At the bottom of the Hudson River, ships that had slumbered for decades—some for over a century—began to stir. Rusted cargo, iron anchors, and sunken metal structures were slowly dragged upward, as if pulled by an invisible hand.
Beneath this historic waterway lay the true witnesses to New York—no, to America's rise over the past several hundred years. These vessels had once carried the lifeblood of a nation across the seas. What they brought with them was not just goods, but wealth, glory, and the very foundation of power.
And now, these relics of history—objects that even the most advanced salvage teams could not recover—had awakened under the control of the Master of Magnetism.
"We've got trouble," Scott muttered as he shut down the output of his visor.
Magneto had appeared. The machine atop the statue had stopped. For a brief moment, everything fell eerily silent.
But they all knew—
This was only the calm before a far greater storm.
"Storm," Scott called out.
Behind him, Ororo understood immediately. She stepped forward, arms spreading wide, her eyes turning a luminous silver as if endless tempests were gathering within them.
And with her movement, the world itself changed.
Dark clouds surged across the sky. Violent winds howled through the island. Lightning streaked through the heavens like living serpents.
The Goddess of Storms had arrived.
…
"Uh… you planning to go help?"
On the riverbank, Peter glanced sideways at Wolverine, one hand holding up his pants as he casually spoke.
"I'd honestly recommend staying back. Not going in might be the biggest help you can give."
He couldn't understand Logan at all. The guy knew full well his entire skeleton was metal, yet he still insisted on charging at Magneto every time.
And every time, without fail—
He became Magneto's puppet.
A weapon used against his own teammates.
"Beating up my allies, protecting my enemies… impressive," Peter muttered with a shake of his head. "Don't worry, Logan. After this fight, I'm definitely reporting you."
Finishing up and zipping back up, Peter looked toward the battlefield. The sky had completely transformed—lightning crackled endlessly, hurricanes swept across the island, and chaos reigned everywhere.
But Peter had already lost interest.
His goal was ninety percent complete.
The moment Magneto stepped in, he became the center of attention. And that gave Peter exactly what he needed—
Freedom to act.
While everyone else was focused on the battle, Peter had quietly slipped away, circling around to the back of the Statue of Liberty.
"Lady Liberty… for the sake of humanity, lend me your body."
Standing there with his backpack still on, Peter didn't even glance at the ongoing fight. From the moment Magneto drew all attention, he had already disengaged and repositioned himself perfectly.
"Well then… it's time."
"System—I'm making the sacrifice."
"I'm offering the Statue of Liberty."
…
Deep within his consciousness, an unimaginably vast black altar appeared beneath his feet.
Ancient. Boundless. Ominous.
Peter stood at its center as an indescribable sense of age and weight washed over him.
He raised his head, gazing into the endless void above.
Then—
A presence answered.
"What… do you seek?"
Peter smiled faintly.
"Power."
"I want greater power."
"Something more versatile… more flexible… with limitless potential."
Right now, he was too limited.
Yes, his strength was immense. His agility unmatched. With his spider-sense, he could walk through gunfire as if strolling through a garden.
But in the end—
He was still just a close-combat fighter.
Against enemies like Magneto, Storm, or Jean Grey—those who dominated from a distance—
He was at a clear disadvantage.
And what about the future?
What about armies equipped with overwhelming firepower?
He could dodge bullets.
But what about bombardments?
Missile tracking systems?
Even his enhanced body had limits.
He needed something more.
Something that would elevate him beyond a melee fighter—
Something that would let him strike from afar.
"Your will… shall be fulfilled."
The unseen presence responded.
And in the next instant, a vast, incomprehensible force descended, enveloping Peter entirely.
…
At the very center of the battlefield—
Amid thunder, lightning, and the violent trembling of countless metal objects—
The symbol of American freedom—
The Statue of Liberty—
Holding her torch high, clutching the Declaration of Independence—
Vanished.
Completely.
Gone.
At the exact moment the statue disappeared, a massive surge of energy erupted outward from Peter's position, sweeping across Liberty Island like a raging storm.
"Watch out!"
Two voices cried out at the same time.
Jean Grey, who had been holding back until now, suddenly unleashed her power. Her crimson hair flared wildly as her eyes burned with intensity. As the Omega-level mutant personally recognized by Professor Xavier, she released a level of power she had never displayed before.
At the same time, behind Magneto, a figure bathed in red raised her head to the sky.
Scarlet Witch.
Chaos magic surged violently from her body, far surpassing the power she had shown when facing Scott earlier.
Three overwhelming psychic forces—
One from the front.
Two from behind.
Collided almost simultaneously.
And at the heart of it all—
A new power was being born.
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T/N:
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