As Kaecilius's successor and the Sorcerer Supreme's chief assistant, Master Mordo couldn't understand the Ancient One's actions.
Wasn't Kamar-Taj's duty to monitor all spatial fluctuations on Earth and closely observe all elements from other worlds?
But now, Duval clearly had someone with otherworldly power, someone extremely powerful, even capable of defeating Magneto—well, Mordo didn't think he would lose to Magneto, but he had assessed Reynolds's combat abilities and found them troublesome.
He could launch energy remotely and engage in close combat. As far as Mordo could tell, apart from his mental defenses being unknown, there were no obvious weaknesses.
But the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were mostly ordinary humans, so in battle, they often had to cautiously expend some magic to add magical defenses to themselves.
The more powerful Reynolds was, the more unease Mordo felt. The Ancient One, as the Sorcerer Supreme, should have stepped in long ago to examine the source of Reynolds's power and confirm that no otherworldly invaders would return.
But the Ancient One hadn't. She just sat there, doing nothing, seemingly lost in thought.
Mordo wanted to ask, but looking at the Ancient One, who had closed her eyes again, he hesitated and ultimately respectfully withdrew from the Sanctum, deciding to continue his mission to find Kaecilius.
"Master Mordo, I haven't seen Wong. Where did he go?"
As Mordo passed a special training ground, a Dum Dum Dugan greeted him.
"Doing the same thing as me. The campaign against Black Magic Users must not stop." Mordo looked at the large group of identical men before him, paused, hesitated, and really didn't know how to face these Dum Dum Dugans.
"I can go too. I'm a qualified magician now."
"Oh, based on the performance you uploaded to my memory? Go to the circus. I know one that's troubled by a lack of good monkeys."
"Shut up, don't forget our identity. We are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! Maintaining world peace is our duty..."
"Retired agents."
A large group of Dum Dum Dugans with different personalities began to argue.
No one knew how many cloned memories existed in their heads simultaneously. This kind of dispute might be deliberately staged, Mordo thought.
Anyway, he wasn't good at dealing with these "geniuses" handpicked by the Ancient One. When it came to magical aptitude, few of these guys were excellent. Most of them even struggled to receive the magical particles transmitted by the Vishanti.
It could only be said that their numbers were large, their willpower was strong, and their execution was excellent, which had earned them the Ancient One's favor.
"The Sorcerer Supreme clearly doesn't need so many Ascetics... especially such poor, half-baked Ascetics." Mordo, unable to understand, felt even more that the Sorcerer Supreme was indeed the Sorcerer Supreme, with unfathomable thoughts.
Mordo didn't bring the Dum Dum Dugans, no matter what they said.
It was a joke. Every Ascetic in Kamar-Taj was an elite sorcerer who needed to be carefully protected. They would never be sent into battle unless it was a world war or Earth was about to be swallowed by an extra-dimensional demon god. Their mission was to stay in Kamar-Taj and study magic.
After passing through a portal, Mordo appeared on the streets of New York.
The Sorcerer Supreme's thoughts were unfathomable. Perhaps that was the difference between him and the Ancient One. So, as expected, fighting Black Magic Users was more useful.
He wore a strange hood and walked down the street, unflinchingly accepting the scrutiny of the hurried citizens.
Many people immediately changed their expressions when they saw him, their eyes revealing caution and fear, and they avoided him from a distance.
Mordo knew that this was definitely because the great battle that had erupted in Westchester had had an unprecedented impact on ordinary people in modern society. As the core area of the battle, New York City had seen the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, and the city was already filled with panic.
Of course, there were definitely also fanatical individuals who extremely worshiped power. Mordo didn't need to think to know that there were probably already many warlike people or those seeking security who were actively looking for Duval, hoping to be parasitized by a Xenomorph and become a superhuman.
"How pitiful, these mortals... but they don't know that this is just a war in the mortal realm. Once the demon gods from other dimensions break in, the number of deaths will be more than just this."
Mordo felt sad. His personality was very stubborn, extremely hateful of evil, but he also had compassion for these masses—Kaecilius before he joined Dormammu was roughly like this.
Now, the deaths of three to five hundred thousand people had greatly shocked the world, making everyone tense. To be honest, if it rose to the level of a dimensional war, it would determine the fate of billions of people around the world. The current casualties were really insignificant.
"Kaecilius, I'll see where you can hide..."
Mordo's eyes flashed with cold light, and he immediately attacked a Black Magic User's stronghold.
As long as these guys dared to use magic beyond the limit, they would be like fireflies in the dark, emitting a faint glow, flashing and flashing, and would be monitored by Kamar-Taj immediately.
Mordo barged in, looked around, saw bloodstains and severed limbs on the ground, and vigilantly used magic to check all traces.
He really hoped to meet Kaecilius, because Kaecilius at this time was definitely at his weakest. Fighting against opponents like Loki, who had magic, Godly Power, a super body, and brains, had resulted in countless debts, and he would have to lie in bed for at least a few weeks.
Mordo guessed that Kaecilius would probably have symptoms such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and gastric ulcers now.
This was still the result of Dormammu carrying it on top. If Kaecilius was fully responsible for repaying the debt to the Black Magic god Chthon, he would definitely be tortured to death by Chthon.
But unfortunately, Kaecilius wasn't here.
Mordo frowned slightly, looking regretful, but the next second, his eyelids twitched, confirming that someone had already beaten him to it.
However, in the fifth room ahead, there were still a few that slipped through the net, and he could grab some to gather information.
"Xenomorphs??"
Mordo abruptly turned his head, looking in astonishment at the creatures emerging from the darkness of the building, assassins seemingly fused with the shadows, silent and still, waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.
The sorcerer watched up close as these war weapons, already famous throughout the world and coveted by countless people, slaughtered the Black Magic Users with extreme efficiency.
Glancing at the room in the distance, he also saw several Xenomorph corpses, the terrifying blood corroding large holes in the floor.
"These Xenomorphs are just ordinary Xenomorphs, there are also many low-level Xenomorphs that crawl on all fours..." Mordo slowly retreated until he reached a corner, focusing his attention on the performance of these creatures.
The study of Xenomorph social structures is progressing systematically among major global powers. It is certain that the Xenomorph social hierarchy is currently divided into three levels: Queen, Drone, and Worker.
Workers are the kind that crawl on all fours, the smallest in size, capable of spitting blood from a distance, and the weakest in combat. But this weakness is relative; if thrown into an ordinary crowd, they would instantly become incarnations of slaughter.
"Get away, damn things! You should be killing Vampires, why us?!"
The last surviving Black Magic User, in terrified rage, raised his hand and instantly killed a Xenomorph with a blast of Black Magic, keeping his distance. However, he was still splashed by a few drops of blood, and his previously intact body was instantly severely damaged, losing at least half of his strength.
Just a few drops of blood were enough; no mortal body could withstand it, and most superhumans couldn't resist the blood that could corrode spaceships.
He tried to escape but was surrounded by several Xenomorphs and torn to pieces on the spot.
Mordo frowned. The death was somewhat cruel, but he wouldn't criticize the Xenomorphs for doing anything wrong.
"I should have reminded him before he died that his companions were unreliable, and a Vampire who had learned Black Magic had infiltrated them. But we are indeed hunting down Black Magic Users at the same time."
Accompanied by a crisp sound, a tall woman walked out. She wore a red bodysuit, and pale red stockings on her slender legs reached the base of her thighs, brazenly displaying them; the long hem of her garment draped down from her hips, outlining a beautiful curve.
This was a woman who would attract attention wherever she went, if one ignored the bloody blade in her hand and the strange flames constantly burning where half of her shoulder was missing.
"That's 'Mephisto's Hellfire' from demonic magic. If you don't get rid of it quickly, your soul will eventually belong to Mephisto," Mordo said, glancing at it with a frown and a look of disgust on his face.
Such evil sorcerers, a bunch of thugs, not only used Black Magic with huge aftereffects but even dared to use the vicious spells of the great demon of Hell!
"Mephisto... I don't know much about this guy, I don't even know if this demon is real."
"All spells, even the lowest-level ones that create fire, use magic power that comes from specific magical entities. If he successfully used it, it means that the entity referred to in the spell's name is real."
Mordo looked at the woman with the Xenomorphs following her, seemingly indifferent, his brow furrowing even more, his face unsightly. "Are Duval's subordinates all people who have been modified and lost their personalities, Elektra Natchios?"
He didn't want to see all of Duval's followers become so-called "people" who only possessed tool-like attributes.
"Sorcerer, should I be flattered that you know my name? Then you should also know that I come from The Hand, and enduring pain is a compulsory course for every ninja."
Elektra appeared calm on the surface but was actually enduring terrible pain at all times.
Fortunately, the Xenomorph larva in her chest had not been attacked and remained intact; otherwise, she couldn't guarantee that she would still be alive.
"I can sense the Xenomorph in your body. You'd better be careful. If it gets burned, you will lose your powerful self-healing ability and be killed by its blood," Mordo said, staring intently at the hollow in Elektra's shoulder, his expression extremely serious.
This was the first time Mordo had personally seen a Xenomorph larva parasitizing a human body. The thing was lying in Elektra's chest cavity, fused with the surrounding flesh and internal organs, like a human heart, with some extremely subtle contractions, clearly breathing.
"...Never mind that. I will die for various reasons, but I will never die because of this. People from Kamar-Taj have too few opportunities to deal with people like me, so they don't understand us, but you will know sooner or later," Elektra said.
Being parasitized by a Xenomorph is equivalent to obtaining its genes at the same time. Purely from a genetic and hereditary point of view, the fusion brought about by parasitism is bidirectional. As long as Duval suppresses it and ensures that the larva does not parasitize, ordinary people will also have Xenomorph genes, possessing super strength, super self-healing ability, and adaptability to corrosive blood.
The two talked at a distance of ten meters. Mordo stood alone, confident that he could instantly solve all the Xenomorphs, including Elektra; Elektra was full of apprehension towards Mordo, intentionally keeping her distance and not approaching.
Faced with Mordo's gaze on her shoulder, Elektra did not react in any way. Both of them were highly trained. Mordo was the second-in-command of Kamar-Taj, and Elektra, as a former The Hand assassin and current Xenomorph host, had undergone high-intensity training of their minds and thoughts. How could they possibly feel shy when they were wary of each other?
That would reduce vigilance and combat effectiveness, which was impossible and absolutely not allowed to appear on someone who had reached the passing line of combat effectiveness.
"Kaecilius isn't here? We detected strong Black Magic fluctuations."
"He was here just a few minutes ago. Not only are you tracking him, but we have also been hunting him down, and incidentally, indiscriminately cleansing all Black Magic Users." Elektra pointed in a direction, showing Mordo several corpses.
Honestly, this job was not easy because Black Magic Users were generally stronger, but they were also mortal bodies and could not be parasitized by Xenomorphs as extraordinary hosts. As a result, Elektra's order was to leave no survivors.
Killing a Vampire could at least yield a batch of Blood Xenomorphs, but killing the more troublesome Black Magic Users was constantly losing money, with Xenomorphs constantly dying.
The only consolation was that most of these Xenomorphs were Courier Xenomorphs born from parasitizing ordinary animals, which were very suitable consumables. Elektra felt heartache when casualties occurred, but Duval considered it acceptable.
Even if they didn't die in battle here, Duval would send these Courier Xenomorphs to Asgard to participate in the war.
The most ordinary Courier Xenomorphs could withstand temperatures from minus one hundred degrees to plus one thousand degrees, which was more than enough, and could fight on many harsh planets.
Elektra said, "Kaecilius had a miserable outcome after fighting Loki. When I arrived, he had just come out of the toilet."
"That's a very serious problem, so this base is very likely the toilet he prepared for himself... one of them."
Mordo felt he could add another item to the list of numerous diseases Kaecilius might be infected with: frequent urination.
A mage of Kaecilius's level could solve problems like cleaning and excretion with insignificant magical particles, at almost no cost. The fact that he didn't suggests his physical condition is worse than expected, with his digestive system having major issues, inevitably offered to Chthon as part of the price.
Magic couldn't even fix it.
His running away by opening a portal was also a deliberate avoidance of any form of combat.
Amidst mutual vigilance, Elektra led the Xenomorphs away first.
"Kaecilius is not an enemy you can handle," Mordo couldn't help but say.
Elektra glanced at him, shaking her head. "No one can get away unscathed after offending Duval. Even if he's a world-class mage, he'll have to pay a heavy price. That was inevitable the moment he attacked Duval. Besides, if I can't beat him, the Sentinel can."
Sentinel? So that's the guy who wields interdimensional power, another subordinate controlled by Duval.
Mordo watched Elektra leave, paying extra attention to the Xenomorphs.
"Duval... dangerous element." Mordo turned and stepped into the portal, beginning his search for the next Black Magic User's base.
...
Elektra returned, sitting on a Xenomorph, carefully cutting away the burning flesh on her body with a blade. From afar, she could see countless Xenomorphs busily working.
"It's Reynolds again. A few demonstrations of power, and he's made this already precarious building uninhabitable." Elektra watched a golden beam shoot into the sky, followed by the ground shaking, and shrugged.
Reynolds really couldn't stay idle for a moment, always finding opportunities to test his immense power.
But upon closer inspection, Elektra realized she was wrong, and began to doubt her eyes.
The two buildings that had stood here, the one next door where Dum Dum Dugan and his crew lived, was long gone. Their original lair, riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse after several battles, was now being lifted by the Sentinel, who hurled it in a certain direction. The way he stretched out his body was just like playing basketball.
The sound of the building landing was enough to make any nervous New Yorker think a missile had exploded.
Elektra also saw hundreds of Xenomorphs, each with their own task, busily moving cement and bricks.
"Maybe I came to the wrong place. I just went out to kill some Black Magic Users and Vampires, how did it..."
Elektra murmured, then saw the Sentinel fly back.
She realized this guy was truly remarkable, using his super speed and super strength non-stop. One second he was frantically mixing cement with his arms, making cement mixers look bad, and the next he was dozens of meters away, pounding the ground with his fists to compact the foundation.
This extreme display of speed created countless afterimages of the Sentinel in the air, each one working at full power.
No foreman could refuse such a man, absolutely not, not even Duval.
More importantly, Elektra saw an old man flying in the air, his face extremely grim, remotely controlling countless pieces of metal, easily shaping them into thick steel bars, and roughly stabbing them into the ground, placing them where they needed to be.
"You're back? The mission went well. Another batch of Black Magic Users killed. Kaecilius should be feeling the pain this time."
Duval glanced at Elektra, symbolically blew on the hot water in his cup, drank it all in one gulp, and suggested, "Drink more water after completing a mission. The Xenomorphs also like their bodies to be well-hydrated."
Elektra stammered, "Xenomorphs moving bricks, Magneto making steel bars, Sentinel mixing cement... this..."
This was absolutely an unspeakable operation. Elektra thought it was unique, and feared that the countless satellites monitoring this place from the sky might have their lenses cracked.
"Don't worry about it. Among all the people working hard, Erik is the most skilled. Haven't you noticed? Don't doubt his superb achievements in civil engineering. He's the one who single-handedly built a steel island in the sea. Now, leading the construction of a skyscraper is a piece of cake."
The key point was that this steel island, as the Brotherhood's headquarters, was legal, its legal status "bought" with Magneto's money.
See? He could even build an island, and handle the island's structure, seawater buoyancy, and building layout all in one go. So, being called over by Duval to build a skyscraper was easy, right?
Duval also sighed from the bottom of his heart. Magneto was indeed an all-around talent, far surpassing Professor X in adapting to various situations.
"Before, the conditions weren't right, and there was no need to rebuild," Duval said. "Now the time is ripe, and it's gotten to the point where we have to demolish and rebuild. Reynolds's collision when fighting Magneto destroyed the load-bearing wall, making this building, which was already nearing its demolition date, completely uninhabitable."
"You don't have to deliberately hide it from me. You just feel that with Magneto and the Sentinel, these two can complete the construction of a skyscraper." Elektra felt her worldview was somewhat shattered, especially regarding Magneto, whom she now had a completely new understanding of.
"When people think of Magneto, they easily think of him controlling a pile of metal to bombard everything, but he's also a civil engineering terminator."
In just a short while, the skyscraper already had a preliminary outline.
As for the steel and cement needing to cool down, the Sentinel could also use his freezing breath, repeatedly flushing some parts with energy.
After a while, Magneto flew down with a gloomy face, coldly looking at Duval. "I've fulfilled the condition you set. Also, if you ever ask me to do something like this again, our relationship ends here."
"I saved your life, and you help me build a building. That's not too much to ask. Besides, you've seen that I really need a building as headquarters. We can't always live in the original broken building."
Duval said calmly, "Besides, there won't be a next time. I won't allow anyone to recklessly destroy my building—the Super Skyscraper. They will die by my hand before they can even make a move."
Magneto's expression became even more somber: "In any case, kid, I must thank you for this—I have never expressed my gratitude to anyone so solemnly. What surprises me even more is that you actually used a Xenomorph to parasitize me while I was asleep."
Building a house wasn't the problem; the parasitism was.
Although Magneto had been mentally prepared, considering his previous interactions with Duval, he believed Duval to be a principled and dignified man.
Magneto harbored a sliver of hope, thinking that someone so trustworthy wouldn't take advantage of him.
He was wrong.
Magneto severely overestimated one thing: the moral standards that the damned Duval possessed when faced with a high-quality host.
And this host was none other than Magneto, who couldn't use his magnetic powers and whose body was only one or two times stronger than that of an ordinary human.
"Erik, we are friends. And please, don't use that tone. It easily gives me the impression that you're making a risky attempt, betting on what exactly will burst out of your pants."
Duval's expression remained unchanged. He knew that Magneto wanted to kill him at that moment. If he couldn't kill him, he would be formulating a plan to get rid of the Chestburster, preparing a thorough action assessment.
For such a proud man, being parasitized by a Xenomorph Chestburster was undoubtedly a great insult.
Therefore, Duval had shifted all his attention from Reynolds to Magneto, constantly monitoring Magneto's every state. If Magneto made any bad moves, he would use the Xenomorph Chestburster to stop him immediately.
"I had to do it. Don't forget, no one can be sure if the illusions in your head have been completely cleared. What if there are new psychological suggestions that you haven't uncovered, and you wake up and go berserk again? What should I do? If you were me, what would you do?" Duval looked at the gloomy old man before him.
"Then you should have killed me, instead of using a Xenomorph Chestburster to control me!" Magneto finally roared, unable to bear it any longer. He had an impulse to control his powerful electromagnetic force and tear the Xenomorph Chestburster out of his chest! But as soon as he had this thought, the Xenomorph Chestburster inside him would try to stop him by mobilizing every nerve, every muscle, every bone in his body, including the Chestburster itself, which had replaced his heart, lungs, and other organs, would reject the nerve signals from Magneto's brain.
This was the awkwardness of being parasitized by a Xenomorph without having a Chestburster burst out: the brain was still one's own, still able to issue commands to the body, but whether the nerve signals from the brain would be successfully received by other parts of the body, whether this "reception" was a oversight by the Xenomorph Chestburster or silently approved, no one knew.
Therefore, Magneto wanted to fight Duval to the death, or at least have a great battle with the Sentinel that defeated him. At least he would have the right to commit suicide.
As a result, his body wouldn't obey.
As for forcibly controlling magnetic power using only the brain's abilities? Although it was difficult, Magneto wanted to try.
"Erik, I know you want to control electromagnetic force using only your brain, and you've been looking for a chance to kill me since you woke up."
Duval sighed, somewhat troubled: "First of all, let's not talk about how likely my Chestburster is to forge your brain's nerve signals, completing the deception of your brain, since it already possesses your genes—I just don't want to do that to you. So, what about after you kill me? Causing the numerous Xenomorphs I've deployed globally to go berserk, like what you did in Westchester before? At that time, countless Queens secretly breeding all over the world will have a negative impact on Mutants. I don't need to say more, right?"
Duval paused: "Moreover, if I die, you won't survive either. Being parasitized by my Xenomorph is one thing, but Reynolds is also watching here. He will act against you faster than you can act. You don't have the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth to withstand his instant burst."
Magneto didn't recognize the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth.
This guy was probably some nobody who left his name in history but was eliminated by history, Magneto thought. Duval always knew a lot about things in the cracks of history, able to dig up good things from the nooks and crannies.
"You survived the dangerous Mastermind, withstood Reynolds' attack, and have now regained consciousness—at least temporarily. But I wouldn't be surprised if you go berserk again in the future. In addition, you were beaten half to death by Reynolds and couldn't actively use your electromagnetic powers. It was I who used a Xenomorph to parasitize you, giving you powerful self-healing abilities. Otherwise, no one knows if you could have woken up."
Duval spread out his hands. This was Magneto. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't waste his breath and would just use force.
Magneto sneered: "According to you, I should thank you?"
"You're welcome. Just consider it settling the construction costs. It wasn't easy to get so many building materials for me using your magnetic powers," Duval said.
"Enough! I will not obey your orders. I have more important things to do! Charles needs my protection, and the great cause of Mutants needs me!" Magneto flew into the sky in exasperation. It had been many, many years since he had been so angry that he was about to go crazy.
Reynolds cast a concerned look, his muscles tensed, ready to launch a critical strike against Magneto at any moment. He had established a psychological advantage over Magneto and wanted to hit Magneto again to satisfy his addiction.
"Kid, you won last time by luck. If I had been conscious, I would never have revealed such obvious flaws, allowing you to use Xenomorph blood against me."
Magneto suppressed his anger and issued a terrible warning to the eager Reynolds: "Now, I also have Xenomorph blood. You have the physique and extra genes that I now have."
After speaking, he quickly flew into the distance without looking back.
Magneto really didn't want to look at Duval anymore. He was so annoying.
"Just let him go like that? Don't listen to his nonsense. I can kill him." Reynolds approached Duval.
"You can kill him, but can you kill Professor X? Use your brain and think about it. Either break with the vast majority of Mutants in the world and take decisive action now, killing all the X-Men first, or don't do it at all from the beginning."
But to kill the X-Men? Don't forget, Jean Grey is still with the unconscious Professor X.
If they don't act against the X-Men now and only think about dealing with Magneto, it will be a big trouble when Professor X wakes up.
Duval carefully assessed his mental defenses, considering the overall strength of the Xenomorph army, which probably didn't have the ability to perfectly resist Professor X's mind control.
"Moreover, what makes you think that Magneto can escape my control just by leaving on his own? I just don't want to force him to do anything, not that I can't! It won't be too late to ask him to take action when we encounter strong enemies in the future." Duval shifted his gaze, admiring his new skyscraper.
Reynolds still couldn't understand: "What if he goes crazy again?"
Duval glanced at Reynolds with concern, "That was just an excuse for me to persuade Magneto, just an excuse."
Even if there are still psychological suggestions lingering in Magneto's brain, a ticking time bomb, but don't forget...
Inside Magneto's chest cavity, there is now an extra brain.
If one brain is affected, unless a Mastermind number two jumps out and pulls the second brain into the illusion as well.
Or someone like Mastermind controls both brains in one go from the start.
Otherwise, the two brains can fully cooperate and break free from the illusion.
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