The Black King

Biscayne Bay.

Sunlight shimmered across the water.

A yacht slowly approached, sending ripples spreading over the surface.

On the deck, Sebastian Shaw, who had already changed his name and identity, lay back in a lounge chair.

Quietly enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

At that moment, a strange figure emerged from the cabin.

He wore a black Zhongshan suit. He was tall, his entire body red and covered in some sort of bizarre markings.

Most astonishingly, a long tail extended from behind him, ending in a barbed, inverted triangular spike.

It made him look like a devil out of legend.

And he truly was a devil—the Red Devil!

The Red Devil had an exceptionally long lifespan and had lived for many years.

He had originally been Russian, named Azazel, but now he went only by Red Devil.

"You said you planned to form an organization. Have you decided what to call it?"

Sebastian Shaw drained the champagne in his glass.

"The Hellfire Club. What do you think? Its members will be named after chess pieces, and I'll be the Black King. You asked about the name—does that mean you've decided to join?"

The Red Devil gave no definite answer.

"I need to think about it."

Shaw did not pressure him. Smiling, he said, "No problem. You'll always be welcome here."

Bang!

With a dull thud.

The Red Devil vanished in an instant.

Looking at the empty spot, even Shaw could not help but remark, "What a convenient ability."

He rose and returned to the cabin.

"Let's go. It's time for us to head back as well."

Port of Miami.

This place had originally been controlled by a local gang.

They secretly ran smuggling operations and other such businesses.

And their biggest client was none other than the Lehnsherr Family.

At that moment, the entire port had been occupied by the people led by Vanessa.

They only waited for the target to appear.

Twilight was this shore, the most graceful foreshadowing before dawn; twilight was the other shore, the most leisurely ending before destruction.

It was now dusk.

Across the sea, reddened by the setting sun, a luxury yacht slowly approached.

The entire port appeared peaceful. There were no fewer ships coming and going than usual—if anything, there were more.

Everything looked so harmonious.

But just as the Gaspardina was about to dock.

All of a sudden!

A large number of men appeared along the shore, raising submachine guns and unleashing a frenzied barrage at the yacht!

Rat-tat-tat!

Rat-tat-tat!

Rat-tat-tat!

All the passing vessels came to a stop, releasing speedboats that surrounded the Gaspardina.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Some family members brought out rocket launchers.

Four or five rockets were fired in succession, instantly blasting the Gaspardina to pieces as flames soared into the sky!

Thrum! Thrum!

In the sky, Charles and Raven, seated inside a helicopter, stared at the scene in astonishment.

"How did they get those weapons?"

Charles shook his head, then said, "Erik really is different from him. At the very least, he definitely doesn't know these Italians."

Raven looked at him. "Who is he? Charles, ever since Erik came to see you, you've been a little... a little..."

"A little abnormal, is that it?"

Raven nodded.

Charles chuckled. "It's complicated. I can't explain it properly in just a sentence or two. I'll tell you all about it when I have time."

Before he could finish speaking, the two of them were stunned by the scene below!

The surging waves of fire actually began collapsing inward.

A middle-aged man dressed impeccably, with the bearing of an old gentleman, stood where he was. Astonishingly, everything else had been blown to pieces, yet the floor beneath his feet remained completely intact.

Whether it was bullets, the blast's shockwaves, or waves of fire, anything that reached him collapsed and was absorbed into his body.

"Oh my God!"

Raven was completely stunned by the sight before her. When had she ever witnessed anything this explosive?

It was even harder to imagine that Mutants could be this powerful!

Charles, on the other hand, had already seen Black King Shaw's strength in Gu Qing's memories.

His expression turned grave as he watched the Lehnsherr Family members still piloting their speedboats, closing in on the battered yacht.

He could not help shouting, "Fall back! It's useless! You can't hurt him!"

These were the true elites Vanessa had selected, utterly loyal to the family.

Even in the face of danger, not a single one retreated.

As they drew close to the Gaspardina, the people at the backs of the speedboats had already raised their rocket launchers.

--Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More than ten rockets shot forth.

Yet the enormous fireballs from the explosions collapsed once more, ultimately vanishing into Black King Shaw's hands.

Then, with a casual point of his finger, he released the energy he had just absorbed.

--Boom!

Blazing fire and shockwaves sent every speedboat around him flying.

A smile appeared on his face. "Tell me, then. Who are you people?"

Watching those people die, Charles raised his fingers to his temple, preparing to use his power.

But at that moment, a figure flew through the air.

A cold voice reached Charles's ears with perfect clarity.

"Do not act without my order."

Black King Shaw saw the newcomer as well, and a thoughtful look flickered in his eyes.

Then curiosity appeared on his face.

"It's you, little Erik. Your sudden disappearance troubled me for quite some time.

I never expected that after so long apart, you would have changed so much that even I can barely recognize you."

Gu Qing said nothing. His enemy was right before him. What he needed to do was not reminisce, but—beat the fucking hell out of him!!

He knew Black King Shaw possessed the Mutant Power to absorb any form of energy.

But he refused to believe that ability had no upper limit!

And he was going to blow through that limit.

He would savor the thrill of personally blasting his enemy to death!!!

He threw a fierce punch.

Black King Shaw's reaction was not slow either. He seemed to sense Gu Qing's power.

His expression changed instantly as he raised a hand and unleashed an energy storm.

That energy might have been devastating to an ordinary person.

But to Gu Qing, it was far too scattered!

"It feels like a fucking breeze on my face!!"

--Boom!!

At the same time, Gu Qing's fist landed on Black King Shaw's abdomen.

This punch should have sent him flying, yet it did not cause the slightest ripple.

All kinetic energy had been absorbed!

"Your changes are truly astonishing, Erik. Perhaps we can sit down and talk."

"Talk my fucking ass!!"

A hundred thousand horsepower! Die!!

Every punch Gu Qing threw carried the might to tear everything apart. The force of his fists alone churned the seawater into a frenzy, whipping up wave after wave.

Yet when they landed on Black King Shaw, they had no effect whatsoever. Whether it was kinetic energy or electrical power, all of it was absorbed.

"Let's see how long you can keep absorbing!!"

Gu Qing had anticipated this outcome long ago, so he was not discouraged in the slightest.

He continued his relentless barrage!

Black King Shaw had considered counterattacking as well, but with his close-combat abilities, even possessing such an immensely powerful Mutant Power as energy absorption, he could only be pinned down and beaten by Gu Qing.

He simply could not fight back!

Even releasing the energy he had absorbed from Gu Qing to strike back caused no damage at all!

The power was simply too scattered. It might have been dangerous to ordinary people, but to a truly powerful opponent, it was nothing to worry about!