The Fantastic Four arrived at the funeral dressed in formal black attire. Reed Richards—Mr. Fantastic—and Ben Grimm—the Thing—wore standard suits despite Ben's unusual rocky physique. Johnny Storm—the Human Torch—had opted for a designer label, his suit bearing the unmistakable cut of an international brand. Susan Storm—the Invisible Woman—was elegant in a form-fitting black dress, similar to Clarice's own attire.
After paying their respects at Professor Xavier's tombstone, the four heroes found their designated seats in the front row, marked with their names. They settled more than ten chairs away from where Richard sat.
Once they were seated, Clarice leaned toward Richard and whispered, "Have you interacted with them before?"
Richard shook his head. "No, I've only crossed paths with Johnny Storm at a few social gatherings," he replied quietly.
Among the Fantastic Four, the Human Torch was undeniably the one who craved the spotlight. His personality mirrored pre-Iron Man Tony Stark—an unabashed playboy through and through. After gaining fire manipulation powers from cosmic radiation and taking his place in the Fantastic Four, Johnny had only become more flamboyant rather than tempering his exhibitionist tendencies.
He was the only member who insisted on having designer brands on his uniform. Unlike Reed with his typical scientist demeanor, or Ben with his reliable, humor-laced military background from the Marines, Johnny had become synonymous with "unreliability."
Despite these flaws, Johnny was undeniably handsome—a classic American heartthrob. Richard couldn't help but notice he bore a striking 70% resemblance to the late Captain America, Steve Rogers—whom Richard had personally dispatched.
As Clarice questioned Richard about the Human Torch, across the garden, Susan was simultaneously asking her brother if he knew Richard.
Being Johnny's sister, Susan understood all too well his playboy reputation and his enthusiasm for high-society functions.
"I've seen him a few times at events, but we've never really interacted," Johnny answered, his gaze fixed unashamedly on Clarice. "Though this is my first time seeing the woman with him."
True to his nature, Johnny had spotted Clarice the moment he arrived. Although she wasn't yet twenty and her Asian heritage gave her a different figure than most Western women her age, her stunning features and perfect proportions radiated a unique charm that Western women simply didn't possess.
Susan sighed helplessly at catching her brother's obvious staring. "Be serious, Johnny. This is Professor Xavier's funeral."
"Am I being inappropriate?" Johnny challenged.
"You're hopeless," Susan replied with exasperation. "Let me warn you—don't antagonize Richard. He's dangerous. In the past six months alone, he's killed more people than all the women you've flirted with combined. Provoking him would be extremely unwise."
Susan's warning was serious. If Clarice had been merely another attractive mutant with no connections, she wouldn't have cared about Johnny's latest pursuit. But Clarice wasn't just connected to Richard—they were extremely close.
"I know he's powerful—an Omega-level mutant and all that—but I'm not exactly weak myself," Johnny responded quickly. "In a real fight, I might hold my own."
Before Susan could respond, Reed's precise voice cut in. "Your chances of not losing might exist, but the probability of you actually defeating him is no more than 0.036%." He paused before adding, "Even if he stood completely still and offered no resistance, your probability of victory would only rise to 2.45%."
Though Reed didn't elaborate on his calculations, Johnny bristled at the assessment. "I'm not that weak!"
"My calculations are accurate," Reed stated with absolute certainty.
"You..." Johnny began, clearly insulted but knowing better than to question Reed's analytical abilities. As a longtime member of the Fantastic Four, he recognized that Reed's data was likely correct, however much it wounded his pride.
After taking several deep breaths to contain his frustration, Johnny snapped, "No wonder you haven't managed to win over my sister after all these years. You're nothing but a nerd!"
Reed immediately fell silent, his expression darkening.
"Shut up!" Susan hissed, shooting Johnny a withering glare.
Despite being seated more than ten chairs away, Richard—with his Alpha-level super senses—heard their conversation as clearly as if they were speaking directly beside him. Learning that Reed had yet to win Susan's affections piqued his interest in the Invisible Woman. If his memory served correctly, Reed Richards was Susan's husband only in the main Marvel Universe-616.
Maybe there are other, but he usually only has knowledge of the mainstream comic.
In many universes, Reed Richards and Susan Storm remained simply teammates rather than spouses. Yet, curiously, across all parallel realities, Franklin Richards was invariably Susan's son. The comics never specified who the Invisible Woman married in these alternate timelines or who fathered Franklin Richards.
A thought crystallized in Richard's mind. This wasn't the 616 universe. And in every reality, Susan's son would inevitably be Franklin Richards. Which meant... if he married the Invisible Woman and she bore his child, he would become Franklin Richards' biological father.
Though Richard had achieved Omega-level mutant status, there remained distinct tiers even among Omega mutants. Franklin Richards stood unquestionably at the pinnacle. Time Travel, Manipulation of Space-Time, Matter Restructuring, Reality Warping, and even Universe Creation—these were just a sampling of Franklin's extraordinary abilities.
If Richard truly became Franklin's father, he wouldn't need to lift a finger to become master of the universe. And if one universe proved insufficient, Franklin could simply create more.
After briefly indulging in this vision of cosmic mastery, Richard made his decision. He would pursue the Invisible Woman.
Not even Galactus, Eternity, and Infinity combined could stand in his way.
Susan would never have guessed that while she warned Johnny against pursuing Clarice, Richard was formulating plans to pursue her. Reed couldn't have imagined that the woman of his dreams had become Richard's target. And Johnny would never have suspected that Richard had decided to become his brother-in-law.
Following Professor Xavier's funeral, Richard didn't approach Susan immediately. Though he'd made his decision, he understood the value of patience. Just as he prepared to escort Clarice to the waiting Rolls-Royce and return to Silver Manor, Reed approached them alone.
"Mr. Wesley," Reed addressed him formally despite their age difference, "might I have a word with you in private?"
"Of course," Richard nodded, then turned to Clarice. "Wait for me in the car."
"Okay," she replied quickly before departing.
Once they were alone, Reed and Richard moved to a secluded corner of the garden.
"Charles asked me to deliver this letter to you after his funeral," Reed explained, producing an envelope from his jacket pocket.
So you're the messenger! Richard thought.
Taking the letter, Richard immediately opened it and began reading. He finished quickly, his expression revealing no surprise—only confirmation of what he'd suspected.
His intuition had been correct. Professor X had asked Reed to deliver this letter because he wanted Richard to join the Illuminati as the mutant representative.
Though Xavier hadn't explicitly written "Illuminati" in the letter—merely stating his hope that Richard would join a certain organization on his behalf as the mutant representative—Richard could easily deduce which group Xavier meant.
After reading, he sighed, refolded the letter, returned it to its envelope, and addressed Reed: "I'm sorry, but I have no interest in joining any organization at present."
"No apology necessary. I'm merely the messenger," Reed responded before walking back toward Susan and the others waiting in the corridor.
As Reed departed, Richard prepared to return to the car. However, at that moment, he sensed powerful magnetic field fluctuations approaching rapidly from a distance.
Looking skyward, he spotted a familiar figure—Magneto.
Despite lacking enhanced durability, Magneto was flying toward the school at two to three times the speed of sound. Within moments, he arrived above the mansion and descended into the garden.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Magneto removed his mind-shielding helmet and approached Xavier's tombstone carrying a metallic chess box.
"Old friend," he spoke softly, "abandoning our game before completion isn't like you."
As he spoke, Magneto levitated the chess box, opening it with his powers. The pieces flew out one by one, but he positioned only three on the board—the two kings and a black knight. The remaining pieces hovered to the side under his control.
The chessboard, with its sparse arrangement, settled gently before Xavier's tombstone.
"This ends in a draw. I won't allow you another victory," Magneto declared, bowing deeply before the grave.
After this gesture, he replaced his helmet and turned to face Richard.
"Shall we find somewhere to talk?" Magneto suggested.
"Fine by me," Richard agreed, reasonably certain of what Magneto wished to discuss.
Magneto rose into the air using his magnetic powers, flying toward the forest adjacent to the mansion. Richard, though equally capable of magnetic manipulation, chose instead to use the flight ability he'd acquired from Griffin Todd, the Minister of Mutant Affairs.
They landed in a forest clearing moments later.
"Charles and I believed Jean Grey would be the ideal candidate to lead mutant kind into the future," Magneto began. "It seems we were both mistaken."
He continued, "I must apologize for my actions at the last press conference. I invoked your name to incite resistance without your consent or knowledge."
Magneto prepared to bow in apology, but Richard stopped him.
"Just ensure it doesn't happen again," Richard stated evenly.
"Rest assured, there won't be a next time," Magneto promised.
"Let's move past this. Are you truly not interested in becoming our leader? With your current strength and reputation, more than half of all mutants would rally to your call," Magneto pressed.
"No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same," Richard replied firmly. "I have no interest in leading mutants. I simply wish to live my own life."
"Very well. Since you're not interested, I'll drop the matter," Magneto conceded. "If you find the time, visit the Brotherhood's headquarters. Wanda and Pietro are both eager to meet you."
"I'll visit when I can," Richard replied.
Satisfied with this answer, Magneto nodded, generated a magnetic force field around himself, and departed without looking back.
When Magneto had gone, Richard teleported back to Clarice.
Upon returning to the car, he immediately employed his magnetic field manipulation, allowing the Rolls-Royce to drive toward Silver Manor as if equipped with autonomous navigation.
Three days after Xavier's funeral, Richard saw news reports about the Department of Mutant Affairs and U.S. military forces raiding a mutant school. Despite extensive preparations, the operation yielded nothing. The X-Men had received advance warning and quietly evacuated all students before the attack.
Beyond evacuation, Cyclops and Wolverine had emptied the entire underground base—removing years of accumulated X-Men intelligence, cerebro wave enhancement machines, and various laboratory equipment.
Richard had no idea where Cyclops and Wolverine had relocated. His attention had shifted to something else entirely.
Ghost Rider!
More specifically, Ghost Rider had appeared in New York!
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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