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Chapter 41: Calling Help from a Petty Ally
🕑 Added 2025-01-31 15:42:06 +0000 UTC"Loki is indeed secretly protecting Thor. He talks about wanting to kill his brother, but he won't allow anyone to lay a finger on Thor."
In fact, Duncan had sensed Loki's presence the moment he started moving around.
That's right—Duncan doesn't have magic or divine power, and he can't see an invisible Loki with his eyes. But don't forget, he has countless Xenomorphs, which means he has countless "eyes."
When Loki walks, he inevitably steps on the ground. The sand, the dust floating in the air, the flow of air—all of these are within the sensory range of the Xenomorphs, the ultimate killing machines. Even if they can't see Loki, by focusing on these subtle changes, they can detect his presence and movements.
Duncan just never pointed it out. If Loki's invisibility were truly flawless, able to ignore the basic laws of physics, he wouldn't need to compete with Thor at all—he could easily crush him.
To be honest, when Loki discovered the Queen, Duncan was already evaluating whether the Queen could single-handedly kill Loki.
The conclusion was: impossible.
The reason is simple. While the Queen is terrifyingly powerful, this universe's Loki is likely not the same as the series version—or the Loki from Earth-199999.
A normal Loki, with his formidable divine power and magic, is no joke. He's the infamous God of Mischief across the Nine Realms, and that reputation isn't for nothing.
Just one point: Loki's regenerative abilities are stronger than Wolverine's!
Even if Loki stood still and let someone kill him, it would be incredibly difficult to actually kill him!
Add to that his Frost Giant heritage, his millennia of training under Odin and Frigga, his arsenal of equipment, and his inherently cunning nature—unlike Thor, who charges in recklessly—Loki rarely leaves openings.
So, Loki has every right to call himself the second-greatest mage in the Nine Realms in front of Kaecilius. Duncan, who was monitoring him from afar through the Xenomorphs, also acknowledges this.
Although Kaecilius doesn't agree. He doesn't believe that as the Ancient One's top disciple and Dormammu's carefully cultivated enforcer, he would lose to an Asgardian!
Even if that Asgardian is a god!
"You do have some skill, reaching such a high level in both divine power and magic. I see now—you're the God of Mischief, Loki? But you've only achieved this strength through your long lifespan!"
Kaecilius lashed out with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, striking at Loki, but the bands passed right through him. He sneered, "If I had a thousand years to train, I wouldn't need divine power—just magic alone would be enough to kill you in one move!"
He had reached his current level after only a few decades of training!
Loki, constantly using spells to create multiple afterimages, frowned. He had to admit that this Midgardian mage was indeed powerful.
No wonder he had earned the favor and teachings of both the Ancient One and Dormammu.
But he still wasn't a match for Loki!
"This world has never been fair, has it? Some are born as divine heirs, while others are born into lowly status. Some can do anything and gain everyone's approval, while others, no matter how hard they try, always fall short!"
Loki thought of Thor, who had always basked in the glory of Asgard, and his hatred surged, his envy nearly consuming him.
Kaecilius sneered, "Nonsense. Your birth is just an excuse. I've worked tirelessly for years to gain the power to kill a god like you!"
"You've made a fatal mistake, mortal—you've severely underestimated the power of a god."
Loki created numerous clones, dodging the Crimson Bands. If he were hit by those, even with his regenerative abilities, it would hurt. Those bands were formed from the demonic power borrowed from Cyttorak!
The two mages were now fighting in earnest, hurling powerful spells at each other like they were free. Whether to prove who was truly the second-greatest mage or to quickly eliminate the other and clear the path for their plans.
But one thing was certain: after this battle, both would need a long time to recover. Who knows what state their bodies and minds would be in after paying the price to the various multiversal entities.
Considering their talents and backing, those multiversal beings probably wouldn't drain them dry in one go.
"What a spectacle, a battle of magic. Just how powerful is the Ancient One?"
Duncan monitored their fight while simultaneously pummeling an enhanced Deviant. His clothes were torn, revealing his muscular arms, each muscle group perfectly defined and exuding strength.
Different muscle groups worked in unison, delivering powerful blows to the Deviant.
This enhanced Deviant, while its defenses had significantly improved, wasn't invulnerable. Duncan's relentless punches were slowly breaking through its defenses. He planned to beat it half to death and then implant it with a Xenomorph.
"How much of the Juggernaut's power did that leader absorb? Or rather, how much of Cyttorak's power did the Juggernaut of this universe inherit? From what I can see, this beast's overall strength hasn't reached a great level."
Duncan glanced up and saw another ordinary Deviant gaining the Juggernaut's power from the leader, growing massive and strong.
The tide of the battle was shifting. The Deviant leader finally had some breathing room, no longer being overwhelmed by a dozen Xenomorphs.
This meant the balance was slowly tipping.
Thud!
Thor, seeing Duncan fighting hard, mustered some strength and picked up a rock from the ground, hurling it at a Deviant.
Well, at least Thor was trying.
"Should I deploy the Queen now?" Duncan wondered, his hand tightly gripping the enhanced Deviant's neck.
Loki and Kaecilius were both troublesome opponents. Sending out the Queen could at least tie up one of them for a while.
As for the Queen dying… as long as there was even one Xenomorph hiding safely somewhere, Duncan didn't need to worry about the Queen's survival.
Duncan thought for a moment, then had an idea.
One of the Xenomorph eggs in his discarded travel bag opened, and a Facehugger crawled out, quickly latching onto the enhanced Deviant Duncan was holding, completing the implantation.
Thor glanced over, confused, but quickly lost interest. He was in a numb state. If it weren't for Duncan, who had saved his life, still fighting, his innate pride wouldn't let him owe anyone. Otherwise, he would've given up by now.
"You enhance one of your kind, and I'll implant one. Let's see who can outlast whom," Duncan said calmly.
If things got too dire, he could retreat temporarily, have the Queen lay eggs somewhere safe, and then return with new Xenomorph eggs to attack the dwindling Deviants. Every one killed was one less to deal with.
Similarly, every enhanced Deviant killed meant the leader permanently lost a portion of its power, never to be regained.
The Deviants were limited in number—each death was permanent. But the Xenomorphs were different. If it weren't for the lack of top-tier forces and the risk of global retaliation, Duncan could easily raise an army of hundreds or even thousands of Xenomorphs. Given a bit more time, he could field tens of thousands!
As long as he could drag this out, as long as Duncan survived, this battle was already lost for the Deviants!
Duncan sensed that most of the Deviants that had appeared had already been dealt with by his Xenomorphs. Including the leader, only ten remained.
"What will you choose? Will you take advantage of your current upper hand and flee with your remaining kin? Or will you keep fighting? If you keep fighting, will you enhance more of your kind? But then your own remaining power will dwindle. Once I break through your defenses…"
Duncan looked down at the implanted, unconscious Deviant, then up at the Deviant leader.
The leader's answer was clear: it would keep fighting. It wouldn't give up easily.
"Interesting. I'm curious—why are you here? Even if you were drawn by Thor, it means you were nearby. If not for Thor, what was your purpose for migrating your kind?" Duncan was genuinely intrigued.
Just as Duncan decided to lead his forces in an all-out assault against the Deviants…
Whoosh!
A figure moving at incredible speed dashed across the horizon, bringing two companions with him.
"Speed like that—only a few people have it. So, the ones coming are… the Eternals? The ones I've been waiting for have finally arrived," Duncan mused, raising an eyebrow.
Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms, was beaten by Arishem a thousand years ago. Now, with Odin's son, Thor, stripped of his power and on Earth, it made sense for these Eternals, forced back into the world, to show up.
The question was whether Arishem had given them new orders.
"Don't worry, we're here to deal with the Deviants."
A commanding woman stood at the forefront of the group, speaking.
She was Ajak, the leader of the eleven Eternals, possessing superhuman healing abilities and the ability to communicate directly with the Celestial Arishem.
One of the burly men charged straight at the Deviant leader, delivering a powerful slap.
Duncan recognized him as Gilgamesh, known for his immense strength and skill in hand-to-hand combat.
The woman with super speed, Makkari, stood silently beside Ajak, ready to whisk her away at a moment's notice if things went south.
"Why isn't Ikaris here? Is he dead?" Duncan scanned the group.
Out of the eleven Eternals, only five were combat-ready.
Besides Ikaris, there was Kingo, who specialized in energy blasts, but he wasn't here. Then there was Thena, a warrior who had awakened too many past memories, driving her insane. She was more likely to kill her fellow Eternals than fight alongside them.
So, Ajak had brought only two combat-ready Eternals.
"He hid the fact that a group of Deviants was hiding in Alaska, so we exiled him. He's no longer one of us," Ajak said coldly to Duncan. "We should join forces. The priority is to eliminate the Deviants."
"Your words lack sincerity. Who knows what you're really planning? Maybe after dealing with the Deviants, you Eternals will turn on me. After all, you've got Ikaris as a precedent."
"That was a misunderstanding. Your Xenomorphs resemble the Deviants too closely, so Ikaris—"
"I'm not interested in your explanation, ma'am. I just want to know where you all stand. The whole world is searching for you. Do you plan to rely on your speedy friend to carry you around the globe every time you act?"
Duncan spoke while looking down at the enhanced Deviant, which was about to wake up.
With Gilgamesh leading the charge, teaming up with the Rogue Xenomorph and other Xenomorphs, they managed to suppress the Deviants again, buying Duncan some time.
Ajak, clearly aware that Duncan was stalling, was a wise woman. Despite her displeasure, she remained silent for a moment before saying, "We have a more important mission. We'll deal with the future when it comes. Right now, we need to prioritize eliminating the Deviants that prey on humans."
"Kill the Deviants, help humans reproduce faster, and achieve your goal?" Duncan saw the Deviant beneath him stirring and tightened his grip.
Ajak gave Duncan a deep look. "Ikaris was right—you do know something… I also can't let the Deviants harm humans. Besides, even if we don't stop them, there's not enough time."
Because the Celestial at Earth's core would soon mature and awaken.
The end of the world was approaching.
"Unfortunately, the Eternals aren't just at odds with me. The moment you appeared here, I already called in a petty ally… They have someone who can move through space even faster than your speedster." Duncan sensed something and shook his head.
Things were about to get lively.
Back in New York, Raven had a conversation with Magneto.
Through the unhatched Xenomorph in Raven's chest, Duncan had relayed the situation to her, and she immediately contacted Magneto.
Sure enough, a puff of red smoke appeared, and Azazel teleported Magneto to the scene.
Duncan suddenly thought of something, and his expression turned odd.
"The Eternals and Deviants are both here. Last time, you managed to escape, but not this time."
Magneto, upon seeing Ajak, wore a cold expression on his aged face, causing Ajak's expression to shift as well.
Just as Magneto was about to unleash his powers, manipulating the magnetic fields to lock down the area, he suddenly paused, sensing all the metal in the air and ground. He turned his attention to… the hammer on the ground.
