Chapter 116: The Terrified Main Universe, the Name of the Xenomorph
Author: Great Demon Spirit
Chapter 116: The Terrified Main Universe, the Name of the Xenomorph
Universe 616, the core of the infinite Multiverse.
This was the most important place in the entire Multiverse, a realm that concerned the Gods. It possessed the most Superheroes, the most complete Timeline, and also the most frequent Calamities.
Every universe-shaking Major Event that occurred here would ultimately be replicated by the Multiverse's own rules, eventually imprinted upon countless other Parallel Universes.
For the Multiverse, new Parallel Universes were being born at every moment, just as a great number of Universes perished for all sorts of reasons.
And newborn Universes were often imitations of old ones; naturally, they carried more of a shadow of the 616 Main Universe.
Every ambitious individual would try to seize a place for themselves in Universe 616.
Even a Multiverse-level Deity could not ignore Universe 616, because what happened here could truly affect the stability of the Multiverse, which was equivalent to directly affecting the Multiversal Gods themselves.
On the Earth of the 616 Main Universe, things were even more chaotic at this moment.
Wars of varying sizes were erupting all over the world.
The armies of various nations mobilized a large number of heavy weapons for relentless bombardments, while various teams of Heroes struck out everywhere, suppressing the newly emerged powerful enemies.
Not long ago, a powerful Deity named Cul appeared. He used his power to create eight divine hammers and scattered them across the Earth, selecting eight people to serve as apostles of the Serpent.
Sin, Juggernaut, Hulk, Titania, Thing, Attuma, Absorbing Man, and Grey Gargoyle.
The eight members of The Worthy grasped the hammers that fell from the sky and became Cul's servants. They went on a mad killing spree across the world, doing their utmost to proclaim Cul's name and create fear through bloody means.
Normally, it would have only taken a few days for Cul to use the fear of billions of Earthlings to rapidly recover his strength and become the God of Fear who once shook the World Tree.
If not for this, the Odin of the Main Universe wouldn't have wanted to wipe out all Earthlings in one go to stop Cul.
However, the efforts of the eight members of The Worthy did not yield good results, because Cul had mysteriously disappeared for a while.
Among the many Heroes and Villains closely monitoring the Serpent's movements, there were quite a few who specialized in monitoring space-time. They knew that Cul had left this Universe and gone to another world.
"It was probably Mephisto's doing. I sensed the aura of that Great Demon. I'll never forget the smell of sulfur that emanates from Him."
Ghost Rider, his body wreathed in the flames of Hell, was usually a man of few words, but at this moment, he took the initiative to state his opinion.
This successfully alerted the numerous Heroes.
"Mephisto? Why did that cunning Demon get involved?"
"Why would Mephisto leave Hell to get in touch with the mastermind behind these hammers? This might be one of His conspiracies to plunder a massive number of human souls."
"Don't forget, according to our monitoring, an extraordinary energy signature once appeared in the Mariana Trench. If I'm not mistaken, that should be the coordinates where Cul arrived on Earth. He was either imprisoned there, or there's a spatial gate there. Does this have anything to do with Mephisto?"
The powerful Heroes of the Main Universe were fraught with worry. Just dealing with the eight members of The Worthy had already exhausted them.
The minds of those who had lifted Cul's eight hammers had been more or less altered by him. Take Hulk, for example. He wasn't very bright to begin with, and now he had become a lunatic addicted to slaughter, having nearly wiped out the vampires' nest, much to the headache of Dracula and his kin.
Not to mention, above the eight members of The Worthy was the mysterious and powerful God of Fear, Cul. This alone had put the Heroes under immense pressure, and now the treacherous Mephisto had appeared.
"Guys, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Tony Stark shouted, then quickly continued, speaking to himself, "The good news is, I think I've found a trace of Cul. The satellites show a spatial rift two hundred meters in diameter has appeared in the sky, and many figures can be seen moving about within it. The bad news is, if we let the spatial rift expand, it might devour all of New York City. If we leave now, we can get there in just a few minutes."
"Avengers, assemble!"
Captain America stepped forward without hesitation and shouted.
He had no time for Tony's witty remarks. If they could expose Mephisto's conspiracy and quickly take down Cul, this turmoil would be over.
The Heroes were already prepared for a fierce battle. They were even recalling in their minds how terrifying Cul was. Even if Cul did nothing, just standing there, he was like Fear itself, born from billions of lives, naturally bringing a heavy pressure upon all life. This was the oppressive aura of an ancient God-King.
But when they looked up and saw Cul's figure gradually becoming clear amidst the gloom and chaos within the spatial rift, they stared at each other in utter disbelief.
Was this tattered, disheveled man before them, who looked like a medieval vagrant, the Cul they knew?
The origin of countless disasters on Earth?
Look at this state, like a beaten dog. If not for the chaotic yet still terrifying power of fear surging from his body, no one would believe this man was the culprit.
How could this be? Wasn't Cul called away by Mephisto? How long has it been? How did he end up like this?
"Looks like he lost a battle. That's good news for us. I take back what I said before. This way, we get two pieces of good news at once." Tony was very excited, immediately raising his hands and aiming at the sky.
How he wished that this major event could end with a single blast.
Beside him, Doctor Strange had already prepared his space magic, contemplating from what angle to strike to repair this spatial channel that led to an unknown world.
Cul was in a sorry state. His skin, tougher than a planet, was now covered in wounds. He raised his head, a predatory gaze surging in his eyes. His line of sight pierced through his messy hair, staring fiercely at the Main Universe's Earth before him.
"Bastard! Bastard! Why is it like this? Why would I lose to a species born in an inferior universe?! This is impossible! This doesn't conform to reality at all!"
Cul seemed to move slowly, but was actually shifting his coordinates with extreme speed, constantly retreating toward the Main Universe. Just as he was about to enter the Main Universe, the moment one of his feet touched the ground, he let out a hysterical roar.
The madness hidden in his genes was now completely exposed.
Before becoming the God-King of Asgard, Cul was a very promising prince. But after he ascended the throne and obtained the authority of the God of Fear, he embarked on a path of madness from which he never returned, his personality changing drastically.
This change greatly puzzled the Odin of the Main Universe, who eventually backstabbed Cul. After seizing the throne of the God-King, he incarcerated Cul in the Eternal Prison.
Returning in bitter defeat, Cul was on the verge of going berserk. The divine power erupting from him sent his disheveled long hair flying upwards. Not only had he failed to increase his strength by crushing weaklings in a Parallel Universe as Mephisto had suggested, but he had instead suffered a crushing defeat, sustaining severe, hard-to-heal injuries. The amount of the power of fear he harvested was pitifully small, while the power he consumed for the battle was even greater.
His voice was filled with anger, horror, and disbelief. Wasn't the Main Universe the absolute core of the Multiverse? Weren't the native beings here naturally granted the favor and protection of the entire Multiverse?
So why? Why had he lost to a species from a low-grade universe?
"Mephisto!! Where are you?! This is all a conspiracy!!" Cul glared with blood-red eyes, wanting to settle the score with Mephisto first.
"You Villain, there's no place on Earth for you to throw a tantrum. You've created such a huge disaster all over the world. What awaits you is the severe punishment of all humanity."
Captain America said, brandishing his shield and throwing it viciously. He wanted to stop Cul from smoothly exiting the spatial rift and returning to this world.
At this moment, Cul was at his weakest, no matter how you looked at it. Perhaps with just a little effort, they could take care of this madman who had plunged the world into chaos at the smallest price.
Regardless of what terrifying things Cul had encountered in that unknown region to go from being so majestic to so wretched, and no matter what collusion had occurred between Mephisto and Cul or what had transpired between them, as long as they could take down one of them, some of the pressure would be relieved.
Bang!
Cul was still frantically shaking his head, immersed in his unprecedented defeat. Acting on instinct, he reached out and snatched Captain America's shield.
Under the incredulous gazes of the Heroes, Cul tore the shield to shreds.
Just as Cul shifted his attention and was about to exit the spatial channel to truly return to the Main Universe, the numerous Heroes saw many strange creatures vaguely appear behind him.
One by one, they possessed exquisite physiques and exuded a piercing killing intent, unabashedly revealing their primal killing instinct.
Some were even missing limbs, yet they still desperately attacked Cul. Despite being living things, they were like machines—absolutely cold, completing their missions regardless of the price. It was a scalp-numbing sight.
The Heroes of the Main Universe even saw with their own eyes the body of a strange creature being severed by the shifting edge of the spatial rift. Half of it fell to Earth in the Main Universe, while the other half remained on the other side of the rift.
It wasn't even dead. Accompanied by a strange sizzling sound, the fallen creature's wounds rapidly self-healed, and its incomplete body quickly grew back.
This absolutely cold temperament, extreme desire for slaughter, and incredible self-healing ability left the Heroes of the Main Universe deeply shocked. It was like seeing Wolverine, but there were so many of these creatures. If every single one possessed this self-healing ability, it would be far too terrifying.
"Xenomorphs! You bastards, you have some nerve, chasing me all the way to the Main Universe..."
Cul roared in fury and spun around.
"Stop them! Whether it's Cul or these beings of an unknown species, we absolutely cannot let them successfully descend upon our world!" Tony shouted angrily.
But in the next second, more figures appeared from the depths of the profound rift, launching a fatal assault on Cul.
Large swaths of flesh and blood began to splatter across the void between the two universes.
In full view of everyone, Cul, who had cost the Main Universe's Earth such a heavy sacrifice, was besieged by several powerful individuals of unknown origin, his blood spilling into the void.
Everyone could see that Cul's attempt to escape back to the Main Universe had failed. He had encountered an unknown, overwhelmingly powerful enemy; a God of his level couldn't even manage to escape.
They had thought that Cul, having left the Main Universe, would brew some terrible conspiracy and return in a stronger state. No one had ever expected this outcome.
The scene unfolding in the massive spatial rift brought immense shock to all the people of the Main Universe.
"What on earth just happened? The enemy we were trying our hardest to defeat just fell right before our eyes?"
"It's Sentry! In that rift, I think I saw Sentry's figure! Look, he punched right through Cul's chest, isn't that him?"
"It's not just Sentry, there are other powerful individuals too. It's mainly those strange creatures; they give me an extremely dangerous feeling."
"It seems Cul was tricked by Mephisto and went to a very terrifying world."
"That universe also has a Sentry, and some strange lifeforms that can fight alongside him."
The numerous Heroes were both overjoyed that Cul was taken care of and deeply worried about this completely unknown end.
At this moment, Doctor Strange used magic to sense carefully, then slowly opened his eyes. "Bad news. I'm afraid that Sentry is not the human Sentry we know. He has the exact same mental wave inside him as those monsters. He might have been subjected to parasitism."
The Heroes' faces changed.
They knew all too well how formidable Sentry was. He was the most powerful Superhero on Earth.
But such a powerful Sentry, in this unknown universe, had actually combined with that strange lifeform?
"Am I the only one who's making the connection to Cul and the eight members of The Worthy? If I'm not mistaken, behind these terrifying creatures, there must also be a master controlling everything." Tony's mind worked the fastest.
Everyone knew Tony was right.
The group of Heroes was on full alert, all sorts of high technology, magic, and other means ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. They watched with their own eyes as the once-majestic Cul was trapped in a bitter struggle within the space tunnel, his body torn apart bit by bit, before being forcefully dragged back by the numerous strange creatures.
The scene was too bloody and brutal, completely beyond the Heroes' expectations.
Even Odin of the Main Universe was alerted. Treading upon the Rainbow Bridge, he rushed over from Asgard, watching the miserable state of his own elder brother.
"This might be the best outcome," Odin said to Thor, who was beside him.
Thor didn't think so, but Odin recalled the solution to deal with Cul that he had obtained from the World Tree by sacrificing an eye: to have his own son, Thor, and his brother, Cul, perish together.
In comparison, the current outcome was far too good. Odin hoped Cul would never return. Of course, it would also be best if these monsters that had defeated and pursued Cul across worlds never set foot in the Main Universe.
"Outsider, tell me your name!" Odin shouted. His voice, accompanied by divine power, shattered space and penetrated beyond the Universe's barrier.
There was no doubt that Odin could do this. The Odin of the Main Universe could even pull a target out of the Timeline and send them to any point within it. Shattering a part of cosmic space was nothing to him.
"How interesting. It seems there are commonalities between Odins. They use similar phrasing when questioning an outsider."
A strange mental wave emanated from every one of the unknown beings.
The numerous mental waves converged, synthesizing into a single, resonant voice that everyone could hear. This voice, layered countless times, even carried a hint of mockery.
Odin stared coldly with his remaining eye at these monsters called Xenomorphs, a strong sense of dread appearing in his gaze.
He was completely unable to see who the master behind these Xenomorphs was.
"I have already memorized the coordinates of your universe. In the near future, we will meet again, and you will come to know clearly who I am."
To someone of the same level, Du Wa's words were a greeting. However, given the current posture and scene, to the ears of these people, it sounded like the terrifying declaration of an otherworld Demon God about to trigger a major event.
Finally, the spatial rift that had torn open vast swaths of space, looking as if it could devour an entire continent of Earth, disappeared piece by piece.
Thor gripped his hammer, his face filled with anger. "Who is that guy? At most, he's just an otherworld Demon God. Why does he dare to be so arrogant? Just because he defeated Cul? If he hadn't interfered, we could have taken down Cul ourselves!"
"Silence. Cul is more powerful than you imagine. This unknown race that defeated him is only more dangerous. We cannot determine what their purpose is."
In Odin's eyes, this mysterious otherworld race had indirectly extended Thor's life—as long as Cul wasn't sent back to the Main Universe.
A prophecy from the Main Universe wouldn't necessarily be effective in a Parallel Universe... right?
Then his son, Thor, wouldn't have to die.
The appearance of the Xenomorphs cast a heavy shadow over the hearts of the people of the Main Universe, like a huge boulder pressing on their chests. It was a problem they were powerless to solve, stuck in their throats, leaving them to passively await the moment it would erupt.
Likewise, many deep-thinking and ambitious individuals firmly remembered this otherworld species that had caused Cul's downfall.
Given the degree of chaos in the Main Universe, it was likely that a batch of Villains was already trying to find ways to contact the Xenomorphs and perform a summoning for their arrival.
(end of chapter)