Chapter 59: The Xenomorph Sentry Decides to Deal with Magneto
It's hard to say who is truly stronger, Professor X or Magneto. They are generally considered to be beings on the same level.
But if you were to say who has the fewest weaknesses and is the most adaptable, it would undoubtedly be Magneto.
Professor X has the body of a mere mortal, but Magneto is different. Through the electromagnetic force, he possesses a formidable physique far beyond that of a normal person. He can use electromagnetism to control metal, create lightning, interfere with an enemy's bio-magnetic field, and even generate an energy field.
For example, right now, Magneto can neither see nor hear, but through the human bio-magnetic field, he knows that a person is standing before him.
"I knew it. Charles is still too soft-hearted, to fall for your ambush so easily. I imagine you took the opportunity while we were at the Global Summit to tamper with Cerebro."
Magneto's face was expressionless, yet it was the most terrifying visage in the world, filled with a volcanic rage.
Across from him, Mastermind's face twitched. The placid emotional fluctuations, a result of Stryker's modifications, now showed a ripple.
"Don't be surprised, child. Your tricks may fool them, but they could never fool me. Who would think to hide their own bio-magnetic field?"
Magneto looked on with a benevolent expression. With just a raise of his hand, Mastermind was completely immobilized.
"Are you a mutant, or something else? Possessing a superpower of deception?" Magneto looked at Professor X, whose head was slumped in his wheelchair. His voice grew deeper, and the bone-chilling intent nearly shattered the shackles in Mastermind's brain, allowing a trace of clarity to return to his eyes.
"So you're just a puppet. But that doesn't mean you're completely blameless. You knocked out Charles. Do you plan to make him sleep forever and turn him into your tool? That's a good idea. Once upon a time, I thought the same thing."
Magneto extended a finger and pointed it at Mastermind. Instantly, Mastermind's body suffered immense destruction. If he had retained his clear senses, he would have known it felt like being hit head-on by a high-speed train, his body like creaking, rusty iron, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Blood began to seep from every pore.
At this moment, Magneto still couldn't see Mastermind's form, not that he cared. He was simply torturing the person before him coldly, as a warning to the one pulling the strings.
"Who organized this operation? Stryker? I think it was S.H.I.E.L.D." Magneto increased the pressure, on the verge of crushing Mastermind.
"Enough. Such crude means. Let my son go."
Stryker's voice emanated from a button on Mastermind's clothes.
"This is actually your son? No wonder. With a superpower like this, your wife's death was not unjust. It would have been abnormal for her to live." Magneto sneered. The violent nature he had painstakingly suppressed finally felt a sliver of pleasure.
If Professor X hadn't reminded him countless times, with his temper, he would have long since started a massacre when faced with a situation like this.
It didn't matter who the culprit was, nor did he need to care. It was definitely a human, so hunting down and killing humans was the right course of action.
"Stryker, you should thank Charles. If it weren't for him, all of you would be dead." Magneto released his grip, tossing Mastermind, whose bones were all dislocated, to the ground. He glanced down coldly, unconcerned.
Mastermind's ability was interesting, but in Magneto's eyes, it was nothing more than an advanced trick. It could be very useful if employed well, but it didn't matter if it wasn't used.
"What do you want?" Stryker's voice sounded.
"Have your people fall back. Clear a path. I will take Charles and leave this damned country, away from humanity," Magneto said.
Stryker said, "My biggest mistake was guessing that you flying away after leaving the summit was a feint. I thought you would be by the sea to meet the X-Men, but I never expected you to have stayed here the whole time."
"I have no need to meet them by the sea. Someone in the Brotherhood has the ability of spatial movement. If Charles wasn't so soft-hearted, you would have never had a chance."
"You're right. But if he wasn't soft-hearted, would he still be the man you know?"
Stryker's voice grew increasingly cold. Magneto heard the sounds of gunfire outside gradually cease, but he felt more and more that something was wrong.
Like an erupting volcano doused by an icy downpour, a look of horror appeared in Magneto's eyes. He knew what the problem was.
*Swish!* Magneto abruptly clenched his hand, crushing Mastermind on the ground into a bloody pulp.
"Too late. Do you know where you fall short compared to Charles? It's that you're too arrogant! You underestimated William Stryker's son! If it were Charles, he would never have let his guard down! Who says an ordinary person can't give birth to a monster with terrifying talent? I can! Preacher can!"
Stryker let out a terrifying laugh, his voice filled with madness. "Feeling like your thoughts are a bit off? That's right. My son has already filled your head with mental fragments, and your mind is riddled with suggestion traps!"
"Erik! Magneto! You could think of lurking by the Professor's side to protect him, so why wouldn't I? From the very beginning, this attack was planned with you as a contingency. I knew that encountering you would mean losing my son."
There was no pain in Stryker's voice over his son's death, only profound regret—perhaps mourning the loss of such a useful tool. But to be able to deal with both Professor X and Magneto at the same time, it was worth it.
The very purpose of his existence was greatly fulfilled and elevated in this brief operation.
"My thoughts... what is happening..." Magneto's face was a mask of disbelief. He realized his thoughts were gradually descending into chaos. Conversely, the negative emotions and dark thoughts he should have suppressed were now being infinitely amplified.
Mastermind was no mere mutant who played simple tricks. He could even drag Professor X into an endless illusion. It was hardly difficult for him to plant mental suggestions in Magneto's mind.
"Impossible... My helmet can block all mind control..."
"Did I ever try to invade your brain with telepathy?" Stryker rudely interrupted Magneto. "Your helmet only prevents mind control, it doesn't prevent you from seeing, hearing, smelling, and perceiving information from the outside world!"
As long as you can perceive the outside world, you can be deceived by the illusions created by Mastermind!
Mastermind was Stryker's absolute trump card, hidden for so many years. He was a monster that Stryker had spent countless efforts and prepared innumerable means to brainwash and control.
"If my son were still alive, I could have let you experience something interesting while your consciousness was still clear. For example, creating illusory flames, letting you be burned in them, dying again and again, only to be resurrected time and time again."
Stryker said coldly, "But there's no chance for that now. You will live forever in the illusion I have meticulously woven for you—an illusion where mutants are driven to extinction by humanity, and you, as the last mutant, lose your sanity and fall into madness and despair."
This was the very core of Magneto's pain, the future he feared most.
Stryker had accidentally hit the mark, tapping into Magneto's greatest fear—the very future he had learned of from Destiny.
Otherwise, Magneto should have been able to struggle for a while longer.
If Professor X were here, he could have removed Magneto's helmet and invaded his brain with telepathy, forcibly restraining him. But Professor X was unconscious.
In Stryker's mind, a perfect closed loop had formed.
"Come, Erik! Become my servant! Only I can prevent this future from happening! You should obey my—Preacher's—command!"
Even with his cold temperament, Stryker couldn't hide his excitement and elation. He was about to control Magneto and take Professor X captive, wiping out the two most powerful forces of the mutants in one fell swoop!
Still want to break away from humanity and found your own nation? Bullshit! Go found your nation in Hell!
"Aaaaargh!!!"
Magneto clutched his head, his bloodshot eyes seeming to split at the corners. He couldn't distinguish if what he was seeing and hearing was real or fake. It was even possible that the entire world was an illusion, but Magneto's own thoughts could no longer tell the difference.
*Zzzzzzt!* A continuous stream of terrifying energy surged from Magneto's body, visible to the naked eye. With his last shred of sanity, Magneto blasted through the roof and away from Professor X.
The violent noise drew the attention of all the humans and mutants.
"Magneto? What's wrong with him? Wasn't he protecting the unconscious Professor X?"
"This is bad. His condition is not right. The magnetic field he's creating is also chaotic..."
Magneto roared. No one knew what terrible and despairing things he was experiencing in his illusion. A spherical net of energy appeared all around him.
Intense lightning was brewing and began to scatter with a roar. Like Thor summoning boundless thunder, billions of lightning bolts cleansed the earth with ever-increasing density.
Under this mighty display, unlucky souls were continuously struck by lightning, vaporizing on the spot.
"What the hell is going on? I didn't see anyone sneak in! We were guarding the Professor well!" Wolverine took a bolt of lightning with his body, his flesh rapidly regenerating as his expression turned grim.
The lightning was the least of their worries. What was truly terrifying was the ever-expanding energy field. Anyone who touched it would be pulverized by the rampaging energy.
Even Wolverine felt a flicker of fear, doubting whether his self-healing ability could withstand such a destructive force.
Perhaps the beta Adamantium in his body, which possessed its own regenerative properties, could maintain his basic structure and provide a buffer for his healing to catch up.
"I'll stop him! You go check on the Professor and move him to a safe place!"
Storm, Ororo, clenched her teeth, her eyes turning white. Possessing the ability to control the weather, she could only brace herself and try to forcibly disperse the thunder and lightning raining down from the sky.
"I'll help you..." A faint red light flashed in the depths of Jean Grey's eyes, gone in an instant. She was about to rush forward, but Storm shouted to stop her, so she could only turn back to find Professor X.
But Storm's wishful thinking only made the problem worse. The lightning became more numerous and ferocious. Helicopters were continuously struck by the storm and lightning, crashing one after another.
Even the missiles that had been launched were flying erratically, making who-knows-how-many turns in the air before exploding.
The scene on the ground was even more tragic. Countless tanks and armored vehicles were hit. Some were even swept into the sky and disintegrated on the spot.
As for the ordinary soldiers? They were lucky if their corpse remained in one piece. Otherwise, just piecing the bodies back together would be an impossible task.
Right now, no one was paying attention to the ordinary people. Anyone with some strength to spare attacked in unison, attempting to stop the inexplicably crazed Magneto.
The X-Men still hadn't figured out why Magneto had become like this. Even while fighting their enemies, they had maintained their defensive line, certain that no one had slipped past them.
What exactly happened to Magneto? Or rather, did something go wrong because he was attacked, or... was he using this as a pretext, having a problem of his own?
The huge commotion and the incredible meteorological changes were destined to shake the entirety of New York City.
The tens of millions of people in this super-metropolis only needed to look up to see countless clouds rolling back, scattered intermittently across the high sky. Dark storm clouds dispersed in all directions. The core in the distance, above the Westchester Area, had formed a shape like a black hole, as if the gates of Hell were slowly opening.
The violently trembling ground split with countless cracks. Magnificent skyscrapers swayed from side to side, echoing the intensifying gale, a heart-stopping sight to behold.
Lightning, storms, energy fields, earthquakes...
The entirety of New York City plunged into a massive panic. If this had happened in the past, people would have just thought this apocalyptic scene was perhaps a massive earthquake or some meteorological anomaly.
But now they wouldn't think that. Even an ordinary person, upon seeing this disastrous scene, would have a thought pop into their head: which superhuman is responsible for this one?
Wait, why 'again'? When was the last time?
Screams of terror rose and fell. Countless vehicles blared their horns frantically, trying to escape the disaster scene.
At any other time, this might have been useful. But this time, the one creating these disasters was Magneto.
With his energy field at full power, any nearby metal became sluggish, unable to move.
Magneto's terrifying roars were even more frightening than a demon from Hell—if these people had ever actually seen a demon from Hell.
The Westchester Area bore the brunt of it. As the core of the disaster, countless people were slaughtered by the rampaging Magneto, their bodies obliterated by the ravaging might, their families torn apart.
Countless faces changed drastically, completely unable to understand why this was happening. When they saw that Magneto was the cause of it all, they were even more shocked and confused.
"That's Magneto? How could this be? He said he reconciled with the X-Men during the day, so why did he start killing people like a madman at night!!"
"You call this just 'killing'? I'd believe it if you said he was trying to annihilate the world! Have the conflicts between humanity and mutants reached this point? Is there no room for de-escalation that he'd just start an extinction event?"
Yes, this was an unprecedented "extinction."
Magneto's abilities were inherently area-of-effect. At full firepower, a single casual move could level a large area. This was the terror of someone who had mastered the universe's electromagnetic force.
At this moment, many of New York's heroes took action, but against Magneto, they were still far too outmatched.
There were those who threw caution to the wind, like Daredevil, but he could only save ordinary people. Send him to fight Magneto? Magneto was flying in the sky. A hero who couldn't fly and had no strong long-range attacks would be throwing their life away just by getting close.
On the other hand, even if one could fly, without absolute strength, there was no way to break through Magneto's energy field. They would be blasted to smithereens sooner or later.
There were also some clever ones who flew into the sky with a pile of weapons and conducted continuous long-range bombardment.
"Tony Stark, what are you doing?" Fury forcibly cut into Tony's channel.
"Damn it, I just upgraded Jarvis's firewall, how did you suddenly get in? As you can see, I'm trying to stop that madman."
Tony pushed his Mark 5 Armor to its limits. Energy cannons, lasers, missiles—every attack method he had was put to use, but... it was completely useless.
To put it bluntly, the combat power of the Mark 5 was less than a squadron of fighter jets, but even a large squadron of jets bombing from a distance couldn't do a thing to Magneto.
"Sir, the Mark Armor is showing signs of instability. The opponent's magnetic field continues to expand," Jarvis reported faithfully.
"What? I'm at least three kilometers away from him, and I'm still being affected at this distance?" Tony was a bit stunned. This was the first time he had seen a top-tier superhuman go full firepower, and it was just too exaggerated.
No, it should be said that even Magneto himself didn't know he could cause this level of destruction by cutting loose. After decades of accumulation, he had never unleashed his power so completely as he was now.
But Tony had no choice. Other than this, he really didn't know what else he could do. Should he just fly far away and watch from a distance?
Watch as Magneto uprooted buildings and dismembered living beings over vast areas, as if he were crushing ants?
But get closer? Tony knew his limits. People like Storm and Dr. Jean could interfere with Magneto at close range, but he couldn't do anything. The electromagnetic force was a complete counter to him; both the metal and the precise electronic equipment of his suit would be fried in minutes.
In this situation, Tony was truly at a loss. What more could he do? He could do nothing.
"I need to build an anti-magnetic armor, but it's already too late..." Tony's heart was filled with frustration as he watched large swaths of Westchester being wiped blank.
How many people had already died? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? The kind where not even a corpse was left.
Just then, another communication request came in.
"Your futile efforts remind me of Sisyphus pushing his stone up the mountain."
"Du Wa?" Tony's eyes lit up, but they quickly dimmed again. "I'd rather hope Sisyphus could come and stop this madman. But I'm afraid it would take Zeus himself to stop Magneto, right? If Zeus even exists."
"Of course Zeus exists, but he wouldn't bother coming all the way here for this little mess on Earth. You'd be better off praying for the Asgardians to come help," Du Wa's voice held no trace of anxiety, a stark contrast to the worried Tony.
"Will the Asgardians come?"
"No. My Xenomorphs have died batch after batch. The battle is too intense for the Asgardians to spare anyone. Besides, not many of them could handle a berserk Magneto anyway."
"So we just watch until he gets tired and sleepy?" Tony watched the scene before him, which was beginning to blur due to the magnetic field's influence.
Soon, the feed would become intermittent and eventually cut out completely. He had to fly further away to ensure his armor wouldn't suddenly stall like a second-hand clunker.
"Of course not. I've already guessed why he's become like this. Even without him, someone else would have gone berserk." Du Wa's voice was incredibly calm. "I will stop him."
Tony was about to say, *But you can't fly*, but then he turned his head in astonishment to look behind him.
As night fell, a figure flew toward them at astonishing speed, bathed in a golden light. He was like a shimmering, descending deity. The high-speed figure left a long trail in the air, like a beautiful comet.
He was fast, and constantly accelerating!
"Jarvis?"
"Powerful energy index. Speed has exceeded Mach 10... now Mach 11, Sir. This is not his limit. I have no data on this superhuman in my database."
*Boom!* The man flew over at high speed, and the gale he generated clashed with the storm unleashed by Magneto.
Tony saw him. The man had a sturdy build, with long, powerful arms that were perfectly proportioned, filled with a great power akin to a nuclear explosion. Within the golden, form-fitting energy field, his long, flowing hair billowed upwards, ignoring Earth's gravity to drift apart like threads of gold, as if a world-class master artist had delicately embellished the sky with an exquisite brush.
Majesty and elegance coexisted; power and charisma intertwined.
Even from within his armor, Tony could feel the overwhelming confidence radiating from this man.
"Du Wa, this isn't you. Who is he?" Tony asked in surprise.
"Powerful, mysterious, unknown. Able to fly with just his flesh and blood body." Tony said, "Don't tell me this guy is Ikaris's brother."
"Of course not. He has no relation to the Eternals. In fact, he's at least twice as strong as Ikaris—probably."
For once, a trace of uncertainty appeared in Du Wa's voice.
Du Wa was a little unsure of Reynolds' current state. How much strength could Reynolds—who had just undergone his metamorphosis into the Sentry—bring to bear on his own?
But this question would be answered soon enough. Nothing was better than actual combat for testing one's strength.
It was worth mentioning that Du Wa hadn't initially given the awakened Reynolds any commands. Reynolds had sensed the rampaging Magneto, and it seemed some powerful instinct and a long-cherished mental wish had awakened. He had volunteered to fight Magneto.
Du Wa agreed immediately. He never discouraged the initiative of his subordinates.
"Is he one of your subordinates? I've never heard you mention him."
"You will remember him, Tony. And you'll be astonished," said Du Wa.
Tony chose a flight path and, as the high-speeding Reynolds flew past him, he shouted, "Hey, buddy!"
"Tony Stark? I've heard your name."
Reynolds was bathed in golden light. He had barely adapted to his super-vision and super-hearing. He could clearly "see" countless people looking up at him, their gazes like those worshiping a deity. He could also "hear" an unknown number of pitiful people kneeling on the ground and praying in despair.
In that instant, Reynolds' psyche experienced unprecedented satisfaction. His "addiction" at this moment carried him to the peak of ecstasy!
Look! He wasn't that wreck who was addicted to alcohol and drugs all day. He was a revered superhero! Even the famous Tony Stark had to speak to him politely!
Reynolds stopped, subconsciously puffing out his chest to make himself seem tall, strong, and mighty. He deliberately lowered his voice, trying to prevent Tony from seeing that he was an inexperienced novice.
"Buddy, I don't know your name yet, but I have a feeling I'm about to." Tony said quickly, "The only advice I can give you right now is to be careful. Magneto has gone crazy for some reason. There must be something wrong with his mind!"
"Crazy? Something wrong with his mind?"
Reynolds pretended to be calm and ran a hand through his hair—which hadn't been washed in years but was now instantly clean from the energy vibrations—and displayed an imposing confidence. He said sternly, "As if anyone's mind is completely fine!"
*Boom!* He accelerated again, breaking Mach 13!
Tony's mouth hung open. After a long moment, he lowered his voice and said to Du Wa, "Now I'm astonished."
"Terrible line. But in a way, he's a rare honest man in this troublesome era. Even in such a complex situation, he didn't lie to you." Du Wa thought for a moment before saying this. It was probably one of Reynolds' few virtues.
Reynolds was short-sighted, easily swayed, addicted to drugs, and had some mental illness. Even after becoming the Sentry, none of these shortcomings disappeared. But that didn't mean he was completely useless.
He longed for the world to witness his talent, was addicted to showing off in front of others, and pursued the ultimate pleasure of being admired. This made him ecstatic and unable to extricate himself, but he did possess a certain degree of compassion and sympathy.
"This guy is seriously powerful. What's his name? After he defeats Magneto, we can hold a private banquet to celebrate for him," Tony said sincerely.
In such a dire situation, having such a powerhouse step up—no, fly out—gave an incredible sense of security.
Although he had some minor issues with language and logic, for the time being, it didn't seem to matter. At least Du Wa could control him.
"Robert Reynolds, my most loyal guardian. Of course, you can also call him now... Sentry!"
Du Wa's perspective had long since extended through the Xenomorph larva in the Sentry's chest, reaching all the way to the forefront of the battlefield.
He saw Reynolds, relying on the tyrannical golden energy on his body's surface, violently crash into Magneto's magnetic field like a cannon shell. Like an awl piercing a curtain, he penetrated deep, arriving before Magneto with his arms crossed and a cold expression.
"It's about to begin. The unprecedented Xenomorph-version Sentry versus the rampaging Magneto."
Du Wa had every reason to believe that this completely berserk and unrestrained Magneto, when placed in the entire multiverse, would be considered among the stronger ones, excluding a few special versions.
Similarly, this Xenomorph Sentry was one of a kind across countless universes. For him to face Magneto in his debut, the outcome was truly hard to predict.
But at least one thing gave Du Wa comfort: at this moment, Reynolds possessed an unprecedentedly fierce confidence that had thoroughly ignited his inner "addiction." Perhaps this could provide a slight boost to his combat power.
*RUMBLE!* A terrifyingly loud sound, followed by the cracking of the sky. Reynolds charged in savagely, tearing apart the terrifying energy field in a way that was visible to the naked eye.
His figure only slowed slightly, as this action was clearly not easy for him, but he soon began to accelerate madly again, arriving in front of the furiously roaring Magneto.
*BOOM!* One punch.
Magneto, along with his magnetic field, trembled instantly, as if struck by some ancient behemoth. He was sent flying backward, the force of the blow alone creating a sonic boom!
And Reynolds levitated where Magneto had been just seconds before, his golden hair dancing wildly, his powerful chest puffed out.
At this moment, he looked more like a god than anyone else.
"Who is this guy?!"
"I've never heard of him! Does New York have a superhero like this?"
In the midst of a dark apocalypse, the appearance of such a domineering and powerful golden powerhouse shocked everyone. No matter how optimistic, no one had expected such a powerful superhero to appear.
This was a world-class discovery.
Reynolds himself also discovered that he had become too damn awesome.
"Did I do that?"
Reynolds wore a majestic expression, mainly because he didn't know what kind of face to make to show off his cool factor. His barren brain thought of Du Wa, so he began to act like Du Wa.
But inside, his heart was in turmoil. His inner thoughts were so excited they short-circuited, and he didn't know what words to think of.
"I'm actually this strong? This is Magneto, and I sent him flying with one punch? Why is he so weak... No, it's that I'm too strong! I, Robert Reynolds, have become an incredible powerhouse!!"
Reynolds was ecstatic, his breathing becoming more and more rapid. His heart, comparable to a nuclear fusion reactor, beat wildly.
He wanted to roar, to tell everyone that his name was Robert Reynolds. He wanted everyone to respect him!!
"I—" Reynolds looked down at his surroundings, feeling like he should say something.
But the next second, he suddenly felt the thrum of another life in his chest, one intimately connected to his own.
Immediately after, a cold voice transmitted into his mind.
"Reynolds, now is not the time. Your opponent is Magneto!"
Reynolds's body trembled, and a fawning expression subconsciously appeared on his face. His burly frame bent slightly.
"Of course, Lord Du Wa. I will obey the commands of you who have given me everything..."
Reynolds felt the Xenomorph larva in his chest and was filled with terror.
The stronger his instinct and perception became, the more he knew that the larva within him had deeply fused with his genes.
It could chestburst at any time.
Whatever Reynolds had, the Xenomorph in his chest, which possessed highly similar genes and abilities, also had.
What would happen after the chestburst?
Would he and his Xenomorph-version self split this endlessly generated power? Or would he die on the spot?
Reynolds's thoughts ran wild, and his already somewhat chaotic and abnormal brain became even more of a mess.
But he quickly ran out of time to dwell on these things, because Magneto had already returned, seething with killing intent.
His blood-red eyes were full of madness and tyranny, fixed squarely on Reynolds.
Reynolds puffed out his chest. "Come on! Even if you are Magneto, I'm not afraid of you in the slightest! I am the mighty Sentry!"
(end of chapter)