Chapter 139: X-Men and Magneto
Stephen Fang's original self, Ren Arakawa, was killed by a dump truck in his previous life.
Facing a sky full of cars, even his Three Tomoe Sharingan and Observation Haki were of no use; there was simply nowhere to hide.
Jean Grey had telekinesis but couldn't help Stephen Fang much, so she could only watch anxiously from the side.
Wolverine, however, finally managed to pull his claws out of his own knees.
But soon after, he was sandwiched between two car doors, pinned tightly against the wall.
Fortunately, the gap between the doors was large enough for Wolverine to see the battlefield.
Stephen Fang ran frantically across the lawn, the floating cars and various metal objects in hot pursuit. Every lethal attack missed him by a hair's breadth. Magneto wondered if this young mutant on the ground had eyes in the back of his head.
Stephen Fang knew this couldn't go on.
But just as he turned and spat out a Great Fireball, it was blocked by a school bus.
The school bus exploded in mid-air, hurtling towards Stephen Fang engulfed in raging flames. At the same time, the Earth Grudge Fear Water Style mask on his shoulder finished gathering chakra. A Water Bullet deflected the bus's trajectory, sending the massive vehicle crashing into a cypress forest.
Watching the endless stream of metal objects coming at him under Magneto's control, Stephen Fang knew that in a place so rich with metal, Magneto was like a man in an indestructible fortress. His powers were at their absolute peak, making him almost invincible.
But the unyielding spirit in Ren Arakawa's bones was thoroughly ignited. He decided to stop waiting for death and go on the offensive, to show Magneto some real intensity!
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath. A layer of profound and mysterious Armament Haki slowly coated his hands. The curse marks on his body gradually appeared, and the two Earth Grudge Fear masks on his shoulders opened their mouths, ready to strike.
He looked exactly like a monster!
Immediately after, Stephen Fang unlocked his Gene Lock!
In an instant, a violent power erupted from within him. His muscles tensed, and veins bulged!
With a loud shout, he charged towards an oncoming car. His fist, the size of a clay pot, slammed into the vehicle with unstoppable momentum.
With a thunderous "BOOM!", the car was sent flying by his punch. It traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily in the distance.
This sudden display of immense strength and explosive power left the onlookers—Jean Grey, Wolverine, Cyclops, and the others—stunned and speechless.
Magneto's flicker of doubt vanished, his eyes instantly turning cold and determined. With a fierce wave of his hands, car after car, as if pulled by invisible strings, smashed towards Stephen Fang with the force of a thunderbolt.
Facing this ferocious assault, Stephen Fang didn't show the slightest hint of retreat.
A raging fighting spirit burned in his eyes. He stomped his feet hard on the ground, his body shooting forward like a cannonball towards the first approaching car.
His clay-pot-sized fist, carrying furious power, accurately struck the front of the car.
"BANG!" The tremendous impact instantly changed the car's direction, sending it flying to the side. Before he could even catch his breath, another car arrived. He dodged to the side and simultaneously launched a kick, viciously striking the side of the car's body.
This kick contained the immense power he gained after unlocking his Gene Lock. The car was sent tumbling through the air for several rotations before landing with a loud "CLANG" in the distance, its body severely deformed.
At this moment, Stephen Fang had completely entered a combat state. He took a deep breath, and the ukaku on his back unfurled instantly!
Using the power of his ukaku, he flew rapidly towards Magneto, so fast that he left a blurry black afterimage in the air.
Seeing this, Magneto's expression changed slightly. His hands moved quickly once again, and the surrounding car parts converged, closing in on Stephen Fang from all directions!
The cars arranged themselves tightly, leaving no gaps. Once enveloped within, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The metal cocoon formed by the cars enveloped the flying Stephen Fang. Then, with a crushing gesture in the air, Magneto squeezed!
"CRUNCH!"
A giant metal sphere floated in the air. It was completely airtight inside; it was impossible for anyone to survive.
Jean Grey and the others turned pale white the moment they saw this. Their hearts filled with despair and helplessness, believing their new companion was about to die.
Wolverine's eyes were practically splitting with rage. He let out a heaven-shaking roar, his muscles tensing and bones creaking as he desperately unleashed his strength, finally breaking free from the car doors.
He had just run two steps forward when he suddenly noticed something!
The iron ball of cars that should have crushed Stephen Fang into a paste was slowly opening, and inside... there was no one.
Everyone was stunned. They looked around, trying to find a trace of Stephen Fang, but found nothing.
Magneto also frowned, a hint of vigilance in his eyes. He manipulated the surrounding metal objects, constantly moving and searching, trying to find Stephen Fang's hiding place.
Suddenly, Magneto looked up!
A black feather, glowing with a piercing blue light, shot towards him!
Magneto sensed the lethal threat from the black feather. A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly calmed himself. His hands moved rapidly, and all the metal he could command, as if answering a powerful summons, converged in front of him.
In the blink of an eye, a thick metal shield pieced together from various car parts appeared in the feather's path.
However, the black feather, with its unstoppable momentum, easily pierced through the metal shield without the slightest pause, continuing its flight straight for Magneto's throat!
Magneto was shocked. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His eyes widened as he once again tried to use his powerful magnetic force to alter the feather's trajectory.
But he quickly discovered that this feather was completely unaffected by magnetism. It wasn't made of metal at all!
In this critical moment, Magneto gritted his teeth and used all his strength to control even more metal to swarm in the feather's direction.
Under his control, this metal was rapidly compressed and reshaped, finally forming a metal bar, only the size of a palm in thickness but over ten meters wide.
The metal bar lay across the feather's inevitable path!
The feather slammed violently into the metal bar! Immediately, the tip of the feather began to cut into it, splitting the bar down the middle as easily as a hot knife through butter.
As the feather penetrated deeper, a deep fissure appeared on the metal bar, sparking and showering metal fragments.
The feather finally came to a stop after splitting the metal bar halfway through.
Drenched in sweat, Magneto breathed a sigh of relief.
He had never encountered such a ferocious enemy.
It was even more unnerving than facing Professor X without his helmet.
After all, although Professor X could defeat him in an instant, he would never actually kill him.
The fierce attack was over, but it wasn't finished. Magneto's eyes were wide as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings, trying to find any trace of Stephen Fang.
He controlled pieces of metal to shuttle through the air, searching every possible corner.
However, the surroundings were deathly silent. Aside from the faint scraping sound of moving metal, there was no unusual activity.
Just as he was about to expand his search area, a nameless unease washed over him.
A chill ran down his spine, as if he were being stared at intently by a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness.
Magneto whipped his head around. In that instant, a pair of blood-red eyes appeared in his vision!
Those eyes emanated endless hatred and a bizarre power, like an abyss from hell, piercing straight into the depths of his soul!
The moment his gaze met those eyes, Magneto felt the scene before him change abruptly.
He found himself in an extremely terrifying scene. The air was filled with a nauseatingly sweet smell.
The smell drilled into his nostrils, making his stomach churn.
A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
This was the smell of human fat, from his kinsmen being burned alive.
This was a concentration camp!
This familiar yet alien scene dredged up the most painful memories from the depths of his heart, memories he never wanted to recall.
The figures of his kinsmen, who had been so cruelly persecuted, appeared before him one by one. Their screams, their despair, washed over him like a tide, nearly suffocating him.
Magneto could bear it no longer. He bent over and began to vomit violently.
In the real world, his body also began to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes were shut tight, and his hands clenched his head as if desperately resisting something.
His mental defenses completely crumbled at this moment. His body, which had been levitating, fell from the sky as if its support had been cut.
Just as Magneto was about to hit the ground hard, a wave of telekinetic energy swiftly caught him.
Under Professor X's instruction, Jean Grey had intervened just in time.
Professor X arrived quickly at the scene in his wheelchair, his eyes showing a trace of worry and confusion.
He looked at the unconscious Magneto, wondering to himself what kind of power could bring such a powerful mutant to this state.
Following Jean Grey's gaze, Professor X looked towards Stephen Fang, who was flapping his wings and landing lightly on the ground. He couldn't help but be curious.
What kind of mutant possessed such complex abilities?
He had mental illusions, could fly, and his physical strength even far surpassed Wolverine's.
Was this guy the "Apocalypse" of a new era?
Not long after, Magneto, who was lying on the ground, woke up.
When he opened his eyes and saw Professor X, he looked around at the wreckage in a daze. "Why am I in the cypress forest? What happened to me?"
Professor X didn't speak. He placed his hand on Magneto's head.
Instantly, Professor X saw the face of a high-ranking official he had seen at a congressional hearing!
Having found the answer, Professor X hurriedly said to Magneto, "It was William Stryker! He used some method to control you!"
Magneto stood up, clutching his aching head. "I think... I'm starting to remember."
As his gaze swept over the crowd, Magneto asked Professor X curiously, "That Asian man, is he a new student you've recruited?"
"No... he belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D. He's Nick Fury's..."
Before Professor X could finish, Stephen Fang shouted, cutting him off, "I'm his father!"
(end of chapter)