Marvel: Xenomorphs

Thor is the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers. Even if Odin stripped away or sealed his divine power, Thor's body would still instinctively react to it.

Duncan blasted Thor with Mjolnir's lightning power, and sure enough, Thor woke up. His body, as if injected with a stimulant, began healing at an accelerated rate.

Thor quickly checked himself, looking at the wound on his chest as it rapidly closed. He peered inside.

"Don't worry, no Xenomorph inside. I took it out early on," Duncan said, dragging over a bullet-riddled chair and sitting in front of Thor.

"The war is over? What about Loki?"

"He escaped. He suffered a heavy loss as soon as he arrived on Earth—maybe this time, he'll learn his lesson. But given how much magic he used, I doubt he's in good shape," Duncan replied.

Thor let out a sigh of relief. Loki was cunning; as long as he had managed to escape, the rest wasn't something Thor needed to worry about. His gaze then fell upon Mjolnir in Duncan's hands, and bitterness filled his mouth.

His simple mind couldn't fully grasp what had happened, but just seeing Duncan casually playing with Mjolnir sent a wave of sorrow crashing over him.

First Magneto, and now Duncan. Thor was at a complete loss for words, devastated by the blow.

"Midgardian, I challenge you to a duel," Thor declared, standing up. He watched as the last traces of divine power faded from his body, his resolve firm.

"And why is that, Son of Odin?"

"You humiliated me. For an Asgardian, honor is everything."

"How exactly did I humiliate you?"

"You used your parasitic species to take over my body."

"But I also removed it. And of course, the power I promised you is gone as well. Isn't that the outcome you wanted? You went to great lengths to help Loki—well, congratulations, you succeeded. Loki escaped because of my intervention. As an Asgardian who values honor above all else, as Odin's son, this is how you repay someone who helped you? By challenging them to a death match?"

Duncan's expression remained calm and gentle.

He didn't bother telling Thor that his method of helping Loki escape had been nothing more than teaming up with Magneto to beat Loki into submission, forcing him to flee.

Thor opened his mouth but said nothing. Instead, he turned and began walking away. "Fine. Then I'll find a place to end myself."

Duncan nodded slightly. That was exactly the kind of thing Thor would do.

But before Thor could take another step, several doctors swarmed him, grabbing hold of him from all sides.

"Wait! At least let us finish studying your physiology first!"

"..."

Duncan waved his hand, and a few Xenomorphs swiftly removed the doctors from the room. He then sent Raven outside to clean up the corpses. Turning back to Thor, he said, "I acknowledge your courage in facing death without fear. But aside from that, you've shown no sense of responsibility as Odin's son."

"What do you know?! I made a terrible mistake! I am no longer the God of Thunder! And Mjolnir has chosen you over me!" Thor's face twisted in anguish, his spirit utterly broken.

For over a thousand years, he had been proud, undefeated. He had never suffered humiliation like this!

"If losing your power reduces you to this, then what kind of god were you to begin with? You are the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers. I've never heard that Odin stopped being the Allfather just because he lost Gungnir or his Destroyer armor. You are his heir. Even without Mjolnir, you are still a god. The divine power is still inside you, merely dormant," Duncan said.

Thor was only supposed to awaken his true power during his battle against Hela, evolving into the next stage—a version of himself that no longer needed Mjolnir.

Duncan simply nudged him in that direction now, whether it would work or not, he didn't particularly care.

Thor fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. "Give me Mjolnir. I think—"

"I don't care what you think. I care what I think. And there's no way I'm giving Mjolnir back to you," Duncan said firmly, gripping the hammer tightly.

As if he'd be foolish enough to give it back. He had just acquired divine power, and so far, all he could confirm was that it functioned like a form of bio-energy. Considering that various divine species across the cosmos inherited such powers through genetics, it was clear this was something he could potentially cultivate. How could he possibly give up such a valuable resource?

"...Then at least lend it to me," Thor said, his voice filled with frustration and desperation.

"No." Duncan refused. "I won't lend my power to someone who holds no value to me."

"You can lift Mjolnir only because you used that parasite on me."

"...You're unexpectedly perceptive," Duncan admitted with a nod. It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach, but the fact that Thor realized it so quickly was surprising.

Duncan tapped his chest. "According to your logic, my Xenomorphs have the ability to parasitize a host and inherit some of their genetic traits. That's how I gained a portion of your genes and, in turn, Mjolnir's recognition."

There was no need to hide this. In fact, rumors about him and the Xenomorphs had already flooded the internet. Theories ranged from the plausible to the outright ridiculous.

In recent times, the world had become far more chaotic, with all kinds of superhuman entities emerging left and right.

Even if Thor went through the same humbling journey as he had in the original timeline—living as a mortal on Earth for a while—he'd eventually learn about Duncan and put the pieces together. So there was no point in hiding it.

"You're saying…?"

"I'm saying that, in a way, my body contains your bloodline, Thor. In other words, Mjolnir ultimately still chose you. It only accepts my command because of you," Duncan said casually.

There was no shame in admitting it. When he first tried to lift Mjolnir, he had failed. Thor had witnessed it firsthand.

Thor's head was spinning. His brain felt like it was about to explode.

Before he could process it all, Duncan continued, "Let's talk about something you'll find more relevant—Loki is still on Earth. He's waiting for the right moment to negotiate with you. You should listen to what he has to say and think it over carefully."

As Duncan spoke, he turned his head slightly.

Thor followed his gaze and saw a member of the Eternals standing nearby. His expression quickly darkened as he watched the Eternal's body convulse violently, the chest bursting open as a Xenomorph emerged.

"This!!"

"This is a Xenomorph. Of course, I can control whether or not they need to burst through a host—it's just a matter of my will," Duncan said, extending a hand.

The newborn Xenomorph moved at an incredible speed, leaving behind only a blur as it darted up Duncan's shoulder.

In a few hours, this tiny creature would grow into a fully mature, two-to-three-meter-tall monstrosity.

For the first time, Thor fully realized the terrifying nature of these beings.

A species that could extract genetic traits—possibly even supernatural abilities—through parasitism…

Thor couldn't help but lower his gaze to his now-healed chest.

If Duncan hadn't removed that thing from him… then eventually, wouldn't he have—

The thought alone sent shivers down his spine.

As for the gruesome nature of the process, that didn't bother Thor much. What unsettled him wasn't the bloodshed—it was the idea of being rendered powerless while it happened.

Thor was, at his core, a battle-hardened warrior. He had no qualms about slaughtering his enemies. He'd offer them a chance to surrender if he was in a good mood, but they rarely accepted before battle even began. And once the fighting started, Thor would wield Mjolnir with righteous fury, cutting down his foes without hesitation.

Hela was even more ruthless—her kill count could probably stack high enough to cover the land of Asgard itself.

Given how Odin had raised two such war-hungry children, one could only say—he truly had a unique way of parenting.

"I already told you earlier—right after I completed the parasitism on you, I immediately removed the Xenomorph. Otherwise, you wouldn't have survived until now."

"Don't joke around. Even if my chest was burst open, I wouldn't die. Even if I lost my divine power and my strong regenerative abilities, Loki would just use magic to heal my body," Thor retorted.

Duncan nodded. He believed that. Borrowing the power to heal from a god of a higher multiversal rank was something Loki, with his magical prowess, could likely achieve. He could very well conjure an entirely new set of thoracic organs for Thor out of thin air.

But the price for such a feat would be another matter entirely.

"I appreciate your honesty. You're a despicable, yet thoroughly wicked warrior. Under different circumstances, perhaps we could have been friends. But right now, I won't be joining your ranks. The God of Thunder—no, the former God of Thunder, son of Odin—will not become your follower." Thor shook his head.

He understood the implication in Duncan's words. This was his second chance to make a choice: if he wanted to reclaim Mjolnir, he would have to be parasitized by the Xenomorph again and become one of Duncan's people.

The first time he agreed, it was because the situation was dire. For Loki's sake, he had even resolved to seek death after the battle to preserve his dignity. That was why he went along with it.

But in the end, things hadn't gone as he expected. He had been parasitized—but not entirely. He hadn't even received the so-called "power" from Duncan that was supposed to help Loki on the battlefield. It left Thor in an awkward limbo—neither here nor there, unsure of what to do next.

But this time, there was no chance he would agree. He would rather live as a mortal than sacrifice the last shreds of his dignity.

"Thor, my brother, you must understand—some things, once they happen once, will happen countless times."

"Shut up! I don't care if you're some Midgardian powerhouse, someone who holds ancient and secret knowledge—you do not get to call me that! I am NOT your brother!" Thor jumped to his feet. "I told you, there will NEVER be a second time!"

"You look just like a lion who's had its tail stepped on, all fluffed up in rage. And look at your disheveled hair—I'll give you some money later. Go to a store and buy a couple of bottles of shampoo. Consider it the start of your mortal life."

If Thor still had his divine power, he could have simply cleansed himself with it.

Thor stormed out of the ruined building, under the watchful eyes of the neighboring Dum Dum clones.

To be honest, Duncan could never quite figure out just how many batches of Dum Dum clones had cycled through that neighboring building.

"Major intel—Thor has left! Duncan didn't stop him, and he didn't send a Xenomorph to follow him. This is our chance!"

"Report to Fury immediately!"

The Dum Dum clones erupted in excitement. Some of the smarter ones were already wondering how much money they could squeeze out of Fury for this information. Their original body was in desperate need of cash, and they, as his clones monitoring Duncan, had no idea what their original was actually up to.

Not long after, under the bewildered gazes of the Dum Dum clones, Thor came back.

"Mr. God of Thunder, what are you doing?" One of the Damned clones, dutifully wearing an apron while selling raw meat, shouted at him.

Thor glanced up at the neighboring building. From bottom to top, every window had a few identical faces staring at him.

BANG!

Thor slammed his fist into the rusted iron door, shattering it under the force of his blow. The weakened metal couldn't handle the impact and collapsed with a loud crash.

"Welcome back, Thor Odinson. I assume you've spoken with Loki?" Duncan remained seated in his chair, his posture completely unchanged.

"Yes. Things have changed."

Thor's eyes were already bloodshot. Faint tear tracks marred his face, filled with grief and self-reproach. Yet despite his sorrow, he still pointed toward the neighboring building with a pained expression. "Just a heads-up—there's a bunch of idiots watching you from that direction. Be careful."

"They're watching you, actually. But your assessment is spot on—the professionalism of these agents is truly concerning. I have no idea what their best batch of clones is even busy with these days." Duncan sighed.

Thor looked around, grabbed half of a broken-down couch, and sat down with a heavy thud. The already fragile frame gave way beneath his weight, collapsing entirely. He didn't care. Drowning in his sorrow, he muttered, "Father is dead."

"My condolences."

"I said—the Allfather, the strongest in the Nine Realms, the ruler of Asgard, King Odin, is DEAD!"

"Yes, I heard you. What do you plan to do? Explain it to me—has my father disappeared?"

Duncan pointed seriously at his own chest.

Erika, who had been carefully using her newly regrown legs to support herself against a Xenomorph, nearly lost her composure when she heard this. She instinctively pulled out her broken blade and gave herself a sharp slap with it before staring at Duncan in shock.

Thor's eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "You just called me your brother. Doesn't Odin's blood also flow through your veins?"

"Cut to the chase—what are you actually trying to say?"

"War has broken out. Loki has rushed back to Asgard to lead the army against the Frost Giants' invasion." Thor's eyes flashed with deep worry and fury.

He hated his own weakness, hated that he had indirectly caused Odin's death. He hated that Jotunheim had seized the opportunity to strike.

But what he feared most was this—without a Skyfather-level powerhouse like Odin to hold the line, how could Asgard possibly resist the Frost Giants?

Duncan stroked his chin, observing Thor's expression. The grief was real.

If Hela had gotten this news, she would have been dancing on Odin's grave within minutes.

But in one aspect, these siblings were alike—they were both utterly convinced that Jotunheim was trash. No matter how many Frost Giants came, they believed they could kill them all.

But Thor no longer had his divine power. He couldn't hold the line anymore.

Finally, Thor revealed his true purpose.

"I know asking for your help is absurd, but I have no other choice… I need to borrow your army. I need a powerful and loyal force to return to Asgard and take the fight back to Jotunheim!"