Chapter 34: Prologue to Madness
"He's on the move. This time, there are about forty of them, including the Abomination Xenomorph. Some vampires are in for it now!"
"Du Wa's growth to this point is all thanks to the vampires! When the hell are these vampires going to go extinct!"
"Soon, soon. He'll kill all the vampires in New York sooner or later."
As everyone knew, Du Wa had a particular fondness for vampires, finding them numerous and relatively easy to deal with.
Even though the vampires in their various strongholds resisted desperately, at most they would only kill a batch of Xenomorphs. Du Wa could simply capture them and acquire even more Xenomorphs, completely unconcerned by such casualties.
Naturally, everyone still believed that Du Wa's current operation was aimed at the vampires and that he would continue to expand the scale of his Xenomorph horde, which made them even more worried.
"This can't go on! We can't see any upper limit to the number of Xenomorphs! If we let him keep increasing their numbers like this, it'll be a complete disaster if he loses control. We must stop him, immediately, even if it means using force!"
Fury, at the end of his rope, ordered Coulson to find Du Wa and negotiate. At the same time, he prepared to mobilize troops. If Du Wa refused to comply, they would use a show of force.
But soon, he received news that Du Wa hadn't continued his hunt for vampires. Instead, he had boarded a helicopter with his Xenomorphs and was flying to New Mexico.
...
"I must be crazy to have actually prepared a vehicle for you."
Tony Stark looked at the numerous Xenomorphs, regretting his promise to Du Wa. "Jarvis, check my brain. Has he subjected me to mind control?"
"No, sir. Everything is normal."
"Really? Maybe it's a mental suggestion? A more subtle method than mind control. He can control dozens of Xenomorphs at once; maybe he achieves it through mental suggestion." Tony felt very insecure.
"You should stop thinking about that. Have you settled the trouble from killing Ross? I'd rather not have to visit you in prison." Du Wa spoke into his earpiece, certain Tony could hear him.
"One hundred million dollars, and they think I have a problem. One billion, and they think I'm faultless. Ten billion, and they'll declare I rid the world of a menace. But how could I possibly spend ten billion dollars? Those guys don't care about Ross's life; they care more about whether the project he was in charge of can continue."
"Let me guess, the Super-Soldier Program? Otherwise, there's no way to explain his obsessive pursuit of the Hulk," Du Wa said.
"Sometimes, I suspect you've read the script in advance. But right now, more people want to contact you, to incorporate your Xenomorphs into the Super-Soldier Program. You must have guessed that they tasked me with contacting you." Tony frowned, a little irritated.
Those guys didn't believe there was any friendship between Tony and Du Wa, but they did believe in a financial relationship, because they'd found records of Tony wiring money to Du Wa. And often, that kind of relationship is more reliable than friendship.
"Plenty of people want to contact me. They always have. They're just waiting for an opportunity."
"Like now, for instance? You leave, and it creates a power vacuum. Your lair will attract a lot of unwelcome guests," Tony Stark reminded him directly.
Du Wa wasn't necessarily a superhero, but at the very least, Tony felt that dealing with someone like Du Wa, who had both ability and potential, was far better than dealing with the people from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Du Wa didn't respond, just chuckled softly. The defensive force he'd left behind was powerful, enough to handle most trouble. It wouldn't matter even if someone with formidable strength really did break in.
Because the Queen had already mixed in with the forty-plus Xenomorphs accompanying him.
...
Asgard, a flat continent, lay quietly across the cosmos.
"Because of your recklessness, you nearly triggered another War of the World Tree (Yggdrasil)!" Odin's aged face was filled with anger and disappointment as he gazed at the son in whom he had placed such high hopes.
"War is what I wanted!"
Thor and Odin erupted into a fierce argument. He shouted in the Grand Hall: "Why must we be so timid? I am perfectly capable of slaughtering all those Frost Giants! Asgard is more than capable of conquering Jotunheim and ending all wars within the World Tree! Your most excellent son has enough power to kill Laufey! I don't understand! You have time to stare at Midgard and look up information on some Eternals, yet you won't give a little more support to your excellent son?"
Extreme admiration can easily lead to extreme hatred.
Thor did not hate Odin, but as a son who worshipped his father to an extreme degree, he naturally wanted to win his father's favor and attention using the methods he was best at. Yet, his adventurous actions only earned him a scolding.
As the father-son relationship deteriorated, Thor also felt wronged, and a complex, volatile emotion began to brew within him.
Odin shot a fierce glare at Loki, who was standing to the side. Loki dutifully lowered his head, a look of innocence on his face.
"You are spying on your father?" Odin's tone grew cold.
"I am keeping an eye on my father! They're just the Eternals, what's so great about them? If that Midgardian could force one of them to retreat, so can I!" Thor shouted.
"Did Heimdall tell you? Right. I never told him to keep such a small secret. Just as I never expected my own son would use such petty means against me!"
Loki buried his head even lower.
Odin's expression turned exceedingly ugly. Even if he was on the verge of death, he was still the God-King. Even his own son could not speak to him with such an attitude, let alone snoop on his actions—and then openly announce it!!
He was paying close attention to the Eternals' movements not because of the Eternals themselves, but because of... the Celestials!!
One must understand that over a thousand years ago, he had united all the pantheons of the World Tree to fight a battle against the Celestials who had come from afar. It was a crushing defeat!!
And these Eternals on Earth were agents created by the hand of an immensely powerful Celestial. How could Odin not pay attention? He was already too old, so old that even bearing his own vast divine power was painful and strenuous. If the Celestials were to come again, he would not have the strength to fight a great battle like he did a thousand years ago.
"Silence, you brute! You know nothing at all!" Odin was utterly disappointed. The reckless Thor completely failed to understand the pains he had taken.
"You cowardly old man!"
After Thor impulsively shouted these words, he immediately froze.
The entire Grand Hall fell into a dead silence. Everyone stared at Thor, stunned. Even Loki, who had been trying his best to fan the flames, stared wide-eyed at his brother in disbelief.
Was this a joke? The one Thor had just cursed was the most noble, most powerful, and also most tyrannical God-King of the World Tree!
"I see now. You're jealous? Jealous that a Midgardian could do something you never had the opportunity to do. And yet you think of responding to violence with violence. It seems my thousand years of educating and raising you have ultimately turned you into a fool who only knows how to solve problems with brute force."
Odin seemed to age several years in an instant. Originally, he had only been hesitant—contacting the Ancient One in advance was merely a precaution. But now, his resolve was set.
(end of chapter)