Chapter 22: Here Comes Flyman
2023-07-20 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Alaska.
Relatively speaking, this was a desolate, sparsely populated land.
It was most famous for its few remaining gold mines and sled dogs.
But few knew that, besides the Alaskan dogs, this place was also home to a low-tier variant of the Deviants, deployed on Earth thousands of years ago by a Celestial named Arishem.
Ikaris levitated high in the sky, looking down. Beneath the thick layer of snow, within the perennially frozen deep lake, a large number of Deviants lay slumbering.
The eleven of them had spent thousands of years fighting these things, a battle that spanned nearly the entire history of human civilization.
"What in the world... are those things..." Ikaris's expression was incredibly grim as he gazed down at the claw marks on his chest. The wound had long since healed, but the shock of the Xenomorph encounter lingered.
This was the first time Ikaris had encountered a creature so similar to a Deviant—one that could also grow at an incredible rate—yet was fundamentally different from them in its very essence.
He was bathed in the vast, falling snow.
Just then, another figure flew over. His speed wasn't great, but his arrival carried a powerful, oppressive presence.
"Magneto?"
Ikaris's brow furrowed slightly. He paid attention to human history, so he naturally knew of this man. At the same time, he looked further into the distance and noticed a red figure rapidly teleporting more Mutants over.
"Nightcrawler?"
Ikaris's brows knitted even tighter, his expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
From a great distance, Nightcrawler looked up, his gaze meeting Ikaris's, before revealing a thought-provoking smile.
During the age of Apocalypse four thousand years ago, Nightcrawler had been a mere footsoldier under him. He had since lived on into modern society, naturally witnessing all sorts of powerful individuals and personally seeing numerous major historical events.
In Ikaris's eyes, this Nightcrawler was far more noteworthy than Magneto.
"You're Flyman?"
Magneto flew to a spot not far from Ikaris and spoke slowly. His very first sentence made Ikaris lose his composure.
"Fly... what?"
"FLYMAN. That's what everyone calls you."
Magneto ignored the change in Ikaris's expression, unable to hide his excitement as he quickly asked, "You're one of the Deviants, aren't you? How did you survive to this day? A long lifespan, or time travel?"
"Magneto, watch your words! I, Ikaris, could not possibly be a Deviant!"
"There's no need to hide it. Never mind Du Wa, even S.H.I.E.L.D. has confirmed you're a Deviant," Magneto said, a trace of fervor flashing in his eyes. His sharp gaze carefully scrutinized Ikaris's body from top to bottom.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D. was inclined to confirm this man's identity.
Hmm, however, this strong body, the elegant lines, the flawless skin... it didn't seem to fit the characteristics of a Deviant.
Deviants—one could tell from the name. The average member of their race was inferior to the Eternals, and their wildly mutating genes resulted in their people having all sorts of bizarre appearances and abilities.
Ikaris's appearance was far too perfect.
Ikaris raised his voice. "I am an Eternal! We are of the Eternals, born pure, perfect, and powerful, a race without genetic defects!"
"Eternals?"
Magneto frowned, the passion in his eyes cooling. "As I recall, the Eternals were nothing but defeated curs, beaten into oblivion by the Deviants. How could you be an Eternal? If you are an Eternal, how did you survive on Earth?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Without us Eternals constantly hunting the Deviants, how could you humans on Earth have lived so peacefully for the past few thousand years!" Rage ignited in Ikaris's chest. "The Deviants are nothing but a pack of beasts that feed on humans. You must be insane to actually feel empathy for them!"
He had wanted to kill Du Wa and the Xenomorph to vent his anger but had failed. Now, this Mutant had inexplicably shown up, spouting a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense.
Ikaris was actually millions of years old, but his memory had been repeatedly wiped by Arishem before he was deployed on various planets for missions. In truth, he only had memories from the few thousand years after arriving on Earth. He was not very knowledgeable about Earth's more ancient history, let alone aware that a group of Eternals had also fled Earth twenty thousand years ago.
"That's a real pity. You're not a Deviant, yet your heart is filled with prejudice. You insult them, you damned racist."
Magneto completely lost his patience. "Unfortunately for you, I happen to be the most extreme racist."
Given his temperament, having the patience to converse with this man was already a rarity. After confirming that Ikaris was not the person he was looking for, he was even more disappointed.
Eternals? What good are they? A useless bunch, completely worthless.
"Since you were able to survive to this day, there must be something special about you. Capturing you might give me a chance to find the real Deviants."
Magneto, who was never a good-tempered person to begin with and sought a sense of identity with the Deviants, had nothing more to say to an Eternal. He immediately made his move.
A powerful magnetic field erupted abruptly. In Magneto's hands, it behaved like an obedient child, completely enveloping Ikaris.
Ikaris was surprisingly enraged. According to the modus operandi of the eleven Eternals, they would not easily interfere in human affairs on matters unrelated to the Deviants.
But now, Ikaris really couldn't hold back.
*Pzzt!*
Golden heat vision blasted out.
Magneto's expression was grim. He had clearly anticipated this. With a wave of his hand, countless pieces of metal surged from all directions, blocking the beam of heat vision.
On Earth, magnetic fields are omnipresent. Using these fields to manipulate the ubiquitous metal minerals was undoubtedly the most time- and energy-efficient method of combat.
But against an Eternal like Ikaris, Magneto was also using the magnetic field to interfere with Ikaris's body.
"Hm? You can fly at will, yet you don't use Earth's magnetic field?" Magneto was very surprised.
"Using the planet's magnetic field would, at most, make things slightly easier for me. Why would I ever rely on such a thing!"
Ikaris could fly by circulating his own powerful energy. He could even fly out of Earth's atmosphere, traveling through the universe in his flesh-and-blood body!
Yes, just like Captain Marvel.
The battle between the two powerful individuals officially erupted.
Ikaris moved at high speed within the overwhelming cloud of metal, his golden heat vision shooting out in all directions. Everywhere it passed, it cut through all matter, piercing countless incoming metal minerals.
But Magneto's ability wasn't limited to manipulating metal; he was also channeling magnetic force, powerfully interfering with Ikaris's own biological magnetic field.
An invisible energy net appeared, trapping Ikaris tightly and restricting his movement.
"You're like a flitting sparrow. It's best you stay in a cage," Magneto said.
Ikaris constantly shifted his position and snorted coldly. Feeling the discomfort from within his body, he used his formidable physique to charge high into the sky, looking down on Magneto.
The next second, he plunged downward. Magneto retreated just as quickly. As far as the eye could see, countless amounts of matter were manipulated by him, like a vast and endless river, surging continuously toward Ikaris, inexhaustible.
In every direction, the earth shook and the mountains swayed, as if the entire world had been plunged into turmoil.
The scale of the battle was earth-shattering, but for the moment, Magneto couldn't truly defeat the formidable Ikaris. Suppressing him was easy, but killing him would still take some time.
"Give up. My people have already arrived. There's no escape for you," Magneto said.
One by one, Mutants emanating powerful auras were rapidly approaching Ikaris.
"Escape? You actually want me to escape a second time?"
Ikaris's hair was disheveled. He gritted his teeth and let out a cold laugh, then suddenly looked down at the shattered Ice Lake. "I'd like to see who'll be the one fleeing next!"
(end of chapter)