Marvel: A New God's Reign

Chapter 64: The Bargain

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"I Will Be The God Of This New World."

– Light Yagami, (Death Note)

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<Omniscient POV>

"What... what is this place?" Phil stammered, bewildered by the sudden shift in his surroundings as well as the mysterious and handsome 'divine' figure wrapped in golden light, claiming to be God himself. 

'I sure hope this is not another prank by the boss... or worse, one of his loyalty tests.' Phil thought as he remembered how quirky his boss could be at the most unexpected of times.

The New God, on the other hand, regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "This is the realm of the mind, your mind to be exact, Agent Coulson. A place where physical bodies are completely useless."

Hearing this, Phil's mind raced with disbelief as he remembered his previous words. "You... you can't be... THE God, right?" Coulson struggled to speak after a few moments of definitive silence. However, his confident voice was not without a certain amount of uncertainty.

"I am the God that is meant to protect and guide the flock," the metahuman God interrupted while speaking in an exaggerated otherworldly tone of voice. "But you can believe whatever you want to, Phil. You have the free will to do so. Not believing me won't change reality. But don't worry, I am not here to harm you." Atem revealed. "I am simply here to save you all, to give you all a second chance..."

The moment Phil heard the 'God's' bold words, his instincts screamed at him to resist, to reject this being's claims of divinity. Yet, as he remembered the missiles thundering toward him in the real world before he was pulled into this unique space, he couldn't deny the truth: this... entity had saved him from certain death. Even if the being might not be THE God, he was most certainly someone an ordinary agent like him could not comprehend.

'Wait, is it possible that he is the very same Metahuman God Natasha has been tasked to get close to?' Coulson suddenly had an epiphany. 'Now that I think about it, he does look pretty similar to that guy. Perhaps, he is finally coming out in the open with this incident... But if he is really as powerful as he claims, then his threat level is way higher than the boss believes. Hell, he might even be a god, just like he claims.'

"The Iron army that you mortals have created is doing exactly what they were meant for, massacring ordinary people. And as you can see, they are quite efficient at that too. That last missile had a hundred percent chance of killing you and your friends right then and there. If I hadn't summoned you at that exact moment, you would have turned into a pile of dust and smoke by now. So, you are here for your own good." Atem stated offhandedly.

"I see. But that raises a very important question. Why did you save me? What do you stand to gain from it? If you want to negotiate a deal or something, my boss is the person you should speak with." Coulson calmly expressed.

"There isn't much of personal gain for me in this endeavor. My primary motive is the preservation of all of your lives. In return for that, I simply request your faith. Pledge your unwavering devotion to me, and I will shield you from any peril. It's only through your faith in me that I can utilize my power to its fullest potential to aid you. After all, only if you have faith in God, will God have faith in you." Atem spun his web of manipulation by mixing his words with some small white lies.

The New God of Domination didn't rely on Coulson's faith or belief to save him; his formidable abilities alone could have easily accomplished the task, regardless of the fact if Coulson gave him his allegiance or not. The true motive behind his actions lay in something completely else— the presence of a certain "Faith" stat within his system. Despite his efforts, this stat remained inert, stubbornly refusing to budge. The New God theorized that garnering new dedicated followers who would place their faith in him might bolster this stat and unveil its true power.