Back at the X-Mansion, the students quickly got to work. They woke Storm up, who had been knocked out by Kurogai, helped Professor X out of his trance, and tended to the students who hadn't managed to escape and had been subdued. After some time, the situation gradually calmed down.
Finally, Jean made her way to Professor X's office and recounted everything that had happened. Naturally, there was one particular detail she conveniently left out, still too embarrassed to speak of it.
"What? Kurogai said he wouldn't kill the mutants — only take some blood?"
When she heard the Professor say this aloud, Jean clenched her teeth in frustration. So, Kurogai never intended to kill the students in the first place? In that case, hadn't she been taken advantage of for nothing?
Her cheeks flushed at the thought, and she let out a soft, embarrassed murmur.
"That bastard's too much."
He might have been her enemy, but she couldn't bring herself to truly hate him.
---
Meanwhile, far beyond Earth in the deepest reaches of space, a ripple spread through a star field entirely shrouded in darkness.
"The Phoenix's cry… so, its immortal power survived my death strike," an eerie, emotionless voice murmured. "But now, it has revealed its location. You won't escape me this time."
The voice issued its decree, carried across the void.
"Spread the word. Head toward that star field. The first to find the Phoenix will be granted my mercy."
In that abyss of lifeless darkness, the words reverberated coldly. Though the voice spoke of slaughter and pursuit, its tone was as calm as if announcing the weather. The surrounding star systems had long since died, becoming barren, cursed places — forsaken after the Goddess of Death's attention fell upon them.
Not far from there, a towering, purple-skinned figure stirred. Feeling the decree of his beloved Goddess, he let out a savage roar.
"Mobilize the fleets! Find whoever made my Goddess issue this command!"
This was Thanos, the Mad Titan himself. Now, driven by fanatical devotion, he bellowed to his armies.
"No matter what creature it is, I'll find them and present them to my Goddess. She'll see that I, alone, am worthy of her love!"
Thanos, the ruthless warlord of the cosmos, was gripped with elation at the thought of pleasing Death.
Back on Earth, Kurogai remained unaware that the Phoenix's awakening had sent ripples through the stars, drawing the interest of Death herself.
Fortunately, the Phoenix's aura had been partially suppressed by the Ultimate Eye, preventing even Death from pinpointing its exact location. She could only narrow it to a vague sector, one scattered with countless planets. Searching through them would take eons, so for now, Death merely spread word of her decree, letting her followers scour the stars. It would be a long time before any of them reached Earth.
---
Oblivious to the chaos in the cosmos, Kurogai had returned to the home he shared with Wanda and Pietro. The two had been diligently training in his absence, and because Kurogai hadn't been around for the past two days, Wanda's focus had improved remarkably. Her mastery of magic had progressed faster than Kurogai expected.
It was a pleasant surprise. After offering a few words of praise, Kurogai eagerly retreated to his room.
"After this haul, I've secured a massive collection of mutant genes. These will push my strength even further. The Third Eye Ring is on the verge of a breakthrough!"
Kurogai spoke excitedly to himself. Earlier, while collecting the mutants' blood, the Ultimate Eye had sent a message, informing him that the Third Eye Ring could be upgraded again.
But he hadn't upgraded it right away. He was still mid-operation at the time and didn't want to be distracted. Now, with the blood harvest complete, another message from the Ultimate Eye had arrived — not one, but two upgrade opportunities had been unlocked.
Meaning, he now had the chance to enhance the Third Eye Ring twice over, gaining two new abilities connected to the Sharingan's power. Kurogai was elated.
"Two upgrades! As expected from the X-Mansion — so many mutants, so many abilities. This was beyond worth it!"
He laughed darkly, then focused his will upon the Ultimate Eye.
A message flashed in his mind:
[The Third Eye Ring has reached saturation. It can be upgraded. Would you like to proceed?]
Without hesitation, Kurogai gave the command.
"Upgrade."
Warmth spread from the ring to his eyes. His Sharingan's three tomoe spun rapidly, then shifted, transforming into three intersecting ovals, forming a pattern like an ominous hexagram.
A moment later, dark flames appeared before Kurogai's gaze — flames unlike any other.
They were pure black.
They would not fade.
They would not die.
Until everything in sight was reduced to ash.
---
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