{T/N: I don't like this arc, it's a bit too boring for me... So today I'm uploading 4 Chapters to speed things up a bit...
Don't forget to Drop a Review and a Power Stone...}
...
Magneto stood atop the steel cross embedded in the earth, while Marcus Worthington dangled in the air bound by metal restraints, his legs kicking futilely as he struggled against the unyielding shackles...
Exposed to the gazes of the crowd below, Marcus felt nothing but humiliation...
Born into a prestigious family, he had received an elite education befitting high society. By the age of thirty, he had taken control of the family enterprise, ascending to become one of the nation's most powerful figures.
Unlike his peers who still struggled at the starting line, Marcus had long since reached the finish, standing at the pinnacle, looking down upon them...
His circle consisted of either promising political figures or the leaders of corporate empires. Years of dominance had forged in him an unyielding and authoritative demeanor.
Now however, all that dignity had been stripped away by these damned mutants. He hung like a medieval thief upon a massive steel cross, as if awaiting judgment for his crimes...
...
His purple cloak billowing in the wind, Magneto gazed down at the swarm of police cars and the special forces rushing to the scene. There was no fear in his eyes... only contempt...
"Useless humans and their weapons," he scoffed.
With a mere flick of his wrist, the guns in the officers' hands were ripped away, turning midair to aim back at their former owners...
Staring into the dark barrels, the officers froze in terror, none daring to move, afraid that the slightest provocation would send bullets tearing through their flesh.
"Do you see now? The reason you reject us, despise us, is because mutants are superior to humans... you fear being stripped of your dominion over this planet!.."
"...Look at these people. When they held their guns, they thought themselves secure. But the moment their weapons failed them, they were reduced to panic and terror."
Magneto's voice which was amplified by the tiny speaker on his collar boomed across the city like a clarion call, shaking the resolve of every listener.
"The law of nature is survival of the fittest! This world has always belonged to the vanguard of evolution. In the beginning, this planet was ruled by primitive bacteria, then overtaken by lowly plants, followed by more advanced conifers, then seed-bearing flora. When life crawled from the oceans onto land, the dinosaurs reigned supreme... until they, too, perished, leaving only the apes who evolved into humans..."
For once, Magneto shed his usual domineering persona, adopting instead the fervor of a scholar delivering a stirring speech...
He had long awaited a grand, public debut... one that would rally the mutants hiding among humanity to the Brotherhood's banner. This carefully prepared manifesto would ensure he gained even more support from their kind.
After years of conflict with his old friend Charles, he had finally realized... only by uniting the fractured factions of mutantkind could they ever hope to overthrow human rule and build a new world of their own...
"The reason humans dominate this beautiful planet is because they adapt; they learn, they change, they evolve! But as the world progresses, nuclear fallout has spread across the globe, and from humanity's midst, a new race has emerged. You call them 'mutants', a superior species, blessed with extraordinary gifts through genetic mutation!"
News crews had swarmed the scene, broadcasting the spectacle live to millions of televisions...
Seeing this, Magneto grew even more triumphant. This was exactly what he wanted. Mutants had hidden in the shadows for far too long. It was time for a strong leader to rise and guide their people toward a brighter future.
Charles only wished to be a guiding light, but their suffering brethren needed more... They needed a leader of iron will, one who was unafraid to carve a path through thorns and blood.
Unlike his privileged friend who still clung to naive hopes of coexistence, Magneto had no mercy for those who despised mutants.
"My brothers and sisters, from this day forward, you need no longer hide in fear, enduring the scorn of others. Mutants are not freaks, nor abominations... we are the next step in evolution! Cast aside your doubts and hesitation, and return to the fold of your own kind! This world offers no oasis of freedom or justice. Humans will only strap you to operating tables, dissecting you with cold scalpels, or lock you in cages as spectacles for their amusement!.."
"...A brighter future will not simply fall from the sky. If we wish to hew a stone of hope from the mountain of despair, if we wish to raise the valleys and lower the hills, to turn the crooked paths straight... then we must fight for it ourselves! Unleash the powers you were born with! Make humanity understand our strength! Let them know that for every mutant they capture, they will pay a thousandfold in blood!"
Magneto's declaration rippled across North America through unseen waves...
...
In Westchester, at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, a bald man in a wheelchair watched the broadcast with a heavy heart. Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, he and Erik had stood on opposite sides.
Both fought for their people's future, yet their differing ideals had turned them into adversaries. Magneto's Brotherhood attracted radicals and those who had suffered persecution, while the Professor's school sought to shelter and guide tormented mutants.
Their clashing ideologies had led to countless conflicts...
As the leader of the moderates, the Professor had painstakingly maintained the fragile peace between humans and mutants. Erik dreamed of a mutant nation, while he himself clung to the hope of a utopia where both races could coexist.
"Professor..." A graceful red-haired woman approached... Jean Grey, one of his students, "We must go to Manhattan."
The man in the wheelchair sighed. He could not allow Erik to continue like this. The plight of mutants was already dire. If this provoked an overreaction from human governments, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Moreover, Erik's inflammatory speech would undoubtedly draw more mutants to the Brotherhood. With his forces swelling, Magneto would grow even bolder, and soon, Charles would become the last obstacle in his old friend's quest to unite mutantkind.
As he wheeled forward, the television screen blared on...
<...This world has no tolerance, no peace... none whatsoever! Those in power trample upon the weak without remorse. Mutants can no longer remain silent! Today, I shall carry out God's righteous judgment!..>
Magneto turned his head, watching as Mystique and her group emerged from the Worthington building. With a decisive sweep of his arm...
*BOOOOM!*
...A deafening explosion erupted from within the towering skyscraper at the heart of Manhattan.
A shockwave of dust and debris blasted outward, shattering every window in the building.
Amid the thunderous roar, the massive structure trembled like a collapsing mountain. Rubble rained down like a storm, and a thick plume of smoke surged into the sky...