New York, Xavier Manor.
Brian descended from the sky, landing in a classic superhero pose. Above him, Raven and Magneto floated down smoothly under Brian's Psychokinesis control.
As soon as they arrived back at Xavier Manor, Brian encountered Professor X. Standing beside him was a man in a priest's robe.
"Brian, Magneto, Raven—you're back," Professor X said, frowning slightly as he looked at Brian. He had already learned from Magneto about what transpired in Japan.
Though he didn't fully approve of Brian's actions, he understood the reasons behind them. Because of this, Professor X chose not to say much more. A family whose head tortured and experimented on mutants in Japan was gone and the Mutant lady tried to use her life-related ability to kill Brian. There wasn't much hope.
"Brian, you came at the perfect time. This is Father Asa—he's also a Mutant," Professor X introduced the new member of the X-Men team.
Father Asa was from Egypt.
"New gods, are you interested in learning about our Egyptian Lord, the ancient Pharaoh, the sun god Amun-Ra, the God of Gods? The gospel of the oldest god in the world—the god of Apocalypse?" Father Asa bowed slightly to Brian and the others, preaching passionately.
"Well, Father Asa is the bishop of the Egyptian cult of Apocalypse," Professor X explained awkwardly.
Along the way, Father Asa had been enthusiastically sharing the glory of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Apocalypse, and his teachings.
Good grief, Brian thought.
Father Asa was a devout follower of the ancient mutant Apocalypse.
While Professor X and the others might regard Apocalypse as an Egyptian myth, Brian knew that the Apocalypse Father Asa believed in was very real.
At this moment, Apocalypse was still sleeping in a hidden tomb in Egypt, simply awaiting the time when his followers would awaken him.
Brian could hardly believe the priest standing before him was actually a worshipper of Apocalypse.
"We are all new gods," Brian said seriously. "We belong above the human world."
"The glory of the new gods will shine on Earth and reshape the world," he added, watching Father Asa's eyes light up with enthusiasm.
"This new god, I praise you. Your divine light will ultimately shine upon the world," Father Asa said, paying tribute to Brian.
As a member of the Cult of Apocalypse, Father Asa firmly believed that they were not simply mutants—they were the new born gods, existing above humanity. They were destined to restore the ancient order where gods ruled the world, as in ancient Egypt.
During their subsequent conversation, Brian learned more about Father Asa's ability. His blood had a healing effect; drinking it could heal almost any injury.
Of course, there were limits. For simple external wounds, only 100cc of blood was needed. For more severe injuries, different amounts of blood would be required, depending on the extent of the damage.
According to Father Asa, theoretically, he could even revive the dead, but only if he sacrificed all the blood in his body.
Father Asa referred to his mutant ability as God's Blood.
However, Brian wryly thought of it as simply a "red potion."
Then Father Asa cut his palm, took 200cc of his blood, and handed it to Magneto.
"I heard from Charles, the Heart of God, that you seem to be injured. This blood should help you recover."
Magneto was momentarily stunned but eagerly took the red blood from Father Asa. Father Asa's blood was unlike ordinary blood; it looked crystalline, almost like liquid ruby.
Magneto drank it all, and as the blood melted in his mouth, a red aura enveloped his body, visibly healing his injuries at an impressive speed.
In a single breath, Magneto was fully recovered.
Feeling his restored health, Magneto's face lit up with excitement.
"Father Asa, your ability is truly remarkable!"
Father Asa, looking slightly pale, accepted Magneto's compliment with a humble nod.
"Father Asa, what did you just call Professor X?" Raven, who had been observing, seemed less interested in Father Asa's ability and more curious about how he referred to Professor X.
"God of the Heart," Father Asa said solemnly.
"And Magneto?" Raven asked, intrigued.
"God of Metal."
"What about Brian?" she continued.
"God of Evolution."
Raven pointed at herself with a grin. "Then I must be the God of Shapeshifting?"
"No," Father Asa replied with reverence, "I call you Lady Raven, the Great One."
This instantly threw Magneto off. "Hold on, why are we just gods, and Raven gets to be a Great One?"
Father Asa looked at Raven's blue skin with deep respect. "Because only the Great Ones have forms that set them apart from ordinary humans. Lady Raven's blue skin is like that of our ancient God. In Egypt, blue symbolizes nobility. She is destined to be revered."
Father Asa's words left Magneto momentarily speechless.
He no longer focused on Father Asa's beliefs about gods and lords, turning instead to Professor X.
"Professor X, now that we have an X-Men member with healing abilities, we can better ensure our safety. But if we're to stand against the Hellfire Club's Sabastian Shaw, we clearly need to unite more Mutants."
Magneto had finally regained his strength. The days of being seriously injured had made him restless, and he was eager to take action.
"You're right, we need more Mutants on our side," Professor X agreed, nodding. He then led everyone back to the X-enhancement room.
"By Apocalypse! This is truly a miraculous device!" Father Asa, seeing the brainwave enhancer for the first time, was awestruck after learning about its capabilities.
"Father Asa, please keep your voice down," Professor X gently reminded him.
With the addition of new members to the X-Men, Professor X was growing more into his role as a leader.
As Professor X donned the helmet, the brainwave enhancer activated immediately. The red-lit Mutant mind projections appeared once again in the enhancement room.
Even though he had seen it before, the sight was still awe-inspiring.
But even seeing the projections of these Mutants again, Brian couldn't help feeling a hint of jealousy.
If someone could plunder the abilities of tens of thousands of Mutants, Brian might one day surpass Apocalypse himself and become the true Mutant God.
For now, though, it was only a thought in Brian's mind.
A minute later, Professor X removed the helmet.
"I've located five Mutants," he announced, sharing the profiles of the selected individuals.
Brian scanned through the information of the five Mutants and raised an eyebrow.
He recognized four out of the five names:
One was Angel Salvatore, who had briefly joined the X-Men before defecting to the Hellfire Club.
Another was Banshee, Sean Cassidy, a Mutant with sonic abilities who had made a fleeting appearance in the past.
There was also Havok, Alex Summers, who had a future filled with repeated appearances.
And, of course, the last one was the well-known Wolverine, Logan.
Normally, there would have been one more — Darwin. But Brian had already dealt with Darwin earlier.
That's why the fifth Mutant was someone Brian hadn't known before.
"Tomorrow, Magneto and I will handle the recruitment of these five Mutants," Professor X said, glancing over at Brian, this time deciding not to involve him in the process.
Brian returned Professor X's look with a knowing expression. It was clear that Professor X was concerned about him possibly losing control again, as he had in Japan.
"Alright," Brian replied, accepting the decision without objection.
He had already recorded the details of each Mutant. Initially, Brian had planned to find an excuse to skip the recruitment mission, intending instead to locate these Mutants on his own and—extract their abilities.
After acquiring Mayumi Yashida's life transfer ability, Brian no longer feared that his unique method for obtaining abilities would be discovered.
So, hearing that Professor X didn't want him involved in the recruitment, Brian was more than happy to go along with it.
"Alright, let's all take a break. Brian, why don't you help Father Asa find a room?" Professor X instructed.
Brian smiled and turned to Father Asa. "Follow me," he said warmly, guiding him to pick a room.
"Healing God Asa, please enter here," Brian said, leading Father Asa to a room.
"Thank you, Brian, God of Evolution. I am very satisfied with this room," Father Asa replied, looking around with approval.
The classic 18th-century European-style decor pleased Father Asa, aligning perfectly with his taste.
Just as he turned to say goodbye to Brian, he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head. Father Asa didn't even have a chance to make a sound before he fainted.
Looking at the unconscious Father Asa, Brian shut the door quietly, then extended his Psychokinesis to cover the entire Xavier Manor, ensuring no one, including Professor X, was paying attention.
Confident that he wouldn't be interrupted, Brian raised his right index finger and began to slice through, cutting with practiced precision.
Swish.
A dull sound of flesh tearing echoed softly but was immediately absorbed by an invisible barrier, muffling it completely.
Long before beginning the brain extraction, Brian had already established a Psychokinesis barrier around the room to block any sound from escaping.
As he made the incision, a trickle of blood, as bright as ruby, flowed from Father Asa's forehead.
Brian carefully collected the blood using Psychokinesis—these were, after all, precious "red potions," and he had no intention of letting any go to waste.
A few minutes later, Brian straightened, satisfied. He had fully acquired Father Asa's "Divine Blood" ability.
The blood flowing within Brian now gleamed like rubies, even casting a faint glow. Thanks to the Sylar template, his newfound "Divine Blood" ability was at its peak.
The healing power in Brian's blood was now remarkably strong. Where Father Asa would need a significant amount of blood to heal others, Brian could achieve the same effect with just a single drop, capable of bringing the flesh back to life on even the gravely injured. In comparison, his blood was truly "Divine Blood."
However, despite its potent healing properties, Divine Blood came with one limitation: it could not heal Brian himself.
For both Father Asa and Brian, the Divine Blood was indeed just blood. Even if their bodies were injured, the healing ability of their blood couldn't be used for self-recovery. Not even Brian's power to see through the laws of everything could alter this limitation.
Brian casually cut his finger with Psychokinesis while thinking about not being in a challenging environment, allowing a drop of blood to fall directly into Father Asa's mouth. However, Father Asa's condition remained unchanged.
Their abilities, though similar, were of the same origin, and even Brian's more potent version couldn't affect Father Asa. "Seems like life transfer is the only option," Brian muttered, placing his hand on Father Asa's shoulder. "Life Transfer."
Activating the ability, the stored vitality in Brian's Life Chamber flowed into Father Asa's body like a gentle stream. Under this influx of life force, the injury on Father Asa's forehead began to heal rapidly.
Within moments, the wound from the brain extraction closed completely, leaving only a faint scar—a subtle mark that could easily be mistaken for a light wrinkle if not observed closely.
"Now, let's just seal Father Asa's memory deep in his brain, and everything will be secure."
Brian pressed his hand to Father Asa's forehead, releasing a mental block to lock the memory away.
His mind quickly located Father Asa's memory and, using the brain blockade, sealed it deep within his subconscious. Once Father Asa awoke, he would have no recollection of the time he was unconscious.
"Rest well, Father Asa," Brian said softly, using Psychokinesis to lift Father Asa onto the bed and, with a touch of consideration, even tucked him in.
After taking a final look at Father Asa, Brian left the room, glancing at the steadily darkening sky outside. He felt a surge of satisfaction.
As the saying goes, a dark and windy night is the best time for decisive action.
Brian planned to wait until Professor X and the others were asleep, intending to call on the Mutants one by one under the cover of night. But before setting his plan in motion, he returned to his room.
On the bed, Raven was waiting for him.
"Raven, my dear, I'm here," Brian said, looking at her with a smile, pleased to see her ready.