Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
How powerful were Erik and Charles?
Perhaps, aside from themselves, only their father, Mac, and their brother, Clark, truly understood the extent of their abilities.
Since the moment they stepped into the public eye, neither had ever unleashed their full strength.
Yet, even without going all out, Charles' telepathic power swept across the battlefield, seizing control of one mutant after another. The sheer display of dominance left everyone in awe.
Wherever his mind touched, mutants halted in place.
Boom!
Colossus was sent flying by two powerful laser beams. Before he could rise, an invisible force seized control of his body, rendering him completely immobile.
He roared in fury, only for fear to creep into his heart.
This… This was the White Queen's power!
As a veteran member of the Hellfire Club, he was all too familiar with the terrifying extent of her abilities.
But where was the Black Queen?
Where was she?
A powerful mutant had appeared—why wasn't she stopping him?
Hurry up! Do something!
Colossus silently screamed, helpless.
One, two, three…
More and more mutants succumbed to Charles' control. Like puppets, they stood motionless, their expressions twisting in terror as they, too, searched for the Black Queen.
It wasn't just the Hellfire mutants who were horrified. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were left shaken.
Was this the true power of Professor X?
Logan and Remy LeBeau exchanged glances, looking unimpressed.
What the hell? This fight didn't even need them!
Cyclops stared at Charles, reminded of an old friend.
Hank McCoy glanced at Charles and smiled.
This was the foundation of Xavier's School—so long as Charles was here, the school would rise again.
Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe shared the same thought.
It was their first time witnessing Professor X in battle.
No grand energy clashes, no dazzling spectacle—just pure, overwhelming force.
"Stand down!"
Maria Hill, seeing the Hellfire mutants under Charles' control, pressed her communicator and issued the order. She nodded toward Charles.
"Take them away!"
At her command, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents moved forward to detain the mutants.
But suddenly, Charles' expression shifted. His gaze snapped upward to Erik, hovering in the sky. Alarm surged through his voice as he shouted,
"Stop! He's not under my control!"
A wave of shock passed through the crowd.
All eyes turned toward Erik.
At that moment, a black arrow streaked through the air, heading straight for his skull.
Hawkeye!
But—
With a mere flick of Erik's wrist, the arrow reversed direction, hurtling back at its sender.
Hawkeye's face paled. He threw himself aside without hesitation.
Boom!
The arrow exploded midair, sending a shockwave that blasted Hawkeye off his feet.
Hank McCoy rushed forward, catching him before he hit the ground.
"Hmph."
Erik let out a cold snort.
As fear gripped the battlefield, countless shards of metal lifted into the air, swirling like a storm at Erik's command. With a single sweep of his hand, they surged toward Charles.
Jean let out a sharp cry, her telekinesis flaring to intercept the incoming projectiles. At the same time, Ororo's eyes turned a brilliant, marble-like white—lightning crackled at her fingertips, then surged toward Erik in a furious storm.
Meanwhile, Cyclops fired two blazing beams from his visor, and Gambit spun his alloy staff, pink energy forming a protective shield around himself and Logan.
With a simple flick of his fingers, Erik commanded the metal surrounding him to absorb the lightning and laser blasts. His body blurred as he dodged out of harm's way.
His eyes flashed. Casually, he crushed a few incoming missiles midair before turning his attention toward the distant S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the crashed aircraft lodged in the building was yanked free, rising into the air. Like a weapon wielded by an unseen giant, it swung in a devastating arc toward the battlefield.
Everyone scrambled for cover.
Charles tackled Jean and Ororo to the ground, narrowly dodging the massive wreckage as it came crashing down.
Scott's eyes blazed with crimson light as twin laser beams shot out, slicing the aircraft cleanly in half before continuing straight toward Erik.
With a mere thought, Erik commanded the fallen metal debris on the battlefield. Like a massive serpent, it coiled around Cyclops, binding him in place before he could react. His furious gaze burned, but his body remained completely restrained.
Logan leaped into the air, using Gambit's metal staff as a springboard. As he stepped off, a burst of pink kinetic energy erupted beneath him, propelling him even higher.
"RAAAAH!"
Logan roared, his Adamantium claws gleaming ominously under the sunlight.
Sorry, Uncle Logan.
Erik murmured the apology inwardly.
With a mere flick of his wrist, he seized control of Logan midair. With another motion, he spun Logan around and hurled him like a cannonball—straight toward Gambit.
Logan let out a startled yell, instinctively retracting his claws.
"Merde!"
Gambit cursed, summoning a surge of pink energy in his palm before swinging it toward the incoming Wolverine.
Boom!
The blast managed to slow Logan's trajectory slightly, but the impact still sent both of them tumbling across the battlefield.
—
Suddenly, the Hellfire mutants under Charles' control snapped back to life.
Charles' expression darkened. "I need to focus!" he shouted.
Focus?
The others glanced at the ever-growing swarm of metal surrounding Erik. How was anyone supposed to focus under these conditions?
Erik stood in the battlefield's center, towering over everyone like a god descending upon mere mortals.
The Hellfire mutants, now freed, felt both awe and exhilaration.
"Retreat!" Erik bellowed.
Without hesitation, the Hellfire mutants sprang into action.
With the Black Queen nowhere to be seen, they had lost any strategic advantage. Yet, thanks to Erik, they had escaped Charles' psychic grasp—that alone felt like a miracle.
Watching them withdraw, Maria Hill's expression turned icy. "Stop them!" she ordered.
For a moment, the battlefield fell into silence.
Then, the chaos erupted again.
The Hellfire mutants fought as they retreated, clashing with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and X-Men alike.
But in their hearts, they held only two emotions—gratitude toward Erik and seething resentment toward the Black Queen.
Where was she?
As their leader, she should have been at the frontlines. So where the hell was she now?
—
"You're not going to save your men?"
Nick Fury's voice was calm, but his mind raced with silent curses.
Standing before him, the Black Queen simply smirked, an expression both seductive and chilling.
"They serve their purpose."
She stepped forward leisurely, each movement exuding an eerie confidence.
It was clear—she didn't care in the slightest about the lives of her fellow mutants.
Nick Fury's one good eye narrowed. "So, from the very beginning, your real target was me?"
The Black Queen chuckled softly. "Oh, please. I was merely here to stir up trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D. But if I happened to get my hands on you… well, that would have been a delightful bonus."
As far as she was concerned, things had gone rather well. The only unexpected complication was the arrival of those meddlesome mutants.
Someone with teleportation abilities?
That power was truly convenient…
For a brief moment, she thought back to the old days and Red Nightcrawler.
She reached out, her fingertips moving toward Fury's face.
But to her surprise, Fury remained still. He didn't flinch, didn't resist.
Instead, he simply smiled.
(End of Chapter)