Quick, Take Me Away

"Was there even a need to look?"

Ron mockingly admitted it, then retreated into the crowd and grabbed Mystique's wrist.

Hmm?

Raven looked confused, but before she could ask—

Bang!

Taking Mystique with him, he activated Teleportation, leaving the CIA base and arriving in a dark alley.

The surroundings abruptly changed. Aside from the dim yellow light at the distant mouth of the alley, everything else was pitch-black. Raven instinctively panicked and pressed herself close to him like a frightened kitten.

"Ah! Ron, where are we?"

"Somewhere safe."

He lowered his head and looked at Mystique.

"That man is much more troublesome than the two guys I just killed."

Red Devil's ability was Teleportation, not instant movement. The transfer speed was actually not fast, and the popping sounds gave it away. Red Devil and Riptide had not expected him to possess that ability, which was why they had died so easily.

That move would not work on the Black King.

Besides absorbing energy and releasing it at will, Sebastian Shaw could greatly increase his strength, speed, and endurance. He could go without sleep or rest, recover from minor injuries, and live forever.

His reaction speed far surpassed that of ordinary people, and even missiles could not injure him.

"To keep you from getting hurt if a fight breaks out later, I brought you here first."

No one could say what the enraged Black King might do the next second. Perhaps with one stomp, he could unleash an explosion of energy and tear the entire room apart.

"Thank you, Ron."

Raven, who had nearly cried from fright just moments ago, looked at him with gratitude in her eyes. Something strange stirred faintly in her heart.

There had been so many people in the room, yet Ron had chosen to bring her here first. Could there be... another reason?

She had not been the closest person to him at the time. Even if he had prioritized protecting a girl, there had been another one closer than her.

"I'm going back."

After saying that, Ron prepared to activate his ability and return.

Mystique was a treasure. The Sentries that would exterminate mutants in the future had been developed based on her genes.

Anyone in that room could die, except Mystique.

"Ron, y-you have to come back quickly."

Hearing that he was leaving, Mystique looked around at the dark, deserted surroundings. Still shaken, she seemed like a pitiful and helpless little girl as she grabbed his arm and said in a trembling voice.

Having just gone through a bloody and brutal attack, she could not help being afraid to stay alone in a place like this.

What a nuisance. The other side might already be drowning in blood, and she was still wasting time talking.

Though faint impatience rose within him, Ron turned back and softened his voice.

"I will."

What did the lives or deaths of those people have to do with him? If he did not need to return to record the Black King's abilities and try to kill him tonight, he would not have bothered going back.

"Stay here and wait for me."

After giving her one more instruction, he teleported back to the room in the base.

Inside the room.

He had thought the Black King's side might already have started fighting, but they had not.

"...Your companion has abandoned you and fled.

"I am about to usher in a New Era on Earth, an era where mutants live like kings."

In the room, the Black King truly was a qualified leader. Even if he had no more subordinates to recruit, his deep and compelling voice still pressured Alex and the others to make a choice.

"Embrace the New Era, or cling to the old, decaying age and die with it. The choice is yours."

He looked at them with an oppressive gaze.

Bang!

When Ron returned, he saw a majestic leader in the middle of recruiting followers.

His appearance interrupted the Black King's speech.

"How did you do that!

"Do you happen to possess the same ability as Red Devil?"

Seeing Ron, whom he had thought had fled, appear again, the Black King narrowed his eyes and quickly demanded in a deep voice.

After seeing Ron use Red Devil's ability to take someone away, he no longer cared about Red Devil's death. Compared to that, he wanted far more to understand what Ron was.

If he did not merely happen to possess the same ability—it was hard to imagine that such a peculiar mutant existed in the world.

"Pretty moving speech.

"Keep going. Don't mind me."

Ignoring his question, Ron placed a hand on Hank's shoulder and prepared to activate his ability.

"You think you can escape before my eyes a second time?"

The Black King frowned, raised his palm, and fired a mass of flame carrying tremendous energy with a bang.

"Your New Era doesn't sound good at all."

Realizing that Ron might be taking them away one by one, Darwin stepped forward.

His body generated layer upon layer of black stone armor as he blocked the fireball.

Flames splashed everywhere, and he was sent flying.

"Your speech just reminded me of a certain little mustache."

Twisting his body, Alex forcefully gathered his power and fired an energy arc blade at the Black King.

"Decent energy. Here, have it back."

He easily stopped the energy arc blade with his palm and absorbed it in an instant. The Black King praised the plasma-form energy Alex had fired, then opened his hand again.

Buzz!

Alex was blasted away by an energy beam as thick as a fist.

"Stay here."

Taking Hank with him, Ron teleported in front of a bar, left those words behind, and turned to leave.

Hank was a talent. Compared to his ability, his mind was far more important. As one of the smartest people in the X-Men universe, he had developed Cerebro, the Blackbird jet, and other things, providing the X-Men with technological and equipment support.

The New Era he wanted required people like that.

As for how to make Hank work for him, controlling Mystique meant controlling Hank. Hank had always been Mystique's simp.

"Enough. My patience is limited. Submit or die!"

During the brief time Ron was gone, the Black King had effortlessly defeated Siren and Angel as well. His murderous voice echoed through the room.

He was like a silent volcano that could erupt at any moment, filling everyone with fear.

Bang! With that familiar sound, Ron appeared in the room again.

"Quick, Ron, quick, take me away!"

Angel, who had been planning to surrender, changed her mind the moment she saw Ron appear. As if she had spotted a lifeline, she rushed toward him in ecstasy and urged him on frantically.

The two weakest people had been sent away one after another. No matter what, it should be her turn next—the only woman left.

"Go where?

"I only acquired that ability recently, so I can't use it for long.

"That was the last time I could use it for a short while."

Ron glanced at the dark-skinned Mexican woman urging him on, and his words shattered her fantasy.

In truth, the Template System not only allowed him to possess other people's abilities, but also directly develop and master them to the same degree as their owners.

He could have taken everyone away in one go, but he still had things to do.

"What?"

Alex, Darwin, and the others lying defeated on the ground turned grim.

They had not understood why Ron had started taking people away as soon as he saw the Black King.

Where had Ron, who had so cleanly disposed of two enemies, gone?

After fighting the Black King, they discovered that this man was simply a monster. Without even exerting himself, he had easily defeated them. Leaving had been the correct choice.

But now, even if they wanted to leave, they could not.