Chapter 67: The Death of Kaecilius Is the Beginning of New Troubles
The already restless New York City was gradually descending into chaos. Slowly, everyone discovered that the area surrounding Weyland Tower had, surprisingly, become a safe haven. When the Xenomorphs weren't killing indiscriminately, their nightly patrols, in a way, made them the most reassuring of guards.
Those who often used binoculars to observe every floor of Weyland Tower would frequently spot the silhouettes of Xenomorphs flashing past the windows. This further proved that the tower's interior was, in fact, crawling with Xenomorphs on every level.
Gradually, some of Du Wa's admirers mustered their courage and began contemplating settling down nearby.
Weyland Corporation also continuously hired construction crews to begin large-scale development in the surrounding area. This was, of course, legal; it was all something money could buy. Not to mention, with Du Wa's power, merely showing up and asking for some of the surrounding land would be enough to make certain people afraid to disagree. Furthermore, Du Wa possessed something others couldn't buy even with money: lifespan.
Countless people were scheming to get their hands on a Xenomorph, hoping to secure a stable output of its secretions to develop longevity drugs. Unfortunately, no one had succeeded yet.
Even if they risked hunting a lone Xenomorph, and even if they succeeded, it was impossible to capture one alive. They could only face the Xenomorph's fight to the death, watching helplessly as many of their skilled operatives were left horribly maimed by its corrosive blood, dying on the spot.
Capture it alive? That was impossible. Unless Du Wa gave a specific order, a Xenomorph would fight to the death or, failing that, commit suicide. The concepts of retreat or surrender did not exist for them.
However, people gradually discovered that when Du Wa's people went hunting, they demonstrated a terrifyingly high capture efficiency, far surpassing anything from the past.
This was completely different from before.
In the past, even when catching vampires, it was a scene of bloodshed and dismembered limbs. To prevent the vampires from resisting or killing themselves, the Xenomorphs would always remove their limbs first, bringing back only the living head and torso for implantation.
Things were different now.
This was because Du Wa's faction had gained a psychic master named Druig, making the previous troublesome methods entirely unnecessary.
As Elektra and Daredevil walked out of Weyland Tower, discussing how to find Stick, they saw a neat line of people approaching. Only a few Xenomorphs were scattered on either side, escorting the group.
"These are all vampires, right? How did they end up like this..."
"Look at the fangs at the corners of their mouths. They're definitely vampires. Have they given up and decided to surrender to Du Wa?"
"Their eyes look so dull, like they've been scared stupid. I've never seen vampires like this, and there are so many of them."
Many people whispered amongst themselves.
Thanks to Du Wa, the existence of vampires was no longer a secret. The citizens weren't blind; they saw the Xenomorphs appearing and disappearing throughout New York City every day.
With even gods and superhumans being repeatedly defeated and captured by Du Wa, the act of constantly hunting vampires seemed almost normal in comparison.
"This is Druig's doing. Only he has this level of mental power," Elektra said after a single glance.
"Druig... A man who can control over twenty vampires at once. It seems he's an extremely devout follower of Du Wa, otherwise he wouldn't have backstabbed his own comrades," Daredevil said in a low voice.
"That's nothing. You haven't seen him at his most fanatical. If Du Wa gave the word, he would even be willing to control tens of thousands of humans, have them line up to be bitten by vampires, and ultimately turn them all into Xenomorph hosts," Elektra said.
Daredevil's heart skipped a beat, his expression turning grave.
Mental powers were already nearly impossible to defend against. Compounding that, Druig was a fanatical follower of Du Wa with such an extremist personality. If a person like Druig were truly let off the leash... He suddenly realized that Du Wa's very existence was a crucial shackle on these dangerous individuals.
"In that case, Stick is also a vampire. If Druig sets his sights on him..."
"That's why we need to hurry. In Druig's eyes, vampires are only fit to be hosts for Xenomorphs," Elektra said.
"You and he both listen to Du Wa. Can't you cooperate? Have him use his mental powers to find Stick."
Elektra gave Daredevil a strange look. "You still don't understand what I mean. To Druig, turning everyone into one of us, whether they live or die, is the best way to solve any problem."
A chill ran down Daredevil's spine.
Just as Elektra had said, Druig was currently working with exceptional zeal, one might even say desperately.
No one could understand the elation in Druig's heart—except for Du Wa.
For Druig, even just by closing his eyes, he could feel as if he were in a sea of flowers in a pure world. These were all pure consciousness, and Druig was deeply infatuated with it all.
To allow more people to experience this beauty, Druig worked tirelessly to send everyone to meet Du Wa.
That's right, in the literal sense. It didn't matter if they were dead or alive. Even if they died, as long as it was death by chestbursting, in Druig's eyes, it was also an important path to the Truth.
To transcend into pure consciousness, to stand guard over Du Wa—was this not a rare and supreme honor?
Druig believed this with all his heart. He roamed New York City with dozens of Xenomorphs, searching for any trace of vampires.
While Elektra was off searching for Stick and the Sorcerer Supreme for the past few days, Druig had taken over perfectly.
This left the last group of vampires hiding in New York City with nowhere to run. They were completely unable to resist Druig's mental powers and would ultimately "voluntarily" head to Weyland Tower to contribute their bodies.
"The numbers are dwindling. For such a large city, why are there so few vampires?"
Druig's perception spread out, and he gradually grew anxious. He longed to earn Du Wa's praise for his efforts—praise on the level of mind and consciousness.
If Du Wa wasn't holding him back, he would have long ago tried to turn a group of ordinary people into vampires, just to have the Xenomorphs impregnate them.
"Hm? Black Magicians?"
Druig had instead found a stronghold of Black Magicians. After all, the city was too large and its population too dense. No matter how much they cleaned up, there would always be opportunistic individuals starting new operations.
Catching vampires was a job, and as for these Black Magicians, killing them would suffice.
Druig immediately attacked the stronghold. Awaiting him were more than a dozen well-prepared Black Magicians, their leader's face bearing a strange smile that gave Druig an extremely dangerous feeling.
"Lord Kaecilius, this is the one who defected to Du Wa. He's nearly wiped out all the vampires in New York," one of the Black Magicians said.
If he had any other choice, Kaecilius would rather not fight.
Having just spent over half a month bedridden, with his subordinates having been repeatedly purged several times over by Kamar-Taj and the Xenomorphs, Kaecilius had no choice but to act. He looked seriously at Druig, focusing his attention on the mental power emanating from him.
The Eternals. Kaecilius, of course, knew of them. But it was because he knew that he was all the more curious why Druig would do something as insane as defecting to Du Wa, and with such diligence.
"Who are you?" Druig asked, looking coldly at Kaecilius.
Kaecilius sized up Druig with a dangerous gaze. "A Pilgrim in pursuit of the Truth. And you, old man? A coward who fled the battlefield to live a wretched existence?"
"Someone like you is worthy of mentioning the Truth?" Druig's gaze shifted.
"Of course. Since you can defect to Du Wa, why not come to the great Dormammu? He will grant you eternal life, freeing this world from all regret and despair, leaving only eternity," Kaecilius said.
Druig looked at Kaecilius's expression and posture and found them somewhat familiar. After a moment's thought, he remembered—he looked the same way when he spoke of Du Wa. More importantly, the Truth this man was discussing was the boring concept of eternal life.
"I am already nigh-immortal. Why would I need to seek eternal life from Dormammu? And who is Dormammu? Probably some boring, weak false god."
To be fair, Druig truly had no idea who Dormammu was. Despite having been on Earth for several millennia, he had spent the entire time hunting Deviants under Ajak's leadership, never interacting with other superhumans, avoiding them whenever possible.
Druig looked impatiently at Kaecilius. "The thing you take such pride in is worthless in my eyes. How dare a brain-dead piece of trash like you use the word Truth to describe Dormammu?"
"You know nothing of Dormammu's power and greatness. Having lived on this planet for thousands of years, you are, at best, a beautiful but antiquated canary." Kaecilius's gaze turned icy. "Then who should be the Truth?"
"Without a doubt, Du Wa."
"What is Du Wa? You're completely mad. As a noble-born of the Eternals, you're actually singing the praises of an ordinary human?"
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. You will, once you become a Xenomorph." A deep killing intent flashed in Druig's eyes. He could tolerate being insulted himself, but he could not stand this bastard insulting Du Wa. This was a grave offense.
For a Pilgrim, having one's Faith insulted was a feud to the death.
Kaecilius sneered, "I was about to say the same thing. When you become one of us, and I offer you to the great Dormammu, you will witness his divinity and power with your own eyes. Don't thank me when you're weeping with tears of joy."
He wasn't interested in Druig himself, but in the xenomorph larva inside Druig's body.
An un-emerged, imperfect Xenomorph might be exactly the kind of Xenomorph Dormammu needed.
But then again, Druig himself was also an extremely rare sacrifice.
If he could offer up Druig, this rare creation of the Celestials, along with the xenomorph larva, Dormammu would surely be pleased. And when He was pleased, He would grant Kaecilius even greater power, ultimately advancing the progress of the plan to devour Earth.
Kaecilius was currently in excruciating pain all over his body, his condition far from good. He needed Dormammu to repair his body.
The two sides clashed instantly, a fierce battle erupting in a flash.
Druig directly used his mental powers to invade Kaecilius's brain, but Kaecilius simply raised a hand and grabbed a Black Magician to use as a shield, while his other hand created an energy whip that sent Druig flying. The next second, he followed up with another blast of dark magic.
One after another, Black Magicians were controlled by Druig, turning on Kaecilius and attempting to interfere with his actions.
"It's useless. Even if you can control their brains, can you control the dark magic they wield? When it comes to dark magic, I am second on Earth, only slightly weaker than the Ancient One."
Kaecilius let out a sinister laugh. Several streams of black mist immediately erupted from his body to block the attacks, then instantly exploded outward, knocking down several Black Magicians and eventually spreading throughout the stronghold, killing over a dozen Xenomorphs.
Druig frowned, his face showing caution as he realized this man was ridiculously strong.
He had, after all, been in seclusion for six hundred years, far too detached from the world. What did six hundred years mean? Even the Ancient One wasn't six hundred years old.
Black Magicians and Xenomorphs died one after another. The smile on Kaecilius's lips grew more and more bizarre as he systematically suppressed Druig.
"I only need to protect my own brain. Within dark magic, there are many spells that use pain to maintain the brain's fortitude. Not to mention, I can also use white magic."
Kaecilius placed a shield woven from golden threads over his head, repelling Druig's mental invasion time and time again.
This made Druig realize that he was no match for Kaecilius.
This human before him, aside from a slightly weaker physical constitution, was superior to him in almost every other aspect.
Even regarding his frail physique, to put it bluntly, Kaecilius had mastered several powerful protective spells and could adorn his body with magical armor.
At the very least, Kaecilius was once the Sorcerer Supreme's chief disciple and was now Dormammu's number one dog. Dealing with a single Druig was truly not difficult.
But Druig didn't see it that way. He knew little of Dormammu, nor did he understand the prestige of the Lord of the Dark Dimension. He was equally clueless about the Ancient One.
The longer they fought, the more passive Druig became. The relentless onslaught of powerful magic was sealing off his room to maneuver, pushing him step by step into a dead end.
One by one, Xenomorphs died before Druig's eyes, enraging him to no end.
He watched helplessly as terrifying chains, woven from both dark and white magic, continuously pierced through the Xenomorphs' bodies, stringing them together.
Normally, Druig would soon have become one of them.
But in the next second, a terrifying golden beam of light descended from the sky, carrying an astonishing might sufficient to shatter a city. Countless golden bolts of lightning burst forth like thunderbolts, scattering in all directions.
At this critical moment, Sentry had arrived.
"I flew over as soon as I got the command. Kaecilius, right? You damn bastard, Du Wa has had his eye on you for a long time. This time, he gave me a kill order. I absolutely must take you out."
Reynolds floated in mid-air, an excited look on his face as he looked down on Kaecilius from above.
Ever since defeating Magneto and the Eternals, Reynolds had been looking for an opportunity to challenge stronger opponents to determine his own position on Earth's food chain.
If he didn't specifically fight the strong, how could he prove how capable he was? If he didn't prove how capable he was, how could he earn the world's awe and adoration? Without that, life was just too painful and unbearable.
Reynolds glanced around at the magical chains that had pierced numerous Xenomorphs and let out a low, cold laugh. His body suddenly trembled, and a golden energy beam expanded outwards. He lifted his head, his eyes already a solid gold, and instantly unleashed a powerful Heat Vision. The energy collided with the magic particles, forcefully severing the countless magical chains.
"Robert Reynolds, the one who defeated Magneto." Kaecilius's brow furrowed slightly.
He could tell that Reynolds was not on the same level as Druig; he was extremely tricky to deal with.
Druig looked at Reynolds and communicated via his mind: "Why are you here?"
"Du Wa sensed you were in danger and ordered me to come and do the job," Reynolds explained out loud.
Anyone else hearing this would have found nothing strange about it—just a subordinate in danger, with their superior urgently dispatching another subordinate to help.
But it was different for Druig.
"I obviously didn't tell anyone, yet he was able to know... I understand. He's using the Xenomorphs to achieve instantaneous perception and message transmission. This is the main Xenomorph hive consciousness."
Reynolds, standing nearby, glanced cautiously at Druig. He felt that Druig's expression had suddenly become terrifying—it was the look of someone who had thrown their entire being into a single task, viewing it as a sublime mission with ultimate madness.
Reynolds was terrible at dealing with people like this; he couldn't comprehend Druig's way of thinking.
But then again, most people couldn't comprehend the thought process of a somewhat neurotic guy like Reynolds either.
On the contrary, when Reynolds looked at Kaecilius, he found him much more agreeable. At least he could attack him with reckless abandon, not caring if he killed him.
Kaecilius, meanwhile, was rapidly assessing the situation.
How was he to deal with these two? Druig was one thing, but Reynolds was truly difficult to handle and had virtually no weaknesses.
Should he continue to unleash his most powerful spells and blast these two to bits? But his body hadn't recovered yet. He might very well have to lie down for another period of time after the fight was over.
This would incur Dormammu's displeasure, as he had not produced any outstanding results for Dormammu in a long time.
Kaecilius was well aware that Dormammu was not a demon god with a patient and good temper; on the contrary, he was extremely violent and cruel.
"I can't give up on the Eternal and the Xenomorph, but I must also deal with Sentry. The only option is to throw them into the Mirror Dimension. At least that will buy some time."
Kaecilius decided to take the initiative.
Powerful magic instantly brewed in his hands—magic belonging to the Kamar-Taj faction.
Reynolds, however, as if he had anticipated it, grabbed Druig and, with a few flashes, also took the few surviving Xenomorphs. With exaggerated speed, he brazenly reappeared in the distance, watching Kaecilius from afar with a majestic air.
"The Mirror Dimension. I was on guard against that from the start," Reynolds said with a sneer.
Boom!
Reynolds immediately launched a long-range Heat Vision blast at Kaecilius.
Kaecilius frowned and threw up an energy shield.
After a few more exchanges, Kaecilius discovered that Reynolds was even more cunning than he had imagined, almost as if someone were remotely directing him, having prepared various tactical plans against him in advance.
It made Kaecilius feel as if he were fighting several people at once.
He looked around at his own side—only a group of half-dead, useless Black Magicians. These men were more than enough to deal with ordinary superheroes, but against an opponent like Reynolds, they were utterly vulnerable.
Reynolds's rapidly moving figure became a golden streak of light in the air. Each time he appeared, he would either swing a heavy fist wreathed in golden energy, smashing down with the terrifying force of billions of tons, or he would fire his Heat Vision in all directions, constantly severing Kaecilius's spells.
Whenever Kaecilius managed to prepare a few powerful spells to ambush Reynolds, Reynolds would be exceptionally alert, dodging to a safe distance and coldly watching him waste his magic power for nothing.
Once his magic was nearly depleted, Reynolds would charge back in with lightning speed.
The commotion from their battle was enormous. Even a casually thrown energy wave or spell could easily tear through the surrounding skyscrapers.
This successfully triggered terrified screams from many people. But when they saw that one of the combatants was one of Du Wa's men fighting alongside Xenomorphs, they felt an inexplicable, slight sense of reassurance and scurried to a safe distance.
There were even some who, unafraid of death, were filming from afar with recording equipment.
It seemed that the round-the-clock operations to clear out vampires and the several public battles had done a good job of shaping public opinion of Du Wa's image.
Although, in reality, it was not at all what they imagined.
"Who is giving you ideas?! How could scum like you possibly know so much about my magic?!"
Kaecilius could finally bear it no longer. His face grew paler, and a more terrifying pain faintly emanated from his gut.
If he were dealing with those righteous individuals, Kaecilius felt he could easily take the surrounding ordinary people hostage to force his opponent into a compromise.
But Du Wa's people, in most situations, primarily targeted their enemies and paid no mind to the ordinary people around them.
Killing the enemy could protect more ordinary people. Failing to kill the enemy meant more ordinary people would die tragically in the future.
The people on Du Wa's side understood this calculus perfectly, so they could act without any psychological burden.
Not to mention, Reynolds himself was a villain who loved to show off; his moral ceiling wasn't high.
As for Druig, if you tried to talk to him about the lives of ordinary people, he used to care deeply. Now, however, for any ordinary person who wouldn't become a Xenomorph, he was particularly unconcerned.
The battle grew more and more intense. Druig was also trying every means to interfere with Kaecilius's thoughts with his telepathic ability, making it impossible for Kaecilius to guard against everything.
Boom!
A violent tremor shook several nearby streets.
It also successfully attracted the attention of a group of interested parties.
A golden portal suddenly opened.
Kaecilius's face showed no surprise; he just swept a quick, cold glance over it.
Who would it be? Mordo or Wong?
It didn't matter who it was, as long as it wasn't...
"Damn it!"
What did Kaecilius keenly perceive? A trace of anger and terror appeared in his eyes.
He too began to create a portal, intending to escape.
To do this, he even used a powerful spell—the Images of Ikonn, creating dozens of clones.
"Kaecilius, don't forget, I was the one who taught you this trick. Are you trying to use it to escape from me?"
A bald woman in a yellow sorcerer's robe appeared on the battlefield.
"..."
Kaecilius's expression was utterly grim. He controlled his countless clones to generate innumerable energy whips, which he then threw at the Ancient One all at once.
But the Ancient One's expression was unmoved. With just a flick of her hands, the space around her cleared and underwent a bizarre transformation, appearing as a series of interconnected prisms.
The Ancient Body of Hoggoth!
This was one of the top two defensive spells in all of magic.
With a single move, the Ancient One blocked all the magical attacks and pushed back, sending the numerous prisms flying in all directions, instantly transforming the countless magic particles into a flurry of cyan butterflies.
Reynolds thought it was very beautiful.
Kaecilius, upon seeing it, felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
His body was just about to enter the portal, but unfortunately, he was still facing enemies like Reynolds with super speed and Druig with mental powers.
Pzzt!
A blast of golden Heat Vision shot over, staggering Kaecilius.
With that single blow, he missed his best opportunity to escape. The Ancient One had already locked down his position in an instant.
Even though the Ancient One didn't use the Time Stone, she was still a Skyfather-level powerhouse. Once a being of that level seized an opportunity, Kaecilius had no chance of turning the tables.
"Ancient One! Why are you here?"
Kaecilius was both furious and terrified, his face full of unwillingness.
This was simply too strange. First, he encountered two enemies who were very familiar with his magic, and then the Ancient One herself arrived.
It was supposed to be Kaecilius lying in wait for Druig, but now it seemed this had turned into a perfect trap set for him.
At least, that's what Kaecilius thought. He believed that the Ancient One and Du Wa had joined forces.
"There are many people who wish for your death, Kaecilius. Your threat to this planet has left more and more people dissatisfied," the Ancient One's voice carried its usual calm and peace.
But it was this very tone that completely enraged Kaecilius. "Dissatisfied with me for threatening this planet? Do you hear yourself? I am clearly doing the right thing! All I have to do is let Dormammu devour Earth, and the entire planet will no longer know pain or parting!"
He continued, "Besides, these scumbags on Du Wa's side, are they after me because I'm destroying the Earth? Are you sure it's not because I was targeting their Xenomorphs that they want me dead?!"
"You have the cause and effect wrong."
Druig suddenly spoke up. "There are many, many people who have ideas about the Xenomorphs, but very few who actually dare to act, especially a guy of your level. Because you wanted to make a move against us, we had to find a way to kill you before you could create bigger trouble. Du Wa just asked me to relay this to you. He said, to send you to see Dormammu."
"I will not die! I will obtain eternal life in Dormammu's Dark Dimension, free from despair and sorrow! Why is every single one of you trying to stop me? I am doing something beneficial for the entire planet! I am saving humanity!" Kaecilius seethed through gritted teeth.
The Ancient One gazed at her former beloved disciple with a peaceful expression.
The Kaecilius of the past, much like the Mordo and Wong of today, was filled with a sense of justice, single-mindedly wanting to use magic to protect the Earth and repel all demon gods from other dimensions.
But as he witnessed the fragility of mortals time and again, coupled with Dormammu's constant enticement through dark magic, Kaecilius finally fell.
Without a doubt, this was a tragedy, and the Ancient One felt she bore some responsibility for not looking after her beloved student well, which allowed Dormammu to exploit his weakness.
"You will not be alone, in either life or death, because perhaps one day in the future, I will come to see you too."
"Of course you'll see me, you villain who pretends to be righteous while secretly stealing dark magic to extend your own lifespan! When you die, you will be reunited with me in the Dark Dimension!"
The Ancient One remained silent. She immediately created a Sword of the Vishanti and swung it down from afar.
This single magical slash cut through space, transcended time, and froze all surrounding particles. From the atomic to the molecular level, everything stood still, poised to slice Kaecilius in two on the spot.
Kaecilius, his face full of unwillingness, mobilized all his dark magic to resist.
But at that moment, Reynolds and Druig also made their move, launching a two-pronged attack on both the physical and mental planes. They utterly cast Kaecilius into the abyss, his body instantly turning intangible and dissipating into nothingness.
The strongest dark mage who had plagued the Earth for many years had finally met his end.
"I'm very curious about what Kaecilius said before he died. As the Sorcerer Supreme, you've been secretly practicing dark magic?" Reynolds asked, looking at the Ancient One with curiosity.
He knew something about this absurdly powerful being, but he felt little fear, instead seeming eager for a challenge.
As for stealing dark magic, Reynolds didn't think it was a big deal; he was just curious.
"Reynolds, that's a very impolite way to ask," Du Wa's voice entered Reynolds's mind.
The Ancient One seemed to hear it and said faintly, "It's alright. This news will eventually be known by everyone anyway, but it's not yet time for it to spread. I'll need your help to keep it a secret... Du Wa."
"I would be happy to be of service, Sorcerer Supreme. Elektra and the others did a fine job. This has allowed us to begin a successful collaboration. It's a good start. I trust you'll find Kaecilius's life to be a fitting welcoming gift."
Du Wa stood in Weyland Tower, gazing into the distance as he spoke slowly.
The Ancient One glanced at Reynolds and Druig. "Perhaps it's a terrible start. Dormammu will not let this go. He will soon launch a fierce attack on Earth. In any case, let's return to the Sanctum Sanctorum first."
"Druig will go with you. He needs to team up with Elektra to monitor Stick, the vampire under your protection. But Reynolds cannot," Du Wa said.
Reynolds was his trump card. Du Wa would absolutely not allow Reynolds to go to a place like Kamar-Taj, which was filled with all sorts of terrifying magical arrays.
"If used properly, if it really comes to a point of desperation, he could even..."
(end of chapter)