Marvel: Killing Makes You Stronger

Chapter 146: An Old Friend?

Bi Xiao's immense mental power connected to this white man's brain.

This white man is named Henry Lee Lucas.

He is a serial killer, and among these six people, he is the one who has killed the most, having murdered 250+ people. His methods of killing were extremely cruel, involving torture, rape, and other heinous acts.

Before he was caught, he was planning to target another girl.

For someone like him, death would be a mercy.

Henry screamed miserably, feeling as if his body was being infused with hot oil, with his body, heart, lungs, internal organs, and bones all feeling like they were being cooked. He even seemed to smell the aroma of meat, though this was merely an illusion.

This terrifying pain made every second an ordeal. Under such extreme agony, he wished to blow his brains out, thinking it might be a release.

But in reality, he didn't even have the privilege of fainting. His pain nerves seemed to be magnified countless times, and he remained fully conscious.

In his suffering, he wanted to beg for mercy, but inexplicably, the words stuck in his throat.

This was, of course, Bi Xiao's handiwork. Experimentation was one thing, but making such a pervert suffer a bit in the process was not a difficult task.

After planting his magical seed, Bi Xiao immediately catalyzed it within Henry's body. The method was rather rough, not gentle, and he controlled Henry's body, consciously directing the magical energy through specific circuits in his body.

This magical circuit was a simplified version of what Bi Xiao had constructed in his own body.

His magic was born from his cells, unlike Superman who absorbs solar radiation to store energy. His magic's growth was abrupt, initially emerging naturally after a comprehensive enhancement of his body.

However, its growth relied on the essence of life.

After experimenting and learning magic at Kamar-Taj, Bi Xiao constructed a special system of magical circuits within his body. The advantage was that each time the automatic magic circuit operated, it would enhance his magic, efficiently increasing it even without obtaining life essence through killing.

Magic is akin to mana in games, and the amount of mana determines one's maximum combat power.

For instance, Saber servant is limited by her master Shirou Emiya, greatly restricting her magical output. In reality, due to her dragon heart, she has nearly unlimited mana, similar to Dark Saber.

The difference in mana often leads to defeat for Saber in the Holy Grail War, while Dark Saber easily defeats Berserker, although Berserker is very strong. The amount of mana determines the strength of one's combat power.

The difference between normal attacks and ultimate moves is significant.

Otherwise, Saber wouldn't have to resort to normal attacks and dueling with Sasaki Kojirou. Without mana limitations, she could easily defeat him with her magical attacks.

That's why Bi Xiao places such importance on magic.

Moreover, his magic is particularly versatile, with almost perfect attributes.

Emphasizing this, he developed his own magical circuits, laying the foundation for this experiment. While Henry screamed, Bi Xiao focused on his body, gradually constructing a complete magical circuit within him, and used his magic to ensure that Henry's body wouldn't collapse under the influence of magic.

The experimental results met Bi Xiao's initial expectations.

Despite Henry's miserable screams and unbearable pain, he didn't realize that his body was transforming at an astonishing rate. Originally an ordinary person's body, the magical circuits began to cover his entire being, including his internal organs and bones, initiating a smooth process of life level transformation.

The progress wasn't very fast, but within a short time, his physical fitness had improved to be comparable to that of Captain America, Steve Rogers.

This did not surprise Bi Xiao. This was merely adapting the magic to Henry's body; the real test was yet to come.

He then released his magical protection of Henry's body, letting Henry's body adapt to the magic on its own, thereby enhancing the magic.

Henry's screams gradually subsided, as the construction of the magical circuit and the enhancement of his physical fitness allowed his body to adapt to the magic. This process was no longer painful but instead felt extraordinarily wonderful.

The transition from extreme pain to ease, coupled with an ordinary body becoming as perfect as Captain America's, created a stark contrast for Henry.

He immersed himself in it, with a sick smile on his face, while the five people behind him watched. Their eyes were filled with wonder, no longer with fear and terror.

Originally about 1.7 meters tall, Henry's body had become strong in this short period, with well-defined muscles and a much more attractive physique and face.

Was this torture?

Was this an experiment?

If this was truly an experiment, enduring such pain for such a transformation didn't seem terrifying to the five people. After all, the transformation of the body after some pain and suffering seemed like a worthwhile trade-off.

Their gaze then shifted to Bi Xiao.

Could it be that this person capturing them for this miraculous experiment was to cultivate extraordinary soldiers?

Then perhaps aligning with him wouldn't be so bad.

Of course, genuine sincerity is impossible. If one day they had a chance to retaliate, they would kill Bi Xiao without hesitation, using the most brutal methods to express their gratitude.

They would also try to seize this experiment. If they could master this technique, wouldn't they then be able to act as they please?

Perhaps they might even rule the world.

The five of them harbored a multitude of thoughts, burying their malice and excitement deep within. However, they could not escape Bi Xiao's intuition. The thick malice and greed emanating from them was almost tangible, making them seem more demonic than actual demons.

Bi Xiao's gaze swept over the five, who quickly assumed expressions of innocent admiration.

Each one more convincing than the last.

With a cold smile, Bi Xiao ignored these five perverts and continued to focus on Henry. Henry's transformation had brought his height close to 1.9 meters, with a muscular and almost perfect physique, giving him an unexpectedly handsome and sinister charm.

He frowned slightly, his mental power connected to Henry's body.

His eyes could see through Henry's body, presenting a three-dimensional image. The establishment of a magic corridor allowed the magic to circulate and strengthen continuously, but none of it flowed to a fixed energy storage point.

Bi Xiao's pupils turned golden, manipulating Henry's weak magic to divert into his cells.

However, the moment the magic was diverted to the cells, Henry screamed again, his face contorted in pain.

Bi Xiao's expression remained unchanged as he ignored the large areas of abscesses, skin ulcerations, and purpling that appeared on Henry's body. His gaze remained fixed on the microscopic level of Henry's body, discovering that as he tried to store the magic in Henry's cells, the cells, unable to withstand the magic, shattered as soon as the magic entered.

The large-scale cell necrosis turned Henry, originally vigorous and imposing, into a hideous and grotesque figure. The pus from the abscesses stained his clothes, making him appear both disgusting and foul-smelling.

It was possible to save him, but Bi Xiao couldn't be bothered. He simply raised his index finger and waved it forward.

Crack~

As if a mirror shattered, the space around Henry's body fragmented, causing him to fall back and disappear instantly within it. Faintly, one could hear terrifying roars from the other side of the shattered space.

It was as if the most frightening beasts in the world had seen their prey.

The foreheads of the five people, including Gacy, instantly broke out in cold sweat, with only one question in their minds: What exactly happened to Henry just now? The experiment that seemed successful at first, why did his body develop such terrifying symptoms, and where was he thrown?

The five, who had a slight hope of luck, immediately realized that Bi Xiao's initial warnings were not just to scare them.

"What... what the hell happened?"

One of the old men, whose body was no longer under his control, might have started trembling uncontrollably if it were otherwise.

His seemingly gentle and refined face was now full of fear.

He looked at Bi Xiao as if looking at a demon.

The first test subject was already dead; who would be next?

Bi Xiao ignored the five who were on the verge of crying out in fear and fell into deep thought, using his superior intellect to recall and analyze the final step where Henry's body went wrong.

The previous processes were all smooth: planting the magic seed, constructing the magic corridor after the screams and pain, and the life level leap as the magic circulated.

But the final step of building a furnace to store the magic failed.

Henry's cells couldn't serve as a furnace to store the magic like Bi Xiao's. This wasn't a difficult problem, and Bi Xiao quickly realized the reason.

Henry's life level leaped, and his cells underwent massive division and strengthening, but no matter how much they were strengthened, they were not Bi Xiao's cells.

Bi Xiao's cells had been fortified to a certain level from the moment the magic was born, which was why he could naturally generate magic within his cells. Henry, on the other hand, could not withstand Bi Xiao's magic; his cells lacked resilience and had not been tempered over time.

Moreover, no matter how gentle Bi Xiao's magic manipulation was, it was still a high-spec energy.

Commonly referred to as divine power, cosmic energy.

Ordinary human cells simply couldn't withstand such high-quality energy unless they were extensively and continuously nurtured. Alternatively, Bi Xiao could externally intervene to continuously maintain Henry's cells during the magic diversion.

But this process was not only complex but also required continuous and uninterrupted effort, greatly wasting his time.

To test this idea, Bi Xiao turned his gaze to the old man, whose pupils shrank and whose expression turned to one of terror, while the other four secretly sighed in relief.

As expected, Bi Xiao repeated the previous experiment process on the refined old man.

The initial steps were smooth: planting the magic seed, and after the screams and pain, constructing a complete magic corridor. The old man's life level began to leap, his frail body quickly becoming strong and muscular, his beard naturally falling off, and his wrinkled skin becoming smooth and rosy.

He instantly regained his youthful appearance.

The final step began: Bi Xiao manipulated the magic within the old man's body to divert into his cells, covering all the old man's cells with his own magic.

As expected, the outcome was just as he had anticipated. Under normal circumstances, like Henry, the cells should have been unable to withstand the diverted magic. However, since the cells were nurtured by his magic, the process was maintained, allowing the magic to be successfully diverted into the cells and stored there.

Then, Bi Xiao withdrew his magic.

The familiar screams echoed once again. Without his magic to sustain them, like Henry, the old man's cells instantly burst from the magic, leading to massive cell necrosis, the appearance of various abscesses, and purpling.

With a snap of his fingers, Bi Xiao sent the old man to his doom, just as he had with Henry.

The remaining four people trembled, their eyes filled with despair.

“It is indeed as I thought.”

As Bi Xiao had speculated, the cells could not withstand high-level magic without his intervention. This wasn’t a difficult problem; the solution could be as simple as providing a necklace that stored his magic, achieving the same effect.

However, Bi Xiao temporarily set this plan aside.

He turned his thoughts to another path. Since the ultimate goal was to store the returning magic, it didn’t need to be within the cells. Any other organ could serve as a furnace to store the magic.

This led Bi Xiao to consider the heart.

Following the example of the King with Ahoge, who had the Dragon’s heart and dragon factor, and did not need a magic circuit, generating magic merely through blood circulation and breathing, Bi Xiao believed he could construct a similar heart with comparable effects.

Through magical enhancement and transformation of the heart, treating it as a special furnace, he could plant a seed of magic. The heart would serve as the furnace core, and a magical corridor would be constructed within the body, forming a perfect chain.

The heart would transmit magic, which would circulate through the magical corridor, strengthening the magic and returning it to the heart. As the core, the heart would be reinforced, while other body parts, organs, and bones would be strengthened during the magic’s circulation.

Eventually, as the magic grew to a certain extent, it would automatically nurture the cells, enhancing their activity and capacity for division.

Regardless of the heart’s role as the furnace core, once it reached the level of a Sub-Sky Father or Sky Father, there would still be an upper limit to storing units of magic, which would suppress the growth of magic. At that point, the cells could become a new storage point. After being nurtured, the cells would be able to adapt and withstand the magic, allowing for storage.

The heart would act as an auxiliary tank and engine, while the true storage would still be within the cells.

Constructing such a heart would require effort, as it was the most crucial transitional furnace before reaching the levels of Sub-Sky Father and Sky Father, affecting the maximum power source available during combat.

Damage to this area could cause a complete collapse of the individual.

Therefore, protection, self-healing after damage, and uninterrupted magic output despite damage required careful consideration and research.

Bi Xiao glanced at the remaining four perverts. Their eyes averted, full of silent prayers not to become the next test subject.

With a smile, he turned and walked away. The next moment, as crystal fragments shattered like petals, his figure disappeared, leaving the four to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, they still couldn't move, standing dumbly in place. Attempts to speak were silenced by Bi Xiao's mental powers.

Despair, endless despair remained.

Waiting was always a form of torment and suffering, regardless of what was awaited.

At this moment, their hearts were full of regret—not for their perverse murders but for their bad luck in being captured by an even more mysterious and perverse individual, brought to this hellish place for bizarre experiments. They would rather be caught by the police, jailed, or even executed—that would be a blessing.

Now, they could only endure the torment, waiting for their unknown fate.

Bi Xiao did not return to the manor where the twins were still working. Instead, he sought out the Ancient One, hoping to exchange ideas with this Sorcerer Supreme and possibly gain valuable insights.

Bi Xiao never engaged in solitary study.

He believed his magical prowess was not inferior to the Ancient One, but he never let that make him arrogant. Many of his creations were realized through discussions with the Ancient One.

In this regard, Bi Xiao was always humble.

However, as Bi Xiao stepped from the scenic space into Kamar-Taj, he immediately sensed something was amiss. He looked up sharply at the sky, where an immense battle was raging in a space separate from reality.

He sensed the Ancient One's power and another very familiar aura.

Darkness, evil.

“Oh-ho~~ An old friend has arrived?”

Bi Xiao’s eyes lit up.

“Xiao~~”

Bi Xiao stood in the training grounds of Kamar-Taj. A young, chubby Asian sorcerer saw Bi Xiao and called out.

Bi Xiao turned, nodded politely, then disappeared in a golden glow and ripple, leaving the young Asian sorcerer standing with his mouth agape.