Teacher. I have been ignorant—too foolish! I accept any punishment!"

Mordo had lost all will to question him.

Even the matter of the Darkhold no longer concerned him.

After what he had just witnessed, he realized Aaron had no need to submit to the god of black magic.

At the same time, he was terrified of what he had done.

If Aaron were to direct his anger at him, not even the Ancient One could stop it.

Meanwhile, Aaron was reveling in the sensation of absorbing vast amounts of energy.

Ever since his Energy Absorption ability had reached Level 7, he had discovered that he could continuously draw in various environmental energies to replenish himself and even strengthen his body.

Although this was less efficient than directly consuming a powerful energy source, its advantage lay in its continuity.

This meant he could now survive indefinitely in the cosmos.

Lethal cosmic radiation? Just another source of sustenance.

If he so desired, he could emulate Superman—entering the sun, or resting in other stars, absorbing their energy passively over decades.

By the time he awakened, his power would have multiplied many times over.

Surpassing Odin was now within reach!

However, raw energy accumulation was not enough.

He needed to master more techniques for dealing with different foes.

He had to cover all his weaknesses.

That way, he would not falter against enemies with unique abilities.

Energy Absorption needed improvement, but so did his other abilities!

Soon, Aaron ceased his absorption.

The surrounding energy had been nearly depleted.

Even the residual radiation from a distant nuclear explosion had been entirely siphoned away.

The scientists monitoring the area were baffled.

They suspected their instruments had malfunctioned and requested replacements, only to find the radiation readings still at zero.

Hell!

"On Earth, my absorption efficiency is sufficient to sustain my energy needs and gradual growth. But if I want to accelerate my power exponentially, it is still too slow."

"I wonder how efficient it would be in space, or at the edge of the sun?"

Aaron had no plans to dive straight into the sun's core.

The energy there would undoubtedly be purer and more abundant.

But he was uncertain if his current physical constitution could withstand the temperatures.

Unlike Superman, his body had limits.

Even early versions of Superman might not have endured that level of heat.

So, to be cautious—

He needed another method to amass energy rapidly.

For instance, the Dimensional Lords!

After testing the Phoenix Force, it was clear that targeting weaker Dimensional Lords would be the best approach.

Not long after Aaron ceased his absorption, sunlight returned, and the temperature began to rise again.

Ignoring Mordo's unease, Aaron turned to Magneto.

The usually dominant Magneto was silent, beads of sweat forming on his forehead despite the lingering chill.

Aaron's calm gaze weighed on him like a mountain.

"Where will you imprison him?" Aaron asked.

Charles quickly said, "We specifically built a plastic prison in the air for him. There's no metal around for him to control, just..."

After finishing his statement, Aaron waved his hand, and one side of the diamond cage suddenly turned into gravel, which floated down.

When the yellow sand receded, a portal appeared in front of Magneto.

"Are you going in by yourself, or should I invite you in?"

"By myself!"

"Helmet!"

"Oh!"

Magneto responded quickly, placing the helmet on the ground before stepping into the portal, locking himself inside the special prison.

But even so, Magneto feared that Aaron might make a move to kill him.

That man was truly not human, but a god!

Could the man from before also be Odin's son, Thor?

And what about the others? Were they not the three warriors of Asgard and the Valkyrie?

Good grief, did I just fight a group of gods?

Magneto wasn't excited; he was terrified.

The God of Magic alone was frightening enough, but what about Thor at his peak?

And what about Odin, the King of Gods, behind him?

Did I really say he was a weak god?

"Shouldn't I be seeing the map here? I'm walking farther down the road to death!"

Magneto was too scared to sleep or eat.

Who knew that just looking at the hammer would summon such a formidable group of gods who couldn't be trifled with?

The worst part was that he had acted first—insulting them...

"Enough with the first thing; time for the second."

Instead of eavesdropping on Magneto, Aaron turned to Phil Coulson.

Coulson, just like Magneto, felt the weight of Aaron's gaze.

His eyes, which had once been invisible, now exuded an overwhelming pressure.

Suppressing the urge to kneel, Coulson quickly revealed the plot involving Councilor Kate and Colonel Stryker.

Then, with heavy steps, he dragged Stryker and the others out.

Under Aaron's gaze, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lacked the courage of Coulson and were too scared to move.

Left with no choice, Coulson took it upon himself to deal with the Strykers, who were too terrified to act.

"Is that it?"

"No, no, no! If you need more, I can have someone bring it to you immediately."

Phil Coulson heard the dissatisfaction in Aaron's tone and quickly added, "I'll get more, I swear."

"Not enough! They're not the masterminds!"

"I'm not satisfied with your answer!"

It was clear that these were just a few scapegoats set up by HYDRA—what kind of answer was that?

Moreover, Aaron didn't believe a single congressman could have been responsible for this. There were definitely more people involved.

Did they really think they could fool him just because he wasn't from Earth? Or because he wasn't American?

"I understand. I'll investigate immediately. I'll give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible!"

Phil Coulson, understanding Aaron's meaning, forced a wry smile.

This time, they had to be ruthless!

It might offend a lot of people.

After all, while Senator Kate and Stryker were directly involved, the masterminds behind it included politicians and the military.

S.H.I.E.L.D. would likely earn the hatred of many.

But they had no choice. Nick Fury would probably back this decision when he received the report.

The situation was outrageous and disturbing. If not handled correctly, it could cost lives.

The country's very existence might even be at stake!

After finishing the necessary tasks, Aaron prepared to leave.

He was headed to Kamar-Taj to find a way to communicate with the Dimensional Lords.

It would be far more efficient to borrow their magic—on a loan basis—with no repayment required—than for him to absorb energy from stars in the outside world.

You must know, the dimensional lords possesses unimaginable power.

"Jean, let's go back."

Jean Gray nodded, briefly said goodbye to Charles and the others, and walked to Aaron.

Scott and Logan reached out, trying to persuade her to stay. But when they saw Aaron's eyes, they fell silent.

Even Logan, reckless as he was, couldn't maintain his composure after what happened.

Charles let Jean go with confidence.

If he trusted Aaron seven points before, now he trusted him ten.

Aaron had far more ability to bind another personality in the subconscious than Charles did. While Charles could only create a mental barrier to isolate two personalities, Aaron could do much more.

He believed that even if the Phoenix Force erupted, Aaron would likely be able to suppress it on his own.

Only gods could fight against gods.

As for their mutants—though they possessed extraordinary powers and could potentially become gods—they were not gods.

At least, in the battle just now, they didn't think they could have done better than Agatha.

The Phoenix Fire was enough to destroy the entire X-Men!

Nodding at the Ancient One, Aaron opened a portal back to Kamar-Taj.

The Ancient One then left with Mordo.

As for the reactions of the others and the exploration of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One wasn't concerned.

She hadn't wanted Kamar-Taj exposed to the outside world before due to the trouble it would bring—those politicians and agents were a hassle.

But now? It didn't matter anymore.

After a few people left, Phil Coulson bid farewell to Charles and took the others away.

He was heading straight to Nick Fury to report everything.

What a mess!

Back at Kamar-Taj, Aaron immediately found Wong and asked him to bring information about the dimension lords.

Originally, the most suitable person for this would be the Ancient One. But since the Ancient One was the Sorcerer Supreme, Aaron never expected her to personally deal with a massive number of Dimensional Lords.

It was better for him to handle it himself.

He began summoning energy duplications, splitting off some for Mind Control, and consulting the spellbook.

The Kamar-Taj magic books mostly contained information on hell dimensions.

There were many lords in these dimensions, with the most famous being Moto Faith.

He was known for capturing souls, excelling in manipulation, and his power was unfathomable.

This was the record of Kamar-Taj's most powerful magicians.

The specific strength of Faith wasn't detailed, but those who could deal with him were at the level of Sorcerer Supreme.

No ordinary magician could face Mephisto.

When Aaron saw Faith, he realized he had a target in mind.

Could he be tricked?

Mephisto might be strong—his power likely rivaled Odin's—but once he left his domain, his strength would weaken considerably.

Wasn't that the perfect target to exploit?

On Earth, Aaron wasn't afraid of Faith in his weakened state.

But there was a problem.

Faith's favorite thing was souls.

Naturally, Aaron had no intention of signing a soul contract with him.

So, he decided to try borrowing magic from him, like he had with other Dimensional Lords.

If that didn't work, he would aim for other, more accessible Dimensional Lords—like Dormammu.

Aaron believed that the Ancient One, well-versed in this matter, would provide useful insight.

And Dormammu certainly wouldn't mind someone else taking a little more energy.

After collecting the information, Aaron didn't go straight to Mephisto. Instead, he chose to attack a demon lord of considerable status.

He built a magic circle using the spells in the book as a medium to communicate with life from other dimensions.

While this was happening, Wong informed the Ancient One about Aaron's plans.

Though he wasn't sure what Aaron intended, he couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

The Ancient One smiled knowingly when she heard Wong's words.

"Never mind. The nightmare for those Dimensional Lords... is coming."