The Invincible Kino

At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Professor X was explaining everything here to Wolverine.

"Mutants hide their identities to escape hostility!"

"This is a school that inspires superpowers."

"Cyclops, Storm, and Jean were my first students. I protected them and taught them how to control their abilities, and they now teach the new students as well."

"These children who ran away from home are frightened and lonely. Their uncontrolled powers could hurt others. Like your friend Rogue, who cannot have skin-to-skin contact and may have to live that way for the rest of her life. Now she has found companions to study with, without rejection or fear."

"What she does in the future is up to her—whether she returns to society or stays here to teach."

"But the school is merely a front. What lies beneath is something else..."

Suddenly, Professor X's expression changed drastically!

"What is it?" Logan stopped and looked at the old man in the wheelchair in confusion.

Professor X's face had turned ashen, a bead of sweat slowly rolling down his forehead.

"A powerful superhuman is approaching. He is moving very fast!"

"Scott, Storm, Jean, come out immediately. A powerful enemy has appeared! Oh, no, no... Jean, rest for now. Protect the students."

While rapidly contacting them with his telepathic powers, he steered his wheelchair out of the classroom. He could sense that this "superhuman" had come with hostile intent.

Logan was somewhat puzzled, but after thinking for a moment, he followed him out.

In the vast courtyard stood only an Eastern-looking young man. He was the one exerting such immense pressure on Professor X.

The Eastern-looking young man was looking around.

"So this is Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters? Why does it look like it was hit by an earthquake?"

Many windows and walls had been shattered, and cracks marred countless places. The entire exterior of the school building looked battered and scarred...

Had Daisy Johnson been here?

"And you are?"

"Oh? Charles Francis Xavier, the famous Professor X." Kino turned around and nodded very "politely."

Behind him, a dark-skinned, white-haired woman descended from the sky.

"Storm? What was your name again? Halle Berry?" Kino frowned slightly.

Sorry, he only knew Storm and had no idea what her real name, Ben, was.

As for the other man...

"Scott, Cyclops. Oh, your glasses are nice. I like them!"

Then Kino tilted his head and glanced past the group at the striking red-haired beauty behind them. In a flirtatious tone, he said, "Oh, what a beautiful woman. Hey, would you be willing to be my fuck buddy?"

Jean Grey in the first film was still very beautiful, full of mature charm.

Zing!!!

However, what greeted him was an even redder beam of energy. Cyclops pressed the switch on his glasses.

But...

The blast did not harm Kino. The beam aimed at his chest vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea... swallowed completely.

The group stared in shock. Wolverine might not understand, but the others had been companions for years. How could they not know Cyclops's strength? His optic blasts could pierce through a mountain with ease, yet now...

Wh-what had happened?

"Oh, shit!"

Looking down at the crimson optic pulse on his chest, Kino could not help cursing.

After the Phoenix Force awakened the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit, it had also altered the properties of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

If this had happened before, the blast would definitely have pierced his chest and destroyed the small woods behind him. But now, the lightning transformed by the Phoenix Force swallowed the incoming optic pulse like a bottomless abyss.

To be sure, he could still transform into a body of pure lightning, but he could no longer pull tricks on people like before.

Before, he could run into a crowd of enemies, and when they fired an energy blast at him, it would miss him and kill their comrades behind him instead.

The perfect way to screw people over!

Unfortunately, that no longer worked!

His lightning body had become like a black hole, absorbing all energy attacks.

The Phoenix Force—it could effortlessly absorb energy sources, such as Scott's optic pulses.

Physical attacks, however, could still pass through his body and be used to screw people over.

Such as bullets!

Scott also stared in shock as he closed his glasses. "He swallowed my optic blast."

"What?"

Everyone was horrified!

They had thought his body was simply incredibly tough and had blocked the optic pulse. Who would have thought... he had absorbed it?

"Oh? So this is... how it can be used?"

Kino paid no attention to the X-Men's shock. Frowning, he familiarized himself with the circulation of the Phoenix Force within his body. A few seconds later, he understood. He suddenly raised his hand, and an even more crimson optic blast shot toward Scott.

Everyone's faces paled in shock: "!"

Could he seize an enemy's attack and use it himself?

"Watch out!"

Jean's pretty face changed sharply. With a wave of both hands, she used telekinesis to fling Scott aside. But she was still a step too late—the blast severed Scott's right arm.

"No—"

In the past, she might have gone berserk and transformed into Dark Phoenix. But now, most of her Phoenix Force had left her, leaving only a tiny amount of telekinesis.

She had fallen from a potential Level 5 Omega-level Mutant to Level 2 in an instant, perhaps even lower.

"Ugh—ah!"

After coughing up a mouthful of blood, Scott stared blankly at his severed arm.

"Damn it!"

Halle Berry... no, Storm's eyes turned white. She spread her arms and slowly rose into the sky. In an instant, fierce winds swept through the area, but...

"Why? I can't summon lightning anymore!"

Professor X: "..."

"Do you mean these?"

A thick pillar of lightning descended from the sky, instantly engulfing Storm.

Crackle!

"AAAAAHHHH—!"

Storm's entire body turned black, and she collapsed limply onto the ground. Game... over!

It was like Enel's power in One Piece: releasing lightning from the sky in the form of a massive electric pillar to destroy the target.

"Sorry, the lightning betrayed you. It chose me!" Kino shrugged and smiled, his Haki gaze sweeping across the entire scene. "Who else—?!"

Professor X raised a finger and pressed it to his temple. Kino froze in place.

Of course, he smiled as well.

He looked at Professor X with a smiling face, and the latter's mind trembled violently!

Damn it, where is this? Ugh—ah—my... consciousness is being swallowed! Damn it—

Professor X, you aren't the only one with telepathic powers!

Kino's voice rang out within Charles's mind as well.

Damn it, you... how? Where is this place? Why... why am I in space? That's a black hole... a black hole that devours everything?!

Heh, Professor X, don't casually invade my mind. Mantra can devour everything.

Get out—!

Kino released his mental restraint, and the "black hole" erupted with a powerful reverse devouring force, instantly forcing Professor X's telepathic power... out.

The Phoenix Force—as the connection point for the spirits and minds of all things—the complete Phoenix possessed telepathic abilities across the entire Multiverse, including telepathy and thought transmission.

It could be said that Ben inherently possessed powers nearly identical to Charles's.

Although the Phoenix Force Kino had awakened was not complete, the power of the Phoenix's Child was still not to be underestimated!

Not to mention that Ben already possessed Observation Haki.

And Mantra, enhanced by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

After being saved, Professor X gasped for breath. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his entire body was drenched. The sensation of his mind being forcibly torn from his body, completely beyond his control, had been utterly dreadful.

A terrifying black hole!

"Professor!" Jean hurried forward.