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Just as the wolf and its rider were about to charge forward, a blue portal appeared directly in front of Three-Eyes.
Three-Eyes, sprinting at full speed, couldn't stop in time and rushed straight into the portal, carrying Gwen with him.
But after passing through, they ended up right back where they started.
Gwen cursed under her breath, glaring at the sixth enemy who had opened a portal. The killing intent in her eyes grew sharper.
"Ah!"
With a series of screams, the man who had been ignited by the Flames of Vengeance—an opponent known for his speed—was burned to ashes within the blue fire.
Under Gwen's control, the Flames of Vengeance could shift from harmless to deadly in an instant.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Three-Eyes turned into a swamp, attempting to swallow him whole.
But the blue flames burning on his claws spread violently, instantly evaporating the swamp's moisture. With Gwen on his back, he lunged toward the enemy.
Vines burst from the ground—dozens, even hundreds of them—twisting together into thick tendrils like giant tentacles, each tens of meters long. They slammed down toward Gwen, releasing clouds of yellow poisonous pollen that spread through the air like a toxic mist.
Gwen gave a faint scoff, leaping lightly from Three-Eyes' back. She easily evaded the tentacles' strikes, fired a strand of web at one of them, and gave a sharp tug. Landing atop the vine, she stomped down hard. Instantly, blue flames erupted and spread across the tendril, corrupting it under her control.
The corrupted vine acted like a colossal hand, flinging Gwen forward with immense force and hurling her directly at the enemy.
At the same time, Three-Eyes barreled into the enemy ranks, claws and fangs ripping into the clones.
With a roar, he brought his claws down at the enemy who controlled the earth.
But mid-swing, his claws grew impossibly heavy, veering off course and slamming into the ground.
It was another enemy—one with gravity manipulation—who had forced the weight upon him.
Three-Eyes snapped his head around, unleashing a torrent of flame from his maw. The fiery breath engulfed the short man, burning him to ashes. As the enemy perished, the gravity vanished, freeing Three-Eyes once more. Without pause, he lunged again at the earth-controlling foe.
Meanwhile, Gwen, hurled by the corrupted vine, descended from above. She landed before the portal-wielding enemy just as he attempted to open another escape route. A web shot out, yanking him back toward her. She slammed him behind her, using his body as a shield to block incoming ice projectiles. Moments later, he was nothing more than a corpse.
Enemies who wielded spatial powers were particularly troublesome. With them around, even retreat became a struggle.
Such opponents always had to be eliminated first by the Star Exterminators.
More ice blasts and vines surged at her, but Gwen leapt high, bounding across the ice projectiles. She shot two webs at the ground near two enemies, pulled herself forward like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye landed between them.
With graceful precision, she seized both their throats. Blue flames surged from her palms, and the two enemies were reduced to ashes.
Elsewhere, Three-Eyes ripped the head off the last foe with his jaws.
Screams echoed as the surrounding crowd scattered. Beneath her skull mask, Gwen remained perfectly calm.
She was long accustomed to scenes like this.
But the next moment, when another blue portal appeared nearby, she finally snapped.
"Enough already!"
She dashed toward it, firing webs that wrapped around the portal, caging it like a bird trapped in wires.
Gripping one strand, she gave a sharp command. Blue flames surged along the webbing, igniting the cage.
The enemies who tried to charge out slammed into the burning webbing, shrieking as they were incinerated into ash.
The portal vanished.
Gwen grinned slightly, about to leave—when suddenly more portals opened around her, forming a mirrored wall that encircled her completely.
She froze for a moment. So… they were truly determined to kill her this time?
"Hah! Then bring it on!"
With a low growl, the flames on her body flared, exploding outward in a frenzy of power.
But as figures began stepping out of the portals, Gwen's eyes widened. Her mind went blank, and her flames trembled with her body.
Logan. Raven. Hank McCoy. Scott. Steve. Pietro…
The faces that emerged were clones of fallen X-Men and Avengers.
Staring at those familiar faces—even knowing they weren't real, just enemy constructs designed to torment her—Gwen felt her chest tighten with unbearable grief. She couldn't summon the will to fight.
More clones appeared by the second: four Logans, three Steves…
Gwen scanned the crowd, searching for her loved ones' faces. Not seeing Charles or Erik brought both disappointment and relief.
If those two had appeared, she would have truly broken down.
But even now, facing so many familiar faces, she couldn't bring herself to strike.
At that moment, with a burst of fiery light, Harry descended from the sky on his Goblin Glider, flanked by Peter and Luke. They landed beside Gwen.
"What are you doing here?" Gwen snapped. But none of the three responded.
"This… this is…"
Peter, in his red-and-blue Spider-Man suit, stared in disbelief at the enemies surrounding them. His face twitched violently beneath his mask.
"Damn it. The Celestials are sick," Harry muttered bitterly from behind his demon mask, clad in his alloy armor.
Luke, wearing a black X-Men uniform with an X symbol on his chest, shouted in anger. Then, glancing nervously at the closing circle of enemies, he asked anxiously, "What do we do now?"
"Luke, activate your ability! You and I will ride Three-Eyes and break through! Peter, you and Harry take the glider and escape first!" Gwen barked quickly.
Their expressions made it clear—they, too, couldn't bear to strike the clones.
The three nodded and immediately acted.
Luke gave a sharp cry, unleashing his power.
An invisible field of purification radiated outward from him, ten meters in diameter. Within this zone, all mutant abilities ceased to function.
But the moment his ability spread, the enemies halted at the field's edge, refusing to step inside.
Seeing this, Gwen cursed again, while Peter, Harry, and Luke's faces darkened.
This was bad.
Just as they steeled themselves for a bloody battle, a swirling golden portal suddenly opened beneath their feet.
In an instant, four people and one wolf fell through, vanishing before the enemy's eyes.
(End of Chapter)