Most people would be skeptical, unwilling to completely trust the word of an ordinary eight-year-old boy when facing an unknown enemy.
But this time, when Logan heard Clark's words, he didn't hesitate. He swung his claws to the left, and his attack met the burly man who had just leaped from the bushes.
Logan's claws sliced deep into the opponent's chest. Instead of disabling him, the attack seemed to fuel the man's rage. With a roar, this brute—a monster far stronger than Logan—exploded with terrifying power. He lifted Logan clean off his feet, slammed him to the ground in a heavy thud, and sent him skidding across the snow.
"Damn it! These freaks again!"
Logan cursed under his breath, instinctively rolling to the side. A moment later, the powerful mutant grabbed a large tree trunk and smashed it down exactly where Logan had been. Had he not dodged, the blow would have knocked him unconscious despite his healing factor, leaving Clark and Rogue in mortal danger.
"Get out of my way!"
Scrambling back to his feet, Logan charged at the man, his claws slashing relentlessly. The attacker's cloudy eyes held no hint of sanity, yet he seemed to know everything about Logan. He would rather take a deep wound than risk a disabling cut from the adamantium claws. Logan was completely caught in a stalemate. The enemy was stronger, possessed a similar healing ability, and was intimately familiar with Logan's fighting style. There was no way to end this battle quickly.
Meanwhile, the fire inside the RV was spreading fast. Seeing Logan completely occupied, Clark knew they couldn't wait for him to win.
"Clark, what should I do? I'm trapped!"
Clark had already tried to pull Rogue from the twisted passenger seat, but his strength had not yet fully returned. He couldn't free her. The only option was to remove the burning gas tank before it exploded.
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
Clark's words brought Rogue a moment of relief, but then she saw a horrifying sight in the rearview mirror. Clark opened the back door of the RV and walked directly toward the flaming gas tank. Without any protection, he wrapped his arms around the tank. The tank's surface was over 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and as Clark's bare skin made contact, Rogue could hear the sickening hiss of searing flesh.
"No!"
Clark bit back a scream. The pain was immense, with the flames licking at his clothes. But compared to the agony of ingesting Red Kryptonite, this was something he could endure. Resisting the urge to let go, Clark carried the burning tank out of the RV and ran deep into the woods.
"Clark!" Rogue screamed his name, but he didn't look back. No one knew how much fuel was left, and Clark didn't know how big the explosion would be. He could only run as far as possible.
A deafening BOOM! echoed from deep in the forest, followed by a pillar of flame. Rogue watched in horror as the fiery plume rose above the treeline, and Clark vanished from sight.
"No!" she shrieked, her voice choked with grief.
Logan, fighting the strong man, also saw the explosion. The flames told him everything he needed to know. His eyes went red with fury. He had promised Clark he would get him home safe, and now, barely a day later, the boy's fate was unknown. Guilt and rage consumed him, and he unleashed his full fury on the enemy.
"You're going to die for that!"
The man, now revealed as Sabretooth, let out a bestial roar, completely unfazed by Logan's newfound rage. Aside from occasionally dodging a strike that could sever a limb, neither mutant bothered to evade the other's attacks. Relying on their powerful healing abilities, they absorbed every blow, relentlessly delivering their own lethal attacks in a savage duel between two apex predators.
Because both possessed similar healing factors, this battle of attrition could have gone on for hours. But they were not alone.
Just as Logan prepared to strike, a sticky tongue shot out from the trees, wrapping around his arm.
"What?"
The unexpected attack didn't wound him, but it made Logan pause. Sabretooth seized the moment, lunging forward to knock Logan down. His claws couldn't pierce Logan's skull, but they crushed his eyes, leaving him temporarily blind.
"Agh!"
Even as Sabretooth backed away, Logan screamed in agony. His healing factor was incredible, but it didn't numb the pain. Still, he struggled to get back on his feet, determined to keep fighting. But without his sight, he was defenseless. Sabretooth slowly picked up the discarded tree trunk and, using it like a club, slammed it into Logan's body, knocking him out cold. He crumpled onto the hood of the RV, unconscious.
At last, the second attacker emerged from the woods. He pulled his long tongue back into his mouth and approached Sabretooth.
"Rooaaar!" Sabretooth roared, greeting his comrade not with a hug, but with a warning.
"Alright, I'll let you keep fighting until dark, but don't forget the leader's mission," the second mutant said, his tone a mix of impatience and condescension. "Do you want to be punished?"
Sabretooth showed a flicker of fear when he heard the mention of his leader, then finally calmed down. The two mutants were revealed to be members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Sabretooth and Toad.
"Next, we need to..." Toad began, but he was cut off.
"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to happen."
Like an unyielding ghost, Clark stood at the edge of the clearing, facing the two men. His body was a gruesome sight, covered in blood and cuts from the explosion. A massive gash tore across his abdomen, his internal organs just visible beneath the torn skin.
Despite it all, Clark showed no sign of backing down. Whether they were after Logan, Rogue, or him, he would not let them succeed.