(General P.O.V)
"Crystal! Wait up!"
Johnny called out from the end of the hallway, finally catching a glimpse of the blonde and hurrying up to her.
Crystal stiffened, eyes darting around, as if to look for a route of escape. But a nudge from Lockjaw who was standing beside her, caused her to sigh.
She couldn't avoid him any longer.
So she turned around, a strained smile plastered on her face.
"Hey Johnny."
(Billy's P.O.V)
I kept on staring at my red eye.
It wasn't just the pupil, the whole organ including the cornea was a blazing red. Similar to the color of hot coal.
The same color as his eyes. Mephisto. 'I can't seem to ever get rid of that guy.'
"Chances that this will come back to fuck me over in the future?"
I asked Quantum Prognosis.
"50%"
The answer arrived, making me sigh in exasperation.
'That's not exactly helpful, Quantum Prognosis.' I grumbled in my mind.
"Chances that this will result in a cool awesome eye power like the Sharingan?"
I inquired once more.
"0%"
Oh come on!
What was it's use then? Wait... Solomon's wisdom took over. My breath evened out as I calmed down. There was another possibility.
"Chances that my eye turning red is an indication of an ability I have already unlocked?"
"76%"
Finally some head way.
"Chances that the ability is something I have already used?"
"0%"
"Chances that this ability or abilities were absorbed from Mephisto after killing him and absorbing his essence?"
"100%"
"Chances that this ability is- Hellfire?"
I asked, waiting with bated breath.
"100%"
~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations! New Racial Ability Unlocked:-
Hellfire:- Inextinguishable, this red flame burns with an intense heat, enough to turn anything into ash, including souls! The darker the flame, the hotter it burns. The pinnacle of its heat is a black flame.
Special Effects:- This particular flame devours energy.
~~~~~~~~
My right eye started burning again.
Following instinct more than anything else, I snapped my fingers.
A brilliant red flame appeared around the digit, burning with oppressive heat that even I could feel.
The temperature in the room gradually heated up and the mirror before me cracked, then it begun melting.
The fire detectors rang and water begun spraying from the ceiling. The drops were immediately turned into steam.
Talk about overpowered.
And given the flame's bright red color, this was still in its weakest form.
I extinguished the flame before I could destroy the bathroom. This place was more than I could afford to pay for.
And also because a notification at the corner of my eyes, grabbed my attention.
I clicked on it.
~~~~~~
(Requirements Met!)
:- Due to the presence of a high rank Demon bloodline in the Champion's body, conditions have been met to evolve the bloodline to a Royal Demon.
Proceed?
~~~~~~
The smart thing would be to wait. To investigate before making a decision I might come to regret later.
As stated before, my interactions with demons hadn't been the best.
But...there was a war coming. It was why we were all gathered. Because the time to take back the planet was here.
And after all Ultron was responsible for, I was willing to stake everything on the fact that he wouldn't go down easily.
And without knowing what he was planning, the only way for me to be ready for anything was more power.
Fuck it.
"Proceed."
The expected pain didn't come. If anything, a cooling sensation washed down my body.
Then a sudden heat surged within me, making my symbiote side quiver and recoil from my body.
Black Tendrils attached themselves onto the walls of the bathroom, the only thing linking the symbiote and I being a thick strand of goo.
Unexpectedly the heat did not harm me. In fact, I felt it spread through to my symbiote side, then gradually the tendrils begun to turn bright red.
Soon enough, the heat died away and the symbiote retracted, melding with my body.
I could sense the symbiote was different somehow. Truth be told, I'd only used it to clothe me but as with my demonic bloodline, there was more than met the eye.
I pulled up the Interface to see what had changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Race: Metahuman/Klyntar/ Royal Demon/???)
(Power: Superhuman (98% to ???)
(Age: 2 weeks (17(28) years old)
~~~~~~~
Legacies:-
S)- Solomon's Wisdom:- Grants access to Psionic Energy and magic. Abilities include:-
-Telepathy.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
-Telekinesis.
-Quantum Prognosis.
-Omnilingualism.
-Magnetic Field Scanning.
H)- Hercules' Strength:- Grants access to Divine Strength and Durability. Abilities Include:-
-Super strength.
-Super durability
-Berserker Rage.
A)- Atlas' Stamina (Locked)
Z)- Zeus' Power (Locked)
A)- Achilles' Courage (Locked)
M)- Mercury's Speed (Locked)
~~~~~~~
Magical Abilities:-
Dream body.
~~~~~~~~~
Special Abilities:-
-Hammer Space.
-Fatigue Negation.
~~~~~~~
Racial Abilities:-
Royal Demon Bloodline:- There are high rank demons and then there are Royal Demons. Your body was created from the diluted essence of a Royal Demon, placing you in the High Rank category. Due to absorbing the essence of a Hell-Lord, your bloodline has evolved to the next stage.
Hellfire:- Inextinguishable, this red flame burns with an intense heat, enough to turn anything into ash, including souls! The darker the flame, the hotter it burns. The pinnacle of its heat is a black flame.
Special Effects:- This particular flame devours energy.
Demon Physiology:- 10× base physical stats.
Azazel's Legacy:- ???
Klyntar:-
Mutant:-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Royal demon bloodline?
Did it mean a bloodline that was the purest? Or just the most powerful?
Not to mention the second skill, Azazel's legacy. Was that the progenitor of my Royal Demon bloodline?
I could have made an inquiry from Quantum Prognosis but something stopped me.
Her mind...
Crystal's I mean, was headed my way.
I looked around at the wet bathroom. Steam hang in the air like a cloud. The mirror was cracked and I was...wet. Again.
With a sigh, I minimized the Interface
Time to clean up.
(General P.O.V)
Crystal wrung her hands nervously.
'He' was on the other side.
Her heart hammered loudly within her chest. She could still remember those eyes. And the absolute power they carried within them.
She shook her mind to get rid of the distracting thoughts, lifting up a hand to knock, only for the door to retract to the wall, revealing Billy.
The two of them stated at each other. Crystal found herself unknowingly admiring his handsome features.
The curve of his jaw, his lips, lightly tussled hair, and his eyes; the left one was the deepest blue she had ever seen.
And the right one was a beautiful bright red.
He was also tall. And muscular. And strong...
"Is it already time?"
Billy asked with a knowing smirk.
"Huh?"
Crystal replied dumbly. Then she blushed at being caught staring.
"Yeah. The feast is ready."
She told him, quickly turning around.
"I'll show you the way."
(Billy's P.O.V)
I followed after her, a text box with her information displayed before my eyes.
~~~~~~~~
Race: Inhuman.
Age: 22
Power Level: Superhuman.
~~~~~~~~
For the power level I would have guessed it would say, Super Inhuman. But that's just me.
I waved the text box away, increasing my pace so that I was walking beside her.
"So, where's your Pet Bulldog?"
I questioned as a way to pass time. Besides that, I was curious about a dog that could create portals. Who wouldn't be?
"Lockjaw is not a pet."
She answered with a slight frown.
"He's family."
I nodded.
"Good to know."
Things turned a little awkward.
She stared at me strangely from the corner of her eyes. I was tempted to dive into her mind to find out what she was thinking, but we fortunately arrived at our destination.
Two massive double doors.
The guards stationed at the entry way allowed us entry upon spotting Crystal.
The latter nodded at them, raising a single hand. A small gust of wind escaped the palm, pushing the doors opene to reveal a huge banquet hall.
"Seems like we're the last ones."
I commented, gazing around at the full chamber.
The decor was very moonlike. Meaning gray and white colors, with the occasional gaudy golden aesthetic. There was a massive strange Chandelier hanging on the ceiling.
The crystals embedded on it sent waves of gentle light cascading down onto the marble floor.
Servants lined the sides of the room with several trolleys carrying dishes and other delicious meals.
A massive ebony table sat on the very middle of the chamber, with two thrones at the end of it.
The others had already arrived and were enjoying snacks and drinks while having some lighthearted conversation.
It was clear that wasn't going to last long though.
There was an underlying tension that caused everyone present to be on guard.
"Shazam!"
Reed called out upon spotting me. He stretched his hand above the others and gestured to me with his oversized palm.
With a sigh, I turned towards Crystal.
"I'm gonna go see what he wants. Huh, thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'm Crystal."
She stretched her hand out in a greeting.
I smiled, shaking it.
"See you around."
Then I turned to leave. Only for her to grab the sleeve of my coat(created by my symbiote side)
"Hey...you never introduced yourself."
She accused, folding her hands on her chest.
"That's kinda rude."
"Oh."
She was right, I was too preoccupied to remember.
"Call me Shazam. But my friends call me Billy."
I replied.
"Then I'll call you Billy..."
She muttered, gazing up at me with a shy smile and the most captivating gray eyes I'd ever seen.
"I like that. See you around, Billy."
She waved, sinking through a blue portal on the floor.
The portal emptied out next to Lockjaw and some of the other Inhumans across the room.
"Ah to be young and in love."
A voice said from my back. Then a hand was slung over my shoulder.
My nose scrunched up in annoyance.
"Tony, are you drunk?"
Iron man snorted, slightly swaying on his feet.
"Does it look-" He hiccuped,
"-like I'm drunk?"
I stared at his droopy eyes. And the smell of liquor coming off his mouth.
"Yes."
He blinked, giving me a single shoulder shrug.
"Well it's a party so-"
"No. It's a meeting to discuss strategy Tony."
A different voice reached my ears.
"Its comforting in a way, to see you haven't changed."
Turning around, Queen Medusa's beautiful face appeared in my vision. But that wasn't who grabbed my attention. It was the man she was standing next to.
"Scan."
I whispered under my breath.
~~~~~~~~
Race:- Inhuman
Age:- 45
Power Level:- Omega.
~~~~~~~~
King Blackagar Boltagon was the first Omega level entity I had scanned. And he was strong. Very strong.
Power just rolled out of him.
While Tony was busy trying to flirt with Medusa, (god the balls on this guy) Black Bolt and I were in a staring contest.
He studied me just as I studied him. I extended a telepathic feeler out, connecting to his mind. The thing is, he felt me do that- and actually allowed it.
It earned my respect.
[King Blackagar]
I gave him a nod, speaking into his mind.
[I don't believe we've been formerly introduced. My name is-]
[Shazam. Yes, I am well aware. You are Powerful. I make it my job to know of such individuals.]
He cut me off before I could finish.
[Because you're wary of any foreign power not under your rule, right?]
I probbed him, to see his reaction.
[I'm a king. I worry about everything when it comes to my kingdom.]
He responded, his mind voice was strangely comforting. He was a soft spoken man.
How ironic.
[Is that why you had Uatu gather everyone here? Because Ultron threatens Attilan? I'm curious about something, how did you find out about It's Existence? If It was intent on hiding, I doubt It would have revealed It's presence before completely attacking]
That's how Ultron won the first time. He took advantage of our ignorance about his presence and plunged the world into chaos.
[That pertains to a personal matter.]
His mind voice went silent and I got the sense he was considering whether to tell me or not. Eventually he did.
[My brother Maximus, tried to lead an 'expedition' to your planet. Ultron didn't give him a chance to enter the atmosphere, he completely obliterated his ship.]
[Thereby inadvertently revealing his presence]
I concluded.
So Maximus was dead. Black Bolt didn't know but Attilan was well off without his conniving little brother.
[He had telepathy like you. Although, Maximus was difficult to deal with]
Black Bolt informed me, a slightly pained expression on his face.
Difficult is an understatement. I doubt the 'expedition' to Earth was well intentioned.
And he had telepathy too? No wonder Black Bolt was so comfortable with communicating telepathically.
[For what it's worth, sorry for your loss)
I offered my condolences.
Black Bolt smiled, almost like he was gonna bust out laughing. Medusa and Tony stared at the two of us strangely.
"Are you guys having a super secret private party without me?"
Tony demanded.
"Aaannd that's enough for you."
Widow appeared out of nowhere, stealing the glass from his hands.
"Hey! Not cool Red. Not cool."
He protested, trying to reach for the glass.
I snapped a finger and the liquor disappeared, teleported to the surface of the moon.
Tony turned to glare at me.
"I'm revoking your gate pass at Avenger's tower. For a month."
I shrugged. Don't really care. Once the world was back, I was creating my own tower with a cooler name than Avenger's tower.
The Shazam Tower.
"If you'll excuse us?"
Queen Medusa said from the side.
"I'm afraid we're needed elsewhere. Enjoy the feast."
I bowed a little.
"Thank you for the pleasant conversation your majesty."
I told Black Bolt.
"And for your company, your highness.
Husband and wife smiled at me before leaving.
I turned my focus back to the retreating Iron Man. It only took a second to dive into Tony's mind, curious about what he was thinking.
[It's all my fault]
[It's all my fault]
[I did this!]
[Earth...was destroyed because of my selfishness!]
So much guilt. I'd never heard a mind so loud. And it was all toxic talk.
We couldn't have an Iron Man ridden with guilt on the team.
While Tony's incompetence was still better than some people's level of productivity, we needed the Invincible Iron Man, not this drunk.
'I've never done this before. Hope I don't cause him an aneurysm.'
I thought, using my telepathy to drain...his toxic thoughts out.
A rush of psionic energy left him to enter me, filling my inexhaustible reserves. I felt the toxic thoughts gnaw at my mind but a simple flex of my Psionic energy and the thoughts were cleansed.
Tony stopped walking, stiffening in place. Widow asked him what was wrong but instead, he stood up straighter amd started walking away on his own.
[Getyour shit together Tony! There's work to be done]
I heard his mind.
Meanwhile, another mind began to approach me.
"Shazam, there you are."
Reed said from my back.
"I wanted to talk to you about the remains of the Sentinel you brought with you. Do you have more?"
He asked, eagerly.
I narrowed my eyes.
"My answer depends on what you're planning to do with them."
Reed responded with a wide smile.
"Well, I just an idea..."
5 minutes later, he gathered everyone around him. On the banquet table, lay a few more sentinel parts that I had removed from my Inventory.
"Okay, listen up."
He spoke, staring out at the room.
"We can't beat Ultron."
Huh?
What a way to start the meeting.