After collecting the genes of the Inhumans, Malrick didn't immediately devour or fuse them. Instead, he returned to Earth.
He soared above the clouds, his body streaking through the sky at high velocity. The Law of Light wrapped around him, keeping the disturbance to a minimum. The Blacklight Clone lacked a bio-field, and if he relied on raw physical strength alone, the resulting shockwaves would disrupt the atmosphere.
"The Inhumans want to relocate to Earth," Malrick thought, flying steadily. "That's straight out of the TV series timeline. Strange… when exactly did they tie themselves into the MCU? Their abilities could be useful though, sonic devastation and teleportation among them."
He narrowed his eyes. "Next target, the Eternals."
Diving back beneath the cloud cover, Malrick scanned for their location. His senses locked onto them quickly. "Perfect," he murmured. "They're all gathered. I'll take them together."
The Eternals. Ancient creations of the Celestials, built to manipulate cosmic energy, blessed with immortality, each carrying unique powers. In 5000 BC, ten of them were dispatched by Arishem the Judge to Earth, tasked with eradicating the Deviants—another Celestial-made race that had spiraled out of control.
For thousands of years, the Eternals fought the Deviants. To them, that was their mission, their reason for existence. But the truth was darker. Only their leader, Ajak, knew the real objective: to nurture humanity until the population was vast enough to trigger the birth of a Celestial slumbering within Earth itself.
When the Celestial egg finally absorbed enough energy from intelligent life, Earth would be destroyed as its shell.
Most of the Eternals, however, remained oblivious. They grew attached to Earth and humanity, splintering internally over whether to interfere in human development. That fracture eventually drove them apart, each wandering across the globe for centuries.
Now, after two thousand years, they had regrouped inside a stone house in Africa. For several days, they had been debating one issue: the arrival of "Superman" and the rising presence of the Skrulls.
"Do you all remember the Space Stone fluctuations in New York months ago?" Ajak asked, her tone measured.
"Of course," replied Sersi, her sharp eyes carrying an East Asian softness. "Sprite and I even infiltrated Avengers Tower to investigate. But the energy signature reappeared in Kamar-Taj. That suggests Superman may have mastered its power."
"That level of energy is not something a normal person can wield," Ajak added grimly. "I investigated him. He was once an ordinary human, then suddenly he was Superman—with abilities strikingly close to ours."
A pause filled the room.
"You're suggesting… he could be an Eternal?" someone asked cautiously.
"I can't rule it out," Ajak admitted. "The universe holds countless Eternals. Perhaps he's one who ended up here by chance."
Sprite frowned. "So what now? Do we just… say hello?"
"No," Ajak said firmly. "Earth is growing restless. Our mission may face setbacks. We must stay vigilant. We cannot scatter again."
"Mission?" Sersi pressed. "I thought our mission ended long ago. The Deviants have been gone from Earth for centuries."
"The Deviants…" Ajak hesitated, then stopped.
Before she could continue, a thunderous crack echoed. The stone house's wooden door burst open. The latch snapped and clattered to the floor.
The Eternals didn't move from their seats, but every one of them frowned, their eyes narrowing. Few beings in existence would dare interrupt a gathering of ten Eternals. Whoever had, was about to regret it.
Then… a calf stepped through the doorway.
A small, fluffy leg. And behind it—
A Siberian Husky.
The black-and-white dog stood upright, framed by the swirling sand outside. Its gaze swept across the room, sharp and unbending. The weight in its eyes was unmistakable: disdain, the kind only kings carried.
"This husky… why does it look almost...handsome?" Sersi murmured in disbelief.
A few others involuntarily nodded, then quickly shook their heads.
"Wait," one Eternal said. "That mutt just kicked a door open?"
Before he could finish the thought, the husky's eyes sharpened. Power crackled around its form like silent thunder. In a blink, it vanished from the doorway.
The Eternals didn't even see the strike coming. One by one, they felt their chins snap upward as if struck by an unseen hammer—except it wasn't a hammer. It was a paw.
Each Eternal collapsed instantly, consciousness wiped away.
When they awoke again, a full day had passed. Confusion filled their eyes. None of them could comprehend how ten Eternals had been felled by a Siberian Husky.
"These Eternals aren't as strong as the legends claim," Malrick muttered, stepping over their prone bodies. He flicked blood from his fingers as he collected samples, then straightened with a casual air.
"I'll spare them for now. In the films, they genuinely protected Earth. I'll deal with them later, when it's time to devour the Celestial sleeping in Earth's core. No need to provoke their masters yet."
He knew the truth. To fight one Celestial was to invite the wrath of the entire race. The weakest among them could shatter planets. The strongest could annihilate universes with a thought. Until his power rivaled theirs, Malrick would avoid direct confrontation.
Returning to Kamar-Taj, he slipped into his inner world. Grass stretched out beneath his feet as black-and-red lines flared across his body. A few seconds later, his husky disguise melted away, his form collapsing into a swirling mass of virus stock.
"Devour. Begin the assimilation."
Foreign blood within him broke apart, consumed and rewritten by the Blacklight Virus. Malrick watched closely, monitoring the genetic decomposition and recombination.
First came the Inhumans' genes. Dozens merged seamlessly into the viral network. At first, the genetic level remained steady. Then Black Bolt's cells fused. The surge was immediate—his genetic level jumped to three times what it had been.
"As expected of Black Bolt," Malrick said quietly. "His power has nearly no upper limit. Combined with the others, threefold strength is reasonable."
He didn't stop. "Next, the Eternals' genes."
Ten drops of blood decomposed instantly. The moment the first strand merged, Malrick's aura exploded outward.
"Six times stronger, just like that."
One by one, the rest followed. When the tenth Eternal's essence finally locked into place, his body trembled.
The Blacklight Virus had ascended to ten times its former level.
"Comfortable," Malrick breathed, his form shifting. The virus reshaped, twisting and solidifying into a humanoid shape once more. "This is what evolution feels like."
Power coursed through him. Cosmic energy manipulation. Enhanced strength and speed. Illusions. Healing. Blasts of concussive force. Layered atop the Inhumans' arsenal: sonic destruction, teleportation, control over matter itself.
"All these powers are mine now."
He tightened his fists. "But extraordinary genes aren't simple. Their fragments are complex, their structures dense. I'll need time to study, time to refine."
His gaze turned outward, to the endless possibilities Earth offered.
"Next, I'll consume the genes of every other extraordinary being on this planet."
_______
Support & Read chapters in advance on patreon.
patreon.com/Zphyr