Raven knew the power of Cerebro.
In Vincent's hands, if he had dark intentions, he could wipe out humanity.
"Relax, Raven. I'm just looking for my enemies."
Vincent's voice had a calming magic, putting Raven at ease.
He put on the helmet.
Instantly, he entered the void.
Billions of lights. White for humans, red for mutants or enhanced beings.
"Smith."
His goal was clear.
His mind raced through the connections.
Found him.
Vincent watched like a ghost.
A dim room. Smith tied to a chair. Surrounded by armed men.
Voices.
"Call the Oscorp boss. The goal is to make him bring the ransom money."
"And the Super Soldier Serum?"
A seductive female voice.
"Don't rush. Our spy in Oscorp will steal the serum at the critical moment. My target isn't just the serum, but all of Oscorp's gene tech."
A man's voice, filled with fanaticism.
"You think he'll come for Smith?"
The fox-like voice trembled. This is the Ice Demon we're talking about.
"He will come," the man rasped. "Is the Serpent Society ready?"
"I've been watching Gwen. But we found out she's Ghost-Spider. Hard to kill."
The woman feared enraging Vincent.
"That's exactly what we want. The Fantastic Four are in New York. I'll frame the Human Torch."
The man's voice held a mock pity.
"Poor Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Woman. She has to die. Any rage from the Ice Demon is good for us. Hydra wants to mobilize everything against him. I want to kill the Fantastic Four. A match made in heaven."
Vincent smiled.
He wanted to see who this arrogant man was.
The war had begun.
Psychic Invasion.
Vincent hijacked the mind of a Serpent Society grunt in the room.
He looked at Smith. Poor guy.
He looked at the other grunts.
He raised his rifle and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before anyone could react, the possessed grunt gunned down the entire room of guards.
Vincent knew he had alerted the mastermind.
But so what?
The game had started. Now, it was hunting time.
"Smith."
Vincent walked up to Smith (via the possessed body).
Smith's dull eyes lit up. "Mr. Hall? Is that you?"
"Sorry you had to suffer."
Footsteps approached. Reinforcements.
Vincent smiled.
Back in the Cerebro chamber, Vincent raised his hand. The Sling Ring sparked.
A golden portal opened behind Smith.
Vincent (possessed body) kicked Smith through the portal.
Smith landed in his own office at Wells Fargo. Safe.
Vincent turned the possessed body to face the shadows.
A hooded man. And a stunning, dangerous woman.
"Doctor Doom. And Viper... or should I say, Madame Hydra."
Vincent stepped forward. Dozens of guns pointed at him.
"Professor Xavier?" Madame Hydra frowned.
"You're dead. Why help the Ice Demon?"
"Oh, wait. You're hearing this body's voice. My apologies."
Vincent chuckled through the puppet.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Vincent Hall. The Ice Demon. I didn't need to pry open your brains to know you planned to kill my girlfriend for some petty tech."
He looked at Madame Hydra. She had many identities.
"Ah, the Demon Lord arrives."
Victor Von Doom stepped out of the shadows.
He had just returned from space, gained his powers, and was already plotting.
"Run. The Hunt has begun. I'm giving you the chance to make me the world's enemy. I'm lazy, you see. I needed an excuse to conquer the world."
Vincent's cold voice echoed in their minds.
Snap.
The possessed grunt and every Serpent Society member in the building collapsed, dead. Brains fried.
"Doom, you should be a fun opponent. Now... to all participants in this conspiracy: Can you survive the Demon's hunt?"
Vincent's voice broadcasted telepathically to every conspirator in New York. Like a god staring down at ants.
"Don't worry. I won't use Cerebro to kill you. That's too easy."
Vincent took off the helmet.
He looked at the glowing core of the machine. A remnant of Xavier's spirit lingered.
"Professor, I look forward to your return."
Vincent opened a portal and took Raven back to his office.
Smith was already gone, sent home with guards.
"Boss, do we send people to Columbia University?"
"No."
"Your job is to guard Oscorp."
"I'm worried about Gwen."
"She'll be fine."
Vincent looked out the window.
Fighter jets. Missiles with smoke trails.
Vincent's eyes burned red.
Omega Effect.
Twin beams of jagged red energy erupted from his eyes. They didn't travel in straight lines. They zig-zagged, refracted, and hunted.
The incoming missiles were vaporized.
The fighter jets were sliced apart.
The beams didn't stop. They split and scattered across the city.
A web of red light covered the sky.
Hidden mutants at Columbia University. Mercenaries. Serpent Society hideouts. Hydra sleepers.
Not a single one had time to react. The beams sought their biological signatures and erased them.
Vaporized.
Vincent pushed his Super Brain to the limit, guiding the Omega Beams with Psychic Sovereign precision. It wasn't Darkseid's level yet, but for New York? It was judgment day.
Raven walked up to him.
The window glass, melted by the heat, was reforming via telekinesis.
"32,600," Vincent whispered.
The red glow in his eyes faded.
[Congratulations! You have created the Omega Beams (Novice).]
"What?" Raven asked.
"Is it beautiful?" Vincent pointed at the fading red trails in the sky.
"Beautiful."
"In three seconds, it took 32,600 lives across New York."
"We have no enemies left in the city."
A suit of armor flew down from the sky.
Iron Man.
"Tony. This isn't your style. What brings you here?" Vincent smiled through the repaired glass.
Tony Stark was furious, but he froze.
"Why did you kill Rhodey?"
Tony's voice was muffled through the glass.
"Colonel Rhodes? That's a pity. I liked him."
"Did you finish my AI system?"
Tony raised his repulsor.
BOOM.
The blast hit Vincent. The glass shattered.
Raven tried to shield him, but she couldn't move.
The smoke cleared. Vincent dusted off his suit. Unharmed.
"Done playing?"
Warning! Temperature Critical!
Jarvis screamed.
Tony tried to fly away, but his suit was frozen in mid-air.
"Rhodey died because he was part of the operation. He took orders from the wrong faction. He offended me. So he died."
"Tony, even if you joined SHIELD, stay out of my way. Or you will die miserably."
Vincent flung Iron Man across the city with a thought.
Desire Points +100 Million.
Fear was the best fuel.
New York was in panic. 30,000 people vaporized in seconds.
People were fleeing the city.
SHIELD Helicarrier.
"Is he crazy?!" Fury stood up, radiating killing intent.
"Does he think holding New York hostage will stop us?"
Hill was breathing hard. The silence from the city was terrifying.
"He's fine. Why start killing? 30,000 people..." Fury shuddered. That beam was precise. Better than any missile.
"The Military launched fighters. They locked onto Oscorp," Hill reported.
"So the Military started it?"
"No. The DOD says no orders were given."
"Someone provoked the war," Hill deduced. "But they miscalculated. The Ice Demon has power beyond ice. His mind is stronger than Xavier's."
Fury spun around. "What?"
"Raven told me. He went to the School. He used Cerebro."
"To do what?"
"To find his enemies. He's a cleaner, Nick. He wiped the board."
"Are you saying I should stand down?"
"There's a gathering tonight. Empire State Building. Richards and Stark called it. All heroes and villains are meeting to discuss the 'Ice Demon Crisis'."
"Vincent will be there," Hill said. "He said he's giving the hunters a chance to kill the prey."
"Get a jet. I'm going to New York," Fury ordered.
Empire State Building. Night.
Reed Richards and Tony Stark gathered the superhuman community.
Heroes, villains, mercenaries. They were all scared.
Madame Hydra wore a mask. "Six hours later... is it safe to be back?"
"The Ice Demon threatens everyone. We use the heroes as fodder," Doom said coldly.
"I heard the Mandarin is back. And Dracula. The Vatican is sending a true Angel."
Doom grinned beneath his mask.
"This will be a peak war."
Suddenly, the roar of a Harley Davidson engine.
A man in a leather jacket walked in. His head was a flaming skull.
Ghost Rider.
"Him?!!"
"The Spirit of Vengeance?! Is God stepping in?"
Doom's face fell.
"I don't know," Madame Hydra whispered. "But tonight, the moon will be blood red."
Doom knew his plan worked. He had summoned the legends to kill the monster. And in the chaos, he would steal the power of a god.
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