The Mark Resonates, Lynn's Reverse Psychic Strangulation

The Dark Phoenix mark on his left arm was no longer warm.

It's scalding hot.

It was as if a red-hot branding iron had been pressed firmly under his skin, every line of the mark transforming into a fiery channel that scorched his nerves. A violent, chaotic energy, filled with destruction and possessiveness, was frantically Impact his Mental Barrier along this mark.

Lynn stood before the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of the Baxter Building, his empty wine glass already set aside.

His gaze was as cold as an eternal block of ice, indifferently overlooking the Shura Field he himself had orchestrated that was spiraling out of control.

Susan bled from all seven orifices, knelt on one knee, her body swaying precariously. The thirty-layered Force Field Shield was like a candle flickering in the wind, with only the last cracked barrier clinging to life.

Gwen Stacy shielded Charles's wheelchair tightly behind her, her burned back facing the enormous Dark Golden Firebird. Her tiny body seemed so fragile in the face of cosmic-level energy that it looked as if it would be completely vaporized at any moment.

And that Firebird, the incarnation of the Dark Phoenix, was pressing its entire will to incinerate everything against Susan's last Defense Line, about to taste the fruits of victory.

"Have you gone crazy enough?"

Lynn's voice was very soft, so soft that only he could hear it.

This question is less a accusation against Jean Grey downstairs and more an examination of a newly acquired but extremely unruly tool.

He originally intended for this new "catfish" to completely stir up the waters, forcing Wanda, Hela, Susan, Gwen Stacy, these "sharks" who had become somewhat complacent, to unleash a stronger will to survive and a more competitive drive.

In retrospect, the results were a bit too good.

This catfish not only wanted to stir up the water, but also wanted to kill all the sharks in the pool, and even wanted to burn the pool itself dry.

Gwen Stacy's decisiveness pleased him. On the battlefield of the Skyfather-level, a street hero's willingness to risk everything was invaluable, demonstrating exceptional execution and loyalty.

Susan's relentless efforts also caught his attention. Her willingness to overdraw the building's energy and even her own life to preserve the "team's victory"—this obsessive desire to prove herself—was also a valuable asset.

He can allow them to be injured, even to the point of death.

But he would never allow his assets to be completely destroyed by another asset without his permission.

Lynn slowly raised his left arm, and the Dark Gold Firebird mark burned even more eerily under his gaze.

The system's cold, impersonal notification sounded in my mind.

[WARNING: The Dark Phoenix's Mind Link is extremely unstable. Do you wish to sever it?]

Cut off?

A cold smile curled at the corners of Lynn's lips.

That's too lenient on her.

How can you discipline a disobedient pet by simply closing the cage door?

It must be made aware of who the true master is. It must learn the meaning of obedience through its deepest fear.

[Refuse to cut off.]

Lynn gave the instruction in his mind.

[Reverse activation of the mental channel, power... set to maximum.]

Instead of closing the door to his Mental World, he pushed it open completely, even removing the door frame, laying down a red carpet, and adopting a "welcome" posture.

He wanted to let this arrogant Firebird burn her most prized flame into his spiritual realm.

Then, in a way she couldn't understand, she extinguished the flames with her own hands!

"Buzz--!"

As Lynn gave the order, the mark on his left arm suddenly shone brightly!

The violent energy that had been frantically Impact his Mental Barrier, once it lost all its obstacles, surged into his mind like a flood bursting its banks, finding an outlet!

Meanwhile, in the square...

The Dark Golden Firebird, which was crushing the last force Force Field in a victorious manner, suddenly froze.

A fleeting look of confusion crossed Jean Grey's eyes, which burned with the flames of destruction.

She felt that the Mind Link she shared with that man had suddenly become clearer and more... alluring than ever before.

Like a starving Beast suddenly presented with an unsuspecting, deadly feast.

She could sense that on the other side of that Mental World lay a higher energy that made even her tremble.

It was Chaos Scarlet, a deathly black.

Swallow him!

As long as you rush through this passage and completely incinerate and occupy his Mental World, he will become your most perfect host! Your most private collection!

The thought flashed through Jean Grey's mind for only a moment before turning into an uncontrollable instinct!

She even gave up the victory that was within her grasp, and the opportunity to crush the blue "fly" and the white "spider".

"Uh--!"

The Dark Golden Firebird let out an even higher-pitched soul shriek, its massive body suddenly becoming ethereal, transforming into a pure torrent of spirit and flame, rushing back towards Lynn on the top floor of the Baxter Building along that invisible link!

Downstairs, everyone was stunned.

Whether it was Susan, who was exhausted and on the verge of fainting, or Gwen Stacy, who had closed her eyes and awaited death, or even Wanda and Hela, who were watching from afar, none of them could understand the bizarre scene before them.

Why did that arrogant Firebird, which was just moments ago so ready to burn everything, suddenly disappear?

No, it didn't disappear.

They've shifted their focus!

Wanda and Hela looked up almost simultaneously, their gazes fixed on the top floor of the Baxter Building!

They could feel that destructive energy surging wildly towards Lynn's location!

"No!"

Wanda's eyes instantly became bloodshot, and the Scarlet energy spiraled out of control once again.

Hela's expression darkened, and the Death Energy around her surged instantly.

However, there was nothing they could do.

Because that battle has shifted to an area beyond their control.

The Mental Dimension.

There is no Baxter Building here, no New York, no sky and earth.

There was only an endless, cold, dark void.

A torrent of Dark Gold flames tore through the darkness, descending upon this place with the will to incinerate everything.

"Ha... haha... found it..."

From within the flames came Jean Grey's innocent yet cruel laughter.

She succeeded; she broke into the man's very soul! The place was so vast and undefended, like an empty palace awaiting a queen's coronation!

She will ignite an inextinguishable Phoenix Force here, turning this place into her nest, and this man's soul into the foundation of her Throne!

The flames began to spread wildly, threatening to completely illuminate this darkness and transform it into a golden kingdom.

However, at that very moment...

From the end of the darkness, a soft, metallic "click" sound rang out.

A Scarlet light and a pitch-black shadow appeared simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, a Throne forged from bones and Scarlet Crystal, exuding endless violence and an ominous aura, slowly emerged in the void.

A figure sat regally on the Throne.

It's Lynn.

But it wasn't Lynn.

He wore a black trench coat that seemed to be woven from the darkness itself. In his eyes, the left eye was Scarlet vortex that distorted reality, and the right eye was a death Abyss that devoured everything.

He simply sat there quietly, coldly watching the encroaching Dark Gold sea of fire with the gaze one would give to an inanimate object.

Beneath his feet, the once arrogant Dark Gold Firebird was now bound tightly by two thick chains, one made of Chaos Magic and the other of Death Force, around its neck and wings, like a wild dog with its throat choked, only able to whimper mournfully.

"On my turf, you have to follow my rules."

Lynn, seated on the Throne, spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying an unquestionable, kingly majesty.

"And the first rule in my book is..."

He slowly raised his hand, and then suddenly clenched his fingers together towards the locked Firebird!

"Disobedient pets have no right to bark."

"Gaa--!"

Within the Mental Dimension, the Firebird let out an extremely shrill scream!

The two chains formed by Chaos and death tightened instantly!

The Scarlet chains were frantically erasing its existence, breaking its energy down into its most primordial particles.

The pitch-black chains were relentlessly "stripping" it of its vitality, causing the flame that burned everything to dim and decay at a visible speed!

This is Dimensionality-Reduction Strike from a higher level!

The power of the Dark Phoenix is cosmic-level destruction and rebirth.

But what Lynn is using now is the Chaos that alters reality and the death that defines the Ending!

At the level of the rules, he is already in an invincible position!

The Real World.

In the square.

The Dark Golden Firebird, which had just crashed into Susan's Force Field with tremendous force, suddenly froze in mid-air just as it was about to break through the last barrier.

Immediately afterwards, its enormous fiery body began to tremble and twist violently, as if something extremely terrifying was wreaking havoc inside.

"Screech... Ugh..."

That piercing scream that shook the soul transformed into a broken, mournful cry filled with pain and fear.

To everyone's astonishment.

The enormous Firebird with a wingspan of over thirty meters began to crumble inch by inch!

The Dark Gold flames, no longer dazzling, became mottled and murky, like ashes that had been burned out, peeling off and scattering from the air piece by piece.

Just a few seconds.

The terrifying Beast, capable of destroying a city, was completely torn apart by an invisible force, turning into countless golden specks of light that dissipated into the air.

The destruction came to an abrupt end.

Susan and Gwen Stacy, who had narrowly escaped death, were panting heavily, their faces filled with bewilderment and disbelief at having survived such a close call.

Wanda and Hela's pupils contracted sharply as they stared intently at the top floor, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and fervor.

And in the wreckage of the X-Jet.

Jean Grey coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body went limp and she collapsed, her eyes closed, completely unconscious.

However, at the very last moment before her consciousness faded into darkness, the tyrannical and terrifying strangling force that had been exerted on her mind quietly receded.

Instead, a more domineering and undeniable... mark has been placed upon it.

Deep within her soul, on the untamed spirit of the Phoenix, a phantom Throne, woven from Scarlet and black, was etched into it.

Despite her traumatized state, the Dark Phoenix did not back down, nor did she harbor any hatred whatsoever.

Amidst that extreme pain and the fear of being dominated, an even more distorted and morbid emotion emerged.

It's... an obsession.

It's... a morbid admiration for absolute power!

Jean Grey, who was unconscious, twitched her eyelids slightly.

When she opened her eyes again, those eyes no longer held the innocence or madness of before.

It was a kind of... fervor and devotion, as if one had found Deity, found their final destination.

Her gaze ignored the ruins around her, ignored the four seriously injured women in the square, pierced through the vast distance, and locked firmly, firmly, onto the top floor of the Baxter Building.

That man...

That man who dared to enslave her!