The faint shimmer of a Disillusionment Charm dissipated in the air, and with it, Joseph stepped out of invisibility and into full view.
Magneto and Mystique both froze.
Their eyes snapped wide open in unison.
Someone had been eavesdropping—this whole time?
"Who the hell are you?!" Mystique snapped, her instincts kicking in faster than thought.
With practiced fluidity, she reached behind her back and drew two sleek pistols, raising them with precision toward the newly revealed figure.
Unlike the X-Men, she didn't hesitate.
She didn't bluff.
She fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four shots rang out in rapid succession.
But the bullets—mere inches from Joseph's face—froze in midair.
Just half a meter away, the air shimmered and crackled with magical resistance. The projectiles hung suspended, as if caught in invisible syrup.
Mystique's expression twisted in disbelief.
A transparent wall…? No, not glass. Not metal. Nothing physical.
Joseph smiled mildly. "Ms. Darkholm… really, there's no need to be so tense."
He flicked his fingers once.
Whoosh!
The bullets shot backward—ten times faster than before—zipping just past Mystique's ears, so close they grazed her hair.
Before she could process what was happening, the ground beneath her feet rumbled.
A surge of earth erupted upward, coiling in midair into five distinct loops. They lashed around her like snakes—tightening around her wrists, ankles, and waist.
Three-Ring Earth Magic: Soil Lock!
Mystique struggled, attempting to break free, but the restraints constricted even more.
Joseph stepped forward, his tone cool but not unkind.
"You see, I'm not your enemy… yet."
Mystique screamed as the restraints yanked her arms back, causing both pistols to clatter from her grasp.
"Eric!!"
Magneto's eyes snapped to her. His hands clenched, but at first, he didn't move.
They were still deep underground—where metal was scarce and Magneto's powers were at their weakest. This was why the authorities had built his prison here.
But now...
Now he was above ground.
And that changed everything.
Shing—Shing—Shing!
The weapons Mystique had earlier used to eliminate the guards trembled, then shot into the air with a high-pitched whine. But instead of firing directly at Joseph, they twisted and melted in midair—reforming into a swirling halo of metallic needles.
"Chi-chi-chi—"
A sonic screech echoed through the ruined facility as dozens of sharp projectiles hurled themselves at Joseph like a silver storm.
Joseph didn't flinch.
His fingers danced through the air in a blur, and thin beams of golden light lanced outward with pinpoint accuracy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each beam hit a needle head-on, causing it to explode into harmless shrapnel.
Four-Ring Magic: Crushing Curse.
Magneto's brows furrowed. In less than ten seconds, this mysterious man had already demonstrated three unique and powerful abilities. And none of them followed the logic of any mutant he knew.
"What are you?" he demanded.
But he didn't wait for an answer.
More metal lifted from the earth around them. Steel bars groaned, iron plating shuddered and tore free from walls, and even the wiring in the ceiling snapped loose—all pulled into the whirlwind of Magneto's control.
The fragments twisted together in midair, reshaping themselves into jagged metal spears.
Then they fired.
Dozens of them.
The wind screamed as they tore through the air toward Joseph, each one deadly and precise.
Joseph raised his wrist.
The ground erupted upward, reshaping into a massive stone giant nearly four meters tall. The titan's palms opened wide and clapped together like a pair of shields, intercepting the metal volley with a booming impact.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The titan staggered under the assault, its stone body riddled with holes—but still standing.
Magneto narrowed his eyes.
Even this wasn't enough?
"Impressive," Joseph commented from atop the titan's shoulder, seemingly unimpressed. "But if that's the extent of your famed abilities, I must say… I'm disappointed."
His voice echoed through the wreckage.
"Is this really the Magneto I've read about? So… unrefined?"
Magneto's expression twisted into a scowl. The steel around them screamed louder now as he wrenched everything loose—every last nail, rebar, conduit, and pipe.
They fused together into a single, enormous ball of metal, hovering like a moon behind him.
It split into dozens of spears once more.
And then…
They launched.
The titan was impaled from every direction, and this time, its stone form cracked and crumbled.
But instead of falling, it ignited.
Flames roared.
Dark purple fire erupted from the golem's crumbling chest. Its stony skin melted into magma, reforming into a humanoid of living flame.
Five-Ring Summoning Spell: Balrog Incarnate!
The demon's eyes glowed with infernal heat. When it bellowed, the air shook with raw energy.
It waved one arm, sending out blazing tendrils of flame like living ropes. They lashed through the air, catching the metal spears mid-flight, wrapping around them, and pulling them backward.
Within seconds, the dark purple flame devoured the metal completely, melting it into sizzling puddles of molten slag.
Magneto stumbled back, shocked.
Even my strongest metal constructs… reduced to liquid in seconds?!
He wasn't given time to recover.
The floor beneath his feet exploded, releasing a blinding blue pillar of fire that surged upward like a geyser. The heat was overwhelming, the sheer intensity enough to make even Magneto recoil.
He barely managed to redirect the remaining metal, pulling it away from the flames just in time.
Then—
Wooooommm—!
A low, resonant hum echoed through the space.
Sound magic.
Invisible, deep, and suffocating.
The soundwave drilled into Magneto's ears and burrowed straight into his mind, shattering his focus. The world spun for a brief moment, and his metal constructs fell limp.
Joseph snapped his fingers.
From beneath the scorched earth, thick vines burst forth—green branches covered in red leaves, winding with frightening speed.
They surged up Magneto's legs, wrapping around his wrists and ankles. Within seconds, he was immobilized, suspended in the air like a captured beast.
The vines continued growing.
They pressed against the buckling walls and cracked ceilings—reforming them, reinforcing the structure, preventing the building from collapsing completely due to Magneto's earlier destruction.
Mystique stared in disbelief.
What the hell kind of power is this?!
The vines weren't just holding Magneto—they were protecting the entire environment from falling apart.
Within their natural cage, Magneto was bound like a sacrificial offering. His arms were spread wide, his chest heaving.
Every time he tried to concentrate, the red-tipped leaves burned his skin with a needle-like sting, snapping him out of focus.
He could do nothing.
Meanwhile, the Balrog beneath Joseph slowly collapsed into a sea of fire. Its flames spread outward, flooding the chamber in purple light.
And through that infernal glow, Joseph stepped forward.
Calm. Composed.
Smiling faintly.
He stopped just a few feet from Magneto's face.
"Well then," Joseph said softly. "Now that we've finished playing…"
He tilted his head.
"Can we talk properly?"
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