Leon hadn't paid much attention to the X-Men recently.
Because of that, he hadn't even noticed when Professor X had finally broken free from the mental prison Leon had placed him in. Still, Leon wasn't surprised. With Charles Xavier's level of telepathic ability, escaping that kind of mental construct had never been impossible.
At most, it would have taken time.
When Leon created the psychic cage in the first place, he never intended to kill Professor X. It had only been meant as a warning—a way to teach him a lesson.
Frankly, Leon had always been irritated by Xavier's endless "teacher" mentality.
A long sigh echoed inside Leon's mind.
Then Professor X's voice appeared.
"So you've truly reached this point," the calm voice said quietly. "You've chosen to become the enemy of the entire world. If you continue down this path, you'll destroy your own potential."
Leon's voice immediately appeared within Xavier's mind as well.
"No. You and Magneto represent two extremes. One preaches protection, the other embraces destruction. But if the two of you had ever been willing to compromise, mutants—and even humanity as a whole—could have entered a new era."
"You never did that."
Leon's mental voice was cold and clear.
"Since neither side is willing to change, then a force must appear that can force you to compromise."
"You can influence a single nation at best. I can reshape the entire world."
There was a faint pause before Leon continued.
"So watch carefully. Under the pressure of my power, we'll see what humanity truly chooses."
"Will they seek change?"
"Will they cling to stability?"
"Or will they destroy themselves completely?"
Leon's mental tone carried absolute certainty.
"No matter what happens, the changes I bring to the world will be far greater than anything you've accomplished."
Silence lingered for a long moment.
Finally, Professor X sighed again.
"You're going too far," Xavier said softly. "Have you thought about how many innocent people could die because of this?"
"If you truly become a global catastrophe, will that really save the world?"
"Yes."
Leon's answer came without hesitation.
Unlike Professor X, Leon had no interest in long philosophical debates. After giving that single answer, he simply sealed off his mind completely and blocked Xavier's psychic connection.
The telepathic intrusion ended instantly.
Leon slowly looked around.
Jean still stood beside him, completely calm. The attacks happening all around them didn't seem to affect her at all. Compared to Leon, her expression was even colder, completely unchanged.
Wolverine remained frozen in mid-air like a suspended statue.
Colossus still held the same punching pose, unmoving like a metallic sculpture.
Nightcrawler's blade remained inches from Leon's throat, his face twisted into an expression of disbelief.
Far above them, Storm hovered in the dark clouds, her brow tightly furrowed.
Down below, Cyclops clenched his teeth as he stared upward.
Their coordinated assault had been crushed effortlessly.
Leon looked at them with mild disappointment.
"I was right," he said calmly. "All you know how to do with your powers is fight."
His eyes moved toward Wolverine first.
"Take you, for example. Have you ever thought about what humanity could gain if scientists studied the healing factor inside your body?"
Leon spoke as if he were giving a lecture.
"With the proper research, diseases like cancer could be eliminated entirely."
His gaze shifted toward Colossus.
"And you. With your ability to transform your body into organic metal, you could easily help create thousands of advanced alloy formulas."
Leon shook his head slightly.
"Unfortunately, your brain seems to be made of muscle as well."
Next his eyes landed on Nightcrawler.
"Your teleportation ability is even more valuable. It's the perfect foundation for studying spatial jump technology."
"If humanity could fully understand your power, interstellar travel would become possible."
He sighed lightly.
"And Storm…"
Leon glanced toward the woman floating in the thunderclouds.
"You are a perfect meteorologist by nature. With your abilities, you could regulate rainfall, repair ozone damage, and reverse climate change within a few years."
Another small shake of his head.
"But apparently none of you ever considered that."
Finally, he glanced down toward Cyclops.
"As for you… well, your eyes…"
Leon paused briefly.
"Actually, those really might only be useful for fighting."
He sighed again.
"Forget it. There's no point explaining any of this to you. You wouldn't listen anyway."
Leon casually waved one hand.
At that instant Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler were all blasted backward as if struck by an invisible hammer.
Their bodies shot through the air and fell from the top of the skyscraper, dropping hundreds of meters toward the streets below.
Leon watched them disappear over the edge of the building.
"I'm standing right here," he said calmly. "You're welcome to try stopping me."
He paused briefly.
"Unfortunately, it seems your strength isn't enough."
"Well then."
"Don't blame me for not giving you the chance."
At that moment a blazing red figure suddenly streaked across the sky toward the building.
A trail of fire followed behind him.
The newcomer wore bright red armor.
Tony Stark.
He landed nearby and immediately shouted, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Tony's voice was sharp with anger.
"You're already the richest man on Earth. Isn't that enough? Why destroy everything now?"
He gestured toward the city below.
"Do you have any idea how hard people have worked to maintain this peace? Do you know how many people treasure the life they have right now?"
Leon didn't even look at him.
He simply waved his hand dismissively.
"Go back wherever you came from. I don't have time to listen to your speeches."
His tone was completely indifferent.
"Don't forget—you technically work for me."
"At a moment like this, I didn't even ask you to pick sides. That's already me showing you respect."
Tony opened his mouth to respond.
"You—"
But the words died in his throat.
Leon had already stopped paying attention to him.
Instead, Leon reached out and touched the thick metal pillar beside them—the same lightning rod mounted at the peak of the Empire State Building.
Under Leon's control, the heavy metal structure immediately began twisting.
Within seconds the entire pillar softened like melting wax.
The solid metal collapsed inward and transformed into a flowing silver liquid.
The metallic fluid gathered together and condensed into a massive floating sphere.
Tony stared at the scene in shock.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
A bad feeling had already formed in his chest.
Leon ignored him completely.
Instead, he spoke calmly.
"Svija, bring up the structural blueprint for the robot."
He paused briefly before adding another line.
"Project name: Soldier. Codename: Ultron Initiative."
"Understood, sir," Svija's voice replied immediately. "The structural design is ready. I will assist you with the assembly process."
The watch on Leon's wrist projected a glowing holographic screen into the air.
Displayed on the projection was a three-dimensional design diagram.
It showed the complete structure of a humanoid robot.
The blueprint was incredibly detailed.
Leon had planned this machine long ago. Originally he had intended to call it Ultron, but the name felt unpleasant to him.
So he simply changed it.
Soldier.
Under Leon's control, the floating metallic sphere began to move.
The liquid metal separated into smaller streams that slowly gathered together in front of him. Piece by piece, the material started shaping itself into a humanoid structure.
With both telekinesis and magnetic manipulation, Leon could control matter with extreme precision. His current control level had already reached the nanoscale.
Building a robot from raw material was effortless.
Within moments the machine began taking shape.
The finished robot stood about two meters tall. Its body was sleek and slender, covered in smooth silver-white armor that resembled Colossus's metallic skin.
The design was elegant and futuristic.
Its limbs were long and streamlined, and instead of a human face the head was covered by a smooth, sci-fi style visor.
The entire body looked like a miniature combat mech—almost like a scaled-down Gundam.
Leon examined the finished machine briefly.
"Svija," he said calmly, "this will be your physical body from now on."
"Transfer your core data into it."
"Understood, sir."
.....
Want to read ahead. Then Join my P@treon 60+ exclusive chapters that are waiting for you.
Free members can get 2 advanced chapters FOR FREE.
Link: ptreon.com/Lotus_Lover
Join Right Now