Scorch marks and craters marred the landscape. Trees lay uprooted like matchsticks. Entire sections of the mansion had been leveled with some frozen over and shattered, others reduced to rubble by seismic waves caused by Lance or licked clean by fire caused by pyro.
The Danger Room and an entire classroom wing were now exposed to the open sky, shattered steel girders sticking out like broken ribs.
It had been less than half an hour since the Brotherhood launched their ambush and it was already hell.
Toad was out cold, his body twitching every now and then where he lay buried beneath chunks of debris forgotten by everyone including his teammates. Pietro had delivered a blur-fast strike that left Jubilee unconscious, her body curled beneath a collapsed pillar. Cyclops bled from a nasty gash on his forehead, Jean shielding him as she heaved for breath.
Blob was a force of nature and immovable. He plowed through the structure like a wrecking ball with legs. Jean's telekinesis strained to hold him back, sweat beading across her forehead as she pushed herself to the limit.
Pyro continued his assault in intervals, lighting up the surrounding with fireballs trying to catch most of them off guard. It was only Iceman who kept him in check with well-timed bursts of cold blasts. Still, even Bobby looked ragged now.
Rogue, having lost Logan's mutation, was locked in a desperate dance with Lance. Every time she closed the gap, he stomped the ground and split the earth beneath her. The terrain became a minefield of fractures and pitfalls now that Jubilee was out of the picture it was getting for her to keep up.
———————
Logan and Sabretooth were locked in a feral duel under the trees. Sabertooth lunged, claws slashing and as Logan ducked, he m lunged back only for Sabretooth to hook around, claws plunging straight into Logan's lower back, impaling his spine with a sickening crack.
"RAAAARGH!" Logan howled as he was hoisted into the air like a skewered animal.
But he wasn't done and with a snarl, he twisted his body yanking himself off and sank his claws into Sabretooth's arm, severing muscles and sinew. Sabertooth roared, letting go but Logan landed, crouched, spun and drove both claws deep into Sabretooth's shoulders.
"Getting real tired of your face," Logan growled through bloodied teeth.
Sabretooth's eyes blazed with rage. He brought both claws up slammed them into Logan's kidneys. Logan screamed, dropping to a knee, his claws retracted and punched upward bringing out his claw and piercing the side of Sabretooth's neck, just shy of the artery.
He raised his other claw ready to finish it.
And then
BOOOOOOOM!
An eruption of force tore through the forest, launching both men like ragdolls. A second later another detonation followed, this one at the mansion.
The force hit like a sledgehammer.
WHAM! Pietro was hurled through a wall and disappeared into the collapsed hallway.
CRASH! Jean barely dropped a shield around herself and Scott in time. The others weren't so lucky.
Rogue was flung across the courtyard, skidding to a stop near the garden ruins. Bobby was blasted backward, his ice armor cracking due to the force. Kurt bamfed just in time to avoid being pancaked by a falling oak.
Only Blob remained standing but even he winced, bringing up his massive arm up to shield his eyes.
Wanda and Mystique… were gone.
The field went still, smoke rising from two fresh craters at different points.
The one in the forest hissed with steam. As the smoke cleared, a metallic figure was revealed. It was massive, dented, and slumped.
The Hulkbuster suit groaned and hissed, steam venting from damaged joints. Its red-and-gold armor was cracked. One entire arm was missing.
The head unit clicked then lifted open.
From within, Tony Stark climbed out, still encased in his base Iron Man suit, though that too looked like it had been dragged through war. His HUD flickered erratically, sparks shooting from the exposed side of his shoulder. He stumbled forward, coughing.
"Jarvis," he croaked, "Diagnostics. Now."
"Diagnostics running," the AI replied. "Hulkbuster integrity at 13%. Primary armor severely compromised. Left arm detached. Power reserves at… 7%. Your core suit is at 16%, sir."
Tony groaned. "Could've just said I'm boned."
He staggered toward the edge of the crater, glancing upward.
"Where's Juggernaut?"
"Trajectory indicates he landed approximately 120 meters away directly at the school."
"…Of course he did. And Spider-Man?"
A long pause.
"I am… unable to locate him."
Tony cursed under his breath, then stood tall. "Let's go see the big guy."
_________________
Back at the far edge of the school grounds, Storm was doing her best to calm the terrified students. Beast stood beside her, communicating with Charles.
"I must return," Hank said. "The others need help—"
THUD.
The ground shook violently. Not like Lance's tremors that had been consistent and weaker. This was much heavier and dreadful. A second THUD followed.
Hank turned his head toward the noise. "What now…?"
He looked back and frowned.
The Professor's eyes were wide.
"Charles… what is it?" Beast asked.
Xavier's voice was unusually tight. "We have a… very unwelcome company."
"Who?" Xavier turned slightly, his voice heavy with reluctant truth. "Cain Marco. My stepbrother. He bonded with a demonic entity called Cyttorak to forcibly awaken his X-gene. The result made him something else entirely."
Beast blinked. "You're telling me he did this… I heard about that and how hard it was to stop him?"
"Years ago, he tried to kill me. The damage reached five city blocks. We subdued him but barely and locked him deep within the Raft in a forced sleep."
Storm's face paled. "Then he's awake now… Charles, what do we do?"
Xavier didn't answer immediately.
"…Charles?"
The Professor stared out toward the forest, his expression unreadable. "Are you afraid we can't stop him?"
Beast nodded slowly. "Yes. Aren't you?"
"I know we can't," Xavier said flatly. "Not by conventional means. He isn't just powerful he's also unstoppable. Once he begins to move, nothing in this world can stop him. Not even me."
Beast looked at him, confused. "But can't you—?"
"I can't reach him," Xavier said coldly. "The helmet he wears blocks me completely. My mind can't penetrate it unless he's directly in my line of sight—and even then, only if it's removed. Otherwise… I'm blind to him."
With a heavy turn of his chair, Charles extended his mind toward the forest searching and hoping to find Logan…
---
Back at the crater near the field, the smoke finally cleared. Jean dropped the shield as her feet touched down. Her eyes scanned the area…
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Scott shouted.
Jean floated higher and gasped. She reached out mentally to the presence that had landed.
Only to find a cold wall of nothing. A mental wall she couldn't breach.
Pietro groaned, dragging himself out of the hole he made in the wall. Lance and Pyro also staggered to their feet, wobbling as they looked toward the source of the explosion.
Bobby rose from a block of ice, encased again in armor, Kurt bamfing beside him, panting.
Rogue clutched her ribs, wincing.
And then they heard a voice as loud as thunder.
"CHAAAAAARLES! WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE BROTHER?! It's time for a family reunion! Come on out and stop being such a little pussy!"
The smoke parted and Juggernaut stepped from the crater.
Towering and Impossibly broad. The crimson helmet covered his entire head. His arms bulged with energy pulsing beneath his skin. Each footstep split the ground further due to his weight.
"Come out, Chuck!" he bellowed again. "Bring your kiddie crew! I got plenty of discipline to hand out!"
Storm and Beast finally arrived on the scene. Storm stepped forward, lightning crackling behind her.
"You are not welcome here," she said firmly. "Return to wherever you came from."
Juggernaut chuckled. A low, bone-rattling rumble.
"Aww, that's cute. You think this is a request."
Beast tensed, eyes fixed on his stance.
Oh, he definitely knew.
Storm knew too.
This wasn't a negotiation.
This was a war.
And the Juggernaut had just declared it.
Read an advance of 10+ chapters on my Patreon🌚🌚🌚🌚
Patreon.com/Fredozy