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[Marvel: Xenomorphs] Chapter 69: Sentinels, Embrace the Truth and Become the Ultimate Alien (Part 1)
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 16:17:42 +0000 UTC"Your expression tells me you've thought of something very unpleasant," Ancient One remarked calmly.
She didn't believe there was anything wrong with her approach. More importantly, as long as it worked, that was all that mattered.
Duncan remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "I can't help but suspect that one day, throughout the entire multiverse, every major figure will be your creditor."
"That would be quite an interesting future. If that day truly comes, it would mean my strength has reached an extremely high level. Otherwise, so many powerful beings wouldn't be willing to lend me their power."
Ancient One scrutinized Duncan. "If you ever become a strong figure in this universe, then I'd be honored to borrow some power from you as well."
Duncan hadn't expected this at all. He had considered many possibilities beforehand—for example, that the Ancient One of this universe might be a male version, exceptionally powerful, and even favored by cosmic entities like Eternity.
He had also mentally prepared himself for the worst-case scenario, where the Ancient One would treat him as an enemy and attempt to eliminate him. He had meticulously planned a series of countermeasures and multiple self-preservation strategies specifically for such an event.
But in the end, things didn't unfold in the worst possible way—though it wasn't exactly smooth sailing either.
"Suddenly, I find that bizarre future quite intriguing. If that day truly comes, you might just be the safest person in the multiverse—in a way."
The entire multiverse would be filled with vicious creditors, each one eager to kill the Ancient One, yet paradoxically unwilling to see her perish.
But if it reached that point, the Ancient One would have already accumulated enough power from countless formidable beings. Her strength would have likely reached an unimaginably high level—perhaps even transcending individuality.
Could she achieve omnipotence on a singular level? As for ascending to a multiversal entity, Duncan thought about it and deemed it impossible.
"After dealing with you this time, my instincts are telling me I should stay far away from you," Duncan said solemnly, contemplating a particular possibility.
"You won't get far. Don't forget, you still need my help to develop that magic. If everything goes smoothly—"
"Aliens aren't omnipotent, but they definitely don't have issues with lifespan. However, I doubt you can survive for a few decades."
Ancient One lowered her head in thought. "Even if my body perishes, my soul will remain intact."
"Good. Then I can now confirm one thing—once you lose your body and achieve 'death' in the physical sense, you'll likely only be able to bear half of your original debt."
Kaecilius suffered from numerous ailments—even as the Sorcerer Supreme in Strange's timeline, he struggled with stomach ulcers, insomnia, and various minor afflictions despite having a group of devoted monks sharing the burden.
So the question was: if the Ancient One abandoned her body and existed only as a soul to repay her debts, how long could she last?
Or rather, how long would those powerful entities, who occasionally cast their gazes upon the universe, tolerate her tricks once they realized she was playing games with them?
Right now, even with a physical form, the Ancient One was already struggling to pay off her magical debts.
"I've said it before—there are always more solutions than problems."
Her expression remained entirely composed, showing not a hint of anxiety. As the Sorcerer Supreme, she had schemed and planned for centuries—she was more than prepared.
Meanwhile, Duncan shook his head and immediately summoned more Xenomorphs, ensuring they were fully armed and ready to go. He needed to accelerate his learning of magic as much as possible.
In an instant, golden portals began appearing throughout the Weyland Tower.
Ordinary people who were there for business negotiations halted in their tracks, staring in confusion at the glowing circles materializing out of thin air.
"What is this, some kind of trick?"
"Don't be ridiculous, use your brain, idiot! Even if it were a trick, how could it be happening inside Weyland Tower? Weyland Corp doesn't run a circus."
"I think someone is invading Weyland Tower. That's insane—so many people have died proving that this is a terrible idea."
Their shock only intensified when they saw countless Xenomorphs lining up efficiently and charging through the golden portals.
As the portals closed, the Xenomorphs vanished one by one.
"Teleportation? Is magic real?"
"Which superhuman ability is this? And it's spatial teleportation at that. I don't recall any mutant possessing such a method of crossing space—not even Nightcrawler could do it at this level."
The crowd erupted in a frenzy, with many people hastily pulling out their phones to report the situation to their superiors.
It didn't take long before the entire world knew that Kamar-Taj was collaborating with Duncan—though the exact nature of their alliance remained unknown.
But even that was enough. It was a piece of information that sparked speculation—especially for someone like Nick Fury.
"Why would the Sorcerer Supreme get involved with Duncan? This isn't funny at all."
Fury let out a deep sigh. His job was becoming increasingly difficult. Everything had been going smoothly—so why had the situation spiraled out of control in just a few months?
Everything was slipping from his grasp.
"The Mother Mold platform has successfully crossed Venus' orbit and is heading toward the Sun," Hill reported excitedly as she skimmed through a virtual screen.
"Good work, Hill. With this, we now have a critical weapon in our hands." Fury's eyes gleamed with a trace of hope.
The Mother Mold project was an extreme enhancement of the Sentinel program. Everyone knew that ordinary Sentinels alone weren't enough to eradicate mutants worldwide.
Even if the robots achieved their ultimate goal—replicating mutant X-genes, allowing one Sentinel to copy abilities and instantly transmit them to all others—
Even then, they still wouldn't be able to deal with Magneto and Professor X.
Magneto could crush all metallic constructs and use his near-omnipotent magnetism to erase any mechanical threats.
Professor X couldn't directly affect machines, but he could eliminate the people controlling them—or simply command someone to rewrite the Sentinel's control codes.
A major force is rising at the speed of light. Before long, it might become an even bigger problem than the mutants. That guy is manually creating and expanding an entirely new and terrifying race.
"First Asgard, and now Kamar-Taj? Even the Sorcerer Supreme has high hopes for Duncan, despite the fact that he's a disruptor of modern society's order?"
Fury had never dealt with the Sorcerer Supreme personally, but some of his subordinates had.
He called in a Dum Dum.
"I told you last time—when I ask you again, I expect an explanation. You burn through so much funding every time. What exactly are you doing? The number of clones you've produced is enough to form an army! If I weren't keeping it under control, people would think you were preparing to establish a nation overseas!"
Fury's expression was grim. With Coulson's death, his patience was wearing thin.
Now, things were further complicated by the involvement of Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Boss, I was just about to report to you. I found one of Duncan's subordinates in Kamar-Taj—the Eternal named Druig. He had a long conversation with the Ancient One," Dum Dum said.
"But my gut tells me that guy isn't just Druig. It's highly likely that Duncan was using the alien in his chest to communicate with the Ancient One."
"So you have no idea what they talked about?"
"Of course not. We're just a bunch of magic apprentices. The Sorcerer Supreme said our time would come soon, but I haven't figured out how she plans to use us yet."
Dum Dum looked just as puzzled.
With the knowledge S.H.I.E.L.D. had acquired so far, their research on magic was still in its infancy. All they knew was that talented sorcerers could generate magical particles through study and channel them into powerful spells.
For now, they hadn't yet grasped the fundamental truth of magic—that it was all about borrowing power.
Even someone as cunning as Fury couldn't understand the Ancient One's motives. What was the point of recruiting so many Dum Dums?
"Boss, we're about to make a big move. I know leaking intel isn't great, but judging from the Sorcerer Supreme's attitude, she doesn't seem intent on keeping this a secret."
Dum Dum tapped his temple, sifting through the cloud storage memories shared by all the clones.
"Almost all the sorcerers have been dispatched, spreading across the world as if preparing to face something extreme."
"And you? Since there are so many of you, you must have received orders from the Ancient One too, right?"
"No, quite the opposite, Boss. Not a single one of us was sent out. We were all ordered to stay behind and guard the Sanctum."
Dum Dum suspected it was because they were too weak. But then he realized—if every other magic apprentice and sorcerer had been deployed, why weren't they included?
"Wait, Boss. A new memory just uploaded—let me check… Damn, what have I just seen? A whole swarm of aliens infiltrating our ranks and learning magic!"
They were truly shocked. Even inside the grand hall of Kamar-Taj, one could spot the aliens. Just a sideways glance at those towering, ferocious beings sent chills down their spines.
Teaching aliens magic—was this the deal between Duncan and the Sorcerer Supreme?
Preparations were unfolding in an orderly manner.
Even the Dum Dums could sense the brewing storm ahead.
Just then, Fury heard Hill let out a startled cry.
"Find out what's going on immediately! Our technology can't be failing us now." Fury remained calm.
Scientists and engineers bustled back and forth, whispering with grim expressions.
"Preliminary reports indicate that an unknown and terrifying entity is compressing the surrounding space. Unfortunately, our mothership was unlucky enough to be caught in the path of this moving force," a scientist reported.
Fury clasped his hands behind his back and gazed up at the sky, as if trying to see beyond the sun's edge.
Something powerful enough to affect the mothership? That sounded like a bad cosmic joke. Just how massive was this entity?
It seemed Kamar-Taj was preparing for this all along.
"Realign the trajectory! The mothership must be deployed to the designated location." Fury ordered.
"We failed. We've completely lost contact with the mothership… It's gone."
"What?"
Dormammu had every reason to be furious.
As an ancient cosmic demon with a feared and revered name across the universe, he was used to being worshiped. Yet, on Earth—this tiny, insignificant planet—he had suffered repeated setbacks.
The Ancient One was like an unbreakable wall. Even though she wasn't stronger than him, she always found ways to thwart him.
But what truly enraged Dormammu was the way the Ancient One treated him—as if he were some gullible fool to be played with.
"Now, even my loyal servant Kaecilius is dead!"
Just the thought of it made Dormammu seethe with rage. His colossal, planet-sized form burned with roaring flames of fury.
The people of Earth would never understand just how much Dormammu had invested in Kaecilius.
They had no idea that, in order to elevate Kaecilius to a level where he could at least exchange a few blows with the Ancient One, Dormammu had paid an immense price.
At times, Dormammu felt as though an even greater being was watching from some unfathomable height.
He had done so much—yet gained nothing in return. Rapidly cultivating Kaecilius and a legion of dark sorcerers had only increased his burdens, all in the pursuit of breaking Earth's magical defenses and ultimately eliminating the Ancient One.
Sending a group of minor debtors to deal with someone drowning in massive debt? Even Dormammu thought something seemed off about this plan, but at the time, he had no other choice.
But now, he no longer needed to worry. Dormammu had decided to take matters into his own hands.
Killing the Ancient One wasn't the real goal—finding the source of the aliens was.
A flicker of deep malice flashed within Dormammu's vast, starless eyes.
Aliens—such creatures were the perfect vessels.
If he could seize control of the source, craft carefully designed magical hosts, then Dormammu could mass-produce magical avatars and flood them onto Earth.
"The Ancient One can rely on magic wards and artifacts to resist me, but can she stop an endless number of weaker versions of me from appearing across the planet?"
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