Whoosh!
Wolverine flew through the air like a meteor, his claws hovering a few centimeters from Red Tank's chest.
"Heh, I..."
Red Tank was so scared he took two steps back, instinctively wanting to say something tough.
"Hmm?"
Russell chopped down with his hand. Wolverine, with his arms raised high and body taut, was like a sharp sword held in mid-air. He tore through the air with a shriek, cutting Red Tank's chest and leaving three deep wounds.
"I... I admit you're better than Red Tank."
The long-lost pain made Red Tank angry and miserable, but seeing Wolverine's Adamantium claws and Russell's cold eyes, it was like a bucket of cold water dousing his anger.
He raised his hands in surrender.
"Haha..."
Wanda found it amusing to see Wolverine looking so depressed and aggrieved, being manipulated like a weapon, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Russell, when did you get father's ability?"
"Can you put me down now, kid!"
Wolverine squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
If Russell didn't allow it, he couldn't even speak, because his jaw was also Adamantium.
"Thanks."
Russell waved his hand, releasing Wolverine to freedom.
The Red Tank template has been recorded.
Switching templates, Russell felt the power.
He had actually copied Red Tank's template as well.
Perhaps it was because Red Tank's connection to Cyttorak's magic was so deep that they were indistinguishable?
He remembered that even when Cyttorak once recalled his magic and chose another to be the Crimson Messenger, Red Tank still retained a considerable amount of power.
"It's just a simulated application of my own abilities."
This discovery made Russell's eyes light up as he looked at Wanda beside him.
Because, speaking of which, Wanda's Chaos Magic, like Red Tank's, wasn't inherent to her, but came from the machinations of another multiversal demon, Chthon.
The ancient Chthon had chosen Wanda, intending to use her body as a vessel to return to the real World when the time came.
By copying Red Tank's template, he had verified one thing: he should be able to copy Wanda's template as well.
"But it definitely can't be through actual combat..."
The power of Chaos Magic was too terrifying. If it wasn't a real fight, but just a play-fight, the system might not be able to record it.
And if it were a real fight, Russell was afraid Wanda might get emotional and lose control of her Chaos Magic, erasing him with a single thought.
Chaos Magic is an extremely dangerous power.
He would have to use other methods to obtain the template.
"So that's how it is."
Wanda nodded, thinking of Russell's god-like blue light ability, and didn't ask further.
If it were other Mutants, hearing that someone could simulate and use others' abilities with their own, they would either be shocked or jealous, and wouldn't just ask one or two questions and move on.
But Wanda possessed Chaos Magic, and there was almost no more transgressive power in the Universe.
She didn't know the true source of Chaos Magic, and she could also feel that her development of her abilities was less than one-billionth. No one's ability could surprise her, or even make her envious of others.
"Red Tank, the gold you robbed some time ago was for the collective construction of a Mutant nation. Are you willing to join us?
To turn over a new leaf and contribute to the entire Mutant race?..."
Wanda said coldly.
"Of course, if you are willing to join us, we can live together like a family, and perhaps you can make a friend.
You won't have to just eat pizza and watch TV every day, or just curl up in your room doing disco."
"Friend?
I'm willing." Red Tank crossed his arms.
"But not everyone is qualified to be Red Tank's friend."
"If your Mutant Brotherhood's lair has a new renovation plan, you should try to recruit this muscle-brained guy."
Wolverine lit a cigar, put it in his mouth, and exhaled a puff of smoke, saying.
"You have no say here, metal head.
What's in your head, rust and tobacco oil?"
"What did you say?"
Wolverine's claws glowed.
"Do you want me to crush you and turn you into a barbecue grill?"
Red Tank stepped forward, and the two stood in opposition.
Red Tank was afraid of Wolverine under Russell's control. Without immense power, Wolverine's Adamantium claws alone were no threat in Red Tank's eyes.
Whether an axe can split wood depends on whose hands it's in!
"Logan, Ma'am..."
A voice came to stop the two from fighting. Professor X's wheelchair was lifted by Jean using her telepathic ability, and the group floated over.
Logan snorted obediently and retreated.
"Infinitoid, a few days ago, I saw on international news that you and Magneto had conquered an island nation called Genosha, causing a global uproar and raising hostility and vigilance towards Mutants by several levels."
Professor X turned to Russell, his voice gentle.
"I want to know why?"
"Professor, you should pay more attention to the information circulating among the Mutant community, not just what's on the human side."
News has a shelf life; no matter how explosive, it gradually loses interest over time.
To achieve the best effect when establishing the nation, Russell and Magneto had temporarily not disclosed everything done in Genosha to the outside World.
But with so many rescued Mutants, and so many mouths, even if no human media interviewed them, news about Genosha should have spread among the Mutant community.
But Professor X didn't know anything at all.
Professor X had indeed been interacting more with human officials, wanting to establish a harmless image for Mutants and promote the establishment of Mutant human rights protection laws.
"What happened in Genosha?" He said after a moment of silence.
"The World's first Mutant nation will be established in the near future. You will know then."
His goal for today had been achieved. Russell's gaze swept over the Mutants, finally lingering briefly on Jean, before he prepared to leave with Wanda and Red Tank.
"Hey, are you just leaving like that?
You ruined all our memories, aren't you going to apologize?
We won't have anywhere to picnic anymore."
Looking at the nearly destroyed Bear Mountain beneath their feet, Rogue couldn't help but say. She was a bit annoyed by Russell's seemingly arrogant demeanor despite his young age.
He was clearly around her age.
"Rogue." Storm quickly pulled her back.
"What else? Are you going to teach me a lesson?" Russell chuckled, looking at her. His calm demeanor only fueled Rogue's anger, and she began to roll up her sleeves.
"Come on, I'm not afraid of you!"
"Oh?"
Russell was genuinely interested and didn't mind having another fight with Rogue.
Rogue, also known as Rogue, was not like the melancholic and fragile Rogue in the movies, who was also very weak.
In the comics, Rogue had a fiery temper and a stubborn personality. She could quickly absorb and steal others' memories, Superpowers, personalities, and even lives through skin contact.
Captain Marvel, the only Superhero in this World, disappeared after being active for a while.
Russell suspected that the Rogue in front of him was responsible.
Because in the comics, she accidentally drained Captain Marvel Carol Danvers' power, thereby gaining her abilities, and Captain Marvel became a vegetable.
Although Rogue's ability was not in the Omega class, her ability seemed to have great potential.
"Wait, stop messing around, Rogue."
Professor X, as a teacher and elder, made Rogue back down with his serious gaze.
After another interaction, he found that Russell indeed wasn't someone who could be easily swayed, but this also meant that Russell's views on the future of Mutants came entirely from himself.
It seemed impossible for him to pull Russell to their side.
"Infinitoid, Wanda, although our philosophies differ, there's something I must warn you about. One of my former enemies, an evil and dangerous Mutant, has broken free.
He will likely seek out powerful Mutants to possess their bodies.
You must be careful."
Professor X remembered something, looked at his students, and hesitated before warning them.
Even if their philosophies differed, they were still striving for a better future for Mutants, just in different directions.
But not all Mutants shared this responsibility.
They would only use their abilities to cause destruction, harming both humans and Mutants.
"An evil and dangerous Mutant, who will seek out powerful Mutants to possess their bodies?"
Russell's eyebrows twitched. He was searching his mind, wondering who this was.
Apocalypse?
No, Apocalypse hadn't appeared in this World's Mutant's view yet.
"Professor, are you talking about Shadow King—Shadow King, he's free?
Why didn't you tell me?"
Storm, who had always been mature and calm, had just been advising Rogue not to mess around, but hearing what Professor X said, she suddenly lost her composure. Her face filled with horror, and she retreated, turning pale.
"No, he can't appear."
Her lips trembled, and she shook her head, behaving abnormally, as if she had suffered a great shock and was desperately trying to deny a reality that had already happened.
"Storm, are you okay?" Cyclops and the others asked worriedly.
The few of them were surprised, even frightened; they had never seen Storm like this.
"I didn't tell you precisely because I feared you would react this way."
Professor X sighed.
"Who is Shadow King?"
Wanda was also surprised. Despite several antagonisms, she had always admired the elegant and mature Storm. No matter what, she always seemed like a trustworthy Captain.
But now Storm seemed to have suddenly triggered PTSD. The name Shadow King filled her with fear, disgust, anger, and various other complex emotions.
"Shadow King?"
Russell's eyelids twitched as he remembered.
A mental entity with extremely terrifying abilities.
"That was many years ago. I was young then, and I could still walk..."
Professor X then recounted how he, Storm, and Shadow King came to know each other.
When he was young, he traveled to Egypt. In Cairo, his wallet was stolen by a little White-haired girl on the street—that was Storm as a child.
After chasing the little girl and getting his wallet back, Professor X was subjected to a wave of psychic attack. However, due to Professor X's immensely powerful psychic abilities, the attack caused him no significant harm.
Moreover, he keenly sensed the source of the attack. After going to a tavern, he discovered a group of children similar to Storm.
They were like unconscious puppets, controlled by a man named Amahl Farouk.
That man called himself Shadow King, controlling a group of children to steal on the streets, while also absorbing the darkness within the children's hearts to nourish his own powers, thus becoming a tyrant in Cairo.
However, everything seemed to be just a game for that man.
"Shadow King admired my abilities and wanted to invite me to join him. That was the first time I met such an evil Mutant, and I sensed his hidden malice towards me; he even seemed to want to possess my body.
I refused his disgusting request and engaged him in a psychic battle.
Finally, I managed to seal him in the Starlight plane outside of reality."
Professor X recalled that man. Many years had passed, yet he still involuntarily frowned, as if he had never seen such a repulsive and evil individual.
Unlike ordinary people, Professor X could sense a person's spirit and see the ugliness and goodness within a person's heart more clearly.
"That man... I even doubt if he was human, or some kind of demon.
Although what he did was only to control Ororo and a group of children to steal for the time being, I could feel that those were just games while he was still accumulating power.
The dense darkness and evil in his heart, if poured out, would be enough to drown the entire World."
Professor X recounted with disgust in his tone. His students were also surprised; they had never seen Professor X show such strong animosity towards anyone.
They even suspected that Professor X only sealed Shadow King because he didn't have the chance to kill him, otherwise he would have undoubtedly erased him from the real World.
Russell frowned slightly.
Professor X's keen perception was correct. Shadow King was indeed not merely human; it was more of a multiversal energy entity, born from the dark side of multiversal human consciousness.
It was merely a tendril of a vast main body attached to the person Amahl Farouk.
The Shadow King's displayed psychic power was weaker than Professor X's only because its tendril hadn't been in this reality long enough and hadn't absorbed enough dark emotions.
Otherwise, the power it could display would be far greater than that, and even an Omega-level psychic Mutant might not be able to defeat it.
"...Not long ago, I felt a powerful and evil psychic fluctuation flash across Earth. I had a sense of familiarity at the time. Afterwards, I used Cerebro to go to the Starlight plane in Cairo to confirm.
Shadow King has indeed broken free."
At the end, Professor X said gravely.
"Professor, why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Jean exclaimed in shock.
Such a big matter...
They only found out about it together with Infinitoid and Scarlet Witch, two members of the Mutant Brotherhood.
"I apologize. I tried to use Cerebro to capture it and confine it back to the Astral plane, so I wouldn't have to alarm you, especially Ororo, and make her recall that painful and dark childhood."
Professor X apologized to his students with deep regret.
"But... I failed.
Shadow King has likely already taken over someone's body."
Russell was not at all surprised by Professor X's behavior.
Professor X's personality was like this: as the most powerful psychic on Earth, he always kept things to himself, bearing the burden alone. Many things would only be known if they couldn't be hidden, or if a problem exploded.
Such as the emergence of the Dark Phoenix.
One could only say his intentions were good.
"Shadow King..."
Russell looked thoughtful. This was a formidable threat.
"Heh, psychic..."
Everyone else was worried, but Red Tank was unconcerned, tapping the steel helmet on his head.
The helmet he wore was the same as Magneto's and Russell's, a psychic-shielding material, rendering even the most powerful psychics useless against him.
Russell wasn't worried about Shadow King targeting him.
But as a psychic energy entity born from the dark side of humanity, Shadow King's goal was to bring destruction and death to the entire World.
If he were to grow stronger, let alone establishing a Mutant nation, this Universe would be ruined.