Witnessing Dark Phoenix effortlessly neutralize his Judgement Cut End, Richard realized her power vastly exceeded her cinematic counterpart. Though not matching her comic book incarnation's full might, she clearly outclassed the film version by several orders of magnitude.
The movie's Dark Phoenix would never have survived a Judgement Cut End unscathed. After all, even Wolverine's adamantium claws had proven capable of fatally wounding her in that timeline—a spatial attack should have been equally effective, if not more so.
Having confirmed Dark Phoenix's superior strength, Richard abandoned his strategy of relying on X-gene abilities.
It seems I can only rely on template skills, Richard thought resignedly.
He gripped the Masamune with both hands, then, under Dark Phoenix's watchful gaze, deliberately separated his hands left and right.
Yamato!
He extracted the Yamato that had been fused with the Masamune, now wielding the two legendary blades separately—Masamune in his left hand, Yamato in his right.
Though unfamiliar with Richard's intentions, Dark Phoenix responded immediately to the faint magical aura emanating from his body. She raised her right hand, palm extended toward him.
Phoenix Force!
Without hesitation, she channeled the cosmic entity's might once more. Unlike her earlier invisible telekinetic assault, this manifestation resembled a crimson laser beam streaking toward Richard at tremendous velocity.
Facing this concentrated Phoenix energy, Richard neither teleported away nor attempted to absorb it. Instead, he swung the Masamune in his left hand.
Octoslash!
Eight precise slashes materialized instantaneously, intercepting the incoming Phoenix beam.
Though not designed as a defensive technique, Octoslash had proven remarkably effective for protection since its advancement to level 4. Richard had discovered that upgrading the skill to level 3 granted him precise control over its power output and energy consumption. The subsequent level 4 enhancement had further refined his mastery, enabling him to cut through both matter and energy—essentially anything except soul and mind.
The Phoenix Force represented one of the Marvel Universe's most formidable energy forms. Born from the primordial universe at the dawn of existence, it embodied the essence of life and spiritual power, serving as the nexus between all conscious souls and the primal source of psychic energy.
Against the complete Phoenix Force, Richard would stand little chance even with his Sephiroth templete. But an incomplete manifestation was another matter entirely.
Though their confrontation had just begun, Richard had already discerned that Dark Phoenix commanded only a fraction of the cosmic entity's true power. More importantly, he recognized that Jean's fusion with the Phoenix Force remained superficial—she could access its power, but her utilization remained rudimentary.
As the eight sword slashes deployed, they intercepted the laser-like Phoenix beam, dissecting it into harmless fragments that dissipated into the surrounding atmosphere.
While his left hand employed Octoslash defensively, his right hand remained active, wielding the Yamato with precise, rapid movements.
Judgement Cut End!
With Dark Phoenix as the focal point, spatial distortions radiated outward. The crescent-shaped spatial disruptions converged upon her, attacking from multiple vectors simultaneously.
As before, the spatial slashes failed to reach Dark Phoenix's physical form, neutralized by the Phoenix Force's protective aura before making contact.
Though unsuccessful in wounding her, Richard showed no surprise. Dark Phoenix had already demonstrated her immunity to Judgement Cut End.
His repeated use of the technique served a different purpose—confirming a hypothesis that had formed during their initial exchange:
The current Dark Phoenix cannot precisely control the Phoenix Force!
She appeared incapable of simultaneously managing offensive and defensive applications of the cosmic power. This insight had prompted Richard to separate the Masamune and Yamato.
As Dark Phoenix once again marshaled the Phoenix Force to counter his Judgement Cut End, Richard's suspicions were confirmed.
In the moment when Dark Phoenix established her omnidirectional defense, Richard observed a subtle but critical change—the offensive Phoenix beam attacking him had weakened noticeably. Though the laser-like assault persisted, its potency had diminished.
This revelation immediately clarified the situation for Richard.
Mind Prison!
Dark Phoenix had been contained within Professor Xavier's mental barriers for too long. Like the Magneto clone Richard had previously eliminated, she possessed tremendous raw power but lacked crucial experience. Her control over energy manipulation and combat tactics remained woefully underdeveloped.
Rookie!
Both were complete amateurs in battle. Though Richard had inhabited this universe for barely half a year, his combat experience exceeded their combined knowledge tenfold.
Having confirmed Dark Phoenix's inexperience mirrored that of Magneto's clone, Richard swiftly formulated a new approach.
Novices are always the easiest to defeat.
Gazing at Dark Phoenix hovering hundreds of meters away, Richard deliberately raised the Yamato once more.
Judgement Cut End!
The space surrounding Dark Phoenix began distorting again as crescent-shaped spatial disruptions assailed her from every direction. Predictably, she maintained her Phoenix-powered defensive barrier without deviation from her previous pattern.
As the spatial slashes engaged Dark Phoenix's defenses, Richard instantly teleported away.
Though she lost visual contact with Richard, Dark Phoenix showed no signs of alarm. Instead, contempt briefly crossed her features. From her perspective, Richard's retreat signaled his inability to penetrate her defenses.
Such an assumption was natural. Thus far, neither Richard nor Professor X had managed to harm her.
Yet she overlooked a crucial distinction between Richard and Xavier—beyond his numerous X-gene abilities, Richard possessed template skills like Heartless Angel, unlocked only after reaching 65% fusion with Sephiroth's template.
Unlike his previous attempts, this Judgement Cut End persisted significantly longer. Where the earlier attacks had generated perhaps a dozen spatial disruptions, this manifestation produced hundreds of cascading slashes.
Creating this barrage required substantially more mana, but for Richard—whose mana reserves now exceeded 5,000 points—this presented no obstacle.
The spatial assault battered Dark Phoenix's defenses like a relentless storm for over ten seconds before finally dissipating. Despite the increased intensity, she emerged completely unscathed once again.
As the spatial distortions subsided, Dark Phoenix immediately began searching for Richard's whereabouts.
Where did he go?
She soon detected his presence—hidden in the lake within the forest behind the school's main building.
Without hesitation, Dark Phoenix channeled the Phoenix Force. Rather than projecting another energy beam, she employed the entity's matter manipulation capabilities.
Within seconds, her crimson energy enveloped the entire lake. The water molecules rapidly decomposed—first into hydrogen and oxygen, then further into their constituent atoms.
As the lake disintegrated, she spotted Richard concealed beneath the surface. A disdainful smile crossed her lips as she extended the Phoenix energy around him like a cage.
With Richard seemingly trapped, Dark Phoenix regarded him with predatory anticipation. She raised her right hand, preparing to decompose his body and consume the unique mana that had attracted her so powerfully.
At that precise moment, an Masamune wreathed in dark purple flames materialized behind Dark Phoenix, slicing through her form with lightning speed.
Heartless Angel!
In an instant, the blade struck Dark Phoenix solidly, sending her careening through the air.
She had never suspected that the figure imprisoned by her Phoenix energy was merely a decoy—a clone Richard had created using energy materialization and water manipulation.
Had Dark Phoenix possessed adequate combat experience, she would never have dropped her guard so completely. Unfortunately, her novice status had rendered her vulnerable to deception.
The magical signature Richard had embedded within the clone had successfully misdirected her attention. While she focused on the duplicate, Richard had employed invisibility and magical suppression to conceal his energy signature, silently positioning himself behind her.
Dark Phoenix could never have anticipated that Heartless Angel would inflict near-fatal damage, bringing her to the threshold of death despite her cosmic power.
Though the Phoenix Force represented an unmatched cosmic entity within the Marvel Universe, it hadn't elevated Dark Phoenix's strength and life-force levels sufficiently beyond Richard's to grant immunity from Heartless Angel's cause-and-effect critical injury.
As Heartless Angel struck the defenseless Dark Phoenix, Richard teleported directly before her falling form and swung the Yamato with precision.
Separation!
The blade passed through Dark Phoenix's body as effortlessly as if cleaving air.
Personality Separation!
As the Yamato completed its arc, a cloud of black mist ejected from Dark Phoenix's form. The darkness rapidly coalesced, assuming a humanoid shape—essentially creating a second Dark Phoenix entity.
"How does it feel to possess your own body?" Richard asked the newly separated Dark Phoenix with casual confidence. "Ms. Dark Phoenix!"
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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