"Erik, are you okay?"
Unbothered by the shocked looks from the others, Alex walked over at a calm, steady pace and offered Erik a hand.
"I'm fine," Erik muttered, a little embarrassed.
He hadn't expected to screw up in front of a junior, and the sting to his pride showed as he awkwardly took Alex's hand.
Alex pulled him up effortlessly.
"Erik, keep an eye on Bradley. Leave this guy to me."
"No, Alex," Erik shook his head, eyes narrowing.
"That guy's a real beast. Bloodthirsty. Dangerous."
Sure, Alex was strong—he'd just flattened Sabretooth with a single punch—but a life-or-death battle wasn't something you could win with brute strength alone.
Especially not against someone like him.
Erik had seen killers before. This guy? He was the real deal. A butcher soaked in blood. Not someone a green kid could handle.
"Trust me, Erik," Alex said with a smile, casual as ever. "He's nothing to worry about."
Without waiting for a response, he strode toward Sabretooth.
Erik still had his doubts, but he wasn't Charles.
If Charles were here, he'd never let Alex take this risk.
But Erik… Erik thought maybe some real combat experience might be just what Alex needed.
Besides, he'd be watching from the sidelines. If anything went wrong, he'd step in. No way he'd let the kid die.
In fact, part of Erik respected him for it.
The guts, the fearlessness—Alex wasn't like those other sheltered kids.
A heart like that? That's how real warriors are born.
A wet, ragged cough broke the silence.
Sabretooth staggered to his feet, looking like hell. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his chest had caved in from the punch.
He tore open his shirt.
The wound across his torso was a bloody, gory mess—absolutely horrifying to look at.
Any normal person would've been dead from that hit. No question.
"Well…"
Sabretooth casually wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression slipping into something unhinged.
"That was one hell of a punch. But so what?"
As he spoke, the muscles on his chest began to twitch and shift. The terrifying wound started closing—fast.
Within seconds, it was like he'd never been injured at all.
Aside from the bloodstains, his body looked pristine.
He even yanked the table knife stuck in his gut and tossed it aside like it was nothing.
Erik's face darkened.
No wonder his earlier stabs had done nothing—this guy had some freakish healing factor.
That changed everything.
Off in the distance, Zero just stood there, watching the chaos unfold like it was a show. No sign he'd help out.
Part of it was that Sabretooth hated interference in his fights.
But more than that, Zero knew exactly how insane Sabretooth's regeneration was. He wasn't worried at all.
Even if Sabretooth took a beating, he'd just heal through it until his opponent was ground down.
"You reminded me what pain feels like," Sabretooth snarled.
"So I've decided—I'll make you suffer before I kill you."
He pointed one clawed finger at Alex, then dropped to all fours like an animal and charged.
"Alex!" Erik shouted behind him.
"I got this!" Alex called back, already moving.
Before the words had even left his mouth, Alex surged forward like a bullet.
His speed was insane—even Erik struggled to track him.
Alex could hit over 50 meters per second.
To put that into perspective, modern highway speed limits cap out at 120 km/h—that's only 33 meters per second.
Alex was almost twice that fast.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Sabretooth.
The pressure wave from his movement hit first, a rush of air so powerful it made Sabretooth's breath hitch.
Then, Sabretooth's vision blurred.
Alex's fist came flying in—a brutal hook aimed at his head.
Fast!
Sabretooth was stunned, but not scared.
With his absurd healing factor, he never took opponents seriously.
He lunged forward, claws slashing at Alex's chest, going for a straight trade—just like Logan would.
Take a hit, land a hit. Bleed the enemy out over time.
But that strategy only worked if your opponent could be hurt.
Alex? Wasn't even touched.
BOOM!
Before Sabretooth's claws could reach him, Alex's punch crashed into his skull.
Sabretooth flew—launched like a missile, skidding across the ground for dozens of meters before slamming into the dirt, completely still.
If you got close, you'd see it wasn't just a knockout.
His head was wrecked. Caved in. Blood pouring from every orifice.
Like something out of a horror movie.
It was only thanks to his enhanced physiology that his skull hadn't just exploded.
Alex's punch carried over seven tons of force—like getting hit by a speeding delivery truck.
Even Sabretooth couldn't tank that. He was out cold.
"Shit. That's not good."
Zero cursed under his breath, his expression finally shifting into something grim.
He hadn't seen how Sabretooth got wrecked the first time.
But this time? He saw everything.
Sabretooth hadn't just lost.
He got flattened.
They weren't even in the same league.
If it wasn't for his healing factor, Sabretooth would be dead.
Zero had seen enough.
Bang!
Without a word, he raised his gun and fired at Alex.
But Erik wasn't just standing there.
With a flick of his hand, his powers activated—and the bullet froze midair, just inches from Alex.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the same time, Erik sent a barrage of nearby metal objects flying at Zero—including the bullet he'd just stopped.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Zero darted and weaved, narrowly dodging the projectiles while returning fire, his gun spitting bullets in rapid succession.
Just like that, the battlefield exploded into chaos.
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