Chapter 90: Du Wa, Embracing All Beings, Seeks to Redeem the World
Hyperion?
Who was that? He'd never heard of the name.
Attuma was bewildered. As a warlord of Atlantis, he had studied a vast amount of knowledge and mastered a great deal of secrets and intelligence, yet he had never heard of anyone named Hyperion.
Perhaps this person was famous in certain regions of the universe?
To dare call himself the strongest of the Eternals.
The strongest Eternal in the entire universe?
Attuma expressionlessly looked toward Ikaris, who was standing beside Hyperion, his gaze probing.
He knew Ikaris was strong, with almost no weaknesses; every one of his abilities was an advantage.
Across all of Earth, Ikaris was a top-tier powerhouse.
Don't be fooled by his previous defeat at Du Wa's hands. That was because Ikaris had been suddenly exposed to the global spotlight, had little intention to fight, and was splattered with xenomorph blood. In his shock, he simply seized the opportunity to flee.
Furthermore, Ikaris even possessed the ability to survive and move at high speeds in the universe.
Now, after disappearing for a long time, Ikaris had returned to Earth with this Eternal named Hyperion.
Attuma carefully sized up this Hyperion. He was suspicious but said nothing.
For now, apart from extreme arrogance and cruelty, Hyperion seemed to have no other distinguishing features.
Attuma spoke, "Welcome to Earth. We share a common enemy and are thus unbreakable allies. With us from the ocean and you from the universe joining forces, dealing with those Surface Dwellers will not be a difficult problem."
"So noisy. Ocean, land... such a narrow-minded and childish way of dividing things, like children fighting over territory."
Hyperion looked down from on high, his condescending gaze sweeping over Attuma. "Also, Du Wa and his group are worthy of being my enemies, but on what grounds do you think you are qualified to be my ally? A piece of trash like you? I could kill you with a single glance!"
He then turned to Ikaris, glaring impatiently. "Acting against this planet was not part of my plan. It's all because of you fools that I have to waste my time here."
Ikaris frowned, a trace of displeasure also appearing on his face.
"I don't understand why you're so volatile. We all serve Arishem. I've met other Eternals, and none of them have an unstable personality like yours."
"Ha, other Eternals? How can trash like you say such a thing? Besides Ajak's group and me, which other Eternals have you seen? Have you forgotten your own origin? A tool whose memory is wiped by Arishem after completing a single mission?" Hyperion said with a cold sneer.
Ikaris's expression was extremely grim. Just as he was about to say something, Hyperion's eyes turned crimson, and a powerful heat vision blast shot out in an instant.
"You're insane!"
Ikaris was aghast. He immediately gathered energy in his eyes and fired his golden heat vision.
The red and gold beams of heat vision clashed above the surface of the sea.
Under Attuma's silent watch, the astonishingly high temperature evaporated a large area of seawater. He watched as the red heat vision quickly overpowered the golden one, ultimately engulfing Ikaris with its immense energy. Ikaris was sent flying hundreds of meters, tumbling violently across the sea like a shattered stone, his body momentarily tearing open the sea's surface.
It all happened in a few seconds. They had only exchanged one blow, but the difference in their strength was immediately clear.
The gap was enormous.
"You can also use heat vision? And that flight ability... do you two possess the exact same abilities?" Attuma remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.
His personality was somewhat cold-hearted, but in the face of the extremely tyrannical Hyperion, he still felt a degree of apprehension.
A powerful individual wasn't frightening. What was frightening was a powerful individual who was also an emotionally unstable psycho. One wrong word could offend him, leading a powerhouse like him to kill without any warning.
Ikaris was a prime example. In front of Hyperion, this member of his own race was nothing more than a tool, with no status to speak of.
Ikaris's chest heaved several times. He was truly about to explode with anger.
In all of Ikaris's memory, including the scattered fragments from the past few million years that hadn't been completely wiped by Arishem, no one had ever insulted him this way.
Even Arishem, his creator, had never treated him like this.
But Hyperion dared to!
This guy was a lunatic. He'd kill his own people if he went berserk... he'd even do it just to clear the field to fight more freely, Ikaris thought.
But he had to admit, Hyperion was truly strong.
The two of them possessed the exact same abilities: flight, heat vision, super vision, super hearing, super-strength, super speed, super healing, and energy manipulation.
What one could do, the other could do as well, as if they were cast from the same mold. Yet the difference in their overall strength was staggering.
Ikaris had already realized that if any single ability was compared, he would be left in the dust by Hyperion.
"What heat vision? This is called Atomic Vision." The redness in Hyperion's eyes gradually cooled, returning to normal.
"What do you plan to do? I know you can't stand me because I'm very similar to you in every aspect, like a copy made in your image. But at least on one point, we are the same: serving Arishem is our destiny," Ikaris said, suppressing the humiliation in his heart and maintaining his composure.
To deal with Du Wa and accelerate the birth of Tiamut, he had to borrow Hyperion's power.
Giving up was not an option. The mere thought of the planet-sized Arishem sent a shiver down Ikaris's spine.
"What we need to do is simple. Under the guidance of these natives, we find Du Wa, kill him, and kill all those damned xenomorphs he created along with him."
Hyperion pointed at Attuma with a posture like he was casually patting a Wild Dog on the head, utterly dismissive.
Everyone present could feel that Hyperion didn't see Attuma as human. In Hyperion's mind, a bunch of trash destined to be sacrificed for the gestation of the Celestial Tiamut had no future to speak of. Wasting time and emotion on these guys was simply meaningless.
A trace of coldness flickered across Attuma's face before he quickly concealed it. He said, "Don't underestimate Du Wa. He conquered Jotunheim and is now expanding aggressively in the ocean. His military force alone numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and both their quality and quantity are extraordinary."
After a pause, Attuma added, either intentionally or unintentionally, "Moreover, one of his subordinates is named Reynolds, whose strength is also extremely formidable. As far as I know, he possesses abilities highly similar to yours."
"Sentry? I've heard of this guy. Some people in the universe have been talking about him. So he's Du Wa's number one lapdog? Once I kill him, no one will say he looks like me anymore."
Hyperion was in a foul mood, feeling as though every Tom, Dick, and Harry was imitating him now.
He waved his hand impatiently. Even such a simple gesture, without consciously suppressing his strength, managed to stir up a huge storm that sent the entire troop of elite Atlantean soldiers, besides Attuma, flying into the sky, tossing them to who knows where.
Before Attuma could decide whether to openly express his dissatisfaction, Hyperion fired a beam of heat vision into the distance, straight into the ocean, instantly killing a xenomorph that had been carefully swimming over.
The highly corrosive blood mixed with the seawater, which roiled like boiling water, sending plumes of steam into the sky.
"A xenomorph here means your arrival is no longer a secret to Du Wa. He always knows exactly what every xenomorph sees and comes into contact with," Ikaris said, having regained his composure, at least on the surface.
"Good. Then we'll go find him, kill him, and all his underlings with him."
Hyperion flew high into the sky, spread his arms, and bathed in the golden sunlight. Led by Ikaris, the two transformed into a streak of light and flew toward New York City.
Only Attuma was left standing on the turbulent water, his expression unchanged. He knew Hyperion likely possessed super vision and might be monitoring his expression.
Attuma had contacted Ikaris to get powerful backup. Although the Eternals on Earth had been crippled by Du Wa, practically wiped out with most of them turned into xenomorphs under Du Wa's control, there were still many Eternals in the universe, especially those high-level enforcers directly under Arishem.
But now, Ikaris had indeed brought reinforcements, yet these reinforcements had no intention of taking Atlantis seriously. It was a blessing they hadn't been cleansed on the spot.
"This is fine too. Let the Xenomorph Race and the Eternals fight to the death! It would be best if they annihilated each other. The more powerful ones that die, the better. That way, we can submerge the entire continent."
Attuma's face was cold as he began to search for his scattered soldiers.
As for the various messages coming from Namor's side, whether sent via high-tech equipment or through the use of magic, he disdained to respond.
What was Namor?
As long as he could accomplish the great feat of submerging the continents, replacing Namor would be a matter of course.
Oh, and Wakanda. The humans of that nation could not be spared under any circumstances. They all had to die. Attuma would stuff them into the ocean, every last one of them, and drown them all alive.
...
"That guy is Hyperion, right... This universe actually has a Hyperion? This is so exciting."
Du Wa, who had been setting aside some time specifically to monitor the various battles, immediately lit up after receiving the information transmitted from a xenomorph.
This was Hyperion, a true Marvel Superman!
If Ikaris was included, then the entire Marvel Multiverse had what amounted to five versions of Superman.
Ikaris, Sentry, Hyperion, Gladiator, and Blue Marvel.
The Origin of all Hyperions was the same: they came from the Eternals.
He could absorb the ubiquitous radiation in the universe and channel it to enhance specific abilities.
Unlike Sentry, Hyperion had another peculiar trait: his muscle density was frighteningly high, which effectively suppressed the production of fatigue toxins. This allowed Hyperion to never tire, always maintaining his peak physical condition and unleashing his full combat power in battle.
"I see. So Warlord Attuma and the surviving Ikaris contacted each other and brought in reinforcements from off-world? No, it's likely not just Ikaris's own doing. Perhaps Arishem had a hand in this."
As long as Tiamut, who was slumbering in the Earth's core, remained untouched, Arishem or the other Celestials would not intervene. That was the bottom line for those Celestials.
Casually sending over a capable Eternal seems to be Arishem's move to resolve the Earth problem and ensure Tiamut's smooth birth.
This surprised Du Wa, but it also brought him extreme delight.
An Eternal tool inviting another Eternal tool—this was very logical. By the same token, it was even more logical for him to eliminate both these Eternals, whatever the price.
Before long, the two Eternals flew into New York City.
Hyperion wantonly displayed his power, firing his Atomic Vision everywhere, its 6000-degree temperature madly melting everything.
One skyscraper after another was cut in half. After a few seconds of delay, the upper halves of the buildings came crashing down.
Wails and shrieks filled the air. People had no time to escape because Hyperion's flight speed was simply too fast, and his method of attack was too convenient.
Some Superheroes roared in anger, trying to attack Hyperion and stop his destruction of the city, but they were always easily killed by him in an instant.
Those who were lucky enough to have their corpses left intact were considered fortunate.
However, he immediately met his match.
Accompanied by a golden light, an equally strong man streaked across the sky in a brilliant arc, arriving before Hyperion.
Immediately after, another figure, completely wreathed in flames, flew over, though at a much slower speed.
"Your name is Hyperion, right? I just heard... This is great! I was just thinking that our newly formed Superman Corps was too small. We were about to search for Ikaris, the last surviving Eternal, but to my surprise, not only did Ikaris show up, he even brought you along... You fit the 'Superman' standard perfectly, in every aspect!"
Reynolds rushed over with Sunspot, his face ecstatic, as if he had already recruited Hyperion into his team.
"If only you had appeared sooner, I might have asked Du Wa to appoint you as the vice-captain of the Superman Corps," Reynolds said, growing happier the more he looked.
Sunspot's face, already dark, was now black as pitch. "What nonsense are you spouting? Am I invisible to you? It's obvious this Hyperion will never defect to us. He'll just end up as a xenomorph. You'd rather make a pure xenomorph the vice-captain than let me be your second-in-command?"
Four figures stood in a standoff high in the sky.
Aside from Sunspot, who seemed a bit out of place, the other three were highly similar, possessing almost identical abilities.
Hyperion sensed it too, and his brow furrowed immediately.
"Interesting. It seems you've already planned how to seize my power... You're Sentry? You've become quite famous in the universe recently, luckily achieving some decent feats."
"Oh? You've heard of me in the universe?"
"I've heard of you." A ferocious smile appeared on Hyperion's face. "But how many of those achievements were your own? Why don't you call out your master?"
He immediately fired a beam of heat vision, intending to slice the entire Weyland Tower in half.
But Sentry was faster. He shot forward, grabbed Hyperion's chin, and shoved it violently, redirecting the Atomic Vision into the sky.
The two supermen immediately engaged in a massive battle.
"Looks like we have to fight too, or it'll be hard to explain."
Sunspot shrugged, his body burning with flames, and lunged at Ikaris.
A cautious look appeared on Ikaris's face. He didn't recognize the person before him at all. His figure flickered as he moved at high speed, dodging the high-temperature flames thrown by Sunspot.
He knew that even if he successfully killed Sunspot, it would be useless. He still had to rely on Hyperion to kill Du Wa.
The power Du Wa wielded had expanded too terrifyingly, and he had many skilled subordinates. The mere thought of it put immense pressure on Ikaris. If he killed one, more powerful individuals would emerge to hunt him down.
The key was the battle between Hyperion and Sentry.
The great battle between these two supermen was a display of ultimate violent aesthetics, even more intense than the melee combat of a monster like the Hulk.
This was because both of them pushed their speed to the absolute limit. Every second, their rapidly moving figures appeared in several places, delivering hundreds or thousands of punches and firing rapid blasts of heat vision, as if they were trying to blast the very air into a vacuum.
A terrifying shockwave suddenly shot downwards and spread out, wantonly destroying numerous skyscrapers in the bustling city.
The glass windows of buildings a kilometer away shattered completely, showering down like rain.
But this was merely the commotion caused by the start of their battle.
"Why is this Hyperion so hard to deal with? How can there be an Eternal this skilled in a fight?"
Reynolds was under immense pressure, for he had met an opponent he couldn't defeat in a short time.
The power of a million exploding stars continuously erupted within him, transferring massive amounts of energy, yet he still couldn't establish an advantage over Hyperion.
"Damn it, why does a damn thing like you copy me in everything? Even your fighting style is identical to mine!" Reynolds said. "Could it be that when Arishem created you, he specifically used me as a template? That would make sense, because I am just that strong."
"Nonsense! When I was protecting young Celestials on various planets, you were who knows where! It's clear that Du Wa created you in my image!"
"Rubbish! How could Du Wa possibly know a nobody like you?"
"Nobody? You'll soon realize how foolish you are. Hmph, he must have created you by modeling you after Ikaris, you inferior copy."
The two, locked in a heated battle, were filled with disgust for each other. It was the first time either had met someone so similar to himself—including in strength.
It could be said that aside from their looks, an unknowing observer might think they were twins from the same parents.
Their battlefield was rapidly expanding. New York City had truly drawn the short straw. People walking on the streets could be caught in the crossfire from the sky at any moment, their bodies obliterated.
Surviving had become a matter of luck.
In contrast, Sunspot and Ikaris's fight was more of a back-and-forth, appearing intense but actually carried out with a tacit understanding.
It was Sunspot's first time participating in a battle of this level, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy, cautiously observing Ikaris's every move.
Ikaris, on the other hand, was distracted, mainly on guard against the yet-to-appear Du Wa and his other powerful xenomorphs.
Was someone of Hyperion's level not enough to draw out Du Wa himself? Ikaris knew that Du Wa was not an arrogant or conceited person; he must be acting out of confidence.
Before long, various fighter jets arrived, launching missiles from a distance, but they couldn't harm the four figures in the sky in the slightest.
They couldn't even serve as a harassment.
Everyone saw Reynolds fighting but failing to take down the strange opponent, and they grew anxious. Who was this person who had come from nowhere, able to fight Sentry to a standstill? It was truly in-con-ceiv-able.
"My target is not you! Tell Du Wa to get his ass out here!"
Hyperion smashed a fist into Reynolds's face. A single punch was enough to crack a mountain, but when it hit Reynolds's head, it only shattered the golden energy on his surface and broke his nose.
He roared in frustration, completely unwilling to waste time on Reynolds.
"Courting death! How dare you insult Du Wa?" Reynolds's eyes turned red, whether from injury or something else. He had originally thought of asking Du Wa to take over—it wasn't the first or second time—but he immediately changed his mind.
Reynolds began to spontaneously communicate with the xenomorph larva in his chest, attempting to combine the positive and negative aspects of the power of a million exploding stars.
This time, he didn't rely on Du Wa. Instead, driven by a rare burst of courage and competitive spirit, he tried his best to mimic Du Wa's way of controlling his own body. Although he could recall very little, by mimicking the motions he remembered from his inquiries with Du Wa after the last two battles, he could still achieve some effect.
Reynolds's personality and the xenomorph larva's personality began the process of fusion. Bearing the suddenly surging energy, it all empowered his sturdy body, ultimately transforming into a heavy blow like a meteor. He grabbed Hyperion by the neck with one hand and, with the other, rained punch after heavy punch on Hyperion's face.
"Well done, Reynolds. You've grown. I was originally waiting for you to call for help, so I could tell you to figure out a solution yourself. Either be killed by Hyperion, or kill Hyperion."
Du Wa spoke to Reynolds, took a sip of water, and remained imperturbable, quietly watching this unconventional battle.
Several supermen brawling with each other—it was a truly rare sight.
Du Wa had originally planned to use various methods to build up his own strength as much as possible before Knull's Grand Army attacked Earth.
The low-level Alien Legion was easy enough. The countless animals on Earth were Du Wa's natural hosts, more than enough to compete with the Symbiotes in terms of numbers.
The key was high-end combat power.
"Loki should be arriving soon. It's best to end this farce quickly. The Atlanteans who brought reinforcements should also be cleansed... At that point, I will clear the obstacles to the greatest extent and use the entire Earth as a battlefield."
Du Wa drained the water in his cup. He would not let This Universe's Earth become like the one in the symbiote universe, where everyone eventually became a symbiote or a symbiote host.
Even if something similar had to happen—like everyone becoming a symbiote, everyone becoming a zombie, or everyone undergoing a Cthulhu transformation—why couldn't it be that everyone becomes a xenomorph?
(end of chapter)