Erik Lehnsherr let out a cold laugh.
"Isn't this simply humanity's ignorance and weakness? They're like lost lambs, desperate for the guidance of the strong. To put it bluntly—they're pathetic. You've all seen it yourselves. A scumbag like Homelander can still be adored by the public. If that doesn't prove my point, what does?"
Homelander had been enjoying the argument from the sidelines, amused by the conflict—until the fire suddenly turned on him. His expression darkened at once.
Tony Stark smacked his lips.
"Alright, alright, Erik. Looks like neither of us is going to convince the other. But your way of doing things? It never ends well."
Back in the future footage, as Moira secretly photographed the cult's ritual, the sunlight outside shifted. It streamed down the underground passage and landed squarely on the golden pyramid-shaped spire.
From earlier footage, the players already knew that this golden spire functioned as a kind of signal receiver—specifically designed to power En Sabah Nur's reincarnation ritual. Three thousand years ago, it was the interruption of that ritual that caused him to fall into dormancy.
Now, with sunlight once again striking the golden spire, everyone present—including the cultists and Moira—saw it begin to glow.
The cultists, unaware of the danger, continued chanting loudly:
"En Sabah Nur! En Sabah Nur!"
Moira, who had accidentally opened the passage, also had no idea what was happening. Driven by curiosity, she stepped closer and examined the golden spire carefully.
None of them knew that beneath the spire, En Sabah Nur—entombed for over three thousand years—had suddenly opened his eyes.
The ancient relic from three millennia ago had awakened.
Naturally, the disturbance was enormous. As the first mutant in human history, En Sabah Nur cared deeply about spectacle. Even while lying on the stone slab, he began gathering energy, waves of purple power rapidly accumulating.
At the same time, the entire underground chamber showed signs of collapse.
The cultists and Moira finally sensed the danger and rushed toward the exit. The cultists reacted too slowly and lagged behind, while Moira was just one step away from escaping.
At that very moment, En Sabah Nur detonated the energy he had gathered.
A violent tremor erupted from deep underground. Broken stones surged outward like a torrential storm, blasting through the passage!
The shock wasn't confined to Cairo alone—it rippled outward, reaching distant places. Even the factory where Erik Lehnsherr was living in hiding felt the impact.
It was this localized earthquake that caused heavy equipment to collapse. Seeing a worker about to be crushed, Erik Lehnsherr acted on instinct, revealing his mutant powers to save the man's life.
The footage ended there.
The events that followed were already known to the players.
Erik Lehnsherr's act of kindness was not rewarded. Instead, it led directly to the deaths of his wife and daughter.
In the Eternal Space, Bruce Banner sighed.
"This is a textbook example of the butterfly effect—a small earthquake that ultimately caused Erik's tragedy."
Natasha Romanoff shook her head.
"Before this, I never imagined there could be such a connection between these events."
Erik Lehnsherr stared silently at the light screen, lips pressed tightly together, his emotions clearly turbulent.
He hadn't expected his future tragedy to originate from a seemingly insignificant incident thousands of miles away. If Moira hadn't acted recklessly, En Sabah Nur wouldn't have awakened at that moment. Without that awakening, there would have been no earthquake—and perhaps his quiet, peaceful life could have continued.
"No," Erik said inwardly, quickly hardening his resolve.
"That kind of life was fragile to begin with. What good is hiding? Living in constant fear doesn't eliminate danger. Even if this hadn't happened, some other accident would have."
He reaffirmed his belief:
"The struggle between mutants and humans over survival is the true root of all conflict! Unless mutants leave this world entirely…"
This was also the solution proposed by the Multiverse Defenders. The mutant issue was a massive problem—one that went far beyond simple discrimination. Prejudice was merely the surface; at its core was a struggle between two races competing for survival and resources.
In such a conflict, unless one side completely exits the stage, the outcome would always be mutual destruction.
At that moment, new text appeared on the light screen:
[Which of the following foresaw that En Sabah Nur would bring disaster to the world?]
[A: Charles Xavier]
[B: Raven Darkhölme]
[C: Hank McCoy]
[D: Jean Grey]
Homelander crossed his arms and cracked his neck.
"Two more unfamiliar names. The quiz game will introduce them, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the light screen began playing introduction clips. Since Charles Xavier and Raven had already been introduced earlier, only Hank McCoy and Jean Grey were presented this time.
Hank McCoy—codenamed Beast—possessed the ability to transform into a blue-furred, lion-like humanoid creature. He was incredibly strong and had animal-like instincts.
The introduction clip showed him fighting Wolverine—a brutal clash between two powerhouses that was surprisingly entertaining to watch.
Next was Jean Grey.
She was a mutant born with extraordinarily powerful abilities. As a child, she lost control of her powers and accidentally caused her parents' deaths. She was later discovered by Charles Xavier and brought to his school for training.
Jean Grey's abilities resembled Xavier's in some ways. She possessed telepathy, telekinesis, and long-range manipulation of objects. In short, she was a mutant with tremendous potential.
After the introductions ended, the players exchanged glances.
Tony Stark said thoughtfully,
"I remember Jean Grey. In the future, she becomes Charles Xavier's prized student and represents him in negotiations with politicians in Congress."
Erik Lehnsherr sneered.
"Charles trains his students with those naïve ideals—it only ends up harming them."
Natasha Romanoff commented,
"Option D's mutant is extremely powerful, but nothing suggests she can actually foresee the future."
Tony Stark shrugged.
"None of the other options have clear precognition abilities either. This one's a guess."
No sooner had he finished speaking than new text appeared:
[Answer countdown has begun.]
Clearly, the system had no intention of giving them much time to think.
Faced with a question they weren't confident about, the players waited until the final second to press the buzzer.
This time, the right to answer went to Homelander.
Now unable to follow anyone else, he examined the four options carefully and frowned before making his choice:
[Answer selected: D — Jean Grey]
From the introduction alone, Jean Grey's abilities were overwhelmingly powerful—perhaps she could vaguely sense the future as well?
___
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