Ethan Cole studied the liquid-like metal flowing across his palm, watching it ripple and reshape itself like mercury alive with purpose. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as ideas formed in his mind, and after a moment's thought he decided on a name that fit the material perfectly. He called it magic gold. The name suited it well, because the substance could morph into almost any shape imaginable, adapting itself with an uncanny fluidity that seemed almost alive.
He handed the magic gold over to Svija and instructed the AI to incorporate it into the next generation of soldiers. The upgrade would fundamentally change their design, replacing traditional alloys with the new material and allowing the machines to take advantage of its extraordinary properties. Ethan had no doubt that once the new soldiers were completed, their performance on the battlefield would shock everyone who witnessed them.
Around the towering sword-shaped building that served as Ethan's base, military forces had gathered in overwhelming numbers. Within half a mile of the structure, six separate army groups had established positions, bringing the total number of troops in the area to no fewer than seventy thousand. The entire region had effectively been transformed into a massive battlefield waiting to ignite.
Manhattan had long since lost its normal rhythm of life. Entire districts had been evacuated, and many of the surrounding buildings now stood silent and abandoned. Within three kilometers of the sword-shaped structure, almost no civilians remained, the government having ordered a full evacuation to prevent casualties once the inevitable confrontation began.
The evacuation orders had come directly from the highest levels of the federal government. Officials knew that whatever happened next would be dangerous beyond prediction, and removing civilians from the area was the only responsible choice they could make. Against an opponent like Ethan Cole, caution was not just advisable—it was necessary.
No one had expected Ethan's power to change so dramatically in such a short time. What had begun as a tense standoff quickly evolved into something far more dangerous, and after several uneasy days of silence between both sides, the fragile calm finally shattered.
The military made the first move again.
This time the scale of the assault dwarfed the previous attempt. Rockets had become standard equipment in the operation, and the army deployed more than three hundred helicopters in coordinated formations. High-altitude fire support units were also placed on standby, their weapons capable of unleashing devastating bombardments if needed.
Such overwhelming firepower aimed at a single individual would normally seem absurd. To ordinary observers, it looked like excessive force bordering on paranoia. But those who truly understood Ethan's capabilities knew that even this level of preparation might not be enough.
Over the past several days, Congress had convened emergency sessions almost continuously. Meetings stretched late into the night, arguments erupting again and again as politicians debated how to deal with the man who had brought New York to the brink of paralysis. At the same time, military leadership held its own series of strategy conferences, analyzing every possible approach.
Some officials proposed adopting a softer strategy, suggesting that the government attempt to recruit Ethan rather than oppose him. If he could somehow be persuaded to work alongside the nation instead of against it, his power would become an unparalleled asset.
But the idea gained little support.
Most of the decision-makers understood something fundamental about Ethan's personality. A man with that level of self-worth and independence could not be controlled through political influence or authority. Someone like him would never willingly submit to another system of power, and expecting him to align himself with the government was little more than wishful thinking.
And so the second battle arrived sooner than anyone expected.
Only two days after Ethan raised the Phoenix Force to its third stage of power, the military launched a full-scale assault on the sword-shaped building.
This time the army had clearly learned from its previous defeat. After careful planning and analysis, they decided to deploy a new force composed entirely of mutants. Within a short time, they assembled a unit of two hundred individuals possessing various superhuman abilities, equipping them with advanced combat gear designed specifically to enhance their powers.
Unlike the previous battle, however, these mutants were not sent charging recklessly into the front lines. Instead, they were integrated into the larger military formation, acting as support units intended to counter Ethan's unknown capabilities.
The strategy looked sound on paper.
Reality proved far less forgiving.
The speed at which Ethan's forces evolved completely surpassed the expectations of everyone involved. When the new generation of silver-white soldiers finally stepped onto the battlefield, the conflict immediately tilted toward a one-sided massacre.
These machines were almost perfectly humanoid in form, their bodies gleaming like polished metal beneath the daylight. But their elegance hid terrifying combat performance, and the moment they engaged the army, the battlefield descended into chaos.
Ordinary soldiers stood no chance against them.
Even the mutant units fared little better.
No matter what abilities the mutants possessed—electric discharges, flames, telekinesis, or other exotic powers—the silver soldiers adapted instantly. Every attack launched against them seemed to become another weapon they could use.
The reason lay in a terrifying core capability built into their design.
Replication.
Each soldier possessed the ability to copy mutant powers on contact. Whether an opponent controlled lightning, manipulated fire, or even possessed limited spatial abilities, the soldiers could mimic and absorb those powers almost immediately.
This functionality stemmed from genetic data derived from Wonder Woman, giving the machines an unprecedented capacity for adaptive evolution.
Combined with the technological framework of the Sentinel program, the result produced something even more frightening than the original concept ever envisioned.
The battle did not last long.
In less than thirty minutes, the army formations surrounding the sword-shaped building had been completely crushed. Several major encampments were wiped out, their equipment destroyed and their soldiers forced into chaotic retreat.
Across the nation, millions of people watched the outcome unfold through live broadcasts and news reports.
When the results became clear, the entire country erupted.
But the reaction was not celebration.
It was panic.
For the first time, the scale of Ethan Cole's power became undeniable to the public. The fear spreading across the nation was not just about one battle—it was about the realization that a single individual now possessed strength capable of challenging the entire military.
Governments around the world began watching closely as well. Seeing the United States repeatedly fail to suppress him with military force forced other nations to reconsider their stance toward mutants entirely.
Ethan himself sensed these developments, though he viewed them with detached indifference. He was not truly a mutant in the conventional sense, and no one had ever dared to discriminate against him before. Now his reputation had reached a level where people felt only one thing when they heard his name.
Fear.
After the army suffered its second defeat, Ethan chose not to pursue the retreating forces. He had openly declared his intention to stand against the world if necessary, but that did not mean he desired conquest or political dominance.
Power structures held no attraction for him.
Ruling over nations would only place limitations on his freedom, forcing him to consider political consequences before acting. For someone like Ethan, that kind of restraint would be suffocating.
The reason he could act so freely now was simple.
He did not care about public opinion.
No matter what others thought of him, he would follow his own decisions without hesitation.
From the perspective of the United States government, however, the situation had become painfully embarrassing. A single individual had forced nearly half of New York City into a state of paralysis, and this had happened even while Ethan remained largely on the defensive.
If he ever decided to launch an active attack, no one dared imagine what the consequences might be.
Then something unexpected happened.
On the very day the army was defeated, an asteroid entered low-Earth orbit.
The space object measured approximately three hundred sixty-nine meters in diameter, large enough to cause catastrophic destruction if it collided with Earth. Observatories around the world detected it almost immediately, and within minutes the information reached both the U.S. government and military command.
Their calculations were grim.
At most, the asteroid would enter the atmosphere within two hours.
Ethan followed the event as well. In fact, the asteroid had been prepared long in advance, part of a larger celestial maneuver that also involved another body more than three thousand meters wide drifting loose from the asteroid belt.
The government chose not to conceal the news.
Instead, they immediately informed the entire nation.
If an asteroid of that size struck Washington, D.C., the consequences would be catastrophic. The capital itself would likely be erased from the map, leaving behind only a massive crater where the city once stood.
Unsurprisingly, panic spread rapidly.
But what happened next was something Ethan had not anticipated.
The ones who ultimately solved the crisis were not government agencies or military technology.
It was Lorna Dane—Polaris—and Erik Lehnsherr, Magneto.
Working together, the two mutants used their combined magnetic powers to intercept the rapidly descending asteroid, halting its fall and redirecting its trajectory away from Earth.
The crisis was successfully averted.
Ethan received the report shortly afterward, and when he heard the details, a curious expression crossed his face.
"How did that girl end up teaming up with Magneto?"
.....
Want to read ahead. Then Join my P@treon 60+ exclusive chapters that are waiting for you.
Free members can get 2 advanced chapters FOR FREE.
Link: ptreon.com/Lotus_Lover
Join Right Now