Chapter 132: Captain America Massacres S.H.I.E.L.D.
Du Wa had always envisioned developing a unique, exclusive magic.
The first time he had this idea was a long time ago—perhaps more than a year ago?
In the course of Du Wa's growth, over a year was a very long time. With that much time, he could accomplish a great many things.
Magic was an extremely common type of supernatural power throughout the universe, and even the entire multiverse. Relatively speaking, it was easy to get started with, had no requirements for a divine bloodline, and didn't even need an energy manipulation gene.
If one could obtain a magical legacy and borrow magical power from the great beings in the unseen realms to elevate one's life level, it was an excellent choice. It was very cost-effective, especially for low-level individuals. Borrowing power to fight was a great bargain.
This was because low-level mages, no matter how much magic they used, wouldn't obliterate themselves through magical debt. The low-level magic they wielded consumed very little, and the price paid to multiversal beings caused minimal damage to their bodies.
Du Wa was, of course, also deeply interested in magic. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a horde of Xenomorphs into Kamar-Taj's library to study frantically for a good while.
But Du Wa had no intention of borrowing power from certain gods of multiversal standing like other mages.
Even if he couldn't become a true magical entity for a long time, he should at least rely on his own abilities to develop a means similar to magic: deploying Xenomorphs.
"Within the universe, whoever recites Du Wa's true name shall be gifted a Xenomorph."
As for this "spell," Du Wa never spoke of it, but he had been mulling it over for a long time. Now, through various means, he had finally gathered all the prerequisites to develop it.
"Now, let's see who the first lucky one will be, fortunate enough to be my experiment... I choose you, Steve."
Du Wa's gaze swept over and immediately locked onto a target.
...
Captain America had never given up on the idea of returning to S.H.I.E.L.D. Ever since Knull was defeated by Du Wa, he had finally regained his self-awareness and began scheming to reclaim his identity.
Captain America should stand on the side of justice. Although, no matter how one looked at it, Du Wa was the greatest force for justice now, having saved Earth and protected all of humanity once again, Captain America still hesitated. He simply could not tolerate S.H.I.E.L.D. heading towards the fate of perishing under Du Wa's casual blow.
Did S.H.I.E.L.D. have problems? Of course, it did. Captain America himself was well aware that this massive, globe-spanning organization was rife with internal corruption. But at the very least, the organization had indeed maintained Earth's stability, and its contributions were undeniable.
Such a valuable and necessary official institution should not be destroyed by an invincible military force. This world shouldn't be a place where power decides everything—that would be a disaster. Instead, civilization and law should be used to regulate humanity's social order.
"I've returned, just as S.H.I.E.L.D. faces a crisis of annihilation."
Captain America looked at the few S.H.I.E.L.D. leaders present with a righteous expression.
He subconsciously reached out. Those familiar with him, like Hill, knew he was reaching for the shield that symbolized his identity, intending to hold it before him to make his stance clear.
The current director, Hill, opened her mouth. She wasn't sure how many of his past memories Captain America retained and subconsciously wanted to remind him, "Your shield was torn apart by Hyperion."
But the next moment, Hill shut her mouth.
A blue beam of energy suddenly appeared in Captain America's hand, instantly coalescing into a translucent energy shield.
"That's the power of the Cosmic Cube. Captain, it seems you still possess the ability to use the Cube Shard," Hill said with a relieved expression.
Beside them, Blade was even more direct. "I propose we just give him the entire Cosmic Cube to use. This might be our last chance to turn the tables. We still haven't figured out the Cosmic Cube's limits, have we? Perhaps this thing is a remarkable divine artifact."
Everyone nodded. It was indeed a good idea, but in the next second, Blade's tone shifted.
"But before that, we must conduct a strict examination of the Captain's mind. Otherwise, there's no way to explain why Du Wa spared you, Captain, but not the countless other symbiotes! And even if he let you go as part of some unknown conspiracy, you were captured and controlled by Knull for so long. Are you, the you right now, really the same person we knew?"
Blade's red eyes behind his sunglasses stared intently at Captain America.
He appeared relaxed, but in reality, his muscles were tense. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately draw his two katanas and slash viciously.
Captain America looked at Blade with a calm expression. "A good idea. It seems that even on the brink of annihilation, you haven't lost your due vigilance. I like the fighting spirit in you. As for why Du Wa spared me... that's a good question. In that case, I also have a question: why did Du Wa spare you?"
Blade fell silent. He had a point. After all, he was half-vampire.
There were only a few vampires left on the entire Earth.
"Du Wa is treating us almost as if he's toying with us now. We can't be sure if he, who has already become a god, is watching our movements and listening to our conversation at this very moment. But no matter the outcome, we can only give it our all and absolutely must not yield."
"He gives us the feeling of someone who casually picks up a stick, pokes an anthill a few times, crushes some ants in the process, and then watches with great interest as the remaining ants scatter... That's right. S.H.I.E.L.D. is that anthill, and we are the ants."
The people present looked at each other in dismay. The thought of facing an opponent like Du Wa—who had achieved godhood himself, commanded an endless horde of Xenomorphs, and, more terrifyingly, had forces ranging from the mortal to the Skyfather level, covering every rank—made them feel numb.
This kind of terrifying enemy, maxed out in both quantity and quality and spread across many planets, meant that even if they mastered some kind of means, it would be incredibly difficult to truly eliminate Du Wa. The best outcome would still be watching him make a comeback time and time again.
"This is an unprecedentedly difficult war. Perhaps we will never have a chance at victory, but at least one thing is certain: no matter how bad the situation gets, no matter how slim the odds of winning are, we will persevere forever, until death."
Captain America looked at everyone with a righteous expression. A blue light surged around his body, the power of the Cube Shard wielded by him with great skill. This brought a sliver of insignificant sense of security to those present.
A single Cube Shard could create a super-powered Captain America. So what would happen if all the energy stored within the Cosmic Cube was unleashed? Could it possibly create a god as well?
Furthermore, if they could confirm that there was nothing wrong with Captain America's mind, and used all the Cosmic Cube's energy on him alone, could it enable Captain America to also become a god and fight Du Wa?
If that were the case, everything would change.
"Du Wa is remarkable; he has saved the world multiple times. But that doesn't mean he can act like a tyrant and hold the power of life and death over us."
"Du Wa has made great contributions to this world, but he has also committed countless sins..."
Everyone listened intently to Captain America's speech, but as they listened, they realized his impassioned words had come to an abrupt halt.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't tell me I was right. There's something wrong with your mind, an after-effect of being manipulated by Knull or the symbiote?"
Blade was the most vigilant. His vampiric instincts told him that something was very wrong with Captain America's condition.
He tilted his head slightly.
The hidden members of the Howling Commandos—ghosts, mummies, zombies, and others—appeared one after another, silently surrounding Captain America.
Gradually, the expressions of everyone present changed. They could clearly see the surface of Captain America's body, where the originally blue energy field was now showing signs of distortion.
It was as if some powerful external force was breaking through the energy defense of the Cube Shard.
"Damn it, something is launching an invasion against me using mystical means!!"
Captain America finally realized what was happening. His face was a mask of horror, mixed with endless confusion.
In his perception, an abyssal fissure had appeared in his energy field, and then something terrifying, imperceptible to ordinary people, drilled its way in.
A few seconds later, Captain America felt his body suddenly grow heavy, as if something had been added inside him. But upon careful perception, it felt like something had happened, yet also like nothing had happened at all.
Captain America's expression turned ugly. "Someone is speaking to me. The voice is inside my head."
Hill made a swift decision. "Just say it. Is it Du Wa, or is Knull not completely dead?"
"Recite my true name, be gifted a Xenomorph... Du Wa! It's Du Wa! That guy used some unknown means to send a Xenomorph into my body!! But how is that possible???"
Captain America cried out in disbelief. This was too insane; it completely overturned his understanding of power.
He was no longer the man he used to be, ignorant of high-level power. After coming into contact with the Cosmic Cube, being captured and manipulated by Knull, he had even personally participated in Knull's war to invade Earth and witnessed the battle between two cosmic gods.
It was precisely because he had some understanding of high-end power that Captain America understood even more clearly just how bizarre and unnaturally terrifying the current events were.
"I just chanted Du Wa's name a few more times than the others here, and I was parasitized by him??"
What the hell could be more fantastical than this? This was neither science nor magic. Captain America felt as if he had jumped from one story into another, his entire worldview shattering.
The expressions of the people around him changed drastically. They stared with wide, terrified eyes at the bulge that had suddenly appeared on Captain America's chest.
Anyone familiar with the Xenomorph knew this was the sign of a successfully implanted larva that had matured and was ready to chestburst at any moment.
Hill's face changed completely, a look of utter despair on it. "A bizarre method of parasitism, and an even more terrifying growth rate... That man has become even more unfathomable. He doesn't even need to use violence to kill us; he can make us wish we were dead."
Faced with absolute military force, they could still struggle. Even if they would still be crushed as easily as ants on the ground run over by a wheel, at least they were still fighting, searching for that insignificant sliver of hope.
But now? A glorious death in battle had become an extravagant hope. Living in agony was instead the eternal melody. All of their bodies would be subject to Du Wa's manipulation—so long as Du Wa was interested in them and wanted to do so.
Is this a god? The legendary Cosmic Celestial?
But, even the Celestials, Dormammu, and Knull never displayed this kind of ability, right? Just by calling out Du Wa's name a few times, you become Du Wa's person?
Captain America's face grew even more pained. He could clearly feel that he was losing control over his body.
"Why is this happening? How did he do it... With my current strength, unless Du Wa and those few top-tier Xenomorphs attacked and crippled me, it would be impossible for a normal Xenomorph to successfully implant in me."
But now? He couldn't even fight back. He just muttered a name a few times, and a Xenomorph inexplicably appeared inside him. It fucking achieved a successful parasitic state with lightning speed. The crucial point was that in just a few seconds, this Xenomorph developed at an exaggerated rate, seizing control of his body with inconceivable efficiency.
If there was any opportunity to resist, it was the instant Captain America felt his energy field being torn open by an unknown force... But how could he have known about this method of parasitism beforehand to take precautions? He didn't have the power of prophecy!
Even if he had reacted in time, whether he could have blocked Du Wa's power attack was another matter entirely.
"Monster, this guy is a true monster. He's more terrifying than any demon... Perhaps his series of actions were, to a large extent, all for this day..."
Hill muttered to herself, her expression vacant, "I have a premonition. The era of Du Wa's total domination, controlling actions and thoughts alike, has arrived. I don't even dare to speak his name now."
But Captain America suddenly raised his head, his voice cold and indifferent. "You're wrong. The era of light has arrived. You laughable crawlers are nothing but the dust of the new age."
"Not good!"
"Do it. He's not the Captain anymore. He's *him* now."
A civil war immediately broke out in this S.H.I.E.L.D. stronghold. Captain America, who should have been the leader guiding the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. forces forward, had now turned his guns on them, slaughtering the remnants of the organization.
When other agents, and even members of Hydra, arrived, they saw Captain America massacring S.H.I.E.L.D. and were left completely stunned.
...
"However, it seems the initial experiment was a great success, confirming the strength of my new 'spell'."
Du Wa withdrew his gaze, extremely satisfied with Captain America's spectacular performance.
The newly developed "God-Bestowal Spell" was, of course, not invincible. Du Wa himself was far from reaching the level of "single-universe omnipotence," where one could arbitrarily alter all matter, energy, space-time, and death within a single universe.
But through this spell, Du Wa could accomplish many things that ordinary single-universe-level deities could not, rapidly expanding his footprint when necessary.
(end of chapter)