Seeing Ernst take a direct hit from dozens of missiles, Wonder Woman and the X-Men felt a brief surge of hope.
However, Angel and Riptide looked panicked in the distance, while Azazel remained as calm as still water.
Their hope vanished in seconds.
Despite the continuous bombardment, the fiery explosions began to shrink, as if the inferno itself was being inhaled.
Erik, acutely aware of how energy absorption worked from his time with Shaw, realized what was happening.
He hadn't expected Ernst to withstand the simultaneous detonation of a naval payload.
"Everyone, get out of here! Move, now!" Erik shouted.
He then focused his magnetic power, dragging the remaining missiles down for a concentrated, ruthless strike.
Charles hastily supported the injured Moira and ran for cover. Mystique, Beast, Havok, and Banshee followed closely behind.
Unfortunately, Wonder Woman was still pinned to the beach by Ernst's hundred-fold gravity and couldn't escape in time.
Erik saw Wonder Woman's predicament, but he didn't care. He brought the remaining missiles down directly onto Ernst's position.
BOOM!
The explosion was ten times stronger than the first. Fire shot into the sky, forming a massive mushroom cloud.
Powerful shockwaves erupted in all directions, engulfing the helpless Wonder Woman in the searing heat.
Erik took a hard hit from the shockwave, landing flat on his back on the beach, struggling to breathe.
Yet, a fierce smile spread across his face.
With an explosion of that magnitude, no matter how potent Ernst's absorption was, survival seemed impossible.
"What's next, little Erik?"
A smooth, magnetic voice shattered Erik's fantasy. As the smoke and fire slowly cleared, a tall silhouette emerged.
Ernst stepped out of the crater, completely undamaged. He was still wearing his tailored suit, without a single scorch mark or tear.
With his calm demeanor, he looked more like a wealthy heir out for a stroll on the beach than a man who had just taken a missile barrage to the face.
"How is this possible?" Havok muttered.
"What kind of monster is he?"
Except for Azazel, everyone was overwhelmed by a crushing sense of pessimism.
Ernst's strength was absolute. They were going to die here.
"This was quite surprising," Ernst said, brushing a speck of ash from his lapel.
"It's the first time someone has forced me to go this far. I'll let you all live today. I hope you can give me a better challenge the next time we meet."
Ernst swept his gaze across the broken team.
Secretly, he transmitted a telepathic order to Azazel:
'Stay behind. Monitor Erik.'
With a flicker of displaced air, Ernst vanished.
The remaining fighters looked at each other in dismay.
Ernst had the upper hand; he could have slaughtered them all effortlessly.
Why did he retreat?
"He just left?" Mystique asked, clutching her arm.
"Why let us go?"
"Maybe he remembered he left the stove on," Banshee said, trying to deflect the tension.
"Don't be an idiot," Erik snapped, struggling to sit up.
"We're all injured. He could have killed us in seconds. Whatever his reason, it wasn't a lack of time."
With Ernst gone, the gravity field lifted. Wonder Woman stood up, shaking the scorched sand from her armor.
"His body must have reached its absorption limit," she theorized, panting.
"We attacked him relentlessly. Even if he looked fine on the outside, storing and stabilizing that much volatile energy isn't simple. He had to retreat to vent it."
"That is the most logical explanation," Charles agreed, nodding weakly.
"Whatever the reason, we're alive," Banshee sighed in relief.
"We can celebrate later."
"Save the celebration," Erik said coldly, staring out at the ocean.
"Let's see what humanity has decided to do with us."
Everyone followed Erik's gaze. The American and Soviet fleets were still out there.
They had just launched a massive strike, indiscriminately targeting the beach.
If they fired again, it meant they intended to exterminate the mutants completely.
Moments later, the warships answered. Dozens of missiles were launched from the decks, filling the sky. There were even more than the first barrage.
But metal was metal. And Erik Lehnsherr was the master of magnetism.
With a roar of exertion, Erik seized control of the incoming payload.
He stopped the missiles mid-air, turned them around, and sent them flying right back toward the human fleets, completely ignoring Charles's desperate pleas to stop.
Just as history dictated, Moira intervened. She fired her pistol at Erik to break his concentration.
Erik casually deflected the bullets, but one stray ricochet struck Charles squarely in the lower spine.
Charles fell, paralyzed. The timeline is locked into place.
Erik, devastated by what he had inadvertently done to his friend, officially embraced his destiny as Magneto, vowing to lead the mutant race against humanity.
The two friends parted ways, one choosing war, the other choosing a school for peaceful coexistence.
Wonder Woman watched from the sidelines. Normally, she would have intervened to stop Magneto and save the fleets.
However, humanity had just fired a lethal barrage at her without a second thought. She sheathed her sword and decided to let the mortals sort out their own mess.
Ernst didn't care about the drama unfolding on the beach.
Using his phantom magic, he teleported directly back to the underground base on Skull Island.
He walked straight into the Cradle of Rebirth.
He pulled a hexagonal crystal from the main console and entered a heavily warded room adjacent to the lab, its walls painted with dense containment runes.
Ernst tossed the crystal into the center of the room, suspending it in the air with a telekinetic push. He chanted a short incantation.
A cloud of thick black mist poured from the crystal, swirling and coalescing until it formed the translucent, spectral figure of Sebastian Shaw.
"You really embarrassed yourself this time, old man," Ernst said, dropping his formal tone.
"With all those advantages, you let Erik kill you with a coin? If the Hellfire Club finds out, they'll laugh you out of the history books."
"Shut up," Shaw's soul snapped, looking down at his ghostly hands.
"I was just careless. If we fought again, ten Eriks wouldn't be able to touch me."
Ernst knew Shaw was just protecting his pride.
"Careless? It was beyond careless. But think about it, it was also incredibly coincidental. Every time you needed just a little push to start World War III, the X-Men showed up to extinguish the fire. I planned to stay out of it, and suddenly, Wonder Woman drops from the sky. Coincidence? Carelessness? Or is the universe actively fighting back against your plan?"
Shaw fell silent, floating in the center of the runes.
"Stop," Ernst commanded before Shaw could speak.
"Don't say it out loud. If there's a higher will listening, we'll be detected if we discuss it here. Regardless of the mechanics of fate, you lost. What are your plans now? Do you want me to kill Erik and avenge you?"
Shaw thought deeply. To be honest, he didn't expect to be defeated by Magneto, and his grand design was now in ruins.
"No," Shaw finally said.
"I don't hate him. I fell for his trick. If you win, you win; if you lose, you die. Erik proved he is qualified. He can officially take over my position and fight for the future of mutants. Find a way to secretly transfer the assets and resources we prepared for him. His path will be much smoother with our backing."
"Fine. I've already ordered Azazel to stay with him," Ernst nodded, accepting the decision.
"How long until I'm resurrected?" Shaw asked, eager to return to the physical world.
"And how much time will it take to recover my full strength?"
Ernst did the mental math.
"It will take about three months to cultivate a mature clone body for you. As for your strength... your soul is intact. Once resurrected, you just need to absorb energy to fortify the new tissue."
"With the energy converters here, you should be fully recovered in two or three years. Plus, the cloned cells are bathed in the Cradle's energy, so your overall potential will be higher. Dying wasn't a complete waste of time."
"Two or three years?" Shaw complained.
"Why does it take so long?"
"Be thankful you're my father and have access to unlimited energy," Ernst shot back.
"Do you have any idea how many resources this requires? It took you decades to build your original strength."
"Fair enough," Shaw conceded.
"I suppose I'll spend the next two years on this island living an ordinary life. I've been too busy anyway; the rest will be nice."
"It's a smart move," Ernst agreed.
"Your actions attracted far too much attention from global governments. Two years dead will take you completely off their radar."
Shaw nodded, though his mind lingered on his grand cause.
"Erik is still too young and impulsive. You have to support him from the shadows."
"I will," Ernst promised.
"Azazel will pull him out of the fire if he bites off more than he can chew. If worst comes to worst, we'll let him experience death once, pull his soul into a crystal, and resurrect him, too. It builds character."
Shaw glared at his son's dark humor.
"I..."
"I have experiments to run," Ernst interrupted, turning toward the door.
"If you get bored, talk to the Red Queen. Also, you don't have a physical body right now, but you can still cultivate your spiritual power. Practice your black hole meditation. The stronger your mind is now, the smoother the soul-fusion will be when your body is ready."
Ernst walked out, sealing the heavy door behind him.
Shaw was left floating in the runic chamber, thoroughly frustrated that he didn't even have lungs to sigh with
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