Professor X watched the scene with a grim expression. Even the combined assault of Cyclops and Storm was ineffective against the White Demon; instead, they were continuously providing him with energy. Now, only one person among them could stop him.
Entering Jean Grey's consciousness via telepathy, Professor X spoke to her:
"Jean, release your power. Do not fear it. Use your strength to defeat the White Demon!"
Jean's eyes gradually turned crimson, and her body slowly levitated. The Phoenix Force, originating from the primordial universe, began to awaken within her. It was the embodiment of all life and emotion, manifested as raging flames capable of decomposing all matter!
The surrounding environment was instantly affected; structures and objects began to vanish into thin air. The absolute power of the Phoenix Force could unmake any physical substance. Even the mighty White Demon was no exception—his body began to undergo molecular decomposition!
For the first time, the indifferent White Demon could no longer ignore his opponent. He turned his gaze toward Jean Grey. The X-Men felt a surge of confidence; just as Apocalypse had fallen before, they believed the White Demon would be reduced to ashes before Jean.
Aurelius Viremont turned to look at Jean, sensing the awakening Phoenix Force. Clearly, Lv.4 Energy Absorption was insufficient to fully counter the molecular deconstruction of the Phoenix. His physical form was slowly dissipating, and the rate of erosion was accelerating by the second.
However, Aurelius Viremont showed no fear. He flashed a brilliant smile at Jean and pointed his index finger at her. A terrifying black-red singularity formed instantly and streaked toward her! The singularity tore through everything in its path, rushing toward Jean with unstoppable momentum.
Faced with such a powerful direct attack, Jean could no longer focus on decomposing Aurelius Viremont. She concentrated all her power on the incoming projectile. The black-red singularity, comparable to a miniature supernova, actually began to fade rapidly, vanishing entirely before it could reach her!
The X-Men's spirits soared, but their smiles froze in the next heartbeat.
The moment the singularity vanished, the White Demon disappeared from his spot and reappeared directly in front of Jean. He lunged forward with a devastating punch!
BOOM!
Black and red lightning exploded between the two. The telekinetic shield of the Phoenix Force collided with the Black Flash. The ground instantly shattered, and the massive shockwave caused the earth to cave in, forming a gargantuan crater.
The power was so immense that even the distant Professor X was caught in the peripheral shockwave. Suddenly, a blur raced past, and everyone was transported far away. Quicksilver had arrived with the rest of the X-Men, moving Professor X, Storm, and Cyclops to safety. He lowered his goggles, looked at the two titans clashing in the distance, and gasped:
"Holy shit!"
Aurelius Viremont wasn't surprised that his Black Flash was blocked. If it couldn't stop a Black Flash, it wouldn't be the Phoenix Force. The reason he used the move was simply to enter the "Zone" state! In the Zone, his energy, cursed power, and physical coordination were pushed to their peak—120% of his normal capacity.
He landed another Black Flash against Jean's telekinetic barrier. This time, the amplified force was more than the partially awakened Jean could handle. A sound like shattering glass rang out as cracks spider-webbed across the shield. Aurelius Viremont shifted his fist into a palm strike; a black-red singularity manifested in his hand and instantly pulverized the barrier, surging toward Jean!
At such close range, Jean couldn't decompose the singularity fast enough. She was about to be hit head-on.
At that critical moment, Wolverine used Cyclops's laser and Storm's winds as a propellant to accelerate himself, leaping in front of Jean. He intended to use his body to shield her from the impact!
However, even with his Adamantium skeleton, he couldn't withstand the remaining force of the miniature supernova. He was sent flying instantly, slamming into Jean behind him. The two crashed through multiple buildings with the sound of splintering bone, disappearing into the layers of ruins.
"NO!" Cyclops roared. Why did victory seem so close only to turn into a nightmare in an instant? Even with Wolverine as a shield, Jean's mortal body could hardly survive such a horrific impact. He unleashed an optic blast far wider and more powerful than usual, but it was useless. The beam was entirely absorbed as it neared the White Demon.
Looking at the remaining X-Men, Aurelius Viremont's delight grew. He extended his palm toward the front, thinking of a famous move from an anime he loved:
"Shinra Tensei!" (Almighty Push)
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red went into overdrive. Accompanied by unstable arcs of black-red lightning, an unprecedentedly terrifying repulsive force exploded outward from Aurelius Viremont. Everything in its path was annihilated. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding thousands of meters were reduced to a flat wasteland of ruins.
The attack was a slight strain even for Aurelius Viremont; it consumed a fair portion of his energy. Five Arc Reactors flew out of his backpack and orbited him, feeding him a massive stream of energy to quickly refill his reserves.
Ignoring the fallen X-Men, Aurelius Viremont walked toward his objective. He casually swatted away dozens of early-model Sentinels, walking toward the interior of the White House with his hands in his pockets. He sensed multiple eyes watching him—satellite feeds from the military—and gave them a radiant smile before continuing.
The White House was mostly destroyed by the collateral damage. He found the President pinned under a pile of rubble. Seeing Aurelius Viremont, the terrified man immediately begged for mercy:
"No, don't kill me! I... I couldn't stop the plan to attack you!"
Aurelius Viremont didn't answer. He stood over the President and looked him in the eye. "Tell me the locations of the high-ranking military officials."
The President realized Aurelius Viremont's intent and explained frantically, "I don't know! After you walked out of the nuclear blast, they went into hiding. Even I don't know their current coordinates!"
"Tsk, how disappointing," Aurelius Viremont muttered. "Then you must know their identities and other personal information, right?"
"Yes, yes!" Desperate for a chance to live, the President immediately told Aurelius Viremont where to find the dossiers on all the generals. Within moments, Aurelius Viremont had the data.
Seeing the White Demon smile, the President plucked up his courage and whispered, "Can you... let me go now?"
The White Demon didn't reply. He gave the man one last smile and vanished from the ruins. The President let out a sigh of relief. "I survived..."
But before he could finish the sentence, a horrific purple sphere of imaginary mass, wreathed in blinding lightning, plummeted from the sky. A second later, the White House was completely erased, leaving only a bottomless, circular abyss in its place.
....
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