The moment Mike’s fingertips touched the dark red mist of the Reality Stone, the substance that had been writhing as though alive suddenly surged toward him, like water finally finding an opening.
The Reality Stone rushed into his body through his fingertips.
Mike instantly felt an intense heat.
The dark red mist wound around his wrist like living vines before slowly seeping through his skin.
Dark red veins visibly spread across his arm.
The next moment, the Reality Stone entered his body.
But it continued deeper.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump!
At that moment, Mike could clearly hear his own heartbeat.
He felt as though his entire body had become paralyzed, yet his consciousness remained completely clear.
Clear enough to hear his heartbeat growing louder and heavier with every beat.
Mike had not forgotten why he had come here.
He intended to use the Reality Stone’s power to awaken the Cosmo sleeping within his body and manifest the power of the Saints in the Marvel Universe.
Mike forced himself to resist the overwhelming urge to pass out.
He focused on the Aether, the liquid form of the Reality Stone now surging through his veins like blood, and tried to use its power to awaken his dormant Cosmo.
In the Saint Seiya universe, Cosmo was the foundation of every Saint.
It was the source of their seemingly endless power.
As long as a Saint possessed Cosmo, they could draw upon an immense amount of energy.
In fact, everyone possessed a Cosmo.
As long as someone could sense the existence of their own Cosmo and train their five senses to their limits, they could awaken and ignite it.
Mike naturally knew how to awaken his Cosmo.
Even after recovering the memories of his previous two lives and discovering that the power of the Saints could not manifest in the Marvel Universe, he had not truly given up and decided to live as an ordinary person.
At the very least, ever since he awakened his memories at eighteen, he had continued the training habits he had developed during his second life in the Sanctuary.
His five senses had already been honed to their limits again.
The only thing preventing him from awakening and igniting his Cosmo was the barrier between universes.
He could sense the Cosmo within his body, but he could not awaken it in the Marvel Universe.
But the Reality Stone changed everything.
It was the key that could allow his Cosmo to awaken and ignite in this universe.
There was no other way.
Soon, the immense energy contained within the Aether began gathering inside his body, forming a tiny vortex.
Then, centered around a certain point, it began spinning wildly.
It was like a star preparing to ignite, gathering its final reserves of energy before collapsing.
At the same time, Mike’s heightened senses allowed him to notice that his life force was being continuously drained.
The Reality Stone consumed energy when there was energy to consume.
When there was none, it consumed life.
With his Cosmo still dormant, Mike was trying to use the Reality Stone to awaken and manifest it.
As a result, the Reality Stone that had already merged with his body was draining his life force.
Mike could even feel death approaching.
But he did not care.
Because this was all or nothing.
There was no third option.
Finally!
As his life force continued to be drained by the Reality Stone, Mike could no longer hold on.
His eyelids closed completely, and his body began falling backward.
But just before his consciousness faded completely, Mike saw a light.
A tiny point of brilliant white light had suddenly appeared within the dark red vortex inside his body.
The next moment, the corners of Mike’s mouth curled into a faint smile.
He knew exactly what that light represented.
His Cosmo.
At the moment Mike lost consciousness, the brilliant white light that he had manifested through the Reality Stone at the cost of his life force finally began to grow.
It began expanding.
Like the birth of the universe itself.
The moment Mike’s Cosmo was manifested by the Reality Stone, it began spinning wildly and absorbing the Aether surrounding it.
In an instant, the Aether became fuel for the newly born Cosmo.
Little by little, it grew stronger.
From a spark into a flame.
Then from a flame into a blazing fire.
The color of the flame constantly shifted, and the embryonic Cosmo surrounding it gradually changed as well.
Its original brilliant white slowly transformed into the blood-red color of the Reality Stone.
After all, Mike’s Cosmo should never have existed in the Marvel Universe.
It had only manifested because of the Reality Stone.
Therefore— The Cosmo that had been white with hints of gold during his second life had now become blood red.
Once the blood-red Cosmo was born inside his body, the Reality Stone, which had previously been draining Mike’s life force, seemed to sense something even more valuable.
It stopped draining his life force.
Instead, it completely merged with the newly manifested Cosmo, which was already spinning in sync with Mike’s breathing.
This made Mike’s Cosmo appear even more crimson.
At the same time, feeling gradually returned to Mike’s limbs.
The first thing to move was his right index finger.
“Hey, his finger moved.” “Where?” “I’m sure I saw it move just now.” As Mike’s consciousness slowly returned, he suddenly heard voices beside him.
He gradually opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw were two women crouching beside him.
They had completely different personalities.
One looked rather cold and aloof, with her hair tied into a loose low ponytail.
The other had a more approachable appearance and wore a pair of glasses.
They were Jane Foster and her assistant and friend, Darcy Lewis.
Mike did not speak after opening his eyes.
He did not move either.
He simply lay quietly on the floor and stared at the moldy ceiling of the fourth-floor corridor.
Jane Foster had come here after Darcy told her about the strange gravitational anomalies.
While investigating the unusual energy readings, she had discovered Mike lying alone and motionless on the fourth-floor floor.
Now, seeing that Mike had opened his eyes but still had not moved, Jane frowned slightly and examined the man lying on the floor.
“Sir, are you all right?” “I’m fine.” Mike continued staring blankly at the ceiling.
Seeing this, Darcy Lewis tugged lightly on Jane’s sleeve and took a small step back before speaking.
“Sir, how are you feeling?
Should we call…” “I feel great.” “Better than I’ve ever felt.” Mike finally pulled his gaze away from the ceiling.
As he answered Darcy, he slowly got up from the floor.
The next moment— The power of the Cosmo manifested within him, now intertwined with the Aether, suddenly erupted into a blazing inferno inside his body.