"You..."
Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, was stunned. This Messiah knew so much about her, including details about her unexpected gain of power during a mission? Those events had happened years ago; how could this Messiah possibly know?
For a moment, Carol's eyes sharpened as she stared intently at the young man before her.
Syd regarded her with equal calm.
Given that Carol was a direct counterpart to Superman from DC, someone who could smash spaceships with her bare body while fully powered, Syd understood her capabilities well.
"What are you here for?" Syd asked indifferently.
Recovering from her shock, Carol raised an eyebrow and said, "Fury sent me to check you out."
Before Syd could fully process her words, Captain Marvel suddenly charged forward.
Brilliant, multi-colored light flared from her hand as she threw a punch aimed directly at Syd's face.
Syd's brows furrowed slightly. With his superhuman reflexes, he reacted swiftly.
He had no intention of taking the punch head-on. Even in her normal state, Carol's punch held immense power, surpassing even Spider-Man's strength and approaching that of Thor and the Hulk.
It was foolish to block such a blow with his bare hands.
To the astonished eyes of the agents and Captain Marvel, Syd quickly raised his right hand and extended his index finger to intercept the incoming punch.
Carol was momentarily stunned, then smirked dismissively. Did this person really think he could stop her punch with a single finger?
"Fool!" she thought.
As soon as their contact was made, a deafening crash echoed.
[Divine Finger Experience +1]
The sound of shattering glass filled the air.
The immense force transferred from Carol's punch surprised her. With a thunderous impact, she was sent flying backward.
Carol slammed her feet down, managing to stabilize herself. Her fist and wrist were now scratched and bleeding, though the bleeding quickly stopped due to her regenerative abilities.
Carol was incredulous. She hadn't experienced being injured in so long, and even a minor wound was astonishing.
This guy could break through her defenses...
The watching agents were astounded.
The Messiah's overwhelming presence was palpable, and even a brief exchange with him left them feeling suffocated and hopeless.
"You..." Carol glared at the young man from afar.
Syd maintained his gaze and replied calmly, "What gave you the courage to approach me in a normal state?"
"You knew!" Captain Marvel Carol frowned and rubbed her wrist.
She had genuinely tried to gauge whether she could handle the Messiah in her normal state, but it seemed she had underestimated him. His power was proving more challenging than expected.
"That was just a warm-up," Carol said, cracking her knuckles with a proud smile.
The next moment, her entire body began to radiate an intense, colorful light, becoming almost blinding.
She began to levitate, looking down at Syd and the distant agents from above.
The agents watched in awe.
So, this was the Captain Marvel who dared to challenge the Messiah—truly formidable...
As they marveled at Carol's display, Syd glanced at the sunlight outside.
In the blink of an eye, the sunlight over a hundred-meter radius focused into a beam, which shot into the factory and struck Carol squarely in the chest.
"What is this…"
Carol, caught off guard, didn't have time to react before the beam reached her chest.
Simultaneously, the powerful light pressure—the impact—pushed Carol out of the factory.
The agents watched in shock as Carol was suddenly blasted out of the factory by the beam.
Outside the factory, Carol eventually managed to halt her flight under the sunlight, though she showed no signs of pain.
Syd ceased the light beam attack, letting it dissipate.
"This guy really can absorb light."
The beam that struck Carol didn't injure her; instead, she absorbed a significant portion of it.
Until the beam reached a level capable of exceeding her absorption capacity, Syd realized he couldn't use this tactic indiscriminately.
As Carol and the agents watched, Syd floated up as well.
A strange, ethereal melody played.
Divine and otherworldly...
As Syd floated, his astonishing aura became apparent, contrasting sharply with Carol's.
Syd took to the air, facing off against Carol.
"You've really ticked me off, kid!" Carol said, stretching her body and preparing for a serious attack. "Was that your new trick? It didn't impress me much, but it did replenish my energy a bit, so that's a plus."
As she finished speaking, she raised her right hand and waved it towards Syd.
Boom!
A burst of dazzling energy shot out, moving at incredible speed.
Syd reacted swiftly, his figure blurring as he teleported a half-meter to the side, leaving a lingering afterimage.
Boom!
The energy wave struck the ground, creating a large crater.
Without pausing, Carol launched another energy wave.
This time, Syd did not dodge. Instead, he raised his right hand to block.
[Rebound Shield Experience +1]
An invisible U-shaped rebound shield appeared, intercepting the energy wave.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Captain Marvel, glowing with light from above, continuously fired energy waves, while Syd below used his rebound shield to absorb the attacks.
"This Messiah…" Carol frowned.
Feeling she had reached her limit, Syd coolly remarked, "Your attacks aren't that effective either. I'm actually quite enjoying these energy bursts."
In the next moment, Syd aimed his right hand at Carol.
Boom!
A far more massive energy wave erupted, consisting of the very energy Carol had previously discharged.
Since Syd released this energy in one go, it overwhelmed Carol's own energy waves in an instant, engulfing her in a powerful blast and sending her flying.
(End of Chapter)