Marvel: Rise of the Ultimate AI

His scream was drowned in his throat. Before he could react, his body went completely numb.

From the hand Hive had placed on James's shoulder, a swarm of parasitic organisms poured out, engulfing him entirely.

James could feel his body rotting, decaying. He wanted to scream, to struggle—but no sound escaped him.

The parasites dissolved his body, molecule by molecule, and then returned to Hive's form. A radiant blue glow burst from Hive's body as he let out a furious roar.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of parasites surged from his frame, swarming toward the shocked Inhumans in the control room.

They didn't even have time to scream before they were absorbed into Hive's body, becoming a part of him.

Hive bellowed again. The sheer power erupting from his form blew apart parts of the missile control console, sparks flying in every direction.

Consuming Inhumans granted him their powers. But until now, Hive had only consumed humans.

In his mind, humans were deviants, but Inhumans were kin.

He had always refused to consume his own kind. For thousands of years, he'd clung to this rule. But today—he broke it.

Because today, for the first time since his exile to the stars, he felt truly desperate. Not even back when he was scraping for survival on alien worlds had he felt such crushing hopelessness.

His grand plan hadn't even started, and already it was unraveling.

But if achieving his grand vision meant sacrificing his last shred of conscience—then so be it.

Magneto and Namor stood frozen, watching Hive absorb the others one by one. Now, the only one left alive in the room was Dr. Chris, frantically working to rewrite the missile control program.

"I'm sorry, my allies," Hive said solemnly, turning to the tense Magneto and Namor. "But I must ask you to become a part of me too. I will carry your dreams forward."

With a wave of his arm, a deadly fog of parasites surged toward them.

The two legends fought back with all their might, resisting the engulfing swarm. But it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with bare hands.

Just as the swarm was about to consume them, the massive alloy door of the control center slammed open with a thunderous bang.

The broken door flew backward, crashing into the missile control station and demolishing it in a burst of fire and sparks.

Amid the smoke and flashing lights, a crimson V-shaped visor cut through the haze.

Gene.

Hive immediately halted his devouring. A burst of powerful telekinesis exploded from his body, blowing away the smoke cloud.

He stared at the black armor standing across from him, seething with rage.

He'd absorbed countless Inhumans, and even part of Magneto and Namor. Energy surged through him like a storm.

Electric fields erupted from his skin, lightning arcing from every pore, twisting the metal in the room.

He tried to seize control of the black armor's metal—but nothing happened.

With a guttural roar, Hive unleashed a torrent of silver-white electricity, reducing everything in the control room to cinders. The lightning slashed forward like a divine blade, stabbing straight at Gene.

When the blinding flash faded and the smoke cleared, the crimson light of Gene's V-shaped visor still glowed, undisturbed.

Not a single scratch marked his obsidian armor.

"My turn."

Gene's voice was cold enough to freeze the air itself.

The armor's power systems surged, and his right arm morphed into a gleaming longsword. With lightning speed, he slashed toward Hive.

Panic surged in Hive's heart.

He had just absorbed a massive amount of energy and thought he could finally go toe-to-toe with Gene.

But that one exchange told him the bitter truth: he wasn't even close.

"GRAAAH!" Hive screamed, unleashing his powers.

He drew moisture from the air, forming a watery shield before him. At the same time, his body blurred as he launched a flurry of attacks.

His punches were so fast they seemed to bend space, slamming toward Gene like meteors.

Gene's visor flickered.

His AI brain core calculated the optimal response in milliseconds.

With a flick of his longsword, Gene deflected Hive's punch effortlessly.

"Sssshhk!"

The sound of metal cutting flesh echoed through the room.

Hive's two hands hit the ground with a sickening thud. From the severed stumps, a swarm of parasites burst out in panic, retreating into his body.

His face twisted in pain, but his powerful regenerative abilities kicked in instantly, restoring his arms in a flash.

Then Hive let out a furious roar, unleashing a devastating subsonic shockwave.

The force was immense—metal walls shattered into dust. Absorbing Magneto's powers, Hive manipulated the surrounding metallic debris into a massive curved blade.

"DIE!!" he bellowed, sending the metal blade and a solidified subsonic shockwave hurtling toward Gene.

Suddenly, a milky-white shield appeared in front of Gene.

Hive's metal blade and the devastating shockwave slammed into the circular shield.

With a gentle shimmer of white light, the shield absorbed and neutralized the entire attack—effortlessly.

"Impossible…" Hive gasped.

But even before he could finish that thought, a sharp swordlight flashed in his eyes—racing straight toward him.

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