As one of the most powerful Eternals, Ikaris hadn't fought in a long time. While there were numerous formidable beings on this planet, none of them had ever truly posed a threat to him.
This confidence stemmed from centuries of fighting on Earth, where he joined forces with other Eternals to hunt down and annihilate Deviants, cementing his unshakable belief in his superiority.
"Yes, though they look strange, they must be Deviants," he muttered.
After receiving a message from Sersi, his lover, Ikaris had rushed over at full speed. Now, using his super-vision, he scrutinized the peculiar creatures before him. His face showed hesitation, but he quickly dismissed his doubts—these might simply be a new variant of Deviants.
After all, Deviants were known for their powerful mutative genes, allowing them to change their forms after absorbing the strength of other powerful organisms.
Still, the Deviants in front of him—aside from the one feeding inside the building—seemed disappointingly weak.
His gaze shifted to the room where Abomination's mangled corpse lay, reduced to a pile of shredded flesh. While he couldn't discern how it had died, that detail didn't matter.
"These Deviants absorbed the life energy of that grotesque creature to evolve. But what's with this crude feeding method?"
Ikaris's face grew cold.
Deviants indeed gained strength by absorbing other beings, but the process typically involved piercing their targets with tendrils to extract energy—not devouring them like this.
What kind of bizarre evolutionary ability was this? Had they regressed somehow?
Even more puzzling was the fact that most Deviants were supposed to be sealed beneath Alaska's icy lakes. How could a few of them have suddenly appeared here—and so brazenly?
"Why are you mingling with these Deviants? Do you have any idea how dangerous they are?" Ikaris crossed his arms, his voice icy and condescending as he looked down at Duncan.
"Deviants? You've got the wrong idea," Duncan replied calmly, understanding why Ikaris had come.
Ikaris, after all, was a schemer. He had concealed from the other ten Eternals the existence of the last group of Deviants hidden in Alaska.
These eleven Eternals were nothing like Thanos's ancestors—the branch of Eternals who had migrated to Titan to proliferate. Instead, they were directly created by the Celestials, repeatedly cleansed of their memories to serve as eternal enforcers.
Their purpose was simple: to protect burgeoning civilizations, ensure the birth of infant Celestials within planetary cores, and then have their memories wiped before being deployed to new worlds.
Yet exceptions existed. Occasionally, fragments of old memories would surface in some Eternals' minds—remnants of memories not entirely erased.
Ikaris had sensed discrepancies in his own memories but was shrewd enough not to reveal them.
"The Earth's ecosystem couldn't have produced creatures like these. They're not native to this planet," Ikaris declared coldly. "You don't even know what Deviants are, nor do you show the proper respect for me, the one who has protected you and your ancestors."
"Respect? For you? Nonsense," Duncan responded with measured calm. He knew Ikaris was both powerful and fanatical. Since Ikaris would not leave until his goals were achieved, Duncan decided to confront him head-on.
"You talk about Deviants, but tell me this: Are you more concerned about protecting humanity or covering up the truth?"
Ikaris's face darkened. It wasn't just Duncan's defiance—it was the fact that this human seemed to know about the Eternals, the Deviants, and the secrets Ikaris had been hiding.
Was it sheer coincidence, or was Duncan testing him intentionally?
Golden light flickered in Ikaris's eyes as he unleashed his heat vision. The beam of energy was powerful enough to obliterate an ordinary human in an instant.
But just then, the Abomination-like creature, now swollen after feeding, smashed through the wall with ease. With its jagged teeth bared, it tackled Ikaris, slamming him into the ground with a devastating suplex.
Boom!
The sheer force of the impact left a deep crater in the ground.
"Is this how you protect humanity?" Duncan said calmly, shielded behind the creature. "You recklessly attack anything you deem a Deviant, killing indiscriminately—even humans you can't identify?"
"You clearly know about Deviants and that we protect humanity. Who are you? How do you know these things?"
Ikaris emerged unscathed, astonished at the creature's strength. While it was no match for him, its raw power was impressive.
But what truly concerned him was Duncan's composure. The human hadn't even flinched, as if he had anticipated Ikaris's every move.
This man wasn't ordinary. He was a problem—a major one. And the fact that he was somehow allied with these so-called Deviants defied all logic, as Deviants were natural predators of humans.
No matter the mystery, Ikaris knew one thing: Absolute strength would settle this. He had to eliminate Duncan and these creatures quickly to bury the truth.
Boom!
Ikaris launched himself like a missile, driving into the creature's chest. Duncan sidestepped, and Ikaris plowed through several buildings, leaving chaos and destruction in his wake.
Unlike some of his fellow Eternals, Ikaris didn't care about collateral damage.
After all, wasn't he entitled to cause some destruction after centuries of protecting humanity, ensuring their survival and growth? A little collateral damage was a small price to pay.
Standing amidst the wreckage, Ikaris clenched his fists, his muscular frame radiating cold authority as flames erupted from a building he had just obliterated.
Meanwhile, the creature remained unfazed. Emerging unscathed, it lashed its tail and flexed its massive muscles before charging at Ikaris again, unleashing devastating force.
Once again, the two collided, sending shockwaves through the city.
"Why are there more monsters?! Wasn't the fight on Broadway already over?!"
"What the hell is going on today? These two are even crazier than the last ones!"
At first, some citizens thought Ikaris was a hero and the creature a villain.
But within seconds, they realized the truth: neither of these combatants cared about their lives.
The only difference was that Ikaris fought with blatant disregard for human casualties, while the creature seemed to intentionally move the battle to less populated areas—though it still left a trail of destruction and occasional casualties in its wake.