"That's just a Child, what in the World are these damn bastards going to do to her?" Ororo couldn't help but ask when she saw the scene in the mirror. However, her answer was a sneer from Magneto's side.
"Is a guy whom these bastards consider a demon just a Child in your eyes? It seems you really are a qualified teacher."
Ororo's expression turned cold and she stopped speaking, but in her heart, she had already taken notice of this Child named Airesha.
"Unfortunately, this person's memory still doesn't have Professor Charles's situation," Jean sighed, the absence of the Professor's whereabouts making her worry even heavier.
"No, Darling," Magneto smiled slightly at this moment. "This might be the only good news we see. They definitely haven't controlled Charles yet, otherwise, he should exist in this person's memory."
"Stryker only has one reason not to let his Soldiers see Charles: Charles still retains his self. Stryker doesn't have the courage to let his Soldiers face my old friend. And this is our chance!"
Magneto's words gave many people confidence. The enemy losing one of its most deterrent presences was definitely exhilarating news for these Mutants. However, not everyone thought this way.
Quicksilver pouted, seemingly wanting to say something. But before he could open his mouth, he felt someone pull him. He looked back and saw his sister gently shaking her head at him from behind.
Pietro paused, then finally chose to silently stand beside Wanda.
Magneto's words might not be true, but this speculation could re-energize these Mutants. And these re-energized Mutants would serve as their vanguard, testing the dangers ahead for them. So, why stop them?
Pietro, understanding the implicit meaning, no longer chose to object. And this was exactly what Magneto wanted to see.
"Very good, I think we just need to wait for the final reinforcements to arrive, and then we can begin." Magneto, with no one left to oppose him, clasped his hands and fixed his gaze upon the dam.
He had a premonition that this might be the best opportunity.
At this moment, Zhou Yi's voice came from above him.
"No need to wait, I've already arrived." A black-clad Dawn Knight silently descended, stopping on a branch above them. It was clear he had been there for some time.
"You've become even stronger, Dawn Knight." Magneto's pupils suddenly constricted, revealing the turmoil in his heart. "My magnetic field sense can no longer detect you, I must say. You've truly given me too many surprises."
"That's not good news for you, is it?" Zhou Yi retorted unceremoniously, not at all hiding his hostility towards Magneto.
"That's all for later, isn't it? After all this is over, we will get the understanding you desire." Concealing his expression, Magneto replied as calm as Water. It seemed he had made all preparations.
To this, Zhou Yi gave no reply. He believed that silence sometimes expressed one's determination better than elaborate words.
Seeing Zhou Yi's silent reaction, Magneto, with inexplicable emotions in his heart, waved his hand and said to the elite Mutants under his command.
"This is our most important battle. Perhaps some of you will die in this battle. But if you don't fight, then all Mutants, including yourselves, will face the fate of extinction. Our dreams, our future, will all turn to ashes in the hands of those humans. So, although sacrifice is inevitable, all our compatriots will remember your contributions and sacrifices. May God bless you, Children!"
The treatment Mutants had always received had given them a distorted prejudice about their own identity. They were the most indifferent group of people, and also the most easily incited. Having experienced many unfair treatments, they would easily do things that humans would consider extreme. This was especially prominent among Magneto's subordinates.
They could fearlessly sacrifice their lives for a lie, a goal woven by Magneto. It must be said this was foolish, but it was also terrifying. Sometimes, one had to admit that the reason Mutants could still exist in this World had a lot to do with the contributions of the Brotherhood of Mutants led by Magneto. It could be said that, from the perspective of the Mutant World, the Brotherhood of Mutants played a far greater role than Professor Charles's school.
Therefore, when Magneto, with such a tone, demanded that they fight and sacrifice for the survival of Mutants, there was no dissenting voice among this group. They had already made this realization, or rather, they had accepted Magneto's ideology. The ideology of sacrificing everything for the sake of the race.
"Wanda, Pietro. Help them open the door!" Magneto commanded indifferently. At his command, Quicksilver took Wanda's hand and, in an instant, transformed into a silver Shadow of light, disappearing into the crowd.
Having read the Soldiers' memories, they could easily find the hidden Base's door, and how to open it was no problem for Wanda, who possessed unfathomable abilities.
Watching the Mutant elites shuttle through the forest in groups, heading towards the dam, Magneto smiled slightly and took a step forward. Metal elements from underground, like countless flying gnats, drilled out of the moist soil in the forest, forming a flat metal disc beneath his feet.
When Magneto's feet stepped onto this metal disc, an invisible force propelled it, carrying Magneto swiftly towards the dam.
From this, one could see the profound power of this Mutant King. Under his ability, most things in this World could become a manifestation of his power. It was not limited to those terrifying, World-destroying ultimate moves, but was also reflected in these ubiquitous subtle details.
According to Chinese Wuxia, he had almost reached the level where all things in Heaven and Earth could be his sword. For him, his ability was his sword, and in the application of his ability, he was indeed a true Great Grandmaster.
Ororo glanced at Zhou Yi, who stood still without any reaction, bit her lip, and then activated her own ability. A strong wind immediately rose, lifting her body and allowing her to follow closely behind Magneto, embraced by the storm and lightning.
Unlike those Mutants who had been Gu by Magneto, Ororo, who had always only agreed with Professor Charles's ideology, saw the current situation very clearly. So she also understood one thing: only by following behind Magneto would she not become a disposable pawn in his hands.
Unlike Ororo's fortitude, Jean Grey's tormented inner self at this time made her unable to reach Ororo's level. Ororo's pride and strength allowed her to stand in opposition to Zhou Yi on this matter, but she did not have that courage. Neither this her nor that her could endure such torment.
"Yi..." But when the words reached her lips, Jean felt an awkwardness of having a thousand words stuck in her heart but unable to utter them. She really didn't know how to express her inner feelings. She wanted to completely lower her head, but was afraid of being looked down upon. She wanted to express something proudly, but did not have the courage. Countless words mixed with countless emotions, causing her entire being to fall into an inexplicable panic and anxiety.
Feeling Jean's mental instability, Zhou Yi subconsciously took a step forward. But in the end, he steeled himself and stopped his movement. His feelings for them hadn't changed, but that didn't mean he could forgive them so easily. Some things needed to be experienced before they could be forgiven, and what he was sure of now was that they still needed more time and space to clearly see this relationship.
So he reached out and interrupted Jean Grey's words, replying with a coldness the color of his black armor.
"Jean, I think we need more time for each other to clear our heads. I believe, not now!"
After speaking, Zhou Yi quickly ascended into the air, disappearing into the clouds. He would not act with Magneto and the others, because he had his own plan awaiting implementation.
And upon hearing Zhou Yi's cold words, a sense of suffocation immediately surged into her heart. The mental impact instantly paled her face, and her body began to sway. And in her spiritual World, the agitation created by the Dark Phoenix was far more terrifying than her outward manifestation.
Madness, anger, fear, resentment, sadness. All extreme emotions roared and surged within Jean Grey's mental cage. Charles's power was diminishing, or rather, under this extreme emotion, the Incarnation of Phoenix began to grow stronger and stronger, to a degree where even Charles's power could no longer restrain her.
And no one knew about this, not even Jean's true self understood much. With her mind already in a state of silence, she walked alone on the Dao leading to the battlefield. No one noticed her, or rather, no one dared to look directly at her at this moment. Because at this moment, looking directly at her was as terrifying as looking directly into the most desperate abyss.
Those whose mental defenses were not firm enough would have all their consciousness submerged by mad emotions in an instant, becoming irrational lunatics and pitiful creatures dominated by fear and despair. And this was just one of the anomalies she was currently displaying.
As she walked step by step into the forest, the entire forest began to grow quiet. Whether it was animals, plants, or sound itself, everything began to inexplicably dissipate. In the air, leaves, wood chips, soil, and sand drifted up, and just like in Paris, they were all decomposed into countless tiny particles, swirling around Jean.
Every place she walked through became a place of Death. It was as if she herself had become the Incarnation of destruction. And for her, it was only the beginning.