When Xenomorphs with their varied combat styles... brute physical force, energy attacks, and more... coordinated perfectly, the efficiency was staggering.
With Adam acting as the central nervous system, linking every mind in the swarm, monitoring each creature's field of vision and status in real time, and issuing instant commands, the Xenomorphs fought like a living work of art.
Of course, weaker ones still fell to the energy whips. They were bound, sliced apart, and reduced to chunks of meat by the power coiled in those strands.
But even in their final moments, they shrieked and deliberately tore into their own bodies, spraying acidic blood as far and wide as possible to corrode more of the whips.
Everywhere you looked, strands snapped and dissolved, carving out pockets of empty space. On closer inspection, those voids connected into an irregular but deliberate "pathway"!
The entire process flowed seamlessly... fearless, silent, built on sacrifice. It looked like they had rehearsed it a thousand times. Terrifyingly efficient.
"This is impossible!!"
Even Kaecilius was stunned. He didn't fear their raw power; he was shocked by their absolute obedience, their cold detachment, and the mechanical precision of creatures made of flesh and blood.
"Nothing's impossible. You could become part of me too!"
Adam used his superior agility to close the distance on Kaecilius.
As long as he kept the man from casting something on the scale of the Mirror Dimension, they had a chance. Between himself, the Abomination Xenomorph, and the Deviant strains, there was a real opportunity.
In truth, the power Adam now commanded was enough to make every major faction and organization on the planet take him very seriously.
But his opponent was Kaecilius... one of the top threats just below the Ancient One's level.
"Let me show you true terror. The power I received from the great Dormammu."
Kaecilius felt a surge of dark magic flood through him. Dormammu had temporarily raised the limit on what he could draw.
While using the energy whips to buy time, Kaecilius began channeling Dormammu's black magic.
A vortex-like force, black as a singularity, slowly took shape before him.
"Behold this spell... Faltine's Maw! With it, the great Dormammu has devoured countless pocket universes and life-bearing worlds across the macroverse!"
"You won't get the chance to use it!"
Adam pushed relentlessly through the energy whips, leading his enhanced Xenomorphs in a rapid advance. They aimed to kill Kaecilius before the spell could be completed.
Countless golden-red strands formed and shattered. Xenomorphs died screaming under burning cuts and lashes. Even Adam personally snapped many of the whips, arriving before Kaecilius battered and bleeding.
As the two prepared for real close-quarters combat, Kaecilius sensed something. His expression changed drastically. He retreated at high speed, opening a portal simultaneously, and fled without hesitation.
Adam's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he showed incredible reaction speed. No matter the cost, he would land a hit on Kaecilius!
The Abomination Xenomorph roared. Its body was riddled like a sieve by countless energy whips. It looked dead, motionless... until Adam's command hit. It exploded into frenzied motion, swelling rapidly in size. Seizing the moment Kaecilius's attention shifted, it slammed into Adam from behind with ferocious force.
Adam used the momentum, accepting heavy damage, and shot straight toward Kaecilius.
He was still a fraction too late. Kaecilius's body had already entered the portal.
The sorcerer flashed a relieved smile and began to turn, his mouth forming words. Even now, he maintained his elegance, every inch the proud master mage.
Adam knew exactly what he was about to say.
"We will meet again."
"Meet my ass... hand it over!"
Murderous intent flared in Adam's eyes. He thrust both arms forward in a mad, suicidal move. He could be bisected the instant the portal closed, but he did it anyway.
Snap!
With explosive speed and power, Adam drove his arms through the barrier of magical particles. Flesh disintegrated in chunks. Every split second, parts of his body turned to dust and scattered.
Yet he didn't retreat or hesitate. With arms stripped nearly to bare bone, he seized Kaecilius's shoulders in a crushing grip. As the portal slammed shut at high speed, he wrenched violently with one hand anchoring and the other pulling.
A brutal scene of torn flesh, separated muscle, and clinging sinew.
Kaecilius's composure shattered. All elegance vanished as he screamed in agony!
He cherished his body... it was the vessel for pursuing truth and the medium through which he paid Dormammu's price. He kept it meticulously groomed, not a hair out of place. He had never suffered physical trauma like this!
The portal sealed completely, severing Adam's arms and leaving them on the other side.
"He shouldn't have used Faltine's Maw. The charging time is too long against an opponent like you... who seizes openings and doesn't mind self-mutilation. He miscalculated."
Behind Adam, a golden portal opened. A stocky figure rushed through, but he was still too late. He had watched the final exchange between Kaecilius and Adam and could only sigh.
It had all happened too fast... from Kaecilius opening the portal to his retreat and escape in under a second. Opening his own portal, crossing over, and deciding on an interference spell had simply taken too long.
"You must be the sorcerer from Kamar-Taj," Adam said. "If not for you, I doubt Kaecilius would have fled so quickly." His ferocious expression smoothed into a polite, mild one in a single second. The speed of the shift was jarring.
If you ignored the horrifying self-healing wounds across his body and his missing arms, Wong would have felt like he was speaking with a perfect gentleman.
Wong chose his words carefully and glanced around. The ancient building was in ruins... human corpses, piles of dust from those killed by silvered blades, and scattered fragments of shattered Xenomorph bodies.
It left him inwardly shaken. Such a brief clash, yet the carnage was this severe.
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