As the Ancient One's chief assistant and senior disciple after Kaecilius, Baron Mordo could not understand her decision.
Wasn't Kamar-Taj's duty to monitor all spatial fluctuations on Earth and keep close watch on every element from other worlds?
Yet now, a being carrying power from another universe had clearly appeared on Adam's side... extremely powerful, capable of defeating Magneto. Well, Mordo didn't think he would lose to Magneto, but after evaluating the combat strength Reynolds had displayed, he found it quite troublesome.
Capable of long-range energy projection and brutal close-quarters combat. Aside from unknown mental defenses, it was hard to find any clear weaknesses.
Kamar-Taj sorcerers were different. Nearly all were beings of mortal flesh, so in battle they often had to cautiously expend magic first to layer protective spells on themselves.
The stronger Reynolds appeared, the more unease he stirred in Mordo. As Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One should have stepped in immediately to examine the source of Reynolds's power in person and confirm there were no extradimensional invaders before returning.
But she hadn't. She simply sat there, doing nothing, lost in thoughts unknown.
Mordo wanted to ask, but seeing the Ancient One close her eyes again, he hesitated, then respectfully withdrew from the sanctuary. He decided to continue his own mission: hunting Kaecilius.
"Master Mordo, I haven't seen Wong. Where did he go?"
As Mordo passed a special training ground, one of the Dum Dum Dugans greeted him.
"Doing the same thing I am. The campaign against dark sorcerers cannot stop." Mordo paused, looking at the large group of identical figures. He hesitated, unsure how to even interact with these Dugans.
"I can go too. I'm a qualified sorcerer now."
"Heh. Based on that performance you uploaded to my memories? Better head to the circus. I know one that's desperate for a good monkey act."
"Shut up. Don't forget our identities. We're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! Maintaining world peace is our duty…"
"Retired agents."
The crowd of Dugans with differing personalities began arguing among themselves.
No one knew how many cloned memories existed simultaneously in their heads. The current quarrel might even be deliberate. Mordo thought so, at least.
He wasn't skilled at dealing with these "geniuses" personally selected by the Ancient One. In terms of magical talent, few were outstanding. Most struggled just to channel the magical particles passed down from Vishanti.
All that could be said was that they were numerous, possessed strong willpower and execution, and had earned the Ancient One's favor.
"The Sorcerer Supreme clearly doesn't need so many ascetic monks… and such mediocre half-baked ones at that." The more Mordo failed to understand, the more he felt the Ancient One's thoughts were truly unfathomable.
Mordo refused to bring any Dugans along, no matter what they said.
It was no joke... every ascetic monk in Kamar-Taj was an elite sorcerer who needed careful protection. They wouldn't be deployed except in a world war or when Earth faced imminent devouring by extradimensional demons. Their role was to remain in Kamar-Taj and study magic.
Through a portal, Mordo appeared on the streets of New York.
The Ancient One's thoughts were impossible to fathom. Perhaps that was the gap between them. In that case, hunting dark sorcerers was still more useful.
Wearing his strange hooded cloak, Mordo walked the streets, calmly enduring the stares of hurried pedestrians.
Many people changed color upon seeing him, eyes filling with caution and fear as they gave him a wide berth.
Mordo knew this was undoubtedly due to the battle that had erupted in Westchester. Its impact on ordinary people in modern society was unprecedented. In New York, at the heart of the disaster, hundreds of thousands had died. The city was already on edge.
Of course, there were also plenty of fanatics who worshipped power. Mordo didn't need to guess... right now, numerous battle-hungry or security-seeking individuals were probably already seeking out Adam, hoping to be parasitized by a Xenomorph and become superhuman.
"How pitiful, these mortals… But they don't know this is merely conflict in the mundane world. Once extradimensional demons break through, far more than this will die."
Mordo felt sorrow. His personality was rigid and extremely intolerant of evil, yet he also harbored pity for the masses of ordinary people. Kaecilius, before turning to Dormammu, had been roughly the same.
The deaths of three or five hundred thousand had already shaken the entire world and put everyone on high alert. Honestly, if things escalated to a dimensional war, it would decide the fate of billions. These casualties were insignificant by comparison.
"Kaecilius, I'd like to see where else you can hide…"
Cold light flashed in Mordo's eyes as he immediately stormed a dark sorcerers' stronghold.
These people only needed to use magic beyond safe limits to shine like fireflies in the dark... faint but detectable. Kamar-Taj would notice immediately.
The moment Mordo burst in, he scanned the surroundings. Blood and severed limbs already littered the floor. He cautiously used magic to examine every trace.
He very much hoped to encounter Kaecilius. At this moment, Kaecilius would definitely be at his weakest. After clashing with someone like Loki... who possessed magic, divine power, a superhuman body, and a cunning mind... while owing massive debts, he would need at least several weeks in bed.
Mordo guessed Kaecilius was probably suffering from high blood pressure, coronary issues, stomach ulcers, and more.
This was with Dormammu shouldering most of the burden. If Kaecilius had to repay the debt to the dark magic god Chthon himself, he would undoubtedly be tormented beyond endurance.
Unfortunately, Kaecilius wasn't here either.
Mordo frowned with regret. The next second, his eyelids twitched. He confirmed someone had beaten him here.
However, a few stragglers remained in the fifth room ahead. He could capture some for information.
"Xenomorphs??"
Mordo whipped his head around in astonishment, staring at the creatures emerging silently from the building's shadows... like assassins merged with darkness, waiting motionlessly for the perfect moment to deliver a lethal strike.
The sorcerer watched up close as these war machines... already famous worldwide and coveted by countless people... efficiently slaughtered the dark sorcerers.
Glancing into a distant room, he even spotted several Xenomorph corpses. Their horrific blood had corroded massive holes into the floor.
"These are just ordinary Xenomorphs. There are also many low-level ones crawling on all fours…" Mordo slowly backed away until he reached a corner, focusing intently on their performance.
Research into Xenomorph social structure was progressing orderly among the world's major powers. It was confirmed that their hierarchy currently divided into three levels: Queen, Soldier, and Worker.
Worker Xenomorphs were the quadrupedal variety... smallest in size, capable of spitting blood at range, and weakest in combat. But that weakness was relative. Dropped into a crowd of ordinary people, they would become gods of slaughter in minutes.
"Get away, you damned things! You should be hunting vampires! Why us!!"
The last surviving dark sorcerer cursed in terror. He raised a hand and instantly killed one Xenomorph with dark magic, keeping his distance. Yet a few drops of blood still splashed him. His previously intact body suffered severe damage instantly... half his strength gone.
Just a few drops. No being of mortal flesh could withstand it. Most superhumans couldn't endure blood capable of corroding starships.
He tried to flee but was surrounded and torn apart on the spot.
Mordo frowned. The death was somewhat cruel, but he wouldn't fault the Xenomorphs for it.
"I should have warned him before he died. His companions weren't reliable... one of them was a vampire who'd learned dark magic. Though we were also hunting dark sorcerers at the same time."
Accompanied by a crisp voice, a tall woman emerged. She wore a form-fitting red outfit. Pale red stockings ran up her long legs to the thighs, displayed without restraint. A long trailing hem from her hips outlined a beautiful curve.
She was the kind of woman who drew eyes everywhere... provided one ignored the bloodied blade in her hand and the eerie flames continuously burning where half her shoulder was missing.
"That is 'Mephisto's Hellfire' from demonic magic. If you don't cleanse it quickly, your soul will eventually belong to Mephisto." Mordo glanced over, frowning with clear disgust.
Truly wicked sorcerers... a pack of villains. Not only did they use dark magic with massive side effects, they even dared employ the vicious spells of a Hell lord!
"Mephisto… I'm not familiar with him. I don't even know if that demon truly exists."
"All spells, even the simplest flame creation, draw power from specific magical entities. If he successfully cast it, that means the entity referenced in the spell's name is real."
Mordo looked at this woman accompanied by Xenomorphs, her indifferent demeanor making his frown deepen and his expression darken further. "Adam's subordinates... are they all people who've been transformed and lost their original personalities, Elektra Natchios?"
He didn't want to see Adam's followers turned into mere tools stripped of self.
"Sorcerer, should I feel flattered that you know my name? Then you should also know I came from the Hand. Enduring pain is basic training for every ninja."
Elektra appeared composed on the surface, but she was constantly enduring terrible agony.
Thankfully, the Xenomorph embryo in her chest hadn't been hit and remained intact. Otherwise, she truly couldn't guarantee she'd still be alive.
"I sense the Xenomorph inside you. You'd best be careful. If it's burned, you'll lose your powerful healing factor and could be killed by its own blood." Mordo stared fixedly at the hollow in Elektra's shoulder, his expression deadly serious.
This was the first time Mordo had seen a Xenomorph embryo parasitizing a human body up close. It clung inside her chest cavity, fused with surrounding flesh and organs like a heart, contracting subtly as it breathed.
"…Don't worry about that. I might die for various reasons, but not from this. People from Kamar-Taj have too little contact with those like me, so you don't understand. But you'll learn eventually." Elektra said.
Being parasitized by a Xenomorph also granted its genes. From a genetic and hereditary perspective, the fusion was bidirectional. As long as Adam suppressed it to prevent the embryo from chest-bursting, ordinary people would gain Xenomorph genes... granting super strength, super healing, and adaptation to corrosive blood.
They spoke from ten meters apart. Mordo stood alone, confident he could instantly deal with Elektra and all the Xenomorphs. Elektra remained wary of Mordo and deliberately kept her distance.
Facing Mordo's gaze on her shoulder, Elektra showed no reaction. Both were highly trained... Mordo as Kamar-Taj's second-in-command, Elektra as a former Hand assassin and current Xenomorph host. They had undergone intense mental and psychological conditioning. In a state of mutual vigilance, something as trivial as embarrassment was impossible.
It would lower alertness and combat effectiveness... absolutely unacceptable for anyone above the baseline of combat capability.
"Kaecilius isn't here? We detected strong dark magic fluctuations."
"He was here just minutes ago. It's not only you hunting him. We've been pursuing him too, while indiscriminately purging all dark sorcerers." Elektra pointed in one direction, showing Mordo several corpses.
Honestly, the work wasn't easy. Dark sorcerers were generally stronger, but still mortal flesh unsuitable as hosts for Xenomorph parasitization. Elektra's orders were simple: leave no survivors.
Fighting vampires at least yielded blood Xenomorphs. Hunting more troublesome dark sorcerers meant constant losses, with Xenomorphs dying one after another.
The only consolation was that most were Messenger Xenomorphs born from parasitizing ordinary animals... perfectly expendable. Elektra felt heartache over the casualties, but Adam considered it acceptable.
Even if they didn't die here, Adam would send these Messenger Xenomorphs to fight in Asgard.
The most basic Messenger Xenomorphs could easily withstand temperatures from minus one hundred to over one thousand degrees Celsius and operate on many harsh planets.
Elektra said, "After clashing with Loki, Kaecilius ended up in pretty bad shape. When I arrived, he had just come out of the bathroom."
"Then the problem is indeed serious. So this stronghold was probably one of the toilets he prepared for himself…"
Mordo felt he could add urinary frequency to the list of ailments Kaecilius likely suffered.
A sorcerer of Kaecilius's level could handle cleaning and bodily functions with negligible magical particles at almost no cost. The fact that he hadn't done so indicated his physical condition was worse than expected. At minimum, severe gastrointestinal issues were among the prices paid to Chthon.
Magic couldn't even repair it.
His final escape through a portal had also been a deliberate avoidance of any form of combat.
In mutual wariness, Elektra and her Xenomorphs left first.
"Kaecilius is not an enemy you can handle." Mordo couldn't help saying.
Elektra glanced at him in surprise, then shook her head. "No one who offends Adam gets away unscathed. Even if he's a top sorcerer in the world, he must pay a heavy price. That was decided the moment he attacked Adam. Besides, any enemy I can't beat, the Sentry can."
The Sentry? So that was the one wielding power from another universe... another subordinate under Adam's control.
Mordo watched Elektra depart, paying special attention to the Xenomorphs.
"Adam… a dangerous man." Mordo turned and stepped through a portal, heading to search the next dark sorcerer stronghold.
…
Elektra returned, sitting atop one Xenomorph while carefully slicing away the flaming flesh on her body with her blade. From afar, she saw countless Xenomorphs busily working.
"Reynolds again. A few displays of power and he's already made this precarious building uninhabitable." Elektra shrugged at the golden beam shooting skyward and the subsequent ground tremor.
Reynolds really couldn't sit still. He was always looking for chances to test his immense power.
But as she drew closer, Elektra realized she was wrong and began doubting her own eyes.
The two buildings that had stood here... one occupied by the group of Dugans next door... had completely vanished. Their original nest, already riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse from multiple battles, was now being lifted single-handedly by the Sentry. He aimed it in one direction and hurled it like a basketball.
The sound of the building crashing could easily make nervous New Yorkers think a missile had detonated.
Elektra also saw hundreds of Xenomorphs working in coordinated teams, hauling cement and bricks.
"This… maybe I came to the wrong place. I just went out to kill some dark sorcerers and vampires, how…"
Elektra murmured, then saw the Sentry fly back.
She discovered the guy was truly remarkable. He moved without pause, using super speed and strength. One second he was frantically mixing cement with his arms... the cement mixer itself would approve. The next, he appeared dozens of meters away, pounding the foundation with his fists.
His extreme speed left countless afterimages in the air, each one working at full capacity.
No contractor could refuse this kind of man. Absolutely none. Not even Adam.
More importantly, Elektra saw an old man floating in the air with a terrible expression. He remotely controlled countless pieces of metal, easily shaping them into heavy rebar, crudely driving them into the ground and positioning them where needed.
"Back already? Mission went well. Killed another batch of dark sorcerers. Kaecilius should be feeling some pain this time."
Adam glanced at Elektra, symbolically blew on the hot water in his cup, then drank it down. He suggested, "After a mission, drink more water. The Xenomorph likes its host's body well-hydrated."
Elektra stammered, "Xenomorphs laying bricks, Magneto making rebar, Sentry mixing cement… This…"
This was an indescribable operation. Elektra believed it was unique. The countless satellites monitoring from the sky probably had cracked lenses by now.
"Don't mind it. Among everyone working hard here, the most skilled is actually Erik. Notice? Never doubt his advanced expertise in civil engineering. This is the man who single-handedly built a steel island in the ocean. Leading the construction of one super skyscraper is effortless for him."
The key point was that the steel island serving as the Brotherhood's headquarters had been legally acquired... Magneto had paid for the legitimate rights.
See? He could even build an island, calculating its structure, buoyancy, building layouts, and more in one go. Building one skyscraper when called upon by Adam was naturally easy.
Adam sincerely marveled. Magneto truly was a versatile talent. His adaptability to all kinds of situations far surpassed Professor X's.
"Before, conditions weren't right and there was no need to rebuild." Adam said. "Now the timing is perfect, and it's reached the point where we have no choice but to rebuild. When Reynolds charged out to fight Magneto, that impact destroyed the load-bearing walls. This building... which was already due for demolition... became completely uninhabitable."
"You don't need to hide it in front of me. You just think that with Magneto and the Sentry, these two can complete the construction of a super skyscraper." Elektra felt her worldview fracturing, especially gaining a brand-new understanding of Magneto.
"People think of Magneto and immediately picture him hurling masses of metal in bombardment. But he's also the ultimate civil engineer."
In just a short while, the super skyscraper already had a preliminary outline.
As for cooling rebar and cement, the Sentry could use his freeze breath or repeatedly scour sections with energy.
A while later, Magneto flew down with a grim face, staring coldly at Adam. "I've fulfilled the conditions you proposed. Also, if you ask me to do something like this again, our relationship ends here."
"I saved your life. You help me build one building. That's not excessive at all. Besides, you saw it... I really need a skyscraper as headquarters. We can't keep living in that old broken-down place forever."
Adam said calmly, "Moreover, there won't be a next time. I won't allow anyone to wantonly destroy my building... my super skyscraper. They'll die by my hand before they can even act."
Magneto's expression darkened further. "Anyway, boy, I have to thank you for this time... I've never expressed gratitude to anyone so solemnly. What surprises me even more is that you took the chance to parasitize me with a Xenomorph while I was unconscious."
Building the house wasn't the issue. The parasitization was.
Although Magneto had mentally prepared himself, after several dealings with Adam, he had considered Adam a principled man of dignity.
Magneto had harbored a faint hope that someone who valued his word wouldn't take advantage of another's vulnerability.
He had guessed wrong.
Magneto had severely overestimated one thing: Adam's moral standards when facing high-quality hosts.
Especially when that host was a Magneto who couldn't use his magnetism and whose body was only slightly stronger than a normal human's.
"Erik, we're friends. Also, please don't speak in that tone. It easily gives me the illusion that you're attempting something adventurous... wondering what exactly might burst out of your pants."
Adam's expression didn't change. He knew Magneto wanted to kill him right now. If he couldn't, he would certainly be planning ways to escape the embryo while making thorough assessments.
For such a proud man, being parasitized by a Xenomorph embryo was undoubtedly a massive humiliation.
Therefore, Adam had shifted all his attention from Reynolds to Magneto, constantly monitoring his every state. If Magneto made any dangerous move, he would stop it immediately through the embryo.
"I had no choice. Don't forget, no one can be sure whether the illusions in your head have been fully cleared. What if some new psychic suggestion remains undiscovered and you wake up and rampage again? What should I do? If you were me, what would you do?" Adam looked at the grim-faced old man before him.
"Then you should have killed me instead of controlling me with a Xenomorph embryo!!" Magneto finally roared, unable to endure any longer. He had an impulse to use his powerful electromagnetism to rip the embryo out of his chest!
But the moment that thought arose, the embryo inside him would do everything possible to stop him... manipulating every nerve, muscle, and bone, including the embryo itself that had replaced his heart, lungs, and other organs. It would reject the neural signals from Magneto's brain.
This was the awkwardness of being parasitized by a Xenomorph without chest-bursting: the brain was still his own and could issue commands to the body. But whether those neural signals would be smoothly received by the rest of the body... whether the embryo "overlooked" them or silently approved... was unknown.
So Magneto very much wanted to fight Adam to the death. At the very least, he wanted to fight the Sentry who had defeated him. He at least deserved the right to suicide.
But his body wouldn't obey.
As for forcibly controlling magnetism with only his brain? It would be difficult, but Magneto wanted to try.
"Erik, I know you want to control electromagnetism with just your brain. From the moment you woke up, you've been looking for a chance to kill me."
Adam sighed, somewhat troubled. "First, there's the question of how likely it is that my embryo... now possessing your genes... could fake your brain's neural signals and deceive it. But I simply don't want to do that to you. Then what? After killing me? Would it cause the countless Xenomorphs I've deployed worldwide to go berserk, just like you did in Westchester? Countless Queens secretly breeding across the globe... what kind of negative impact that would have on mutants, I don't need to explain, do I?"
Adam paused. "Besides, if I die, you won't survive either. Being parasitized by my Xenomorph is one thing, but Reynolds is also watching here. He would act against you even faster before you could move. You don't have the ancient body of Hogarth to withstand his instantaneous burst."
Magneto didn't know any Hogarth.
That person might be some nameless figure from history who had left a name but been淘汰 by time. Adam always knew many things from the cracks of history and could dig up good stuff from obscure corners. Magneto thought.
"You survived that dangerous man Mastermind and withstood Reynolds's attacks. You've regained clarity... at least for now. But if you rampage again in the future, I wouldn't be surprised. Also, after Reynolds beat you half to death and you couldn't actively use your magnetism, it was my Xenomorph parasitization that gave you powerful healing. Otherwise, no one knows if you would have woken up at all."
Adam spread his hands. This was Magneto. With anyone else, he wouldn't waste words... he'd use force directly.
Magneto laughed coldly. "According to you, I should thank you?"
"You're welcome. Consider it settling the construction fees. Using magnetism to gather so many building materials for me wasn't easy." Adam said.
"Enough! I won't follow your orders. I have far more important things to do!! Charles still needs my protection. The great cause of mutants still needs me!" Magneto flew into the sky in a rage. He hadn't been this furious in many, many years.
Reynolds shot him a watchful glance, muscles tensing, ready to deliver a devastating strike at any moment. He had already established a psychological edge over Magneto and very much wanted to fight him again to satisfy his addiction.
"Kid, you won last time by luck. If I had been clear-headed, I absolutely wouldn't have shown such an obvious flaw and let you use Xenomorph blood against me."
Magneto suppressed his fury and issued a terrifying warning to the eager Reynolds. "Now, I also have Xenomorph blood. I possess every trait and extra gene you have."
With that, he quickly flew into the distance without looking back.
Magneto truly didn't want to look at Adam again. It was infuriating.
"You're just letting him leave like that? Don't listen to his nonsense. I can take him down." Reynolds moved closer to Adam.
"You can take him down. But could you take down Professor X? Use your brain. Either break with the vast majority of mutants worldwide and decisively act now... go wipe out all the X-Men... or don't do it at all from the start."
But killing the X-Men? Don't forget, the unconscious Professor X still had Jean Grey by his side.
Not moving against the X-Men now, only thinking of dealing with Magneto... once Professor X woke up, that would be big trouble.
Adam had seriously assessed his own mental defenses. Considering the overall strength of the Xenomorph legion, he probably didn't have the ability to perfectly resist Professor X's psychic control.
"Besides, what makes you think Magneto leaving on his own puts him outside my control range? I simply don't want to forcibly demand things from him. It's not that I can't! When we encounter strong enemies later, it won't be too late to call on him." Adam shifted his gaze, admiring his brand-new skyscraper.
Reynolds still couldn't understand. "What if he rampages again?"
Adam gave Reynolds a concerned look. "That was just an excuse I used to persuade Magneto. An excuse."
Even if psychic suggestions still lingered in Magneto's brain like a time bomb, don't forget…
There was now an extra brain in Magneto's chest cavity.
If one brain was affected, unless a second Mastermind appeared to drag the second brain into an illusion as well.
Or someone like Mastermind controlled both brains from the start.
Otherwise, the two brains could cooperate perfectly to break free from the hallucinations.
^^^
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