Vincent didn't continue upgrading his power. It wasn't the right time. His strength was perfectly stuck between Peak Skyfather and Single Universe level. Not yet enough to attract the attention of certain ancient existences.
This was the Marvel Universe. God knows when an invincible mastermind would suddenly jump out. And if Marvel comics updated, creating a One Above All (OAA) for him to deal with would be fatal.
Vincent waved his hand, enveloping the room in massive steam. Although his Water Magic was only at Dominator level, on Earth, it felt like a fish in water, unleashing power beyond everyone's imagination.
Soaking in the steam-filled room, Vincent's psychic storm covered every corner, and water molecules began cleaning every spot.
His girlfriend, Ghost-Spider Gwen, often stayed at the Manhattan villa. Vincent didn't want to leave any bad traces. After all, Spider-Sense was incredibly effective for catching cheaters. So, every time he had relations with other women, Vincent would clean the room flawlessly.
This had become a good habit of his.
Pure water wrapped around him like countless gentle hands, washing his body without missing a spot. The room became as humid as the rainy season.
But in the next second, all water molecules on every item flowed into the drain under magic control, flushing into the Pacific Ocean. As for any residual DNA material, his power had already destroyed it.
As Oscorp's Chairman, Vincent knew well how far biological gene technology had developed in this world.
Oscorp's gene tech was powerful, but SHIELD and other geniuses were silently catching up. They didn't know the core tech of gene modification, but they knew the direction. Oscorp's experiments had proven the path was correct. Researching along the correct path saved them massive amounts of verification time.
Their explosive intellect as latecomers surprised even Vincent.
"I solved Dr. Connors, thinking his experimental path was destroyed. But it seems I underestimated Hydra. Hydra tampered with Connors too; much of his data has been transferred by them."
The thought flashed in Vincent's mind but was quickly tossed aside as he fell asleep.
Storm seemed to have some hidden agenda? To Vincent, it didn't matter. After all, he had relations with so many women, yet none were pregnant.
This made Vincent contemplate. Handling three women was tiring. Storm, Hill, Jessica Jones were all in their prime. Thirty-year-olds were like wolves! Luckily, he was Superman with a Steel God Body.
Before sleeping, powerful magic wrapped the villa. Water Magic guarded it well. He didn't worry about enemy attacks. He only worried that if someone woke him up, his grumpy morning temper would overturn New York.
Storm returned to the school. She didn't let anyone know her whereabouts. She just returned to bed, lying down limp as a mudfish.
Savoring the aftertaste, it was the best experience of her life. Like a dream. She couldn't help thinking of Mystique and Psylocke. Especially Psylocke's words: "Perhaps you can treat it as a beautiful encounter. It will definitely be unforgettable."
Psylocke had even smiled seductively. Now thinking back, it was true.
"The only pity is that guy is a playboy. No, he's Asmodeus among demons!"
Asmodeus, the Demon Lord of Lust. Storm described him this way because Vincent was also a demon. A demon in human skin. The Ice Demon. More terrifying than a Demon Lord.
He possessed unrivaled power. Strength that made enemies despair.
But recalling, Vincent hadn't done anything truly evil. Conflicts involving lives happened often in the mutant world. Mutant infighting and retaliation against humans were sometimes bloodier.
Since the Vatican incident, Vincent had raised his standards; he rarely acted for ordinary matters. But once he acted, corpses littered the field. Enemies died in despair and fear of his power.
But now, this despicable act of attacking the Ice Demon (seducing him) seemed to Storm like a legendary act of individual heroism. Raising her own legend to a level humans couldn't touch.
"At least I didn't lose out."
Storm stroked her belly. She chose this day to find the Ice Demon with a purpose. She had calculated her ovulation time.
If successful, it would surely make the Ice Demon uncomfortable. If successful, the child born would possess unimaginably powerful mutant talents. Even if Vincent's power didn't come from mutant genes, Storm knew her X-gene was strong. That was enough.
Once pregnant, her child would stand at the peak of humanity.
Storm smiled smugly. In that moment, men rarely noticed such intentions. His eyes only saw her body. Storm even used many resources to ensure success this time.
To birth the strongest mutant.
Whether it succeeded this time was important. If not, she could try again. Although the Ice Demon might discover her goal. But would he care?
Drinking a special potion, Storm fell asleep.
While Vincent slept, the Avengers assembled. Their target: Baron Strucker's base.
A massive amount of non-Earth weaponry appeared, causing the Avengers' assault to fall short of expectations.
Tony Stark appeared in his Mark armor, which had been upgraded numerous times under Vincent's threat. The terrifying armor fired lasers, scanning enemy life signs. Hundreds of terrifying laser bursts shot out, instantly headshotting Hydra's super agents.
Captain America found himself struggling against just two soldiers.
"They've all been injected with gene serum and possess superhuman strength!!!" Cap finally realized the problem.
Tony Stark sneered. "Relax, the Anti-Demon Armor I developed is enough to deal with them."
Black Widow and Hawkeye had the hardest time. Hawkeye could use tech arrows to kill from a distance.
"No, after getting back, I must find a way to inject Super Soldier Serum. Otherwise, my strength won't keep up with the team!!!"
Natasha was a top Avenger agent. Even though she had a version of the serum (Red Room), her strength was inferior to Cap. But her superior physique gave her an edge over normal people. Now, she was the weakest Avenger. Hawkeye had tech. Widow fighting a super soldier was fraught with danger; one slip and she'd be snapped.
Hulk charged. But soon, a rushing Rhino charged at Hulk. Not one, but nine Rhinos. Hulk blocked one but was knocked flying by the others.
The Avengers' attack was stalled.
Inside the energy-shielded castle base, Baron Strucker smiled contemptuously.
"Avengers? Hmph, don't think you're the only ones with gene enhancement. We are ahead of the curve, even surpassing Oscorp."
Strucker spoke viciously.
But Iron Man's armor was too effective against gene-enhanced humans. Especially his special lasers. The defense-heavy Rhinos barely blocked one shot; the second killed them instantly.
"Send out the Bat and Spider Legions to attack Stark."
Rhinos were strong, but not Strucker's ace.
"Sir, these are our best weapons, but their gene control chips aren't stable. We could lose control of these monsters anytime," Strucker's assistant warned.
"The Gene Spider battle in London taught us that only actual combat verifies if gene serums are successful. As for losing control? If they dare rebel, activate their gene bombs, destroy their genes, and recycle the weapons."
Strucker watched coldly as the Monster Legion suppressed the Avengers.
"Besides, we have even better weapons. The future era surpasses the gene era—it is the Super Energy Era!!!" Strucker got excited thinking of his masterpiece.
Squads of gene warriors walked out of the base. Their animal and insect traits dumbfounded the Avengers.
"Shit, did Oscorp leak their tech?" Tony Stark cursed in the comms.
Commander Hill spoke up: "This is Dr. Connors' gene tech. The power backing his research was Hydra."
Hill defended Oscorp's reputation, still holding her employee status there.
"Avengers, be careful. These agents are gene monsters. They possess high intelligence, and their strength and speed might exceed yours. My Helicarrier is arriving above to provide fire support..."
Hill tried to calm the Avengers. SHIELD spent a huge price on this mission. Stopping wasn't an option.
Hill spoke easily, but was tense inside. The appearance of this Monster Legion was completely unexpected.
"Shit!!! Are they vampires? Or bats? The ultrasound is annoying!!" Tony cursed.
Like mythical vampires, demon-bat forms swarmed Tony's armor. Lasers cut like swords. But these gene monsters were cunning, dodging lasers and emitting invisible sonic waves. The terrifying soundwaves nearly tore Tony apart. He had to ascend rapidly.
"I'll provide fire support. Prepare for defense!"
Hill couldn't wait. More gene monsters poured from the castle. The Avengers were trapped and outmatched.
From the sky, missiles rained down. Sweeping the gene monsters. The Helicarrier left over from Project Insight was now controlled by the Avengers. Its weapons scanned the ground.
Suddenly, Hawk-men with eagle wings flew from the castle. Their eyes glowed red. They soared into the sky, fast as fighter jets. Their target: the Helicarrier in low orbit.
Hill's heart tightened. For this mission to reclaim Loki's Scepter, she even played tricks before Vincent. But the Avengers lacked the power to handle Hydra's nest.
Black Widow had mentioned a gene monster base in Siberia. They thought Vincent destroying it meant Hydra lost its core gene power. Otherwise, Hydra wouldn't have lost so badly during Project Insight.
But clearly, Hydra was more terrifying than imagined. The gene monster plan continued. As for backlash, obtaining Loki's Scepter evidently solved the core issue. The monsters were mind-controlled by the Scepter's power. Fearless, they charged the Avengers.
"Damn it!!!" Hill cursed.
Hawkeye retreated constantly, moving away from the castle. Black Widow did the same. Hulk was surrounded. Despite his power, he was bogged down. Their main damage dealer, Tony, was pinned by the Bat Legion.
The Helicarrier's guns glowed red from firing. Missiles bombed desperately. But there were too many monsters.
Baron Strucker laughed wildly. He was almost ambushed, but now he held the advantage.
However, Strucker knew SHIELD wouldn't hesitate to drop a hydrogen bomb here once the Avengers were safe.
"Tell the Monster Legion to delay the Avengers. Don't kill them. Teach them a lesson. If they die, Fury won't hesitate to wipe us out."
That was the meaning of strategic weapons. The Avengers had to live to buy time for Hydra's evacuation.
"Yes, Sir. Our data has been transmitted to the Deep Sea Base. SHIELD will never find that server." The assistant smiled treacherously. The Siberian center was destroyed, so they built this one deep underwater. Hidden.
"Regardless, our cooperation with the Sea Folk is the foundation for our comeback to sweep the Earth." Strucker looked grave.
The Ice Demon severely threatened Hydra. Strucker knew if Vincent didn't die, Hydra's rise would be difficult.
But Dr. Connors found a path. Gene fusion could help them become gods. Hydra had found the key to the future. SHIELD was no longer in their eyes. Though the Avengers looked strong, Strucker knew how terrifying the future of gene and energy enhancement would be.
"Tell the Twins to watch the perimeter."
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