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*****
In the vastness of space, the scattered debris of the mothership floated quietly in the darkness.
Clark stared at the wreckage and sighed softly, a trace of melancholy flashing across his face.
Although Zod and the others had brought this upon themselves, they were still his fellow Kryptonians in a way.
Still, he could only feel a bit of regret for them.
There could have been a better path—a way to coexist. But they chose the worst possible outcome.
Clark looked up at Mike, who stood in front of a teleportation device not far away. In a flash, he flew over.
With a questioning gaze, he looked at Mike. When Mike nodded, he finally relaxed.
Mike stood staring at the spatial portal device, his eyes flickering.
The device was still active.
A glowing blue gemstone was locked inside the mechanism, constantly surging with energy. This energy streamed from the gem outward, forming a bridge of power that pierced into the void on both ends—like a structure made entirely of light and force.
While active, the device was shielded by the energy of the Space Stone, making it incredibly resistant—so much so that even Mike's shadow clones couldn't break through.
Can't shut it down?
That was unlikely. He'd noticed an operating system on the device. If it could be operated, then it could be deactivated.
Mike circled the device. Upon discovering a triangular keyhole, his eyes lit up. He reached into his dimensional space and pulled out the key that Clark had entrusted to him. He inserted it into the keyhole.
A stream of blue energy emerged, and a holographic figure appeared before Mike and Clark.
Jor-El.
He glanced at Clark and gave him a warm smile, then looked at Mike and nodded. Seeing Mike gesture toward the portal device with a closing motion, Jor-El smiled again and waved his hand.
Instantly, the energy gushing from the Space Stone began to fade. With the power source gone, the glowing beams that formed the portal dissipated into scattered sparks of energy.
Mike reached out and grabbed the Space Stone, tucking it into his dimensional pouch.
At the same time, the portal that had been hovering above New York began to seal shut amid a surge of energy—vanishing rapidly.
In that instant, the remaining Chitauri scattered across the city collapsed.
Witnessing this, the ordinary people—those who had temporarily gained superpowers—were momentarily stunned. Some even felt a tinge of disappointment.
But far more than that... there was cheering.
A thunderous wave of cheers!
They had won the war. They had personally defended their city—their home.
Yes, personally.
In this war, they had started off as bystanders, helpless civilians fleeing from the Chitauri. But when that mysterious man temporarily granted them powers, the roles were reversed.
This war was no longer just the domain of superheroes—it had become everyone's war. And it was their collective victory.
The feeling of contributing directly to a battle—of fighting back and winning—was incomparable to merely watching from the sidelines while superheroes saved the day.
At that moment, the people who had participated in the battle were overcome with emotion.
"I helped protect the city. I've been a superhero too. So this is what it feels like." These memories would be the kind of stories they could brag about for a lifetime.
But ultimately, the credit still belonged to the superheroes.
Whether it was the X-Men or the Avengers, they had all played a crucial role in this war. They remained the brightest stars in the eyes of the people, and the idols countless others continued to admire.
Once again, the power of superheroes had shocked the world.
After this event, and with time to settle, the word "superhero" would become a new symbol of the era. Every superhero would attract more and more supporters.
Just as Mike had envisioned—this era was destined to become the Age of Heroes.
Charles, sensing the thoughts of those around him, felt their gratitude toward the X-Men. He couldn't help but let out an excited gasp.
Especially when he sensed that many had begun to change their view of mutants because of the X-Men—and particularly because of Magneto's efforts to hold back the portal—he nearly jumped for joy.
To them, this marked a new beginning.
Emma Frost, standing beside the ecstatic Charles, smiled softly. She shared his sentiment.
She too had sensed the emotions of countless people and understood Charles's excitement better than anyone.
For the mutants, this moment was a real opportunity.
At the same time, the reunited X-Men and Avengers exchanged smiles of relief.
This crisis had been unlike anything they'd faced before—but they had still come out on top.
And when they thought of that victory…
They couldn't help but think of Mike.
One-shotting Kryptonians.
Healing entire cities at once.
Creating thousands of temporary superheroes.
And now... it seemed even the portal's disappearance might have been his doing.
"Who is that guy? From your expressions, you clearly know him," Pietro raised his hand and asked curiously.
At his words, a few of the younger X-Men showed visible curiosity.
They all wanted to know who that man was.
Those who knew Mike's identity—the Avengers and senior X-Men—exchanged hesitant glances.
Without Mike's permission, they didn't know if they could reveal the truth.
"He's my father."
Just as they hesitated, Charles and Emma stepped forward. What they said left the young X-Men stunned.
Facing their wide-eyed stares, Charles added calmly, "Yes, he is my father."
As he spoke, a proud and satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Seeing his expression, the young X-Men couldn't help but look at him with admiration and envy.
"Yeah, yeah, he's your dad, no need to be so smug about it," Tony muttered sourly.
Covered in blood like he'd bathed in it, Logan lit a half-bloody cigar, took a sideways glance at the group, and said, "So, are we just gonna stand around chatting?"
Fwoosh!
Blowing out a puff of blue smoke, he grinned. "I heard Mike's restaurant is pretty good. How about we celebrate there?"
Just as he finished speaking…
Gurgle!
Everyone turned to look at Bruce.
Wearing only a torn pair of pants, Bruce rubbed his belly and scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Uh… Transforming takes a lot of energy."
Hahaha!
Everyone burst into laughter.
To be honest, they were all tired and starving by now.
"Well then, let's go!" Charles made the call.
Truth be told, he was also craving a taste of his dad's cooking.
(End of Chapter)