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Chapter 375: A Surprisingly Unique Individual
🕑 Added 2025-09-11 03:27:33 +0000 UTCThe Ancient One sat in a special Kamar-Taj palace, her magic swirling. The immense magical energy seemed to tear apart the surrounding space. Fortunately, the Ancient One was already in the Mirror Dimension to prevent her power from negatively impacting reality and to always be ready for incursions from the Dark Dimension.
Divine Conversion is incredibly difficult, and many have perished attempting it. More often, however, individuals become true 'gods' through this process. These 'gods' align with the concept of higher life forms, their consciousness and abilities reaching advanced stages. Yet, this enhanced power often comes at the cost of basic human emotions like family, love, and friendship. Their sole drive becomes continuous self-improvement and self-preservation.
Such 'mechanical' gods might act violently over trivial
matters or even sacrifice loved ones for greater power.
They are devoid of emotion, almost like automatons, existing solely to maintain cosmic balance according to the universe's will. This isn't the Divine Conversion the Ancient One sought. She desired a transformation akin to Odin's, gaining immense power and awareness while retaining personal will.
"Alas, humans are not like Asgardians. If the body could be preserved, the success rate would be greater," the Ancient One sighed. Many races possess powerful physiques like Asgardians, and many reach her level, but this doesn't guarantee Odin's achievements, only increases the likelihood.
The onset of Divine Conversion creates a cosmic storm, as becoming a god burdens the universe. The best ways to alleviate this burden are to eliminate the individual or integrate them. The robot-like gods are of the latter type, but a third type exists: gods who deeply comprehend the universe while remaining independent of its control. This is the Ancient One's goal, with Odin as her paragon.
The powerful cosmic storm during conversion heavily damages both body and soul. The Ancient One's soul is strong, not just from practicing soul magic, but from her unwavering determination to protect her home. The dark power of higher dimensions, though poisonous and corrupting, also served to temper her. At this stage, the Ancient One knew her body would burden the conversion, so she infused all her magic into her soul, making it more resilient. In the original story, the Ancient One also used her soul form during this conversion, but without body protection, the soul faces harsher trials, likely why she rarely appeared afterward.
"Forget it, humans are just humans, but I can do this!"
The Ancient One's magic intensified, its terrifying torrent cracking the surrounding space, and glimpses of the real world appeared in the Mirror Dimension. She sighed, knowing she needed rest and for the space to recover.
Gently lifting the Time Stone from her chest, it pulsed with a faint green glow. The gem had been with her for ages, and she felt a sense of camaraderie, rather than greed, as she prepared to hand it over. She rarely used it for combat, preferring to observe the future.
Suddenly, the Ancient One frowned. The moment she lifted the gem, she instinctively sensed something a vague connection, both personal and impersonal. "What is this?" she wondered.
Her magic unconsciously flowed into the Time Stone, and before she knew it, she had activated its future-viewing capabilities. She was too skilled at this, and the situation made her chuckle wryly. "Then let's see," she thought, pouring more magic into the gem. The Time Stone's glow intensified, and the Ancient One entered a state blurring reality and illusion.
In mere seconds, her eyes opened, wide with astonishment. She stared at the gem, shocked by the vision. Before, she saw a hazy river of time. Now, even the river was gone! She saw only a faint, golden void, and an ethereal figure standing within it.
"What is happening?" The Ancient One was incredulous, witnessing something so perplexing for the first time.
She couldn't pinpoint the issue; the scene could signify unknown dread or a bright future.
"Did Noah cause something again?" Her first thought
went to Noah. He was often the scapegoat because his presence had caused unpredictable changes in the world.
It was normal for her to link him to this, and she felt certain he was heavily involved, even if not the primary cause. Should she visit him?
The Ancient One stopped feeding magic into the Time Stone, and its green light vanished. She pondered for a long time before dismissing the idea. "He is the future Sorcerer Supreme. Sorcerer Supremes must trust each other. He trusts me, so I must trust him."
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Meanwhile, in Asgard's palace, Odin stared dumbfounded at a glowing orb reflecting Noah and Loki. Exiling Loki to Earth was a deliberate decision by Odin, who had even informed the Ancient One, which was why Loki wasn't sealed. With Noah, the future Sorcerer Supreme recognized by both Odin and the Ancient One, sealing Loki's power became largely irrelevant.
Odin deeply cared for his sons, biological or adopted. He was a man of few words, preferring action. Even with Loki exiled, Odin checked on him. Honestly, Odin sometimes felt helpless, seeing the future Sorcerer Supreme treating his son as a mere errand boy. He couldn't complain, though, since he'd voluntarily sent Loki to someone else's territory.
Through observation, Odin learned about Noah's Sanctum. Besides Noah's power, there was someone of similar strength, and most shockingly, a Flerken! Odin knew about a juvenile Flerken on Earth but avoided provoking such a dangerous creature, especially since it had no destructive intent.
He'd even forgotten its whereabouts until now, discovering it was with the future Sorcerer Supreme!
Odin marvelled at Noah's luck; the Flerken, though dangerous, seemed too attached to harm Noah. Indeed, with the creature by his side, any fool who bothered Noah would have to think twice.
"At least he's not treating Loki too badly. He's at least letting him learn new things," Odin thought, observing the powerful individual leading Loki to the library. The month-long gloom in Odin's heart finally lifted. Even though Loki was later tasked with summoning people, which annoyed him, it was better than being treated purely as a servant.
But then, Odin was utterly dumbfounded! Following Loki's perspective into Noah's laboratory, he was horrified to discover Noah had actually... simulated an independent universe?! What the hell was going on?!
Odin's single eye widened. Though he couldn't feel the special rhythm, as a 'god-level' being, he could see it! He clearly saw only four basic elements at play, many characteristics stripped away, but it was unmistakably a prototype of a universe! Odin was stunned. Even when Noah later 'rudely' silenced Loki, Odin paid no mind. In his eyes, Noah had every right!
After a long time, Odin slowly composed himself. Gazing at Noah's young face in the orb, eating at a table, Odin couldn't help but sigh: "Indeed, he is a surprisingly unique individual."
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