"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Logan taunted.
He snapped his fingers with a distinctive click, and sharp bone claws slowly emerged from between his knuckles.
As they exchanged words, the rest of the team exited the wreckage. Above them, Sean and Angel descended from the sky.
Across the beach, Riptide, Azazel, and their recruits prepared for battle. Twin cyclones were already forming around Riptide's hands.
"Well then... let's begin!"
With a battle cry, Marcus charged forward, both pistols blazing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets infused with void energy streaked toward Riptide and his companions.
"Defensive positions!" Riptide shouted.
Having suffered at Marcus's hands before, both he and Azazel warned their allies loudly.
A mutant with thick crocodile-like skin grabbed a steel plate that had broken off the submarine and positioned it as a shield in front of the group.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The bullets struck the makeshift barrier with sharp sounds, leaving small dents in the thick metal.
After the initial volley was blocked, Azazel grabbed several nearby mutants and vanished in a cloud of crimson smoke, reappearing behind Marcus and his team.
Marcus, undeterred, tossed the Devil's Touch whip to Darwin.
"Handle them!"
Darwin nodded, grasping the weapon's handle and pressing it lightly. The whip seemed to come alive, coursing with electrical current as he lashed it toward Azazel and his group.
Alex held his position, his energy controllers fully activated. Twin beams of red destructive energy shot toward the enemies that had teleported behind them.
Facing these attacks, one of Shaw's mutants stomped hard on the beach. The surrounding sand and gravel instantly formed a protective wall, blocking the incoming assaults.
Though the sand barrier could stop energy blasts, it wasn't a permanent solution. Under Alex's continued barrage, the wall began melting where the energy made contact.
"Kill them!" Azazel commanded.
In an instant, he teleported behind Alex, swinging his blade downward in a lethal arc.
Thud!
A dull impact sounded as Azazel stumbled and vanished from behind Alex.
As the teleporter disappeared, Hank stepped forward and patted Alex's shoulder.
"Keep up the offensive. I'll watch your back!"
Hearing this, Alex unleashed his full power. The immense energy output rapidly melted through the thick sand barrier, reaching the mutants sheltering behind it.
Meanwhile, Marcus engaged with Riptide, who had created a protective storm around the submarine where Shaw remained.
Rather than fighting Marcus directly, Riptide generated a ferocious cyclone that both shielded the submarine and launched powerful wind attacks against everyone.
His ability to hide within the storm left Marcus frustrated. Though his void-powered bullets could penetrate the tempest, they couldn't breach the submarine's hull. With Riptide concealed, Marcus decided to focus on the mutants directly confronting him.
The opponent before him appeared normal except for one distinctive trait—there were more than a dozen identical copies surrounding Marcus, each aiming a rifle at him.
"Am I... surrounded?" Marcus laughed, completely unconcerned by the weapons trained on him. "What a shame that none of you can actually hit me."
With those words, he flashed forward, kicking one clone aside while his pistols roared, targeting the duplicates around him.
Ratatatatat!
As Marcus weaved between them, the clones opened fire, creating a dense web of bullets intended to cut him down.
Unfortunately for them, the attacker lacked combat experience. Moreover, each clone struck by Marcus's void-infused bullets dissipated into smoke, returning to the original body.
Marcus himself was enveloped in void energy, seemingly vanishing from the clones' sight.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The sound of flesh being cut echoed across the beach as a glowing energy blade materialized in Marcus's hand, systematically beheading the remaining clones.
As the duplicates disappeared, the original mutant collapsed in agony, his body convulsing with each duplicate's death.
"Your ability had potential, but you're simply too weak," Marcus remarked, swinging his energy blade to sever the mutant's head.
"Now..." he turned toward the raging storm with a grim smile, "it's your turn!"
Void energy surged beneath his feet, launching him like a cannonball through the cyclone. The tempest couldn't impede his progress as he easily breached it, reaching the submarine's exterior.
Standing near the vessel's hatch, Riptide controlled the storm's fury. The moment he spotted Marcus penetrating his defenses, he retreated inside the submarine.
He knew his ability was ineffective against Marcus, who could kill him without effort.
Through the damaged sections of the submarine, Riptide triggered more localized cyclones.
Though his powers couldn't directly harm Marcus, objects affected by his ability might still pose a threat—just like the stones he had hurled previously.
Multiple whirlwinds, each only a dozen meters in diameter, materialized across the beach. They gathered sand, gravel, and debris, hurling these makeshift projectiles at Marcus.
Though not as devastating as direct mutant attacks, the sheer volume of debris could still cause significant damage.
Observing the approaching storm of sand and shrapnel, Marcus chose not to block it. Instead, he simply vanished from his position.
"You show some tactical thinking, at least. Still, you're far too weak," Marcus's voice came from beside the submarine as he materialized there, slashing multiple times with his energy blade.
The thick steel hull offered little resistance, easily giving way to create an entry point.
Inside, Riptide stared at Marcus in shock. Desperately, he manipulated nearby metal debris, launching it toward the intruder.
Facing these attacks, Marcus simply flickered between locations, avoiding the projectiles while closing the distance.
As he approached Riptide, the nullifier field took effect. Instantly, the mutant's abilities were suppressed, and the swirling storms around them dissipated.
Marcus gripped Riptide's throat with one hand, lifting him before casually throwing him aside.
Sharp fragments of the submarine's broken hull impaled Riptide's body, with one steel rod piercing directly through his chest.
"Heh," Marcus regarded the dying Riptide with disdain, not even bothering to finish him as he proceeded deeper into the submarine.
After witnessing the storm's dissipation, Erik and the others rushed toward the vessel. They found the mortally wounded Riptide amid the wreckage.
"Shaw must be inside!" Erik declared.
Just as he finished speaking, an enormous force split the submarine in two. Shaw and Marcus stood revealed before everyone.
In Shaw's hand was a long metal rod. He regarded Marcus with cautious respect.
"You are the most threatening individual I have ever encountered."
Over the years, Shaw had witnessed countless mutant abilities, but only Marcus possessed powers specifically designed to counter other mutants—making him a truly formidable enemy.
"And you're the first person to escape me," Marcus replied coldly.