Amid the ruins, Levi stood motionless.
Jean had gained control of the Phoenix Force, golden-red flames flowing around her. But something felt wrong to Levi.
Something inside him was burning.
Not the pain of flesh—but a searing agony from deep within his genes. Helping Jean construct the cycle had required him to mobilize ten laws and activate Ability Amplification.
But that wasn't the real problem.
The problem was the Phoenix Force he had copied.
Levi looked at his right hand. Golden-red flames flickered in his palm—the same multiversal-level power as Jean's.
But it was out of control.
Jean's Phoenix Force had been acknowledged by its source and restrained by a perfect cycle. Levi's copy, however, was nothing but a wild beast, rampaging through his body.
This clone could only sustain power at the high Skyfather level.
The Phoenix Force far exceeded that.
Levi could feel his law domain tearing apart. The blue crystalline pillars of space cracked. The green river of time boiled. The black mist of death began to spiral out of control.
He closed his eyes and tried to absorb it with the Law of Devouring.
Useless.
The moment it touched the Phoenix Force, it was burned back.
This wasn't a difference in quantity—it was a suppression of quality.
The Phoenix Force represented creation and destruction—the foundation of the multiverse. His Devouring Law, though powerful, was only copied from the Celestials and not yet fully fused with the Concept of Greed.
If they clashed head-on, he would be the one destroyed.
Sweat formed on Levi's forehead.
The pain intensified—like molten wires twisting through his veins. Golden-red patterns surfaced on his skin, spreading and corroding.
He couldn't let anyone see this.
Taking a deep breath, Levi suppressed the fluctuations and looked up at Charles and Erik in the distance, offering a calm smile.
"Professor, the school is stabilized. You can handle reconstruction yourselves."
His voice was steady—no hint of distress.
Charles rolled closer in his wheelchair, frowning.
"Something's wrong with you."
His psychic senses were too sharp. Levi looked fine on the surface, but his energy was chaotic.
"I'm fine."
Levi shook his head and turned to Jean.
She stood there, concern flashing in her golden-red eyes. She could feel it—the Phoenix Force inside Levi was spiraling out of control.
Power of the same origin resonates.
"Levi, you—"
Before she could finish, Levi's body swayed.
He dropped to one knee, bracing himself with his right hand. The ground beneath his palm charred black.
Erik's expression changed as he stepped forward—but Levi raised his left hand to stop him.
"Don't come closer."
His voice was hoarse.
He felt it—the source of the Phoenix Force was watching him.
A being beyond dimensions. Pure will of creation and destruction.
It had noticed someone had stolen a fragment of its power.
Levi's consciousness was dragged into another space.
There was nothing—only endless golden-red flames.
A massive phoenix hovered in the void, each feather composed of multiversal energy.
It looked down at Levi—without kindness.
"Thief."
The voice exploded within his mind, shaking his mental domain.
"You have stolen my power, yet you lack the qualification to bear it."
The phoenix spread its wings, each movement unleashing destructive storms.
"I should burn you. But you helped Jean Grey construct a perfect cycle."
Levi gritted his teeth, kneeling under the overwhelming pressure. His ten laws flickered like candles in a storm.
"I will give you two choices."
The phoenix lowered its head, its immense presence pressing close.
"First—abandon my power. I reclaim it, and you live."
"Second—attempt to tame it. But you have a 99.9% chance of dying, your consciousness reduced to nothing."
Levi lifted his head, bloodshot eyes blazing.
"And if I succeed?"
The phoenix paused.
"Then the power is yours. But no one has ever tamed the Phoenix Force at the Skyfather level. Jean Grey is my chosen host. She is qualified. You… are not."
Levi smiled faintly.
"I was never a gentleman. Stealing power—that's my skill."
He stood up, unleashing all ten laws—space, time, force, life, death, mind, reality, soul, body, devouring—forming a fragile yet complete cycle.
"Come on. Let me see what multiversal power really looks like."
A flicker of surprise crossed the phoenix's gaze—then cold indifference.
"Arrogant. As you wish."
Flames surged.
Levi's consciousness was submerged. Every inch of his mind burned, every law collapsing. Space shattered, time evaporated, death ignited.
Pain.
Beyond anything imaginable.
But Levi didn't give up. He activated the Devouring Law, trying to consume the flames. A black vortex formed, desperately swallowing them.
But there was too much.
The vortex swelled, on the verge of explosion.
At this rate, he would die.
Levi bit his tongue, forcing clarity through pain. He recalled the core of the Concept of Greed—not possession, but an endless drive to evolve.
Then—
Use it as fuel.
He stopped resisting and opened himself completely.
The Phoenix Force flooded his core, burning his essence.
The phoenix froze.
—
In reality, Levi collapsed, blood seeping from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Jean rushed forward, pressing her hands to his chest.
"No… don't…"
Her voice trembled, tears falling onto his face.
Through their shared origin, she could feel it—his Phoenix Force was devouring his very existence.
Charles probed his condition, face pale.
"His consciousness is collapsing. The Phoenix Force is burning his existence itself."
Erik stood nearby, fists clenched, powerless.
Jean closed her eyes, sinking into her own consciousness.
"Phoenix… please… save him."
The phoenix's will descended, voice complex.
"He chose the most dangerous path. He abandoned defense, trying to bear my power with his origin."
"Is there any way to save him?"
Jean asked urgently.
Silence.
"I cannot help him. But you can."
Jean's eyes snapped open.
"How?"
"The Phoenix Force within you shares the same origin as his. You can establish resonance—link your power with his and form a greater cycle."
The phoenix explained.
"But this requires deep connection—mental and vital. Your consciousness must merge, your life force shared. You will become his anchor, stabilizing his collapsing origin."
Jean bit her lip.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not much for you—you already control the Phoenix Force. But your souls will intertwine deeply. Separation will be difficult."
A pause.
"And… this requires the most primal form of life fusion."
Jean's cheeks flushed—but as she looked at Levi's pale face, her resolve hardened.
"I understand."
She turned to Charles.
"Professor—take everyone away. Don't let anyone come close."
Charles hesitated, then understood. He looked at her deeply before backing away.
"Come on, Erik. Help the others."
They quickly cleared the area.
Silence fell.
Jean took a deep breath.
She knelt beside Levi, golden-red flames flowing from her palms into his body. Closing her eyes, her consciousness entered his mind.
A sea of fire.
Levi's consciousness curled at the center, on the verge of annihilation.
Jean appeared within the flames and embraced him without hesitation.
"I'm here to help you."
Gently, she guided her Phoenix Force into him.
The two forces met.
Hers was controlled—soothing, stabilizing his chaos. Under her guidance, they intertwined, resonating, forming a larger cycle.
—
In reality, golden-red flames enveloped them both.
Jean pressed her forehead to Levi's, her life force flowing into him, stabilizing his collapsing laws.
Time passed.
Within him, the Phoenix Force was gradually integrated into a new system—more complex than hers, accommodating ten laws.
The Devouring Law adapted.
It stopped resisting—and began consuming, digesting, transforming.
The Phoenix Force was broken down into pure multiversal energy, merging into every law.
Space reformed, etched with golden-red patterns.
Time flowed again, now tinged with gold.
Death stabilized, flickering with embers.
Each law evolved.
Jean trembled, exhausted—but she didn't stop.
Because she could feel it—
Levi was breaking through.
His law domain ascended from rules to concepts.
The Devouring Law fully fused with the Concept of Greed, forming a new core:
Endless Evolution.
It devoured everything—Phoenix Force, Jean's life energy, even ambient multiversal energy.
Levi's aura surged.
High Skyfather.
Peak Skyfather.
Then—
Cosmic Overlord.
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