Duval didn't know what was happening in Kamar-Taj, but he could guess that Ancient One was probably discussing him with Wong and the others.
Duval didn't believe that Ancient One wouldn't know of his existence. After all, she possessed the Time Stone and could observe countless futures as Earth's guardian.
"I just wonder, is this universe's Ancient One a male or female version..."
The thought flashed through Duval's mind, and he chuckled, quickly dismissing it.
In any case, whether it was either Ancient One, the future was bright—either returning to the Vishanti or wandering the universe with Eternity.
That was the benefit of having a strong backing; even death didn't mean the end of one's prospects, so they could take life and death lightly.
In comparison, Duval felt he needed to work harder. He didn't have a multi-level backing like Ancient One, and not just one, so he could only rely on himself.
"The attempt to steal Black Magic using the Xenomorph failed, and there won't be another chance like this in the future."
Duval pressed his hand on the Xenomorph born from the Chestburster Black Magic, carefully sensing its state.
Now, Duval could only try to steal Dormammu's power. He couldn't target others, because no matter how much Dormammu raged, Ancient One would block him, so there was no need to worry about the consequences.
Besides, it was as if Dormammu would give up devouring Earth even if he didn't offend him.
"Then, I can give up on the path of magic."
Duval muttered, not feeling disappointed, because he hadn't had much hope from the start. Always using borrowed power wasn't a long-term solution.
Raven swayed as she walked, bringing him a cup of scalding water with graceful steps, placing it heavily on the table with a bang: "Magic? You clearly possess unique power, yet you still covet magic? I don't understand what you're thinking."
"Magic is still very useful, those magicians..." Elektra argued for Duval.
"Listen to who's talking? A Stockholm syndrome patient who started speaking for others soon after being captured? Or a newbie who just learned there's a place called Kamar-Taj?"
Elektra's face contorted with anger. The old woman was always good at using every opportunity to sneer.
"Don't mind her, Elektra. She's about the same age as Erik and Charles, but her menopause is prolonged," Duval consoled.
"So heartwarming, you're really good at comforting people." Raven was clearly a little triggered, mimicking Elektra's appearance as she spoke.
Duval picked up the water and drank it all in one gulp, wiping his mouth with a tissue.
"It seems you really don't understand anything. Of course, it's not your fault. You just need to focus on the power of the X-Gene. I can't."
"A man saying he can't?"
"On a small scale, I'm the commander of an army. On a large scale, I'm the leader of a race. That's the biggest difference between you and me," Duval said.
While everyone was focused on the wonder and power of the Xenomorph, Duval's gaze had already turned to the more distant future.
Indulging in low-level transcendence was futile. Who knew, one day, a visitor from outside the universe might jump out, possessing strength that Duval couldn't handle.
Therefore, Duval had long been planning, silently formulating a plan for the Xenomorph's ascension! From planetary life to cosmic life! At the very least, allowing the Xenomorph to survive in the vacuum of space, instead of being doomed to die in space like in the movies.
Admittedly, many famous figures didn't count as cosmic life, such as Iron Man and Star-Lord. They needed to wear high-tech equipment to fight in space.
This didn't affect their ability to use their talents, and no one dared to look down on them.
But if there was an opportunity to improve the life form of the entire group, why not do it?
Currently, it seemed that the path of magic was blocked. Duval was unwilling to rely on a multi-level being to maintain the Xenomorph's ascension.
"...Do I have to constantly adjust the genetic structure of the entire Xenomorph society? Constantly parasitizing and Chestbursting, eventually finding a universal starting point for survival in various harsh environments?"
Just like the Kryptonians next door, they could bask in the yellow sun from birth, and become stronger by basking in the sun. This was the power derived from the race's genes.
Duval repeatedly pondered, constantly looking at the many Xenomorphs surrounding him.
With the ten Deviants Magneto sent after he parasitized Magneto, the total number of Xenomorphs had increased to forty-seven. Of course, this was only on the surface. In the underground cave, there were still sixty Xenomorph eggs that hadn't hatched. If Duval didn't issue the hatching order, these eggs could remain dormant for more than a hundred years without needing to absorb nutrients from the outside world!
It wasn't that he couldn't have more Xenomorphs and Xenomorph eggs. Without sufficient top-tier combat power, blindly expanding like crazy, such as parasitizing countless animals, would only accelerate the joint encirclement and suppression by the major forces on Earth, which would be detrimental to long-term development.
"The number is still not enough. The peak combat power is currently only one Abomination Xenomorph, fifteen Deviant Xenomorphs, and a large pile of Blood Xenomorphs..."
A crazy idea popped into Duval's head. Calculating the time, it was almost time for Thor to come to Earth.
Duval didn't want Thor himself. Odin wasn't dead yet. If he dared to parasitize Thor, it would inevitably provoke Odin's anger.
Although Duval also coveted Odin's body very much, sometimes thinking that Odin would die in a few years anyway, so it would be better to take advantage of his great body—but Odin was not something he could touch now.
Duval felt that he needed to be more flexible and choose a promising path, instead of always staying on Earth fighting Vampires.
"Let me think, May 8th, New Mexico, hmm, calculating the date, well, I can actually start taking action now." Duval made a decision and immediately took action.
Raven was full of doubts about Duval's actions. In fact, she had never understood the secrets of this guy. She didn't know where Duval got his information, didn't know if the Xenomorphs were created by Duval, and didn't know the logic behind Duval's next actions.
"What are you thinking again? If I were you, I would wait here quietly, wait for Erik to capture more Mutants, hunt enough Vampires, and constantly expand the number of Xenomorphs," Raven couldn't help but say.
Even if only counting the Blood Xenomorphs, Raven couldn't see where the Xenomorph Queen's egg-laying limit was, nor could she see where Duval's limit for controlling the number of Xenomorphs was. Naturally, the more Xenomorphs in hand, the better.
When Duval only had a few Xenomorphs, others regarded him as a mad scientist. When he had dozens of Xenomorphs, others regarded him as a troublesome superhuman.
What if Duval had hundreds of Xenomorphs?
Even the weakest Blood Xenomorphs have far surpassed ordinary humans and weak Mutants in terms of hard power, can ignore most firearms damage, and are full of obedience and utility. Once they form a sufficient scale, they will be an unimaginable and huge boost to the Brotherhood!
Imagine, each Brotherhood member can be assigned a Xenomorph—or three or five? What a terrifying increase in strength that would be!
Even Magneto would be tempted.
Raven's plan to stay with Duval has changed from simply being a hostage and probing secrets to trying to win Duval over by all means.
But Duval's mind was not on this old woman Raven at all, and he was aware of Raven's little thoughts, but he didn't care.
He set out with his troops.
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