Arc stepped forward, cracking her knuckles with a grin that screamed arrogance. "Not bad, kid. You've got guts. Let's see if the big bad Captain X-Men is really as strong as the rumors."
Her chin tilted high, her sunglasses glinting even in the dull light. The air around her thrummed with electric energy. She looked at me like I was some stray dog that wandered into her arena.
Confidence? No—delusion.
I shrugged. "So-so. But it's enough to mop the floor with you lot."
Her smirk faltered for half a second. I raised a hand, wiggling a finger. "Last chance. Surrender nicely before I accidentally break something important."
Her expression went cold. "Then let's see if you've got the ability to back up that mouth!"
The air snapped. Sparks flared from her fists, crackling with pale-blue energy that made the ground tremble.
[Warning: Energy build-up detected. Threat level: A-.]
"Yeah, no kidding, Shion," I muttered.
"Do it!" Gambit roared.
The room erupted. Gambit, Erica, and the rest of the Brotherhood launched forward, their powers flaring like fireworks. Fire, steel, and pure chaos came crashing down around me.
"Gwen!" I shouted, flipping backward as Arc's punch detonated where I'd just been standing. "Handle crowd control! I'll deal with the muscle!"
"On it!" Gwen's voice cut through the smoke.
I spun mid-air, already forming seals. That energy feels off… she's not just throwing punches.
A pulse hit me before I could land. My skin prickled. Invisible force—soundwave? Vibration?
"Tch. So it really is Shockwave. Twice as annoying as last time."
Earth Style: Earth Wall!
The ground surged up in front of me, rock forming a jagged barrier. Arc's blast slammed into it with a thunderclap, shaking the whole basement like a bomb had gone off. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Then—flash of silver.
Two steel forks came flying through the debris.
"Die, you brat!" Erica screamed, rushing me with wild eyes. Her speed wasn't bad—definitely trained. Every strike aimed at a vital point.
Her weapons clanged against my guard as I countered, fists meeting steel.
"I'll admit, you're fast," I said through gritted teeth. "No wonder you slipped away from Gwen last night. Quicksilver must've rubbed off on you."
Her face twisted with fury. "Don't you dare mock me!"
She lunged again, faster—her strength peaking with desperation.
"Shadow Leaf Dance!"
I blurred out of sight, appearing behind her before she could blink. My kick connected first, followed by a flurry of strikes that rattled the air. Erica's body hit the far wall with a sickening crack, her twin forks clattering to the floor.
She was out cold before she even slid down.
"Didn't I say this one was mine?" Arc snapped, fury crackling in every word. Her fist blazed as she charged again, firing shockwaves straight at me.
"Fine," I said, letting the sand armor coat my skin. "Let's see who breaks first."
I didn't dodge. I rushed through the shockwave, sand flaring off me like molten sparks. The look on her face when I closed the distance? Priceless.
"Since you're so proud of your strength—" I drew my arm back, chakra bursting through my veins, "—take a punch and find out what real power feels like!"
Tsunade-Style: Monster Strength Fist!
Our fists met. The explosion swallowed everything.
The floor split, concrete shattered, and a wave of dust blew through the entire shelter like a hurricane.
When the smoke cleared, Arc was crumpled against a broken wall, her arm bent at an impossible angle. She tried to stand, pain twisting her face, but even she couldn't hide the fear behind her eyes.
Gambit's voice broke through the silence, half-crazed. "Don't just stand there! Hit him—NOW!"
He flicked a dozen glowing cards at me, each one humming with kinetic charge.
[Danger: Multiple projectiles incoming.]
"Yeah, yeah."
I moved. The world blurred. Every explosion went off behind me, the shockwaves chasing but never catching up. When I stopped, the entire room was smoke and ruin.
The shelter mutant looked over, jaw dropping. "What the hell are you idiots doing?! So many of you, and you still can't handle one guy!?"
He barely finished the sentence before Gwen's web shot across the room, wrapping him up like a Christmas present.
"Maybe because," she said, voice calm but smug, "you picked the wrong guy to mess with."
The cocooned mutant thrashed once, then stopped.
"Nice teamwork," I said, landing beside her.
She flashed a grin. "Heh. You're damn right."
I glanced around the wreckage—cracked floors, fallen beams, the faint hum of my system recharging. The Brotherhood was done for, and Arc? She wouldn't be lifting weights anytime soon.
"Guess that's a wrap," I muttered.
[Mission Update: Host's combat dominance established. XP +8000.]
"About time," I said. "Now, let's go find the next headache."
...
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