Chapter 39: Confidence is a Fine Quality for an Evil God
"This was originally my hammer. I should have been able to lift it..."
"But not anymore. Odin refuses to let you wield this weapon," Du Wa interrupted Thor.
Thor's face was pale and miserable. He said nothing, his soul seemingly gone.
"My promise still stands. If you're truly willing to do whatever it takes to regain your power, you can come to me."
Du Wa's tone became serious. "However, the power I would give you is not the same as the divine power you once wielded, but they wouldn't conflict. Perhaps one day you'll be able to lift this hammer again, regain your divine power, and then you'll possess both types of power at once."
He spoke with an extremely earnest tone. If Thor were to nod, he would genuinely select the finest Face-hugger to give him.
Of course, after that, Thor would have to obey his commands.
At this stage, Thor completely lacked humility, possessing only endless irritability and a reverence for violence.
Du Wa turned to look at the Deviant Leader, who was flustered from being besieged. "See? If you had waited a few more minutes and attacked when he didn't want to live, you would have had a better chance of success. You were too hasty."
It was precisely this conversational tone that thoroughly enraged the Deviant Leader.
It grew even more frenzied. All sorts of fleshy tendrils sprouted from its body, and its claws tore wildly in every direction. One Xenomorph failed to dodge in time and was disemboweled on the spot.
*Swish!*
Several fleshy tendrils extended, absorbing the Xenomorph alive.
But this was the extent of what it could do. The Xenomorphs' coordination was too tight, constantly overwhelming it. It could handle one thing but not another. Even when it was determined to kill a Xenomorph, the Abomination Xenomorph would always land a vicious blow at the critical moment, violently interrupting its actions.
After fighting for so long, it had only managed to take out a single Xenomorph.
"How does it taste, eating your own kind?" Du Wa asked.
*Thud!*
The Deviant Leader's eyes went wide. The next second, a punch from the Abomination Xenomorph struck its head, and it felt a wave of dizziness.
"The ability Juggernaut gave it is truly powerful. Even an attack like that can't harm it. In that case..." Du Wa's expression shifted slightly. By this point, he had already gauged the leader's level.
With a thought, the numerous Xenomorphs surrounding them, at that moment, feigning carelessness, let a few Deviants slip through.
"Du Wa, I'll organize the agents for support. We'll join forces to clean up these Deviants," Coulson's voice boomed through a loudspeaker.
"If you had said that before these Deviants got near this dilapidated camp, I might have actually believed your sincerity."
Du Wa didn't give Coulson any face, not that Coulson needed any. He calmly watched the numerous screens before him.
Some screens were black, having been destroyed in the fight, but the remaining cameras were enough for Coulson to observe the situation.
He focused on the battle outside the camp. Once again, as he watched the Xenomorphs' performance, he remained silent.
Although the scene was bloody, he still felt a strong sense of awe.
Coulson even began to imagine S.H.I.E.L.D. controlling these creatures. With this power in hand, they could accomplish so, so much.
"Clint, organize our agents. Use the camp structures for cover and fire on the Deviants. If possible, capture a few of them alive," Coulson gave the order.
Du Wa was, at least, an ally. These Deviants were nothing.
Coulson wanted to capture Deviants, and Du Wa wanted it even more.
In that short time, four Deviants had rushed into the camp. Accompanied by the sound of gunfire, several agents died at their hands one after another.
*Swish!*
Hawkeye drew his bow and fired at high speed, hitting a Deviant's limbs and detonating the bomb on the arrowhead on the spot.
A series of explosions rang out. He thought he had taken care of one Deviant, but was shocked when the smoke cleared to see the creature attempting to repair its severed limbs.
"Everyone, concentrate fire! We absolutely cannot give the enemy an opportunity to regenerate," Hawkeye shouted over the comms.
No matter how they tried to block them, two Deviants still broke into the camp and reached the leader's side.
"Does Du Wa really lack the ability to stop these Deviants?" Coulson looked puzzled. Based on his understanding of Du Wa, he wouldn't leave such a weakness, especially when the Xenomorphs on the camp's periphery had a numerical advantage over the Deviants.
The Deviant Leader extended its fleshy tendrils, swiftly plunging them into the two Deviants' bodies. It transferred a large amount of energy to them, enhancing these two subordinates.
The bodies of the two ordinary Deviants swelled rapidly at a visible rate, and their physical durability also grew frantically.
"That's more like it," Du Wa nodded to himself.
As the leader, it possessed the ability to distribute its own power to its subordinates, but likewise, giving away power meant weakening itself.
Using an overwhelming offensive and the Abomination Xenomorph's precise strikes to force the Deviant Leader to expend its power to cultivate its underlings—this was the temporary tactic Du Wa had devised.
There was no other way. Otherwise, even if he used all his methods, he wouldn't be able to break through this thing's defense, let alone find an opportunity to send in a Face-hugger for parasitism.
The weaker the leader, the better Du Wa's chances.
"Letting in only two Deviants is still a bit risky. But if I let in two more..."
Du Wa calculated quickly. He could observe the entire situation through all the Xenomorphs, allowing for precise micromanagement.
One of the enhanced Deviants, now possessing a powerful defense, locked onto Du Wa and charged at him.
Its gaping mouth was about to crush Du Wa's neck.
Du Wa glanced at Thor beside him. Confirming that the dejected fellow had no intention of dodging, his heart like dead embers, he took action himself. He turned his head to evade the Deviant's attack, raised a hand, and thrust two fingers into its eye socket, gouging the eye out.
"People always assume I'm weak. I'm not some Summoner who relies on pets to fight."
Du Wa shook the filth from his hand, threw the travel bag he always carried on his back to the ground, and decided to handle things personally.
Just as Du Wa was making his move.
In an unremarkable clearing.
Loki quietly watched the battle.
Seeing Thor in danger, he could barely resist stepping in, but thankfully, he held back.
"So this Midgardian is the one who defeated that member of the Eternals? He's not entirely useless, I suppose, but that doesn't explain why Father is so concerned with the Eternals."
Loki was greatly perplexed. He didn't believe the God-King Odin would stir up trouble for no reason. There had to be a reason he didn't know.
As for Du Wa...
"For the sake of saving my foolish brother and for being able to command this faction of warriors, I'll spare his life."
Loki looked at the Deviant Leader with dread, then sized up the Abomination Xenomorph. A roguishly charming smile returned to his lips.
The Second Sorcerer of the Nine Realms was always full of confidence in himself.
(end of chapter)