The Green Goblin Is Born

The people who killed others weren't frightening.

What was frightening were the people who could clean up a crime scene so thoroughly that not even a single hair could be found.

After confirming that no one could possibly find even a single hair at the scene, Yuri used Jinger's memories to teleport to the room of his assistant, Karen. His mental powers surged forth, carefully planting a false memory in her mind: a "sad farewell, along with instructions not to tell anyone."

When he returned to Jinger's presidential suite, he pretended not to notice the five of them—Shack and the others—looking at him with eyes full of things they wanted to say. He put Jinger's corpse into the Black Sphere, then the six of them joined hands. A flash of deep blue light passed, and deathly silence settled over the presidential suite once more.

With Yuri leading the way, the six took a long detour through New York City at one in the morning before returning to the commercial street where their shop was located. They jumped through the rooftop ceiling they'd opened beforehand, and before it could close completely, the five—led by Vanax—rushed to restore their helmets to forehead-guard mode.

"He just died!?"

Vanax couldn't believe it.

"He didn't even get a chance to fire an energy blast!"

Kate wondered if they'd finished him off too quickly.

"One punch. I mean, we each only threw one punch!"

Tiger marveled at how fragile the shooter had been.

"Have we really gotten this strong?"

Cheetah fell into deep self-doubt.

"The Eternals aren't all that impressive!"

Shack was certain he was still standing on solid ground.

Yuri removed his gear piece by piece and tossed it onto the workbench. When he was done, he sat cross-legged and changed from his human form back into his muscular Mutant True Form. "Shut up, all of you. I'm going to evolve."

The Mutants possessed an evolutionary ability that even the Gods Group couldn't control. As a race of flesh-and-blood beings, they generally evolved over countless generations. But as the Mutant Leader, the best of the best, Yuri had actively evolved the transmission tubes on his back through years of brutal fighting. They could absorb his enemies' abilities and assimilate them into his own, making him a more perfect and powerful being.

Heaven knew how hard Yuri had struggled to hold back on the way home. Jinger's superpower had been like a fireball, scorching Yuri as it fought to break free. Mysterious patterns had charged around like a herd of wild bulls, but in the end, they had lost to Yuri's mastery over his own body.

Now, he didn't have to hold back anymore!

Golden patterns seemed to come alive, coursing through Yuri's skin, flesh, bones, and meridians. Under the influence of the Life Energy that flourished within him, they swiftly transformed his body, staking out territory of their own.

Shack and the others watched anxiously as Yuri sat on the floor, his body slowly shrinking. In just a few breaths, each strand of tough, stringy muscle grew tighter and more solid. His four horrifying eyes slowly drew together in pairs and fused. Then, after a ripple of flesh, a brilliant golden eye, with not a trace of white, emerged from the center of Yuri's forehead. The evolution of his exterior then came to a halt, but the transformation within continued.

Countless golden patterns gathered on Yuri's hands, arms, and forehead. They burrowed into his flesh and bones, imprinting themselves firmly upon them. Even his elusive soul was veined with golden light. For some reason, Yuri felt that it was gradually becoming more tangible, more real...

Two minutes later, Yuri stood before the dressing-room mirror on the third floor, admiring his new Mutant True Form. His muscles were sleek, his limbs long and powerful, and his shadow cast by the lights looked no different from that of an ordinary human. When he shifted into human form, all he had to do was hide his metallic blue-green skin and the extraordinary eye in the center of his forehead.

"Congratulations on reaching a new level, Boss."

The five stared at their leader with feverish admiration. He looked rather small for a Mutant, but their keen senses could detect the deadly danger contained within him. Only Silly Bird kept glancing at a certain enormous, indescribable lump, her feverish gaze tinged with a yearning obsession.

Yuri turned around. The moment he saw her like that, his face darkened. Kate shot a disdainful glance at Vanax, who was practically drooling over him, then kindly went to fetch Yuri some clothes and help him get dressed.

Once everyone had lined up again, Yuri looked at them and asked, "Do you still think the Eternals are strong?"

Before the five could answer, he continued, "We are the most powerful predators on this planet. We are the guardians of every civilization's origins in the universe. We are a race of beings that even the creators fear—the Mutants!"

"I've sensed that enormous changes are coming. They will sweep across the entire universe, and their impact will be so great that they could reshape the very world. We have awakened in answer to this moment. We were born to leave our mark on this new stage. To survive, to distinguish ourselves, we must keep evolving, keep moving forward, and keep growing stronger."

"The Eternals on Earth are only the beginning. Our goal is to kill every Eternal in the universe."

"The great journey has only just begun!"

At the same time.

The top floor of the Osborn Building.

Norman Osborn had just put down the phone. His expression grew increasingly savage. "Damn you, Tony Stark! Connors, how dare you betray me!"

Just moments ago, a military commander had called him personally, saying that with Connors's help, the real genius, Tony Stark, had developed a restorative drug that could be called a "revolutionary product." Tests had shown that it could heal severe injuries in a short time. There was no doubt that once put into use, it would greatly reduce the number of soldiers killed on the battlefield. Unlike the Super Soldier Serum, which enhanced individual combat abilities, the restorative drug effectively enhanced the combat capabilities of the entire army.

After discussing the matter, the military brass had decided to cut back on their financial support and policy favors for Osborn's Super Soldier Serum project. After all, compared to an unfinished product that had shown no results for ages, a proven, usable restorative drug was far more appealing to the practical-minded officers.

Norman furiously smashed everything in his office that he could get his hands on. The Super Soldier Serum project he personally oversaw wasn't just a collaboration with the military. It was also his hope of curing his family's hereditary genetic disease. He was so close to success, victory was right within reach... Why had Connors betrayed him and handed the research results over to that playboy, Tony Stark!?

Rage, resentment, fear.

Norman suddenly stopped. A wildly audacious idea came to him: Connors had transformed into the Lizardman after injecting himself with the drug, but maybe that was exactly what had enabled him to develop a drug that could perfectly regenerate severed limbs. Norman's Super Soldier Serum had also reached its final stage. If he followed Connors's example, could he develop a truly harmless serum after injecting himself?

The idea quickly took root in his mind, sprouting branches and leaves until it grew into a towering tree that blocked out every other thought. Norman ran to the laboratory and, under the horrified gaze of the staff on duty, completed the preparations for injecting the serum. Then he climbed straight into the replica of the Life Pod.

Green smoke quickly enveloped Norman inside the glass pod. Heart-rending screams immediately filled the sealed Life Pod... No one knew how long it lasted before his screams were gradually replaced by a chilling, sinister laugh. The alloy hatch was kicked open, and Norman Osborn stepped out, his face contorted and his eyes filled with evil!