An explosion erupted on the building's penultimate floors, sending debris from walls and ceilings crashing down to the base. Erik stood calmly on one of the levels as dust settled around him. He knew he hadn't killed the two Avengers, but that didn't matter — what he came for was right in front of him. Or so he thought. Now, where the arrow had been moments ago, there was nothing.
"Rogers..." Erik muttered, realizing that while he had been trying to eliminate the heroes, Steve had managed to grab the arrow and escape with it.
Hearing a strange humming sound behind him, Magneto turned around to see the X-Men's aircraft hovering at his level. Without delay, the doors opened and several figures emerged.
"Again..." Erik sighed in frustration as Logan, Cyclops, and Storm jumped down onto his floor. "I don't have time for this."
Logan just smirked. "You're starting to get on my nerves. We're seeing way too much of each other."
"Why did you destroy the Avengers' building?" Ororo asked, her blank white eyes fixed on their enemy. The clouds above began to darken, making it clear that no peaceful resolution was coming. Around Erik, pieces of metal began to levitate — he was ready for battle.
"I have my reasons," Erik replied, lifting into the air, his mind focused on retrieving the arrow. "By the way, where's Xavier? Watching through you again?"
"As soon as I deal with your students and take what I came for..." Magneto continued, now speaking directly toward his old acquaintance, confident that Xavier was watching the events unfold, "I'm coming for you next."
× Meanwhile ×
Darkness — that was all that surrounded Rogers, but he didn't care. He'd managed to grab the arrow at the last moment, and now lay among the rubble, holding it tightly along with his shield. Just as he began to move and dig his way out, he heard a strange noise from outside — the slab above him lifted slightly.
"Taking a nap?" came a familiar voice through Iron Man's helmet, as Tony raised the heavy slab.
"I'd lie down myself, gladly — just not when a mutant's attacking," he added dryly.
Grabbing his friend's hand, Steve climbed out from under the pile and brushed off the layer of dust. "I hate landings like that. Always messes up my back."
"At your age, no surprise," Tony grumbled, scanning the Avengers' building and spotting several figures on the floor they had just left. "Let's go. It's not just Magneto up there anymore."
"Got it."
× Skip ×
Storm rose into the air as thunder began rumbling in the sky. The wind around them grew stronger and stronger. Logan unsheathed his claws, while Cyclops readied his optic beam.
"If we could understand your motives..." Ororo began, knowing that the battle was likely inevitable, "maybe we could resolve this without bloodshed."
"Those aren't your words, are they?" Erik smirked. "How deep has Xavier embedded himself in your mind?"
Hearing that, Storm's anger surged, and the weather only worsened. She was about to strike when Iron Man and Captain America landed behind Magneto.
"Just in time," Rogers said, lifting his shield into position.
"Seven against one..." Tony smirked, raising his hands and preparing to fire a repulsor blast at any moment. "You can leave now if you want — we're not giving up the arrow."
Magneto ignored the words, now completely surrounded. All he could think about was the arrow. He needed to eliminate all obstacles quickly — if this dragged on, things would get much harder.
Erik flung his arms out wide, summoning as much metal from the surroundings as he could. "Your numbers won't help you," he said calmly.