Chapter 61 Nuclear Fusion Power Generation
Arthur didn't blame Wan Si for her hysterical questioning; after all, it was a rare moment of humanity for a politician.
He waited for Wan Si to calm down before replying.
"No matter what you call me, or how much ability you think I have, I am not omnipotent."
"You should understand what I mean, Wan Si; there's no impenetrable shield, and I can't block all of the enemy's attacks."
Wan Si knelt on the ground, covering her face, letting out fragmented sobs.
Hundreds of thousands can be a number, but add the word 'people' after it, and it's enough to make anyone with a conscience feel fear and anger, even Wan Si, a young newcomer to politics.
"I will assemble the Avengers to help you; please, you must defeat Stryker!"
"Stryker is my personal goal, and of course, having help is good. Tomorrow, I will have the decisive battle with him in Yellowstone."
"You can exert as much power as you can; I like to use any means to eliminate enemies."
Arthur pulled Wan Si up and then looked at the half-destroyed block.
Stryker's current level of madness exceeded his imagination, and he could no longer treat this enemy with a playful attitude.
"Wan Si, tell me, is the the US' nuclear button in your hands?"
"Ah? Why ask that suddenly? Nuclear warheads must never land on our own soil."
"No, no, no, I'm not asking you to drop nuclear bombs on Stryker; I just want to visit a nuclear reactor."
Arthur needed to make final preparations for tomorrow's duel, melting abilities related to nuclear fission or nuclear fusion.
He needed to significantly boost his combat power, leaving Stryker no chance of victory.
Wan Si was silent for a moment before slowly saying,
"The location of nuclear bombs is, after all, a secret of the the US, but I can let you visit a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier."
"That way, you'll be able to access the nuclear reactor, but nuclear energy is very dangerous. Are you sure you really want to touch it?"
"That's my business; you don't need to worry too much."
Only then did Wan Si sign a pass and use encrypted communication to contact the USS Ford aircraft carrier.
The USS Ford aircraft carrier, due to frequent maintenance, spent more time in the the US and generally wasn't deployed for missions.
Therefore, Wan Si's choice of this aircraft carrier also had some reasoning behind it.
Wan Si also contacted the Avengers' superheroes, asking them to temporarily accept Arthur's leadership.
"Mr. Khan, do you have time to meet with the Avengersbefore the decisive battle? They are all very proud individuals."
"You need to unite them, so there are no mishaps during the decisive battle."
"Yes, tonight. I will meet them after I visit the nuclear reactor."
Arthur had no time for idle chatter, so he opened a portal and arrived directly on the USS Ford.
At this time, the USS Ford was conducting sea trials for its newly repaired power system.
Arthur's sudden appearance on the deck startled the chatting soldiers, who quickly raised their firearms, and the deck was thrown into chaos.
"Hey! Everyone! He's the Mutant Silver Star Khan! Let's surrender quickly! We can't beat him anyway."
"Quick, put down your guns, perform the French military salute, don't risk your lives for a measly salary."
Arthur scanned the chattering soldiers, who were all raising their hands, and used Telepathy to force them to quiet down.
Then he told them to call the captain out.
The captain rushed out of the cabin, loudly scolding the soldiers who were surrendering to Arthur.
"F***! He's the person President allowed to visit the aircraft carrier! Why are you surrendering?"
"Get back to your posts, all of you! Don't make a fool of yourselves here!"
Seeing the soldiers leave with dejected expressions, Arthur couldn't help but scoff.
"The the US was, after all, once aided by France in its War of Independence, so it's normal for them to retain a tradition of surrender."
"Mr. Khan, they are just new recruits, not representative of the true style of the the US military. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly; I just received the President's order."
The captain, his face flushed, tried to defend his soldiers and respectfully invited Arthur into the power room.
During this time, he even voluntarily acted as a tour guide, explaining the advantages of the USS Ford aircraft carrier to Arthur.
"The USS Ford aircraft carrier is the culmination of the the US' naval and military industrial technology; it is the most advanced aircraft carrier in the entire world!"
"Captain, I'm not here for a tour; I just need to borrow the nuclear reactor. You don't need to explain in such detail."
Arthur interrupted the captain's rambling, his attention fully focused on the distant nuclear power room.
Even with the protective room blocking it, he could feel the reactor's powerful energy.
However, to melt this energy, he still needed to go deep into the reactor.
"God! A mortal body absolutely cannot touch the reactor! The Radiation inside alone would cause you to die tragically on the spot!"
The captain tried to stop him from entering the reactor, but he had already opened a portal.
Of course, the reactor wasn't some huge furnace but a precise, large-scale water heater.
The high temperature released by the nuclear reaction would boil water, then convert the thermal energy into mechanical energy through a generator, and finally into electrical energy.
Standing in front of the reactor, he only saw a pile of iron casings.
Fortunately, he could use Quantum Shuttle to put his hand into the reactor and simultaneously activate Superpower Furnace.
[Successfully melted nuclear fusion energy, generating new ability—Nuclear Fusion]
After an upgrade prompt, a huge surge of energy impacted every cell in his body.
At the same time, his understanding of atomic energy reached a level that no contemporary scholar could aspire to.
And his abilities had now reached twenty-two.
Physical: [Healing Factor] [Bone Claws] [Wild Burst] [Laser] [Clone] [Mimic] [Photon] [Light Energy Absorption]
Mental: [Telepathy] [Mastermind]
Field Energy: [Absolute Zero] [Bioelectricity] [Weather Control] [Magnetic Field] [Radiation]
Elemental: [Body of Steel] [Fire Body] [Water Body] [Nuclear Fusion]
Space-Time: [Quantum Shuttle] [Ghost] [Different Dimension]
The Nuclear Fusion ability belonged to the Elemental type of abilities.
This was because each fusion required an elementalized body, and his body could also be Radiation-ized.
Used in conjunction with the other ability, Radiation, he could move freely in a Radiation field, manifesting in any energy form.
A punch he threw with full power would carry the force of a large hydrogen bomb.
It could be said that Nuclear Fusion was his strongest offensive ability at this stage.
After gaining the new ability, he returned to the captain's side.
"Captain, I've finished my visit. You can continue with your duties."
"You've already been to the reactor? And you weren't melted by the high temperature inside!"
The captain said as he retreated, clearly afraid of being contaminated by Radiation.
"You don't need to worry; I can absorb the Radiation on me, so it won't affect you."
After saying this, Arthur directly transformed into a beam of light and flew from the USS Ford aircraft carrier to the rendezvous point with the Avengers.
Leaving a ship full of soldiers and the captain stunned by his abilities.
Chapter 62 Avengers Gathering
Stark sat in his office, drinking a specially mixed beverage.
Across from him was the fully armed the US Captain, Steve.
The the US Captain took a sip of the drink Stark had personally mixed, then swallowed it with difficulty.
"Honestly, you have no talent for mixing drinks; it's truly awful."
"Let's get to business. You've met Silver Star Khan. What kind of person do you think he is? Do his values align with ours?"
"Values? Our relationship hasn't reached that point yet."
Stark took a sip of the drink himself, then spat it out in disgust.
"You're right, I can't learn to mix drinks. Silver Star Khanseems even more unconventional than us, but I quite like him."
"Besides being a bit more dashing than me, he's also quite generous. Not only did he tell me the current situation, but he also let me bring back a Sentinel robots."
Stark pointed to the Sentinel wreckage hanging on the wall, speaking with a slight slur.
Of course, he wouldn't tell the the US Captain about the battle where he was pinned to the ground and rubbed by the Sentinel.
He merely praised Arthur, shifting the topic in another direction.
The the US Captain looked at the neatly cut Sentinel, then suddenly threw his Vibranium shield at the Sentinel.
The result was only a scratch, which greatly astonished him.
"Tony, you said you defeated this Sentinel. Why do I find it a bit unreal?"
"But it's true. I never lie. Maybe you just haven't entered combat mode yet."
Stark explained guiltily; he had previously told the the USCaptain that he had cut open this Sentinel in front of Arthur.
"Alright, I won't hurt your ego. Actually, my fight with the Sentinel was very difficult, and it took a long time before I had a chance to destroy it."
"However, I've developed an armor specifically for dealing with Sentinels. The power of technology will ultimately overcome everything!"
Just as the the US Captain was about to question the Sentinel's cut, a large hammer smashed through the office window.
Then a blond, rough man carrying lightning jumped in, grabbing the hammer.
Stark and the the US Captain both shrugged helplessly after seeing the man's entrance.
The man chuckled and strode to the bar, picking up a glass of wine and chugging it down.
"Pah! That's terrible. I just worked up a sweat smashing a bunch of Sentinels and wanted to quench my thirst. Do you have any beer?"
"Thor, I hope next time you enter my territory, you'll use the normal entrance, otherwise I'll make you pay for the damages."
Thor smiled indifferently, rummaging through the liquor cabinet for beer.
Then Black Widow, Hulk Banner, and Hawkeye walked into the office together, greeting everyone.
Stark raised his glass and shouted to the noisy crowd.
"Everyone, we are gathered here today to discuss tomorrow's decisive battle with Silver Star Khan."
"We should try to be fair and peaceful. Khan's strength should be the greatest, and he will be the main force in tomorrow's decisive battle."
After he finished speaking, Thor immediately became unwilling, grumbling.
"I smash those Sentinels like smashing glass. Why should that Khan be the main force?"
Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Hulk also disagreed with taking orders from an outsider and supported Thor's statement.
Stark shrugged helplessly. Having spent a long time with these Avengers, he knew that words alone couldn't persuade them.
Experience teaches one quickly. Letting Thor and Silver Star Khan fight would determine who was right.
At this moment, the the US Captain spoke, trying to persuade Thor.
"Our goal is to deal with Stryker. He killed nearly a million civilians in Washington in an instant."
"It shows that his power is beyond our ability to resolve, so it's best to wait for Khan to arrive before we discuss who will be the main force."
When the civilians killed in Washington were mentioned, everyone immediately fell silent and stopped arguing.
Suddenly, a purple light appeared in the office.
Then silver light emanated from the purple light, and a silver figure walked out of it.
"It seems the Avengers are all here. I hope I'm not late."
"Mr. Khan, you're not late. We haven't officially started yet."
Upon seeing Arthur, Stark immediately stood up enthusiastically and invited Arthur to sit in the largest chair.
...
"No need for a seat. I'm just here to tell you all to try and stay on the outer perimeter of the battlefield tomorrow, to intercept Stryker's Sentinels."
Arthur stated his purpose unceremoniously.
In his plan, he would first use the Yellowstone Park trap to quickly eliminate a batch of Sentinels.
Then, he would take advantage of the chaos to carry out a decapitation strike against Stryker. The Avengers only needed to delay a portion of the Sentinels.
The more Sentinels there were, the more Magnetic Fieldinhibitors or inhibitor agents would be applied to him.
For this, he would also have the X-Men and the Brotherhood assist the Avengers on the outer perimeter.
"Outer perimeter of the battlefield? I can fly to Stryker and smash his head with one hammer."
Thor raised his hammer and refused his arrangement.
The the US Captain also stood up and said.
"We Avengers have been through hardships together and can play a greater role on the battlefield."
The other Avengers looked displeased, only Starksupported Arthur's arrangement.
"Since you want to throw your lives away, I have no obligation to stop you. Tomorrow, you can do as you please on the battlefield."
"However, I still remind you not to go too deep into the battlefield; there are traps I've set underground."
Arthur said a few final words, then opened a portal to return to the Academy.
Stark grabbed his hand and gently persuaded him.
"My companions don't understand Sentinels deeply enough, so don't blame them. Let's continue discussing your tactical arrangements."
Arthur switched the portal to a factory producing Sentinels, then grabbed a Sentinel and dragged it into the office.
"This kind of Sentinel should be Stryker's strongest type of Sentinel. Its body strength is equivalent to Adamantium."
"And tomorrow, basically all of them will be this kind of Sentinel, so asking you to hold them back is actually a bit difficult."
Thor roared, raising Mjolnir and striking the Sentinel.
A flash of powerful lightning passed, sending the Avengers in the room flying.
Banner, who was in human form, was enraged by the impact, and green began to appear on his body.
Black Widow kicked Thor's butt.
"Thor, next time, give us a heads-up before you act! Hulk is about to come out!"
"Banner! It's okay, that was just Thor being careless, no one is trying to attack you, the sun is about to set."
Just as Black Widow was comforting Banner, Thorshouted.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My hammer only made a dent!"
"I didn't use force just now. Let me hit it again, I don't believe it."
Arthur stopped Thor's action, then forcefully tore the Sentinel apart.
"It has little to do with how many times you hit it with your hammer. If it weren't for Mjolnir, you wouldn't even have a chance to leave a mark."
All the Avengers showed shocked expressions, their eyes fixed on the torn Sentinel in his hand.
Chapter 63: The decisive moment, the trap of ten thousand sentinels
Arthur understood that Thor's wisdom had all been absorbed by Loki.
Therefore, he patiently explained the Sentinels' current abilities and the hardness of their armor.
"The Sentinels' core abilities are shapeshifting and my replication, so they have many abilities and are almost flawless."
"To defeat a Sentinel, one must have overwhelming power, which is difficult for any of you to achieve."
The Avengers' expressions turned serious, no longer as noisy as before.
Stark put on his newly developed armor and fired a beam at the Sentinel torn apart by Arthur.
It only managed to cut a shallow opening, failing to cause destructive cutting damage.
"It seems our power is indeed a bit lacking. I need to improve my armor tonight."
Seeing Iron Man's progress, Arthur couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The power that technology can create is indeed useful! He thought that he could also use his own abilities to create some technological weapons.
"Now you should understand my plan, right? I have never looked down on anyone; I'm just being realistic."
Thor threw his hammer to the ground and lay on the sofa, looking dejected.
Black Widow and Hawkeye were just silent; the gap between their power and Thor's was too great.
Banner, whose emotions had stabilized, picked up a piece of the Sentinel and studied it carefully.
"We can use high-energy particle bombardment on these 'turtles,' even if their shells are very hard."
"They can't stop atomic-level attacks, Tony, you can change the weapon to a particle emitter."
Stark immediately discussed the direction of weapon improvement with Banner.
Captain the US then stood up and said to everyone.
"Brothers and sisters, our goal is to save humanity and punish Stryker."
"As long as there is a path that seems right before us, we must continue to move forward along that path."
"We will never surrender to the enemy, even if we suffer some grievances, so I support Khan's plan."
Everyone nodded, without a single dissenting voice.
Seeing that the Avengers no longer opposed the plan, Arthur returned to the academy.
He explained the plan for the X-Men to cooperate with the Avengers on the periphery, distracting the Sentinels.
…
Professor naturally agreed readily and asked Arthurto lead this war.
"Yan, are you confident about this plan?"
"Yes, but I won't speak too definitively; Stryker has, after all, awakened his genes."
Arthur revealed all of Stryker's changes, leaving Professor dumbfounded.
"Terrifying, in just one night, Stryker gained such great power."
"I even suspect he sold his soul to the devil. Don't worry, Yan, we will definitely help you with all our might."
Arthur bid farewell to Professor and returned to his room.
Kitty and Sharick had been waiting for him for a long time and rushed to hug him.
The two girls' tender bodies were like two soft pieces of bread, sandwiching him from both sides.
"Yan! We heard that you're going to have a decisive battle with Stryker tomorrow!"
"Oh? How did you know?"
"The news today said that the government seems to be monitoring the location of the decisive battle, preventing people from approaching Yellowstone Park."
Hearing this news, Arthur felt that something was very wrong.
The the US government and military naturally knew that they had no ability to deal with Stryker.
Now they are monitoring Yellowstone Park! They only needed to inform the people in Yellowstone Park to evacuate.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it? Wan Si still has her own little tricks!
"It's nothing, Stryker has already been defeated by me three times, and the fourth time will be the same."
"We want to go with you too; our abilities are suitable for protecting you."
"No need, just practice some grappling with me tonight."
As soon as these words were spoken, Kitty and Sharick's pretty faces immediately turned red, then they pulled the covers over their heads, and the crowded bed began to shake.
…
Lin Feng woke up very early; he first transformed into light and went to space.
He deployed twelve clones in space, monitoring Yellowstone Park.
At the same time, he checked the portal connecting to the asteroid belt, ensuring it could smash Stryker's ugly face.
After making preparations in space, he flew back to Yellowstone Park.
He encountered the Avengers who were gathering.
Stark was debugging a huge armor, which could no longer be called just armor.
Its volume was like ten heavy tanks stacked together, covered with muzzles and cannon barrels.
"Hey! Yan, this is my trump card, originally used to deal with Hulk… large enemies."
"Yesterday, Banner and I spent a night replacing its weapons with particle weapons. Today, those Sentinels are finished! Haha."
"I hope it's flexible enough. To be honest, it looks like a fortress that just got a cage."
Arthur casually commented, then looked at Thor and the others, who were ready for battle.
Thor tossed his hammer in the air, and it landed at Arthur's feet.
"Khan! After we deal with the Sentinel crisis, let's have a fight! I'm very curious about your power."
"Perhaps, I am a relatively peaceful person and don't like fighting with others. Maybe there will be an opportunity in the future."
Arthur casually picked up Mjolnir and threw it back.
This action startled Thor, who fumbled when catching the hammer.
The other Avengers were both shocked and had expressions of watching a show.
"You can actually lift my Mjolnir! This means it acknowledges you!"
"Hey! Let's be clear, Mjolnir is mine. Your recognition by it doesn't mean you can use it in combat!"
Arthur was speechless for a moment; he wasn't someone who got greedy at the sight of treasure, and Mjolnir held no appeal for him.
The surrounding air agitated, transmitting buzzing sounds.
Looking up, large areas of black shadows surged from all directions, covering the sky like locusts.
His mind sensed a huge energy fluctuation, and he immediately warned the Avengers.
"Be careful, the Sentinels are here."
"Sentinels? So many?"
"On the surface, it's said to be a duel between you and Stryker, and we know the other side won't play by the rules, but he's too shameless!"
"F*ck! There seem to be tens of thousands of Sentinels on the other side; the numbers are just unbalanced."
The Avengers cursed, but no one was willing to flee, assuming battle stances to prepare for the enemy.
Everyone knew that if they ran today and Arthur was defeated, and the Sentinels swept across the world, those who ran would be eternal sinners.
Arthur glanced at the densely packed Sentinels flying in the sky and also felt that Stryker was indeed despicable.
He had endured for so long without acting, only to accumulate tens of thousands of Sentinels, preparing to trap him.
However, he was still one step ahead; Yellowstone Parkhad already been transformed into an inescapable net.
The moment Stryker entered, his fate was already sealed.
He searched for Stryker's figure among the Sentinels, wanting to say a final farewell to that bastard.
"Stryker, where are you?"
The Sentinels in the air quickly formed a square, then split into smaller squares, surrounding Arthur and the others.
Stryker, carrying a child, slowly descended from the sky, stopping at a height of one hundred meters from Arthur.
Chapter 64 Who is faster than the other
Stryker wore a sinister smile, his gleaming silver prosthetic limbs flashing repeatedly in the air.
The Sentinel squadron in the air hummed an annoying sound, the melody sounding like a chant.
Then, two black wings unfurled from Stryker's back, shielding both him and the child.
"Arthur! I must thank you; you've helped me find my true mission: to purify the world and eradicate demons for God!"
"All my current abilities are thanks to you. There's a divine will at play, and you are the demon who enlightened me."
After a long time, Stryker had become quite unhinged.
Arthur didn't quite grasp what he was saying at first.
After a long pause, he realized Stryker was trying to find a justification for slaughter, and religious reasons were indeed commonly used by White people.
He couldn't help but applaud Stryker.
"It had to be you! Old Stryker, your skin has thickened since you awakened your abilities. You can even come up with such absurd reasons."
"Why don't you just say I'm Satan? You're not afraid to throw any dirt my way."
"Since you are now God's messenger, then come down and spar with me. Let's see if you, an Angel, are up to the task."
Stryker's eyes glinted, and a highly suspicious curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if all the world's wickedness resided on his face.
The black wings on his back began to gently flap, and his mouth opened and closed, yet no sound emerged.
But Arthur felt a very powerful fluctuation.
It was Telepathy! Stryker was using his psychic abilities to disturb his and the Avengers' minds.
Sure enough, Stark, Stephen, and the others looked pained, their mouths also opening and closing uncontrollably.
Following Stryker's frequency, their pupils became vertical, like a cat's eyes in the sunlight.
"Showing off! Playing with psychic abilities in front of me is a death wish!"
Arthur used Telepathy to generate a brainwave field around everyone, isolating them from Stryker's influence.
Once the Avengers' expressions returned to normal, he suddenly expanded the brainwave field.
Stryker was struck by his brainwaves, his body spinning repeatedly in the air, swaying continuously with the child.
"Damn it! T-34, don't think I only have this one ability. You only surpassed me by being tricky."
"All your reasons, whatever you say is right. Now, can our duel begin?"
"Hehe! Who said anything about a duel? I've brought fifteen thousand Sentinels; why would I risk a duel with you?"
Stryker laughed, revealing his true colors, while the Sentinels in the air simultaneously turned to look at Arthur.
At this moment, a plane rapidly approached, and Storm, Jean, Scott, and the other X-Men jumped out of the aircraft.
They landed beside Arthur, surrounding him.
"Stryker! Khan also has us Mutants behind him. We will stop you from harming him!"
"Hmph!"
Stryker sneered, and flames erupted from his black wings.
"You can protect him if you wish. In any case, you Mutants are the first creatures I will liquidate."
He then raised his hand and brought it down forcefully.
The surrounding Sentinels began to move, flying towards Arthur.
"Avengers and X-Men, spread out! Fight in groups of three; don't fight alone!"
"Logan, Scott, Jean, you three stay together. Ororo, Thor, Bobbi, you three."
"Tony, Stephen, Hawkeye, Black Widow, you stand in front of me. Hulk, just stay far away from me."
Arthur quickly made arrangements, and everyone else took their positions, except for Banner, who walked up to him and said,
"Khan, I've been doing well lately, not getting angry much. Hulk isn't coming out."
Arthur immediately had an idea and slapped Banneracross the face.
"Are you angry now?"
Roar! Banner roared, transforming into the big green guy, and attacked him.
He directly kicked Hulk towards the Sentinels in the air; this was why he didn't want to be near Banner.
Hulk was simply too difficult to control.
"You all pay attention to your surroundings. I'm going to use the traps I set earlier. Be careful!"
He first opened a portal, transferring the prepared asteroids above the Sentinel formation.
Five consecutive meteorites immediately scattered the Sentinel formation.
However, these meteorites hadn't even landed before Stryker, with a flick of his hands, discarded them in a direction far from the battlefield.
Stryker shouted triumphantly,
"This is the power bestowed upon me by God! All my X-Genes have been activated. As long as I wish, I am omnipotent!"
"T-34! Just wait for me to torment you to death!"
Arthur's meteorites had only scattered the Sentinelformation; the casualties were still under a thousand.
So he stopped pretending, covering the battlefield below with a Magnetic Field, pulling out the buried magnetic steel spikes.
The earth resembled an armed porcupine opening up, sharp spikes continuously piercing into the sky.
The previously invincible Sentinel army was instantly buried by the spikes, and even Stryker was impaled.
"Fuck! You're so despicable! You buried traps underground so early."
"Tsk, with your bit of humanity, I haven't reached the point of trusting you. Aren't the tens of thousands of Sentinels you brought also quite shameless?"
Arthur mocked him while drawing out the ground Fire to engulf Stryker.
The surrounding X-Men and Avengers were stunned.
"Didn't they say it was a duel? Why did both of them coincidentally play dirty?"
"One brings tens of thousands of helpers, and the other turns Yellowstone into a trap. Seriously, this is the first time I've seen a duel like this."
"Are we superfluous standing here? Too superfluous! The battle ended before we even made a move."
At this moment, Magneto arrived with the Brotherhood of Mutants.
"Arthur, sorry, we walked here a bit late. Is your battle over?"
"No, it's just beginning."
Although Arthur had just stabbed and burned Stryker, his mind could still detect Stryker's life.
After Stryker evolved, he seemed to be more durable than before.
Sure enough, the spikes that had pierced Stryker suddenly collapsed.
Stryker slowly walked out of the ground Fire, walking in the air, without a single scratch on his body.
"Hahaha! I am omnipotent. You can no longer truly harm me."
Subsequently, the remaining Sentinels reassembled and attacked Arthur again.
Arthur also slowly ascended using a Magnetic Field; traps only work once before the enemy becomes wary.
Therefore, he intended to fight Stryker in close combat.
"Stryker, if I cut you into pieces, can you still live?"
"You are welcome to try."
Arthur took out two magnetic steel blades, then instantly appeared behind Stryker using Ghost Step.
After a flurry of flashing silver blades, Stryker, as he had envisioned, was cut into pieces of flesh.
However, Stryker did not scatter to the ground but healed at an extremely fast speed.
Even Stryker's severed wings quickly healed and regrew feathers.
Then Stryker laughed wildly.
"Do you see? This is God's blessing. You were glorious before, but now you will soon sleep!"
Chapter 65: Stryker's Evolution
Arthur naturally wouldn't be swayed or doubt himself by Stryker's words.
He then used a Radiation Field to create a covering space in the air, enveloping both him and Stryker.
A large number of high-energy particles passed through Stryker's body, especially his lower abdomen, and Strykerlet out a painful cry.
"Damn it! What kind of ability is this? I don't understand anything, yet my body is in immense pain!"
"Radiation. The particles passing through your body are high-energy radioactive, and they can inhibit gene expression when they pass through your body."
Arthur increased the intensity of the Radiation Field, causing Stryker to bleed from all seven orifices and his skin to ulcerate.
However, Stryker suddenly started muttering something again, then disappeared from his original spot.
The next moment, he appeared in the air in another direction.
This was teleportation; Stryker had actually mastered it too.
Then Stryker continuously attacked, with strong winds combined with a Force Field disrupting the Radiation Field.
Arthur had no choice but to withdraw the RadiationField to prevent harming his teammates.
Then one of Stryker's wings turned into an ice sculpture, and the other wing turned into flames.
He rushed towards Lin Feng at an extremely fast speed, with continuous ice and Fire attacks.
Arthur continuously dodged, while setting up a teleportation portal trap in the air.
When Stryker passed through the trap, half of his body was suddenly teleported by the appearing portal and then severed.
But whether it was his arm, leg, or even his neck that was cut, he remained unharmed, and even the severed body parts quickly grew back.
The two fought in the air, an evenly matched battle that no god could break.
However, the Avengers and X-Men fighting the Sentinel robotss below were starting to run out of strength.
The Sentinel robotss were too numerous, their shells were hard enough, and they had all sorts of chaotic abilities.
Only Stark's newly added anti-Sentinel weapons could effectively destroy the Sentinel.
But the mecha was too inflexible, only able to act as a war fortress, enduring the Sentinel's attacks head-on.
It also required Steve and Black Widow to be on standby nearby to avoid being knocked down at the start of the battle.
Others, like Hulk, who got angrier and stronger the more he fought, also suffered a lot of losses at the beginning.
And Thor had used too much divine power, his face looking somewhat White.
The X-Men were in even more danger, as the Sentinelwere created through research on Mutants and had many targeted methods.
Seeing that his companions were not in good shape, Arthur urgently used brainwave oscillations to shock the entire battlefield.
This caused all the Sentinel to freeze for a few seconds, and the X-Men and Avengers immediately seized the opportunity to kill the surrounding Sentinel.
Then the three-person team regrouped to jointly resist the Sentinel's attacks.
Arthur continued to fight Stryker, each swing of his sword severing Stryker's body tissue.
But in the blink of an eye, Stryker's injuries healed.
And Stryker's ice and Fire, as well as his mental interference, couldn't break his defense.
"Stryker, you used to be a turtle, and now who did you learn from? You can go sell meat now!"
"Seriously, no matter how much I cut you, you grow back. The world needs people like you; you could solve food shortages."
Arthur would occasionally say a few sarcastic remarks, and seeing Stryker's displeased face made him feel good.
"Hmph! I was just warming up. Next, you won't have the strength to fight back!"
Stryker flapped his wings, hovering high in the air, surrounded by a group of Sentinel who guarded him.
Then Arthur felt an indifferent pressure, followed by a heavy pressure on his body.
He plummeted heavily towards the ground, and even though he used his Magnetic Field to resist, he couldn't relieve the heavy pressure on his body.
"Gravity? No, there's a Magnetic Field, and the ability to decompose molecules. If it weren't for the magnetic steel armor, my body would have started to decompose!"
His current Magnetic Field ability had not yet reached the Omega level, unable to resist the Earth's entire Magnetic Field.
The Magnetic Field released by Stryker utilized the Earth's Magnetic Field, coupled with the drag of gravity.
It seems that, as Stryker said, Stryker had awakened countless abilities.
If Stryker continued to grow, he would be difficult to defeat in the future.
He immediately transformed his body into a beam of light, like a sharp blade instantly piercing through Stryker's body.
At the same time, he left light particles within Stryker's body, repeatedly destroying Stryker's cells.
However, his body was also confined near Stryker, controlled by the inhibiting Magnetic Field emitted by the surrounding Sentinel.
"Heh heh! I finally got you. This is the opportunity I've been waiting for!"
Stryker spat out a mouthful of pus and blood mixed with internal organ fragments, glaring at him with a ferocious expression.
Arthur was unable to maintain his elemental form within the inhibiting Magnetic Field, and his steel armor could not regenerate.
"How rare, T-34, I can still see your face, such a young and handsome face, I'm a little jealous of you!"
Stryker raised his prosthetic limb and violently stabbed Arthur.
Arthur used all his strength to dodge, simultaneously releasing a Radiation Field.
The surrounding Sentinel were affected, and the pressure of the inhibiting Magnetic Field suddenly disappeared by more than half.
He seized this opportunity to blast all the high-energy particles into Stryker's body.
Then he plummeted downwards, leaving the control range of the inhibiting Magnetic Field.
"Fuck! That old man has really awakened some incredible abilities, it's truly disgusting."
He saw Stryker's body bulging with pustules, and his skin began to peel off.
The Healing Factor was indeed effective, allowing the user to possess an immortal body.
However, cancer cells also proliferate infinitely and have ways to evade immune system recognition or destroy the immune system.
He had just destroyed most of Stryker's cells with high-energy particles and induced the birth of cancer cells.
When Stryker healed, he would heal the cancer cells along with himself, just like Deadpool.
"This time, I'm going to mash all of your rotten flesh and burn it to ashes."
But things didn't go as he expected; Stryker wasn't weakened by the cancerous transformation.
Instead, his body rapidly recovered, quickly returning to normal.
"Do you know? All my internal organs, except my heart and lungs, have turned into a single tumor."
"I'm already a monster; I don't need you to induce my cells any further."
"Let me show you my true form. You'll know what true horror is before you die!"
As soon as his voice fell, all the Sentinel ascended into the air, protecting him tightly.
One of the Sentinel carried the boy he had brought into the Sentinel's cocoon-like enclosure.
Arthur felt a bad premonition and immediately summoned meteorites to smash into the Sentinel group.
He then attacked the Sentinel with various abilities, but he couldn't break through the Sentinel's defenses.
Unable to do anything, he flew above the Sentinel cocoon and used Absolute Zero to freeze the cocoon.
Then he used Wild Awakening, combined with the power of his Body of Steel, to smash heavily into the cocoon.
The outer layer of the Sentinel peeled off one after another, gradually revealing the scene inside like peeling an egg.
When he saw Stryker's current state, he felt his brain was violated by the sight before him.
He quickly flew away from the cocoon, suppressing the nausea churning in his stomach.
Chapter 66 The Ultimate Version of the Dust-covered Soul
Countless tentacles suddenly extended from the Sentinelchrysalis.
Then Stryker's face slowly rose, with black blood vessels visible beneath his pale skin.
Once his entire body had ascended, the X-Men and Avengers waiting on the ground collectively gagged.
"Fuck, what is that thing? He can't be considered human anymore, can he?!"
"That's disgusting. Please don't let me touch him. I'm afraid I'll get sores."
"He truly looks like a demon from hell, yet he has the nerve to call himself an emissary of God."
Aside from Stryker's pale face, his body was now devoid of skin.
His muscle tissue was completely exposed, with yellow fat and pulsating black blood vessels attached.
There were also sores on his flesh, which upon closer inspection were actually flesh holes opening and closing.
In Arthur's opinion, Stryker's body was covered in orifices.
Furthermore, countless tentacles were still embedded in Stryker's buttocks and right arm.
His original black wings had now transformed into bat-like fleshy wings, also covered in orifices.
The child Stryker had brought into the chrysalis was now gone.
"Just thinking about having to deal with this thing makes me want to jump into lava right now and burn away all this bad luck."
Arthur suppressed his nausea and slowly approached Stryker.
"Stryker, do you still have human consciousness?"
"Ho ho! I feel great now, truly great. I feel like a god."
Stryker raised his pale face, his blood-red eyes emitting a chilling aura.
Arthur felt as if his mind was covered in a layer of dust, no longer as clear as before.
He was very familiar with this feeling; his mind had been similarly obscured when the sky was previously shrouded in dust.
"T-34, do you know? Beyond your replication ability, I also found a special Mutant."
"His ability is to affect others' brainwaves, blocking their five senses, and combined with my ability, I can instantly annihilate others."
"That's what I did in Washington; the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were gone in an instant."
Stryker spread his arms, his fleshy wings flapping rapidly, stirring up gusts of wind.
Then, multicolored dust reappeared in the sky, obscuring the formerly clear sky.
Arthur naturally wouldn't allow Stryker to commit another slaughter like in Washington.
He immediately activated his Telepathy to control the storm and blow away the dust.
But Stryker roared, and the colorful dust immediately turned blood-red.
Then the X-Men and Avengers on the ground either knelt or lay prostrate, screaming in agony.
Arthur's Telepathy was already Omega-level; logically, he should be able to easily blow away the dust.
However, this ability seemed to be controlled, unable to exert its full power.
"Don't bother. After I merged with T0, my Mind Obscuration ability has surpassed current evaluation standards."
"You can't break my ability at all. Just watch them die in agony, then go to heaven to enjoy bliss."
"Then I'll send you to your so-called heaven first, and see what kind of treatment a demon like you receives."
Arthur had no choice now; he could only kill Strykerbefore his companions died.
He once again used Absolute Zero, unleashing a cold current like flowing Water.
The sores on Stryker's body emitted scorching light, dispelling the surrounding cold air.
They then transformed into black mist and rushed towards Arthur.
Arthur used Different Dimension, with portals cutting off Stryker's path.
Wielding a Magnetic Steel Blade, he grabbed Stryker's wing and threw him into the Different Dimension.
Inside the Different Dimension, Stryker's mental abilities could be temporarily shielded.
This was to prevent the scoundrel from going berserk and actually killing the X-Men and Avengers.
Stryker looked around; the Different Dimension had no boundaries, only endless purple light flickering.
"Your abilities are truly enviable, but I now also have thousands of abilities."
"Even if you have a million abilities, you'll still lose."
Arthur Quantum Shuttled to Stryker's side, his Magnetic Steel Blade slashing at Stryker's wing.
Stryker used his old trick, shooting scorching rays from his entire body, including his wings.
Arthur endured Stryker's attack, cutting off a wing with one slash.
Just as he was about to press on and strike at Stryker's head, a powerful force field sent him flying.
"Damn it, why can't my wing regenerate? What did you do?!"
"I left frost on your wound, inhibiting the activity of the cells in the wound."
Not only that, but Arthur also injected a large amount of metal particles into the wound the moment he severed the wing.
He could control the metal inside Stryker's body with his Magnetic Field at any time, causing Stryker to explode.
However, he wanted to push Stryker further, to make Stryker expose all his abilities before choosing to kill him.
Stryker roared, the base of his severed wing fell off, and then a brand new wing grew out.
"Fighting you in your Different Dimension, it's indeed difficult for me to defeat you, but you've also given me an opportunity."
The eye-holes on Stryker's body slowly widened, revealing blood-red eyeballs.
Then, all the eyes on his body flashed red, and the purple Different Dimension instantly transformed into the real world.
A beach, coconut trees, the ocean, and the blue sky overhead pressing down on distant towering mountains.
Arthur, however, tensed up. He could feel that the surroundings were an Different Dimension; the worldbefore his eyes was fake.
Stryker's Mind Obscuration had already affected his mind and his five senses.
Stryker spread his arms, exposing all the eyeballs on his body, and rays of light shot towards Arthur on the ground.
But at this moment, Arthur couldn't break free; the sand beneath his feet seemed to reach out and grab him.
He had been affected by Mind Obscuration for too long, and his body's control was now compromised.
He urgently used Quantum Shuttle, his body sinking into the sand, dodging Stryker's increasingly fierce attacks.
Then he leaped out from another direction on the beach, splitting into dozens of clones, firing lasers at Stryker.
"Aren't you proud of your many eyes? Let's see now if you have more eyes or if I have more clones."
Dozens of clones kited Stryker, quickly leaving him with no power to retaliate.
"Damn it, why do you have so many abilities?!"
Stryker roared and lunged at Arthur, adopting a stance of mutual destruction.
Arthur didn't humor him, directly controlling the metal particles within Stryker's body.
The few grams of metal fragments immediately sent Stryker rolling on the ground.
At the same time, he used his other hand to control the Magnetic Flying Blades, slicing at Stryker's external flesh.
Stryker's screams gradually weakened, eventually reduced to mere gasps.
"Spare me! I'll never bother you again, and I'll never appear again."
Arthur's heart was unperturbed. He crushed Stryker's skull with a stomp, then used Fire to burn Stryker to ashes.
Leaving the Different Dimension, he went into space and scattered Stryker's ashes there.
He gave Stryker no chance to regenerate.
Chapter 67 The Ownership of Phoenix Power
Arthur returned to the previous battlefield and saw everyone cleaning up. He went up and greeted them first.
"Everyone, let others handle the battlefield. Stryker has been eliminated by me."
The Avengers and X-Men were shocked. Everyone could feel the oppressive force of Stryker after his transformation.
Their minds were filled with Stryker's malice, unable to muster any fighting spirit.
When Arthur disappeared with Stryker, they even felt despair.
Even if Arthur truly had the strength to defeat Stryker, it would be a fierce battle, and Arthur would likely be in grave danger after the battle.
But then they suddenly felt a lightness in their minds, and the negative thoughts quickly vanished.
Next, they saw Arthur return safe and sound, without a single injury.
Stark stepped out and exclaimed with an exaggerated tone.
"Oh my god! You fought that disgusting thing and came back completely unharmed! It feels so unreasonable!"
"So you think it's only reasonable if I get injured? Tony, your heart is a bit dark; Stryker's influence on you hasn't been eliminated yet."
Arthur took out a knife and gestured it back and forth at Stark's heart.
"Don't joke around. I'm very happy you're not injured. You're really cool when you fight."
Professor and Magneto also came over at this time, still asking worriedly.
"How did you deal with Stryker's body? I saw he had super self-healing abilities; it's possible he could come back to life."
"I completely annihilated Stryker and threw him into space. There's no chance he'll return."
Professor and Magneto's faces showed relaxed smiles.
As long as Stryker's death was confirmed, the X-Men and the military could flatten all those Sentinel factories.
Then completely eliminate Sentinel technology. Recent events have proven that humanity is not yet ready to master power beyond its time.
It's best for Sentinels not to appear at all. So far, they haven't killed many Mutants, but they've killed hundreds of thousands of ordinary people.
"Arthur, thank you so much. Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to get rid of this evil spirit."
The Avengers came forward to celebrate, their attitudes much better than when they first met.
Even Thor walked over with a smile to celebrate, only Banner covered his face and looked at him resentfully.
"Khan, we also have to thank you. Why don't you join us, the Avengers? Your presence would be our greatest asset."
"That's right, we are all very free. We only gather when there's a major crisis."
"Khan, you have a lot of knowledge in your mind. If you come to the Avengers, I'll help you utilize that knowledge."
Stark reached out his hand to Arthur, awaiting his reply.
...
Arthur did not intend to join the Avengers. He still needed to continue collecting abilities and frequently interact with Mutants.
Even though the abilities he currently possessed were among the best of the Mutants.
He had already melted down most of the X-Men Academy, but the pursuit of power had no end.
So he just shook hands with Stark and politely declined the invitation.
"I don't like joining any organization. Perhaps there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future."
Stark's expression visibly darkened, and he turned to look at Captain America beside him.
"Stephen, this is where you come in. Quickly use your brain that was born a hundred years ago."
"Tony, we won't force anyone to join the Avengers, and he said there would be opportunities to cooperate again in the future."
"Maybe the opportunity will come soon. Just be patient."
At this moment, Magneto spoke up.
"Yan, you might really have to cooperate with these Avengers again. I heard my daughter and son joined a gang."
"They were tricked, and they might have a conflict with the Avengers. I hope you can bring them back."
Magneto's son and daughter?
That would be Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Arthurdid remember those two.
If according to Magneto's words, then the Avengers' timeline should be Loki's invasion or Ultron's rebellion.
After Ultron, Quicksilver died, and Scarlet Witch joined the Avengers.
Scarlet Witch's Chaos magic could be tried for melting; its magic ceiling is very high.
If it weren't for Scarlet Witch's unstable temperament, she could have even annihilated Thanos.
"Okay, I'll go back to the Academy to rest, then I'll go find them."
Seeing Arthur readily agree, Magneto excitedly grabbed Arthur's hand.
He promised that whenever Arthur needed it, the Brotherhood of Mutants would immediately provide support.
Stark and Stephen also showed relaxed smiles.
"Fate is a strange thing. It can bring us together so quickly."
"Khan, Captain and I will be waiting for you. Hope to see you soon."
After bidding farewell to the Avengers, Arthuropened a portal and took the X-Men back to the Academy.
He also had to say goodbye to Kitty and Clarice, so they could stay at the Academy with peace of mind.
Just as he was about to leave, Professor stopped him, and the two walked to the lawn to chat as before.
"Yan, you've really helped all of humanity a great deal this time. As long as the news spreads that Mutants resolved the crisis brought by ordinary people."
"I believe more people will recognize Mutants, and our situation will be much better in the future."
"It's just because the Academy saved me. My goal has always been only Stryker."
Arthur did not believe he was fighting for the people of the the US.
Professor seemed to hear the meaning in Arthur's words, and a momentary helplessness flashed across his face.
"Your ability shouldn't be replication, right? I've seen those Sentinels; after they replicate abilities, they can only use them for a short time."
"My ability is indeed replication, but the replicated abilities have no time limit."
Arthur saw that Professor had guessed something and immediately added a supplement to his previous excuse.
Professor also understood and did not ask further.
"Your ability has strong plasticity. You can find Jean; her Telekinesis is also a good ability."
"And this is also a request from me. Your mind is strong, and you can better guard that power."
Arthur caught on to something. Professor was asking him to replace Jean and control the Phoenix Force!
Jean's innate Telekinesis was very strong, no less than Professor's, with the potential to destroy the world.
After being chosen by the Phoenix Force, Jean became even more dangerous, and her subsequent blackening almost wiped out the Mutants.
The Phoenix Force, a Universe-level ability, should indeed be controlled by him.
"Okay, I will preserve that power well. I'll go find Jean now."
Arthur bid farewell to Professor and quickly found Jean, who was chatting with Wolverine, with a crestfallen Scott next to them.
"Jean, Professor asked me to talk to you about something. We need to find a quiet place."
Jean readily agreed and went with Arthur to a private room.
"What's wrong? Yan, you rarely come to talk to me."
Arthur disliked being with Mutants who could read minds, so he rarely interacted with Jean.
"Professor asked me to borrow something from you."
He smiled at Jean, simultaneously activating the Superpower Furnace.
[Successfully melted Jean's ability, generating a new ability — Telekinesis]
Chapter 68 Have you gained new abilities?
After Arthur refined the Telekinesis ability, before he could fully savor the power that allowed him to manipulate matter with pure will, the system's notification sound rang out in his mind once again.
Unlike the placid notifications he received when acquiring new abilities before, this time the prompt was unprecedentedly grave and urgent.
"Warning! Host's newly generated ability, Telekinesis, has touched upon the fundamental rules of the Universe, and is strongly attracting a world-ending power to inhabit it. Please prepare thoroughly, Host!"
"A world-ending power?"
Arthur's heart tightened, and before he could react, an indescribable, awe-inspiring power, grand enough to make one tremble, tore through the barriers of space and dimension, directly pouring into his body!
This power was both scorching and vast, as if a nascent star had explosively detonated within his body.
It wasn't merely energy; it was more like a living, primordial cosmic Storm with its own will.
It was filled with the duality of creation and destruction, possessing both the nurturing warmth of a cradle for all things and the merciless flames that could incinerate stars.
This was the Phoenix Force! The ultimate manifestation of cosmic life and psionic emotion!
"Ugh!"
Even though Arthur's current physique was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and had integrated numerous 強化 abilities such as Body of Steel and Healing Factor, he nearly collapsed under the impact of this violent power.
Countless fine golden cracks instantly appeared on the surface of his skin, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter, and golden flames burst forth from the cracks, rendering him into a burning statue.
Every cell in his body screamed, forcibly torn apart and annihilated by the Phoenix Force's scour, only to be reshaped and sublimated in an instant.
This extreme pain and rebirth were enough to turn anyone with an unstable mind into ashes or drive them completely insane in an instant.
The Phoenix Force was too overbearing; it attempted to take over Arthur's body, turning him into its puppet and vessel in the material world.
An ancient and vast will began to assault his mental barrier, attempting to completely erase his self-consciousness.
"Want to devour me? Dream on!"
At the brink of life and death, Arthur unleashed an astonishing will to survive.
He endured the excruciating pain of his body being torn apart, and immediately mobilized his most powerful psychic strength.
Telepathy!
His Omega-level psychic power was fully activated, constructing an indestructible mental fortress in his sea of consciousness.
The will of the Phoenix Force was like a towering tsunami, crashing against the fortress again and again, while Arthur's will transformed into the unyielding bedrock guarding the fortress, standing firm.
He couldn't retreat; once his mental defense line was breached, he would be doomed!
However, defense alone was far from enough. The Phoenix Force was rampaging within his body; if this continued, his physical body would explode before his mind was defeated.
Just at this critical moment, Arthur had an epiphany, remembering the ability he had just acquired.
Telekinesis!
The Phoenix Force is essentially a cosmic-level psionic energy, sharing the same origin as Telepathy and Telekinesis.
To suppress it, he had to fight it with its own rules!
"Give me… condense!"
With a thought from Arthur, the Telekinesis power, which had just been slightly unrefined, was pushed to its limit under the immense pressure of the Phoenix Force.
Invisible Telekinesis transformed into billions of resilient shackles, extending from every corner of his body, tightly binding the raging golden flames.
If Telepathy was contending with the Phoenix's soul, then Telekinesis was wrestling with the Phoenix's "body"!
When the Phoenix Force tried to erupt, Telekinesiscompressed it inwards.
When the Phoenix Force tried to crash, Telekinesis forcibly restrained it.
This was a tug-of-war, an ultimate contest of will and power.
Inside the room, strange phenomena suddenly occurred.
With Arthur, suspended in mid-air, as the center, the air violently twisted.
Tables, chairs, books, lamps—everything hummed, as if it could be crushed into powder by an invisible force at any moment.
Streaks of golden flames appeared out of thin air, outlining a phantom Phoenix with outstretched wings, about to take flight, only to be forcibly suppressed by powerful Telekinesis the next second, shrinking back into Arthur's body.
The entire Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters felt this heart-pounding energy fluctuation at that moment.
...
Jean Grey stood frozen in place; she was the only witness.
Just now, that terrifying power that had plagued her for countless days and nights, making her afraid, making her lost, and almost taking everything from her.
It had been forcibly extracted from the depths of her soul by Arthur in a way she couldn't comprehend.
She felt an unprecedented lightness, as if a traveler who had walked half her life bearing a mountain on her back had finally shed a thousand-pound burden.
But then, she saw the terrifying sight of Arthurenduring that power.
The golden flames, the painful expression, the energy Storm capable of tearing heaven and earth apart—it made her feel it deeply, chilling her to the bone.
She knew better than anyone how terrifying that power was.
She, merely as a vessel, had nearly collapsed multiple times, but Arthur not only completely absorbed it into his body, but even… was trying to tame it!
How… how was this possible?
Just as she was holding her breath for Arthur, the raging energy Storm miraculously subsided.
Arthur slowly opened his eyes; deep within them, a brilliant golden flame flickered and then vanished, resuming its usual depth.
All the golden cracks on his body healed, and the almost world-ending aura was forcibly suppressed and contained within him.
He remained suspended in the air, but only faint firelight flowed around him, like a divine weapon freshly quenched, its sharpness contained, yet appearing even more majestic.
"You… you… controlled it?"
Jean's voice trembled slightly, a mix of shock and unbelievable ecstasy.
"Temporarily suppressed it."
Arthur slowly descended to the ground, letting out a long breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"This thing is indeed a hot potato, but now, it's mine."
His tone was calm, but the confidence it contained gave Jean a strange sense of reassurance.
"Boom!"
The door was violently flung open by a great force, and Wolverine Logan was the first to rush in, his claws already extended, his face full of vigilance.
Following closely behind were Scott, Storm, Bobbi, Colossus, and a host of other X-Men.
Finally, Professor X also appeared at the doorway, driving his wheelchair, his expression grave.
"What happened?"
Logan growled, his animalistic intuition telling him that there had been a terrifying energy in the room just now that could have instantly vaporized him.
"Jean, are you okay?"
Scott also looked at Jean first, and when he saw her unharmed, merely looking at Arthur with a complex expression, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately, his gaze, like everyone else's, focused on Arthur.
"Oh my God, Yan, what is that on you?"
Bobbi, the Iceman, pointed at the still not completely dissipated firelight on Arthur's body, stammering.
Storm Ororo's expression was even more solemn; her perception of energy was the most acute.
"I feel… that power just now, it was as if the Universe itself was breathing."
"Yan, have you gained a new ability?"
Chapter 69 You are an army by yourself!
Arthur did not answer directly, only looking at everyone calmly.
Meanwhile, Professor X, his powerful Telepathy had already seen through everything.
He felt the familiar, raging Phoenix Force, and also Arthur's will, as solid as a Body of Steel, and the equally powerful Telekinesis used to restrain the Phoenix Force.
He understood; everything was as he wished, even more perfect than he had imagined.
"Yan, you succeeded."
Professor's voice carried a hint of emotion and relief.
"You did what I always worried Jean couldn't do—wield it, rather than be devoured by it."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the X-Mengasped.
They all knew that Jean had a terrifying power within her, something Professor had always helped suppress with a mental barrier.
Now, Professor meant that Arthur had… taken that power away? And even mastered it?
"Thank you, Yan."
Jean said sincerely, her eyes slightly red.
"Really, thank you."
This gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.
Only she knew what being free from the Phoenix Forcemeant to her. It was a salvation for her soul.
Arthur merely nodded to her, then looked at everyone, smiling faintly.
"It was nothing. But, it seems I made quite a commotion."
"Quite a commotion?"
Logan retracted his Bone Claws, walked up to Arthurgrumpily, and punched him on the shoulder, only to feel like he had hit a red-hot branding iron, making him grimace.
"Kid, what kind of monster are you, anyway?"
"One person's ability is enough to study for a lifetime, but you… a new one pops up every now and then, and each one is more outrageous than the last."
"Exactly!"
Bobbi echoed from the side, his face full of adoration.
"Cyclops, Telepathy, Weather Control, Magnetic Field, teleportation, and now Fire-breathing… My God, you're an army all by yourself!"
"An army of one?"
Arthur savored the phrase, raising his hand, and a wisp of golden Fire ignited with a "poof" in his palm. The Fire was incredibly agile, as if it had a life of its own.
He could feel that although the Phoenix Force was temporarily suppressed, it was already deeply bound to his Telekinesis ability.
Now, he not only possessed Jean's original Telekinesis but also the Phoenix Force, which could push Telekinesis to its extreme, even interfering with reality, manipulating atoms, and destroying the Universe.
Looking at the complex gazes of shock, awe, and a hint of curiosity from the X-Men before him, Arthur felt a sense of calm.
He knew that from this moment on, he had truly reached the pinnacle of power in this Universe.
Whether it was the conflicts on Earth or threats from the star sea, he had the confidence to face them head-on.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the X-Men, Arthur returned to his room. The process of forcibly suppressing the Phoenix Force, though perilous, had also allowed him to further his control over his own power.
Now, he needed to calm down, thoroughly digest this unexpected gift, and take stock of all the powers he now possessed.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and immersed his mind deep into his consciousness, where the ability list constructed by the system clearly appeared before him.
Host: Arthur
Acquired Abilities (23 in total):
Physical (8): Healing Factor, Bone Claws, Wild Burst, Laser, Clone, Mimic, Photon, Light Absorption
Psionic (3): Telepathy, Mastermind, Telekinesis
Field (5): Absolute Zero, Bioelectricity, Weather Control, Magnetic Field, Radiation
Elemental (4): Body of Steel, Fire Body, Water Body, Nuclear Fusion
Space-Time (3): Quantum Shuttle, Ghost, Different Dimension
Looking at these dazzling twenty-three abilities, Arthur couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Each ability represented a superhuman possibility, and now, they were all gathered within him.
From a transmigrator who initially could only rely on Healing Factor for survival, to a powerhouse who could now evoke the might of heaven and Earth with a mere wave of his hand, every step of this journey had been a climb up the ladder of power.
He specifically noticed that below the ability list, the system provided new rating annotations.
Omega Level Abilities (4): Telepathy, Telekinesis, Body of Steel, Absolute Zero
Quasi-Omega Level Abilities (19): All other abilities
So that's how it is.
Arthur suddenly understood. Omega level meant that the potential of that ability had been developed to an extreme, enough to affect the level of physical laws.
No wonder he could temporarily suppress the Phoenix Force with Telepathy and Telekinesis, because they themselves stood at the apex of the power pyramid.
However, merely "temporarily suppressing" was far from enough.
The Phoenix Force was like a wild beast imprisoned in a cage; although temporarily bound by chains, it was constantly struggling and roaring, trying to break free.
He could feel that the Phoenix Force within him was still restless, and every pulse beat was accompanied by a surge of scorching energy.
He had to find a more effective and thorough method to tame this divine Fire.
Otherwise, this power would not only be unusable by him but would also become a ticking time bomb, capable of blowing him to pieces at any moment.
"To completely suppress the Phoenix Force, I still need more Omega level abilities."
Arthur pondered.
The Phoenix Force represented ultimate motion and heat, an explosive manifestation of life energy.
Therefore, to suppress it, one needed ultimate stillness and cold, as well as an absolutely solid body.
His gaze fell on the other two Omega level abilities.
Body of Steel and Absolute Zero.
One granted him an indestructible physical body, while the other could create ultimate low temperatures that could freeze even time.
Theoretically, these two powers were the perfect combination to counter the Phoenix Force.
"That's it."
A glint flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath and began to mobilize the power within him.
First was the Body of Steel.
Silver streams of light permeated from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his entire body.
This was not simple metallization, but a deep reconstruction of matter.
Every atom of his body was being rearranged and combined into a perfect crystal lattice structure, forming a superhuman substance, magnetostrictive steel, far exceeding any known alloy on Earth.
A streamlined silver armor formed on his body surface; every joint, every inch of armor, gleamed with a cold and solid luster, as if it were the most perfect creation in the Universe.
Immediately after, Absolute Zero was activated.
An invisible chill spread out from him as the center.
The temperature in the room plummeted, and the water vapor in the air instantly condensed into ice crystals, falling to the ground.
But this was not ordinary cooling, but an absolute control over the laws of thermodynamics.
The space around him was approaching -273.15 degrees Celsius infinitely, a realm where even atomic motion would cease.
The surface of the magnetostrictive steel armor was covered with a thin layer of White frost, but this frost was not formed by condensed water vapor, but rather a manifestation of space itself being frozen.
Having completed all these preparations, Arthur felt an unprecedented sense of solidity and calmness.
His body, at this moment, was an Absolute Zero, impregnable fortress.
Chapter 70 Master the power of the Phoenix!
"Come out, let me see how capable you truly are."
With a thought, he actively relaxed his suppression of the Phoenix Force.
"Caww!"
A high-pitched phoenix cry seemed to resonate directly from the depths of his soul. The golden divine flame, long suppressed, erupted like a primordial beast breaking free from its cage!
The scorching golden flames instantly filled every corner of his body, attempting to completely melt the cage that dared to imprison it from within.
However, this time, it encountered an impenetrable barrier.
The magnetic Adamantium armor constructed by Body of Steel remained motionless, no matter how fiercely the flames, capable of melting stars, burned. They only caused ripples of energy on the inner surface of the armor, unable to shake its atomic structure in the slightest.
At the same time, the power of Absolute Zero fully unfolded.
The extreme cold transformed into an invisible net, engaging in a fierce confrontation with the intense heat of the Phoenix Force.
One cold, one hot, one still, one moving—two extreme forces reached a delicate balance within his body.
The golden flames no longer collided chaotically but, under the pressure of Absolute Zero, were forced to contract and condense.
That wild will also gradually lost its strength to resist under the combined suppression of Telepathy and Telekinesis.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Arthur sat like an old monk in meditation, quietly feeling the clash of ice and Fire within his body.
He found that during this process, his understanding of the Phoenix Force was deepening at an astonishing rate.
He was no longer simply suppressing it but began to try to guide and analyze it.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the wild golden flame completely quieted down.
It no longer struggled but gently floated in the center of his sea of consciousness, transforming into a sphere of light like a small sun, emitting stable and powerful energy.
Success!
Arthur slowly opened his eyes, and the magnetic Adamantium armor and the extreme cold field on his body simultaneously dissipated.
He could feel that the Phoenix Force had completely submitted, becoming a part of him that he could freely control.
From now on, he would truly be able to use this cosmic-level power, capable of bestowing life and instantly disintegrating all things.
To verify the power of this force, Arthur extended his right hand.
He activated Body of Steel, and its powerful ability gave him profound insight into the composition of matter.
Recalling the data on Adamantium from the Stryker base, with a thought, a gray metal block shimmering with metallic luster condensed out of thin air in his palm.
This was one of the hardest metals on Earth, raw Adamantium.
Then, he carefully drew out a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of the Phoenix Force from his body, like a thin golden thread, and gently touched it to the Adamantium block.
There was no explosion, no loud noise.
The moment the golden thread touched the metal, the indestructible Adamantium block dissolved silently, like snow exposed to sunlight.
It did not turn into liquid, nor did it turn into gas; instead, it was directly decomposed at the atomic level, completely annihilated, leaving only a small pinch of powder finer than dust, which slipped from his fingers.
"What overbearing power…"
Arthur was secretly astonished.
This was true destruction.
Ignoring hardness, ignoring structure, directly erasing its existence from its very root.
He then carefully guided that wisp of Phoenix Force onto the magnetic Adamantium armor on his left arm.
The silver armor merely trembled slightly, and a golden ripple appeared on its surface, then nothing else happened.
The armor's structure remained stable, with no sign of dissipation.
Arthur understood.
Although the Phoenix Force's decomposition ability was powerful, it was not insurmountable.
As long as the target's energy level or material structure could reach a level capable of resisting it, it could be defended against.
His magnetic Adamantium armor, as a product of Omega-level Body of Steel, clearly met this standard.
"It seems that the Phoenix Force's effectiveness will be greatly reduced when used against Omega-level opponents of the same caliber."
"But when used against beings that haven't reached the Omega level, it's an absolute instant kill."
He finally had a clear understanding of the Phoenix Force's power. This was undoubtedly his most powerful offensive means to date.
Having resolved a major concern, Arthur felt a wave of relief wash over him.
After resting for a few days at the academy and completely integrating the Phoenix Force, Arthur set off for New York.
He had promised Magneto that he would bring his ill-fated children—Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver—back to him. This was both a favor and an excellent opportunity for him to get close to Chaos magic.
He did not take any transportation.
For him now, distances on Earth had long lost their meaning.
His figure transformed into a dazzling stream of light, and Arthur shot straight into the sky. The ground rapidly shrank beneath his feet, cities like checkerboards, mountains like veins, clearly presented before his eyes.
He did not travel at full speed but enjoyed the feeling of freedom that transcended Heaven and Earth.
The wind whistled past his ears but could not disturb him in the slightest; an invisible Nian Dong (Telekinesis) field isolated all obstacles.
In just a few minutes, New York's world-famous steel jungle was already in sight.
And the most prominent among them was undoubtedly the former Stark Tower, now the Avengers Tower.
The giant "A" logo shimmered in the sunlight, signifying its extraordinary status as the headquarters of Earth's Guardian.
Arthur did not choose to enter through the main entrance or the helipad; that was too conventional.
His figure flickered, and he silently passed through the glass curtain wall of the observation deck on the top floor of the building, like a non-existent ghost, without triggering any alarms.
As soon as he stepped inside the building, a fierce argument reached his ears.
"...No, Tony! This is absolutely not going to happen! We can't do this!"
A voice, suppressing anger yet full of anxiety, sounded. Arthur recognized it as Doctor Bruce Banner.
"Why not? Bruce, open your eyes and look!"
Another voice immediately retorted, filled with Tony Stark's unique passionate, confident, and even slightly arrogant tone.
"We just went through a war that almost destroyed the world! Stryker and his Sentinels were just an appetizer! How many more threats are there in the Universe that we don't know about?"
"We can't always wait for enemies to come knocking, then rely on a big guy, an old ice cube, a mythical figure, and you, my friend, to transform at the critical moment and clean up the mess!"
"We need a… a global armor!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, his steps unpaused, and followed the sound towards the inner laboratory.
A playful smile played on his lips.
"Global armor?"
He was all too familiar with that phrase.
"The armor you're talking about is based on that thing we analyzed from scepter, right?"
Banner's voice was filled with worry.
"Tony, that thing isn't Earth technology!"
"Its structure… it's like a neural network with consciousness. We don't understand its essence at all. You're opening Pandora's box!"
"Science is about exploring the unknown, Bruce!"
Tony's tone rose higher.
"We are touching the door of a new era! An era where peace is guarded by powerful, neutral, and absolutely rational artificial intelligence!"
"Imagine an unwearying, unbiased, omnipresent Guardian."
"With it, we can retire, we can live our own lives. Isn't that what we all want? Peace in our time!"
Arthur had already reached the laboratory door. Through the glass wall, he saw Tony gesticulating wildly, describing his grand blueprint to Banner.
And on the experimental table between them, Loki's scepter, embedded with the Mind Stone, lay quietly, emitting a faint blue light.