Charles used his telepathic abilities to control Sebastian Shaw, freezing him in place. However, in doing so, Charles also shared Shaw's senses.
Erik wanted to kill Shaw, but Charles would experience the pain of death as if it were happening to him.
Watching death approach was torturous.
More importantly, Charles was powerless to stop it. Perhaps Erik didn't fully understand the extent of Charles' abilities, or maybe he knew and simply didn't care.
Either way, Erik's intent to kill didn't waver in the slightest. When he counted to three, the coin flew into Shaw's forehead, slowly sinking in.
Shaw remained still, making no sound of agony. But Charles, drenched in cold sweat, screamed in pain! You couldn't blame him for not being tough enough— even Logan, watching from outside the light screen, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine at the sight.
Peter, watching the footage, took a step back as if the coin had been aimed at his own forehead.
Seeing Charles screaming in agony, peter broke out in a cold sweat, shaking his head, "Oh my God, this is insane... Professor X is in more pain than Shaw!"
The human brain is incredibly fragile. When the coin entered Shaw's, he probably lost consciousness almost instantly. But Charles wasn't so lucky.
His mind was still tethered to Shaw's. Perhaps Charles feared that Shaw wouldn't die so easily, so he maintained his control, worried Shaw might launch one last attack in his death throes.
After all, the powers Shaw had shown were nearly invincible in some ways. There was no guarantee he couldn't use his ability to absorb damage even with a coin lodged in his brain. Thus, Charles didn't sever the connection and was forced to endure the excruciating pain.
The viewers outside the screen winced as they watched. When the camera cut to Charles, although he appeared physically unharmed, it seemed as though the coin had passed through his own head, entering from his forehead and exiting through the back. Charles had fully experienced a "death."
Luckily, it didn't last long. With the crisp sound of the coin falling to the ground, the pain finally ended.
Erik seemed unaware of Charles' suffering. Having personally killed his mortal enemy, his face didn't show the joy of long-awaited revenge. Instead, his eyes were moist, filled with sorrow.
But it wasn't for Shaw that Erik grieved. It was for himself—for the years of pain and obsession, for the memories he wished he could forget.
Logan glanced at Erik, who stood silently, his face emotionless but his eyes red. Logan spoke in a low voice, "Revenge leaves only emptiness, not real relief."
Erik scoffed at that. "Relief? You don't know what I want."
Erik's life had shaped his discontent with the laws and rules of human society, even bordering on hatred.
Laws and moral standards, while not always fair, did protect the majority of ordinary people, providing them with stability. Unfortunately, Erik had never benefited from this protection.
Before awakening his powers, he was a Jewish boy. His entire family was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, enduring endless torment. After the war, the Jewish people were vindicated, but Erik became a mutant.
His change in identity made it even harder for him to integrate into human society. The discrimination, fear, and hostility he faced became even more direct.
Since human society's laws and order never protected him, why should he shackle himself with such useless things?
Even as he saw the price of his revenge—Charles writhing in unbearable pain—Erik had no regrets. And he was certain the Erik in the video felt the same. No one could have stopped him from killing Shaw.
As for "relief," Erik didn't care. All he wanted was to end that chapter of pain and hatred. Only then could he begin a new life and pursue higher ideals.
In the video, Erik did just that. After killing Shaw, he used metal fragments to bind Shaw's wrists, stretching the body into a cruciform shape, which floated out of the damaged submarine.
Erik also floated in midair, and it seemed as if, in killing his sworn enemy, his powers had grown even stronger.
Outside the scene, Charles and the others were present, as were Angel, Azazel, and Riptide. All stared intently at the man and corpse hovering in the air. Erik presented Shaw's body like a trophy, displaying it before finally releasing it to fall to the ground.
Sebastian Shaw, the ambitious and ruthless mutant leader, was dead. Azazel and the others seemed at a loss. Erik slowly descended and began to try to convince them—or perhaps simply voiced his opinion: "Open your eyes, brothers and sisters. The real enemy is over there!"
He pointed toward the ocean. The American and Soviet warships hadn't left but continued circling the island. The clouds of war still loomed overhead. Yet it seemed both sides had reached some sort of tacit understanding, shifting their focus to the beach on this small island.
At that moment, the video paused, and a new question appeared on the screen:
[ Will the US and Soviet militaries join forces to attack the mutants on the island?]
[A: Yes
B: No.]
Outside the screen, Erik sneered, "An easy question, Logan. Don't tell me you'd pick B? Anyone with half a brain knows which option to choose."
Logan frowned. He didn't care for Erik's arrogant attitude, but he couldn't think of a way to refute him.
From the information revealed in the video, it wasn't hard to conclude that the conflict between humans and mutants was escalating. After witnessing the mutants' immense power during their internal battle, humans would undoubtedly view them as a major threat. Under such a looming "external" threat, even the hostile US and Soviet forces might find reason to unite.