"What on earth just happened!?"
"Why are there dark clouds all of a sudden?"
"Something's wrong with that cloud… it feels ominous and terrifying!"
…
The sudden appearance of the dark clouds alarmed everyone on the mountainside. Soon after, they saw two sword lights slash through the darkness, followed by powerful attacks of various kinds. However, instead of dissipating the clouds, the attacks only made them thinner.
Then, a thunderbolt struck the mountaintop—and the clouds vanished.
No one knew exactly what had occurred, but Melin's furious roar echoed clearly through the ears of every single person. His rage, agitation, and hatred seeped into them unconsciously.
They knew—something major had happened.
And when Melin suddenly turned into a stream of light and left the Sanctuary, it only confirmed their fears.
…
…
Sensing the crisis, Charles immediately gathered all the X-Men, just in case.
"Erik, what happened? Are we under attack?"
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before. Uncle Melin has never lost control like that."
"Can we go up the mountain?"
"Yes. Come with me. The others should stay alert. Something terrible must have happened."
Everyone nodded, and Erik hurriedly led Charles uphill.
On the other side, Peggy and the others—being closer—had witnessed everything from beginning to end.
For the first time, they felt something toward Melin—fear.
At the moment of his roar, it was as if the air had frozen. Waves of fury dyed their minds crimson. If that fury had fully erupted, the earth would have crumbled, the sky torn apart, and even time and space would've been obliterated.
As ordinary humans, Colonel Phillips, Maria, and Tony passed out the instant Melin's roar swept over them.
"This can't go on! We have to stop him! Or the Earth is doomed!"
Peggy immediately tried to rush forward to stop Melin, but Howard yanked her back. "You can't go! Don't forget who you are! What can you possibly say to stop him? What reason do you have!?"
Peggy ignored his protest and tried to break free. "Even if I can't stop him, I still have to try!"
"You'll die!"
"If he really loses it, we're all dead anyway. Dying sooner or later—what difference does it make!?"
"Peggy! Calm down!" Steve stepped in quickly, helping Howard restrain her.
"Steve! Good, you're here! Help me talk to him—"
"Calm down, Peggy! Melin hasn't completely lost his mind!"
"What are you—"
"Lady Athena is safe. But the time and place of her reincarnation was interfered with. Melin has no intention of destroying the Earth."
Steve then relayed the order he had received to Peggy and Howard.
"It's… really just the Buddhist sects he's targeting?" Peggy asked for confirmation.
"Yes. I've been ordered to follow Milo on this campaign, so I won't say much more. Just remember—stay calm. Whatever happens, wait for me to return." With that, Steve took off after Milo and the departing Saints.
"This… Who knows how many people will die from this," Peggy murmured in anguish.
"Alright, Peggy. Don't blame yourself," Howard said, trying to comfort her. To him, Melin's actions were understandable.
If his wife had been ambushed during her reincarnation and gone missing, he probably would've lost his mind and gone on a rampage too.
Melin was taking revenge against the Buddhist factions—but he hadn't gone completely berserk. He hadn't lashed out at everyone, and he had made sure Sanctuary's defenses were in place.
"But even so… this is too much…"
"What should he do instead? Arrest them? Put them on trial? Host a public forum?" Howard shot back. "Don't be naïve! Do you really think someone like him can be bound by mortal rules? And who are you to tell him how to act?"
"But—"
"Look around you, Peggy! Look at the Saints!"
Peggy numbly turned her gaze. The Saints were dashing back and forth with pained expressions and blazing eyes, radiating fierce battle spirit.
She realized that if Melin gave the order—even if it meant destroying every nation on Earth to root out the three main culprits—not a single Saint would hesitate.
"Now do you understand? Sanctuary is their faith! Melin is! Athena is! And now, their faith has been attacked. How could you possibly stop them!?"
"I… I…" Peggy was speechless but still couldn't accept this path.
As wicked as the Buddhist factions might be, eradicating everything connected to them would harm countless innocents. It would shake the entire world—maybe even trigger the next world war.
But this time, it wouldn't be man versus man.
It would be man versus god.
"Peggy, I know you've always clung to your beliefs. That's your greatest strength—and your greatest flaw. And let me say it again: remember who you are. You and I are merely priests. He is our god," Howard said sternly.
"…" Peggy's face paled. She laughed bitterly. "A god, huh? So that gives him the right to do whatever he wants?"
"Yes. It does," Howard replied, voice like iron.
He had figured out what was wrong with Peggy—she was too confident. Too proud. She had started seeing herself as the center of everything. Ever since the founding of Spear Bureau, this flaw had become more apparent. Originally, she, Steve, Colonel Phillips, and Howard were all equals in the organization.
But lately, Peggy had begun treating Howard and Phillips like subordinates, with only Steve getting any real respect.
Howard regretted not calling it out sooner. Peggy had started thinking of herself as Melin's equal.
Peggy, always self-centered, failed to see what Howard did: the world had changed. Rules? Laws? Morals? Those were for ordinary people. A being like Melin writes the rules—because he can destroy the world with ease.
"Heh… and a god like that… deserves to exist?" Peggy sneered.
SMACK—
Howard slapped her, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Peggy stared at him in disbelief, holding her cheek. She had never imagined Howard would hit her.
"Are you awake now?" Howard said coldly.
He didn't want to, but he had to. Saying this in private would've just led to an argument. But this was Sanctuary.
Surrounded by Saints.
Melin was their faith. Anyone slandering him—regardless of identity or reason—could be executed on the spot.
Saying something like that here was suicide.
"You! How dare you—"
"Don't forget—we're equals, Peggy. We founded Spear Bureau together. I'm not your subordinate," Howard said.
Honestly, the unfinished accusation she had just started to utter chilled him. He never thought his longtime friend would fall this far.
If she refused to wake up, Howard was ready to cut ties altogether.
"I… you… I…"
His words struck her like a dagger, flooding her mind with memories—but the more she remembered, the more dazed and pained she looked.
"You should be grateful the god you're questioning… is Melin."
Howard stopped speaking then, remaining silent at her side.
Athena had gone missing. Melin would surely mobilize forces to find her. At this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men would be essential in that search. That was their duty.
"I found you, Howard! What the hell is going on—what happened!?" Erik and Charles finally arrived at the Twelve Palaces. They found Howard just as Peggy was sitting on the ground, holding her face.
"Peggy needs time to cool down. I'll be taking over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsibilities for now." Howard then filled Charles and Erik in on everything.
"Zeus… Hades… the Buddhist sects… unforgivable!"
To Erik, Melin was like a father. Athena was his mother in all but blood. Though they'd never met, her being attacked—and Melin suffering—filled Erik with rage. He wanted to descend the mountain and join the strike against the Buddhist factions.
"Erik, calm down. Lady Athena is safe. Melin is fine. Don't act rashly and cause more harm," Charles said.
Though he agreed with Peggy that this was brutal, Charles was more rational. He knew he had no power to change Melin's will.
Like Howard, he realized the best thing they could do was help search for Athena's new reincarnation.
At that moment, Alex appeared.
"Finished talking?" Alex's voice was cold, and he gave a chilly glance at Peggy on the ground.
"Yes, Acting Pope," Howard, Charles, and Erik bowed slightly.
"Good. From now on, your top priority is finding Lady Athena. We will assign people to assist you."
"Understood, Acting Pope. We'll fully cooperate with the Saints to locate the goddess," Howard and Charles replied.
"Good." Alex nodded. As he turned to leave, he gave Peggy another glance.
"Melin's judgment has never failed. I hope you don't make him wrong this time."
With that, he vanished. He had many other matters to handle—assigning Saints, calming the city on the mountainside. He had no time for this petty squabble.