"My… my power…"
Magneto slowly lowered his arms, his face a mix of embarrassed disbelief. His body trembled violently, not from anger or the exertion of power, but from something far deeper within his soul…
Fear!
"What's become of my ability?"
He stared at his hands in despair. Once, with a mere thought, he could flip aircraft carriers, move the Golden Gate Bridge, and conjure steel fortresses from nothing. But now…
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even levitate a coin!
From the heights to the dust in a single fall!
Such independence—what meaning did it have now?
This was harder to accept than if he had simply been killed!
"No… Impossible!"
He suddenly looked up; for the first time, his eyes beneath the helmet were filled with desperation and terror.
Being a mutant was his greatest pride. Losing that identity was more unbearable than death itself.
He glared at Lucci, his voice shaking with shock and fear.
"It was you! You did this, didn't you?!"
"You… you stole my power!"
He roared desperately, as if it was the only way to vent his panic.
In his understanding, mutant abilities were innate, etched into his genes! They could be suppressed or interfered with, but never snapped away in an instant—never truly taken!
This was beyond science.
This was… the means of a god!
Lucci watched the collapsing Magneto with the same calm expression as before. He spoke softly, with a hint of pity and mockery.
"Erik Lehnsherr."
"Your understanding of your power is far too shallow."
"And your use of magnetism…"
"Frankly, it's crude."
"Controlling metal? Flipping poles? Floating in midair?"
Lucci shook his head lightly, his gaze like a university professor's, watching a kindergartener still playing in the mud.
"These are the most superficial and primitive applications of electromagnetic force at the macro-physical level."
"To be honest, it's like a monkey with a state-of-the-art submachine gun—using it to crack walnuts by swinging it like a stick."
"???"
Lucci's words were like invisible hammers, each one pounding Magneto's heart!
Crude? Shallow? A monkey swinging a submachine gun?
These words, full of extreme disdain and ridicule, left Magneto—who had always been proud of his power—utterly stunned on the spot!
His mind went blank!
He had always believed his ability was among the greatest in the world—something to be proud of!
But now, in the other's words, everything he took pride in was… ridiculous, not even worth mentioning!
This psychological blow was far more lethal than any physical destruction!
Seeing Magneto's devastated face, Lucci continued in his level tone:
"I didn't take your power from you."
"Your X-Gene, your biological magnetic field, is all still within you."
"Nothing has changed."
Magneto was suddenly taken aback, hope flashing in his eyes.
His ability was still there?
But Lucci's next words plunged him into even deeper, darker despair…
"It's just…" Lucci raised his hand, drawing a circle in the air.
"…the electromagnetic laws of the Earth have been redefined."
"I issued a new command: On a planetary scale, all metallic elements—specifically, the behavior of electrons in the outer layers of atomic nuclei—will temporarily stop responding to the insignificant disturbances of your biological magnetic field."
"See?"
Lucci spread his hands, smiling.
"That's all."
It was an understatement.
But in Magneto's ears, it sounded like the end of the world.
He understood well enough!
The other party wasn't just stronger at magnetism—he was playing on a completely different level!
He came from a higher dimension, utterly beyond comprehension or reach!
He could directly rewrite physical laws!
It was like two people playing chess; while Magneto was still thinking about how to move his pawn, the other simply walked up, took the pen, and redrew the rules on the board!
How could one play after that?
This wasn't a fair duel at all!
This was… God toying with mortals!
In that instant, all traces of hope, pride, and resistance in Magneto's heart crumbled to dust!
He finally understood the "miracle" Charles mentioned in his letter.
He finally realized that between himself and the man before him, there was a dimensional rift!
He stood as if petrified, like a statue whose soul had been sucked away.
Lucci watched Magneto, who had lost all will to resist, and a faint arc appeared at the corner of his lips.
The time had come.
He snapped his fingers again.
Snap!
The invisible "wall of rules" he'd temporarily erected vanished in an instant.
Magneto suddenly moved!
He could feel it—the blood-like induction between himself and all the metal in the world…
It was back!
Unconsciously, he raised his hand.
Buzz—
The coin in his pocket floated up, joyfully dancing at his fingertips.
Even the far-off alloy targets began to vibrate violently.
His power… was back!
Yet Magneto could feel no joy at all.
He stared at the coin pulsing at his fingertips, his face full of endless bitterness and… awe.
Because he knew: The return of his power wasn't because he'd broken free of chains.
It was because God had rescinded His decree.
This was… a gift!
A gift that could be given at any time… and taken away at any time!
In this moment, he couldn't even muster the will to resist the man before him!
He understood now—they weren't even in the same dimension!
All struggle was meaningless.
At that moment, Charles operated his wheelchair and slowly approached his old friend.
He looked at Erik's face—full of loss and shock—and his eyes held no mockery, only endless sighs and wonder…
He understood.
"Erik…" Charles's voice was gentle yet powerful.
"Now you see, don't you?"
"This is what I meant in my letter… a miracle!"
"But don't worry. Prince Lucci hasn't come to conquer us.
Again, he is the crown prince of Asgard, the future lord of the Nine Realms and all Nine Worlds… a Guardian!"
"And that includes nature itself, as well as our home, Earth."
"Prince Lucci harbors no malice toward mutants."
"On the contrary, he sees our potential—and has recognized the crisis we face."
Charles's gaze swept over Jean Gray, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and the others whose powers had greatly increased, his voice full of excitement.
"Erik, do you see? Under Prince Lucci's guidance, Jean has avoided the fate of losing control, Logan's power has soared, Ororo has touched the energies of the cosmos… Each and every one of us is heading toward a higher evolution we never dreamed of before!"
"This is the true future of mutants! Not moving toward self-destruction in hatred and war with humanity, but shining on a larger stage!"
"So, come with us, Erik!"
"Let go of past hatred and prejudice. By standing at Prince Lucci's side, not only will you receive the strongest protection, but you'll also gain unprecedented power to fight for a greater cause—"
"To protect our world!"
Charles's words came from the heart, filled with appeal.
Magneto slowly raised his head, looking at his old friend's sincere and expectant face.
He glanced at Jean Gray, then at the not-so-distant X-Men and Brotherhood members who were no longer adversaries.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Lucci.
At last, he completely believed!
He trusted Charles. Every word that had shattered his world was true!
"Heh…"
Magneto suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh.
He laughed at himself for once sitting in a well and gazing at the sky.
He laughed at himself for claiming to be a king in the petty squabble between mutants and humans on Earth, content with the status quo.
But now, the true "gods" had already arrived.
After a long silence, Magneto took a deep breath and did something that shocked the entire Brotherhood.
He removed his helmet!
And, under everyone's stunned gaze, the once-feared "Magneto" dropped to one knee before Lucci!
"Prince Lucci,"
"I wish to follow you and, together with my fellow mutants… pursue the true future of mutants!"
Seeing their leader make such a choice, Mystique and the entire Brotherhood, after a short shock, responded as well.
They looked at each other, and then, one after another, followed their king and knelt on one knee before Lucci!
"We are ready to fight for you!"
A neat, unified chorus echoed throughout Xavier's Mansion!
In this moment, the two greatest mutant factions on Earth—the X-Men and the Brotherhood—
all fell under Lucci's command!
Lucci watched this scene with satisfaction.
"Rise, Erik."
He gently supported Magneto with a soft yet irresistible force.
He looked up at the sky, as if seeing through the atmosphere into the boundless universe.
"In the near future, Earth will face a true crisis."
"When the time comes, mutants must prove their worth."
Upon hearing this, Magneto's heart suddenly sank!
A crisis? Something even this "god" calls a crisis?
What could it be?
"We will not fail!"
Magneto's voice was resolute!
From then on, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters entered an unprecedented golden era of rapid growth!
Lucci also began comprehensive training for the mutant army!
He directly imparted to Magneto the entire concept of [Electromagnetic Control] in the form of a stream of knowledge!
As that vast and profound knowledge poured into his mind, Magneto finally understood what Lucci meant by "a monkey swinging a submachine gun"—
It fit perfectly!
He realized that electromagnetic force wasn't just about controlling metal!
He could create plasma!
Fire railguns!
Bend light, create illusions, even turn invisible!
He could interfere at the microscopic level of atomic bonds, forcibly altering the shape of matter!
Under Lucci's guidance, when Magneto compressed and ionized the nitrogen and oxygen in the air for the first time, condensing a small, blazing "plasma fireball" in his palm,
he was completely captivated by this newfound power!
Not just Magneto, but the Brotherhood under his leadership were also guided by Lucci.
Take Mystique, for example: Lucci told her that her ability's essence wasn't just "shapeshifting," but a higher-level rewriting and summarizing of her own "biological information!"
With Lucci's teaching, Mystique began to attempt imitating not just appearances, but… cell structures!
The first time she turned one of her fingers into a leaf,
she realized just how vast her potential was…
If she followed this path, in the future, she might even be able to perfectly copy other mutants' powers—just like the "Sentinel" Charles had spoken of!
The whole school was swept up in a rapidly rising, fervent atmosphere of progress.
Former X-Men and Brotherhood members threw away old prejudices, learning and advancing together.
Logan studied with Daken on how to better combine his "self-healing factor" and "body hardening" (adamantium enhancement).
Storm learned from Torrent how to sense the "cosmic winds" beyond the atmosphere.
The entire mutant race soared like a rocket!
During this period, the "MagicNet" covering the world was finally fully established!
Lucci could sense the invisible, massive net of spiritual power enveloping the Earth!
His Path of Flame Sword acted as the "central server" of this great net, enabling him to mobilize Earth's spiritual energy at will!
At the same time, the now fully devoted Magneto began his work as "Recruitment Officer."
Using the "cerebral enhancer" given by Charles, he tirelessly searched for fellow mutants, rejected or hunted by humans and facing despair.
He even sent Mystique to seek them out.
There was no more force or coercion—this time, their message was simple:
"Leave this hell of discrimination behind."
"Come to Xavier's School, and witness for yourself… the miracle of mutants!"
Rescued mutants were brought back to the school one after another.
When they saw with their own eyes Lucci's heaven-defying power and the mutants' rapid progress,
they didn't hesitate to join. In their eyes, this was the "kingdom of God"—the promised land of mutants!
The power and scale of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters changed day by day—
it was no longer just a school.
It had become… the prototype of a divine kingdom!
….
To this day,
the world's most prosperous metropolis, New York, remained as busy as ever.
But at that very noon, above Stark Tower,
the sky was suddenly split open as if by a sharp blade!
A gigantic vortex, like a nebula—
A space wormhole!
Suddenly, it opened wide!
…
Bonus chapter at 100 PS