"They're not mutants!"
Professor X's expression turned grim as he glanced at Fenric. "Ric, these people… they're humans from the same world as you, aren't they?"
Fenric gave a simple nod. "Yes."
These enemies weren't mutants, yet their powers and abilities far exceeded ordinary humans. And the fact that they were hunting mutants left no room for doubt.
Samsaras.
Only the Samsara players fit this standard.
Fenric's eyes gleamed as he recognized them. He had entered the Samsara realm of Region C alone, so these opponents were undoubtedly Samsaras from other countries or regions. And judging by their coordination, they had come as a team—hunting down mutants like Iceman and Colossus.
How they managed to track the X-Men here was another question.
When Fenric confirmed it, Wolverine's rage exploded. "Damn it! Kid, just who the hell are you people?"
Fenric's reply was cool and indifferent. "You still have time to ask me questions? Shouldn't you be helping your friends instead? Their situation isn't looking very good."
It wasn't an exaggeration. The battle unfolding below proved it.
The mutants were being pushed back. Iceman and Pyro were strong, but anyone who had survived up to the fifteenth floor of Samsara Tower was no weakling. By that point, many carried bizarre artifacts or specialized abilities.
For instance, Pyro was currently being restrained by a Samsara player wielding an unusual shield—one that absorbed heat. Every flame Pyro unleashed was swallowed whole, leaving him powerless.
Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde—the Shadow Cat—was being hunted by several Samsaras. She fled in desperation, darting between debris, but her situation grew more perilous by the second.
Wolverine's face twisted as he realized what was at stake.
Kitty was vital. Her ability to phase through any obstacle wasn't her only strength—she could also send someone's consciousness back into their body in the past. The entire "Reverse the Future" plan hinged on her. She was supposed to return Wolverine's mind to the 1970s, prevent the creation of the Sentinel program, and alter the course of history itself.
If she died, their mission was finished.
"They need backup!" Wolverine roared. "Storm! Bring us down, now!"
He didn't even need to shout. Storm was already lowering the jet rapidly, her expression tense.
But the Samsaras had noticed them.
On the ground, one of them hefted a shoulder-mounted launcher. With practiced ease, he aimed at the descending jet and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!
A missile streaked skyward, tail flame blazing as it tore toward the X-Men's craft.
At the last possible instant, Magneto's power flared. The missile veered violently off course, dragged aside by an unseen magnetic grip. It passed so close to the jet's fuselage that the heat scorched the metal before exploding harmlessly in the distance.
Storm exhaled shakily, her dark face pale as ash. Unlike Wolverine, she did not have the luxury of immortality—had the jet been hit, she would have been vaporized instantly.
Fenric, however, remained calm. An explosion wouldn't have been enough to kill him.
But it would have destroyed the supplies he had entrusted to Professor X.
And worse—these Samsaras dared to hunt mutants right in front of him. That was unacceptable.
"Open the hatch."
Storm obeyed without hesitation, though Wolverine and Magneto stared in surprise as Fenric stepped forward.
Before the plane had fully landed, he leapt out, dropping hundreds of meters toward the battlefield below.
Even Wolverine, with his healing factor, would have been reduced to paste from such a fall. Yet Fenric descended without hesitation.
"The X-Men are here! Forget the fight—retreat!" one of the Samsara players shouted as Fenric landed.
Fenric's lips curled faintly. A gesture summoned several blades of pure metal, which hovered in the air before streaking toward the Samsaras.
The lead Samsara thrust his palms forward. An invisible shockwave surged out, cracking the earth and scattering the blades.
Fenric's brows lifted. "Hm?" The ability felt strangely familiar.
But before the Samsara could recover, the blades shot back into motion—this time guided by Magneto, who hovered in the air above, his hand outstretched. Under his control, the flying blades became extensions of will, relentless and precise.
The Samsara parried desperately, but only lasted a few exchanges before one blade pierced through his chest. Eyes wide with disbelief, he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Fenric's gaze lingered. Impressive. His control of metal far surpasses my telekinesis. But then…
His mind power was only one of many. For him, it was an auxiliary tool, never his primary weapon.
The battle quickly turned one-sided.
With Magneto tearing through their defenses, Wolverine and Storm joining the fray, and Fenric showing no mercy, the Samsara team was cut down one after another. Their bodies littered the field within minutes.
But victory came at a cost.
When the battlefield was finally cleared, Kitty Pryde lay gravely wounded. Though alive, she had lost too much blood. Her breathing was shallow, her strength fading fast.
Her condition was dire. Even with treatment, she wouldn't recover enough to use her ability for months.
And time was the one thing they didn't have.
The plan—their only chance to rewrite the future—was collapsing before their eyes.