Everything happened too suddenly.
Fury showed no emotion as he watched Melinda die a gruesome death, but his clenched fist crushed the corner of the table.
It wasn't until he listened to Duncan's brazen declaration of his next move that Fury finally understood his true objective.
"Duncan wants to use the Bifröst to transport Xenomorphs to Asgard? Reinforcements?"
Fury immediately realized that Asgard must be at war. He also finally understood what Duncan had meant when he mentioned an agreement with Thor earlier.
This lunatic was involving himself in a high-level species war, using Xenomorphs as weapons and pushing them to the front lines of battle!
Fury didn't even need to think twice to grasp how perilous Asgard's war must be. A battle involving beings wielding divine power would inevitably result in unimaginable destruction.
"You're insane. You're dragging Earth into a war we should never be part of," Fury said in a low voice.
Duncan glanced at the earpiece in his hand and replied, "Does it make a difference? If S.H.I.E.L.D. had any ambition, it would've done the same thing long ago—forcefully researching and controlling things beyond its reach. Now it's simply out of control. You lost an excellent subordinate, while I gained a significant power boost."
"So, from the start, you planned everything—including the pheromone-based Xenomorph control. You deliberately let me figure that out. Your real method of controlling them is telepathy."
"Very imaginative, Sherlock," Duncan neither confirmed nor denied it.
Fury kept pondering the relationship between Xenomorph Queens. If Duncan wasn't present, would different Queens' offspring attack each other on sight?
This was crucial—it determined whether it was worth the immense cost of taking Duncan down.
"As long as I have control of at least one Queen, it won't take long to unravel your secrets completely," Fury declared.
Suddenly, the chips implanted in the Xenomorphs' necks lit up red, on the verge of detonating.
But Duncan reacted even faster. He raised Mjolnir high, summoning a storm of lightning. Though each bolt wasn't particularly powerful, it was more than enough to disrupt signals and destroy the chips.
The Xenomorphs suffered in the process, but as long as it wasn't fatal, they would recover.
"Seems I underestimated divine power. From now on, I'll establish a dedicated file on you and assign a professional team to study you," Fury stated.
His voice carried no emotion, yet that very coldness conveyed the depth of his feelings.
"No one enjoys failure. Perhaps we should discuss a new topic—are you interested in Asgard's war? We might find common ground," Duncan remarked casually before commanding his Xenomorphs to annihilate the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents present.
"You just deceived me, and now you want to talk about cooperation? Do you think I'd supply you with more Xenomorphs? Or do you believe that just because you have the upper hand in intelligence, you can treat me like a fool?"
Even Fury, a man who prided himself on prioritizing interests above all else, found Duncan's seamless shift in tone utterly maddening.
Sometimes, he genuinely wanted to crack open Duncan's skull just to see what kind of dangerous thoughts were constantly swirling inside.
"That's impossible. I won't cooperate with someone like you—unless you relinquish control over the Xenomorphs."
As Fury spoke, he felt he sounded far too righteous, which was quite unlike him.
"That's a real shame. If that's the case, we have nothing to discuss. The way you're acting, it's as if you're blaming me for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s incompetence—was I the one who stopped you from controlling the Xenomorphs? You stole my precious creatures, imprisoned them, and failed in the end. And that's my fault?"
Duncan looked around, confirming that all recording devices had been destroyed. Then, he raised his hands toward the sky with a helpless expression.
"Well, you're in big trouble now, Nick Fury. You've committed theft and illegal detention. You're provoking the ruler of a species."
Fury remained vigilant. He couldn't determine how Asgard viewed Duncan.
After all, a human wielding Mjolnir—what status did that grant him in Asgard? That remained an unknown factor.
Now, this newly crowned "God of Thunder" was rapidly expanding his forces, tricking all of S.H.I.E.L.D. into unknowingly endorsing his actions.
This level of audacity…
"You're so eager to prove your loyalty to Asgard—I'm guessing you've already secured an Asgardian green card, haven't you?" Fury remarked.
Hearing this, Duncan casually tossed his earpiece to Thor, who looked utterly confused.
Thor had no idea what a "green card" was. But seeing Duncan's expression, he instinctively assumed it was another one of Midgard's jokes.
"Thor, they're saying I'm using this war to become an Asgardian. The complete opposite of your situation."
"No, we do have one thing in common—we both don't want to become part of the other's world," Thor muttered, glancing at the Xenomorphs that had fallen silent once more. His throat felt dry.
"Let's not waste time on fools. I'm summoning the Bifröst now to transport our forces! When this war is over, you can be whoever you want to be!"
Thor had spent enough time around Duncan to understand his nature. He knew Duncan had no real interest in Asgardian citizenship.
Instead, he could guess that Duncan sought to ascend to an even higher stage—participating in grander wars to prove his worth and capabilities.
That was completely normal. Thor himself had been raised with similar values.
Or perhaps… Duncan was simply fascinated by Frost Giants and wanted to capture some for parasitic experimentation.
Thor didn't care about that.
In truth, he had his own motives for this war—he wanted to return to Asgard with an army and aid Loki. He would prove to all of Asgard that even without his divine power, he could still contribute. He was still a worthy Asgardian warrior!
"Loki should have been in charge of all Asgard now. I could have helped him—he would have been glad. One day, he would be king of Asgard, and I…" Thor shook his head. That future was no longer possible for him. He had already let go.
"Heimdall!! I know you can hear me! You've seen my efforts! Now, open the Bifröst and send me and my reinforcements back!!"
"Heimdall!" Thor roared at the sky, his voice raw with urgency.
Duncan stood in the distance, silently watching.
Soon, a brilliant rainbow beam descended from the heavens, brimming with the power of interdimensional travel, illuminating Thor.
At Duncan's command, the Xenomorphs surged toward the Bifröst, climbing over one another to rush inside.
This was only the first wave.
A second Bifröst bridge soon appeared, transporting more waves of Xenomorphs to Asgard.
Duncan carefully focused his senses, ensuring the Xenomorphs had successfully arrived. Even across unfathomable distances, his mental link with them remained intact.
"Is this the same Bifröst that sent Thor to Earth? Impressive technology," Fury commented.
"Don't even think about it. This isn't just advanced tech—it involves divine energy manipulation. It's far beyond your reach."
"In time, Thor will realize his mistake—sending a deadly species like Xenomorphs to a battlefield where they don't belong," Fury said grimly.
Now, he had lost all control over the Xenomorphs.
Even though Duncan had sent away his army, making him appear at his weakest, the mere thought of the Xenomorphs rampaging in Asgard made Fury's head ache. He hated leaving loose ends.
And this was the worst kind—one with catastrophic potential.
There was no way he could launch an extermination mission to Asgard.
Not even calling Captain Marvel back to Earth would help.
"You need to change your way of thinking, Agent. Who knows? Maybe even if I don't send the Xenomorph army to Asgard, you still wouldn't be able to deal with me. Why don't you take a guess—have I really shown you all of the Xenomorphs, or have I secretly hidden a few?"
Duncan's voice was like the whisper of a devil.
If the lurking Xenomorphs were to erupt, who knew how much destruction they could cause?
Fury felt somewhat reassured that he still had a Queen in his grasp. As long as she was in his possession, research could continue, and perhaps, one day, they would find a way to counter Duncan.
"Duncan is using mind control on the Xenomorphs..." Fury was already considering which superhuman with psychic abilities he could recruit to attempt the same method of control.
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast resources, extensive knowledge base, and deep talent pool, given enough time...
"The war has already begun, Fury," Duncan suddenly said.
"War? Asgard?"
"No, the war between you and me. Even now, you still don't truly understand me."
Duncan let out a deep sigh, and his voice became eerily calm, as if he had resigned himself to reality.
Fury frowned. A bad feeling crept into his heart. But what could it be? He was on the Helicarrier—surely Duncan couldn't have unleashed some kind of super-Xenomorph capable of firing at the sky?
Suddenly, Fury sprang to his feet, quickly tapping commands on the virtual screen before him. "Quick! Have Dr. Cliff increase the power of the A-28 psychic shielding device—"
"It's already running at maximum power. Cliff anticipated this… Damn it! Queen has self-destructed! It just used its inner jaw to destroy its own head!!"
Fury froze, his expression shifting between shock and dread. Finally, he pulled up a monitor, entered his password, and watched the gruesome scene unfold.
Blood splattered onto the Adamantium restraints, sizzling as smoke curled into the air.
Two scientists, standing too close, had been splashed by just a few drops of the acid-like blood. They writhed in agony on the ground.
Fury's expression darkened.
The distance… it was immense. And yet, the command had still bypassed the psychic shielding device to force the Hive Mother to commit suicide!
"Surprised? I have to admit, your security measures were quite thorough. It never even had a chance to escape. But of course, coming from the world's premier organization, it would have been a disgrace if your prison wasn't completely impenetrable—especially with Adamantium."
Duncan's voice was disturbingly calm.
Fury stared at the screen in silence for a few seconds. "That was the Hive Mother…"
"Queen," Duncan corrected. "I prefer to call the Xenomorph matriarchs capable of reproduction 'Queens'."
"This was the second Queen—extremely rare. And yet, you didn't even try to negotiate. You just gave the order for it to kill itself?"
"Such cunning interrogation techniques… you never stop fishing for intel."
Duncan saw through Fury's tactics but continued speaking regardless. "What makes you think Queens are so rare among Xenomorphs? Why don't you take another guess—how many Xenomorphs have I released onto this planet? How many of them could evolve into Queens? And under what conditions do they become Queens?"
Fury felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
Duncan continued, "This is why I keep saying—you don't understand me, and you don't understand the Xenomorphs. You haven't even defined their true nature. They are a species that will go to extreme lengths for survival and propagation. A highly structured, high-order organism. And I…am their god."
He crushed the earpiece in his hand.
Fury stared at the severed communication link, fully understanding Duncan's final words.
He was not the God of Thunder…
But the God of Xenomorphs.
Fury exhaled heavily. "Looks like we've stirred up some serious trouble. Even though I still find his 'god' delusions ridiculous… it seems we've made a critical mistake."
Still wrapped in bandages, his wounds not yet fully healed, Coulson stood behind Fury without him noticing. "Drawing conclusions from results isn't always a good habit… but it does make things clearer."
"So what do you see, Coulson?"
"Duncan is now the God of Thunder. Regardless of how Asgard perceives him, that's how we need to treat him. That means: Duncan is incredibly difficult to kill through conventional means. And with the added threat of the Xenomorphs…"
Fury narrowed his eyes. "That means…?"
"Duncan has become a Tier-0 level threat in the shortest time and at the youngest age."
...
Asgard
Loki was furious.
With multiple planets under attack and several already lost, he was in the middle of mobilizing Asgard's forces for war.
Yet Heimdall had activated the Bifrost without his permission!
Below the throne, a few individuals exchanged glances, seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.
"It must be Thor!"
"Thor is back?"
Loki took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he looked at the suddenly hopeful crowd. "Yes, my brother has returned. But unfortunately, he has not yet regained his divine powers. Participating in this war will be extremely dangerous for him."
Loki rose from his throne, his gaze sweeping over the gathered warriors before briefly settling on the Warriors Three.
"Do you think I don't want to bring him back? But I can't! I have to protect him! With his reckless nature, he would fight the Frost Giants to the death!"
The more Loki spoke, the more heartfelt his words sounded—even Sif, who knew him well, almost believed him.
"I know my ascension to the throne has made you uneasy, but I had no choice! If we only relied on my brother…"
Loki's voice abruptly cut off.
He sensed it.
Thor was approaching the palace at an astonishing speed.
The grand doors burst open.
As stunned eyes turned toward the entrance, an enormous swarm of unknown creatures flooded in—surrounding a tearful, emotional Thor.
"My dear brother! Say no more! I will not let you fight alone!"
Loki: "..."
He stared at the all-too-familiar creatures, then recalled the one person who had brought him so much disgrace.
His face almost turned blue in anger.
...
Hey everyone, I got exams this month so updates will be slightly irregular for 20 days. Things will be back to normal then. By irregular, well, you'd get 14-15 chapters for the next 20 days instead of 20, that's all.