“That strange appearance really does resemble a Deviant.” Sersi, the Eternal who possessed energy manipulation powers and was the one to notify Ikaris, was repeatedly watching the video footage uploaded to the internet.
Calculating the timing, Ikaris—who was already in North America—should have flown to the scene by now.
Honestly, making public appearances in modern society was bound to cause trouble.
After all, the last time they had eliminated a Deviant was back in the sixteenth century.
In the past, acting without restraint wouldn’t spark global attention, and within a few decades, humanity would forget their existence.
Now, however, recording devices were everywhere.
Worse still, the Deviants—human-hunting creatures that should have been eradicated long ago—had inexplicably popped up again.
“The Celestials gave us life, and we must use that life to carry out their will—protecting humanity from the Deviants.
I hope Ikaris can quickly confirm whether these unfamiliar creatures are actually Deviants.” Sersi didn’t yet know that her trusted lover, driven by an unspeakable motive, had already jumped to a crude conclusion about Duval and engaged in a fierce battle.
However, she soon found out, her eyes widening in disbelief as she watched the online footage of the two figures clashing violently and leaving massive destruction in their wake.
…
“The situation is perfectly clear now: a man from out of nowhere flew into New York at Mach 10 and confronted Duval for unknown reasons.” Fury pointed at the satellite display, his expression impassive, though his face had darkened ominously.
“Energy monitoring satellites show he possesses an astoundingly high energy rating.
Where on Earth did this metahuman come from?” As the top spymaster, he was always prepared for contingencies, yet he utterly loathed unpredictable variables.
Soon enough, a variable that surprised—and even shocked—Fury appeared.
From the destroyed laboratory out of which Abomination had previously walked, another imposing figure emerged.
“Abomination?
Did he team up with Duval?” Beside him, Hill was surprised, but she quickly realized her mistake.
That thing was not Abomination.
The satellite AI was constantly calculating.
Although the angle was limited, its conclusion was clear: judging by build, this muscular entity was noticeably smaller than Abomination—a “runt” by comparison.
“It’s a Xenomorph,” Dum Dum said after a brief silence, his voice raspy.
“Or maybe my memory is failing me?
Abomination, injured by Hulk, returned to this lab—perhaps seeking the source of his transformation.
But instead of Abomination walking back out, what came forth was a Xenomorph that looks eerily like him?” Everyone present was a seasoned veteran agent, yet at this moment, they were all struck silent.
The deeper implications conveyed by these brief frames were horrifying and mind-boggling, completely shattering their fundamental understanding of the world and living organisms.
Could things truly be as they imagined?
“If that’s really the case, then Duval’s eagerness to engage Abomination before us makes complete sense,” Coulson said as he walked over, his brows furrowed with unprecedented solemnity as he spoke in a low voice.
Soon, they watched the mysterious man attempt to attack Duval for whatever reason, only to be intercepted by the hulking, Abomination-like Xenomorph, sparking an immediate, full-blown battle.
Wherever the man and the Xenomorph fought, building after building was smashed beyond recognition.
Reinforced concrete structures were as fragile as paper before their raw power.
It was a clash of absolute violence, a brutal exchange of blows with zero defense.
Every opening was exploited solely to land another punch on the opponent!
Pure hand-to-hand combat was all that mattered.
The gory, ruthless battle caused Fury and the others to frown deeply, leaving them speechless for a long time.
The sheer level of destruction was breathtakingly terrifying.
Especially Duval…
If he really used some mysterious method to harness Abomination’s power and create a new Xenomorph…
“I thought he was a small fry who only needed close surveillance, but it turns out he’s a remarkably dangerous shark,” Fury broke the silence.
“He even used us, leveraging this opportunity to acquire an insanely powerful Xenomorph.” “Chief, why do I feel like this new Xenomorph is way stronger than Abomination, and it’s still growing stronger?
It’s only been a short while, but it’s gotten bulkier, and its strength seems to be catching up to that mysterious guy.
It’s almost like…” “Hulk,” Fury said.
“Our theory is very likely reality.
Combined with the fact that Duval captured several vampires alive, we can draw a preliminary conclusion.
We just don’t know the exact mechanism he uses to make the Xenomorphs absorb the power of different lifeforms.” “It boils down to a few possibilities: surgical organ transplants, devouring, or genetic extraction.
But all of those take time.
How much time has passed between Duval taking on Abomination and now?” Coulson racked his brain, unable to wrap his head around it.
“Raise Duval’s threat level…
by four tiers.
He needs to be a priority target for monitoring and containment,” Fury said.
Did a creature truly exist that could steal power and then grow at such an exaggerated speed?
Everyone at SHIELD had underestimated Duval, and in this incident, they had been played by him, turned into mere background props for the rise of a formidable new power.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Duval, on the other hand, was in an extraordinarily good mood.
Watching the two figures trade furious blows from a distance, he felt immensely gratified.
At first, the newly born Abomination Xenomorph was indeed at a disadvantage, often having to take numerous hits before getting a single claw strike on Ikaris.
However, as time went on, the terrifying potential of the Abomination Xenomorph began to show.
After all, this Xenomorph was born from taking Abomination’s finest genes—which was, plain and simple, Hulk’s genetic trait!
The more it fought, the angrier it got; the angrier it got, the stronger it grew!
The sheer scale of this stat boost left even Ikaris dumbfounded.
Only a few exchanges had passed, and this creature—which he believed to be a Deviant—was already trading blows evenly with him!
Pounding it with his fists was no longer effective; blasting it with heat vision at most scorched the Abomination Xenomorph’s metallic carapace without inflicting real internal damage.
Ikaris’s only advantage was…
he could fly!
He refused to believe this thing could evolve a pair of wings on the spot!
“Whatever you are, since you choose to fight for that human, I’ll just kill him!” A flash of ruthlessness glinted in Ikaris’s eyes.
He slammed a fist into the Abomination Xenomorph’s chest, knocking it back, followed immediately by a burst of heat vision.
He prepared to soar into the high sky, abandoning the creature to go directly for Duval.
With the Xenomorph being this powerful, Duval—as its controller—might not necessarily possess equal combat strength.
He could be stronger, or he could be weaker.
However, the Abomination Xenomorph possessed instinctual combat prowess.
It couldn’t fly, but leveraging its thick, powerful legs and muscular tail, it leaped into the air directly toward Ikaris.
Its massive palm grabbed Ikaris’s leg, yanking him out of the sky, before a follow-up claw slash shredded Ikaris’s suit and left bloody gouges across his skin.
In a battle between high-tier beings, once both sides understood each other’s strength, the gloves were completely off.
Ikaris tried to disengage, but was thwarted time and again.
The longer they fought, the more Ikaris lost his composure.
He was actually taking damage!
He had been willing to expose himself before billions of humans just to silence witnesses and secure what he thought was a Deviant as a secret card for his sole use.
How had it turned out like this?
*I can’t keep fighting.
Even if I win against this damned monster, it’s meaningless.* Ikaris gritted his teeth.
Through this clash, he had realized that this organism really didn’t seem to be a Deviant.
Its physical changes were standard muscular swelling and skeletal adaptation, fundamentally different from the Deviants’ energy-conversion physiology.
Worse yet, he didn’t even need to think to know that the few insanely powerful individuals on Earth had officially taken notice of him and the Eternals behind him.
“Enough!
Stop right there!
They really aren’t Deviants!” Ikaris roared at the top of his lungs.
“Well said!
And I’ve confirmed one thing too—you’re an evil Deviant and the mortal enemy of all mankind!” Duval’s righteous voice rang out in response.