"Bang! Bang!! ..."
Dull, drum-like thuds echoed continuously through the exhibition hall.
The few people nearby heard these sounds and couldn't bear to look closely; the scene was truly too brutal.
They didn't know what had suddenly possessed Darian, but he had caught Sabretooth and was giving him a violent beating. His fists landed with dull thuds, and no matter how much Sabretooth struggled, it was in vain. Sabretooth had basically been hammered into a toothless tiger.
Even so, none of them stepped forward to intervene.
What if Darian got on a roll and decided to include them in the beating?
Sabretooth was able to roar a couple of times at the beginning, but after taking over a dozen heavy hits, he was eventually left with nothing but twitches, and his will was shattered to pieces.
Taking this opportunity, Darian immediately released his spiritual power, pouring it into Sabretooth's brain. Without encountering much resistance, he easily seized control of the body.
Sabretooth stood up, swaying, standing in place with hollow eyes like a marionette.
Sabretooth captured again!
Wade exclaimed, "Buddy, has he been beaten into submission by you?"
"What beaten into submission? It's clearly mental control, just like Charles's ability. I'm only a tiny bit worse than him."
Darian wasn't happy; he had great technique, and these words made it sound like he only knew how to use raw stats to crush people.
The others chuckled, full of disbelief.
This didn't look like mental control at all; it was pure physical control, the kind that didn't involve a shred of spiritual power!
After dealing with Sabretooth, Darian used the Master Key to open the compartment, releasing the imprisoned Scott, Jean, and Ororo.
The three of them had somewhat embarrassed expressions; being controlled by the opponent right at the start was truly shameful. However, they quickly adjusted their state, secretly vowing to perform well next time and show the demeanor that the X-Men should have.
Without the obstruction of Magneto's lackeys, the group quickly found the stairs going up and successfully reached the head of the Statue of Liberty.
Looking up, they saw that the top of the Statue of Liberty had a huge hole broken open, and through the opening, they could directly see the torch platform high above.
There was no need to guess; this was undoubtedly Magneto's handiwork.
For this Mutant Zhang San, destroying cultural relics was probably the most insignificant item on his list of crimes.
Wade looked at the night view of New York Harbor outside and sighed, "Wow, this is my first time inside the copper body of the Statue of Liberty, it's simply amazing!"
"By the way, have you heard those conspiracy theories on the internet? Some say the Statue of Liberty is actually a missile silo underground, and others say this Statue of Liberty is a large memory eraser. But I prefer one of the theories; it's said that this is a giant robot sent over by the French to attack the U.S. at a critical moment..."
Bang!
Before he could finish speaking, Young Logan suddenly punched Wade in the face, forcibly interrupting that nonsense.
The others expressed that it was very satisfying; this guy really could talk too much.
But Young Logan didn't stop; he continued to slam his fists into Wade one after another, knocking him fiercely to the ground.
"Forget it, forget it, Logan."
"No need, let him go this time."
"It's no big deal, do me a favor, let's just leave it at that."
Everyone was persuading him with their words, but not a single one moved their feet forward.
"Quickly leave here, I can't control myself!" Young Logan squeezed the words out through his teeth.
Everyone realized instantly that Young Logan was being controlled by Magneto, which was why he had suddenly attacked Wade beside him.
But why did they feel like Young Logan seemed quite happy while beating up Wade?
After knocking Wade down, Young Logan turned around stiffly and faced Darian, clearly treating him as the next target.
Darian clenched his fists, "Don't, Logan, we're teammates, I don't have the heart to lay a hand on you."
"I don't want this either!"
Logan gave a low roar, his body rushing over uncontrollably, his fist slamming directly toward Darian's face.
Bang!!
With a dull thud, Young Logan flew backward, crashing straight through the thick copper inner wall of the Statue of Liberty, leaving a hole in the shape of a person.
Darian shook his fist, his face a mix of grief and indignation, "Don't blame me, Logan, this is all Magneto's fault."
Everyone: "..."
They couldn't see a shred of reluctance at all.
Just then, several steel bars and broken metal decorative strips, as if manipulated by an invisible hand, shot toward their location from the air!
Biu! Biu! Biu!
Scott immediately touched the button on the side of his glasses, and beams of crimson, scorching lasers shot from his eyes, precisely hitting the metal objects attacking from the air.
Jean simultaneously released a telekinetic barrier, enveloping everyone inside and blocking the sporadic metal fragments that slipped through.
However, the number of incoming metal objects was simply too great.
Scott's fingers were about to smoke from pressing the button, yet quite a few metal wrecks still broke through his defensive line, slamming heavily into the telekinetic barrier and causing ripples to spread.
Jean's face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth, "Hurry and act! I can't hold on for much longer!"
Ororo knew Magneto was inside the torch, air currents swirling around her, and a small whirlwind lifted her feet off the ground, just about to rush out of the hole in the top.
But she had barely rushed out half the distance when several metal objects suddenly changed direction, wrapping around her ankles and wrists, dragging her back into the head of the Statue of Liberty and firmly pinning her to the cold copper wall, leaving her almost unable to move.
At the same time, Jean's telekinetic barrier also reached its limit; the metal fragments easily smashed through the barrier, controlling both her and Scott simultaneously.
Even Young Logan outside was dragged back and tied up face-to-face with Scott, and a piece of metal fragment removed Scott's glasses.
At this moment, Young Logan's hands were pressed against Scott's chest, and Scott kept his eyes tightly closed; neither dared to use their own abilities, fearing they would hurt the other.
However, their posture wasn't quite right; the two were pressed extremely close, their noses almost touching, and the atmosphere became increasingly ambiguous.
Jean: Why do I feel like my head is turning green?
In just a moment, the X-Men were all wiped out without even seeing Magneto's face.
Young Logan felt very depressed inside; they had agreed to come to accumulate experience in dealing with Magneto, so how did it turn into experience in being beaten up by Magneto?
Actually, that wasn't wrong; most X-Men were just fodder for Magneto. If you hadn't been beaten up by Magneto, you were embarrassed to call yourself an X-Men.
"My brothers and sisters, welcome."
An aged and steady voice came from above.
Everyone looked up and saw Magneto, wearing his helmet, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the few of them.
[NPC: Erik Lehnsherr]
[Codename: Magneto]
[Favorability: 20]
[Evaluation: A man who commands the scene, leader of the Brotherhood, the old version of Magneto, Gandalf, the fixed villain who holds up the X-Men trilogy.]
Wade had already finished healing, tilting his head to size up Magneto, muttering, "Say, how does he fly? Is it by being lifted up by the helmet clamping his head?"
Darian: "..."
What the hell kind of flying is being lifted by a helmet clamping your head!
Once these words were spoken, Magneto's aura instantly vanished, replaced by a hint of inexplicable absurdity.
Magneto ignored the absurd Wade and spoke to himself, "You are honored to witness this moment that will change the history of Mutants tonight. Those people in the venue below control our fate and the fate of other Mutants, but soon, they will experience our fate personally. They will no longer be the judges above us, but will become one of us."
Jean quickly said, "Magneto, your device has a problem! The senator you transformed is already dead, died from genetic collapse! This isn't a transformation, it's a massacre!"
"That was just an insignificant accident and will not affect the overall situation."
Magneto's voice did not waver in the slightest.
He was a person with firm beliefs, or to put it simply, a stubborn person. Even his good friend Professor X couldn't convince him, so how could he be influenced by a few words from Jean?
Magneto's gaze turned to Darian and the others, "You don't look like X-Men. Since we are all fellow Mutants, why do you stand on the opposite side and make an enemy of us like the X-Men?"
"Humans view us as anomalies, as threats. From beginning to end, they have been fearful and exclusionary, even attempting to eliminate us. They have never viewed us as equal lives. Charles always talks about understanding and peace, but what have his methods brought in exchange? It's oppression that intensifies time and time again, and more fellow Mutants being persecuted!"
"Humans and Mutants are destined to be unable to coexist equally. Long history has already proven that peaceful coexistence is just a naive fantasy. To truly coexist, there is only one possibility: either one side completely disappears, or... is completely assimilated by the other."
"And now, I have found a way to achieve this coexistence. I don't intend to destroy humans; instead, I am willing to give them a shortcut to evolution, making them just like us, becoming our true brethren. When the boundaries disappear, the differences will naturally disintegrate, and the fighting will become a thing of the past forever."
"You possess power, why not join us and use this strength to fight for a truly beautiful future for all Mutants?"
Magneto's words were extremely infectious, not inferior to that guy with the small mustache at the tavern.
If an ordinary Mutant who was resentful of their own situation and disappointed in human society heard these words, they would probably have their blood rush to their heads and join Magneto's camp on the spot to work for him.
But the three of them, Darian and the others, were not ordinary people.
Old Logan was a staunch X-Men partisan, deeply influenced by Charles's X-Will, and wouldn't care at all about what Magneto said.
Wade was picking his ears, indicating that he had blathered on a whole lot, but what did it have to do with him?
As for Darian... he skipped the plot directly!
Magneto's mouth was dry from talking, but the three people in front of him remained unmoved, shaking his head in disappointment, "It seems you are also content with living in the shadows of humans, willing to be tamed. Since that's the case, don't hinder what truly needs to be done."
Old Logan sneered, "Magneto, it's been so many years, you're still such a jerk."
"Who are you?"
Magneto frowned slightly; he had no impression of the person in front of him. Why did he act like he was so familiar with him?
"I will make you recognize me again."
Old Logan grinned.
Now he didn't have Adamantium in his body, and he was no longer the "Magneto's Happy Wolverine" who could be manipulated by Magneto at will.
Having been suppressed by Magneto for half his life, he could finally stand up now!
The next moment, Old Logan exerted force under his feet, jumping from the hole to the top of the Statue of Liberty, then borrowed force again, his whole body like a cannonball leaving the chamber, pouncing directly at Magneto who was hovering in mid-air!
"Listen, my name is..."
Bang!!
Accompanied by a loud noise, Old Logan was smashed away by a large piece of metal, instantly turning into a small black dot, falling toward the dark New York Harbor below, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
"I am listening."
Magneto said lightly, but no one could respond to him.
Darian's mouth twitched as he watched, "This Old Wolf is too embarrassing."
Even without Adamantium, Old Logan was still just a side dish in front of Magneto.
Previously, he had an Adamantium skeleton, so he could at least stubbornly say he was countered by Magneto's ability and it was normal to lose. Now, even that last excuse was gone, but the result hadn't changed at all. It was truly shameful to the extreme.
Young Logan heard Darian's words and suddenly felt that this Adamantium was still quite good, and whispered to himself that if it weren't for the Adamantium in his body, he would definitely be able to beat Magneto up!
But it had to be said that Magneto's ability was indeed powerful, much more powerful than the Erik that Darian knew, at least more proficient in the skill of manipulating metal, worthy of the title of King of Iron.
"It seems it's not easy to take off Magneto's helmet either." Darian muttered in his heart.
The bigger trouble was that any equipment or props containing metal could not be used. As soon as they were used, they might be turned against him by the opponent in the blink of an eye, just like Magneto's Happy Wolverine.
Just this point alone already eliminated all of Darian's technological equipment and props.
"If that's the case..."
Darian's eyes narrowed, and he held his palm upward in a void.
The next moment, specks of brilliant light dust suddenly emerged in the air, condensing into a dazzling magic sword.
Wade was stunned, "Buddy, where did this fluorescent tube come from?"
"This is a magic sword." Darian corrected.
"Don't joke, this is clearly a fluorescent tube, it looks like a cheap special effect from Star Wars..."
Before he could finish, Wade's head was pierced by the magic sword.
Darian looked at Wade's corpse on the ground and said coldly, "Obviously, this is a magic sword; a fluorescent tube doesn't have this kind of power."
Magneto: "..."
Why does this kid look more evil than me?
Darian didn't like looking up at people, so he took out the flying broomstick and flew to the same height as Magneto.
"Old Erik, for the sake of our acquaintance, it's not too late to surrender now."
"Who are you again?"
Magneto was puzzled; why were all these strangers trying to build a relationship with him tonight.
Darian smiled slightly, "I am Darian, the founder of the Brotherhood."
Magneto was stunned and sneered, "You are the founder of the Brotherhood, then what am I?"
"That's the Sisterhood."
Magneto: "..."