Chapter 51: Establishing a Course on the Xenomorph Language, This is Respect
Thor's return was undoubtedly a shot in the arm.
Aside from a stiff-faced Loki, everyone else crowded around Thor, patting him on the back and asking after his well-being.
"Thor, you still haven't recovered your divine power, but what world are these fine fellows you've brought with you from? I've never heard of this race!"
"Hmm, judging by their appearance alone, the members of this race possess a certain aesthetic of slaughter."
"That's right, I feel it too. It's as if they were born only for battle."
Everyone present had at least a few hundred years of combat experience and had witnessed all sorts of creatures from countless planets within the Nine Realms.
Furthermore, Asgard's library held information on countless civilizations beyond the Nine Realms.
Yet among all the people present, not a single one could identify what these creatures were.
And why had they come with Thor?
"These are Xenomorphs, the reinforcements I requested from Midgard!" Thor said excitedly.
Reinforcements from Midgard?
Everyone exchanged glances.
They knew that Midgard certainly had powerful individuals, but since it had always existed as a world of mortals, it was often subconsciously overlooked.
"Look at these fellows' bodies. Their heads are so long, their defenses must be very strong. They're tall and must be very good at fighting."
Volstagg, the most burly of them all, immediately grew excited. He loved dealing with strong warriors, especially now that war had broken out.
One of the Warriors Three, Hogun, who wielded a mace, simply lifted his weapon and moved against a relatively strong Xenomorph.
*Swish!*
The mace smashed forward.
In an instant, the Xenomorph, which had been motionless, reacted instantly. It extended an arm to grab the mace, and then, its sharp tail lashed out.
Hogun's eyes widened in surprise as he freed a hand to grab the Xenomorph's tail from the side.
But in the next second, at such close range, the Xenomorph opened its mouth and shot out an inner jaw at an incredible speed, a horrifying sight for anyone seeing it for the first time.
Hogun swung his mace with a backhand, knocking the Xenomorph back.
"What great strength, and what a strange fighting style! Every part of this creature's body seems to be born for combat!"
Hogun was full of praise.
With his strength, he could finish off this Xenomorph in a one-on-one fight without much time, but that wasn't the whole picture. Just look at the number of these Xenomorphs—there were so many!
"Are they your followers, Thor?" Fandral's eyes lit up as he primly twirled his little mustache.
"No, the entire Xenomorph race follows a Midgardian. This person also lifted Mjolnir. He is the new Thunder God," Thor said in a calm tone, having already accepted this reality.
But this single sentence caused a massive tremor throughout Asgard.
"A Midgardian lifted Mjolnir?!"
"A new Thunder God? Thor, are you sure you're not joking with us?!"
"If that's really the case, it's too incredible. And this person actually has such a combat race pledging allegiance to him."
Countless gazes swept over the Xenomorphs.
Everyone present had discerning eyes. Although they felt aggrieved that Thor had lost Mjolnir, they were also happy about his change and the arrival of reinforcements.
They could all see that although Thor had lost his divine power, he had become much more composed, possessing a kind of peace that came from having weathered great storms.
Only Loki knew that this was because Thor had been hit so hard; he had no choice but to be at peace.
At this moment, Loki's expression was somewhat stiff. He even regretted not decisively taking the Eternal Spear and the Destroyer Armor to descend upon Earth a second time to kill Du Wa.
The situation on Midgard had truly exceeded his expectations. The powerful individuals he had already encountered were one thing, but now there was also Du Wa, who had obtained Mjolnir. This made Loki extremely wary.
He was genuinely worried. Odin had fallen into a deep sleep, and his mother, Frigga, had been persuaded by him to stay by Odin's side day and night, so she would not easily intervene.
What if he acted rashly and lost the Eternal Spear and the Destroyer Armor on Midgard?
Loki could only change his plan and choose a more stable method: to incite a war between the realms.
"Loki, I've brought you a powerful army! You must be very clear about the Xenomorphs..."
Before Thor could finish, Loki hurriedly interrupted him, "I did not see Heimdall, and the Rainbow Bridge has remained open! Just how many of those creatures did you bring with you?"
"Right now, there are about three thousand, but we'll soon have a force of five thousand!" Thor's voice boomed like a great bell, his old confidence restored.
Five thousand?!
"Five thousand of such powerful fellows? Thor, you're truly amazing, and your friend is amazing too, to be willing to dispatch such a powerful army! Is he a great king on Midgard?" exclaimed Volstagg.
"His name is Du Wa. Also, not all Xenomorphs are this strong..."
Thor explained the different types of Xenomorphs but did not mention their growth method of bursting parasitically from a host's chest.
Even so, five thousand was an astonishing number, considering the Xenomorphs' combat power.
The crucial point was that this was a private army sent by a Midgardian!
From what Thor revealed, the number could actually be even greater; it just required a little time.
"I'm starting to want to see this Du Wa for myself. He is truly a generous and righteous lord. So, how should we thank him?"
"Now is not the time to discuss rewards. We should focus our attention on the war," Thor said.
As time passed, more Xenomorphs arrived in Asgard through the Rainbow Bridge. They stood silently outside the Asgardian Palace, like dark sculptures filled with a terrifying, murderous aura.
Even the most discerning eye could find no fault with this army.
They were powerful, silent, disciplined, and numerous.
At a glance, everyone who saw this scene was left speechless.
Even the ordinary soldiers who had been ordered not to attack couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their gazes fervent.
Anyone who wasn't a fool could guess that this army of unknown origin was very likely reinforcements for Asgard.
"Loki, my brother, you should announce the matter of this army to all of Asgard and proclaim this good news to our people," Thor reminded him sincerely.
But when Loki heard this, it sounded incredibly grating. What was this? Was Thor giving a command to the King?
From the moment Thor appeared, he had stolen the spotlight.
This was hardly surprising. Asgard, with its culture of forthrightness and belligerence, would never favor a gloomy and sinister king.
"My brother, you've truly given me a huge surprise, even bringing such an army... So, where is the master of the Xenomorphs, Du Wa?" Loki inquired, pondering an opportunity to have him killed on the battlefield.
To be honest, Loki coveted the Xenomorphs as well. Who wouldn't want such a loyal and terrifying army? Their development potential was also astonishing. As long as there were high-quality hosts, even more powerful Xenomorphs could be born.
"He will not participate in the battle directly but will remain on Midgard to dispatch the army. Loki, I know what happened between you two, but believe me, he is a good person," Thor said in a deep voice.
"A good person? This is the first time I've heard you use a word other than 'warrior' to describe someone." A hint of mockery laced Loki's tone.
His foolish brother Thor had probably been tricked by Du Wa and was still helping him count his money.
Under the gazes of countless people, Loki, holding the Eternal Spear, began to inspect the army.
As he walked among the Xenomorphs, a look of desire also appeared in his eyes. He tried to communicate with them, wanting to take them for his own.
Killing Du Wa was one thing; controlling the Xenomorphs was another. The two did not conflict. After all, a creature like the Xenomorph was truly desirable.
"Hiss!!"
A short cry was the only response Loki received.
"..."
Loki couldn't understand it.
The people who had been ready to cheer according to custom were left unsure of what to do.
Fandral stroked his mustache and analyzed, "Their language system is different from ours; it's a system unto itself, similar to the Flora Colossus of Planet X. I propose that we establish a special field of study in the future: Xenomorph Linguistics."
As an elite of Asgard, one would of course receive a long and complex education. Thor, for example, was fluent in the languages of many famous races in the universe.
"Well said! We must do this. This is respect for these comrades-in-arms who have crossed worlds to support us! All who shed blood for Asgard should be forever remembered," Thor praised loudly.
A new course was decided upon in just a few words.
Loki looked at the ever-silent Xenomorphs, his face expressionless.
The soil of Asgard could not withstand the creatures' highly corrosive blood.
The war erupted in full.
The news of Odin's death sent an unprecedented shockwave through the vast territories ruled by Asgard.
When Odin was alive, Thor still had to frequently set out on expeditions to suppress rebellions on various planets, leaving behind a certain number of Asgardian soldiers to stand guard.
Now that Odin was dead, not to mention the entire Nine Realms, the territories of Asgard alone had fallen into chaos, which in itself would tie up a large portion of Asgard's military force.
Everyone thought that Jotunheim would take the opportunity to launch an aggressive offensive, expand its gains, and that even the Skyfather-level powerhouse Laufey himself would appear, taking a single step straight into Asgard's homeland.
But the result was unexpected. Asgard took the initiative to strike brazenly, mobilizing a portion of its forces and accelerating the expansion of the war against Jotunheim.
War ignited on multiple planets between the worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim.
This decisive and aggressive action by Asgard, in turn, made Jotunheim somewhat suspicious.
"Asgard should be in fear and chaos, so why are these guys showing even greater aggression? Could it be that my cunning son has managed to deceive the Asgardians to such an extent?"
For Laufey, this was difficult to understand.
Assuming for a moment that Odin was dead, Hela was sealed, and the newly crowned Loki was his son and the one who had invited him to attack Asgard.
With every advantage, internal and external, in his hands, what did Asgard have to fight him with?
What, there was still Thor, the Thunder God? There was no need to waste breath on that boy, who was nothing without his father.
It wasn't until Laufey discovered a strange race, active on the battlefield, incomparably ferocious, and extremely patient. To launch a single attack, they could endure to the absolute limit, just for one chance to stake their lives on a strike.
Their streamlined bodies were naturally born for combat, and their innate exoskeletal armor was incomparably hard.
The blood in their bodies could corrode even hard alloys and could inflict considerable damage on Frost Giants!
They were tall, at least two and a half meters; fearless in the face of death, willing to perish together with Frost Giants, even by means of self-mutilation to splash their blood; and well-trained, with the composed demeanor of seasoned veterans.
Most importantly, they were numerous, several thousand appearing at once, yet every single one possessed extremely high combat instinct.
Even Laufey had never heard of such a race!
"Where on earth did this race come from? Investigate! I want to know which planet and which world they come from!"
Laufey frowned, looking toward Asgard's position in deep space.
Reinforcements brought by Asgard? Who would dare to participate in a war between two worlds?
What Laufey found even stranger was that this race was very fond of taking captives. They could clearly kill the Frost Giants, but would instead risk greater injury and suffer greater losses to try and capture them alive.
Any Frost Giant who was captured and transported to the continent of Asgard was never heard from again, their whereabouts unknown.
Even with his Skyfather-level mind, Laufey couldn't figure it out.
Could they be conducting genetic experiments? But the bloodlines of the gods were more or less imbued with divine power, forming a natural barrier against genetic decoding.
Otherwise, if they could be researched and cloned so easily, the entire universe would have been overrun with gods long ago.
Unless there was a being with an incredibly high level of wisdom who had broken the divine shackles.
"How long has it been since the war started, and 429 Frost Giants have already been killed or captured by these creatures."
Laufey used his vast divine power to perceive the progress of the war on numerous planets from afar.
Even though more than 1,500 Xenomorphs had also fallen, this didn't mean the Xenomorphs were weak. On the contrary, it proved their strength.
Because the opponents they faced were the Frost Giants, a renowned divine race in the universe, capable of using high-tech equipment, launching ice magic, and possessing physical qualities even stronger than the Asgardians.
However, the Xenomorphs' combat loss ratio was rising sharply with the passage of time.
Because the Frost Giants were not fools. They were also elites who would gradually understand and analyze a creature like the Xenomorph, familiarize themselves with its combat patterns, and take precautions and countermeasures in advance.
If all else failed, they could still clear a path with technology and magic.
However, the ripples caused by the Xenomorphs merely displeased Laufey. It made him feel that some race actually dared to step up and help Asgard, which was undermining his authority.
It was like when Odin had finally defeated Surtur, only for Muspelheim to produce Surtur's daughter, Queen Sindr, who was also a Skyfather-level being, to lead the Fire Giants to continue opposing Asgard.
When a flaw appears in what should have been a perfect matter, it inevitably leaves one feeling displeased.
Laufey focused all his attention on Asgard's homeland.
The Father of the Gods, the strongest God-King Odin—did a being like that really die so silently, as Loki had said?
"Even if Odin and Loki have set a trap together, it's a risk worth taking! An Asgardian at the end of his life, even Odin, is bound to be in one of the weakest periods of his existence! For the prideful Odin to resort to deception already demonstrates his weakness and lack of confidence."
Kill Odin, wash away the shame and shadow Odin had cast upon him, and use Odin's head as a warning to the Nine Realms!
Laufey slowly closed his eyes, waiting with patience.
The closer Jotunheim's army got to the continent of Asgard, the more certain he could be of Odin's condition.
As for that newly emerged race, well, it had indeed piqued Laufey's interest. He could tell at a glance that this was a race born for war, and no ambitious Skyfather would refuse such a group.
At the same time, on Earth.
"Yes, just as I predicted. Before their ascension, an equal number of Xenomorphs is far from enough to contend with these gods."
Du Wa perceived the movements of all the Xenomorphs and was crystal clear on the war's progress.
"In that case, I need to dispatch a much larger number of Xenomorphs to the war in Asgard to bring me back enough material. When the time comes, I can use my best Facehuggers on the captive gods, continuously deciphering the secrets of each divine race's power, and then..."
A fiery glint flashed in Du Wa's eyes.
His ultimate goal in this war was never any single divine race, but the very source of their divine power... the World Tree!
(end of chapter)