The two Wolverines crashed into each other again, claws flashing as they resumed their brutal fight without hesitation. Their movements were fast and vicious, each strike aimed to tear the other apart, and the clash of metal echoed sharply through the museum's interior. For a moment, it looked like the chaos would spiral even further out of control.
Then Liam suddenly felt it.
A psychic force swept across the area, subtle but unmistakable, like an invisible wave brushing against his mind. It wasn't random—it had intent, sharp and focused.
"Targeting Cyclops?" Liam murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing slightly as he immediately understood what was happening.
Whoever was behind it was trying to seize control of Cyclops and turn him against them. The timing was deliberate, meant to exploit the confusion created by the two Wolverines fighting. It was a clean strategy, efficient and dangerous.
Unfortunately for them, it had already been noticed.
Liam's mental power surged outward in response, expanding like a tidal wave as it collided with the incoming psychic intrusion. The foreign force didn't stand a chance—it was instantly repelled, shattered and forced back before it could even take hold.
At the same time, Liam followed the trace back to its source.
His gaze lifted toward the second floor of the museum, locking onto a figure standing above them. A blonde woman stood there, her posture calm but her presence unmistakably powerful. Her appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Stepford Cuckoos, almost identical at first glance.
Polaris and Storm followed his line of sight almost immediately.
"White Queen?" Storm exclaimed, her voice sharp with recognition the moment she saw the woman.
"White Queen?" Polaris echoed, clearly unfamiliar with the name as she looked between the two.
"One of the leaders of the Hellfire Club," Liam said simply, his tone steady as he assessed the situation.
This wasn't part of what he expected. In the original timeline, the White Queen hadn't appeared here at all. Her presence meant something had shifted, and the most likely explanation was that Magneto had brought her in.
That made things more interesting.
"I have to admit, I underestimated you," the White Queen said from above, her voice calm but edged with something colder. Her gaze settled directly on Liam, studying him with open intensity. "Especially you."
She had felt it clearly—the force that had pushed her psychic attack back so effortlessly. To be repelled that quickly, that completely… it wasn't something she could ignore.
"Why are you here, White Queen?" Cyclops asked, his fingers already raised toward the side of his visor, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"That's not something you need to know," she replied coolly. "And I won't be letting you go any further."
"So if we want to save Rogue, we have to pass your test first?" Liam said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Without waiting for an answer, he turned slightly toward the others. "You guys go ahead. I'll handle her."
Cyclops and Storm exchanged a glance before nodding, immediately moving toward the elevator. They didn't hesitate—there was no time to waste.
"Weiss, I'll help you," Polaris said, stepping forward instead of following them.
"No need," Liam replied, shaking his head lightly. "Stay here. I'll deal with her quickly and then take you straight to Magneto."
Before Polaris could argue further, Liam moved.
One moment he was standing beside her, and the next he vanished completely.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right next to the White Queen.
The sudden shift caught her completely off guard. Her eyes widened slightly, and without hesitation, her entire body transformed, her skin hardening into a flawless diamond form. The light reflected sharply off her crystalline surface, turning her into something both beautiful and deadly.
Her diamond state was one of her signature abilities—durable enough to shrug off bullets without a scratch.
"Diamond, huh?" Liam said, tilting his head as he studied her with open curiosity. "Wonder how much that'd sell for."
She didn't respond.
Instead, she moved.
The White Queen closed the distance instantly, her movements precise and practiced as she launched a direct attack. Her diamond-coated fist shot forward, aimed straight at Liam's face with enough force to shatter bone.
"Oh? Going for close combat?" Liam chuckled, making no attempt to dodge. "All right then, let's play."
Her punch landed squarely against his nose.
Boom.
The impact echoed sharply, but Liam didn't move an inch. His body remained perfectly still, as if the strike had hit an immovable object.
The White Queen, however, felt it immediately.
A faint pain spread through her fist.
Her expression shifted, a flicker of genuine surprise breaking through her composure. That shouldn't have happened. In her diamond form, she was supposed to be immune to damage, yet the feedback from that strike was undeniable.
"What kind of ability is this?" she demanded, her voice tightening slightly.
"Well…" Liam shrugged casually, completely unfazed. "Do I have to answer that?"
If he hadn't held back just now, her fist would have shattered the moment it made contact.
"You don't have to," she replied coldly, her eyes sharpening. "But I'll make you."
She attacked again, this time abandoning straightforward strikes in favor of more technical combat. Her movements became sharper, more calculated, shifting into grappling and joint-lock techniques as she tried to find a weakness.
But no matter what she did, nothing worked.
Every strike, every attempt to restrain him—it all amounted to nothing. Liam stood there as if rooted to the ground, completely unaffected by anything she threw at him.
Gradually, her movements began to slow.
Fatigue crept in.
"Done yet?" Liam asked lightly, watching her with mild amusement. "If you're finished, then it's my turn."
He didn't wait for an answer.
With a single thought, molecular manipulation activated.
Particles in the air condensed instantly, forming into solid metal as an iron chain materialized out of nothing. At the same time, electromagnetic force surged through it, bringing the chain to life as it snapped forward and wrapped tightly around the White Queen.
The entire process happened in a fraction of a second.
Her eyes widened in shock as she felt the restraints lock into place. Creating matter out of thin air… controlling it instantly… it defied everything she expected.
"This is… impossible," she muttered, her voice unsteady for the first time.
Liam didn't bother responding.
"Lorna, let's go," he said simply, turning away as if the fight had already been beneath his attention.
Grabbing Polaris by the wrist, he led her toward the upper levels of the statue without looking back.
As they moved higher, signs of battle became increasingly obvious. Scattered debris, damaged structures, and the lingering tension in the air all pointed to recent fights. Cyclops and the others had clearly run into resistance.
Mystique, Toad… possibly Sabretooth.
Among them, Toad stood out the most in Liam's mind. On paper, his ability wasn't particularly impressive—just an extended tongue and enhanced agility—but his actual combat effectiveness was far from negligible. In the original timeline, he had managed to keep Cyclops, Jean, and Storm occupied with surprising efficiency.
Thinking about it, Liam's eyes flickered slightly.
That ability… had potential.
A bold idea began forming in his mind.
When he and Polaris finally reached the top of the statue, the scene waiting for them confirmed his expectations.
Cyclops, Storm, Jean, and Logan were all restrained, bound tightly by steel structures that held them in place.
It didn't take much thought to figure out who was responsible.
"Well, this looks rough," Liam said with a faint smile as he approached. "How're you holding up?"
"If your eyes work, you can tell we're not exactly great," Logan shot back, his arms pinned tightly against his chest.
"Weiss, stop joking and get us out of this," Storm said, her voice tense with urgency.
"I've got it," Polaris said before Liam could respond, stepping forward confidently.
With a simple wave of her hand, the metal restraints twisted and snapped open instantly, freeing all of them at once.
....
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