"Escape!"
The cry echoed through the chaos as several soldiers turned and fled, fear etched across their faces. Few could blame them. Facing a towering, flame-clad titan was a test no training could prepare them for.
Still, there were those who refused to retreat — loyal to their cause or perhaps too stubborn to run. But loyalty meant little against the force advancing on them. The moment they came within range of the blazing warrior's armor, they were cut down without mercy.
Kurogai— his colossal Susanoo towering around him — moved through their defenses as if they were made of paper. He advanced toward William Stryker's base without a pause.
"That… that's breaking through? Looks like a walk in the park," John, muttered, eyes wide.
The rest of the X-Men exchanged looks. From the outside, it seemed effortless — only moments had passed since Kurogai blasted the base's gates apart. But veterans like Storm and Logan knew better. That ease came from raw, unmatched power.
"Let's move," Storm said firmly. "Our priority is rescuing the Professor. Standing around won't do it."
With that, the X-Men surged forward, following the path Kurogai had carved.
Inside the base, the sound of footsteps echoed against steel walls. Kurogai had dismissed the massive outer armor of his Susanoo, keeping only the innermost skeletal flame structure — more maneuverable, yet still lethal. Anyone foolish enough to attempt an ambush was reduced to ash before their attack could land.
He navigated the corridors until he reached a wide junction. There, a woman in a tailored suit stood waiting. Her posture was calm, but her eyes carried a predatory glint.
"So… you're one of Stryker's experiments," Kurogai said, his voice steady. He recognized her type — a mutant weapon, refined to serve her creator's will.
She didn't answer. Instead, her fingers elongated into razor-sharp claws. The resemblance to Sabretooth's mutation was unmistakable.
Without a word, she lunged. Her compact frame exploded with speed and power, claws slashing for his chest.
The moment she made contact, her scream tore through the hallway. The heat of Kurogai's flame bones charred her claws black. Only her accelerated healing kept her from losing them entirely.
"With that level of power, you're not breaking Susanoo," Kurogai said evenly. "But you could still be useful."
The flames receded as he deactivated his armor. His kaleidoscope Sharingan ignited, locking eyes with hers. She froze instantly.
"Tsukuyomi," he whispered. Reality folded away, replaced with an endless illusion. Stryker's mental control shattered, replaced by Kurogai's will.
"Gather all data on Stryker's mutant research," he ordered. "Then leave the base. Wait for me outside."
She obeyed without hesitation, disappearing down a side corridor.
Kurogai continued deeper into the facility, bypassing the direct route to Professor X's location. That was the X-Men's task — he had no need to steal their moment. Instead, he headed for the detention blocks.
Steel-barred cells lined the walls, filled with mutants in various states of exhaustion. When they saw him, hope flickered in their eyes.
"Please! Get us out of here!"
"Help us, we'll do anything!"
Kurogai's expression remained unreadable. "I'll release you," he said slowly, "but I'll need something in return — your blood."
They exchanged glances. The price was strange, unsettling even, but survival outweighed hesitation.
"We agree," one finally said.
"Good." A faint smile touched his lips.
The flaming skeletal armor reformed around him, and with a single strike, he shattered the cell doors. "Go. And don't get clever. You wouldn't survive the cost."
With a gesture, he opened a portal in space. Beyond it lay the shores of Lake Alkali — remote and uninhabited. One by one, the freed mutants stepped through.
Once the last was gone, Kurogai closed the portal and turned toward his next objective: the Cerebro-like brainwave amplifier. If memory served, Stryker's own son — a mutant with potent psychic abilities — was being used to control Professor X. That power was too valuable to waste.
Meanwhile, in the control chamber of the brainwave enhancer, Stryker stood beside his son, overseeing the deadly plan to wipe out mutantkind. When the order was given, Stryker turned to leave, intending to make his escape.
He didn't get far.
A shadow fell across the corridor ahead, resolving into the tall, imposing figure of Kurogai Alexander Blackwood.
Stryker froze.
And the real hunt began.
____
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