"Stop!"
"You have no idea how terrifying that person is!"
"If you destroy all ordinary humans, then every mutant will die as well!!"
Storm shouted desperately at Magneto.
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
She knew exactly what would happen.
Karl had already shown resistance to Professor X's telepathy once before.
If Magneto used Charles to attack the entire human population—
Karl would sense it instantly.
And then he would appear here.
Magneto scoffed.
"Oh?"
"And who exactly is this terrifying person?"
"You think a few words will frighten me?"
Magneto's voice was filled with disdain.
Since World War II, he had never met anyone stronger than himself.
Someone capable of destroying all mutants?
Ridiculous.
"Is that so?"
A calm male voice suddenly echoed through the base.
A blue-black portal slowly opened in the air.
From it emerged a figure clad in brilliant golden armor.
Karl floated in midair.
His eyes were cold as he looked down at Magneto.
Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, and the others froze in shock.
They never expected Karl to appear here.
Magneto turned his head and stared at the armored figure.
"So you're the one they were talking about."
His lips curved in disdain.
"And you dare show yourself wearing that armor in front of me?"
Magneto chuckled mockingly.
Karl smiled faintly.
"You can try."
"See if your electromagnetism works on me."
Without waiting for a reply, Karl's telekinesis surged outward.
In an instant, the device connected to Charles Xavier's head was ripped away.
The psychic transmission stopped immediately.
Magneto's expression darkened.
Seeing his plan interrupted, he raised both hands.
His magnetic powers exploded outward, attempting to seize control of Karl's armor.
But nothing happened.
Karl remained hovering in the air.
Still looking at him with the same faint smile.
Magneto frowned.
He pushed his power harder.
Still nothing.
Then—
BOOM—!
Magneto's body slammed violently into the wall.
Karl's telekinesis crushed him like an invisible hammer.
At the same time, Magneto's helmet flew off.
It landed directly in Karl's hand.
Karl casually stored it inside his system space.
Then he flicked his fingers.
A strand of golden energy shot out.
Jason Stryker died instantly.
Without Jason's psychic control, Charles Xavier slowly began regaining consciousness.
Karl floated toward Magneto.
SMACK—!
Karl slapped him.
Magneto was sent flying across the room.
Furious, Magneto raised both hands.
Every piece of metal in the base erupted into motion.
Steel beams.
Broken machinery.
Bullets.
Pipes.
Everything flew toward Karl.
But none of it worked.
The metal stopped midair.
Frozen by Karl's telekinesis.
Karl wasn't interested in wasting time fighting Magneto.
He still needed something here.
The Adamantium formula.
A burst of Absolute Zero energy spread from Karl's body.
In an instant—
Magneto turned into an ice sculpture.
As Karl floated past Jean Grey, he suddenly stopped.
He looked at her strangely.
For a brief moment—
He felt something looking at him.
Not Jean.
Something deeper.
The Phoenix Force.
But Karl said nothing.
He simply turned and flew toward Stryker's laboratory.
Soon he located it.
Inside the lab stood another figure.
Logan.
But something was different.
His bone claws had already transformed into adamantium claws.
Karl frowned slightly.
This wasn't exactly how things happened in the original timeline.
But he didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he began searching the laboratory.
Soon he located a metal safe.
Inside it were two things.
The Adamantium formula.
And a container filled with liquid Adamantium.
Adamantium could only be manipulated in its liquid state.
Once it solidified—
It became one of the hardest substances on Earth.
Nearly impossible to destroy.
Karl summoned the Bone Spirit Cold Flame in his palm.
Using telekinesis, he slowly lifted the container holding the molten Adamantium.
The cold flame replaced the original heat source.
Maintaining the metal in liquid form.
Then Karl carefully stored the Adamantium container inside his system space.
To avoid waste, he even reheated the liquid Adamantium with the cold flame before storing it.
Behind him, Logan slowly regained consciousness.
He stared at his claws in confusion.
They were no longer bone.
They were metal.
Even his body felt heavier than before.
Karl didn't bother explaining anything.
He simply opened another portal.
Then disappeared.
After Karl left, Storm and the others finally managed to free themselves from Magneto's restraints.
They immediately rushed to Charles.
Helping him outside.
They also carried the frozen Magneto statue with them.
Soon they encountered Logan, who had also escaped the lab.
Together they hurried toward the Blackbird jet, where the rescued mutant students were waiting.
But just then—
BOOM—!!
The dam above the base began collapsing.
Massive torrents of water crashed downward.
The X-Men rushed toward the jet.
They barely managed to board it.
But when they tried to start the engines—
Nothing happened.
Water was already flooding the lower levels.
Soon the jet would be completely submerged.
Many of them were injured.
Only a few could fly.
And the jet was filled with young mutant students.
Jean suddenly stood up.
"Auroro!"
"You keep trying to start the jet!"
"I'll hold back the water!"
Before anyone could stop her—
Jean jumped out of the aircraft.
She landed in the rising floodwaters.
Using her telekinetic power, she pushed against the torrent.
Holding the water back.
And lifting the jet.
"Jean, no!"
Cyclops shouted.
"Don't do this!"
"You'll die if you keep going!"
Storm cried out desperately.
"Come back!"
"You'll be swallowed by the flood!"
The students and X-Men shouted frantically.
But Jean only shook her head.
Then she clenched her fists.
Her power erupted.
With one final surge—
The jet lifted into the air.
The engines roared to life.
But below—
Jean's body was swallowed by the raging flood.
And disappeared.
Cyclops, Colossus, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and the others stared in disbelief.
Nearby, Professor Xavier closed his eyes.
Tears ran down his face.
Storm circled the area with the jet for a long time.
Searching for Jean.
But there was no sign of her.
Eventually—
They had no choice but to return to the academy.
Beneath the floodwaters—
Jean's body began glowing.
Crimson energy spread across her skin.
A phoenix-shaped flame appeared in her eyes.
Suddenly—
Her eyes snapped open.
This was no longer Jean Grey.
It was Jean's second personality.
Dark Phoenix.
Moments later, she rose from the floodwaters.
Then shot into the sky.
Heading toward New York.
She could sense someone.
Someone very interesting.
As for the Mutant Academy…
That was the concern of Jean's former personality.
It had nothing to do with Dark Phoenix.
Besides—
She had always disliked Charles Xavier.
The old man who had locked her power away.
...
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