Chapter 14: Even Marvel's Superman Will Get a Couple of Slaps From Me
As one of the most powerful Eternals, Ikaris hadn't had to fight in a long time. Although there were many powerful individuals on this planet, he looked down on all of them.
This was the immense confidence he had built up over thousands of years of fighting on Earth, hunting down Deviants alongside the other Eternals.
"Yes, their appearance is a bit strange, but they must be Deviants."
Having received a message from his lover, Sersi, Ikaris had flown here at top speed. He was now using his super-vision to observe these Xenomorphs, a look of doubt on his face, but it quickly faded—these things were probably a new breed of Deviant.
After all, creatures like the Deviants possessed powerful mutative genes and could even change their physical form based on the power of the mighty beings they absorbed.
Although, of the Deviants before him, apart from the one feeding inside the house, the others seemed pathetically weak.
He looked into the house again, his gaze falling upon the Abomination, which had long since been reduced to a pile of minced meat. He couldn't determine the Abomination's cause of death from this disgusting mess, but it didn't matter.
"This Deviant seized the ugly creature's life energy to complete its evolution, but what's with this disgusting feeding method?"
Ikaris's expression was grim.
Growing stronger by absorbing other beings was indeed the Deviants' innate ability, but this absorption wasn't accomplished by eating them raw. They were supposed to use fleshy tendrils to pierce their target's body and absorb their energy.
What kind of messed-up abilities have these Deviants evolved? It's like they've regressed.
What was even stranger was that the last remaining group of Deviants should all be frozen in an Ice Lake in Alaska. How could a few of them suddenly appear here...
And so brazenly, at that.
"Why are you mixed up with these Deviants? Don't you know how dangerous these things are?" Ikaris crossed his arms, his voice icy as he looked down on Du Wa.
"Deviants? You're mistaken." Du Wa knew why this guy had shown up.
Ikaris was also a treacherous fellow. He had deceived the other ten members of his kindred, not telling them that a final group of Deviants was hiding in Alaska.
These eleven Eternals were completely different from Thanos's ancestors—the group of Eternals who had migrated from Earth to Titan to reproduce on their own. They were professional enforcers directly created by the Celestials, their past memories repeatedly wiped clean.
Every time they completed their mission—protecting a species so it could flourish and thus accelerate the birth of an infant Celestial within a planet's core—the Celestials would erase their memories and deploy them to other life-bearing planets, repeating the cycle endlessly.
But there were exceptions. Occasionally, strange, fragmented thoughts would surface in the minds of certain Eternals—these were memory fragments that hadn't been completely erased.
Ikaris had faintly sensed that something was wrong with his memories, but he was smart enough not to show it.
"Earth's ecosystem could not have given birth to a creature with this appearance; they are not a native product of Earth," Ikaris said coldly. "You have no idea what the Deviants are, and you lack the proper reverence for me, the one who protected you and your ancestors."
"Reverence my ass. Bullshit."
Du Wa's tone was mild. He knew full well that Ikaris was a powerful and paranoid individual who, having appeared, would not leave until he achieved his goal. So he simply said, "You keep talking about the Deviants, but which thought is foremost in your mind? Protecting ordinary humans, or covering up the truth?"
Ikaris's expression changed slightly, not entirely because of Du Wa's insult, but more so because... this Human seemed to know about the Eternals and the Deviants, and even knew that he was hiding a secret about them?
Was it a coincidence, or a deliberate probe?
Ikaris's eyes instantly glowed with golden light as he fired a blast of Heat Vision. Predictably, this attack was more than enough to obliterate an ordinary human.
But just then, the Abomination Xenomorph, whose body had swelled in size in an extremely short amount of time, finished its meal. Baring a mouthful of sharp fangs, it easily smashed through the wall and rushed out. In a flash, it grabbed Ikaris and executed a takedown.
BOOM!
This unrestrained force smashed a deep crater into the ground.
"Is this how you protect humanity? Completely reckless, killing not only the so-called Deviants but also any unidentified humans along with them?" Du Wa's entire figure was securely shielded behind the Abomination Xenomorph as he slowly spoke.
"You're not ignorant. You know we protect humanity, you know we exterminate the Deviants. Who are you? How do you know these things!"
Ikaris flew up, completely unharmed. He was surprised by the Xenomorph's power, but from this exchange, he had already assessed its strength. It was significantly weaker than him.
It could be killed. It would just take a little time.
What concerned him more was the composure and calm Du Wa displayed. He hadn't even blinked, as if he was completely familiar with his methods and had already mentally prepared for them.
There was something wrong with this Human, something very wrong. The fact that he was being protected by a Deviant completely overturned Ikaris's understanding. He knew for a fact that the Deviants were a species that specialized in devouring humans.
But no matter the problem, it was nothing in the face of absolute strength. Ikaris just wanted to kill Du Wa and these "Deviants" as quickly as possible to cover up the situation.
BOOM!
Ikaris shot forward like a cannonball, ramming into the Abomination Xenomorph's chest. As Du Wa precisely sidestepped, Ikaris smashed through several buildings in one go. Countless tremors shook the sky. Clearly, the destruction caused by his attack was even more severe than the battle between the Abomination and the Hulk.
Other Eternals might be careful to protect innocents, but he couldn't care less.
In their thousands of years of war, they had fought the Deviants in bustling city centers, right in front of ordinary humans, on more than one occasion.
This was especially true for Ikaris. He felt that he had performed meritorious service for humanity, protecting countless humans so they could reproduce normally. So what if a few people got caught in the crossfire of a fight? Was there a problem?
Ikaris clenched his fists, puffed out his muscular chest, and stared coldly at the towering inferno that had suddenly erupted from the skyscraper with a giant hole blown through it.
He didn't know whose gas tank had exploded.
But it didn't matter.
The Abomination Xenomorph didn't care either.
It also emerged unscathed and silent, flicking its long, sharp, and flexible tail. Its legs, brewing with terrifying might, bulged with muscle in an instant as a horrifyingly immense force erupted.
The Abomination Xenomorph rammed back in almost the exact same way, sending Ikaris flying with a headbutt and kicking up endless rubble and screams.
"How are there more monsters?! Didn't the fight on Broadway just end?!"
"No, it can't be... What in the world is happening today? Now two even crazier guys have shown up!"
At first, some citizens thought that Ikaris was a Superhero, and that the Abomination Xenomorph, whose physique was somewhat similar to the Abomination and the Hulk, was the villain.
But a few seconds later, they knew that both of these motherfuckers were bad news. Neither of them gave a damn about whether they lived or died!
The only difference was that the one who looked more human fought with complete disregard for ordinary people, aiming every move for a vital spot, as if he wanted to kill his enemy with a single punch.
Meanwhile, the one that looked like the Abomination Xenomorph, despite being incredibly ugly and vicious, with its own exaggerated muscles and strange bone spurs, always seemed to be trying to move the fight elsewhere, constantly grabbing Ikaris with its large hands and smashing him into more distant and remote areas.
Even if it meant it would be beaten back by Ikaris the next second, occasionally crushing an unlucky citizen in the process.
(end of chapter)