Before the power of Dimensional Slash, everything was equal.
Steel, concrete, adaptive alloys—it made no difference. Space itself was what Richard cut, and anything occupying that space was severed as a consequence.
The first Sentinel had fallen almost effortlessly. He hadn't even needed to assess its upgrades in detail. Whether these units were enhanced or not, one fact remained certain: they could not withstand spatial severance.
Compared to three months ago, his Dimensional Slash had evolved significantly. The range was wider. The cutting force denser. The spatial distortion more stable.
More importantly, he had mastered what he privately called FS Dimensional Slash—Full-Synchronization Dimensional Slash.
It required charge time and precise timing, unlike the standard version he could release instantly. But in exchange, its destructive output was nearly triple. And once mastered, it unlocked another technique—continuous Dimensional Slash—linking three FS releases seamlessly into a flowing chain.
The only variation he hadn't yet perfected was Absolute.
Everything else, he commanded.
Inside the Sentinel control room, operators stared at their monitors in horror.
These six units had been prepared specifically for him.
The Mutant Affairs Department had learned from Los Angeles. This time, they removed the copy-Richard protocol entirely. Instead of attempting to replicate his powers mid-combat—a process that had previously caused catastrophic system failure—they preloaded each Sentinel with curated ability sets.
Colossus-level carbon steel reinforcement.
High-output energy projection.
Adaptive flight.
The directive was simple: restrain, not destroy. Create an opening for mutant agents to land the killing blow.
Sentinels could be rebuilt.
Elite mutant agents could not.
In theory.
In practice, the first unit had been reduced to fragments before completing a defensive maneuver.
"What did he just use?"
"That's Colossus-grade reinforcement!"
"Carbon steel composite—second only to adamantium and vibranium!"
Their disbelief turned to dread.
On the battlefield, Richard remained composed.
If Level-3 Dimensional Slash couldn't dismantle a Sentinel, that would have been surprising.
He shifted targets.
Slash.
The second unit disintegrated under layered crescent distortions.
The third attempted a counterattack, firing twin beams from its ocular ports. Richard sidestepped effortlessly and answered with another spatial severance. The machine split across the torso before the beam finished crossing the air.
The remaining three lasted less than a minute.
They launched coordinated assaults—chest-mounted cannons, synchronized flight patterns, energy bursts designed to box him in. None of it mattered.
Each fell in turn, carved apart by warped space.
When the final Sentinel collapsed into metallic debris, silence briefly reclaimed the ruined plaza.
Then Richard turned toward the eighteen helmeted mutant agents.
They attacked immediately.
Energy bursts. Kinetic strikes. Gravity pulses.
The mind-isolating helmets prevented psychic suppression, but they did nothing against teleportation or blade work.
He moved through them like a phantom.
One fell to a thrust through the throat.
Another lost both arms before realizing he'd been struck.
Two more attempted a combined gravity bind; Richard teleported behind them and severed their spines in one motion.
Three minutes.
That was how long they lasted.
When the last helmeted agent collapsed, Richard initiated plunder once more.
[New abilities acquired: 22 (16 Beta)]
[Fusion complete.]
[X-Gene Superpowers: 13 Alpha, 38 Beta, 6 Delta]
No new Alpha-tier additions.
He dismissed the panel without interest.
Then he expanded his telepathy again—now fully Alpha-level.
He swept the entire headquarters complex.
Administrative staff.
Support personnel.
Technicians.
Everyone.
Mind obliteration.
In less than a second, the building complex fell into absolute silence.
Only Richard remained alive.
He ascended and landed atop the smooth fracture line of the half-destroyed structure. Sitting casually on the cleanly cut surface, he planted the Authentic Blade beside him.
He knew the true leadership hadn't been present.
Filippo Todd—Minister of Mutant Affairs. Alpha-level. Explosion and flight.
Winston Lambert—Deputy Minister. Alpha-level. Energy control.
Basque Mayor—Head of Operations. Alpha-level. Demonization.
He had researched them months ago through dark web channels.
High-tier combatants.
The reason Magneto hadn't attacked headquarters directly.
Richard opened his power list casually, scrolling through Beta and Delta tiers while seated like a monarch surveying ruins.
Outside the perimeter, Washington police had established a wide cordon. No one dared enter. They were waiting for SHIELD.
At the Triskelion, in Fury's office, the situation was unfolding in real time.
Drone footage streamed across a central screen.
Fury.
Rogers.
Natasha.
Barton.
Banner.
And now, Filippo Todd himself, alongside Lambert and Basque.
None of them had anticipated that within minutes of meeting to discuss Richard's capture, he would decapitate their headquarters.
The drones had not captured the Sentinel destruction clearly. But they had captured the slaughter of the last eighteen agents.
Silence hung heavy in the room.
"Minister Todd," Fury said evenly, "you've seen the situation. The capture strategy you outlined earlier is no longer viable. Do you have contingency plans?"
Todd's jaw tightened.
Contingency plans?
Even if he had one, the personnel to execute it had just been erased.
Over two hundred agents gone.
Six Sentinels gone.
In under five minutes.
"Are you suggesting SHIELD withdraws?" Todd asked coldly.
"Not at all," Fury replied. "I'm suggesting we reassess."
Reassess.
Fury's tone was controlled, but the implication was clear.
Richard might not be Alpha-tier.
He might be Omega.
Todd stood abruptly.
"If SHIELD needs time to rethink, then the Department of Mutant Affairs will handle this personally."
He turned toward Lambert and Basque.
"We're going to arrest him ourselves."
"Captain Rogers," Fury interjected smoothly, "accompany Minister Todd. Deploy special forces."
Rogers nodded. "I'll assemble the team."
Before he could exit, Natasha spoke.
"I have a suggestion."
Todd looked at her sharply. "What suggestion?"
"This entire escalation traces back to his father's arrest," Natasha said calmly. "Release his father. Lift the warrant. Compensate the confiscated assets."
She held Todd's gaze.
"It might end this."
The room stiffened.
"I understand it would look like capitulation," she continued. "But from a cost perspective, it's the most efficient solution."
Todd's expression darkened.
"The famed Black Widow suggests we beg for mercy?"
His tone dripped with contempt.
Natasha didn't flinch.
"Call it strategic de-escalation," she replied quietly.
.....
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