Marvel: Empire of Power-Chapter 84: The True Legionnaire, and a Gathering of Eagles

Elias Thorne weighed his options for the [5.1 Prime Essence Shards] with the cold, detached precision that had become his hallmark. Expanding his "Alpha Legion" of Feral Legionnaire Hybrids was tempting for immediate battlefield strength. Augmenting himself further held a siren's call of personal power. But his ultimate goal was not just individual supremacy, nor a small pack of elite hunters; it was the creation of a truly superior, replicable superhuman force, a legion bound to his will that could reshape the world's conflicts. The genesis of a [True Legionnaire (Tier 3 Prime)] was the path that aligned most perfectly with this ambition, despite the higher initial cost and risk. One perfect template, fully unlocked, would allow for the eventual creation of an army.

System, he commanded, the decision made. Initiate Genesis: True Legionnaire (Tier 3 Prime). Utilize 5.0 Prime Essence Shards and requisite System Energy. Primary Attributes: Peak Human Transcended (Strength/Speed/Agility – Tier 3 Mid/High), Accelerated Bio-Regeneration (Tier Alpha – Limb Regrowth, Toxin/Disease Immunity, Decelerated Aging), Innate Weapon Mastery & Tactical Supercomputer (Conscious/Subconscious Combat Analysis & Adaptation), Integrated Psionic Defenses (Tier Beta – Impervious to Low/Mid Psionic Attack/Manipulation), Directed Energy Channeling (Kinetic Augmentation/Focused Concussive Blasts/Personal Force Shielding – Tier Gamma). Loyalty Imprint: Praetorian Alpha – Unbreakable, Anticipatory Devotion to Creator-Host. Development Priority: ABSOLUTE.

The System responded with an almost reverent hum, the vault lights dimming as immense power was drawn. freewēbnoveℓ.com

[TIER 3 PRIME LEGIONNAIRE TEMPLATE GENESIS: INITIATED. CONSUMING 5.0 PRIME ESSENCE SHARDS. CURRENT SHARD RESERVE: 0.1/???]

[WARNING: CREATION OF A STABLE TIER 3 PRIME TEMPLATE FROM BASELINE REQUIRES EXTREME ENERGETIC AND COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES. HOST SYSTEM ENERGY RESERVES WILL BE DEPLETED TO MINIMUM OPERATIONAL LEVELS. GENESIS CYCLE: 336 HOURS (14 DAYS) OF SUSTAINED, UNINTERRUPTED HOST FOCUS AND SYSTEM CALIBRATION. ANY FAILURE WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT SHARD LOSS AND POTENTIAL SYSTEM CORE INSTABILITY. PROCEED WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.]

Fourteen days. Twice as long as the "Project Legionnaire" conceptual blueprinting, this was the creation of the actual living template. The energy demand would be colossal, tapping into the profits of his global enterprises. The mental strain on Elias, maintaining focus for two solid weeks while his System birthed this new paragon, would be immense, far exceeding his previous augmentations or the Feral Legionnaire Hybrid evolution.

But the prize... a soldier beyond compare, whose template could then be used to create others at a significantly reduced Shard cost (the System hinted at perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 Shard per subsequent Legionnaire if the Prime Template was successfully stabilized, plus energy).

Proceed. Elias Thorne sank into the System's embrace, his consciousness merging with the swirling energies of creation.

For two weeks, Elias was a ghost in his own machine. His physical body remained motionless in the shielded vault, sustained by intravenous nutrient drips Finch had developed, while his mind, his will, his very essence, wrestled with the abstract, god-like task of forging a perfect soldier from raw Prime Essence and System code. He shaped bone density, neural pathways, energy conduits, loyalty matrices. He imbued the template with the tactical genius of Alexander, the resilience of mountains, the unwavering devotion of a true Praetorian. It was an act of supreme hubris, of alchemical mastery, and it pushed him to the very brink of his own System-enhanced endurance.

Thomas MacIntyre and Anya Petrova managed his global operations with near-autonomy during this period, their loyalty and competence a testament to Elias's careful cultivation. Dr. Finch monitored Elias's vital signs remotely, his worry profound but his faith in his "Creator" (as he sometimes now referred to Elias in his most private thoughts) absolute.

On the fourteenth day, as Elias felt his own consciousness begin to fray, the System finally pulsed with a triumphant, resonant chime that vibrated through his very soul.

[TIER 3 PRIME LEGIONNAIRE TEMPLATE GENESIS: SUCCESSFUL (STABILITY: 98.7% - HOST WILLPOWER AND SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION ACHIEVED PEAK SYNERGY). BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED AND INTEGRATED. ENERGY COST FOR FIRST PRIME LEGIONNAIRE UNIT BESTOWAL (FROM SCRATCH RECRUIT): 350 UNITS + 1.0 PRIME ESSENCE SHARD (CATALYST FOR PRIME TEMPLATE INITIALIZATION). SUBSEQUENT STANDARD LEGIONNAIRE UNITS (FROM BLUEPRINT REPLICATION): 200 UNITS + 0.5 PRIME ESSENCE SHARDS (FOR GENETIC STABILIZATION & PSIONIC IMPRINTING).]

[HOST STATUS: EXTREME SYSTEMIC EXHAUSTION. FULL RECOVERY CYCLE: 96 HOURS. SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT TO HOST'S INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF BIO-ENERGETIC ENGINEERING & TEMPLATE CREATION. ABILITY TO PERCEIVE/MANIPULATE GENETIC CODE (NASCENT – REQUIRES FURTHER DEVELOPMENT) DETECTED.]

He had done it. He possessed the master template for his ultimate soldiers. The cost per subsequent unit was higher than he'd hoped for in terms of Shards (0.5 instead of just energy), but still manageable. And the "nascent ability to perceive/manipulate genetic code" was an unexpected, potentially revolutionary side effect of the intense creation process.

His first priority, once recovered, was to select the candidate for the inaugural "Prime Legionnaire." This soldier would be the benchmark, the paragon. He needed someone exceptional even among his elite Thorne's Guard. His choice fell on a man named Marcus Thorne (no direct relation, but a carefully cultivated "distant cousin" backstory provided an extra layer of deniable loyalty). Marcus was a decorated former Canadian Special Service Force operative, wounded out of the war, possessing a genius-level IQ, unbreakable will, peak human physique (pre-empowerment), and a quiet, absolute devotion to Elias, whom he saw as a visionary leader single-handedly safeguarding Canada's (and by extension, the world's) future. His loyalty was [99% (Ideological Devotion, Personal Veneration of Host)].

The empowerment of Marcus Thorne into the first True Legionnaire was a spectacle. It consumed 350 Energy Units and one of Elias's freshly re-accumulated Prime Essence Shards (brought to [1.3/???] by a recent, minor Hydra asset neutralization by Logan). Marcus emerged from the process... magnificent. He stood nearly seven feet tall, his physique a perfect blend of power and grace, his eyes glowing with a calm, golden light. His strength was immense, his movements blindingly fast. He instinctively understood complex weaponry, and with a mere gesture, could erect a shimmering golden force shield or send a focused kinetic blast through a reinforced steel plate. His loyalty to Elias was no longer just devotion; it was an integral part of his very being. He was, in every sense, Elias's first true Praetorian.

Elias designated him "Legionnaire Primus – Marcus."

With Marcus as his template and field commander, Elias could now begin building his True Legion. But events elsewhere demanded his attention.

Anya's intelligence network delivered startling news. Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, Magneto, were reportedly attempting a discreet, high-level meeting. Not as enemies, but as... potential collaborators. The Cuban Missile Crisis had just shaken the world to its core, bringing humanity to the brink of nuclear annihilation. This near-extinction event, Anya reported, had profoundly affected both mutant leaders. Xavier saw it as proof that humanity, left to its own devices, would inevitably destroy itself and mutants along with it. Magneto saw it as the ultimate validation of his belief in human self-destructiveness and the urgent need for mutants to seize control for their own survival.

Their reported meeting point: a neutral, abandoned weather station on a remote, windswept island in the Hebrides, off the coast of Scotland – a place chosen for its isolation and lack of electronic surveillance.

[CRITICAL INTELLIGENCE: XAVIER/MAGNETO SUMMIT DETECTED. OBJECTIVE: POTENTIAL MUTANT ALLIANCE/UNIFICATION. IMPLICATIONS: FORMATION OF A GLOBAL MUTANT SUPERPOWER (EXTREME THREAT/OPPORTUNITY). RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE OBSERVATION/INTERVENTION.]

A unified mutant front, led by two Omega-level Prime Conduits, was a prospect Elias could not ignore. If they allied, they could challenge every existing power on Earth, including his own carefully constructed network. If they remained divided, or could be kept divided, they represented manageable threats or even potential, individual assets.

Elias decided on direct, personal intervention, but with overwhelming, deniable force. He wouldn't go alone. He would take Legionnaire Primus Marcus – his first true field test. He would also deploy Logan and Miller (who were currently in England, recuperating and re-equipping after their last brutal encounter with Strucker's forces). And for aerial support and rapid exfiltration, he activated O'Malley and the "Blackwood Skunkworks" stealth transport. Thomas and the Alpha Legion Strikers would remain on high alert as a global rapid-response force.

"Professor Xavier and Magneto are meeting to discuss the future of mutantkind, Marcus," Elias said to his new Praetorian, his voice calm, his eyes like chips of ice. "Their vision may not align with our own. We are going to... audit their summit. Ensure that any future they envision includes a prominent, if unseen, role for those who truly understand the nature of power."

Marcus Thorne, Legionnaire Primus, merely inclined his head, his golden eyes glowing with unwavering, absolute loyalty. "As you command, Creator."

The gathering of eagles – Xavier, Magneto, and now Elias Thorne with his nascent Legion – was about to take place on a storm-lashed Scottish isle. The future of the mutant race, and perhaps the world, would be decided in the ensuing clash of titans and ideologies. Elias felt a familiar thrill – the thrill of a master chess player facing two grandmasters, ready to overturn the board if necessary.