The reporters clutching their cameras, along with the citizens watching from their televisions, couldn't bear to look any longer, their hearts screaming: 'Who can stop this?!'
Helpless to resist, dozens of police officers and the special forces reinforcements were about to be mercilessly slaughtered by the mutants...
Spider-Man, the city's superhero, was busy rescuing innocent civilians trapped inside the crumbling Worthington Tower. And even if he could intervene, judging by the overwhelming power displayed by the mutant called 'Magneto', the web-slinger likely stood no chance.
Yet after several seconds of tense silence, the expected bloodbath never came.
The bullets meant to kill the officers hung frozen in midair, as if an invisible barrier had halted them in their tracks.
Magneto immediately sensed the familiar resistance... a presence he hadn't encountered in years. A warning flashed in his mind just before a powerful hand clamped around his throat.
Victor Creed, the brutish Sabretooth, now had his claws at the Brotherhood leader's neck. One squeeze, and the old man's spine would snap...
No matter how formidable Magneto's powers were, his body remained human. Without his magnetic abilities, even a single bullet (or a knife) could end his life.
Mystique reacted instantly, but before she could strike, Toad Todd blocked her path, "Stay put, Raven."
"Erik, you've done enough today. Let them go," Sabretooth said, his voice hollow, as if another mind now controlled him.
The tables had turned. With his life in danger, Magneto stood atop the steel cross, scanning the area before shouting, "Charles! I know you're here. Why not show yourself?"
...
Inside a black sedan parked at the street corner, the bald professor's expression was conflicted...
He and Erik had once been inseparable allies, trusting each other completely during the shadowed days of the Cold War. Together, they had led the lost generation of mutants against a mad scientist who sought to destroy the world.
But Erik could never let go of his hatred. After killing Sebastian Shaw, he had unwittingly inherited the man's radical ideology, believing humans could never be trusted, and that mutants must carve out their own nation.
"If you want to save them, you'll have to kill me first," Magneto said, his voice un shaken, "Charles, have you still not abandoned that naive dream of yours? What's the point of saving these humans? They'll pass registration acts, brand your forehead, and monitor you like freaks. The moment you bare your fangs, they'll throw you in a cage for life!"
Inside the car, Charles remained silent. His old friend's traumatic past had left Erik with an unrelenting hatred for humanity.
"It doesn't have to be that way. Peace is still possible," the words came from Sabretooth's mouth, though the voice was Charles'.
Magneto smirked. He and Charles had been locked in this endless debate for decades. Neither could ever convince the other, which left them perpetually at odds.
"Fine. Let's test that theory."
The sound of guns cocking echoed as the floating firearms realigned themselves.
*Bang!*
A single shot rang out, a bullet stopping just inches from Police Commissioner George Stacy's forehead, hovering as if held by an unseen force.
The professor furrowed his brow, signaling Jean to use her telekinesis to counter the deadly projectile. Two invisible forces clashed in a silent battle of wills.
"How many can you save? You can't stop every bullet!" Magneto's voice was ice-cold. He had never been one to compromise, "And they won't thank you for it. Humans will only ever see you as a weapon to use against me. Charles, why do you insist on doing the thankless work?!"
The bullet trembled, inching closer to George's skull. The police commissioner screamed in pain. After a moment's hesitation, Charles finally closed his eyes in resignation.
Sabretooth and Toad suddenly jolted, as if waking from a dream, their expressions blank and confused.
"Still too soft. That's always been your weakness." Magneto sneered.
With a wave of his hand, the floating guns disassembled midair, their parts clattering uselessly to the ground.
Having delivered his grand finale, Magneto levitated the massive steel cross, carrying the Brotherhood away from Manhattan...
Marcus Worthington, now a bloodied, broken husk, tumbled to the pavement like a discarded rag. The fire of ambition in his eyes had long since dimmed.
A pained expression crossed the professor's face...
If he had been willing to force Sabretooth to snap Erik's neck, the infighting among mutants might have ended. And if he had joined his old friend's crusade against humanity, mutants could have easily claimed their place in the world... but the cost would have been catastrophic.
Seeing the professor's inner turmoil, Jean lowered her gaze, a flicker of eerie light passing through her amber eyes. She started the car, then left the chaotic streets behind.
…..
Watching the events unfold through the surveillance of Skynet, Sean closed his laptop with a quiet sigh...
The contrast between the two mutant leaders was striking...
Magneto, domineering and unyielding...
Professor X, gentle and merciful...
Their decades-long rivalry was a perfect example of love and hate intertwined.
Humanity was fortunate the two stood on opposite sides. Otherwise, governments might not have maintained their current stability...
The world's most powerful telepath could effortlessly rewrite human minds, turning them into obedient puppets.
Sean exhaled slowly. This was precisely why he avoided direct contact with mutants. The insidious nature of psychic powers was nearly impossible to defend against. He couldn't afford to stake his safety on Professor X's moral compass.
Using the mutants as a blade to cleanly eliminate Worthington had been the plan. Now, he wondered if Elektra had succeeded in her raid on Pelican Island...
While Magneto assaulted the Worthington Tower, Sean had sent the Hand's new leader to strike the secret laboratory in San Francisco. The genetic data and research Marcus had hidden away were invaluable assets.
And then there was the ultimate weapon against mutants... the 'cure'...
It was actually a temporary suppressor of the X-gene, embodied in a young boy named Jimmy...
To Sean, whether it was Magneto or the Professor, anyone who stood in his way would become an enemy. To hunt a beast, one needed traps, weapons prepared in advance, and to wait for the right moment...
"Better safe than sorry." Sean stretched lazily.
With Worthington dealt with, he could finally enter a period of steady growth...