The origin of the Phoenix is so ancient that its roots are nearly impossible to trace.
Kurogai murmured to himself. After his metamorphosis, he had gained a clearer understanding of his mutant abilities.
The Phoenix Force was incomprehensibly old—one of the primal cosmic entities, eternal and immortal, existing since the dawn of time. It had borne witness to the birth of galaxies and the deaths of stars, its presence spanning across eons and into distant futures.
Kurogai could feel this timeless existence within him now, and through the Phoenix's legacy, he glimpsed visions—fleeting yet vivid—of its past.
In those visions, the Phoenix coexisted alongside cosmic deities, observing the rise and fall of civilizations, the endless cycle of creation and destruction.
Because of its immortal nature, countless beings across the cosmos revered the Phoenix as something even greater than the Five Great Cosmic Entities of the Marvel Universe.
Not a god… something beyond.
That was how the ancient beings honored the Phoenix.
"But how could such an existence fall? And how did it become my power?" Kurogai frowned, troubled by the question.
Logically, an eternal being like the Phoenix shouldn't be capable of falling. And yet, here its power was, inside him. It didn't make sense.
Until he understood the circumstances behind this transfer of power, Kurogai couldn't feel at ease. After all, this touched on forces that rivaled the cosmic pantheon—he needed to approach this with caution.
So he focused entirely on the Phoenix Force, attempting to unravel the mystery behind its presence within him. Eventually, the truth began to surface.
"...This is connected to Hela, the Goddess of Death!"
His expression shifted. The fall of the Phoenix appeared to be intertwined with Hela's influence—but the truth was far more complex than he expected.
The Phoenix embodied the essence of life: eternal, unending, undying. Hela, on the other hand, ruled over death. She was its avatar, its judge. The two forces—life and death—stood in stark opposition.
There had to be a deeper reason for their conflict.
As that thought occurred to him, the realization struck harder than he anticipated.
"This... could mean I'm already marked as her enemy."
Kurogai exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples as a dull ache settled in. If he had unknowingly inherited the Phoenix's enmity with Hela, he was already on a path of cosmic conflict.
The Phoenix, though immortal, was not invincible. And in its battle with the Goddess of Death, it had been gravely wounded—its power fragmented. In the aftermath, it sought refuge.
That refuge... was him.
The Phoenix had attempted to use Kurogai's body as a vessel—a host to lie dormant and heal, hiding from Hela's wrath. With his uniquely powerful body, shaped and perfected by the Ultimate Eye, Kurogai had the physical capacity to contain such overwhelming force. Most hosts would have been incinerated on contact.
But Kurogai wasn't most hosts.
And the Phoenix underestimated what lay within him.
The moment it attempted to invade his body, the Ultimate Eye reacted violently. It was a power that transcended even the Marvel Universe itself—its origin far beyond this reality. While the Phoenix was a cosmic force, the Ultimate Eye was something more—a tool that pierced through dimensions, logic, and the very fabric of the multiverse.
As a result, when the Phoenix tried to merge with Kurogai, the Ultimate Eye retaliated instantly. It shattered the Phoenix's full consciousness, erasing its will and leaving behind only its core essence—its immortality and eternal flame.
That essence then merged with Kurogai on a fundamental level.
It didn't possess him. It became a part of him.
From that moment on, he became the Phoenix.
"The Phoenix still exists... but now, it's me," Kurogai whispered.
Gone was the ancient, god-like entity that once soared through galaxies. In its place stood a new Phoenix—reborn in human form.
"That was dangerously close... I walked right through the gates of death without even knowing it."
His expression darkened. At the time, he hadn't yet fully awakened to the Ultimate Eye's potential, which was why he hadn't realized what was happening.
Today, such an attempt wouldn't go unnoticed. But the risk he'd unknowingly faced was staggering.
Still, the reward was beyond belief.
Kurogai had inherited all the core abilities of the Phoenix—immortality, resurrection, eternal existence.
Now, he didn't need to fear death. Even if someone detonated a nuclear warhead right next to him, he could walk away without a scratch. The Phoenix Force would keep him alive.
"Maybe… I could even survive in space."
The idea unsettled him, but the logic held. He didn't need oxygen, didn't need sustenance—so long as the flame burned within him, he could exist. Alone, unbothered by the vacuum or the cold void.
All of this, from an almost fatal accident… and now, he had become something akin to a god.
A being reborn in fire, not by chance—but by fate.
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Thanks for the Powerstones
Apologies for not uploading the chapters earlier today
I've been sick (still am, actually, lol).
That said, I'll be switching the update time back to the original schedule: 6 PM to 7 PM (WAT).