The Frost Giants and Asgardians were busy assessing the Xenomorphs' combat power and adaptability, and they were stunned by the results.
Adam was doing the same thing... except he had already known what to expect and could now "see" firsthand how the Xenomorphs performed in extreme environments.
"Five thousand Xenomorphs holding up this well is already impressive. Their performance would be even better on planets with suitable temperatures and harsh conditions."
Most of the worlds along the border between the two realms were barely habitable, their natural environments growing harsher one after another.
This limited the Xenomorphs to some extent, since they had no access to advanced technology, magic, or divine power.
"Hm, the Frost Giants have already noticed the Xenomorphs' extreme environmental resistance. They want to recruit them as a vassal race?"
Adam, viewing events through the Xenomorphs' perspectives, smiled at the latest reports from the front lines.
Just how strong was their resistance? By the standards of ordinary carbon-based lifeforms without any superhuman abilities, it was terrifying.
The second-lowest tier of Xenomorph society... the drone caste, born from implanting ordinary humans and capable of bipedal movement... could withstand temperatures hot enough to boil lead, over seventeen hundred degrees.
In the original Alien franchise lore, the very first Xenomorphs hatched from eggs and implanted in ordinary humans could endure the flames from a starship's controlled nuclear fusion engines.
Their resistance to extreme environments was frighteningly high. And these were baseline specimens born from ordinary Earth humans, without any superhuman enhancements.
Many of the Xenomorphs Adam had sent to the battlefield came from implanting vampires and bio-engineered monsters, making their adaptability even more formidable.
If he had one complaint, it was that Xenomorphs still couldn't fight effectively in open space. Once exposed to the vacuum, they would freeze solid and slowly starve to death as their nutrients ran out.
That was precisely why the ascension plan existed.
Adam stood up slowly, cracking his neck with a series of sharp pops. He walked to the window and gazed out at the empty sky.
"Ordinary Xenomorph eggs can survive over a hundred years on their internal nutrient reserves alone, as long as they don't bloom. If no suitable host appears after that long, they'll extend tendrils to draw nutrients from the surroundings and keep themselves alive."
"But adult Xenomorphs don't have that kind of endurance. Drifting in space for a few decades would finish them."
The Xenomorph ascension plan was a long and arduous road. Even though Adam had already set his sights on the World Tree, hoping to draw on its divine power to create a divine branch of the Xenomorph race, the task was daunting.
Creating gods for one's own species was incredibly difficult, but given precedents like the Skrulls forging their own pantheon or Thanos's grandfather becoming a god of time, Adam's ambition wasn't entirely unrealistic.
What made it truly insane was aiming straight for the core of an entire divine system: the World Tree itself.
As for how to actually do it... maybe send a swarm of Xenomorphs to latch onto the World Tree and start gnawing? It was worth trying.
"I've already captured around two hundred Frost Giants. That should give me two hundred specimens carrying Frost Giant bloodlines, which I can use to tap into the divine power the World Tree granted them."
Adam toyed with Mjolnir. Through the hammer, he had begun to grasp the fundamentals of divine power as an energy system.
From his memories of the original stories, a sufficiently powerful Thor could bless weapons with the power of the thunder god, much like Odin, and pass that power to those he deemed worthy.
So Adam would use Xenomorphs capable of stealing a host's strongest bloodline to replace the original Frost Giants, filling their slots in the system and siphoning divine power from the World Tree.
"I still can't share Mjolnir's power with others. Mainly because my own position in the divine power hierarchy is too low... I'm essentially an interloper who forced his way in."
"All I need to do is implant more hosts and occupy more positions. Once there are thousands, or even tens of thousands, my Xenomorphs will be able to wield the World Tree's divine power. At that point…"
Adam didn't have a more elegant solution. Sheer numbers would have to do.
If the numbers grew large enough, the World Tree would eventually take notice and respond.
As Adam was deep in planning, a communication call came through.
"Tony Stark. I believe I already cleared my debt with you," Adam said casually.
"What? You're counting that one-dollar transfer as payment for renting the helicopter and hiring the doctors?"
"Your doctors got Thor's genetic samples from me too. Don't think I don't know. Even if you're not particularly interested in biology, you'd still be curious about a god's body. I haven't charged you for that yet," Adam replied.
"Exactly right. The richest man in the world never owes anyone money! Jarvis, send one dollar to the guy I'm talking to."
Tony's voice was full of energy. He continued, "You know, I've developed a new suit of armor. It's a groundbreaking piece of work! I haven't settled on a name yet, but you're going to be blown away."
"Oh? That's great. So, will this new armor pinch hair?"
"?"
I tell you my armor is insanely powerful and you ask if it pinches hair?
I was talking about the armor!
Damn it, none of my suits pinch hair!
Tony's mind short-circuited. He felt his magnificent genius had been gravely insulted.
"Adam, honestly, I don't want to have to use this armor... your actions have already upset some people," Tony said, abandoning his boasting. He sipped from a strange-looking drink, taking small, distracted swallows.
"Upset about what? Have I done something unforgivable? Or harmed ordinary humans? Of course, if you're counting those bloodsucker-aligned ghouls as ordinary humans, then I have nothing to say."
Adam didn't seem concerned. The fact that even Tony was warning him meant the situation outside had grown serious.
After sending five thousand troops to Asgard, people had naturally assumed he would lie low for a while. Instead, he had doubled down, launching even more aggressive operations to gather additional hosts and troops.
This kind of escalation made people nervous.
"I hear you've joined the gods' war?"
Tony took another sip, emphasizing the word "gods" with clear skepticism. "They think you've lost your mind. This will draw dangerous attention to the entire planet, and Earth isn't ready to step onto the cosmic stage."
"With Earth's potential, it absolutely is."
"Hah. You're saying there are beings on Earth who rival Odin or Zeus?"
"Tony, do you want to guess why I'm knowingly doing something this crazy and dangerous? And why, if I'm going to do it anyway, I wouldn't at least stay on Asgard where it should theoretically be safer than staying on Earth?"
Tony immediately understood. He set down his glass, looking puzzled.
There really were monsters like that on Earth? Strong enough that even the so-called gods wouldn't dare invade?
"Jarvis, open a new secure file. Codename: Earth Gods. Monitor the networks constantly," Tony said. He realized his understanding of this planet was still superficial.
"Tony, there aren't many people I'm willing to speak this openly with, so I'll be direct: I will not stop gathering troops, no matter who tries to interfere, until the war ends. The price will be more dead vampires... and Earth will be noticed by many worlds. Sooner or later they'll learn that the Xenomorphs originated here, from me." Adam's voice was calm.
Tony understood. "A fine war declaration. Well, my duty to warn you is done. As long as you can handle the external pressure. I suspect those people will try to stop you from continuing to fight, but they're also worried that cutting off support might anger Asgard. They're not sure about Asgard's stance or how far the war has progressed."
"To put it bluntly, they don't even fully understand who Asgard is fighting. Then again, the war has only just begun. Given time, those with alien contacts will probably figure it out."
Adam ended the call.
Stark Tower.
Tony set his glass down with clear irritation. "I've done what you asked. If you're smart, you'll leave quickly. I still don't understand why your so-called Strategic Homeland Intervention organization wants me doing these pointless, stupid tasks."
The impeccably polite Phil Coulson didn't move. His gaze shifted to Tony's glass.
To prepare for dealing with certain people, he had studied some Eastern history and etiquette. In those traditions, offering tea was a polite way to end a meeting and send guests away. Here with Tony, the opposite was true... his willingness to multitask while talking showed genuine interest in the matter.
"Mr. Stark, we've provided you with a brand-new element capable of repairing your body and supplying richer energy to the arc reactor in your chest. All we're asking in return is that you make one phone call. I don't think that's unreasonable."
"That was something my father left behind!"
"But your father worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. With your investigative skills, you must already know we didn't originate in the last century. Your father was once one of us. That's beyond doubt." Coulson's tone was mild, but his steady gaze met Tony's without flinching.
Tony stared coldly at Coulson. This was the first time he felt genuine, deep-seated annoyance toward someone. Even with Adam, his feelings were a complicated mix of irritation, admiration, and a desire to show off.
"I know about the Brotherhood of the Shield or whatever it's called. You're just one branch…"
"You'll soon see another branch. The Sword Bureau is coming to New York."
Coulson's eyes took on a meaningful look. "A global summit is about to be held. Both the Sword Bureau and S.H.I.E.L.D. will participate. Additionally, Professor X and Magneto have jointly recommended Adam for attendance…"
"What kind of terrifying joke is this? Inviting Adam to the global summit? Wait... have you all suddenly figured out that Adam is actually a mutant? That he created the Xenomorphs using the X-gene?"
Tony looked genuinely startled. He thought these people must have gone mad.
"It's because of his involvement in the Asgard war as a representative of Earth. Everyone is waiting for his explanation... wanting to understand why he's doing this. This is an unprecedented global event. No one has ever done anything like it before."
There were major questions involved. Why had Adam joined the battlefield? Was he after divine genes? What kind of compensation had Asgard offered him? Some equally warlike factions were undoubtedly wondering the same thing... exactly what kind of reward, and whether the benefits were big enough…
Even pure astronomers and historians would want to learn about the cosmic situation and the movements of mythical beings.
"As for the mutants... "
"Eternals and Deviants."
Coulson answered.
Yes, it could no longer be hidden.
Magneto had stayed quiet for years only to launch a series of heavy strikes. Even fools could tell something big was happening... something lucrative enough to make even a hardliner like Magneto move.
With the appearance of Ikaris and the others, the matter had become even more conspicuous. Even Thor's situation had been overshadowed, because the Eternals and Deviants were tied to the history of humanity itself.
And to the origins of mutants.
What puzzled Coulson was why the usually low-profile Professor X had gotten involved. As far as he knew, there was no prior relationship between Professor X and Adam.
"It feels like there's something between those two. Like they discovered something that changed how they operate… Is it really just about the Eternals and Deviants?"
…
Not just Coulson, who had received advance notice from both sides.
Even Adam was somewhat surprised when he received the invitation in his hands.
"They want a warmonger like me to give a lecture at the United Nations summit?"
He hadn't even finished his doctorate... only held a master's in biology. Then again, powerful people always received special treatment.
"They're wary of the Asgard situation and uncertain about my connections to Odin and the other mythological figures, so they don't dare use direct force against me. This is their roundabout approach." Adam immediately saw through the truth.
The mutant side was probably simpler. They clearly wanted to use the opportunity to announce something.
He immediately called for Mystique and glanced at her tall, shapely figure.
Meeting his gaze, Mystique thought Adam had finally come around. She deliberately straightened up, trying to look enticing. "From what I've observed, you might not prefer human women, so I've been studying how to transform into Xenomorph forms... "
"Shut up. Connect me to Erik. I need to talk to him. Don't think you two can fool me together. I can sense your condition through the young ones!"
Adam suspected the old man wanted to pull something at the global summit... maybe turn everyone into mutants or something similar. But seeing that the invitation also included key members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Sword Bureau, he doubted even the arrogant Magneto would try to take on both of the planet's strongest organizations at once.
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