Chapter 94: Fine, Fine, Fine! You See My Mighty Symbiote Army and You Actually Laugh? So That's How It's Going to Be, Huh?
"Who are our enemies? I believe that if even Kamar-Taj tacitly approves of your series of actions, it means the enemy isn't just targeting Du Wa, but more likely Earth itself, and in extremely large numbers."
T'Challa said with a serious expression, "I'm not sure how much you know about Wakanda, but we are definitely not the backward agricultural nation rumored by so-called insiders. We've been able to fight Atlantis for many years thanks to our high technology. Once this world is in crisis, Wakanda is more than willing to contribute its strength. If possible, we would be glad to follow Du Wa into battle."
In any case, Wakanda's existence is no secret in the eyes of certain high-level individuals. They even know that Wakanda possesses an absurd amount of Vibranium; otherwise, Red Skull wouldn't have launched a full-scale invasion of Wakanda during World War II.
Gloria Grant just smiled faintly. "Your Highness, there's no need to be so anxious to show your goodwill. We would never kill someone who knows how to assess a situation. How we treat our enemies and how we treat others are two different matters."
*What terrible lines,* T'Challa thought. *The vast majority of Atlanteans were innocent, yet you still annihilated their entire race... Oh, but from another perspective, their race wasn't annihilated, because all the Atlanteans were transformed into Xenomorphs. At least their bloodline and genes were preserved in the form of Xenomorphs.*
But he couldn't possibly refute or question her. He just needed to express understanding and agreement in his capacity as a prince. There was no room for him to stir up trouble here.
"As for who our enemies are, I can reveal some information to you, but it cannot be spread for now. In any case, Kamar-Taj has already made preparations, and we also plan to contact some personnel. When the war begins, more forces will naturally join in—and with Wakanda's help, it will be even better, of course."
Gloria Grant led T'Challa into the reception hall. Along the way, people kept casting strange glances, guessing at T'Challa's identity, wondering how he warranted Gloria Grant's personal attention.
"I've never seen this person before. He's very powerfully built, and the way he's always alertly observing every detail around him shows he has a lot of combat experience. Maybe he's also a newly recruited hero or criminal."
"I have no memory of this person."
People continued to whisper. To this day, Du Wa's ever-growing power and his series of feats—annihilating things unimaginable to ordinary people—had shaken the entire world. This made everyone subconsciously scrutinize every move made by Du Wa and his subordinates, trying to divine the deeper meaning behind them.
As for the idea that there was no deeper meaning at all... Impossible, absolutely impossible. If Du Wa wasn't a strategist who planned before acting, but a reckless brute who never used his brain, how could he have achieved his current strength and status? He must be someone who plans three steps ahead for every one he takes, with every action interlinked.
No matter what Du Wa's side intended to do, they just had to treat it as a significant sign and a piece of foreshadowing.
"Symbiotes? Our enemies are these things?"
T'Challa swiped quickly across the virtual screen in front of him, a look of confusion on his face, though he was a bit unused to this less-than-advanced technology. "But if it's just Symbiotes, didn't you already capture that giant dragon? And you've even used the Symbiotes to create a new batch of Xenomorphs?"
"Heheheh, what an ignorant fool."
One of the few people sitting nearby in the conference room let out a low, cold laugh.
T'Challa didn't get angry, merely watching him calmly.
"Carl Burbank joined earlier than you, but I prefer people to call me 'Pastor'." A cruel smile appeared on Burbank's face. The muscular, highly skilled Pastor eyed T'Challa with ill intent. "I've never seen you before. Your poor knowledge exposes your mediocrity. But it doesn't matter. Only by joining the Xenomorphs will you have the chance to witness the truth of this world and realize just how laughable the world you thought you knew actually is."
Upon hearing this, T'Challa turned to look at the ever-courteous Gloria Grant. "Is this how you recruit people? With such crude methods? One person patiently guides, while another uses verbal provocation?"
"Not at all. If we just lowered our standards, countless people would be crying and begging to join. We don't need to use such crude methods... Burbank, you want to recruit skilled people for your Divine Cult Team, but you're being a bit too hasty. You should learn from Flash Thompson on this point; he's much calmer than you," Gloria Grant chided.
Burbank let out a coarse laugh. "Ma'am, you shouldn't forget my profession. I am a most excellent Pastor, and my purpose is to spread the gospel. If I can draw more talented people into our ranks, isn't that the best way to spread the gospel? Especially when it comes to guiding those lost lambs. I just feel that this newcomer is filled with confusion."
T'Challa looked at Gloria Grant, somewhat puzzled as to why other people were present in the conference room.
"Like you, they also want to know more detailed intelligence—and this information will all be made public soon enough anyway. Another purpose is to recruit people for their own teams, which haven't yet received Du Wa's official recognition and authorization. They're trying to pull in guys who can either fight, or have the brains for research and command."
The Superman Corps, led by Reynolds, only had four people in total, but their terrifying combat power was awe-inspiring. This gave rise to extreme fanaticism, as well as delusions of replacing them and fantasies of "I'm a Xenomorph too, so I can do it."
I heard Jane Foster is contacting that maniac Skurge, who only knows how to run around blasting people with his M16 rifle. She's also trying to cozy up to the Laufey-Xenomorph to form a God Squad.
It was foreseeable that if she succeeded, this specialized team would be the most numerous—the various Giant clans of Jotunheim would all be a source of soldiers for this unit.
Gloria Grant said to T'Challa, "We are about to face an invasion of Symbiotes. In terms of numbers, there might be tens of millions of Symbiotes attacking Earth. It will only be more than that number, never less."
This number stunned everyone present for a moment. But aside from T'Challa, the others quickly came to terms with it and began discussing how many Symbiote-Xenomorphs they could acquire in the future, or Xenomorphs equipped with Symbiotes.
As newcomers who hadn't joined long ago, they had been fortunate enough to participate in the war of annihilation against Atlantis. Relying on the Xenomorph larva inside them, which gave them the ability to hold their breath for long periods in the ocean, they were able to slaughter some Atlanteans in the water.
This time, it was their turn to show what they were made of. Although they might very well lose their lives and be dismembered by the vast number of Symbiotes, on the other hand, when it came to a numbers game, the Xenomorphs were also making preparations. No wonder Du Wa had issued the command for military expansion.
T'Challa finally understood the reason for Du Wa's actions and also why Kamar-Taj had remained indifferent throughout the whole affair.
"No wonder. To deal with these things, possessing a sufficiently large Alien Army is a good way to protect Earth. That's why Kamar-Taj didn't step in to stop you..."
T'Challa understood everything now. All he wanted was to return to Wakanda immediately, rally the troops, and prepare for war. He would use their countless Vibranium reserves to frantically create more protective shields, ensuring that no matter how many Symbiotes came, they would be blocked outside. The warriors and citizens would only need to hide inside the shields and watch the Symbiotes cling to the barriers like moths to a flame.
Judging by the number of Symbiotes, no part of the world would be spared, and Wakanda would be no exception.
"I hope to meet Du Wa," T'Challa proposed.
"No. You're not important enough."
T'Challa wasn't the least bit frustrated upon hearing this. If someone else had said it, his younger, hot-headed self might have been furious, but hearing it from Du Wa's people, he felt it was only natural.
"I now truly believe that your actions are to protect world peace. In that case, the deaths of the Atlanteans were truly... worthless." T'Challa suddenly felt a sense of pity for his long-time nemeses.
Now it was clear. Du Wa hadn't been targeting Atlantis at all in the beginning; he simply wanted to use the ocean for military expansion. As a result, Atlantis's attempt to curb the Xenomorphs' expansion led to their own demise.
It was truly pathetic.
What horrified T'Challa even more was that from beginning to end, Du Wa's side had never offered any explanation to Atlantis. Or rather, they had simply seen Atlantis as an obstacle to be flattened... So many deaths could have been avoided, but Du Wa's side simply chose not to.
This was simply the great wheel of the overarching trend rolling over everything in its path. All who stood in the way would be captured and become a part of the Xenomorphs. Perhaps this, too, could be considered a different kind of rebirth?
...
Loki arrived even more slowly than expected.
It couldn't be helped. He didn't have something as convenient as the Rainbow Bridge in his possession, which could casually teleport a massive legion.
Knull was no longer facing the life-threatening danger he had on Earth, so he was unwilling to violently punch through space and forcibly open a spatial tunnel like last time.
Loki could only travel through the universe with the innumerable Symbiotes, constantly entering the ubiquitous cosmic wormholes to perform spatial jumps.
This was bound to take much more time.
"I think I know why this race you created betrayed you. As their Demiurge, you failed to provide your 'lambs' with enough direction, instead just using them as tools," Loki grumbled.
The God of the Symbiotes, of course, would not answer him, and neither would the Symbiotes now under Knull's control, as they had been reduced once again to machines with almost no thoughts of their own.
Knull truly couldn't be bothered with Loki. He was now single-mindedly focused on infiltrating Klyntar, controlling more Symbiotes, and taking back his own power step by step.
"After this next wormhole, we'll enter the solar system. Father and Thor will find out I've returned. I wonder what they'll think when they see me like this."
Loki fell silent for a moment. This was not a path he had chosen for himself; he simply had no choice. He could only take a deep breath.
Being targeted by an Evil God of Knull's level, even if it was just Knull's soul-consciousness, was something Loki absolutely could not resist.
However, this didn't mean Loki would serve Knull wholeheartedly while leading the Symbiotes. Given any opportunity, he would be more than happy to cause some trouble for Knull.
The only question was whether Earth—or more accurately, Du Wa—could handle this grand gift of his.
The one Knull wanted revenge on the most was Du Wa. Du Wa had seized control over a portion of the Symbiotes at the level of authority itself, which to Knull was a shameful theft and an intolerable offense.
The moment the first wave of Symbiotes arrived in the solar system, they were immediately detected.
"They're finally here. Such a massive primitive life signature appearing in an instant... it can only be the Symbiotes."
"We're not afraid of them coming, we're afraid of not knowing *when* they'll come... Our sorcerers have already been dispatched to the various Sanctums on Earth."
Kamar-Taj was the first to react, quickly sending a message to Du Wa.
Wong said, "I've never participated in a battle like this before. This is a planetary-scale war in the truest sense, isn't it? Even most of the interstellar wars between the Skrulls and the Kree were probably on this level. But after this battle, the existence of people like us will be completely exposed to the Mortal Realm."
"It's only a matter of time. Right now, people are searching for traces of sorcerers all over the internet in the Mortal Realm. The number of people coming to the Himalayan Mountains has surged. The existence of our kind isn't a secret; they just haven't seen enough sorcerers with their own eyes yet."
Mordo's entire face was tense. To be honest, faced with such a vast and unknown number of Symbiotes, Kamar-Taj would have an incredibly difficult time coping.
Without the Ancient One, they wouldn't be able to hold them off at all. Sooner or later, they would be devoured completely by such numbers of Symbiotes.
"So, this is a war for the fate of Earth, and the main force is the legion commanded by Du Wa?"
"Exactly. It's numbers against numbers. Otherwise, even if we could repel the enemy on the surface, having vast numbers of Symbiotes scattered across the globe, running us ragged, would still be a great disaster for Earth."
Du Wa, having received the news from Kamar-Taj, was already poised and ready for action.
"You're finally here, Loki. You'd better not disappoint me too much... I don't care that you're leading an army to attack Earth under Knull's command. But if you don't bring enough Symbiotes, if you don't give me enough fun, making me mobilize on such a grand scale for nothing... then I can't let you off the hook."
A look of deep anticipation appeared on Du Wa's face.
This was destined to be a spectacular and immense war.
The last time he fought a legion-scale great battle was the recently concluded war to exterminate Atlantis, though that was obviously not very interesting. Before that was the battle to attack Jotunheim alongside the Asgardians, which was full of twists and turns and left a deep impression.
But then again, during the entire process of conquering Jotunheim, including the Xenomorphs that died in battle, the total military force Du Wa deployed was only in the hundreds of thousands.
This time, however, was different. A single local battlefield alone would be enough to deploy a Xenomorph Legion of that scale.
And if the entire globe were taken into account... a military force of several million would only be able to make a slightly larger splash.
Besides, Du Wa had no intention of relying solely on his own Xenomorphs to charge into the fray, letting certain other groups with great power reap the benefits without sowing.
Although he was warlike and highly aggressive, he wasn't some goody-two-shoes who would shoulder the entire burden and then recklessly charge forward.
The master of the Xenomorphs began to call in favors on a massive scale. Anyone who was even remotely capable of fighting, he contacted with force, demanding they dispatch troops to assist him in battle.
"I can't allow characters like you to be absent from such a spectacular event... This war is also a worthwhile opportunity to distinguish who can be friends and who is destined to be an enemy."
War isn't just about mindless killing; it's also about worldly wisdom and social etiquette. As for those who don't understand such things, after dealing with the enemies, you can just turn back and kill them too. That way, only those who understand worldly wisdom will be left.
Du Wa's side was already prepared.
The Symbiotes, led by Loki, which had practically formed a cosmic river, arrived at the edge of Earth's atmosphere.
A swarming mass of Symbiotes surged through space like a current of water. Having lost their self-awareness and been brainwashed by Knull back into evil, frenzied beings, they were only waiting for Loki's command to launch their attack on the azure planet before them.
They could sense the countless lives on this planet, especially the sentient life.
"Then attack. Isn't our purpose in coming here to possess every living being on this planet?"
A roguishly charming smile played on Loki's lips. His entire body was encased in a mass of Symbiotes, isolating him from the vacuum of space. At the same time, he was perceiving the movements of the Symbiote army. He saw countless Symbiotes scrambling to be the first to land on Earth.
A small number of Symbiotes on the outermost edge of the swarm rushed in too quickly, and the high-speed friction from entering the atmosphere caused them to burst into flames and die a horrible death on the spot. However, this was not worth mentioning. The number of Symbiotes was too great; the deaths of ten or twenty thousand idiots were truly nothing.
The first wave of Symbiotes that successfully landed on Earth immediately rushed toward New York to eliminate the person named Du Wa. This was not only the command issued by Knull, but also what Loki himself wanted to do.
"Hahaha, it's been a while, Du Wa of Midgard! Let me see if you've pissed your pants in fear of my grand army..."
Loki used a Symbiote as his eyes, glancing toward Weyland Tower.
He saw Du Wa looking up, also watching the swarm of Symbiotes, as if his gaze crossed space to meet Loki's own.
Loki saw Du Wa smile.
It was a smile of ultimate gratification and contempt, a smile that looked down upon him.
With just that one smile, Loki's defenses were shattered yet again.
"Fine! It's one thing if you don't cry when you see me, but you actually laughed out loud, didn't you? Fine, fine, fine! You've really got guts."
(end of chapter)