Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

Russell thought this thing looked familiar.

Why does it look like the spirit that Khonshu summoned just now?

Before he could continue analyzing it, the little wolf girl's voice rang out beside him.

"Aren't we going back, Russell?"

"Huh?" Russell blinked in surprise. "You don't see it?"

The little wolf girl tilted her head, confused. "See what?"

She had decent night vision, but she didn't notice anything unusual.

Russell was genuinely shocked this time.

"It's the same green light particles as the ones on the pyramid earlier. You really can't see them?"

The little wolf girl squinted at the darkness again, then shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing. Are you hallucinating?"

As she said that, she suddenly became alert and scanned the surroundings with caution.

Russell frowned slightly.

Could it really be a hallucination?

Or was it something only he could see?

After thinking for a moment, he reached out and touched one of the green light particles.

In an instant, the particle disappeared into his fingertip.

Russell suddenly felt a strange, indescribable sensation, and at the same time, the system's voice rang in his ear:

[Warning: Subject has absorbed spiritual essence.]

[No impurities detected. Integration successful.]

[Warning canceled.]

So this was the spiritual essence Khonshu had obtained from the earlier ritual—and now he had absorbed it?

What was the mechanism behind this?

Russell wasn't afraid. Since the system had canceled the warning, it shouldn't be dangerous.

But he still didn't understand why.

And this stuff—he was sure he had seen it before. Could it be because the previous ritual had failed, and some link still remained?

In any case...

Russell gazed at the glittering spiritual essence scattered across the land like stars, his heartbeat accelerating.

According to the knowledge he had acquired from Baron Mordo's magical database, a stronger soul came with many advantages!

First!

The strength of the mind increases with the soul, granting powerful resistance against mental intrusion. At a certain level, one could even trap enemies within their own spiritual realm.

Of course, nothing is absolute—it depends on the strength gap between individuals.

Second!

Soul strength enhances magical control, especially for complex spells or forbidden techniques.

Third!

Astral projection time increases significantly. Learning magic while in the astral form becomes far more effective.

Fourth!

When the soul is strong enough, you can discard your body entirely and exist in pure spirit form. In this state, magical power multiplies dramatically.

Still, even if it was possible, Russell had no plans to abandon his body.

It would only be used in emergencies—like a desperate escape or a high-risk ritual.

But those benefits alone weren't what excited Russell the most.

In Mordo's notes, it was clearly stated: a powerful soul could carry certain special forces.

Such as...

Divine power.

Yes! That's right!!

The gods of Asgard were never simply aliens.

They were real gods!

Their divine power originated from the ancient goddess Gaea, and it's said the World Tree is deeply connected to her as well.

Although the system might be able to extract the divine power entry, it's likely it wouldn't be a perfect integration.

Just like with the Soul Extraction spell—having the knowledge didn't mean he could use it effectively.

That's why he was important.

The system and the user complemented each other—it was the only way to truly master these powers.

Russell stared at the floating particles of spiritual essence with blazing intensity in his eyes.

Khonshu had planned this for years, but in the end, he was the one to reap the benefits!

Even if it was only a fragment of the pyramid's final outburst, it was still a massive amount of spiritual essence!

As for the danger?

The system had already approved it. If something still went wrong... he could only blame himself.

Russell took a deep breath and didn't hesitate any longer.

Waiting would only increase the chance of something going wrong. If someone else found this and took it, he'd suffer a massive loss.

He quickly told the little wolf girl there wasn't time, then sat down cross-legged on the spot.

He began meditating in the traditional way, drawing in the free-flowing magic from the air.

Instantly, it was as if the stars were disturbed—drawn in by an unseen black hole. The particles of spiritual light scattered across the hills and mountains surged toward Russell.

If someone had been able to project their soul into the void at that moment, they would have seen an astonishing sight—

It looked as though galaxies were falling to earth, spiraling into a massive vortex!

The cosmic swirl of stars was breathtaking!

After several hours passed, the sky began to brighten.

Russell suddenly opened his eyes—and a gleam of radiant light flashed across them!

At that moment, he felt like a giant.

With a mere wave of his hand, he imagined he could summon boundless power.

But Russell knew this was only an illusion—a temporary high caused by a sudden spike in soul power.

Soon, this sensation would fade as the soul synchronized with the body.

Just then, the system's voice rang out again:

[Ability awakening detected. Converting entries...]

[Conversion complete!]

[Spirit Hall (Purple-Gold)]

Your spiritual world's barrier has been reinforced.

While defending, you can also trap enemies inside the Spirit Hall!

Within this domain, your spiritual power is amplified, and intruders are weakened.

Weakness Erasure: When your mind is invaded, your body can still act instinctively—you will not be paralyzed.

[Soul-Carrying (Gold)]

Your soul can now bear far greater power—

Such as divine power, dimensional energy, the Spirit of Vengeance, and more.

Weakness Erasure: All conflicting will within the power is removed.

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