As for Raven, the Mystique, she was directly captured and dragged away by three towering Sentinel robots. Magneto's eyes burned red with fury. He thought he had long since grown numb to heartache, but at that moment, the pain surged back—raw and consuming. In his eyes, every Mutant was his kin, his family. Now, dozens of his brothers and sisters were slaughtered before his very eyes. Magneto's sanity shattered in that instant.
Pure rage surged through his entire being, and with it, his powers soared. All metal within a thousand-meter radius came under his absolute control. Magneto—the mighty leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants—summoned thousands of metal spears. They rained down like a deadly storm, annihilating hundreds of advancing Sentinel robots in a matter of seconds.
His terrifying might sent shockwaves across the battlefield. He stood not as a man, but a god of war.
Yet, despite the destruction, over five hundred Sentinel robots still remained. Magneto's onslaught had only scratched the surface of their numbers.
With a thunderous roar, the propulsion systems of the remaining Sentinels activated. They soared, closing in from all directions. At the same time, hundreds of Mutants charged to support Magneto, determined to fight to the bitter end.
"Retreat!" Magneto's voice rasped hoarsely through the chaos. "We must leave—immediately!"
"Red Tank, Sabretooth! Break through!"
The last of his warriors gathered around him. But his heart bled—these few were all that remained of his once-mighty Brotherhood.
"Go!"
With a violent sweep of his hands, Magneto wrapped metal around himself and his remaining companions. They shot into the sky like meteors. Above, metal fragments rained down to form an immense barrier, halting the Sentinel advance.
By the time the Sentinels broke through the debris, Magneto and his two subordinates had vanished far into the distance. But the flight had taken its toll. He had pushed his powers far beyond his normal limits, driven only by emotion. Now, that strength was drained.
As the adrenaline faded, so did his strength. Magneto plummeted from the sky like a stone. Fortunately, Red Tank and Sabretooth, both immensely durable Mutants, landed safely and caught their unconscious leader before he crashed into the ground.
"Head to the Mutant Academy," Magneto mumbled before fainting completely. "Find Charles..."
Red Tank and Sabretooth exchanged glances. Brutal and savage as they were, neither was a fool. They knew abandoning Magneto now would seal their fate—death at the hands of Sentinel forces, or worse. Their only hope was to follow his orders.
Sabretooth, drawing from his extensive survival experience, led them in secret to the Mutant Academy. After a perilous journey, they finally arrived—bruised, bloodied, but alive.
Their arrival set off alarms across the Academy. The students and staff braced for battle, forming defensive lines. A fight nearly broke out—until one calm, commanding voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Stop! Let them in," said Charles Xavier, stepping forward.
Professor X sensed something was wrong. With a pulse of his immense psychic power, he scanned the newcomers' minds. In an instant, he understood.
"Carry Erik to the medical ward. As for you two, follow me."
The X-Men stood down, though wary. Even wild cards like Red Tank and Wolverine fell silent under Charles's gaze.
Inside the mansion, Charles looked intently at Red Tank and Sabretooth. "Tell me what happened."
Sabretooth, now missing an arm and clearly wounded, clenched his jaw. The pain, both physical and emotional, radiated from him. He hated the enemy who had done this to them. With a heavy heart, he relayed everything—from the ambush, to the Brotherhood's annihilation, to their desperate escape.
Charles's expression hardened. As he absorbed the truth, his psychic aura surged involuntarily. The pressure forced both Mutants to their knees.
Realizing his mistake, Charles quickly retracted his power.
"…It's an eventful time indeed," he murmured. "Someone's targeting us—again. I fear the tragedy of years past is about to repeat itself."
He stood in silence, contemplating. The Brotherhood of Mutants—once the second most powerful Mutant faction—was wiped out in one fell swoop. And no one even knew who the true enemy was.
"If even Erik's forces were destroyed so easily... how long can we protect the Academy?"
Darkness loomed in his heart. But Charles knew—he had a responsibility. A plan began to form. The children under his care needed safety above all else. Before anything else, he had to ensure that.
But answers would come only when Magneto awakened.
Far from this turmoil, on the serene shores of Alkali Lake, the surface rippled gently under a morning breeze. Birds chirped, and sunlight danced over the clear water. Amidst this peace sat Robert.
Handsome and aloof, Robert lounged by the lake, fishing rod in hand. But despite the idyllic scene, his face showed discontent.
Days had passed. He had caught nothing.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered. "I've been sitting here for days… Why haven't I caught a single fish?"
He frowned, glancing at the system panel floating beside him—a feature only he could see.
"Sign-in rewards... useless."
Robert had obtained the so-called Superman Template through the Sign-In System. In theory, it gave him powers surpassing most beings on Earth. But what was the point if it didn't help him catch a fish?
Each day passed the same. He signed in, received an enhancement, and sat in the same spot. And each day, his hook came up empty.
"Is this world mocking me?" Robert grumbled. "What kind of Superman can't even catch a trout?"
Suddenly, a gentle vibration ran through the earth.
He looked up.
Far in the distance, energy signatures surged. Explosions. Power fluctuations. Psychic shockwaves. Something big had happened.
But Robert didn't move. He simply raised his fishing rod again, cast the line into the lake, and muttered to himself, "Let them fight. I just want a bite…"
Meanwhile, at the Mutant Academy, the atmosphere grew heavier. Charles stood by Erik's bedside, watching the rise and fall of his chest.
Alanna, his most gifted student, entered quietly.
"How is he?" she asked.
"Unconscious. But stable—for now," Charles replied.
"Should we alert the others?"
"Not yet," Charles said. "There's too much we don't know."
Outside, Rock and Fleming were training new recruits. Despite the chaos brewing beyond the Academy walls, daily life continued—barely. They couldn't let the students see their fear.
Elsewhere, Eowyn, a strategist with a sharp mind and sharper tongue, worked closely with Seraphina, the resident healer. Together, they tried to piece together intelligence on who or what had decimated the Brotherhood.
But there were no answers.
Only fear. And tension.
In the shadows, unknown forces plotted. Across cities, violent murders spiked. Entire Mutant families disappeared overnight. The world had changed. The old battles were nothing compared to the storm coming now.
And amidst it all, Robert still sat by the lake, oblivious, unimpressed, and very, very annoyed at the fish that refused to bite.
"Damn it. If I don't catch one by tomorrow... I'll fry this entire lake."
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