Ashborn stood behind a reinforced glass wall, observing the concentrated energy beams striking the newly forged Proto-Adamantium. The process was meticulous, a testament to how far they had come. While he had been asleep, not only had they successfully recreated Proto-Adamantium, but they had also managed to synthesize Mysterium. With individuals capable of manipulating matter at a fundamental level, Reed had been able to complete his work at a remarkable pace.
"It's an odd thing," Ashborn murmured, turning the small chunk of Mysterium in his hands. His new gear already granted him an astonishing hundredfold increase to all his stats, but Mysterium was different. When he channeled his power through it, the effect wasn't just doubled or quintupled—it was amplified dozens of times beyond what should have been possible.
His current armor remained superior, but only due to the bonus granted by wearing the full set. That left Ashborn wondering—could he integrate Mysterium into his armor to push his power even further? And if so, could he also forge it into weapons and armor for his entire army, ensuring they, too, reached new heights of strength?
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[New Mission: Shadow Monarch's Ore]
Objective: Take Proto-Adamantium and Mysterium and fuse them with the power of the Shadow Monarch to create Shadow Monarch's Ore.
Reward: [Army Soldier's Armor Set], [Shadow Monarch Gear Evolution]
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[Triggered a Chain Quest: The Void]
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[New Mission: Conquer Asgard]
Objective: Go to Asgard, slaughter all the zombies, and take Asgard as your own. (Note: Asgard exists in a different dimension.)
Reward: [Shadow Monarch gains a new ability]
Punishment: [Devoured by the Void]
Time Limit: 3 Days
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[New Mission: Gorr the God Butcher]
Objective: Kill the Evolved God Butcher within the given time.
Reward: [3x 100% Shadow Extraction Chances],
Punishment: [Devoured by the Void]
Time Limit: 3 Days
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[New Mission: He Has Awakened]
Objective: Survive or kill the Eldritch God of Darkness.
Reward: [Depends on Success]
Punishment: [Devoured by the Void]
Time Limit: 3 Days
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[New Mission: The Void's Will]
Objective: Survive the Void's attempt to devour you.
Reward: [Depends on Success]
Punishment: [Devoured by the Void]
Time Limit: ???
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Ashborn exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm as he pieced together the system's intent. 'Alright, the system is warning me about something big. Gorr is coming for me, the system is telling me that Asgard is my best bet to grow stronger. After Gorr, Knull will probably come next. And once Knull is it killed, the Void itself will make its move…'
The first goal—conquering Asgard—seemed nearly impossible. Odin was beyond anything Ashborn could hope to fight right now. This was the man who had once battled Galactus and, despite losing in the end, had still managed to knock him out for a moment. That alone was enough to terrify Ashborn.
'Wait… I can just fuse them,' he realized. His mind immediately went to the possibilities. Who should I fuse? He really wanted to kill Magneto and fuse Charles with him—that would be a broken combination. But for now, he had to work with what he already had.
'Odin's main power comes from the Odin Force, so if I put those who can absorb energy on the front lines, I might be able to weaken him.' That was a solid strategy. But another thought hit him… 'My shadows need to train to fully master their power.'
He needed his army to refine their skills, master them, push past their limits, and evolve.
'If Rogue could fully master her power, she wouldn't even need to touch her target to drain them. At that level, she could steal Odin of the Odin Force before he even had a chance to react…' Ashborn thought, his mind racing.
'I'll fuse Rogue with Hope… but I need three more to complete the fusion. Storm will be fused with the Human Torch and Torch… but I still need two more. No, that one can wait. I want Storm to fuse with Thor as well. So, I should pair her with others who control the weather—Zeus, for sure… Thor, Zeus… and who else?'
His thoughts shifted to another fusion. 'Torch, the Human Torch, Surtur… I need a fourth and a fifth. They have to connect in some way…' His gaze slowly shifted toward Susan.
"Give me a list of all ability users and their powers. I need to start fusing those who complement each other—like Rogue and Hope. What's coming is beyond anything we've faced, and we need to be ready," Ashborn said. Susan nodded seriously and turned to leave, heading off to speak with Charles.
It didn't take long for Ashborn to receive the list, and he immediately began sorting through it. After careful consideration, he proceeded with the first fusion—combining Torch, Pyro, and the Human Torch. The result was a new entity Ashborn named The Human Phoenix. With flames that could heal and a body composed entirely of fire, they were effectively immortal.
Next was Charles, who was fused with Kid Omega, Cassandra Nova Xavier, Goblin Queen, and Tildie Soames. Each of these five possessed formidable telepathic abilities.
While Charles was widely regarded as the strongest telepath, many believed Jean Grey held that title. Kid Omega, however, was said to have the greatest potential of them all, surpassing both Charles and Jean in raw telepathic power. It was even foretold that, in the future, he could become the most powerful host the Phoenix Force had ever known.
Cassandra Nova was Charles's twin, and at times, she had demonstrated telepathic abilities strong enough to overpower both him and Jean Grey. However, her powers extended beyond telepathy. One of her most terrifying abilities was DNA Duplication, allowing her to copy the DNA of sentient beings and construct physical bodies for herself. Additionally, she had access to the full spectrum of latent mutant abilities hidden within one's genome, making her an unpredictable and dangerous force.
Then there was the Goblin Queen, better known as Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. While she lacked the full strength of the original, she was still an incredibly powerful telepath with access to dark sorcery, making her a formidable addition to the fusion.
Lastly, Tildie Soames—not well known, but incredibly unique. She was a telepath with the rare ability to manifest her dreams into reality. Originally, Hope had depowered her, but now that she was a shadow, Hope had returned her abilities, restoring her full potential. The power to bring dreams to life was something even Charles Xavier couldn't accomplish, making her an invaluable addition to the fusion.
As for how strong the combined entity was? Ashborn had no idea yet. But seeing the final result, an enormous shadow with an oversized head, he decided to name it Mega Mind.
Ashborn spent hours orchestrating fusions, optimizing his army for the battles ahead. Rogue and Hope became Power, a fusion of unlimited potential. The Thing, Colossus, and the Juggernaut combined into Tank, an unstoppable force of pure durability. And so it continued, as he carefully crafted warriors suited for the coming war.
Ashborn even used one of his 100% Shadow Extraction Chances to bring Franklin Richards back as a shadow. Although Franklin was heavily weakened, he was still shockingly powerful—strong enough to hold his own against most of Ashborn's shadows, even the fused ones.
However, Franklin wasn't revived to be fused with anyone. Instead, he was brought back to work alongside Reed Richards, helping to accelerate their research and production.
Meanwhile, Ashborn was placed inside an illusion created by Mega Mind, where he could train and rapidly develop new skills using [Weapon Overlord]. Until now, he had never considered the shadows as weapon, but once he did, something unexpected happened—[Weapon Overlord] evolved into [Shadow Weapon Overlord], pushing his potential even further.