Lucci looked at the scene and spoke lightly. "Hulk, don't act rashly." The unstoppable Hulk, charging at full speed—his giant body screeched to a halt! He stopped less than ten meters from Magneto! And, to the stunned gazes of the Brotherhood mutants, this green giant, who had just been a god of destruction, now spoke in a deeply respectful, almost meek voice: "Yes… teacher."
Silence! Complete silence! When the word 'teacher' came from Hulk's mouth, everyone was dumbfounded. This terrifying monster who could shatter alloys with a punch… was sincerely calling that man… teacher? Even Magneto was even more shocked! The metal storm behind him flickered with instability due to his mental disarray! He stared at Lucci, then at the obedient Hulk, a shocking thought rising in his chest! This terrifying green giant… did this man bring him?
At this moment, Professor X finally breathed a sigh of relief, wheeling himself forward to speak. "Erik, I didn't invite you here to fight!"
Magneto collected himself, landed from the air, and with a wave of his hand, the metal storm behind him shattered into countless pieces, clattering to the ground. Frowning, he looked at Charles, who was calm and steady, and asked, "You… aren't being controlled?"
"Of course not!" Professor X sighed helplessly. "Seems my letter may have caused some misunderstanding." He carefully recalled the content—knowing Erik's character, it was reasonable for him to suspect he was being controlled, and perhaps he had been a bit careless. "If you want to talk, let's do it in my office."
Professor X invited him. Magneto hesitated briefly, glanced at his embarrassed subordinates, then at the composed X-Men, and finally nodded. He also wanted to know what had happened to Charles and this school! So he told his subordinates to wait outside, took Mystique with him, and followed the Professor X group to the principal's office.
As they walked, Magneto sharply noticed that Charles, when steering his wheelchair, was subconsciously half a step behind the mysterious man. It was the posture of a subordinate to a master, a student to a teacher, showing unconscious respect! That man seemed to be the true master of this school! Magneto felt even more unsettled… What had happened?
Soon, everyone returned to the office. Magneto stared directly at Professor X and got straight to the point. "Charles. What did you mean in your letter about a miracle?"
Mystique stood behind Erik, her gaze at Professor X full of suspicion and vigilance. She needed an explanation—one that could reassure and convince her.
But Professor X didn't answer immediately. He looked at Lucci, his voice calm and solemn. "Erik, Raven. Before I answer your questions, let me introduce someone." "This is Prince Lucci." He bowed his head respectfully to Lucci as he spoke, then turned back. "Prince Lucci, this is my friend Erik Lehnsherr, and Raven."
Lucci nodded slightly in greeting. But Magneto and Mystique were both shocked. Prince Lucci? What sort of 'Prince Lucci'?
Erik immediately frowned. He had traveled the world and met plenty of royalty and aristocrats. But hearing Charles use the title 'Prince Lucci' in such a solemn manner… there was something unspeakably strange about it.
"Charles, what are you doing?" Magneto's suspicion only deepened. Professor X answered gravely, "Erik. What I'm about to say next will overturn everything you thought you knew. It will be unbelievable. But for the sake of decades of friendship and our fight for mutantkind's future, I assure you—everything I say is true! So I need you to promise me—no matter what you hear, don't act impulsively. Listen to everything I have to say."
Looking into Charles' clear, earnest eyes, Magneto's heart suddenly sank! He'd never seen Charles like this! No longer the naive idealist or the stubborn rationalist. Standing before him was Charles, filled with a complex mix of awe, hope, and solemnity—like someone who had glimpsed the truth, able to change the world and everything in it!
With this, Magneto's doubts only multiplied. But thinking of his long friendship with Professor X, he finally nodded after glancing at Mystique. "Alright. I promise. I want to see what you can say that'll overturn my beliefs!"
With Magneto's promise, Professor X breathed a sigh of relief, organized his thoughts, and began.
"Erik, the first thing I want to say is this… Prince Lucci, he is… not human. Nor… a mutant."
The moment those words came out, Magneto and Mystique froze! Not human? Not a mutant? Then what was he?
Without giving them time to process, Professor X continued in a near-reverent, sacred tone: "Prince Lucci is the Crown Prince of the legendary divine realm, Asgard! He is the miracle I spoke of in my letter!"
Boom—When the words "Asgard," "Crown Prince," and "miracle" left Professor X's mouth so clearly, Magneto and Mystique were both stunned! Asgard? The legendary home of the gods, ruled by Odin? Divine realm? Miracle?
After a long silence, Magneto seemed to awaken from a nightmare! He suddenly took a step forward, staring solemnly at Professor X. "Charles! Do you know what you're saying? God? Are you telling me… about gods?"
Magneto's voice was full of disbelief.
Professor X gave a helpless, bitter smile. He could completely understand Erik's feelings. In fact, if he hadn't experienced it all himself, he'd have reacted even more violently than Erik a few days ago.
"Erik, you promised. Listen to me." Professor X's voice was calm yet carried undeniable authority, calming Magneto slightly. Magneto and Mystique exchanged glances, seeing undisguised disbelief in each other's eyes. Mystique couldn't help but whisper, "Charles, this is nonsense! You know these are stories made up by ancient humans to explain powers they didn't understand!"
"No, Raven. They're not just stories." Professor X shook his head, looking distant and deep. "It's because we knew too little in the past."
Magneto fell silent. He glanced at Lucci, then at Charles, and finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. "Alright… keep going." He wanted to see what could make Charles believe such nonsense.
Professor X nodded and continued. "It all started a few days ago. That day, as usual, I was using Cerebro to scan for mutants worldwide. Suddenly, I sensed something I'd never touched before… a mysterious network enveloping the entire planet."
"Later, Prince Lucci told me it was called the 'MagicNet.' When I tried to trace its source, Prince Lucci arrived with Hulk, tearing space apart, and his very presence became the center of the MagicNet…"
"…Later, I saw, in Prince Lucci' hands—the future of mutants!"
The moment he mentioned "future," Magneto and Mystique's hearts skipped a beat! Professor X didn't stop, continuing: "I saw a desperate future. Sentinels—terror weapons designed by humans to hunt mutants, spreading across the globe. They could replicate each of our powers, slaughtering our people! Cities in ruins, the world in flames… In that future, we… lost our way. We lost so much."
Mystique's face turned pale as paper! Sentinels? Massacres? That future was horrific! Magneto said nothing, but his fist clenched unconsciously.
"Later, Prince Lucci told me Earth still faces many external threats… He is from Kamar-Taj, a sanctuary of magic…"
"It was then that I realized—there are always people protecting the world, even in corners we know nothing about! From that moment, I realized how small our mutant's world truly was…"
A sanctuary of magic, Kamar-Taj? The power of time? Mystique was shaken. Her worldview kept shattering.
"And then?" Magneto asked.
"Then, Prince Lucci spoke of the Nine Realms." Professor X gazed at Lucci with reverence. "Earth is called Midgard in the wider universe, one of the nine great kingdoms. His father is the lord of the Nine Realms, Odin, father of the gods!"
"Prince Lucci' arrival brought us a new power system, and a new path! What you saw outside—the changes in Logan and the others—all happened thanks to Prince Lucci' guidance these past few days!"
"Prince Lucci can lead mutants to true glory, not through internal strife with humans, but through a real future!"
Taking a breath, Professor X finished everything. The office fell into a dead silence once more.
Mystique's mind went blank. It was like hearing tales of science fiction, magic, and mythology—all at once. Each word was filled with a powerful impact! Could gods really exist in this world? Could magic be real? Was this fake?
Even Magneto was dizzy from the vastness of the information, but his strong will kept him sane. After a long silence, he suddenly looked up and asked Professor X an unrelated question. "Charles, do you remember the time we first joined forces against Shaw on the Cuban beach?"
He continued, "I told you something then. What was it?" This was a secret only they knew!
Professor X looked at his old friend's wary eyes and smiled, answering softly, "You told me then: 'Peace was never an option.'"
Hearing the answer, Magneto's tense body trembled! He was sure! Charles… was telling the truth! So, everything he said… could it all be true?
"Ah!" Magneto suddenly turned, glaring at Lucci with eyes like blades. His voice was hoarse and strained. "You… are you really… a god?"
Faced with Magneto's question, Lucci put down his teacup and met Magneto's gaze calmly. "If you don't believe it, try it yourself." He knew people like Erik Lehnsherr had pride, arrogance, and unyielding spirits down to their bones. Their strength was founded on absolute confidence in their own power. For such people, no amount of words would suffice. The best way was to let them experience it—true power and despair. Crush their pride at the root, in the most direct, arrogant, and unreasonable way! That was more convincing than anything else!
Hearing Lucci's words, Magneto's eyes immediately froze under his helmet! A fierce fighting spirit surged from his body!
"Good! That's what I want!" That's what he'd been waiting for! Whether the other was the prince of Asgard or a legendary god, it didn't matter. In his own domain, under the authority of electromagnetic force he controlled, he was invincible!
"Then, let's go outside!" Magneto's voice regained its former cold arrogance and confidence. He had no desire to destroy Charles' office with his powers.
Lucci nodded indifferently and stood up from the sofa. Under Magneto and Mystique's shocked gazes, he simply snapped his fingers.
"Snap!" A crisp sound echoed. The office space rippled violently again! The next moment! When Magneto and Mystique regained their vision, they were back on the mansion lawn!
Professor X, Hank, and Lucci all stood quietly before them. And in the distance, the Brotherhood members waiting in the wings were startled to see their leader and the mysterious figure suddenly appear. Everyone was shocked!
"Huh? Boss… how did you get here?"
"Was that… instant teleportation?"
Even though Magneto and Mystique were prepared, experiencing Lucci's unique spatial teleportation firsthand was incomparable! It was unimaginably stable and powerful, with none of the dizziness mutants usually suffered when using space powers.
Magneto took a deep breath to suppress the storm in his chest! This only made his fighting spirit burn brighter!
"Now this is interesting!" His eyes sparkled with excitement as he roared! The stronger and more mysterious his opponent, the more he wanted to fight! Today, he'd show this so-called 'prince of the gods' just how mighty the power of earth's strongest mutant truly was!
"Come on!" Magneto shouted angrily, spreading his arms! This was a move he'd repeated thousands of times! He was ready to gather the Earth's magnetic field, to turn all surrounding metals and even veins deep underground into his weapons!
...
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