Magneto felt that the conditions he offered were generous, but how could Shin possibly take the Brotherhood seriously? At best, they were a Mutant Resistance. At worst, they were just a ragtag group of terrorists.
If Magneto's ideals could be compared to those of certain historical extremists, then his ability to lead was even more lacking. The so-called loyalty within the Brotherhood stemmed about twenty percent from his personal power, and nearly seventy percent because the members had nowhere else to go. Those who truly shared his vision made up less than ten percent.
Mutants ruling the world? Please, what age do you think this is? Rule the world? If you have that kind of energy, you might as well find a way to make some money instead!
Shin had no interest in joining either the Brotherhood or the X-Men.
Among the various mutant organizations, only the Hellfire Club had goals that seemed remotely practical. The other two were simply disasters waiting to happen.
If this were a pure X-Men world, the Brotherhood might have had a future. But this was the Marvel universe—full of gods, aliens, sorcerers, and superpowered beings. Compared to them, mutants were far from dominant.
Shin hadn't read all the comics in detail, but even he knew that every time mutants tried to cause trouble, they got slapped down by the other heroes. In the end, old Magneto could only take a handful of mutants out to sea and build a country on an island.
Shaking his head firmly, Shin said, "You mutants have your hands in too many things. It's complicated and messy. I don't want to get involved."
Magneto sighed. It wasn't the first time he'd been turned down. Why were there so few true powerhouses in the Brotherhood? The best he had were people like Sabretooth, Mystique, and Toad, none of whom had strong direct combat abilities. Even Mystique only stayed because of her personal loyalty to Magneto.
The truth was, that the truly powerful mutants didn't want to be associated with what amounted to a terrorist group.
In some ways, the Brotherhood was where the failed or marginalized mutants gathered to find comfort. If the X-Men represented the elite, those whose abilities had little effect on their appearance and who had enormous potential, then the Brotherhood was the middle layer of the pyramid. Either their powers weren't very useful, or their abilities severely altered their appearance. Even if they were stronger than average people, they couldn't stand up to modern weapons.
Yes, mutants were discriminated against, and many lived on the brink of survival. But that mostly applied to the lowest tiers. The truly powerful mutants could live freely anywhere they wanted, as long as they didn't attract government attention. So why would they join a group branded as terrorists?
"Well, forget it if you won't join…" Magneto said, a little disappointed. "If you change your mind, the Brotherhood will always welcome you."
He stood up. "I've stayed at the Academy long enough. Maybe it's time I got out and stretched my legs."
Going out to stir up trouble? Shin glanced at him. This guy always became active when the world showed signs of chaos. He was probably planning to use Apocalypse's emergence as an opportunity to rally the Brotherhood for something big.
As for joining Apocalypse? That was impossible. The version of Magneto in the movies was different from the current one, but even so, the prideful Magneto of today would never accept becoming someone else's subordinate.
Just then, Shin's Observation Haki picked up strange spatial fluctuations in the distance.
"Someone teleported into the Academy?" he murmured, surprised. "Could it be Apocalypse?"
Unless a mutant had physique-enhancing type abilities, their life force typically wasn't significantly greater than a normal human's. But what Shin sensed now was a massive vitality, likely only Apocalypse could emit that kind of presence.
Magneto couldn't sense energy like Shin, but when he saw the sudden shift in Shin's expression and heard his mutter, a bad feeling settled in his gut.
"You said someone just teleported into the Academy? Are you sure it's Apocalypse?"
"I haven't seen him before," Shin replied, "but the person who arrived has incredibly strong vitality. Let's go check it out."
Magneto grew tense. Though he somewhat admired Apocalypse, he understood his old friend Professor X all too well. The two of them had fundamentally incompatible ideologies. If Apocalypse clashed with Charles, it wouldn't end well.
The X-Men were incredibly powerful, but due to Professor X's teachings, they often held back in battle. Their abilities were overwhelming, but their restraint made them cautious to a fault.
Cyclops' optic blasts, Storm's lightning, Jean Grey's Phoenix Force—each was more uncontrollable than the last. Because of this, they constantly feared going too far and killing their enemies by accident. Ironically, the most reliable frontline fighter among them was Wolverine, who joined the team later.
Wolverine had once been a ruthless soldier. He and his brother had fought in numerous wars and had vast experience.
Unfortunately, both brothers had tragic lives. One lost his memories; the other was brainwashed. Logan now wandered around, dazed and confused, with no memory of his past. Sabretooth had it worse, he was brainwashed into a nearly mindless state.
Thankfully, even though their mental faculties were impaired, their physical instincts remained intact. That was why Sabretooth's combat effectiveness hadn't diminished much.
Combat wasn't just about power, especially not for mutants. Though many had great offensive abilities, most were still mortal in body. With low durability, a single moment of hesitation could mean death.
Even someone as powerful as Jean Grey, host of the Phoenix Force and capable of razing the planet, could theoretically be killed by a well-placed bullet.
With that in mind, Magneto stood up resolutely. Though he clashed with Professor X often, their bond ran deep. If anyone dared to harm Charles, Magneto would fight them to the end.
In the original films, even when Magneto lost his family and was consumed by rage, he turned against Apocalypse the moment the latter revealed he wanted to possess Professor X. That said everything about how much Magneto valued his old friend.
Just as Shin and Magneto stepped out of the building, a loud rumble erupted from the direction of the courtyard. Before Shin could react, Magneto shot off like a bullet.
To be more precise, he manipulated the metal on his body and launched himself into the air with a whoosh.
"Why doesn't this guy just make a full suit of metal armor?" Shin thought, watching Magneto's awkward flight. "If he had a full adamantium or vibranium set, his combat ability would skyrocket."
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