Chen Xiao casually tossed the Nightcrawler away, then moved again, leaving a trail of afterimages as he brushed past the Quake and Wolverine.
In the split second before the Quake could react, a palm strike carrying immense force landed heavily on her back.
She was thrown through the air as if hit head-on by a high-speed train, crashing into a distant Psylocke with a scream. The two rolled and tangled together, unable to get up for a moment.
Just then, Pyro John came to his senses, raised his right hand, and the blazing pillar of fire erupted once more!
boom!
The fire had barely left his palm when it was torn apart by a brute force. Immediately afterward, a fist rapidly enlarged in his vision and slammed into his chest!
Bang!
Chen Xiao withdrew three-tenths of his strength, Pyro still let out a miserable howl, spitting out blood and flying more than ten meters backward. After landing, he rolled more than ten times before stopping.
Buzz!
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out! Five two-meter-long metal javelins tore through the air, hurtling towards them at bullet-like speed. Magneto's gaze was sharp and menacing, like a knife.
Unfortunately, in Chen Xiao's eyes, these javelins, which were as fast as lightning, were now as slow as a frozen slide.
Chen Xiao slowly turned around, raised his right hand, and firmly grasped one of the javelins just as it was about to fly towards him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment his fingertips touched the shaft of the spear, he flicked his wrist, and the remaining four javelins were swept away with a fierce motion, crashing into the ground on both sides and kicking up dust and debris.
But in that instant, the javelin in his hand suddenly twisted and deformed, coiling around him like a living thing, tightly gripping his wrist and forearm, like a furious iron python.
Immediately afterwards, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted, attempting to pull him off the ground and drag him straight into the air!
For Chen Xiao, who was invincible in close combat, taking to the air would mean exposing his back to the ranged Mutants in the distance—that was exactly what Magneto was planning.
However...
Sizzle!
Chen Xiao's left hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the steel rod wrapped around his right arm. With a burst of strength from his five fingers, he tore it apart. Then, he clenched his palms together, kneading the trembling metal rod into a ball, as if kneading a lump of soft clay.
He tossed it casually.
boom!
The metallic mass, accompanied by a piercing shriek, shot through the air and hovered a meter in front of Magneto in the blink of an eye, causing the air to vibrate and hum.
Although Magneto forcibly stopped it with his magnetism, the surging, tyrannical force inside the sphere still caused it to tremble violently, and finally it exploded with a "bang," shattering into countless silver dust particles that fluttered down.
As the metal crumbled, the domineering and oppressive feeling also vanished.
At this point, Magneto stopped moving, his gaze turning stern as he stared at the black-haired youth in the distance, silently confronting those calm, unwavering eyes.
All of this happened in just two seconds, so fast that Storm and the others didn't even have time to blink.
They all froze on the spot, their faces filled with shock.
The boy stood in the center of the vortex, his hair flying wildly, an invisible pressure emanating from him, even distorting the air slightly. The astonishment in Storm and the others' eyes quickly turned into joy.
Vitas!
Chen Xiao nodded slightly to them.
Magneto's expression was extremely solemn. The power displayed by this young man was terrifying, especially the primal force contained in that strike. If Magneto hadn't reacted quickly, he would have disintegrated on the spot.
etc...
His gaze swept to the side, passing over the Pyro slumped in the distance, panting, the Nightcrawler leaning against the car door, catching her breath, and Arclight and Psylocke struggling to sit up.
Clearly, the black-haired youth had shown mercy; otherwise, the four would have been reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.
The thought flashed through Magneto's mind, and the apprehension in his eyes quietly faded, replaced by genuine approval. His voice was low and husky. "I've heard of you, Vitas."
Chen Xiao said calmly, "I recognize you too, Magneto."
Magneto's gaze swept over Storm and the others, then he paused. " Vitas, thanks. If you hadn't held back, my companions would be cold corpses by now."
"Stop using your strength?" Chen Xiao said calmly. "They were just lucky."
He did not kill, but he was unwilling to say so explicitly. His reasons were more complex.
Seeing that he refused to agree, Magneto chuckled and suddenly asked, " Vitas, do you think Mutants and humans can truly coexist peacefully?"
This young man before him had just crushed the Juggernaut- on and nearly wiped out the entire field. How could Magneto not be curious?
Chen Xiao was speechless for a moment: We just finished a fight, and I almost wiped you all out in one move. And you, on the other hand, turn around and start talking about tribal relations?
Can we just sit there and watch?
He inwardly scoffed, but outwardly remained impassive. "Just look at the current state of the America, and the answer is clear."
Upon hearing this, Magneto, Storm, and the others were all taken aback.
Chen Xiao continued, "The situation of Mutants is like that of ethnic minorities within the America. Most of them yearn to integrate into the mainstream, but are always turned away; at the same time, they are questioned by their own people for being 'not pure enough'."
"A minority refused to compromise, upholding their identity and culture, and as a result, suffered suppression and injustice for many years."
"The same applies to Mutants: some try to hide their abilities and adapt to society; others choose to fight to the end."
The former was denounced as a 'traitor' by his own people, while the latter was regarded as a 'dangerous element' by humanity.
"This predicament of struggling to survive in the cracks is almost unsolvable unless they are completely detached and a separate community for Mutants is established."
"Completely withdraw..." Magneto's expression shifted slightly, his eyes becoming complex.
A moment of silence fell over everyone. No one had expected that this boy, who had just finished a fight, could so incisively capture the struggles that Mutants endured for so many years.
After a long silence, Magneto slowly exhaled, his voice desolate. "You're right. Mutants are indeed like those minority groups."
Some people believe in integration because they haven't truly experienced the bitterness of discrimination;
"Some choose to resist because they have long realized that in the eyes of humans, they have never been 'one of their own,' but rather 'a threat.'"
At that moment, the Juggernaut weakly crawled out of the large crater in the distance.
Magneto turned his head and asked, " Juggernaut, where's that experimental subject?"
"Dead."
"Dead?" Magneto.
Juggernaut muttered, "We were taken down by those weird robots."
"How could this be...?" Storm and the others were all shocked.
Magneto was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "It seems even the heavens are on my side."
He turned to Chen Xiao, his gaze intense. "Now that the test subject is dead, our objective has been achieved. There's no need to fight this battle anymore."
He paused for a moment, then said earnestly, " Vitas, you're strong. Don't hang out with those good-for-nothing traitors, come with me."
"Next, I will establish a nation for Mutants, a truly autonomous homeland, separate from the human order."
"What? You want to establish a nation? Are you crazy!" Hank exclaimed in shock, and Iceman and the others were also stunned.
In their eyes, Magneto's frequent protests and challenges to authority were still within the realm of understanding;
Could it establish a nation?
Where do people come from?
Where is the territory?
Where will the money come from?
Would mainstream human society really allow you to start from scratch?
"Ha, what a pipe dream."
Magneto let out a sneer, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Do you take me for a bunch of mediocre people who willingly bow down? Living off the illusory peace bestowed upon us by humans, indulging in self-deceptive dreams all day long?"
"The path for Mutants to build a nation is indeed fraught with peril, but if we are deterred by the difficulties, we will forever remain subservient to others."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly spread his arms wide, his voice rising abruptly. "Over the years, I haven't stopped for a moment, running around making contacts, raising resources, and looking for allies, all to truly ignite this fire!"
"Now, a large number of like-minded people have gathered around me."
"They are tough and courageous, possessing both the determination to face death alone and the resources to lay the foundation for a nation."
"And there are those who have always fought on the front lines: John, the Nightcrawler, and Jean, who wields the power to change the world."
Magneto's words were powerful and resonant, causing Pyro John and Nightcrawler to gasp in shock, their faces a mixture of astonishment and elation.
What's astonishing is that I was completely unaware of it beforehand; what's glorious is that I'm now being highlighted and regarded as a key figure.
"I am deeply saddened by Charles' passing. Therefore, I never want to see Mutants like you perish in that elusive and hopeless 'peace' in the future."
He looked directly at Chen Xiao, his eyes burning. " Vitas, come with me."
"What you just said resonated deeply with me. Let's fight side by side and create a new world for Mutants together."
Storm's heart tightened, and she blurted out, "No! Vitas, don't trust him! He only cares about war and will drag countless people into hell!"
"Yes! Don't listen to him!" Colossus Peter's voice tightened with anxiety.
He had always admired Chen Xiao and was even more unwilling to see him go astray and follow Magneto's bloody path.
Faced with the invitation, Chen Xiao remained calm. " Magneto, thank you for your kind offer. But I am by nature indifferent to worldly affairs and weary of swords and shadows."
"As for something as momentous as the founding of a nation... it's too grand, too weighty, truly beyond my capacity to bear."
Although he has the X-Gene, he's not Mutants at heart. He's too lazy to move after a good meal, so why would he take on such troublesome tasks?
Besides, with his current strength, so what if he's labeled Mutants? Who would dare to mess with him?
In another month or two, or even a year or two, he will be completely above mortals, and even if a true god were to appear, it would be nothing more than a glance.
Chen Xiao flatly refused, and Storm and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Only Wolverine raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing a hint of amusement.
Don't like fighting and killing? You're kidding me.
When you first went into battle, who was it that punched their enemy so hard that not a single bone was left?
"Alright."
Magneto looked slightly regretful, then turned to Pyro was struggling to sit up. "Pass down the order: the test subject is confirmed dead. Evacuate everyone."
The Sentry ' encirclement and the Juggernaut's rampage severely damaged the laboratory, but they did not wipe them out completely. Dozens of Mutants and ordinary survivors remained hidden in corners, dark rooms, and ventilation ducts.
Pyro and Nightcrawler sent messages separately, and soon more than thirty figures emerged from the shadows, silently lining up and standing behind Magneto.
Thus, the chaotic battle quietly came to an end.