Marvel: Infinite Personalities ;)

"You people are completely out of control!"

A slightly fat middle-aged man in a black suit, with a neatly groomed mustache, scolded harshly, his tone filled with irritation.

Across from him stood a group cloaked in black robes. Their faces and genders were obscured, their presence eerie and oppressive.

"Director, I really must disagree with that statement," the lead robed figure replied coldly. "Don't forget, it was your people who came looking for trouble first. What did you expect us to do—stand still and wait to be arrested?"

"Besides," he added with a faint smirk, "if we really had been caught, the one with the most to lose would've been you, Director."

"When did I ever say you had to stand still and wait? Couldn't you just run?!" The fat man's frustration flared again.

"What's the point in arguing now? What's done is done. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not managing your people properly," the robed leader sneered.

That only made the director angrier. "What was I supposed to do? Tell them to ignore a solid tip and not respond? That's absurd!"

"I did send word to pull back. But what happened? Do you have any idea how big of a stir it causes when multiple officers die on duty? The kind of heat this will bring down on us?!"

"Rituals cannot be interrupted. That is a sacred, immutable rule," the robed man replied coldly. "To do so is to show disrespect to the Great Dark Lord, and disrespect must be punished. You think it can be stopped just because you say so, Director…? Or… are you questioning the will of the Great Dark Lord?"

"I never said that!" The director practically jumped in panic.

That accusation was no joke—uttering blasphemy could easily get him killed.

"Good," the robed man said icily. "Then I suggest you remember your place and stop wasting our time with nonsense. What happens next is your problem to handle. Don't come whining to us."

"If you can't even manage something this simple, what makes you think the Great Dark Lord would ever favor you with the gift of immortality?"

The director's expression darkened, words forming on his lips only to be swallowed again.

Because that temptation… was just too powerful.

Immortality.

The eternal pursuit of countless throughout history—rich and poor, noble and lowly, all longing for that unreachable prize.

In the end, it had always proven to be a myth.

But this time… this chance was different. He had seen it. He had witnessed the power of that Great Dark Lord with his own eyes—an overwhelming force that defied understanding.

He would not—could not—let this opportunity slip by.

"…Fine. I'll find a way to fix this," he growled, gritting his teeth.

"Now that's more like it," the robed figure said with a grin, his tone finally softening. "If anything else comes up, make sure to contact us right away…"

"What? You're still going to continue the ritual?!" the director blurted out in shock.

"What kind of question is that? The ritual isn't complete. You think we can just stop now?"

"But—"

"No 'but.' If you can't handle this, we'll simply find someone else. I'm sure plenty of people would jump at the chance to seize this gift. Don't you agree?"

"No—I can! I will!" the director said hastily, panicked.

He knew full well they could find another collaborator. Who could resist the lure of immortality?

And if that happened, he'd be out of the picture.

He was already halfway onboard this hell-bound ship, and it was far too late to jump off now.

At this point, he had no choice—whether he wanted to or not.

There was no turning back.

"Good. Keep it up. I have high hopes for you—"

"But I don't have high hopes for you…"

The sudden voice interrupted their conversation.

It was chillingly cold, its tone heavy and oppressive.

"Who's there?!" the fat man cried out in alarm.

Surprisingly, the group of black-robed figures didn't panic. In fact, they remained quite composed.

Just like earlier, when the police had arrived, they hadn't shown much fear either.

A lion has no reason to be afraid of sheep.

Following the sound, both the fat man and the robed figures turned their gaze toward the source—finally getting a clear look at the newcomer.

"Raymond?!"

The fat man stared in disbelief, recognizing the voice's owner.

But in the very next moment, his voice suddenly shot up in astonishment, laced with utter shock:

"Two Raymonds?!"

Indeed, the ones who had arrived were Raymond and the shadow clone of the Exorcist sub-personality who had tracked the cultists alongside him.

But in the eyes of the fat man, it was as if two Raymonds had shown up at the same time.

The reason he recognized Raymond was simple—he was none other than the superior of Raymond's father, Fong Mo.

Richmond Police Chief, Gray Pullman.

He and Fong Mo had been colleagues for over a decade. Though technically a superior, their relationship was also a friendly one. They had visited each other's homes many times.

Naturally, Gray was very familiar with Fong Mo's accomplished son—Raymond. After all, Fong Mo never stopped bragging about him.

Although Gray had only met Raymond twice, those meetings had left a strong impression.

But what he couldn't understand was—why was Raymond here?

And even more bewildering—why were there two of him?

Could it be that Fong Mo had secretly fathered twins and kept it hidden all these years?

"I didn't expect you to be involved in all this," Raymond said quietly, recognizing Gray's identity. He sighed, his voice tinged with disappointment. "If my dad found out, he'd be heartbroken… Officer Gray."

"You know him?" the lead black-robed man turned to Gray.

"He's the son of that Chinese detective who led the team to arrest you," Gray replied hesitantly, his mind still reeling from confusion.

How did Raymond find this place?

Why were there two identical Raymonds?

Things were clearly spiraling far beyond what he could comprehend…

But the lead cultist seemed to have realized something. His expression darkened as he asked coldly:

"So it was you… you were the one who rescued him?"

Obviously, when Gray mentioned Fong Mo, it triggered the cult leader's memory.

Back when they tried to kill that Chinese detective along with the others, a sudden portal had appeared and whisked the man away.

Given the leader's familiarity with supernatural phenomena, he immediately understood that it had been the work of a superpowered individual.

Still, he hadn't cared much at the time. The rescuer had saved the detective and then vanished without a trace—clearly wary of them. If they had truly been fearless, they wouldn't have left so quickly.

So why be afraid?

Especially when they had the Great Dark Lord backing them. What superpowered person could truly threaten that?

But now—seeing Raymond appear here, and hearing Gray identify him—the cult leader made the connection.

He was convinced: Raymond had been the one who opened that portal and saved the detective.

"Rescue? What rescue?" Gray asked in confusion.

He didn't even know Fong Mo had survived. He was unaware that someone had intervened and saved him that day.

He had simply assumed Fong Mo had died like the other officers.

That's why, upon seeing Raymond here, he wasn't just shocked—he was also deeply uneasy.