Because an extremely Berserk power suddenly exploded within the zither, instantly suppressing the flickering flame of the Mind Stone.
That power was imbued with boundless resentment, savage killing intent, and naked primal desire, and also exuded a wild, untamed aura, like the beginning of time.
In the primordial chaos, there were no laws, no good or evil; only instinct drove everything, and nature flowed freely.
Whew, whew, whew!!
Just as that most Origin Phoenix aura emerged, within Qin's body, the professor's Mind Stone flame surged once more, burning fiercely like a molten sun.
This interplay of light and darkness, clarity and turbidity, represents the final glimmer of light before each force reaches its end.
Under Professor X's forceful suppression, which involved burning his own divine consciousness, the contorted pain on Qin's face gradually eased, and the turmoil in her eyes slowly subsided.
Even the destructive energy emanating from her, powerful enough to tear apart the continental shelf, subsided.
Once the interference of the Phoenix Force subsided, the tremors that had spread across hundreds of kilometers dissipated. In an instant, billions of tons of seawater, suspended between the sea and the sky, crashed down!
Boom, boom, boom!!
The giant wave crashed down, sending sprays of water soaring into the sky, transforming into towering tidal bores several meters high, surging wildly in all directions.
On the shore, Nick and Trask, who had been pinned to the ground by the Phoenix's oppressive aura, had barely caught their breath when they were engulfed by the crashing waves.
Cough cough cough cough!!
Fortunately, the water level at the beach was limited, and the two struggled to their feet, stumbling and running towards higher ground in the distance, soaked to the bone and covered in mud, looking utterly disheveled.
Whew, whew, whew!!
Leaning against the tree trunk, Nick and Trask gasped for breath, gazing into the distance, still shaken.
At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, the night sky was clear and boundless, filled with stars, and a bright moon hung high, casting its cool silver light.
Such clear and tranquil moonlight has long been a rare sight in modern cities built of steel and concrete.
But right now, neither of them was in the mood to admire the moon. They were just staring blankly at the empty sea in front of them. Trask's lips were pale, and he murmured absentmindedly:
" Alcatraz... is gone."
That's right. This once infamous prison, now the island where Worthington Labs is located, has been completely wiped off the map.
And the one who caused all of this was just a Mutants.
Thinking of the devastating scene just now, both Nick and Trask had faces so dark they could drip water, their brows furrowed with solemnity.
They knew that the real trouble was just beginning.
When a near-godlike being emerges among Mutants, the global strategies toward Mutants must be rewritten immediately.
At least until a means to check or even end her is found, no one dares to easily provoke her again.
At this moment, not only Nick Fury and his companion, but also Magneto and the others standing on the remaining wreckage of the steel bridge, were gazing towards Alcatraz.
On another coastline a dozen kilometers away, Storm group had also retreated from the area of destruction and were holding their breath, trying to see clearly what was happening in that sea area.
However, the night was dark, and even with the moonlight, the distance was too great for the light to penetrate, so everything remained a blur.
But this didn't Magneto. He turned his head to the barely breathing Nightcrawler beside him. " Callisto, can you find out what's going on over there?"
The Nightcrawler paused briefly, then nodded. "Boss, there are two magnetic field fluctuations over there, one of which is extremely strong; it should be the zither."
"The other one is very weak, belonging to that X-Men, who is currently in extremely poor condition, as if he has suffered a fatal blow."
"Seriously injured."
Magneto's gaze narrowed slightly, and he murmured softly, "It seems that, in the end, Jean Grey has the upper hand."
Upon hearing this, the people around him nodded in unison in agreement.
The destructive wave unleashed when Qin erupted earlier had long exceeded the boundaries of their understanding; within a radius of tens or even hundreds of kilometers, mountains and seas were overturned, and everything was reduced to ruins.
As for the X-Men, although the power they ultimately displayed was equally terrifying, their aura, power, and sustainability were indeed inferior.
Moreover, given the stark contrast in their current states, if Jean Grey hadn't been so dominant, how could that X-Men be on the verge of collapse?
The waves on the sea gradually subsided, and two figures floated silently in mid-air.
On one side was Jean Grey, her red hair fluttering and her expression serene.
On the other side was Chen Xiao, who had already exited the Second Awakening state.
At this moment, his face was ashen, his lips were bloodless, his eyes were sunken, his dark circles were heavy, his body was noticeably thinner, his back was slightly hunched, and his breath was so weak that it was almost a whisper.
He looked like a craftsman who had worked tirelessly for thirty days and nights, exhausting his energy more than ten times a day. His spirit and energy had been completely drained, and he was just one step away from burning out.
Cough cough!!
He coughed weakly twice, dragging Scott, who was also barely breathing, dressed in rags, with many parts of his skin charred and peeling off, in his arms.
At this moment, both of them were covered in wounds and emaciated.
call!
At that moment, Qin's figure blurred, and she suddenly rushed towards the two of them.
A glint flashed in Chen Xiao's eyes, but he did not intervene.
He may seem to be at his wit's end, but if he really wants to fight to the death, he can still unleash the power of one last strike.
Fortunately, Qin had lost her hostility. She landed in front of the two of them, her gaze fixed on Scott Chen Xiao was holding, with a complicated expression.
Looking at her beloved, who was covered in wounds and barely breathing, her lips trembled slightly, as if a thousand words were about to come to her lips, but she hesitated again and again, and only let out a low sigh, saying nothing.
Chen Xiao's voice was hoarse. "Senior Qin, you... you've regained consciousness?"
The dark-haired boy, dressed in X-Men uniform, was as pale as a sheet. Jean looked at him, a gentle smile appearing in her eyes, "Thank you, I've recovered."
Chen Xiao nodded slowly. "That's good."
Seeing him swaying precariously, as if he might collapse at any moment, Qin looked ashamed and said, "You're too weak. Let me help you recover."
"No need, Senior Qin." He gently shook his head. "You should check on Teacher Scott first. I can manage."
He wasn't sure when Qin had acquired healing powers, but although he was exhausted, his life wasn't in danger. If he let her perform the healing, it might expose the inexplicable abnormalities within his body, and he wasn't willing to take that risk.
Qin didn't insist further, only nodded in acknowledgment and raised her hand to cover Scott's forehead.
In an instant, soft crimson halos rippled from her palm, enveloping Scott's entire body like waves.
Beneath that vibrant red light, his torn flesh was healing at a visible speed; his almost stopped breathing gradually became long and even, and his weak heartbeat regained its steady strength.
Chen Xiao's eyes flickered slightly; so that's how it is.
The Phoenix Force can both burn everything to ashes and give birth to new life.
Once Scott's vital signs stabilized, Qin withdrew her hand.
She gazed deeply at the unconscious man in Chen Xiao's arms, her expression conflicted and indescribable. Finally, she whispered, "He... I'm leaving him in your care. Goodbye."
Before she finished speaking, she had already turned and soared into the air.
Chen Xiao watched the departing red figure, shook his head silently, and did not try to stop it.
He understood that she was still unable to face the fact that the professor had passed away.
On the broken bridge on the distant coast, the Nightcrawler narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Boss, she's here."
Just as Magneto was about to speak, a crimson figure appeared on the sea, its red hair flying, its aura imposing, and its invisible pressure causing the air to freeze.
The four Nightcrawler instinctively took two steps back, but Magneto remained unmoved.
As Jean landed calmly, all traces of her former violence and destructive aura vanished, Magneto's face immediately broke into a smile, "Jean, welcome back."
On the sea, Chen Xiao dragged Scott along slowly.
That's right, it's "walking," at a speed roughly equivalent to a normal person jogging.
More than half an hour later, just as Storm and the others were growing increasingly anxious, Chen Xiao's figure finally appeared on the distant horizon. Shadowcat's eyes lit up. "Look! It's Vitas!"
Everyone immediately perked up.
But when they saw his ashen face and swaying figure, everyone's hearts tightened again.
Iceman immediately bent down and plunged into the seawater. A surge of cold air rushed out, and in an instant, hundreds of meters of the sea surface froze into ice; Colossus and the others sprinted up the ice.
Vitas,
Wolverine spoke in a deep voice, Scott in Chen Xiao's hand suddenly slipped from his grasp. He rushed forward and caught it steadily.
Almost simultaneously, Chen Xiao swayed, his eyes closed, and he plummeted straight down from mid-air. Colossus leaped up in time and caught him.
"Get him to the hospital immediately!"
" Vitas is in bad shape... And Scott? Hmm? His breathing is quite even..."
With their fighter jet damaged, the group rushed the two to one of the best hospitals in San Francisco. Funding paved the way, and the medical procedures Green Lantern.
When it was Chen Xiao's turn to have his blood drawn, the nurse had barely inserted the needle when the needle tip didn't move at all; it couldn't penetrate the skin.
Shadowcat immediately interrupted the nurse's surprised questioning, "Don't draw blood, just check the heartbeat and pulse."
The results came back quickly: apart from obvious exhaustion, all his physiological indicators were completely normal; Scott in the next ward had also fully recovered.
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as they were recovering in the hospital, the outside world was in an uproar over the battle of Alcatraz.
When the top America received the intelligence relayed by Nick and Trask, they were all shocked and astonished.
Especially the Mutants who single-handedly leveled the entire island and triggered a magnitude 6 earthquake and massive waves along the coast of San Francisco.
Therefore, even though Magneto and his crew rented a hotel in San Francisco, no one dared to cause trouble, and officials only dared to monitor them from a distance.
Even more disappointing was the Sentry's performance in actual combat: clumsy, sluggish, and unreliable.
Following the disappointment came a deeper sense of crisis. The military quickly increased its investment, determined to accelerate the development of a new generation of Sentry capable of suppressing top Mutants.
The following morning, Magneto and his crew arrived at the airport.
Despite the tight security, no one dared to stop or refuse them entry, and they successfully bought their tickets and boarded the plane. An hour later, the plane took off and departed under Nick's watchful gaze.
Outside the airport, Nick squinted, watching the flight path gradually disappear into the horizon, and muttered to himself, "To Africa?"
His heart sank: a storm was brewing.
The X-Men suffered a crushing defeat in this battle, their experimental subjects died, and with Jean Grey, possessing world-destroying power, returning to the team... Magneto's prestige among Mutants is about to reach its peak.