The battle between the two superhumans erupted in an instant.
These were beings who could unleash catastrophic disasters with casual strikes. Now, clashing at full power above the Westchester region, they created earth-shaking chaos from the very first blow.
The sky trembled. The earth howled. Countless free particles in the air died in their collision. The atmosphere itself boiled and warped visibly, distorted by overwhelming shockwaves.
To ordinary eyes... even through the most advanced telescopes... it looked like terrifying beams of light shooting into the heavens, resembling the aurora borealis but carrying pure destructive force.
The next moment, the golden figure was hurled back by an invisible force. He stabilized in midair, then... driven by overwhelming excitement... charged in again. He swung a heavy fist, shattering every tangible and intangible thing ahead in one brutal strike, smashing through all defenses with absolute violence.
Every second brought explosions of terrifying yield. Yet those forces often failed to reach their peak or spread before being consumed and annihilated by the opponent's counterattacks.
Adam watched the fight closely, experiencing it almost through Reynolds's own senses. He felt every moment of this world-watching, disaster-level battle firsthand.
Even looking back across centuries, this clash would rank among humanity's most legendary conflicts... a pinnacle showdown.
Naturally, the destruction and casualties from two superhumans fighting at this level escalated by several orders of magnitude. Even at a distance, the slightest stray aftershock could erase someone completely.
The weak couldn't even spectate from a few kilometers away without risking their lives. Watching from dozens of kilometers out still meant guarding against sudden energy surges that could blind you with their intensity.
"I really didn't expect Magneto to be the one who fell to Stryker in the end."
Adam followed the entire superhuman battle, carefully assessing Reynolds's full condition: cellular activity, energy transmission efficiency, neural response rate, healing ability. Most importantly, the mental side... brain cell activity and operational intensity across different regions.
If it had been another Xenomorph-enhanced hero facing Magneto, Adam wouldn't have been this tense. He was even more vigilant than Reynolds himself, fully aware that Reynolds's mind required constant monitoring.
At the same time, Adam's gaze toward Magneto held a trace of deep surprise.
It didn't take much thought to realize Magneto had fallen victim to Mastermind.
Mastermind's illusions could blur the line between real and fake so convincingly that he could even conjure a vast, terrifying illusory army... one so realistic that enemies couldn't tell truth from fiction and ended up fighting desperately against thin air.
Even a fully conscious Professor X would struggle against illusions of that caliber. His best option would be to seize direct psychic control over Mastermind himself, because even he might not distinguish reality in time and could slip up.
Let alone Magneto.
"Though the process was a bit different, the result is probably the same... a million-death incident."
Adam stood by the window, watching the terrifying flashes and energy beams lighting up the sky, staring toward the distant horizon where night had turned to day.
As he'd noted before, across the multiverse, Sentry had two main origins. In most, Reynolds... out of his mind... broke into a lab and drank the Sentry serum.
But that origin also involved an interesting figure: Reynolds's dark persona, the Void.
In some universes, the Void was a genuine extradimensional entity. When Reynolds opened a gateway to another cosmos and gained the power of a million stars, the Void seized the chance to invade his body in return.
In others, the Void wasn't a cosmic entity at all... just a split personality born from mental fracture. And the reason it could emerge was precisely... Mastermind!
Mastermind had slipped a psychic suggestion into the newly debuted, confident Reynolds. The Void was born. The Void then took control of the Hulk, leading to the Hulk's rampage across Manhattan and the deaths of over a million people.
"Swapping Manhattan for Westchester, the one driven mad by Mastermind's psychic suggestion turns out to be Magneto..."
Honestly, if the berserk, mindless figure hadn't been Magneto, Adam would have wondered if he'd grabbed the wrong script and stumbled into the wrong universe... jumping straight into a multiversal battlefield before he was ready.
"I anticipated Stryker taking down Professor X. I expected him to launch a mutant extermination plan at Alkali Lake with Lady Deathstrike, Mastermind, and other top-tier mutants. I even suspected he'd try to target me and use Professor X to seize control of my Xenomorphs. But I never imagined it turning out like this..."
After all, the dual announcement of independence at the joint summit had been far too provocative for certain radicals.
Without the unique mutant known as Destiny in this universe, Professor X and Magneto would never have made such a risky, uncertain decision.
Adam's expression turned odd as he observed the bloodshot-eyed Magneto from two perspectives. He could guess with his eyes closed that the illusions capable of driving someone as cold as Magneto into frenzy would revolve around mutants facing extinction at human hands.
The only ones who could stop Magneto now were probably a handful of people like Jean Grey.
Of course, Reynolds counted among them.
"Come on, Reynolds. Show me where your limits are!"
Deep anticipation shone in Adam's eyes. Reynolds was special... he'd seized a one-in-a-billion chance of success as a Xenomorph host. He was the sole exception across the entire multiverse.
As long as Reynolds didn't do anything stupid, his normal performance... augmented by Xenomorph genetic enhancements... wouldn't immediately reach his absolute peak, but it was still more than worth Adam's expectations.
"Didn't you say you wanted to be my most loyal guardian? Go on, then. Display your talents to the fullest. Let me witness it with my own eyes." Adam said slowly.
It was as if Reynolds heard him. In the heat of battle, his body shuddered. His slightly flagging spirits surged again. His face twisted ferociously as he unleashed his full strength, opening his mouth in a deafening roar!
The sound itself became a tangible energy wave, carrying golden power as it spread... like the growl of a monster, audible to countless people.
Those in Westchester suffered the worst. Countless unfortunates died from that single shout.
But in this unprecedented chaos and danger, who had time to worry about how they died? It wasn't as if anyone could choose between falling to Magneto or the Sentry.
Reynolds kept accelerating, squeezing more energy from his body to fuel every cell.
Every muscle twitched with perfect rhythm, delivering ever-greater power.
This was Reynolds truly going all out. How far he still was from perfectly realizing and controlling his full potential was hard to say.
Especially considering that just hours ago, he'd been a hopeless, drug-addicted vagrant with nothing but street-fight scraps of experience. Now he was fully immersed in a high-end battlefield.
Much of his combat instinct and fighting potential actually came from the Xenomorph embryo in his chest. Its genes carried intense battle instincts that had fused with him, granting Reynolds extraordinary combat intuition.
"Still no records? A powerhouse like this with zero documentation... it's completely unreasonable." On the Helicarrier, Fury said.
S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored the globe and maintained the most comprehensive database, with information on every remarkably powerful individual.
Yet the Sentry's appearance had completely shattered Fury's confidence.
At first, they couldn't even determine if he was a mutant or superhuman, let alone how he'd come to be.
"We found something, sir. This guy flew out of Adam's residence." Maria Hill stared at the footage in disbelief.
Fury's face remained expressionless, but his heart sank to the bottom. The worst possible outcome and the name he least wanted to hear had come together.
On the screen, a terrifying golden glow erupted from Adam's building. A golden figure then burst through the roof, leaving the already precarious structure looking ready to collapse at any moment.
Fury then heard the conversation between Adam and Tony. He learned that this powerful being bathed in golden energy was called the Sentry.
"Robert Reynolds. I want every piece of intel we have on this man." Fury ordered.
Hill soon replied, "I found over two hundred Robert Reynoldses. After cross-referencing all surveillance, we can confirm this is likely the one with multiple theft records. The result seems ridiculous... we'll need detailed facial analysis to be sure."
For a moment, Fury felt the world was utterly absurd.
He considered himself worldly, yet anything connected to Adam always veered off the rails into the bizarre.
"You're saying this guy is also one of Adam's parasitized tools?" Fury's voice rose. He could barely imagine that someone capable of fighting Magneto to a standstill had, not long ago, been a worthless vagrant and addict.
How had he become such a powerful superhero in Adam's hands overnight?
Was it connected to Stryker? But no matter how Fury racked his brain, he couldn't see Stryker controlling this kind of power... or being stupid enough to hand it over to Adam.
Coulson, who had stayed serious the whole time, spoke up slowly. "This isn't the time to worry about that. Their fight has already killed countless people."
Everyone present knew that neither Magneto nor Adam would stop.
"No matter who wins or loses, we need to update our assessment of Adam."
Fury rubbed his forehead.
Adam had been difficult before mainly because of the Xenomorphs' traits... especially the unpredictable criteria for evolving into a Queen.
No one wanted to wake up one day to Queens capable of breeding scattered across the planet. That would plunge the world into chaos.
Adam's own absolute power had still lagged a step behind. That flaw was reassuring to people like Fury... it proved Adam wasn't perfect.
But that had now changed.
They didn't know exactly what Adam had done, but simply sending out one mysterious subordinate had allowed him to trade blows with Magneto. Even if the Sentry ultimately lost, it still proved Adam's strength.
"Given Adam's personality, he must have parasitized and taken control of this golden hero in advance. We need to prepare for the worst."
Coulson's expression grew extremely grave. Ever since dealing with Adam, nothing involving him had ever been easy.
The pressure Adam exerted was immense and always unexpected, leaving them perpetually on the defensive.
The entire Helicarrier felt like a giant freezer. The atmosphere was so icy that no one wanted to speak.
On the countless screens, only the two figures battling fiercely in Westchester remained.
Rumble!
It was as if a deep, terrifying crack had split the sky.
The duel between Magneto and the Sentry had entered its most brutal phase.
Reynolds felt increasing pressure. He gained the clearest, most direct understanding of Magneto's power. As he failed to secure victory, a strong flicker of alarm finally rose in his heart.
"This guy's a real maniac. Maybe I should try attacking his head to snap him out of it." Reynolds thought.
And he did exactly that.
A full-powered punch carrying golden light like a compressed sun... its terrifyingly dense energy particles... pierced Magneto's barrier.
"His body isn't as tough as mine. He's already injured."
Reynolds encouraged himself, looking at Magneto... skin split, nose bleeding. The wounds weren't severe, but it was a start.
Magneto's physique far exceeded normal humans, but he still couldn't compare to a being like Reynolds.
As it turned out, anyone who underestimated Magneto... even a frenzied one... would pay a heavy price.
"Careful! His condition's off!" Storm... Ororo... couldn't help shouting. Her current strength wasn't enough to join a fight of this level, but she could hover at a safer distance, monitoring closely and ready to act if needed.
Up close, Magneto thrust out a hand. With overwhelming power, he seized control of Reynolds's bio-magnetic field while generating a devastating electrical current that hammered Reynolds's body.
Energy disintegrated. Barriers shattered. Even Reynolds wasn't completely indestructible.
He was finally hurt.
"Don't panic, Reynolds. Your talents go far beyond this."
"But I'm injured!" Reynolds was terrified. The pain snapped him out of his frenzied state.
"You're my subordinate. You should understand Xenomorph traits first. Use your head. For a Xenomorph, injury is just the beginning of battle... it means entering the second stage. Now it's the enemy's turn to have nightmares." Adam said. "Look for a chance to wash your enemy with your blood. Literally."
A few drops of Reynolds's sprayed blood brought him intense delight.
At extreme close range, with both fighters battered and barriers broken, one fortunate droplet that hadn't been torn apart by the rampant energy lightly touched Magneto's shoulder.
With super-hearing, Reynolds clearly caught a sharp sizzling sound.
In a flash, his super-vision showed the blood corroding away a patch of Magneto's flesh. Though Magneto instinctively used his internal magnetic field to destroy and neutralize it, the change told Reynolds exactly what to do.
"That's right... blood. I have a Xenomorph inside me. I share its genes. My blood is a reliable weapon."
Reynolds was overjoyed and deeply grateful once more for Adam's generous gifts.
He had a healthy body, immense power, extraordinary combat instinct... and now even his blood could kill enemies.
Gritting through the pain, Reynolds deliberately widened some wounds just enough that his healing factor wouldn't close them immediately.
Thankfully, the fight had reached this brutal stage. In normal close-quarters combat, mere drops of blood would never have gotten close... Magneto's omnipresent magnetic field would have torn them apart at the atomic level the instant they approached.
Buildings were torn up and hurled by the pair. Countless materials turned to dust in the violent energy clashes, scattered by the super-storm.
Reynolds gradually gained the upper hand. The process was painful, but it was happening.
Outsiders couldn't tell, but Adam saw it clearly.
"Reynolds hasn't birthed a Void inside him yet. That's limiting his strength." Adam assessed Reynolds's condition.
He had remained vigilant against the Void the entire time, especially when Reynolds opened the gateway to another universe. He'd observed repeatedly and found nothing strange slipping in.
The Void's emergence would depend on Reynolds's own mental state. Relying on Reynolds alone... muddled as he was... he couldn't fully wield his power.
But the Void appearing would bring more trouble, which would then fall to Adam. All things considered, Adam was satisfied with Reynolds as he was now.
Countless satellites watched, monitoring everything, trying to capture the slightest details and clues.
Nuclear warheads were already aimed at Westchester, ready to launch at any moment. In a situation like this, it was perhaps the only thing offering people any psychological comfort.
Bang!
A massive explosion rang out between the two high-intensity combatants. It shouldn't have meant much, but when someone noticed the rampaging energy beginning to weaken, a figure plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground, carving out a ten-meter-wide crater.
At that moment, everyone realized the battle seemed to be over.
Yet looking across the devastated battlefield, there was no wild jubilation... only relief, followed by deep helplessness.
Reynolds panted wildly, his wounds healing rapidly. He felt every muscle in his body screaming in pain. "I won! I won! But why isn't anyone cheering for me?"
"Do you think they should cheer? You're the victor, the superhero who stopped the butcher. But Reynolds, don't expect that doing something good will always bring equal reward. You might end up embracing the complete opposite."
Adam's voice carried clear approval, providing Reynolds with precious mental solace.
Reynolds finally calmed down. He surveyed his battlefield... the ground beneath him riddled with craters, as if countless meteors had struck. Anyone unaware might think the moon itself had crashed here.
The once-prosperous streets and orderly buildings had vanished. The few structures still standing as ruins were the lucky ones. Hoping for survivors inside them was too much to ask.
Reynolds opened his mouth, stared in a daze for a moment, then slowly descended.
Magneto was struggling to his feet. A surge of extreme anger rose in Reynolds. He formed a golden-energy-wrapped fist and punched Magneto in the head, sending him into peaceful oblivion.
"Bring Magneto back," Adam ordered. "He's not our enemy for now. Your heroic performance saved his life."
Reynolds opened his mouth as if to say something, but lowered his head instead. Grumbling, he grabbed the ridiculously sturdy old man he'd just fought to the death with and prepared to take off.
Storm finally flew over. Even after the battle ended, the residual chaotic energy in the air made her uncomfortable. It was impossible to imagine how terrifying it must have been at full intensity.
"He... "
"Back off. I'm not handing him over to you." Reynolds responded forcefully. He was no longer as shocked by his own changes as he had been at the start.
Storm hesitated, torn. She wanted to say that Magneto had probably been controlled, and even if Reynolds defeated him, he shouldn't take him away. But then she realized that if Magneto woke up, she had no way to restrain him, which would only make things worse.
"Who do you work for? I think once the Professor wakes up, we'll meet again. We'll take Erik. Mutants can't lose him." Storm said uneasily, her voice low. "I still don't know your name."
A rare smile spread across Reynolds's face as excitement surged through him. "I'm Re... the Sentry, follower of the Xenomorph Adam. Whether you get Magneto back isn't up to me."
Adam?
Storm was startled. She knew of him... the Xenomorph Master, the newly ascended God of Thunder, the first on Earth to assemble armies for extraterrestrial expeditions. She also knew Professor X had taken an interest in the young man.
But this being who called himself the Sentry was overwhelmingly powerful... and he belonged to Adam? He even seemed excited and proud of it?
"My mission is complete. Time to head back. If you want Magneto, go talk to Adam... not me."
Reynolds grabbed Magneto and shot into the sky, breaking the sound barrier instantly.
Countless satellites tracked his movements as he faithfully retraced his path, even descending precisely through the hole he'd punched in the roof earlier.
At that moment, countless people wore complicated expressions. Many stared in utter disbelief.
Such a powerful figure really belonged to Adam? How? What had he done? Was it really through the Xenomorphs?
Tony Stark watched Reynolds fly away. "S.H.I.E.L.D. people, you're listening, right? If I were you, I'd drop any bad ideas and focus entirely on easing tensions."
"Uncontrolled power is a ticking time bomb. Placing all hope on the mood and morals of powerful individuals is the stupidest move." Fury said. "I'll re-evaluate Adam. And Stark, I still suggest you seriously consider the Avengers Initiative. Earth needs a strong super-team."
Tony thought about it seriously. Fury was right.
Teamwork outweighed individual strength in most cases... unless you faced someone like Reynolds, where numbers largely lost meaning.
"So, besides me, who else is on this team? A squad you'd consider an ace must have plenty of heavy hitters." Tony asked.
"Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk." Fury paused before giving the three names.
"Sorry, my Mark V took some damage and my comms are acting up... you're saying the strongest teammate you're giving me is the Hulk? Ha. Why do you think the Hulk would be more reliable than Magneto? The ghosts of Westchester are watching you." Tony nearly cut the comms and flew off.
It was practically a joke.
"Someone like Magneto wouldn't join the Avengers. And even if he did, Stark, you wouldn't sleep easy." Fury's words faltered.
"Funny thing... with the Hulk around, I won't lose sleep easily. Because I might just sleep forever one day." Tony quipped before flying back to Stark Tower.
Only Fury remained, standing on the Helicarrier's command deck with a grim face and a terrible mood.
The world was hurtling toward an unpredictable direction, filling even Fury with faint unease.
"Xenomorphs... Xenomorphs... That madman Stryker... Magneto's rampage might be connected to him, but we have no evidence yet. He had secret dealings with Adam before. They probably reached some agreement, maybe a deal involving the Xenomorphs..." Fury thought of Magneto being taken away by Reynolds.
Professor X and Magneto had announced their alliance that day and briefly spoken with Adam. That same night, both suffered a devastating attack. Professor X seemed to have been escorted away by the X-Men, while Magneto fell into Adam's hands.
Fury had every reason to suspect Adam's involvement. From the results, Adam was currently the biggest beneficiary.
But the fragmented, incomplete clues refused to connect. Forcing them together would only make everything more bizarre and chaotic.
"He uses war to establish his position and prove the Xenomorphs' value. Thinking about it, that's exactly how he's always operated... no false modesty. Even the Asgardians accept his logic." Coulson closed the screen in front of him. Today's information overload had left him dizzy, unable to think of the best way to handle these upheavals.
From another angle, there was no best solution. Only absolute power left no room for deception.
Fury suddenly hesitated. In Coulson's eyes, it looked like a pedestrian in a storm debating whether to pull out a treasured umbrella.
Not using it preserved the umbrella, but he'd get soaked. Using it risked damaging the umbrella and losing its value.
Coulson said nothing.
Until Fury let out a long breath. "It's not the most critical moment yet. We shouldn't contact her early."
Coulson was curious who "her" was but wisely didn't ask. That wasn't something he needed to know right now.
"So, how many died in this battle?" Fury asked.
"Preliminary estimates put it between three hundred thousand and six hundred thousand. Economic losses are still incalculable." Coulson replied.
They would never know that if the Hulk had rampaged without Adam sending someone to intervene, it would have been a million-death catastrophe.
At the same time, in Kamar-Taj.
The sorcerers maintaining the global magical array naturally knew what had happened.
The emergence of a new powerhouse was enough to draw the attention of this renowned magical sanctuary on Earth and across the universe.
"There is no power without cause. The array has detected forces from another world. Sorcerer Supreme, that human definitely has issues!" Mordo said. It was unclear whether he meant Adam or Reynolds, but it amounted to the same thing.
Adam could control Reynolds and turn him into a Xenomorph subordinate. To Mordo's rigid mind, Adam was Reynolds, but Reynolds would never be Adam.
The Ancient One listened to the voices of the universe, then slowly opened her eyes. Clear surprise shone in them.
"It is indeed power from another world. The one carrying a Xenomorph inside him is a coordinate linking to an unknown universe." The Ancient One nodded gently.
Kamar-Taj's heavy responsibility was to monitor all activity from other worlds, including extradimensional demons from their own universe.
Mordo said, "Perhaps an otherworldly demon has already slipped into our world through that coordinate."
"Or perhaps not."
The Ancient One spoke softly, "But I have found nothing. What do you want to do... capture Adam and all his Xenomorphs? How would Asgard view us? How would the mundane world see us? Adam wouldn't sit idly by. He's constantly making preparations."
"But... "
"No buts. You should continue tracking Kaecilius."
The Ancient One gazed at the distant mountains and murmured in a voice only she could hear, "Because the time is approaching... I need someone like him, someone constantly making preparations."
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