Even before the dust had settled on the Broadway incident, while governments across the world were struggling to suppress a sudden surge in superhuman crime, a bombshell dropped that shook every major organization and power on the planet.
The Brotherhood, led by Magneto, had suddenly surfaced in Alaska and engaged a formidable enemy.
They had apparently been ambushed by a group of mysterious, powerful entities, suffering devastating losses!
Word was that several core members had been killed.
This news sent shockwaves everywhere.
After all, the one who suffered this setback was Magneto!
A dedicated, lifelong veteran who spent every waking moment honing his abilities, a mutant leader who was either in prison or on his way back to prison—someone humanity wouldn’t dare kill even if they managed to catch him!
Who had dared to move against Magneto?
And who could possibly make Magneto eat such a loss, crippling the entire Brotherhood in the process?
Across various darknet forums, endless rumors and half-truths spread like wildfire.
Lies mixed with facts, creating absolute chaos.
Anyone with a shred of influence scrambled for intel, desperate to know what kind of enemy had managed to lay Magneto low.
Who on Earth possessed that kind of power?
*** Inside the dilapidated Weyland Building, Duval sat on a sofa, idly swirling a glass in his hand.
It held no fine wine, just plain water.
He casually browsed the computer screen in front of him, taking in all the rumors swirling on the darknet.
“I see.
Magneto took a hit?
Ikaris alone definitely isn’t strong enough for that.
He’d be lucky if Magneto didn’t beat him to death.
Their battle must have awakened the Deviants frozen beneath the lake.” Duval pondered for a moment.
He suspected that other Eternals might have joined the fray as well.
As he recalled, among the eleven Eternals, one possessed super-speed—much like the Flash over at DC.
That ability allowed them to rapidly transport teammates from all over the world directly to the front line, making it top-tier backup summoning, second only to spatial teleportation.
Facing both Eternals and Deviants at the same time without knowing their combat styles, it made perfect sense that Magneto’s Brotherhood had taken a heavy beating.
“Magneto is a diehard radical.
When he realizes Ikaris isn’t a Deviant, and that the ‘ancestors’ he believed in are actually a bunch of giant black dogs crawling on the ground, I wonder what expression he’ll make.” Duval slouched back into the sofa and chuckled softly, clearly in high spirits.
Around him, a cluster of Xenomorphs along with a single human gathered to guard his safety.
In this entire building, aside from Duval himself, the only entity of greater importance was the Queen resting in the underground cave.
“Did you do this on purpose?
Were you the one who leaked false information to Magneto?” Elektra’s expression was stiff.
Though she tried her best to suppress her emotions, resentment leaked through every now and then.
She was constantly plotting her escape, daydreaming about the day she regained her freedom—how she would hold a blade and carve beautiful scars across Duval’s calm, handsome face.
Elektra wasn’t anxious about the plight of mutants; she was anxious because her life and actions were completely controlled by Duval.
“Why would you say that, my novice little assassin?” Duval replied smoothly.
“I merely had a chat with a SHIELD agent.
If even you didn’t catch my drift, how could Magneto?” “Setting mutants aside, what do I actually have to do to satisfy you?” Elektra desperately wanted to kill this man, but whenever the thought surfaced, the parasite in her chest would squirm—a clear and terrifying warning.
The sensation filled her with dread.
Yet, because of it, she had gained the enhancements of Xenomorph DNA: superhuman strength, speed, and accelerated healing.
Her power had skyrocketed beyond ordinary human limits, a fact that both thrilled and disturbed her.
Duval raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
“What makes you think you’ll ever walk away from me alive with your freedom?
Or would you rather work for an organization like The Hand than serve me?
At least I’ve been generous enough to boost your power and extend your lifespan.” Elektra parted her full red lips, at a loss for words.
In a sense, he wasn’t wrong.
Choosing between two evils, she seemed forced to pick the lesser one.
“What do you need me to do, new boss?” Elektra lowered her head, looking utterly drained.
“Just stay by my side.
I can’t be expected to handle everything personally—like when I finally get around to wiping out The Hand,” Duval said casually.
Elektra looked bewildered.
“Do you even realize how powerful The Hand is?
With just you and these Xenomorphs…” “No, I know full well.
I know exactly who sits behind The Hand—monstrosities from beyond Earth.
Their fate was sealed the moment they got here,” Duval replied.
As they spoke, a Xenomorph stepped behind Duval.
There was nothing unusual about this; Xenomorphs were not statues, and guarding Duval didn’t mean standing frozen in place.
However, the moment this Xenomorph lunged at Duval, Elektra, who had looked resentful and defeated just a second ago, seemed to instantly transform.
Driven by an instinct to protect Duval, she instinctively drew her blade and blocked the strike right before it reached his neck.
*Clang!* Elektra’s blade intercepted the razor-sharp claw aimed at Duval.
Simultaneously, the other Xenomorphs moved in seamless harmony.
In a split second, they cleanly broke the attacker’s limbs and impaled its shoulder with a tail, hoisting it into the air.
“I was wondering how long you could hold out.
I didn’t expect you to snap so soon,” Duval said calmly, turning around.
The form of the Runner Xenomorph shifted and warped until it finally turned into a human.
Mystique—Raven.
“You knew from the very beginning?” Raven stared intently at Duval.
“Of course.
I share an inseparable mental link with every single Xenomorph.
And yet, there you were.
Do you have any idea how awkward it is when a curry-flavored veggie patty sneaks into a batch of delicious custard pies?” Duval sighed and patted Mystique’s cheek.
*Hmm, feels nice,* he thought, giving her cheek a firm pinch.
Mystique showed no reaction.
Something so minor didn’t faze her in the slightest or alter her composure.
If she hadn’t already confirmed that Duval was obsessed with Xenomorphs day in and day out, she would have tried seducing him to resolve the situation.
But on second thought, a man this composed wouldn’t fall for such tricks, so she hadn’t bothered.
“Why?” Raven pressed, refusing to give up.
“Why did you deliberately spread false information and use me to strike at the Brotherhood?
For all you know, you might be a mutant too.
Maybe your powers come from the X-Gene…” “True, that’s possible in theory.
But I could also be on Professor X’s side, sent specifically to weaken you,” Duval replied.
“The truth is, I never gave you any concrete intel in the first place.
You were the one playing clever, choosing to believe whatever you wanted to believe.
You killed your own people—not me.” Raven furrowed her brow, glaring at Duval.
A moment later, a device on her arm vibrated.
“Erik wants to speak with you.” Duval commanded a Xenomorph to release Raven’s arm.
Raven didn’t use the opportunity to do anything foolish, like attacking Duval to free herself.
Instead, she activated the speaker mode on her device.
“If this was your invitation to me all along, I must admit, you succeeded.
A very effective trick.” Magneto’s voice echoed through the speaker: “Kid, let’s talk about the real Deviants.
In exchange, I’ll give you what you want—those damned, filthy reptiles that ambushed us from the bottom of the lake!!”