Fusion Card: Angel Wings.
"The Angel Wings from the six-winged Archangel Michael. Through the Angel Wings, one can absorb, store, and utilize a certain amount of Light Energy or the power of faith. Simultaneously, one gains the ability to fly. Of course, the wings and feathers themselves can also become weapons."
This is the most orthodox pair of Angel wings.
Hong Fei wasn't sure if he needed to become a "birdman" because of this. After Michael was swallowed, the white light that had filled the world vanished abruptly, and the last trace of sunset on the horizon dissipated with it. The gate to the Dragon Dimension closed rapidly, and soft moonlight spilled down from the cloudless sky.
Hong Fei put away Gungnir and turned to survey the ground. The people, still in shock, hadn't yet recovered. The golden blood that had flowed from Michael's wings had dried on the ground, shining mottled gold under the moonlight like scattered stars.
He wanted to say something, but seeing their expressions and eyes, he decided against it. Believe it or not, he had killed the legendary six-winged Archangel right before their eyes. If someone still couldn't choose between their own life and religious faith, then such a person wouldn't be missed when they died in the future. Hopefully, their god could really take them into Heaven. Turning away, he stepped silently through the space portal.
The entire city lay silent.
Kamar-Taj.
"Why did a god run out?"
The Ancient One didn't answer directly upon seeing Hong Fei. Instead, she asked, "Are you done?"
"I still have half a minute."
"You're too anxious."
"Of course I'm anxious. I've realized this universe has suddenly become... abnormal."
The Ancient One regarded him for a moment before replying, "Indeed."
Hong Fei perked up.
"You think so too, right?"
"Of course. All universes are abnormal. No matter how normal a universe seems, when compared to the infinite multiverse of parallel universes, it appears very abnormal."
Hong Fei froze, then shook his head quickly.
"No, I mean this universe specifically—there's something wrong with it."
"There's no problem."
"If there's no problem, why would a god run out?"
"You're asking the wrong question. Gods have always existed on Earth. They didn't suddenly appear; they've been here longer than you."
"I know, but the timing's off."
The Ancient One shook her head gently.
"You've already figured it out. I can confirm your previous thoughts about gods are correct."
Hong Fei frowned.
"Why don't you kill them?"
"They're barely useful."
"The Dark Dimension?"
The Ancient One nodded.
"I thought you wouldn't allow such gods to exist. Their churches aren't entirely beneficial." The Ancient One smiled without speaking. Her glance at Hong Fei conveyed volumes. Understanding the definition of life isn't difficult, but attitudes toward life can never be unified.
It's like how humans face a mosquito versus a kitten. More cruelly, would humans pity life forms they can't see with the naked eye? More bluntly, would they save cattle and sheep bred specifically as livestock? Perhaps the comparison isn't perfect, but the principle remains the same.
Just like when Hong Fei guided the Dark Elves before, he didn't care at all whether people would die or how many would perish. The Ancient One added, "His power isn't as vast as you imagine. Long ago, there were many gods on Earth, but as you know, Asgard unified the Nine Realms. These gods could persist and absorb faith, but their movements were constrained by the Aesir."
"This is ancient history—so old even Odin might not know the details."
The Aesir were different. Odin and Thor didn't need human faith to exist or grow stronger. Like the Greek pantheon, Zeus and his descendants bred with every race under the sun, never relying on mortal worship. Compared to them, faith gods were downright pathetic.
Hong Fei's thoughts raced.
"So, can I kill them?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Humans need to retain some faith. Otherwise, dark gods from the Dark Dimension will exploit the void."
"They can believe in me."
"You're not a god."
"I could be."
"That would take centuries. You'd have to wait until I died."
"Why?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme has an agreement with them."
"Simple. I'll kill them, and the agreement vanishes."
The Ancient One sighed. "You can't wipe them out yet. Acting rashly will only destabilize faith, causing more harm than good."
Hong Fei relented.
"Fine. I'll just kill them after you die."
"Don't make trouble for him. He needs time to grow."
"Understood."
The Ancient One hesitated before continuing.
"When I said you're too impatient, I didn't mean you shouldn't have asked me now. But all your actions—they're too fast. Faster than anyone can follow. You've seized control of events that should've unfolded naturally, warping Earth's future—hell, the universe's. First, you altered the lives of those around you. Then a city. Now? You've reshaped nearly everyone on the planet."
"That exaggerated?"
"Of course. Change starts small. Take someone suicidal, drowning in life's chaos. Because they know you, your image flickers through their mind a second before they pull the trigger. Suddenly, the Dragon King's existence changes their mind. That person lives. Maybe they thrive, raise a family. Their descendants become heroes—or villains. That's change. Among billions, even a one-in-a-billion chance still spawns dozens of new players. And over time? The odds only climb."
"Why?"
"Because the world has changed. Technology, magic—reasons for mutation multiply daily."
Hong Fei thought of the Vulture, that thorn in Spider-Man's side. He shook his head.
"You're saying they wouldn't exist if not for me?" The Ancient One smiled.
"You catch on quick."
"I grasp the logic. But their emergence... it feels like losing control."
"That's normal. You can't expect the other party to keep watching when you might steal their rice bowl, right?"
"Faith's more than a rice bowl to them."
The Ancient One nodded.
"Exactly. Like blood to humans."
"But they could expand their faith elsewhere."
"One radish, one hole. Faith wars are brutal. There are faith gods in the universe other than on Earth."
"Understood. So they don't care if they cause me trouble in front of humans; they just want to make me lose the opportunity to compete for faith. Gods cannot lose faith, just like women cannot be without black silk stockings, and the West cannot lose Jerusalem."
The Ancient One's smile suddenly froze on her face.
"Goodbye!"
Hong Fei turned and disappeared directly. After leaving Kamar-Taj, the doubts swirling in Hong Fei's mind had not yet disappeared. His previous speculation about faith gods was correct, and the explanation given by the Ancient One could also be taken as supporting evidence. But Hong Fei still felt that something was wrong, but if he were asked to say what was wrong, he couldn't explain it clearly.
Ultimately, it comes back to that sentence: This Universe might really not be very normal. His strength is already not weak. Dragon Power can allow him to perceive and understand bits of information about the future in a unique way. This is a special ability similar to the "cicada senses the autumn wind before it moves."
The intuition stemming from the Soul cannot be wrong. Based on this, the abnormality of this Universe is inevitable. The appearance of faith gods is just the catalyst. The reasons for their appearance have been analyzed very clearly and correctly, but it was they who gave Hong Fei the first trace of doubt, and then this bit of thinking prompted him to learn about the truly abnormal part through the ability of "the cicada senses the autumn wind before it moves."
At least, this Universe cannot be the movie Universe he had "seen" before, as he had previously thought. The biggest possibility is that it might just be a Universe where most of the matter and plot are close to the movie Universe, with a very high degree of similarity but not exactly the same.
The question is, was such alienation already existing before Hong Fei arrived in this Universe, or was it a unique branch that suddenly derived because of his appearance? If it is the latter, that's fine, but assuming it is the former, then Hong Fei feels that he should investigate the differences carefully. In addition, he also thought of another possibility. A possibility that sounds very creepy.
Time Variance Authority, or TVA for short. If this agency that meddles in others' business still exists, then they should have appeared directly at the same time Hong Fei arrived. From here, two possibilities can be distinguished. First, this agency has been destroyed by a certain Loki, and the timeline experienced by the Universe where Hong Fei is now is relatively many years slower, so that no TVA personnel appeared. Second, the Loki series once indicated that the TVA's method of maintaining the Sacred Timeline is to prune all branches born on the main trunk.
However, if the future of a certain timeline is destined to be destroyed, then before the predetermined destruction result is changed, and under the premise that destruction is destined, no matter what changes, big or small, appear on this timeline, the final result will not change in any way. Then, the Sacred Timeline will naturally not be destroyed, and the TVA will naturally not be aware of it.