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*****
"Boom! Boom!"
Amid the roaring explosions, Scott stood outside the hidden tunnel, firing one crimson laser beam after another.
Suddenly, several armor-piercing bullets shot toward him.
Just as the rounds were about to pierce Scott's skull, an invisible force froze them midair beside him.
The sudden attack made Scott's brow twitch.
The enemy was at a distance. They clearly knew the X-Men well and wouldn't engage in close combat so easily.
Could Charles, with the help of Cerebro, bypass the Purifier gas perimeter and directly control the people behind it?
That thought had barely formed when streaks of firelight appeared in the sky, falling toward him and the Xavier School.
"What is—!?"
His heart lurched. He dashed into the underground passage and shouted,
"Watch out! There's an atta—"
BOOM! BOOM!
Before he could even finish, deafening explosions drowned out his voice.
Flames and shockwaves crashed down from above.
The missiles turned the entire area into a living hell.
Jean's eyes flashed as she used her power to shield the tunnel entrance, bracing against the fire and concussive force.
John, the Human Torch, thrust his hands toward the doorway. The flames birthed by the explosions were split and redirected to both sides under his control.
"Clatter! Clatter!"
The bombardment shook the whole passage. Stones and debris rained down from above.
"Damn it! Are they insane?!" Logan roared and lunged toward the exit.
But just as he took a step—
BOOM! BOOM!
Another barrage shook the ground violently.
Emma grabbed Logan's arm. "Not now!"
Those missiles couldn't kill him, but if the enemy neutralized his powers with Purifier weapons the moment he stepped out…
"I'll go!" Ororo's eyes blazed.
Dark clouds gathered again—this time not with wind, but lightning.
Bolts leapt from the sky under her command, detonating many of the incoming missiles and artillery shells, stabilizing the situation slightly.
"This won't hold for long," Remy LeBeau muttered beside Charles.
Charles said softly, "Just hold on a bit more. They're almost here."
"They?" Remy blinked, then his eyes lit with realization.
"Superman and Magneto?"
Charles nodded.
Hearing that, both teachers and students felt hope spark and flicker across their faces.
The Xavier School housed a large number of children. While many of them had powers, most abilities weren't suited for combat. After all, this was a school—not a battlefield recruitment center.
And among the students with combat-capable abilities, only a handful had the courage and instinct to actually fight.
Under such conditions, Charles and the teachers saw protecting the students as their first duty, and that responsibility limited what the adults could do.
But if Magneto and Superman arrived—everything changed.
Superman alone could wipe out the enemy.
BOOM! BOOM!
Shells continued raining down. Dust filled the tunnels, and cracks split the reinforced walls.
"Bobby! Dalton!" Emma shouted urgently.
"Got it!"
Two students pressed their hands to the floor and walls.
Instantly, a layer of thick ice spread at startling speed, reinforcing the tunnel as the earth rose up to cover the ice from above.
Seeing this, everyone let out a breath of relief.
Meanwhile, inside the airborne command jet, Secretary of Defense Leon Cohen glanced at a girl huddled in a corner.
His tone was cold. "Go. Execute your mission, Rakshasa."
The girl called Rakshasa rose quietly. In a blink, her body vanished.
Watching her disappear, Leon Cohen actually wiped his palms against his pants, nervous.
She was his true trump card—the weapon he'd prepared against the Xavier School, against Magneto, and even against Superman.
Rakshasa's power was unique—extremely unique.
Anyone who touched her skin would have their life energy, memories, and mutant abilities drained. During the process, the victim would fall into a trance-like state. The longer the contact, the longer Rakshasa could retain and use their powers.
And one more crucial detail: Rakshasa herself was a mutant.
In the chaos, she could easily infiltrate the Xavier School.
Before arriving, she had already absorbed several abilities to aid her mission.
That teleportation just now was one of them.
"Continue firing," Cohen ordered coolly.
The bombardment intensified.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions shook the tunnels nonstop.
Logan's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the surface, fury boiling inside him.
It was maddening.
Emma gently held his hand and shook her head. "We're all angry—but we can't let rage control us now."
With effort, Logan nodded.
Just then, a young mutant cried in panic, "Professor! I see more missiles—way more than before! They're coming down!"
He had telescopic and microscopic vision and had been reporting everything outside since the attack began.
Charles linked their minds and saw through the child's eyes.
Dozens of missiles—over thirty—streaked toward them through the sky.
The enemy wanted to force them out.
Ororo, already fatigued from sustaining her powers, clenched her teeth and pushed harder. Not just lightning this time—gale-force winds whipped up into a raging cyclone that surged upward toward the missiles.
Even so, half of them slipped through.
"I'm going!" Jean muttered and rushed forward.
"Wait." Charles caught her, smiling faintly.
"No need. He's here."
No sooner had he spoken than a figure clad in a purple battle suit descended rapidly from the sky—positioning himself beneath the falling missiles.
Humph.
With a cold snort, Erik raised his hand toward the missiles.
Instantly, they froze midair.
Then, with a disdainful sweep of his arm—rage burning in his eyes—he redirected them outward.
BOOM! BOOM!
Columns of fire erupted across the battlefield. Craters blossomed one after another.
Then Erik reached skyward again—and several vehicles plummeted from the air.
"Aaaah!!"
Screams trailed from the falling cars, only for them to halt abruptly just before hitting the ground.
In that jarring shift from motion to stillness, some FutureTech employees failed to hold back—they retched violently; others practically vomited like fountains.
The scene inside those cars… was not pleasant.
Erik took one look, slipped his helmet on with quiet resignation, and turned his wary gaze back to the sky.
The car doors burst open, and the FutureTech mutants stumbled out.
Victor, temper flaring, roared at Erik, "I'm gonna kill you, Erik!"
Every face glared at him furiously.
They had originally driven toward the school—but midway, Erik deemed the situation too volatile and decided to use his power to fly the vehicles directly.
At first, everyone was thrilled at the idea of "flying in cars." Even when the vehicles were lifted into the air, their excitement held.
But the landing ruined everything.
Erik descended calmly. Facing the cluster of furious eyes, he said blandly, "Looks like they won't be firing those anymore."
Well, no kidding—so long as he was here, missiles were just expensive fireworks.
"You owe us drinks after this!" Victor growled.
Erik shrugged, about to reply—when he saw Charles walking out with the teachers and children.
"You're here," Charles said with a warm smile.
Erik nodded and stepped forward. The two embraced briefly.
Those watching—from FutureTech to Xavier's students—were deeply moved.
These two had sacrificed so much for mutantkind, even while labeled enemies by the world. Now they no longer needed to hide their bond.
"We can talk later," Erik said calmly. "Time to leave."
Charles nodded. "We're counting on you."
Erik gave a low hum. Surveying the battlefield, he smiled slightly.
"There's plenty here I can use."
With that, he activated his power.
In the next moment, every piece of metal on the battlefield trembled and soared toward him, assembling and fusing at his side.
He was constructing a large carriage—enough to carry all the children and lift them to safety.
With him around, no missile or weapon containing even a trace of metal could pose a threat. As for the Purifier gas, Ororo could dispel it with ease.
"Someone's coming."
Everyone looked up to see several figures approaching.
"Avengers?" Erik said the words with a mocking curl of his lips.
Charles's expression hardened. "My powers don't work on them—looks like they're using psychic dampeners."
Erik gave a barely perceptible nod. As the group drew closer, he spoke coldly:
"Avengers—did you come here to die?"
With just that one sentence, the air froze.
Everyone present glared at the newcomers with fury.
Except for Falcon and War Machine, five of the Avengers had arrived in person.
Under the crushing pressure, General Ross—leading them—stiffened visibly before speaking slowly,
"What's happened here… none of us wanted things to reach this point."
A ripple of scornful laughter and cold glares answered his words.
Ross sighed. "Give up. You have no hope of winning. This is your last chance."
"We're only here to take Magneto and Professor X. If anyone else stands in our way or opposes us, I can't guarantee what happens next."
"Now—make your choice."
(End of Chapter)