Over the following days, the entire United States—and even much of the world—fell into turmoil because of Leon's broadcast.
The moment mutants realized that someone within their own kind had openly challenged the world's governments, many of them felt a surge of excitement. To them, Leon's actions looked like the ultimate declaration of independence, a fearless display of strength that no mutant had dared to attempt before.
For some mutants, however, that excitement quickly turned into reckless behavior.
Certain hot-headed individuals, unable to resist their impulses, immediately ran out into the streets to cause trouble. They believed Leon's bold stance meant the rules no longer applied to them.
Unfortunately, there were far more of these people than anyone expected.
Within just a few days, disturbances began appearing across multiple cities throughout the United States. Mutants with little self-control started committing crimes openly, believing that their powers placed them above ordinary law.
The United States government responded by activating intelligence agencies and deploying military resources in many areas. Leon's worldwide broadcast had stirred up countless ambitious troublemakers, and the situation quickly spiraled into chaos.
Nowhere felt the consequences more clearly than New York City.
For several nights in a row, the city had descended into near anarchy after sunset. Ordinary citizens were afraid to leave their homes once darkness fell.
Mutants acting as thugs roamed the streets at night, committing robberies, assaults, and even murders. Violence had become the defining feature of New York's nights during this period.
Leon had already deployed members of his Dark Department across several other cities to maintain order. However, he had deliberately left New York alone.
As a result, the city had become especially unstable during these days.
Tony Stark had no choice but to step in.
Every night, he donned the Iron Man armor and flew out into the streets to restore order. As one of the few superheroes active in New York, he was forced to fight crime constantly.
Even with the strength of his armor, the endless battles pushed him to his limits. After several nights of non-stop action, Tony was almost completely exhausted. More than once he had found himself dangerously close to serious injury.
Fortunately, Iron Man was not fighting alone.
Students and faculty from Xavier's Academy had also begun leaving the school to patrol the city and stop criminals. Mutants who believed in protecting ordinary people worked alongside other heroes to keep the chaos under control.
However, one unexpected development surprised Leon.
Magneto's group had also entered the situation.
Even more strangely, they seemed to be acting on the same side as the superheroes, helping suppress the violent mutants who were attacking civilians.
The sight left many observers confused.
At first Leon wondered if Magneto simply didn't want to see the world descend completely into disorder. But after thinking about it for a moment, he dismissed that theory.
Magneto was not someone lacking ambition. On the contrary, his goals for mutant dominance were enormous. Leon couldn't quite figure out why Magneto had chosen to intervene this way.
In the end, he decided the reason didn't matter enough to spend time analyzing.
For Leon himself, the past several days had been extremely relaxing.
After the shocking broadcast and the display of power that followed, no one dared to make secret moves against him anymore. The various political forces that had previously tried to pressure him were suddenly very quiet.
With no one bothering him, Leon spent his days comfortably.
His time with Jean Grey became a daily routine, and six days passed in that manner. During this short period, his abilities advanced dramatically.
He had now reached the late stage of the second level of his power system. At this stage, he could absorb enormous amounts of energy in a single moment.
His control over matter had also evolved significantly.
Leon's ability to manipulate matter had now reached the nanometer scale.
This meant he could easily decompose substances down to the nanometer level, far smaller than the scale of individual cells.
The improvement in his abilities was steady and stable.
Jean's power had also grown during these days, but her growth rate was nowhere near as explosive as Leon's.
Meanwhile, Leon's other abilities had strengthened considerably as well.
His regenerative healing factor had reached a terrifying level. If someone deliberately cut a deep wound across his body, the injury would completely heal within a single second.
For most mutants with healing abilities, such speed was simply impossible.
His control over magnetism had also become extraordinarily powerful.
Leon could now sense the entire magnetic field surrounding the Earth. With a rough estimate, he believed that if he exerted his full strength, he could shift the planet's axial tilt by more than thirty degrees.
If that happened, the equator could effectively become a polar region.
And that was not even the most extreme possibility.
With enough power, he might even be able to pull the moon closer to Earth, altering the balance between the two celestial bodies.
Of course, Leon had no intention of actually doing something so insane.
Still, the growth of his abilities had reached the point where almost no one on Earth could truly threaten him anymore.
At the same time, an unusual tacit understanding had quietly formed between Leon and the United States government.
Leon had stopped making dramatic moves, and the government had stopped targeting him directly.
On the surface, it seemed as though both sides had simply forgotten about their previous conflict. But the truth was that each side understood the situation perfectly.
Leon knew the United States would never truly accept his existence.
For decades, the country had stood as the world's dominant power. It was impossible for them to feel comfortable with an uncontrollable individual like him operating freely within their borders.
But for now, they had no choice but to tolerate it.
Leon's deterrence was simply too overwhelming.
Lorna eventually learned that Jean Grey had become another woman in Leon's life. Surprisingly, she did not react with anger or confrontation.
She understood Leon's personality very clearly.
A man like him would never devote himself completely to a single woman. Love, loyalty, and emotional attachments were never his highest priorities.
Lorna had already accepted that reality when she chose to be with him.
Even so, Leon still treated her with respect. He was not someone obsessed with indulgence or reckless relationships. For him, such things were often nothing more than temporary emotional moments.
Overall, this period of time had been quite peaceful for Leon.
Still, he knew very well that events were constantly unfolding beneath the surface of the world. Hidden forces were always moving.
Because of that, he had instructed Svija to continuously collect intelligence and report any unusual developments immediately.
The very next day, Svija delivered a new report.
"Sir, there's been activity on the west coast."
Leon looked up calmly.
"What kind of activity?"
Svija paused for a brief moment before answering.
"A hammer has fallen from the sky."
.....
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