Chapter 44: This is Just a Preview of the War Between Gods

Loki had imagined many possibilities, but this Midgardian had exceeded his expectations time and time again. 

For instance, even though he was consumed by unprecedented anger due to Thor's dire situation, Loki was still the God of Mischief. Despite his near-demented state, he retained his instinctive cunning. As he attacked Duncan, he instinctively considered what Duncan relied on to carry out such a reckless act, and he combined this with the strength of Duncan's Xenomorph army to assess Duncan's true power.

The Xenomorphs that posed a real threat were, at most, the Queen, the Abomination Xenomorph, and the Enhanced Xenomorph. Dealing with these foes would only be a minor inconvenience for Loki, and it wouldn't change the ultimate outcome: Duncan's death.

Duncan himself had not demonstrated extraordinary strength.

Moreover, Loki had sensed Thor's condition up close and confirmed that his brother was merely parasitized by a creature and had fallen into a brief coma. Although the gaping wound in Thor's chest was severe—apparently resulting in the loss of some internal organs—the Asgardians' terrifying vitality meant that as long as Thor wasn't killed instantly, there was still hope for his recovery.

It's worth noting that even the lowest-level Asgardian civilians possess physical capabilities three times greater than those of Earth's humans—essentially making them all Captain Americas. And that's just the baseline for their civilians.

Thor, as the heir to the throne of the Gods, was on an entirely different level.

Loki, though furious, remained confident. However, when he saw Duncan raise his hand in a specific direction, a sudden unease and anxiety gripped him.

In an instant, Loki understood. But the realization only deepened his shock and disbelief. Reason told him that Duncan's actions were absurd, a self-destructive fantasy. Yet, his intuition screamed that Duncan was no madman. After all the effort Duncan had expended to target Thor's hammer, Loki couldn't dismiss the possibility.

"Xenomorph, parasite, genes..."

Loki's mind raced, connecting the dots. With his formidable intellect, he filtered through all the Xenomorph forms he had seen in less than 0.01 seconds. They were from the same species but varied in appearance and strength. There was also the new Xenomorph that had burst from the chest of the Enhanced Mutant in Loki's vision...

Loki glanced at it. In just a short time, the newborn Xenomorph had grown five times in size. Its growth rate was nothing short of astonishing.

"I see now. This lunatic actually has such an idea..." Loki was both shocked and furious, but he also felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if a blind spot in his mind had been illuminated.

So, this was possible. The parasitic nature of the Xenomorphs could be exploited in this way!

"You absolutely cannot lift Mjolnir! That is a divine weapon even I am unworthy to wield. Don't be so presumptuous!" Loki's eyes burned with rage, and his body surged with divine power as terrifying magic began to brew.

Given just a little more time, he could obliterate the Midgardian before him.

Boom!

At that moment, the wind ceased, the rain stopped, and the rolling dark clouds seemed to freeze, as if held in place by an invisible force.

Zizi!

A faint crackle of thunder emanated from Thor's hammer. This weapon, which had seemed like a lifeless object in Magneto's hands, now emitted subtle arcs of lightning.

Buzz!

Mjolnir suddenly erupted with a powerful current, breaking free from Magneto's control and hurtling toward Duncan!

Everything happened so quickly. Duncan's actions, from start to finish, were seamless and deliberate, as if he had planned this all along.

Loki watched with bloodshot eyes as the unattainable Mjolnir flew past him and landed firmly in Duncan's grasp.

Duncan felt the weight of the hammer and slowly raised his head. "Well, now we can begin the second round, Loki. You should now address me as... Thor."

Countless currents paused for a moment before surging wildly across Duncan's body. Visible bolts of lightning erupted from the hammer, carrying immense divine power that Duncan controlled with ease.

The divine power was so responsive that Duncan, who had expected to need time to adapt, found he could wield it as naturally as if it were an extension of himself.

The divine energy filled his body, rapidly activating and replenishing every cell. With the Xenomorph larva in his chest as the core, Duncan's life force was elevated to a new level.

A massive dark cloud condensed into a heart-stopping tornado, swirling around Mjolnir. From a distance, it resembled a black hole.

"How is this possible..." Loki muttered, his mind blank and his face a mask of confusion.

Kaecilius was equally bewildered. Magneto seized the opportunity to knock him over with a wave of energy, though Kaecilius's eyes remained wide with shock.

Magneto, however, remained calm. After the initial surprise, he glanced away expressionlessly. He had already lifted Thor's hammer, proving his own worth. This only confirmed Duncan's—or the Xenomorph's—exceptional nature. Beyond that, nothing else mattered.

As for strength, even if Thor in his prime were to return, Magneto was confident he could prevail.

The chaotic battlefield, with its shifting alliances, sent shockwaves across the globe. Even Black Bolt on the Moon noticed the disturbance and stood to observe the changes on Earth.

Duncan, now bathed in endless lightning, had become a god, the center of everyone's attention.

Under the thunder and lightning, the darkness was torn apart, and Duncan's shadow stretched long across the flashes, as if it would envelop the entire planet.

Duncan's eyes gleamed with deep satisfaction. As he had anticipated, this was a gamble. If it had failed, he would have retreated with his army. Fortunately, he had succeeded.

Think about it. Many have lifted Thor's hammer: Thor, Hela, Vision, Captain America, Jane Foster, Black Widow, Deadpool, Magneto, Loki, Frog Thor, Horse-Faced Thor, Bor, Captain Hydra, Wonder Woman, Superman.

The common belief is that the hammer's criterion is "worthiness," but this is clearly flawed. Hela, for instance, was far from just, yet she wielded the hammer with ease.

Duncan believed that only those with "pure" divine characteristics could lift Mjolnir.

Of course, this was merely the standard for lifting the hammer, not the act of altering Odin's enchantment to allow someone to wield it.

"So, does the hammer reject one for not being pure enough or not being magnanimous enough?" Duncan mused, finding the hammer's judgment fascinating.

The hammer's assessment of an individual could change based on circumstances and mental evolution.

In this crisis, Loki clearly did not meet the hammer's standards, but Duncan, who had seized Thor's genes and blood, had obtained the key to "divinity" and could now control Mjolnir.

Duncan even suspected that the hammer, with its limited intelligence, had been deceived by the Xenomorph larva in his chest, mistaking him for a reformed and "enlightened" Thor.

Regardless, Duncan had ascended to godhood by replacing the Xenomorph larva, and the results were undeniable.

Duncan now wielded the power of a god. As he raised Mjolnir high, surrounded by Xenomorph bathed in lightning, this moment was destined to become a legendary scene etched into history.

Even millennia later, as long as Earth endured and history was preserved, people would remember the man who led a powerful alien army, raised Mjolnir, and mastered the power of Thor.

This scene however was not confined to Earth.

Asgard's Temple

Odin, who appeared to be sleeping but was actually observing Earth with his immense divine power, was stunned by what he saw.

When the Eternals appeared, he had been wary of Arishem but chose not to act. When Thor was lured by Duncan and infected by the facehugger, Odin remained confident that he could remove the creature, as long as Thor wasn't killed instantly. But when he realized that Duncan could lift Mjolnir after absorbing the larva from Thor's body, he was truly shocked.

"Where did this creature come from? It's extraordinary that it could bypass my enchantment, even if through trickery. Such a race should not be unknown."

Odin pondered the Xenomorph that had parasitized Thor and traced the origins of the entire alien species, ultimately focusing on Duncan.

To be honest, the All-Father had never taken Duncan seriously. Having lived for millions of years, he had witnessed countless rises and falls and slain so-called powerful beings from across the realms.

But now, as he neared the end of his life, he found himself intensely interested in a "mortal" from Midgard.

Odin considered extending his vision to trace back the timeline. This wasn't difficult for him. If a Sky Father being like himself unleashed his full power, he could disrupt the entire galaxy—or even destroy it.

However, Odin decided against it. His time was limited, and his aging body could no longer sustain the immense power he had accumulated over his lifetime. Even using a fraction of his power would hasten his death.

"According to my agreement with the Ancient One, the future was dark. I initially thought the problem lay with the Eternals and the Celestials, that they would attack Thor. But this outcome... Arishem didn't appear, and Thor only suffered minor losses..."

If this was the extent of it, it would be the best possible outcome.

Thor was still alive. Even without Mjolnir, he could recover. But the concerns the Ancient One had expressed during their conversation were genuine... What future had she seen with the Time Stone?

Was it because of Duncan? This young man was indeed remarkable. He commanded a strange and powerful alien army, though their origins were unknown.

Now, through ingenious means, he had lifted Mjolnir and gained a portion of Thor's power.

But this level of power was far from enough to warrant the Ancient One's concern.

Odin decided to continue observing. His body could still sustain him for a few more years, and he retained the ability to strike at least once. He would wait until the enemy the Ancient One feared appeared.

If Thor survived until then, Odin could safely pass on his power and allow Thor to ascend the throne.

If Thor perished... Facing an enemy even the Ancient One couldn't describe, death in battle would be inevitable. Even if Thor survived this, Ragnarok loomed on the horizon.

Odin hoped Thor would endure. On Earth, under the protection of the Ancient One and allied with Duncan—who had lifted Mjolnir—Thor's chances of survival were as high as they could be, though it was a blow to his pride.

On Earth

Duncan officially engaged Loki in battle, marking the beginning of the second round.

He suspected that Odin and others were monitoring Earth's developments and that Thor's condition was a significant factor. However, he wasn't overly concerned.

Even in Universe 199999, when Thor was nearly killed by Loki, Odin had remained in Asgard, asleep, taking no action until Thor awakened and reclaimed Mjolnir, restoring himself to full strength.

As long as Thor wasn't killed outright, Odin wouldn't intervene, even if Thor were on the brink of death.

The All-Father, having fought countless battles, possessed a ruthlessness far beyond what most could comprehend.

Moreover, Thor was still some distance from true death.

Duncan fought like a true Thor, wielding Mjolnir to soar through the skies and unleash divine power at will. From space, one could see terrifying thunderstorms gathering from across the globe, converging over the New Mexico desert.

The Queen, under Duncan's command, led her forces toward...The Eternals!

In this situation, killing Loki or Kaecilius was unrealistic. If these two powerful sorcerers chose to flee, Duncan couldn't stop them.

Instead, capturing a group of Eternals was the most strategic move, preparing for the inevitable war between Jotunheim and Asgard.

That would be a battle even Odin would participate in. Duncan, ever the risk-taker, knew that without powerful allies, he would gain nothing.

Boom!

The Abomination Xenomorph leaped hundreds of meters, landing like a cannonball as it attempted to crush Makkari. Among the Eternals, Makkari's super-speed made her the most troublesome, not Ikaris or Gilgamesh.

Unfortunately, Makkari prioritized Ajak's safety over the battle itself. The moment she noticed the Abomination Xenomorph's attack, she abandoned Magneto and retreated, trying to return to Ajak.

"What are you doing? You're attacking us now?" Ajak shouted.

Duncan ignored her. Bathed in thunder and radiating divine power, he clashed with Loki. Simultaneously, through the vision of his Xenomorph army, he calculated Makkari's movements. With a command, over a dozen Xenomorphs moved to block her escape routes.

Under normal circumstances, this would be futile. But in this chaotic battlefield, with rampant energy dissipating wildly, it was the perfect environment to restrict Makkari.

Snap!

An Xenomorph's claw shot out. After countless calculations, Duncan ordered the attack. The seemingly casual swipe intercepted Makkari's only path forward.

With a loud crash, Makkari tumbled like an out-of-control vehicle, her body torn by the chaotic energy.

Ajak and Gilgamesh turned in shock, trying to protect her.

But it was too late.

...

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