The duty of the X-Police had always been to maintain order and stability in the city. What Ethan Cole was doing today, however, was the exact opposite. By destroying the massive lightning rod atop the Empire State Building, he had shattered the carefully maintained order of society, and by any legal definition, that act alone was already a crime.
But the rules of normal society had stopped meaning anything to him the moment he began this plan. Even the wealth and status he once possessed had already become irrelevant. The moment he made his move, he knew those assets would inevitably be frozen by the U.S. government.
After all, wealth and status only held value within the framework of a stable society. Ethan had already stepped outside that system and thrown himself into chaos.
Those things could be abandoned without regret. He had already enjoyed what they offered, and he felt no attachment to them anymore. What truly interested him now was exploring the limits of power and uncovering the deeper laws of the universe.
Compared to that pursuit, the entire geopolitical structure of Earth felt incredibly small. His vision had never been confined to this single planet.
Tony had been casually tossed aside with a flick of his thoughts. The group of X-Men had been defeated with a simple wave of his hand. At this moment, there was no one left who could truly stop him.
Ethan looked toward the distant horizon where the ocean met the sky. Moments earlier, the asteroid had plunged smoothly into the sea. Thanks to Magneto's precise control, the impact created almost no waves, and the catastrophic disaster that should have devastated the coastline had been completely eliminated.
"Magneto," Ethan murmured quietly, projecting his voice through telepathy, "I look forward to seeing you again."
His psychic senses quickly locked onto Eric's presence. The man stood alone atop a distant skyscraper, isolated from everyone else. Ethan calmly projected the message directly into Magneto's mind.
Magneto's expression changed slightly as he received the mental transmission. His brow furrowed, and he turned his gaze toward Ethan's direction. A faint trace of resentment flickered in his eyes.
While Magneto's senses were unusually sensitive when it came to Ethan, the feeling wasn't entirely one-sided. Ethan actually held a certain degree of expectation for the man. He hoped Magneto would grow stronger in the future.
Otherwise, the world might become unbearably boring.
Magneto didn't respond. He simply stared in Ethan's direction for a moment with a cold and hostile look before turning away. Without saying a single word, he rose into the air and flew off into the distance.
Ethan shrugged slightly as he watched him go. He had been preparing to cause a little more commotion just to make sure his presence was noticed. Before he could act, however, a distant mechanical roar suddenly echoed across the sky.
The sound grew louder and louder.
At first it was faint, but within seconds the unmistakable rhythm of helicopter rotors filled the air. The noise rapidly approached from far away.
Ethan looked toward the source of the sound. Several black dots had appeared on the distant horizon, steadily growing larger as they flew closer.
He suddenly lifted his head and looked upward. For a brief moment, he felt a faint sensation of being watched.
As far as his eyes could see, the sky was nothing but endless blue. White clouds drifted across it like fragments of jade embedded in a sapphire backdrop, making the atmosphere appear incredibly clear and open.
"Satellite surveillance?" Ethan muttered with a faint smile.
He then turned his attention in another direction. Something else was moving through the sky. A sharp whistling sound cut through the air at incredible speed, and within seconds a shape streaked across the upper atmosphere.
Three fighter jets flew past high above the clouds.
Their sleek triangular silhouettes were unmistakable. Weapons hung beneath their wings and along the fuselage, clearly prepared for combat as they raced toward the battlefield.
Down below, the streets of Manhattan had erupted into chaos. Police sirens echoed through the city in every direction. Through his telepathic senses, Ethan could even detect military convoys advancing from far away.
"Is this a war?" Ethan said quietly as he observed everything unfolding around him.
The helicopters arrived soon after. A total of thirteen Apache gunships roared into position, each one fully armed. They spread out into a wide formation that completely surrounded the Empire State Building.
There was no warning and no negotiation.
The moment they entered firing range, three helicopters immediately opened fire on Ethan.
Their cannons erupted in rapid bursts, blazing across the sky like streaking meteors. The attack targeted Ethan and Raven directly, completely ignoring the fact that they were standing in the center of New York City—the most densely populated area in the country.
Of course, Ethan understood exactly why this was happening.
His existence had clearly pushed certain people beyond their tolerance. Combined with the declaration he had made earlier, he had undoubtedly been labeled a national-level threat.
In other words, he had already become an enemy of the state.
A barrage of artillery shells tore through the air with piercing whistles, closing in on him at incredible speed. In an instant they were already directly in front of him.
At this moment, Ethan could even see the tiny grooves etched along the metal shells. The shockwaves formed by their supersonic flight rippled visibly through the air. Although the projectiles were moving incredibly fast, his perception slowed them down dozens of times.
This time, he didn't use the Phoenix Force.
Instead, several glowing magical runes appeared in front of him. Blue energy surged outward as a wave of arcane power spread across the platform. The magic condensed into a protective barrier that enveloped the entire observation deck.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Thunderous explosions erupted one after another. The deafening roars echoed through the air as smoke and debris billowed outward.
Within seconds, the top platform of the Empire State Building was completely swallowed by smoke. From the outside, it was impossible to see what was happening inside the thick clouds of dust.
The three helicopters had fired more than a hundred shells in total. The sheer firepower was easily enough to reduce the top of the building to rubble.
Yet when the smoke slowly cleared in the wind, the Empire State Building still stood tall.
The surrounding structures had suffered some damage, and fragments of stone had been blasted loose, but the main structure remained completely intact.
As the last of the dust dispersed, Ethan and Raven reappeared in full view of the helicopter pilots.
"Sizzle… The cannons aren't working. They're not working again. Command, the artillery has no effect. What should we do?" one pilot shouted into his radio, unable to hide the shock in his voice.
"All civilians in Manhattan and surrounding districts are currently evacuating," the command center replied through the communication channel. "Your task is to keep him occupied until ground forces arrive."
The voice paused briefly before continuing with firm authority.
"Remember this. No matter the cost, he must not escape."
"Understood, sir." The lead pilot immediately acknowledged the order. "All units, listen up. Attack in three-ship groups. Do not give him a moment to breathe."
Following the command, the thirteen helicopters quickly reorganized their formation. Groups of three began taking turns launching coordinated attacks, attempting to continuously pressure Ethan from different directions.
Ethan had already intercepted their communications through telepathy. Every word spoken through their radios was perfectly clear to him.
He had no intention of leaving.
On the contrary, he was curious to see what the military would do next.
Another artillery shell slammed directly into the magical barrier. Ripples spread across the blue energy shield like waves across water.
From the outside, the barrier looked fragile, as if it might shatter at any moment. In reality, the pilots could bombard it for an entire day without causing any real damage.
Over the past several days, Ethan had devoted considerable effort to studying magic. He wouldn't claim to have fully mastered every aspect of it yet, but using it freely in practical situations was no longer a challenge.
When the power of science and technology clashed with the power of idealistic magic, the stronger side would always prevail.
And in this confrontation, it was obvious that Ethan Cole was the stronger side.
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