Chapter 43: Call me the Thunder God!
Thor certainly had many flaws, but at least one thing was praiseworthy: he cherished his family as he did his own life.
His deepest emotional bond, naturally, was with Loki, who had been setting him up countless times since childhood.
Thor looked down at the Enhanced Deviant that Du Wa was firmly pinning down—one that had also been parasitized. He was clearly trying to observe this Deviant to deduce what would happen to him after accepting the Facehugger.
The fact that he would even consider this meant he had already made his choice.
If this were the old Thor, arrogant and conceited, how could he possibly accept such a power? The hot-tempered him would have long since grabbed his hammer and fought Du Wa to the death, because he would have seen it as an insult!
But things were different now. His terrible personality hadn't improved, and now, as a mere Mortal, he was powerless in the face of his younger brother's fierce battle. His inner arrogance and conceit were gnawing at his dignity, just like the Oblivion Swarm.
"Don't hesitate. You are a powerful warrior; you should know better than anyone that opportunities are rare. Your brother is facing so many powerful enemies. Look, the Eternals bear a great hatred for you Asgardians, and the Cosmic Celestial behind them is likely watching this very place. Kaecilius has been trying to kill your brother this whole time, and let's not even mention Magneto," Du Wa coaxed persuasively.
Every word he spoke was reasonable, but when put together, they became something less than reasonable.
The Abomination Xenomorph and numerous Deviant Xenomorphs gathered around Du Wa and Thor, blocking any energy fluctuations that tried to get close.
He was about to succeed.
Du Wa said in a low voice, "I don't understand what you're hesitating for. Without power, you will have nothing. You might even lose your dearest brother. With power, you can completely overcome the current crisis, reclaim Mjolnir, and you'll have plenty of time to lift it again in the future. Have you forgotten your Honor? Is your Dignity worth so little?"
The final blow.
To Thor, Dignity and Honor were worth more than life itself. This was his creed, and the creed of every Asgardian.
"Midgardian, if this were any other time, I would have already smashed your mouth in with Mjolnir!" A flash of furious rage born from extreme shame and helpless hatred crossed Thor's eyes. He opened his hand, allowing the Facehugger to crawl onto his palm.
"But right now, I'm the only one willing to help you, am I not? Don't think you're being coerced by me. When it comes to a bright future and protecting your family, I'm the reliable helper who's on your side," Du Wa said.
"If I wasn't certain you were a Midgardian, I'd think you came from Hell, a devil who is exceptionally good at making a Bargain."
Thor allowed the Facehugger to wrap around his head.
He was hot-tempered, not stupid. How could he not know that Du Wa wanted to gain something from him?
But Thor couldn't care about that anymore. All he knew was that if he didn't stand by Loki's side and do something right now, he would be so frustrated he'd want to kill himself!
Of course, as soon as this battle was over and Loki's safety was ensured, Thor had also resolved to die—either by his own hand or by challenging Du Wa to preserve what little Honor and Dignity he had left.
Du Wa was largely aware of Thor's thoughts as he watched him fall unconscious amidst his turmoil.
"What have you done, you damned Mortal!!"
Loki suddenly glanced over, his eyes looking as if they were about to split open as he roared in shock and fury!!
"He's not dead. Don't get so agitated. How could I harm a son of Odin?" Du Wa's expression shifted slightly as he looked down at the Enhanced Deviant that had been parasitized moments ago.
Then, Loki witnessed a horrifying scene: the Deviant on the ground convulsed violently, and then, a Xenomorph burst forth from its chest, bathed in flesh and blood.
As for the Deviant that served as a Container, Loki could perceive its Life Force rapidly fading into Oblivion. It died in an instant.
For a moment, Loki's mind went blank. Was he about to see his own brother end up like that? Dying amidst convulsions?
Loki's eyes instantly turned red. He cast everything else aside, and his surging divine power erupted madly as various powerful Magic Spells began to brew in his hands.
Rumble!
This ultimate might collided with the powerful Magnetic Field, forming countless storms of lightning and thunder that shot up from the ground into the Atmosphere, churning billions of clouds and triggering innumerable Natural Disasters.
Loki flew high into the air, attempting to rush toward Du Wa.
"At this moment, you resemble a God more than ever. But don't worry, he won't die. He is not my purpose."
Du Wa watched the furious Loki approach, then turned and, along with his Xenomorphs, made a sudden move. However, their target was not Loki, but…
Thor!
"The Parasitism was a success. In just this short time, a new Xenomorph is being born in Thor's chest. I can feel it clearly. But controlling Thor was never what I wanted, and Odin, who is probably watching, would not allow such a thing to happen."
A fiery glint flashed in Du Wa's eyes.
He was a very calm person who rarely showed obvious emotional fluctuations, but at this moment, he couldn't help himself.
That's right, the real reason he had rushed here from New York was not to control Thor himself, but for the divine power!
His objective, the Xenomorph Ascension Plan, had never changed.
And the simplest, most direct plan was to make contact with divine power. After all, looking across the Entire Universe, Gods of all shapes and sizes were not at all rare. Some ancient technological civilizations could even establish a pantheon for their own race.
This energy system, divine power, was both precious and cheap.
And what could possibly be more cost-effective than using Thor—who had lost his divine power but in whom divine blood still flowed?
Du Wa stretched out a hand toward the unconscious Thor, who was expected to wake up soon, and performed an open-chest surgery with his bare hands.
Pfft!
In an instant, Thor's chest was violently torn open by Du Wa, sending flesh and blood flying.
This insane act made everyone turn to look. This was the offspring of the God-King Odin, and the Parasitism had just been completed. Was Du Wa going to kill him just like that?
Ajak's face turned ashen. "What on earth is he trying to do? Parasitize Thor, only to kill him? The entire Earth will have to bear Asgard's... huh?"
Just as Loki was about to lose his mind completely, right before everyone's eyes...
Du Wa used his other hand to do the same to his own chest. It was fast, precise, and ruthless. Amidst a blur of flesh and blood, he dug out an unformed, palm-sized Xenomorph larva!
This extraordinary display of ruthlessness was horrifying to watch.
Even the howling Loki was momentarily stunned.
"Ruthless enough."
Magneto, who was fighting multiple opponents, couldn't help but glance over, a look of admiration on his face.
But they didn't know what Du Wa was trying to do, or why he was resorting to such an insane act of self-mutilation.
"Could it be..." Ajak's face filled with horror as she seemed to realize something.
Before the expulsion of Ikaris, she had spoken with him and learned about how the Abomination Xenomorph had chestbursted and then eaten the Abomination's Corpse to grow rapidly.
What if the Xenomorph was dug out before the official Chestburst? This was something many outsiders had been secretly speculating about, and Ajak, of course, had also thought of it.
Now, she was seeing it with her own eyes.
"He actually has a Xenomorph inside his own body, and now he's digging out the Xenomorph from Thor's body..." Ajak found it utterly baffling.
At that moment, the few individuals locked in frantic combat all cast their gazes over. They watched, dumbfounded, as Du Wa stuffed the larva he had dug out of Thor's body into his own chest.
"???"
What kind of move was that??
No, it should be asked, was this kind of move even possible in this world???
Completely outrageous!
Every single person present was a powerful being capable of shaking a planet. Which one of them wasn't exceptionally wise and experienced? Yet this was the first time they had ever witnessed such a tactic, and they felt as if their very understanding of reality was shattering.
It was Magneto who reacted first. He had been maintaining communication with Raven, so he knew the most about the Xenomorph creature. He was also aware that the Xenomorph larva could be used to enhance a Host's strength without chestbursting, ultimately achieving a strange symbiotic relationship.
"It seems this is what you truly wanted. No wonder you were willing to extend such a crude invitation to me a second time."
Magneto spoke, his voice cutting through the endless roar of the battlefield, extending further and further under the power of the Magnetic Field.
After receiving the news from Raven, he was notified, rushed to the battlefield, seized Mjolnir, and engaged in a massive fight...
"It wasn't supposed to come to this. The appearance of the Deviants was an absolute exception, and I still haven't figured out why they appeared in this area. At most, I only anticipated that the Eternals would mobilize for Thor."
Du Wa's complexion had been terrible, but the moment he implanted the Thor-parasitized larva into his chest, his color returned with visible speed, becoming rosy once more.
On his chest, the massive wound he had torn open himself healed rapidly with a sizzling sound and a plume of white smoke.
Everyone now understood. Du Wa had traveled a thousand miles to get here and took enormous risks to do so much, all for the sake of transferring the Thor-parasitized larva into his own body?
But for what purpose...?
Du Wa took a deep breath, carefully sensing the new power within him.
In the past, the Xenomorph larva in his body, while excellent, ultimately couldn't bring Du Wa a truly significant leap in power level.
But now, using the Xenomorph larva as a "converter," Du Wa could directly wield the power brought by Thor's genes.
Parasitism without a Chestburst could already allow the Host to use the genetic power of the Xenomorph within.
However, in Du Wa's hands, he had upgraded this model, turning the larva that had been parasitized and gained great power into a piece of replaceable "Equipment"!
It proved he was right.
An endless stream of power surged within Du Wa's body. The Xenomorph larva in his chest was now like an energy reactor, violently channeling power into him with every breath.
This was the gene from the direct descendant of the Asgardian God-King, the All-Father, even if it was only a part of it.
"It's strong, but... it's not enough! Power at this level isn't worth my risk!" Du Wa suddenly looked up, meeting a series of horrified gazes.
As far as his eyes could see, powerful figures stood, having flattened everything around them.
In their hands, in less than ten minutes, they had created a result comparable to a cataclysm.
And this was clearly just the beginning. If they truly let loose and went all out, the entire Earth would suffer devastating damage.
Terrifying waves of energy impacted randomly, powerful enough to easily obliterate an Ordinary Person into The Void.
Kaecilius swore this was the most chaotic Battle he had ever participated in. Every single person within his line of sight was an enemy.
But he was still stubbornly staring at the Queen.
"Xenomorph..." Kaecilius's face was filled with emotion. He finally understood why even Dormammu paid such close attention to this creature.
When did it start? Kaecilius remembered. It seemed to have been from the time Du Wa parasitized a Black Magician, which was what drew Dormammu's attention to the Xenomorphs.
The uses for a creature like the Xenomorph were endless. In any case, someone like Kaecilius, who dabbled in all kinds of dark magic, had never imagined that Xenomorphs could be used this way. It was a real eye-opener.
Kaecilius immediately opened his hand and aimed at the Queen, attempting to cast Mirror Magic to snatch her away.
Once inside the Mirror Dimension, this Queen would be his for the taking!
Boom!
But his Magic Spell was quickly interrupted, and the prism-like Spell shattered instantly.
"Damn it, it's too chaotic here. It's severely interfering with the Stability of Space," Kaecilius frowned.
The next second, he was met with a head-on blow from Mjolnir.
Magneto was getting more and more proficient with Mjolnir. At this moment, his icy gaze swept over. These damned intruders had attacked his Magnetic Field without so much as a word of warning, which was the most severe provocation.
"You come to my territory and think you can do whatever you want? Who do you think you are!" Magneto was truly enraged.
Kaecilius hurriedly sidestepped, dodging Mjolnir, a cold sneer on his face. "This is our first time meeting, but it had better be the last. If I didn't have more important things to do, I could deal with you right now."
"Excellent. That's what I want, too. Then come at me!" As Magneto spoke, he was bathed in a violent Magnetic Field.
At the same time, Loki had harnessed countless magic particles to forcibly distort the Magnetic Field, arriving at a distance that was extremely dangerous for Du Wa. At this range, Loki could already bombard him with powerful divine power and Magic.
A deep madness appeared on Loki's face. The sight of Thor, occasionally twitching on the ground, had completely reddened his eyes.
In his view, this Mortal who commanded strange creatures had to die by his hand, simply for reducing Thor to such a miserable state.
For over a thousand years, Loki had been with Thor for over a thousand years. When had he ever seen Thor like this? Willing to compromise with a Mortal and seek power, just to maintain his brotherly image in front of him and to join him on the battlefield.
This itself was the greatest humiliation for Thor. Loki had originally enjoyed the sight, thinking it was amusing that Thor could suffer such indignity, but he never wanted to see Thor die just like that!
"Mortal, you will pay the Price of your life for what you've done! No one dares to humiliate a Deity like this!!"
"Is that so? I don't think so."
Du Wa stood amidst a crowd of Xenomorphs. He glanced at the half-dead Thor on the ground, confirmed the guy wouldn't die anytime soon, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. He then lifted his head to gaze at Loki, who had forcibly broken through the Magnetic Field.
He had parasitized Thor, completed the exchange of the Xenomorph larva, and seized the bloodline of the God-King. One of his objectives for this trip had been accomplished. The Key to the Future was now firmly in his grasp.
Since things had already reached this point, he might as well do a little more. A fight between him and Loki was not out of the question.
Mjolnir, having missed Kaecilius, was supposed to stop and fly back to strike Kaecilius again under Magneto's powerful control.
Just then, Du Wa moved. He aimed at the Hammer and, from a hundred meters away, opened his hand.
(end of chapter)