Mystique moved swiftly, hiding herself in the Shadow of the Tower, trying to disappear from Jean Grey's sight. But Jean Grey watched her, her floating figure always following not far behind, keeping her exposed in her field of vision.
Soon, Mystique was quickly cornered.
She looked at her surroundings; there was clearly no retreat left for her to choose. For her own survival, she once again used her most common tactic.
Scott's image reappeared before Jean Grey, standing there, reaching out and calling to Jean Grey.
"Jean, please don't be like this. It's me, Scott!"
However, Jean Grey's decisiveness and ruthlessness filled her with dread. A detached flame transformed into a flying Divine Bird, rushing straight towards her. She quickly ducked, barely managing to dodge this seemingly very dangerous attack. But a few light feathers from the flying bird still grazed her body.
This seemingly insignificant contact caused her immense damage. A huge wound, as if torn by something, appeared on her back, running from her shoulder all the way to her waist, so deep that parts of the bone were visible. What was astonishing was that no blood flowed from it.
This was not a good thing, because the true situation was that the wound on her body had undergone the same transformation as the objects behind her that were swept by the Divine Bird's flame. They could no longer maintain their original material form. All of them had turned into unrecognizable granular particles, suspended in the air in piles, looking like a layer of dust at first glance.
This was an attack at the molecular level. The power Jean Grey possessed at this moment was completely capable of destroying molecular stability. Under the influence of her power, matter found it difficult to maintain its original existence, only being reduced to microscopic molecular forms, whether it was inorganic steel and concrete or organic flesh and blood life.
A flying Fire Divine Bird suddenly shot out from the huge Tower body. Under the gaze of countless people, a huge steel frame, a considerable volume, suddenly disappeared from the center of the World-famous Eiffel Tower. It was as if it had been swallowed by something out of thin air, leaving not even a trace. Only a huge void spoke of its past existence.
This abnormal sight immediately raised the French Government's already high alert. They had realized that this was not some strange natural phenomenon, but a man-made supernatural event. Such a realization immediately touched human nerves.
The army had already begun to advance in this direction, and the local Police also began to efficiently evacuate the crowds. The situation immediately escalated to a certain degree.
As for Mystique Raven, the situation had long since become uncontrollable. She still bore a huge wound on her body; although due to her special Physique, this fatal wound had already begun to heal, she still could not be optimistic. Because Jean Grey, who had completely changed, once again lifted her body.
The flames on Jean Grey's body began to spread over a wider distance. Dark red flowing flames occasionally swept across the huge Tower body, leaving unrepairable marks. Of course, some also fell on Raven's body, bringing her immense pain. However, at this moment, she dared not shout loudly to vent her pain and fear.
She merely struggled to maintain Scott's form, calling out to Jean Grey with great difficulty.
"Jean! Stop, it's me. I'm almost gone."
"What a disgusting expression!" Looking at the way he was acting, Jean Grey, whose inner personality had already emerged, frowned, a scornful smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. "Such a lowly existence, do you think he could possibly influence my will?"
At this point, invisible Psychic power immediately transformed into steel-like ropes, deeply constricting her neck. This power made her breathing difficult, and even the bones in her neck began to creak under the strain.
She desperately tried to break free, but her completely airborne body left her nowhere to leverage herself. She could only flail her limbs wildly, making useless dying struggles.
"Look, your life is under my control. What right do you have to show off in front of me!" Jean Grey's face was distorted and crazed. She manipulated Mystique to move in front of her, staring at her and letting out a hoarse laugh.
Mystique was on the verge of suffocation, but in the moment before losing consciousness, she made one last effort.
A struggling Zhou Yi appeared before Jean Grey. His dying expression made the woman controlled by her inner personality scream, and her grip immediately loosened, finally releasing her control over Mystique. However, the next moment, an invisible Impact surged, and the powerful force directly shook the entire base of the Eiffel Tower, while Mystique let out a tragic cry, slammed against the steel wall.
"Change back for me, change back for me. You damned bitch!" Her state was abnormally frantic; she even stopped using her power and instead directly reached out and grabbed her neck.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Mystique, in Zhou Yi's form, coughed laboriously. At this moment, she dared not change back to any other appearance. Although the pressure on her neck was extremely painful, it was at least not fatal. If she changed into another form, she wasn't even sure if this madwoman would tear her to shreds.
"Ah!" A sharp shriek erupted from Jean Grey's throat. The piercing sound, carrying terrifying mental fluctuations, impacted Raven's brain in waves. Blood began to trickle from the corners of her eyes and nostrils. This was the external manifestation of her intracranial injury, and even so, she gritted her teeth and maintained this appearance.
This had become the rope sustaining her life, and she had to hold on tight.
Jean Grey's fury had accumulated to a certain extent. She desperately wanted to strangle the person in her hands, but the emotions from deep within her heart prevented her from exerting any force. Reason and instinct intertwined and clashed in her mind, constantly assaulting and ravaging her mental barrier.
Such fluctuations had already attracted the attention of some people, especially certain interested parties.
Mystique, whose mind was already blurry, suddenly changed her appearance. His eyes became gentle and peaceful, and the aura emanating from his entire being became exceptionally serene and tolerant. This temperament, neither as sharp as Zhou Yi nor as cunning and changeable as Mystique, could only belong to one person.
"Jean, calm down. I think you need to control yourself and get some good rest." Professor Charles's voice reached Jean Grey's mind, making her even more agitated.
"Charles, you can't control me, you can't imprison me. You can't..." Her shouts had not completely faded when she softly collapsed to the ground. Charles had invaded her mind, once again sealing the Dark Phoenix personality.
Having done all this, Charles did not immediately withdraw his consciousness from Mystique's body, but instead began to converse with Mystique in her mind.
"Long time no see, Raven!" His voice was exceptionally warm, as if he were speaking to a family member.
And in fact, Mystique Raven, from a certain perspective, was indeed his family. They were companions and relatives who grew up together, like an older brother and younger sister. It was only unfortunate that, in choosing their future paths, Raven chose the Brotherhood represented by Magneto Erik, rather than the Academy represented by Charles.
However, this could not affect their feelings; fundamentally, they had never changed.
"It has been a long time, Charles! Is this the student you brought out? This is not like your style!" Touching her neck, Mystique reverted to her original appearance.
She looked at the unconscious Jean Grey on the ground, a lingering fear still in her eyes.
"Among all my students, Jean is also the most special one. So, to a large extent, I have implemented a special educational method for her."
"She is very dangerous, Charles. I don't know what exactly you're planning, but I can feel her madness and uncontrollability. Charles, your approach is definitely problematic." To this old man with whom she had a close relationship, Mystique kindly warned him. She certainly didn't want to receive an invitation to Charles's funeral too soon.
"I know, but there's no other way." Professor Charles sighed deeply. "We took the wrong Dao from the beginning, and now there's no chance to salvage it."
"Then destroy her now." Mystique's voice suddenly became high-pitched. The term 'magnanimous' had never been associated with her. In fact, quite the opposite, her personality could be described as vengeful. "If you can't do it, I can. You don't need to keep such a dangerous person by your side."
As she said this, Mystique's body suddenly stopped moving. She had lost control of her body.
"You know, Raven. I won't let you harm my student." Charles's voice echoed in her mind, leaving her to only smile bitterly and helplessly.
"You are still so powerful, Charles. Even in your current state."
"Physical weakness cannot affect the mind. Although I can only move with this wheelchair now, in the Domain of thought, I have never changed."
"No, in the Domain of the mind, you are getting stronger and stronger." Raven said silently in her heart, and to this, Charles merely smiled slightly, not elaborating much.
"So, was that young man's challenge to Erik also orchestrated by you? Just like before, you set a trap waiting for Erik to bite?" The moment Charles appeared, Mystique already had a vague answer in her heart. Facing the main person, she directly asked the doubt in her mind.
"No, that young friend has his own plans. I merely invited him to help, and everything is according to his wishes. I only promised to help him at the most critical moment."
"You're cheating, Charles!" Mystique was always on Magneto's side, so she said without hesitation.
"No, I am merely an outsider, giving some guidance to a novice. As for how far things will develop, it entirely depends on that young friend's efforts."
Charles cleverly defended himself; this was his favorite thing to do when he was young.
"Do you trust him that much? You know he's not one of us!" Mystique still found it somewhat unbelievable that Charles would place his bet on a human, and on top of that, he was betting on the future of Mutants, which he valued most.
"I'm old, aren't I? Unlike you, Raven. I've already felt the decay of my Physique. So why not, while I still have some control, let an apple fall onto the chessboard? Perhaps, this could open up a new situation." Sighing, Charles expressed his thoughts, and Raven immediately retorted.
"But it might also lead to a worse situation!"
"Could it be any worse than the consequences of what you've done?"
Charles sighed emotionally, ending this conversation that had lasted for decades. Their differing stances had long since led them to opposite sides of a great Dao. To return to the past was simply too difficult.