After completing several pieces of equipment, Marcus took out the Devil's Touch.
In addition to crafting equipment accessories these past few days, he had also made some modifications to the Devil's Touch.
Knowing that the Devil's Touch was made of biological tissue and offered poor defense against sharp weapons, Marcus planned to attach a layer of metal shielding to it.
The metal shield would not only enhance the defensive capabilities of the Devil's Touch but also improve its offensive power by allowing electrical current from the discharge device to spread throughout the entire whip.
Compared to his previous work, this modification was remarkably simple. It didn't take long for Marcus to complete the transformation.
Now the Devil's Touch gleamed silver-white. Looking closely, you could see countless metal scales covering the entire length of the whip. These scales locked tightly together, with no looseness no matter how Marcus swung it.
"This feels quite nice, and..." Marcus activated the discharge device, sending a current of electricity surrounding the whip. "I doubt anyone can withstand this weapon now!"
With a slight flick of his wrist, the Devil's Touch curled up and returned to his hand.
...
Hellfire Club
Shaw sat on the sofa with one arm in a cast and bandages wrapped around his body, examining the young man standing before him.
"Riptide, is this the new member you mentioned?"
The guy in front of him looked like a common thug with nothing special about him. However, Shaw was quite satisfied with the expression on the man's face—he could tell at a glance this was someone unhinged.
"That's right!" Riptide, sitting in a wheelchair, nodded. He had met this guy while recovering from his injuries. "Ron, show your abilities to the Black King!"
Hearing Riptide's order, Ron's hands instantly ignited with hot flames, and the temperature of the entire room began to rise.
"Fire powers? Impressive. Azazel will take him for testing!"
As soon as Shaw finished speaking, Ron—hands still burning with flames—disappeared. Shaw and Riptide turned to look through the glass window behind them.
On the other side was an open field. Ron, who had just vanished, now stood at the edge of the area with Azazel behind him, leaning on crutches.
"Now's your chance to perform. Prove your worth to the Black King!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a heavy human-shaped metal plate rose from the ground in the field.
After seeing the target, Ron didn't hesitate for a moment. The flames burning in his hands transformed into two pillars of fire and shot toward the metal plate.
The intense heat quickly turned the metal red-hot. Under everyone's watchful gaze, it gradually began to twist and deform, finally melting into a pool of molten iron on the ground.
"This is my power!" Ron turned to look at Shaw on the other side of the glass, raising his hands excitedly.
"Your ability is impressive, but if you want to join the club, ability alone isn't enough!"
Shaw was quite satisfied with Ron's power, but letting him join so easily wouldn't do. Besides, they still had major plans in motion, so they needed to test this new recruit with a task.
Looking down at his own wounds and those of his companions, he felt the injuries throb with pain.
"That damn guy!" As he spoke, an idea formed in his mind. "Let's have this recruit bring in more members and cause some chaos!"
Since they couldn't match Marcus in direct confrontation, they'd create disorder everywhere, forcing the mutants to spread themselves thin, completely bogging them down.
Shaw awarded Ron the title of Black Knight and tasked him with recruiting more of his kind to sow destruction across the country.
Sitting by the window, Shaw smiled as he watched Ron, now wearing a leather jacket covered with metal studs.
"Let's stir up some trouble! Let's throw this world into chaos!"
With enough disorder, those mutants would be too busy to worry about him, allowing his plans to continue unhindered.
"It's a shame Emma was captured!" Thinking of the imprisoned White Queen, Shaw couldn't help feeling regretful. "Azazel, keep an eye out for news about Emma and look for traces of anyone with psychic abilities!"
Psychics were invaluable. Even if he couldn't recover the White Queen, he needed to find a replacement.
...
After finishing his research, Marcus returned to the group. Though they saw him again, they didn't show much emotional reaction.
Everyone was focused on their training, which was clearly producing results. Their teamwork had improved significantly compared to before.
"Looks like everyone's doing pretty well!"
"Indeed, they've got serious talent, especially Raven. Her fighting abilities are outstanding!"
Logan nodded slightly with a cigar in his mouth. As the trainer who had taken over for Marcus, he was very satisfied with everyone's abilities and cooperation.
They had all been training intensely these past days, each one determined to maximize their potential.
Though he couldn't help everyone master their abilities directly, he had assistance. Charles was remarkably talented—while ensuring everyone maintained their training regimen, he had also developed specialized training plans for each person's unique mutant abilities.
Charles deserved significant credit for everyone's obvious progress.
"Seems you have high expectations for them. Let me test their results!"
As Marcus spoke, he drew out the Devil's Touch and cracked it against Darwin.
Snap!
The whip struck Darwin's body with a crisp sound that caught everyone's attention.
They clearly saw Darwin's body transform into metal as the metallic-gleaming whip made contact.
"Don't just stand there—this is a test for all of you!"
Marcus smiled, and with a slight flick of his wrist, wrapped the whip tightly around Darwin's body.
Suddenly, electric current appeared, circling the length of the whip. Darwin, trapped in its coils, was violently shocked.
However, Darwin's adaptation speed had obviously improved. A metal mesh structure rapidly formed across his skin's surface, channeling all the electricity safely into the ground.
"A Faraday cage? Seems like he's been studying quite a bit lately!"
Marcus swung the whip hard, sending Darwin flying, but even this didn't faze him.
A layer of membrane quickly grew on his limbs, allowing him to glide through the air until, with Angel's help, he landed safely.
"Well..." Marcus nodded in approval. "Good teamwork. Now... next!"
The whip lashed out again, this time targeting Hank. Facing the incoming attack, Hank crouched slightly and stretched out his hand to grab the whip.
His power flowed through his entire body, his enhanced strength helping him withstand the tremendous force of the strike.
As he caught the whip, Hank took several steps backward but successfully maintained his grip on Marcus's weapon.
"Haha, I caught it!!!"
Looking at the excited Hank, Marcus smiled even more broadly.
"Yes, you caught it—but have you considered the consequences?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whip surged with electricity again. The violent current instantly spread throughout Hank's body, causing his hands to clench even tighter around the whip.
Looking at Hank, whose entire body was twitching from the electric shock, Marcus laughed and swung the whip, tossing him back toward the group.