"More or less. You can understand it that way."
After thinking it over, Erik nodded.
He had yet to figure out Bradley's basic attitude, so naturally, he would not lay all his cards on the table from the start.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we have anything to discuss. Please leave."
Bradley, who had been fairly courteous, suddenly rose to his feet and coldly ordered the two of them out.
"Mr. Bradley, perhaps you should hear me out before making a decision," Erik tried to salvage the situation.
"There's no need. I'm sorry you two came all this way for nothing."
But Bradley's attitude remained resolute.
Erik said nothing more. He exchanged a glance with Rorschach beside him, and then they both stood up.
They intended to leave.
Since the man did not appreciate their goodwill, why should they bother forcing it on him?
Creak!
The two pushed open the door and stepped outside, but neither of them had expected to find a rugged, bearded man in a black trench coat standing there.
He was the man who had been smoking and exchanged a distant glance with Erik earlier.
Sabretooth.
"Is it over already? What, it looks like the talks didn't go very well!"
Sabretooth grinned at them, an oppressive aura emanating from his entire body.
"Victor!"
Bradley's expression shifted slightly when he recognized the newcomer.
During the days he had worked alongside Sabretooth, Bradley had witnessed Victor's insanity firsthand. He was a madman with a murderous nature.
"Bradley, aren't you happy to see an old friend?" Sabretooth shot Bradley a sidelong glance.
"Excuse me, could you move aside?"
Seeing Sabretooth blocking the entire doorway, Erik frowned and spoke to him.
"No, no, no. Don't say excuse me." Sabretooth raised one finger on his right hand and waved it before himself. "Because I'm the one who should be sorry!"
"Is that so? Why should you be sorry?" Erik raised an eyebrow.
No matter how slow he was, he could tell that something was wrong with the man before him.
"Heh heh."
Sabretooth did not answer. He merely grinned as vicious claws began extending from the fingers of both hands.
"None of you are leaving here today!" Sabretooth stepped forward into the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
New mission generated: Mission: Thwart Sabretooth's actions and protect Homelander Bradley from being killed Mission Reward: 100 Origin Points
At that moment, several lines of text suddenly appeared on Rorschach's system panel.
They caught Rorschach off guard for a moment.
But excitement quickly followed.
The system had actually issued a mission!
And missions naturally meant rewards. With rewards, he could rapidly increase his strength!
Although Rorschach had no idea what the system's Origin Points actually were, that did not matter. It did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for completing this mission.
Sabretooth, it seemed he had no choice but to kill him!
Clang! Clang!
Objects began rattling as every metal item in the room rose into the air under Erik's control, hovering there.
Like Erik's guardian spirits.
It was quite a spectacular sight.
Magneto was no pushover!
"I hope you can bring me a little fun!"
A savage grin appeared on Sabretooth's face. With a beastlike leap from the ground, he charged straight at Erik.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The metal objects floating in the air shot toward Sabretooth like sharp swords under Erik's control.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sabretooth practically transformed into a wild beast. His claws swung again and again, batting away and smashing object after object.
Televisions, cabinets, and the like were like paper before Sabretooth, utterly incapable of stopping him.
Sabretooth charged forward with unstoppable ferocity, tearing through everything in his path.
But Erik was no weakling either. Metal object after metal object continued flying at Sabretooth.
No matter how formidable Sabretooth was, he could not evade every single one.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
Several dinner knives, controlled by Erik, plunged into Sabretooth's abdomen!
Success!
A look of delight appeared on Erik's face.
"Roar!"
But in the next instant, a beastlike roar erupted from Sabretooth's mouth.
Despite having his vital areas pierced through, he acted as if nothing had happened. With a fierce leap, he instantly crossed the remaining distance and arrived before Erik in the blink of an eye.
His right hand rose high, its vicious claws slashing ruthlessly toward Erik!
Erik's pupils contracted sharply. At the crucial moment, he controlled a metal cabinet and threw it up in front of himself as a shield.
Boom!
Sabretooth's claws slammed into the metal cabinet, crushing it out of shape.
Erik behind it jolted as though struck by a sledgehammer and was sent flying backward!
At this point in time, Erik had not yet undergone special training with Charles. He was not yet the Magneto of the future, and his strength was nowhere near as great.
Moreover, Bradley's house had limited space, and there were not many metal objects Erik could control. As a result, Erik was quickly defeated.
"Cough, cough!"
Erik felt as though his sternum had nearly shattered. His breath was stuck in his chest, and his mind was spinning.
"Die!"
Sabretooth gave Erik no chance to catch his breath. He pounced again like a beast.
His vicious claws swung down mercilessly once more.
Although Stryker's orders allowed for either dead or alive, Sabretooth, who loved killing, usually killed his targets outright unless Stryker specifically demanded them alive.
After all, for Stryker's research, bringing back the serum was just as good.
Just as Sabretooth was about to pounce on Erik, his vision suddenly blurred.
It was that young man he had not considered worth noticing. He appeared before Erik with astonishing speed.
He threw a punch straight at Sabretooth, striking him squarely in the chest.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones rang out. Sabretooth's massive body flew away like a cannonball.
With a thunderous crash, he smashed a huge hole through Bradley's wall and slammed hard onto the ground outside.
He slid a long distance across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Countless stunned gazes landed on Rorschach's face.
This kid was actually that powerful?
Before you continue