"We're awake, boss!"
"I've never felt this clear-headed in my life!"
"I swear I could probably solve math problems right now!"
Being literally beaten out of their frenzy left the Beast Soldiers with a permanent, instinctive understanding of just how terrifying Zod truly was. Fear naturally turned into reverence—and reverence quickly became worship.
"My hand… it's back!"
"My leg too!"
Once they ended their transformations, the former disabled soldiers stared in shock. Their missing limbs had fully grown back. They were whole again.
Zod nodded. "The Super Beastification Serum didn't just restore your bodies—it hardened your resistance and shields you from most illnesses. But what you're using now is only the baseline version. Only those who contribute to the organization earn the chance to evolve into stronger Beast Soldiers."
Stronger?
They had all felt the monstrous strength that surged through them after transformation. Many had quietly ranked themselves second only to the boss.
Yet Zod was saying there was another tier above them?
"You're each using just a single genetic template," Zod explained. "Think about it—if you fused two, or even three or more genetic sequences, wouldn't the result be naturally superior to what you are now?"
The logic was simple and convincing. And truthfully, this was what Zod intended.
The very name "Beast Soldier" reflected his vision. More templates meant more power. If luck favored him, he might even create soldiers comparable to those monstrous hybrid units from Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor.
Zod still regretted not possessing a Kryptonian scout ship. Every Kryptonian vessel carried a Brain Engine loaded with knowledge from over a hundred thousand worlds. If he had access to that archive, he'd soar to an entirely different level overnight.
Because his research had shifted direction, his mind—now sharper by the day—quickly cracked the design of a functional mindwashing device. When it was ready, the Beast Soldiers all underwent a round of memory editing.
According to the memories he implanted, the Serpent of the World had existed for decades. They had been raised and trained within the organization since childhood. Becoming Beast Soldiers was merely the next step in their lifelong service.
After the procedure, their loyalty to both the World Serpent and Zod became absolute.
For the first time, Zod finally felt he had a place in the Marvel world that he could call safe.
These Beast Soldiers might only possess about ten times the physical strength of an average human, and their defense didn't compare to a tank's armor—but in this era before superheroes and supervillains emerged, they were already the strongest force on the planet.
If Zod knew for certain whether this was the comics universe or the movie universe, he would've marched them straight into HYDRA's bases and absorbed the entire organization.
But for now, caution was better. He would grow first—hidden, unnoticed.
His health-supplement front business had been wildly profitable, mainly because supplements in America didn't require regulatory approval. No drug trials, no audits. Straight to market, straight to profit.
Without that loophole, he never could've grown so fast.
Zod was gathering money for a very specific reason: when Tony Stark announced the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division, Zod planned to buy the entire department—staff, machines, everything—and continue weapon production himself.
It would require a massive amount of cash, and even then he couldn't manufacture most existing weapon models because Tony held the patents. But Zod wasn't worried. He could simply design his own. Gunpowder-based kinetic weaponry? That was ancient tech on Krypton—the kind of thing you'd see displayed in museums.
Meanwhile, the Beast Soldiers of the World Serpent were dispatched to the Continental Hotel as killers and mercenaries.
With their enhanced bodies, they were already far beyond peak human capability even without transforming. In the assassination and mercenary world, strength meant money—and they had both.
As for buying Stark Industries stock, timing was crucial. During Tony's disappearance, the stock crashed—but it was impossible to buy then because Obadiah secretly bought out everything available.
The only window was after Tony shut down the weapons division. That was when Zod needed to go all-in. Buy as much as the market had. The stock would rebound anyway—any short-term losses would be nothing compared to future earnings.
The assassins of the Continental and the big mercenary organizations soon realized a new group had entered the scene—ruthless, efficient, and disturbingly strong. They stole contracts left and right, yet every attempt to ambush or retaliate ended the same way:
The would-be attackers simply vanished.
Rumors spread—whoever backed these newcomers had to be a terrifying force.
Zod, who treated the Continental like a personal ATM, didn't care in the slightest. At this point, even HYDRA might not be able to take him head-on.
Naturally, the "vanished" assassins weren't dead. They'd been abducted back to the base, brainwashed, injected with the Super Beastification Serum, and given new faces—literally. If the Beast Soldiers found talented fighters during missions, they captured them as well.
And so the World Serpent grew—quietly, relentlessly—hidden even deeper than HYDRA.
By the lake on the ranch, Zod had built a glass lounge—mosquito-proof, see-through armored walls, half extending over the lake, half on land. No sun protection, of course; this was his personal sunbathing and relaxation spot.
Under the blazing sun, Zod lifted a bottle of nearly boiling soda. He exhaled a slow breath over it, and instantly the drink chilled—ice crystals forming along the surface.
Freeze Breath.
By now, Zod had awakened every Kryptonian ability, and his control felt smoother than even Superman's.
He drained the ice-cold soda in one breath and continued his work.
Zod planned to walk a hybrid path—Batman plus Superman… or rather, Iron Man plus Superman.
He would arm himself with powerful suits of armor. Once enemies believed he relied on the suit and spent everything breaking through it, they would find themselves standing before a fully powered Kryptonian…
His first creation had been the Sun God Armor—his life-saving, comeback armor for weakened states.
Now he was developing his second set: the War God Armor.
Unlike the Sun God Armor's defensive core philosophy, the War God Armor was built purely for maximizing combat output.
Zod had already installed a wide array of weapons into the suit.
/-\
~ PLEASE! don't forget to leave a REVIEW!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally.)
/-\
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter