Xavier's School - Laboratory
While Jean Grey and Scott Summers methodically discussed their reverse-engineering approach to analyze the X-Gene Cure, Logan sat alone in the corner of the laboratory, observing them through a haze of cigar smoke.
Though Jean and Cyclops were focused entirely on their work, to Wolverine's jealous eyes, their collaborative efficiency resembled flirtation.
How am I inferior to Scott? he brooded silently.
In appearance, physique, strength, combat prowess, and healing capabilities, I vastly outclass him! Is it his energy-projecting eyes? So what—he fires optic blasts, and I possess unparalleled Accelerated Healing and indestructible adamantium claws!
Wolverine had questioned Jean more than once about why she chose Scott over him, but she had never provided a direct answer. Though Logan maintained his stoic silence, both Jean and Scott could feel the weight of his stare.
"Logan, it's getting late," Jean turned toward him, her voice gentle but firm. "You should get some rest."
"I'm not tired," Wolverine responded immediately.
Cyclops interjected with undisguised annoyance. "We know you're not tired, but your smoking is disrupting our concentration. This is a laboratory, not a cigar lounge!"
"Then I won't smoke," Logan replied, extending his left palm and extinguishing the cigar against his skin without flinching.
Jean and Scott exchanged helpless glances before returning to their analysis of the neutralizing agent, attempting to ignore Wolverine's continued presence.
Time flowed steadily onward. An hour passed, perhaps two.
Jean activated her telekinesis, causing a specialized weapon on the nearby table—a gun designed to fire cure darts—to levitate toward her and Cyclops. The military-customized pistol hovered before them as Jean prepared to disassemble it telekinetically to extract the cure dart inside.
Whether from fatigue or momentary distraction, Jean's usually precise control faltered. The trigger depressed under telekinetic pressure!
Click!
The healing dart rocketed from the barrel like lightning. Jean gasped, immediately amplifying her telekinetic output to freeze the projectile mid-flight.
The sudden mishap startled not only Jean but Scott and Logan as well. Only when they saw the dart suspended motionless in the air did they finally exhale.
"Jean, are you alright?" Scott asked, concern etched across his features.
"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm probably just tired—my control precision is declining."
"For the past two weeks, you've been constantly analyzing the cure or helping the Professor search for its source," Scott said firmly. "We should stop for today and continue tomorrow."
Jean nodded silently, acknowledging her exhaustion.
Jean's Bedroom - Later That Night
After washing up, Jean lay in bed, unable to find sleep. A persistent voice echoed in her mind—indistinct but irritating, like mosquitoes buzzing near her ear.
After tossing restlessly for over half an hour, she sat up, frustration evident on her face. Focusing her telepathic abilities, she attempted to identify the mysterious voice's source.
To her surprise, she discovered the voice originated not from an external presence, but from within herself.
What's happening?
Frowning with concern, she nonetheless decided to investigate further. Using her telepathy, she directed her consciousness inward.
Without warning, her awareness transported to a strange aerial vista above an island shrouded in thick fog. As she attempted to orient herself, a voice—both familiar and alien—addressed her:
"You finally came!"
Before Jean could respond, black flames materialized on the fog-enshrouded island below. Within seconds, the dark fire engulfed the entire landmass.
Then, with terrifying swiftness, the black flames surged toward her, taking the form of a massive phoenix with outstretched wings.
Silver Manor - New York Suburbs
Richard had just claimed victory in his intense "duel" with Emma Frost and drifted into sleep when the system's voice resonated through his mind.
His eyes snapped open immediately, confronted by the system information:
[Template mission "Devil's Son (IV)" content updated!]
[Mission content: Defeat the runaway "Dark Phoenix" Jean Grey within 30 minutes!]
[Mission Reward: True Demon Form]
[Task time limit: 30 minutes]
All traces of sleepiness vanished instantly. Richard rose from bed and began dressing without a word.
"What's happened?" Emma asked, her voice heavy with interrupted sleep as she watched Richard's sudden urgency.
"There's a situation at Xavier's School," he replied quickly. "I need to go there."
Something at the mutant school? Emma's mind cleared rapidly. "Do you need me to accompany you?"
"No," Richard answered firmly. "You and Clarice stay at the manor."
Having dressed completely, Richard activated his teleportation without hesitation, vanishing instantly from Emma's sight.
Westchester County - Skies Above Xavier's School
Richard hovered in the air, surveying the devastation below. What had once been a pristine private estate with manicured grounds and an elegant mansion had been transformed into a war zone. The school resembled the aftermath of a cruise missile strike—a chaotic landscape of ruins and destruction.
More than half of the main building had collapsed entirely. The once-immaculate lawns were now pockmarked with crater-like depressions, as if bombarded by meteorites. Playgrounds and corridors that had teemed with young mutants just hours before now lay in violent disarray.
Upon witnessing the school's condition, Richard immediately channeled his mana, transforming his clothing into Sephiroth's iconic style, complete with distinctive silver shoulder armor. Simultaneously, he summoned the Masamune from his system space.
The moment the blade materialized, a dark crimson energy sphere—over a meter in diameter—rocketed toward him with missile-like velocity.
Gravesong!
The Masamune cleaved through the air with lightning speed. A crescent-shaped energy wave, purple-rimmed with a brilliant white core, surged toward the approaching fireball.
BOOM!
The sword energy and the crimson sphere collided violently, detonating like otherworldly fireworks. The thunderous explosion reverberated throughout the school grounds as mana and sparks scattered in all directions, resembling a meteor shower.
Super Senses!
Ignoring the shockwave and cascading energy from the explosion, Richard immediately activated his super senses. Through telescopic vision, the interior of the partially collapsed building revealed itself in stark detail.
The rubble had buried numerous mutant students. Though fatalities appeared relatively low—five or six at most—dozens remained trapped beneath the debris. Some were using their abilities to free themselves, while others awaited rescue from their peers outside.
Bobby Drake—Iceman—had taken charge of coordinating rescue efforts. Richard also spotted Colossus and Pyro assisting, though Rogue was nowhere to be seen.
While Iceman's team worked frantically to extract their buried classmates, the X-Men mentors—Cyclops, Wolverine, and Storm—were visible on the lawn behind the main building. Logan lay crushed beneath a boulder nearly two meters across, while Storm had been rendered unconscious near Professor Xavier's electric wheelchair. Scott too had fallen unconscious, though he wasn't lying on the ground—he hovered eerily before Jean Grey.
Where is Professor X?
Though Xavier's wheelchair was clearly visible, Richard couldn't locate the telepath himself. Frowning, he scanned the entire school with his enhanced vision, finding no trace of the Professor.
The absence of Xavier's body, combined with the unconscious forms of Cyclops and Storm, told Richard everything he needed to know.
Professor X is dead.
Killed by Phoenix—or more accurately, by Dark Phoenix.
Too late after all...
Richard sighed inwardly before focusing his attention on Jean, who appeared to be examining the suspended form of Cyclops.
The Phoenix now wore a dark crimson leather jacket, her eyes rimmed with what resembled black eyeshadow. Ominous crimson energy swirled around her like living flames. She regarded the unconscious Scott with an unsettling expression—as if considering not how to save him, but how to consume him.
Her attention suddenly shifted from Cyclops to Richard.
With a casual flick of her wrist, she discarded Scott like refuse, hurling him aside to focus her full attention on Richard. Raw hunger gleamed in her eyes.
Ignoring her predatory scrutiny, Richard activated his X-gene powers.
Gravity Control!
The massive boulder pinning Wolverine lifted instantly. Freed from its crushing weight, Logan immediately staggered to his feet.
"What happened here?" Richard's voice resonated directly within Wolverine's mind.
Though lacking telepathic abilities himself, Logan responded instinctively through the mental link.
"Jean lost control—attacked us and the students indiscriminately."
"To stop her, the Professor..." Wolverine's mental voice faltered as he glanced toward Xavier's empty wheelchair.
Richard didn't press further. Instead, he used his telepathy to awaken the unconscious Cyclops and Storm.
"I'll handle Jean," he projected to all three X-Men. "Focus on saving the students."
Without waiting for their response, he severed the telepathic connection and turned his attention to the Dark Phoenix, who was rapidly ascending toward him.
Before she even reached his position, she launched her assault.
Telekinetic Impact!
Rather than employing the Phoenix Force directly, Jean unleashed a telekinetic barrage—invisible to the naked eye but powerful as a hurricane as it surged toward Richard.
Energy Absorption!
Richard made no attempt to evade. Instead, he activated his energy absorption ability. Though Jean had ascended to Omega-level status, he could still neutralize her telekinetic attacks with relative ease.
When her telekinetic assault reached him, it simply vanished—absorbed instantly as if it had never existed.
Surprise flickered across Phoenix's face. This marked the first time Richard had employed his absorption ability in front of others. Even Jean's primary personality had been unaware of this capability, let alone her darker manifestation.
Having neutralized her attack, Richard immediately launched his counteroffensive.
Swift Slash!
Rather than employing Octoslash or Judgement Cut End, he opted for the lightning-fast Swift Slash technique. Though initially positioned twenty or thirty meters from Phoenix, he appeared before her instantaneously, the Masamune arcing toward her neck at speeds beyond normal visual perception.
While the system merely required him to defeat Dark Phoenix rather than kill her, Richard wouldn't hesitate to end her existence if given the opportunity.
Just as the Masamune was about to connect with Jean's neck, it halted abruptly twenty centimeters from its target.
Phoenix Force!
Jean had manifested a crimson barrier that resembled a mirrored surface, intercepting the Swift Slash before it could find its mark.
Teleportation!
Without hesitation, Richard immediately teleported over a hundred meters away.
What remarkable reaction speed!
Richard silently acknowledged her prowess. Had Phoenix relied solely on her mutant abilities rather than tapping into the cosmic force, his Swift Slash would have connected with approximately 80% certainty. Unfortunately, Dark Phoenix proved far more vigilant than he had anticipated.
Though slightly disappointed, he remained undeterred and readied the Masamune for another attack.
Judgement Cut End!
Since obtaining the Yamato, the potency of his Judgement Cut End had increased dramatically. The fusion had finally completed the technique as it was meant to be executed.
With Dark Phoenix as its focal point, the surrounding space distorted violently. Crescent-shaped spatial disruptions converged upon her at tremendous velocity.
The spatial slashes passed through Phoenix's body in rapid succession. Yet unlike previous opponents Richard had faced, she wasn't carved into segments. In fact, she emerged completely unscathed, as if the Judgement Cut End had never connected.
Strictly speaking, it hadn't. The spatial disruptions hadn't actually impacted Phoenix's physical form, but instead had been neutralized by the Phoenix Force itself.
For most adversaries, the Judgement Cut End—which relied on spatial separation to form its cutting edge—represented an inescapable and terrifying technique. But against an entity wielding the Phoenix Force, even this formidable attack proved insufficient.
The cosmic entity could create, manipulate, and destroy time and space at will—merely one of the innumerable abilities within the Phoenix Force's arsenal.
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