Staring blankly at the immobilized Sentinel before him, Alex's otherwise expressionless face concealed a storm raging in his heart.
Invisible energy bound the machine tightly, rendering it completely motionless. Yet, instead of giving up, the Sentinel struggled fiercely, producing an ear-piercing screech as its metallic shell twisted under the pressure.
Though the Sentinel fought with all its might, Alex's spatial confinement was absolute—it couldn't even move a single finger, let alone continue its attack.
At that moment, a sudden whirlwind swept through the air, causing the entire control room to tremble slightly.
Alex frowned. Something felt off.
Tilting his head slightly, he activated the Sorcerer's Eye. Beyond the aircraft carrier, in the vast ocean, countless rocks burst from the depths and, guided by some unseen force, came crashing toward the ship with terrifying speed.
"So this is your ability?"
Murmuring to himself, Alex's face remained expressionless.
The chaos outside didn't change his demeanor, but his gaze grew utterly frigid.
Even now, this thing was still trying to kill him.
It had gone insane.
With the slightest movement of his finger—and without any unnecessary action—the Sentinel's head immediately began to melt.
Like wax under an open flame, its once-impenetrable metallic shell softened into a viscous gel, dripping down its chest like thick tar.
First, the head. Then, the neck. Slowly, the Sentinel's torso began melting as well, revealing the head of the orange-haired woman trapped inside its mechanical frame.
The seven tubes embedded in her skull let out faint crackling sounds, as if short-circuiting. But the phenomenon lasted less than two seconds before the tubes themselves disintegrated into a black, inky liquid that dripped down her face.
"…What is this?"
Alex narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he sensed an exceptionally unique energy within the Sentinel's structure.
[It's psychic energy, sir.]
Miss Minutes's voice came from behind him, providing an explanation.
The previously dead screens flickered back to life, now displaying detailed information about the Sentinels' internal structure. Some classified details were still missing, but Miss Minutes's database had already filled in the gaps.
Staring at the massive screen, Miss Minutes's expression darkened slightly. Even as a high-level AI, she seemed unable to ignore the horrors before her.
[I found a 78% match in the database. The cores inside these Sentinels are made of a living metal—an extraterrestrial alloy capable of carrying and remotely linking psychic energy.]
Hearing this, Alex's head snapped up. "Go on."
[According to the research data, the people here modified the metal into a liquid state and injected it into the subjects' brains. Under the influence of the psychic energy embedded in the alloy, the subject's brain functions as the core operating system of the entire machine.]
Miss Minutes furrowed her brows, her voice turning icy.
[Compared to most artificial intelligence systems, the human brain is the most efficient computational vessel. Once this metal invades the brain, the subject is completely reduced to a mindless husk—void of emotions, devoid of reason—a tool driven by rigid, unyielding thoughts.]
"…A remote psychic network." Alex's expression was cold as he pieced it together. "That means the one controlling this Sentinel isn't anywhere nearby. They're just using this metal like a receiver, relaying commands from afar."
As he spoke, the orange-haired woman suddenly moved.
"…F-Friend…"
Hearing the faint voice, Alex turned around.
The Sentinel remained bound in mid-air, its body locked in place. Apart from the gel-like liquid dripping onto the floor, the rest of its form continued its slow, irreversible disintegration.
The woman's head drooped weakly, her long hair concealing her expression. But Alex could sense it—she was desperately trying to speak.
"…Friend…"
"…Kill… me…"
Alex's brows furrowed slightly. He took two steps forward.
He could hear her labored breaths. He could hear her heartbeat—far weaker than that of a normal human.
"I… don't know you…" Her voice trembled. "But I… beg you…"
Her body quivered slightly.
"…Kill me."
"…In the name of the X-Men… Friend, kill me."
A single, glistening tear slipped from her eye, falling onto the blackened liquid below.
"…Don't let my powers be used to kill innocent comrades anymore!"
"…Sorry," Alex's voice was as dark as ink. "I am not your friend."
"…Kill me."
The woman's voice came again.
"…Anyone…"
"…Kill me!"
It was a frail whisper.
Yet in this moment, it thundered like a storm.
The truth was—Alex didn't care about the lives of these people.
Or rather, after he and Pietro had endured the calamity of the Ruins Universe, he had long since sealed away most of the kindness in his heart.
Until he possessed enough power to protect himself and those he cared about, any unnecessary acts of kindness were nothing more than a betrayal of his own people.
That was why Alex had never concerned himself with strangers who had nothing to do with him. Their fate was their own, just as it was his destiny to protect Pietro and Kara.
However…
Not caring about someone's life and death…
Didn't mean he had lost the ability to feel.
Humans are not stone—they cannot be without feelings.
No matter what had happened to this world, the scene before Alex had undoubtedly crossed the line of what could still be called "war."
Be it war or genocide, there was no absolute justice or evil in this world. The strong dictated the narrative, while the weak became stepping stones. For every victorious general, thousands of bones lay buried. Only those who had experienced war firsthand could truly understand how precious peace was.
But even war had a bottom line—a fundamental line that should not be crossed simply because one was human. Clearly, the people of this world had long since trampled over that line. They had lost all traces of humanity.
"You are…"
Alex spoke.
"Petra?"
At the sound of his deep voice, the woman's trembling body abruptly stiffened. Though Alex had phrased it as a question, his tone was firm—unyielding.
Hearing this man directly call out her name, Petra gasped, gathering every last ounce of her strength to lift her head, trying to meet his gaze.
Petra—one of the X-Men. A mutant with the ability to manipulate earth and stone, even accelerating the transformation of minerals, turning coal into diamonds.
Though she had never been a core member of the X-Men, Alex had always been familiar with their roster. And after she mentioned being one of them—combined with the power she had just displayed—it hadn't taken him long to deduce her identity.
"Tell me—what happened to this world?" Alex took two steps forward, his voice heavy.
"This… world?"
A flicker of emotion flashed through Petra's pale eyes.
"…You're not… from this world."
[This is Alex—Master of Time, the greatest Lord of Dimensions, the true ruler of the Wasteland, the definer of magic, the unspeakable Upper Narrative Being, the Time Bard, the Bane of Corruption, the Demon who ushered the world into its End—]
Before Alex could respond, Miss Minutes appeared in a blink, perching on his shoulder and locking eyes with the woman.
Petra stared, stunned, as the strange, clockwork creature rattled off its long string of titles. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came.
After a long pause, she forced a faint, weary smile.
"So… you must be here to bring the End to this world."
"Whether as a Lord of Dimensions…"
"…or a Demon…"
"To see someone like you at the very end…"
"I must be lucky."
With that, her head tilted to the side—her final shred of strength slipping away.
.....
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