This Is Only a Prelude to a War of Gods

Loki had imagined many possibilities, but this Midgardian had exceeded his expectations time and again.

Take now, for example. Though Thor's miserable state had plunged him into unprecedented fury, an Evil God was still an Evil God. Even on the verge of losing his mind, he retained the cunning ingrained in his instincts.

Before attacking Duva, he instinctively considered what Duva was relying on to do something this insane. Then, factoring in Duva's Xenomorph army, he assessed the strength Duva possessed.

The only truly formidable Xenomorphs were, at most, the Queen, the Abomination Xenomorphs, and the Enhanced Xenomorphs. Loki would find dealing with them troublesome at best, but they would not alter the final outcome of him killing Duva.

Duva himself had never displayed any extraordinary power.

More importantly, Loki had sensed Thor's condition from up close and confirmed that his brother had merely been parasitized by that creature and fallen into a temporary coma. The gaping wound in his chest was horrific, and he seemed to have lost some internal organs, but with an Asgardian's terrifying vitality, as long as Thor had not died on the spot, he could still be saved.

One had to remember that even the lowest-ranking civilians among the Asgardian gods possessed physical abilities three times those of humans on Earth. Every one of them was practically a mini Captain America, and those were only the commoners.

Not to mention Thor, the son of the God-King.

Loki had remained furious and confident, but when he saw Duva raise a hand in a certain direction, he immediately became restless, his face filled with anxiety.

In an instant, Loki understood. Yet it was precisely because he had guessed the card Duva intended to play that he was even more shocked and incredulous. Reason told him it was nonsense, absurd, a suicidal fantasy, but his instincts told him that Duva was not crazy. After going to such lengths, he had finally made his move on Thunder God's Hammer.

"Xenomorphs, parasitism, genes..."

Loki instantly linked a string of keywords together. In less than 0.01 seconds, his powerful mind carefully sifted through the images of every Xenomorph he had seen.

They were of the same species, yet had different forms and varying degrees of strength. There was also that new Xenomorph, the one that had burst from the chest of an Enhanced Deviant within Loki's field of vision...

Loki subconsciously glanced over. In just this short time, the newly emerged Xenomorph had already grown five times larger. Such an outrageous growth rate was truly absurd.

"I understand now. That bastard actually had such an idea. This madman..." Alongside his shock and rage, Loki felt as if a mental blind spot had suddenly been pierced.

So Xenomorphs, a parasitic species, could be used this way too!

"You can never lift Mjolnir! Even I am unworthy of touching that divine weapon. Don't overestimate yourself!!" Loki's eyes reddened, murderous intent blazing. Streams of powerful divine energy coursed across his body as terrifying magic brewed within him.

Give him just a little more time, and he could erase this human from Midgard.

Boom! At that instant, the wind stopped, the rain fell silent, and even the swirling storm clouds seemed frozen by an invisible force.

Crackle!

Faint electrical sounds came from Thunder God's Hammer. This weapon, which had sat in Magneto's hand like a dead object without the slightest trace of divine power, now began to spark with tiny arcs of lightning.

Buzz! Thunder God's Hammer suddenly erupted with a powerful current, abruptly changed direction, broke free from Magneto's control, and flew rapidly toward Duva!

Everything happened so suddenly, so quickly. From beginning to end, Duva's every move had flowed without the slightest hesitation, as though he had always known exactly what to do.

With bloodshot eyes, Loki watched Mjolnir, the object he had yearned for but could never obtain, fly past him and finally land steadily in Duva's outstretched hand.

Duva felt the weight of Thunder God's Hammer and slowly raised his head. "Then now, we can begin the second round, Evil God Loki. You should address me respectfully as... the Thunder God."

Countless currents briefly stalled before crazily spreading over Duva's body.

Denser, even more massive bolts of lightning visibly surged from the hammer like living creatures. Carrying astonishing divine power, they roiled under Duva's control.

This divine power was so obedient that Duva, who had prepared to spend several seconds adapting to it, discovered in surprise that he wielded it as easily as his own limbs.

Divine power filled his body, rapidly activating and enriching every cell. With the Xenomorph Larva in his chest as its core, it swiftly elevated Duva's level of life.

Massive storm clouds condensed into a terrifying vortex revolving around Mjolnir. From afar, it looked like a newborn black hole.

"How is this... possible..."

Loki froze, his mind blank and his face bewildered.

Kaecilius was stunned as well. Magneto immediately seized the chance and blasted him several times with an energy wave, sending him tumbling, but Kaecilius still stared wide-eyed, his gaze burning.

Magneto was the calmest of them all. After his initial surprise, he expressionlessly withdrew his gaze. Duva had merely picked up Thunder God's Hammer, which Magneto himself could also use. It only proved Duva's excellence—or perhaps the Xenomorphs' excellence? Everything else was meaningless.

As for strength, even if the Thunder God at his peak came, Magneto firmly believed he would win!

This ultimate chaos, this vast battlefield where every side was slaughtering one another, shook the entire world. Even Black Bolt on the moon sensed the disturbance and could not help rising to observe the changes on Earth.

Duva, steadily wielding Thunder God's Hammer, bathed in endless flashes of lightning and thunder, transformed into a god and became the center of everyone's attention.

The lightning tore apart the darkness, stretching Duva's shadow long and longer in flickering flashes, as though it would cover the entire planet.

Deep satisfaction also appeared in Duva's eyes. Just as he had predicted, this had only been a gamble. If it failed, he would have led the Xenomorph forces away. Fortunately, he had succeeded in the end.

"Thinking carefully, there are many who can lift Thunder God's Hammer: Thor, Hela, Vision, Captain America, Jane Foster, Black Widow, Deadpool, Magneto, Loki, Frog Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Bor, Hydra Captain America, Wonder Woman, Superman..."

Most people believed the standard for lifting Thunder God's Hammer was "a righteous heart." That was undoubtedly wrong, because Hela was not righteous in the slightest. On the contrary, her heart was filled with desire, bloodlust, and a love of killing.

Therefore, Duva was inclined to believe that only those possessing the pure "divine nature" trait could lift Thunder God's Hammer.

Of course, that only applied to lifting it normally. There was no need to mention tricks like actively altering the spell Odin had left on Thunder God's Hammer and then allowing someone to lift it.

"So did this hammer previously dislike me because I wasn't pure enough, or because I lacked sufficient breadth of character?" Duva examined the hammer in his hand, finding it extremely amusing.

Its judgment of the same person would continuously change with circumstances and the evolution of their mind.

Clearly, in this crisis, even Loki did not meet its approval. But Duva, who had taken Thor's genes and bloodline and acquired the key to ascending to "divinity," could wield Thunder God's Hammer.

Duva even suspected that Thunder God's Hammer's intelligence level was too low and that it had been deceived by the Xenomorph Larva in his chest, believing he was a Thunder God Thor who had changed his heart and attained sudden enlightenment.

But regardless, Duva had truly risen to become the Thunder God by replacing his Xenomorph Larva.

Duva had truly gained control of divine power. At this moment, he held Thunder God's Hammer high, surrounded by numerous lightning-bathed Xenomorphs. This was destined to become an iconic image carved into the history of the world.

Even countless years later, so long as Earth remained and history continued to be passed down, people would always know that a man who commanded a powerful species had once lifted Mjolnir and wielded the power of the Thunder God.

This scene did not exist only on Earth.

In the Asgardian royal palace.

Odin, who was supposedly asleep but was actually observing Earth with his powerful divine power, was startled by this sight.

When the Eternals appeared, he had guarded against Arishem and endured without acting. When Thor had been lured by Duva into accepting a Facehugger, he had been confident that he could remove the creature, so long as Thor was not killed outright, and thus had not acted. But when he realized that Duva could lift Thunder God's Hammer after taking the larva from Thor's body, he was stunned.

"Where did this creature come from? To bypass my spell, even through such a shameless method, is extraordinary. Such a species should not be so obscure."

Odin thought of the Xenomorph that had parasitized Thor, then investigated the origins of the entire Xenomorph species and ultimately fixed his gaze on Duva.

To be honest, this God-King had never taken Duva seriously. Having lived for millions of years, he had witnessed countless rises and falls and slain so-called powerhouses from all kinds of worlds.

But at this moment, as he neared death, he finally became interested. He paid intense attention to a "mortal" in the mortal world.

Odin considered extending his vision and tracing back the timeline. That would not be difficult for him. A Skyfather Level being, if willing to erupt with full power at any cost, could interfere with the operations of the entire Milky Way and even destroy it completely.

Observing events from the recent past was even less of a burden. It was not as though he intended to reverse time—that was the domain of the Time Stone.

But Odin still gave up. He did not have much time left. His aged body could no longer bear the terrifying divine power accumulated over his lifetime. Even using only a portion of it would greatly hasten his death.

"Based on the result of my discussion with Ancient One, the future was shrouded in darkness. I originally guessed the problem lay with the Eternals and the Celestials, that they would attack Thor. But I never expected this outcome. Arishem did not appear, and Thor merely suffered some losses..."

Honestly, if that was all, it was already the best possible outcome.

Thor was still alive. Even if he had lost Thunder God's Hammer, he was still alive. Yet the concern Ancient One had conveyed during their conversation had not been false... What kind of future had Ancient One seen through the Time Stone? Was it because of Duva? This young man was indeed exceptional. A strange species with astonishing potential served under him, though its origins were unknown.

And now he had used a marvelous trick to lift Thunder God's Hammer and gain part of the Thunder God's power.

But that level alone was far from enough to make Ancient One so worried.

Odin had no answers and decided to continue observing. His body could still hold on for several more years, and he retained the ability to act at least once. He needed to wait for the enemy that even troubled Ancient One to appear.

At that time, if Thor was still alive, Odin could safely pass the Odin Force to Thor and let him ascend the throne.

If Thor died... facing an enemy Ancient One could not even describe, dying in battle would be normal. Even if he survived this trial, Ragnarok would still inevitably come.

Hopefully, he would still be alive. On Earth, protected by Ancient One and entangled with Duva, who could lift Mjolnir, Thor already had the best possible chance of survival, though it would be a tremendous blow to his pride.

Duva officially clashed with Loki. As he had said, the second round of battle had begun.

He had guessed that Odin and the others would be watching the changes on Earth, and he had also guessed that Thor's condition was deeply involved. But he was not worried.

Even in Universe No. 199999, when Thor had been beaten by Loki until he was nearly dead, Odin had merely lain sleeping in Asgard without acting, until Thor himself came to his senses, suddenly lifted Thunder God's Hammer again, and revived at full strength.

As long as Thor was not killed outright without leaving any room for survival, Odin would not act, even if Thor was nearly dead.

The Allfather who had fought countless wars possessed a heart far harsher than ordinary people imagined.

Not to mention that Thor was still some distance from truly dying.

Like a true Thunder God, Duva swung Thunder God's Hammer as he flew through the skies and across the earth, wantonly unleashing divine power and controlling the weather at will. Viewed from space, terrifying lightning could be seen converging upon the deserts of New Mexico from all over the world, gathering in ever greater amounts.

The Queen had also gone all out. Under Duva's command, she led the Xenomorph forces charging toward...

The Eternals! In a situation like this, killing Loki or Kaecilius was simply unrealistic. If these two Great Magicians, among the strongest in the Nine Realms, truly focused on escaping, Duva could not stop them.

Capturing a batch of Eternals while he had the chance was far more worthwhile. It would prepare him for the great Jotunheim versus Asgard war that was bound to erupt in the near future.

That would be a war in which even Skyfather Level beings would personally enter the field. Duva was also someone inclined toward taking risks. He estimated that if he did not have several powerful subordinates at hand, he would not gain any benefits at all.

Boom! An Abomination Xenomorph leaped across several hundred meters like a cannonball, attempting to stomp on Makkari. Among all the Eternals, Ikaris and Gilgamesh were not the most troublesome. Makkari, with her Super Speed, was.

But unfortunately, Makkari placed Ajak's safety above all else. She did not prioritize the battle itself and instead devoted more attention to monitoring her own condition. The instant she noticed the Abomination Xenomorph charging at her, she abandoned Magneto and rapidly retreated, trying to return to Ajak's side.

"What are you doing?! You're actually sending your people against us at a time like this?" Ajak could not help shouting.

Duva ignored Ajak. Bathed in lightning that filled the sky, he exchanged blasts with Loki amid surging divine power while rapidly calculating through the vision of numerous Xenomorphs. Then, with a command, more than a dozen Xenomorphs moved together, blocking off Makkari's various routes.

At any other time, this would have been useless. But in this area, where even space itself was in chaos and all kinds of violent energy scattered madly, it was instead the perfect place to restrict Makkari.

Smack! A Xenomorph suddenly stretched out its claw. After countless calculations by Duva, it had received his command to attack. It looked like a casual reach, yet it blocked Makkari's only remaining path forward.

With a loud crash, Makkari was like an out-of-control vehicle, tumbling forward as several surging streams of chaotic energy tore her body full of wounds.

Ajak and Gilgamesh were horrified and turned to protect Makkari.

But it was already too late.