Meanwhile, near the outskirts of the city...
The X-Men's Blackbird touched down on the edge of a neighboring city, civilians flooding out in waves, thanking the mutants for saving them. Cries of gratitude mixed with the chaos as they witnessed the explosion from their previous home.
Rogue, her face pale, clutched at Logan's arm. "Logan... please. We need to go back. We need to make sure he's okay!"
Logan's gruff voice barely hid his concern. "That kid... what the hell did he do now?"
Kurt's yellow eyes were wide, his tail twitching anxiously. "Mein Gott... that explosion..."
Bobby shook his head, stunned. "Dude... that was like... a freaking nuke."
Storm's expression was tight, a crackle of static in the air around her. "That level of explosion. I am not sure if they both survived it."
Beast adjusted his glasses while looking at a tablet in his hand, frowning. "The energy readings are off the charts."
Kitty bit her lip, her voice urgent. "We have to go back. We can't just leave him there."
Scott, arms crossed, finally spoke. "Alright. We'll go back. But we proceed with caution. No one engages unless absolutely necessary. Our priority is locating Gojo."
Rogue nodded, her face set.
Logan growled low, reluctant, but finally muttered, "Fine. Let's go see if the kid's still in one piece."
Storm's eyes glowed faintly as she powered up the Blackbird's systems. The engines roared to life, the sleek jet lifting off smoothly.
Back in what was once Havelstadt which was now reduced to a scorched, blackened wasteland. Silence reigned, broken only by the distant crackle of lingering flames and the occasional groan of twisted steel collapsing under its own weight. Smoke billowed in dense plumes, rising high into the sky, blotting out the sun as if the heavens themselves mourned the destruction below. Craters dotted the terrain, some still glowing faintly, the earth scarred and shattered.
This... was the consequence of two titanic forces colliding.
As the smoke thinned, the remnants of Magneto's armor lay scattered across the ground, glowing red-hot with residual heat, warped and mangled beyond recognition. Sparks hissed from the debris, the metal groaning in protest.
Then, amidst the ruin, a figure stirred.
Magneto.
He was barely standing and barely alive. His face was caked in blood, streaks of crimson matting his silver hair. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one rattling his chest. Two of his fingers were twisted unnaturally, bone jutting out through torn flesh, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He coughed, a wet, hacking sound, spitting blood onto the scorched ground as he tried to steady himself.
Across from him, standing tall amidst the devastation, was Gojo.
Shirtless, blood trailing down the side of his face, chest rising and falling slowly, his body radiated a quiet, restrained fury. His molten-red eyes simmered with heat before it began to dim, yet there wasn't the faintest flicker of a smirk on his face only an impassive gaze. The very ground beneath his bare feet glowed orange, cracks pulsing faintly like veins of magma, the energy barely held in check. His injuries were healing visibly but slowly as his enhanced body started to regenerate against the strain but he refused to let Magneto see any sign of weakness.
For a long, heavy moment, neither spoke. Then Gojo finally broke the silence, his voice low, roughened by exhaustion:
"Well... we definitely found out, didn't we?"
It was a quiet nod to Magneto's question, posed over an hour ago when this all began "Do you think you are a match for me, boy?"
Magneto let out a strained, bitter laugh, wincing from the pain. He coughed again, forcing himself upright as much as he could manage, though his body trembled under the strain.
"Why...?" he rasped, voice cracked and hoarse. "Why would you stop me... from delivering justice? For all they've done to us... they murdered children, boy... for decades. Does it not anger you?"
Gojo's expression barely shifted, he looked at magneto with his still red eyes before they faded back into his natural gem blue. He exhaled slowly, almost a sigh, before answering "...It does." His voice was quiet, tight. "More than I'll ever admit."
A pause. The wind whispered through the broken remnants of the city, carrying the acrid scent of scorched metal.
"But what you've done here... this massacre... all you've done is ensure it happens again." Gojo's tone sharpened, his voice cutting like a blade. "You wanted justice? You gave them fear. You just proved them right, Magneto. All you did... was increase their fear. And fear... leads to more blood. More children scared, defenseless, dying, because of what you made them believe."
Magneto stared at him, blood dripping from his chin, and after a long, heavy pause, he laughed. It was a broken, ragged sound half madness, half defiance.
"Oh, my boy..." he wheezed, his voice barely more than a whisper. "You say they fear me now... but what do you think will happen... when they learn of you? Do you think they'll let you walk free? With the power you wield... do you think they'll leave you unchecked?"
Gojo's brows drew down, his fists curling slightly at his sides.
Magneto's voice was a low rasp, almost a growl, as he pressed on
"You're naive boy. Blind. Even now after you saved them, they'll never trust you. All they'll see... is another mutant... too powerful to control."
Gojo opened his mouth to respond but then his eyes widened caught completely off guard as his entire body was suddenly locked.
A sudden, crushing grip seized him, a red light enveloping him in a harsh, pulsing glow.
His breath hitched, his body slammed to its knees as though an invisible weight had yanked him down. His muscles strained, his mind racing 'What the fuck is this?!'
He fought against it, trying to casually reject the phenomenon like he had rejected countless others but it didn't budge. His body trembled, veins bulging, as he struggled to stand, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
Magneto, too, froze, eyes widening in shock. "This... isn't me."
Gojo's eyes darted to the side as they heard footsteps. A figure emerged from the smoke.
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