Chapter 672: New Gods Emerge Across the Universe (Part 2)

Perhaps, except for Helen, everyone else saw Peter as a junior, so when Peter encountered trouble, their first thought was to band together and find a solution for him.

But Helen had only been born a short time ago and spent most of her time living in Stark Tower, while Peter frequently came here to conduct experiments; the two were very familiar with each other, so Helen preferred to view Peter as a friend and, when helping him solve problems, was more inclined to suggest ideas and let Peter handle the execution himself.

It turned out this was highly effective: during meditation, Peter saw the source of this faith power—a group of bats.

So Peter thought of the bat totem mentioned earlier by Shi Ler and told Helen about it; Helen's eyes widened and said: "So you've become a god who can collect faith?"

"Hmm, maybe… more like a symbol…" Peter's tone was uncertain.

Helen wore a thoughtful expression, then suddenly smiled—and Peter's spine chilled, because that smile was identical to Loki's.

Half an hour later, Peter, Helen, and Pikachu gathered together; Pikachu rubbed his tiny paws and looked at Helen: "You mean you want to borrow the bat totem's ability to gather faith, collect more of it, and store it?"

Helen nodded: "Although we don't know who worships this totem or why Peter became it, one thing is certain: this energy is useful—and extremely useful."

"I was born with the ability to use magic and can directly convert this faith energy into magical energy. Peter receives this faith energy—his soul should now be capable of using magic too. As for you…"

Helen finished, ran up to Pikachu, stood straight, and compared heights with him; finding herself slightly taller, she triumphantly raised her hand and said: "No one expects a mouse to use magic, but from what I've observed, you seem to possess some mysterious power—something similar to magic. Perhaps it can also be converted into faith energy…"

Pikachu snorted, then burst into yellow light and floated into the air: "Little girl, you must learn to show basic respect to the Source of Fear, the Yellow Lantern Beast, Pikachu…"

But Helen snorted back, rose into the air, and behind her three luminous rings blazed to life—brighter than the sun outside the window.

Seeing the two about to clash, Peter quickly stepped between them: "Hey, we're teammates now—no infighting. Let's focus on Helen's plan…"

Both sides stood tense, neither willing to yield—but finally, each uttered a few polite phrases and turned to seriously discuss the plan to gather faith energy.

Helen spoke: "Since you can communicate with the bat totem through meditation, can you make the totem manifest directly? That way, you'd attract more worshippers—and receive more faith energy."

"I think you need a Pope," Pikachu said. "Is it called Pope? You need people to handle this."

"Don't tell me you want to assign this crucial task to a mouse?" Helen glanced at Pikachu; the two little creatures immediately began shoving each other.

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and held them both: "Fine, you two are both my Popes. Now, work together—come up with a plan. That's your job."

"Don't worry—I'll do a better job than her!" Pikachu turned and walked away, muttering: "Don't disturb me. I need to think alone."

Helen rolled her eyes and walked to the other side: "…pretentious little mouse."

Pikachu and Helen seemed inherently incompatible—even separated at opposite ends of the lab, they kept exchanging barbs.

After a while, each presented a plan. Pikachu spoke first: "The key is efficiently extracting this energy. I suspect the current growth rate isn't the limit. Figuring out where this energy comes from, how it arrives, and whether we can accelerate its transmission is our next goal."

"No, you're wrong," Helen said. "The key is gaining more worshippers. Only by attracting—sorry, cultivating—more believers can you fundamentally increase your power."

Then they began arguing fiercely, shouting over each other—until Peter finally snapped: "Stop! Listen to me! I think…"

Helen and Pikachu turned to him. Peter faltered, his confidence dimming: "I think… you're both right. Why not try both approaches?"

"I'm not working with this brat!" Pikachu turned his head away dismissively. Helen sniffed: "I won't work with this yellow mouse either!"

"Alright, alright," Peter said, as if soothing children: "Fine, split up—each handle your own side. Whoever does better gets a certificate: Best Pope Award. Deal?"

"Just wait—I won't lose to a newborn brat!" Pikachu declared.

"Lose to a mouse? I've never even considered that possibility!" Helen retorted.

They bared their teeth at each other, then turned their backs and walked in opposite directions—leaving Peter alone in the middle, shaking his head helplessly and sighing.

It proved true: competition breeds motivation. Pikachu and Helen launched a fierce rivalry to become the Bat Totem's Best Pope.

Helen started with meditation, dragging Peter through magic training to strengthen his soul so he could directly control the bat totem's manifestation and recruit more worshippers.

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Pikachu, meanwhile, wanted to increase the energy transmitted through wires—or better yet, actively siphon it without transmission.

Combined with Peter's astonishing intellect and comprehension, they quickly achieved remarkable results.

First, through meditation, Peter could increasingly clearly sense the presence of the bats—even slightly influence their flight paths.

Second, while controlling the bats, Peter heard faint, almost imperceptible prayers.

Both Pikachu and Helen believed these prayers were the key to locating the source of faith. The three began experimenting with methods to record and respond to the sounds.

After several attempts, they finally made progress: the worshippers sensed the bat totem was responding, became more focused in their prayers, and the faith energy surged faster.

Peter noticed this energy seemed to affect the bats: their flight paths, once random, now followed distinct patterns under the golden light, their forms gradually shifting.

Peter described what he observed. Helen and Pikachu's views aligned instantly: Helen said: "No—we must not let them influence the totem."

"Then what should I do?" Peter asked.

Helen thought, then placed her hand on Peter's shoulder—immediately, half the golden light was drained away, and the bats returned to their original state.

Peter continued meditating, responding to the prayers. The worshippers, sensing his response, kept offering more faith energy. As the faith energy increased, it began affecting the bat totem—whereupon Helen and Pikachu would siphon it away.

"Wait! I felt something!" Peter suddenly spoke: "They're conveying an emotion… confusion? What are they confused about?"

Helen and Pikachu exchanged glances: "I think it's because your response isn't clear enough. Maybe if we continue a few more times, they'll realize you're paying attention—and it'll improve."

Peter scratched his head. Though something felt off, he didn't dwell on it and resumed responding to the worshippers.

Peter meditated intensely, responding; the worshippers prayed earnestly; Helen and Pikachu continuously siphoned the faith energy. Soon, Pikachu began burping.

Helen glanced at him, sneering: "That's all you can handle? I haven't even reached a third full yet… Ge!"

Pikachu laughed. Helen laughed too. Peter reached out and patted both their heads: "This is better—no fighting. Be kind to your friends…"

Helen turned her head away: "Who's his friend? I won't be friends with a mouse!"

"I won't argue with a little girl—especially one barely months old…" Pikachu shot back.

Peter realized they only grew quiet when working. To distract them, he had no choice but to focus on his task.

After another ten minutes or so, Pikachu lay on his back on the lab table: "I can't take any more—I've got other energies inside me. This unconverted faith energy? I can't digest it…"

So the primary role of absorbing faith energy fell to Helen. About ten minutes later, Pikachu stared at her in surprise: "You're… glowing?"

Helen looked down at her hands and feet: her skin now shimmered like brilliant crystal, radiating a beautiful luster. Her entire form seemed to be turning transparent—her outline deepened, yet her overall hue grew lighter.

"Oh my god, is this harmful to you?" Peter worried. "We should stop this."

"No—I can feel it. I'm evolving." Helen said.

Pikachu's eyes widened in shock: "You're evolving??"

Helen looked puzzled: "Why can't I evolve? Humans evolve too—just slower. Didn't humans slowly evolve into what they are today?"

"Hmm… this kind of evolution? Alright…"

Helen continued: "I think another half hour should be enough…"

Peter was curious too—what exactly did Helen mean by "evolving"? Seeing no signs of distress beyond her glowing form, he relaxed and resumed his meditation.

After another half hour, as Helen predicted, most of her body had turned transparent, speckled with tiny golden lights.

A starry sky unfolded, and from its center erupted blinding radiance. Helen's small figure emerged from the halo—slightly taller than before.

Then the light vanished. The starry sky disappeared. Helen landed on the lab table.

Peter picked her up, examined her closely—no visible changes. But Helen's first words stunned both Peter and Pikachu.

She landed, crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and declared: "You may call me Helen Stark—or… the God of Destruction."