(The Vault, Outer)
After being beaten and crushed on the mountain Magneto emerged from beneath the rocks, battered but fine. He pointed his hand at the colossal sentinel and crushed it. Just as an electromagnetic field could block his powers, he could overcome it if he exerted enough pressure.
"You've made me angry..."
Magneto was a proud man, but that made more sense when one understood the extent of his omega-level powers—capable of destroying the world by reversing the polarity of the poles, dragging a colossal weapon known as the Worldbreaker Bullet that was traveling at near-light speed from the other side of the solar system, and withstanding attacks powerful enough to annihilate the planet.
Reed silently observed Magneto as he destroyed a sentinel designed to block his powers. But Magneto didn't stop there. In a fit of rage, he sensed all the wounded mutants by the iron in their blood and controlled Reed's sentinels to help them.
Magneto did not stop his actions and compressed the colossal sentinel into a metal sphere and hurled it like a bullet toward Reed, but it flew past him. Reed turned and saw the projectile smash into the large black building, leaving a gaping hole.
"You aimed at the Vault?... That's impressive... but cruel—there are criminals and innocent guards inside."
"My people shed their blood; it's only fair that you suffer a little!"
Reed was unfazed by these events; however, this time, Magneto had caught his attention.
"Do you think I care if you kill everyone in there?... Nevertheless, you're more interesting than I thought..."
Magneto attempted to crush Reed Richards' force field but couldn't.
"You're different from other Magnetos... I can feel it... is it someone's influence?"
Magneto pointed his hand at the mountains and extracted metallic minerals from within, making them spin around him like an asteroid belt.
Reed remained indifferent to Magneto's actions. "Tell me, why did you come if you knew it was a trap, Max?"
Being called by the name Erik had long abandoned made him frown, though he didn't lose his composure. "Why? As simple as it sounds, to defend our blood!"
"Hahaha, and as a result, several mutants died!" Reed pulled a device from his pocket—a red button. When pressed, a satellite in space targeted Magneto and fired a massive energy beam.
...
"Wanda!" shouted Lorna.
"Pietro!" cried Wanda.
Wanda enveloped her brother in a red energy shield and flung him toward their father. Quicksilver immediately understood his sister's intentions. They couldn't stand being mere spectators, leaving everything in their father's hands.
"Hey, bastard, don't forget about us!"
Pietro leaped off the rocks that had risen under his father's power and accelerated as the beam descended. Since it was pure energy, it would reach Magneto in an instant, and as he had focused solely on attacking, there was no time to raise a shield strong enough to stop it.
Polaris, who shared abilities with Magneto, realized this and yelled to her sister, who instantly understood the situation.
"You've got good children..." Reed remarked indifferently, letting Quicksilver grab Magneto and get him out of the way as the massive beam pierced through the mountain.
"Damn you!"
Magneto was furious; he broke free from Pietro and attacked Reed with a massive electrical discharge, but it was blocked by the force field.
Reed scoffed, "Well, in the end, not all mutants are nameless faces that no one cares if they live or die!"
"Shut up!"
"No, I won't!"
The sentinels that Magneto had taken control of started moving rigidly. Erik realized he was losing control of them, and that was bad—many were holding unconscious and wounded mutants.
Reed's gaze dimmed with boredom, "Is this your limit?... you're proud and arrogant... you thought that just because they were made of metal, they couldn't escape your power. But I was already aware of your abilities and still used ferrous metals to build them. Do you know why?"
Erik did know: because they were made of metal, Erik would control them rather than destroy them outright... giving the sentinels time to "adapt" to the power of an omega mutant.
"Incompetent... do you think you're invincible?... Even I wouldn't dare claim that."
Erik's expression changed. Deep down, he had underestimated Reed, seeing him as a deranged kid, but from beginning to end, this entire battle had been in Reed's hands. How could a deranged kid outplay an omega mutant?
"How boring—you can't overcome my first trap, nor the second without help, and now you're defeated by your own arrogance..."
Reed had lost interest in Erik, meaning he would no longer waste his time.
...
Juggernaut, a massive three-meter-tall man, crushed the hundredth sentinel in his path, saving a mutant with pale green skin and frog-like features.
"Toad?! What the hell are you doing stuck among the rocks?! FIGHT!"
"I'm sorry! I panicked—DON'T EAT ME!" Toad apologized. His powers included enhanced strength, agility, a long prehensile tongue, and acidic secretions. He wasn't weak, but his personality was concerning.
"I'm not going to eat you... you'd taste like crap."
Toad laughed, unsure if it was a joke or if Juggernaut would actually eat him if he thought he'd taste good.
...
Fighting in a mountain was difficult, but luckily, Erik was aware of it, and by extracting the minerals from the mountain, he had rearranged the terrain to make it relatively flatter.
Sabretooth leaped onto a sentinel and ripped its head off. He was a well-known mutant with a savage appearance, muscular build, and feline traits, including long, sharp claws and fangs. His powers were similar to Logan's.
"Idiots, the terrain favors me!"
Sabertooth seemed unstoppable with his savage attacks, like a puma hunting its prey. However, a Sentinel began to chase after him, transforming into a giant metallic leopard. Sabertooth was stunned to see this, and the Sentinel leopard's claws tore into him.
"Ahhh... hahaha."
Sabertooth had a formidable healing factor, nearly on par with Wolverine's, so these wounds wouldn't kill him. However, the Sentinel's eyes began to glow as it processed information, trying to figure out how to kill him.
The Sentinel released Sabertooth sensing danger from behind, but it was already too late. He collapsed to the ground. And began to break into pieces. As the feral mutant saw who had saved him, he spotted Avalanche, dressed in a gray suit with blue accents.
"Thanks..."
"It's rare to see humility from you, Sabertooth, heh..." Avalanche chuckled, but his body was covered in wounds. His powers allowed him to generate seismic vibrations, enabling him to create earthquakes and disintegrate solid objects.
However, in a place like this, using his powers would kill his allies, so unlike Sabertooth, who benefited from the terrain, Avalanche was constrained. Of course, Sabertooth knew this and still helped him.
Sabertooth was a bloodthirsty savage who loved violence, but even someone like him could feel appreciation and a sense of debt toward others. He decided to protect Avalanche in this massacre.
...
A blind woman wearing a golden mask and a blue suit sat on the ground, clutching her head. She was Destiny. Her powers consisted of precognition, allowing her to foresee the future and anticipate movements.
However, she couldn't foresee anything that was happening—not Reed Richards' attack, not even the ability to use her powers.
"Why?!"
Blob frowned at the woman as he acted as a shield against the attacks. He was a large and obese mutant with an incredibly resilient and immovable body once he decided to stay in one place. His main power was invulnerability and superhuman strength.
"Can't you really use your powers?"
"No, it must be that guy fighting Magneto! He found a way to block my abilities... I'm sorry, it's my fault."
Magneto relied too much on Destiny's powers, and because of that, combined with his arrogance, he dared to go so boldly to the Vault.
"I hope Emma manages to contact that person..."
"Who are you talking about, Destiny?"
"Who else but the strongest mutant..."
"Hey, you'll anger a lot of people if they hear you say that..."
Destiny removed her mask, revealing her long brown hair. "Let them..."
Blob didn't know what else to do. His job had always been to protect Destiny because she always knew the path to victory, but now she seemed useless. Should he abandon her and leave?
Blob shook his head. The Brotherhood's members weren't exactly good people, but they at least understood loyalty.
...
The main battle core against the Sentinels was neither Juggernaut nor Sabertooth.
Dozens of Sentinels were lifted into the sky and destroyed by a single mutant floating in the air: Exodus.
He was a mutant with long black hair, usually dressed in a purple suit with a cape. He had multiple powers, such as telekinesis, telepathy, flight, and invulnerability, making him one of the most powerful mutants.
Exodus looked to the sky as Magneto fought Reed, and a laser shot from a Sentinel's chest pierced his stomach.
"I won't help you, Erik... this is your fight..."
He was also an Omega-level Mutant and thus could intervene in the main fight. However, he was a leader in his own right. The only reason for joining forces with Magneto was because of Apocalypse, a terrifying villain said to be the first mutant, although some believed there had been mutants since prehistoric times.
Apocalypse had manipulated Exodus, and it was Magneto who made him realize it. Together, they defeated Apocalypse.
Now, despite sharing Magneto's belief in mutant superiority, there was a difference. Magneto sought to impose himself on the rest of humanity, while Exodus believed it was better to isolate and find a nation for mutants. Wakanda and Latveria were clear examples that the only way to find a fair place for mutants was to create a country that fully accepted them.
Charles, on the opposing side, sought coexistence and acceptance, while Allen never distinguished between mutants and humans from the beginning, believing that they were ultimately just humans with different powers and traits.
Exodus had his differences with Magneto; if Magneto won, that was fine—his debt would be paid. But if he lost and died, Exodus could lead the Brotherhood to found a nation.
The idea of Exodus sounded good; the only problem was that at this point, all territories were occupied, so a nation would only be possible if the previous one was eliminated. Thus, Exodus was no messiah either.
"That boy... he's dangerous" muttered Exodo.
...
On another side of the battlefield, the sentinels were attacking each other.
Lady Mastermind, with blonde hair and wearing a military or leather-style outfit, could create extremely realistic illusions in the minds of her victims, allowing her to manipulate her opponents' perceptions. But she noticed that the Sentinels were starting to become immune to her power.
"This is bad!"
Unus the Untouchable crushed a Sentinel under a force field. He was a tall and muscular mutant who often wore tight clothing. He could generate an invisible force field that protected him from physical and energy attacks, making him practically untouchable.
"Don't worry girl, if things go south, I'll use my power to get everyone out!"
"Don't be arrogant..."
Lady Mastermind noticed that Unus also had a serious expression. Perhaps, deep down, he also felt that this battle was futile.
Lady looked up at the sky, tying her blonde hair into a ponytail as the cold wind bothered her. "Magneto, you have to win quickly; we won't be able to hold on much longer... Exodus isn't even giving his all... this is bad..."
...
Phantazia is a woman with a gothic appearance, long dark hair, and dressed in a black leather outfit.
Phantazia was a mutant who possessed the ability to detect and manipulate electromagnetic energy fields. She was able to sense, manipulate, and alter various areas and wavelengths of various forms of energy (which has been referred to her power as "harmonization"). Although the upper limits of her powers were not clearly defined, it was assumed that Phantazia could use her power to disrupt anything of an electromagnetic nature. By disrupting the electrical fields of machines, Phantazia could short-circuit them completely, or control them to some extent.
She was like Magento in that sense, but even she was losing control of the sentinels she had under control, so she felt fear. It was unpleasant, but you could feel Kally's malice and hatred in those sentinels.
"We need to retreat... or this will be a massacre..."
"Don't be a coward, Phantazia!" growled a tall, strong mutant woman with short or braided hair, usually dressed in tactical clothing. She was tearing a Sentinel in half. Her powers included superhuman strength, enhanced durability, and practically impenetrable skin.
"Shut up, Frenzy, you may have impenetrable skin, but I don't..."
"You're—huh?" Frenzy stopped her words midway through.
Phantazia's eyes widened as she watched Frenzy get impaled by a dark spear emerging from a Sentinel's chest. "They could do that?"
They could learn, adapt... and go even further, constantly evolving... the Sentinels were designed to neutralize mutant abilities, and with Reed Richards' enhancements, they were capable of evolving to find methods for themselves how to overcome a difficult situation.
"Urgh..." Frenzy pulled the spear out of her body, clutching her stomach.
A Sentinel's shadow loomed over her; she understood that these weren't just robots—they were machines specifically designed to kill them.
Frenzy felt fear...
Phantazia also felt fear and was distracted. Unfortunately, in war, this is a matter of life or death, and a Sentinel slipped from her control and attacked her.
"It was the end..."
"NOT YET!"
A giant kicked away the Sentinel that was about to kill Phantazia and crushed the one aiming for Frenzy.
It was Post, a mutant of great size, with an almost robotic appearance and blue skin. He possessed enhanced strength and durability, as well as the ability to generate energy blasts.
Post angrily charged into the sentinel army but was quickly surrounded by three colossal sentinels that appeared and proceeded to attack. Post created an energy explosion, but it was absorbed by the Sentinels. They overwhelmed Post, and one transformed its hand into a trident and pierced Post's chest.
"SHIT, AHHH!"
...
(Maybe too many new mutants? I don't know, it didn't seem right to make a war without many characters. 🍷🗿)
...
Wanda glanced away from her fellow mutants. Although she wanted to help them, she flew toward her father to aid him.
Pietro saved Magneto, but a laser shot from a gun held by Reed immediately followed.
"Ahhh!"
"Pietro!"
Wanda and Polaris screamed in fright. They failed to react in time.
Reed fired once more. Magneto created a shield, but it was pierced, and the shot hit his stomach.
"Urgh! Father!" shouted Pietro.
"Damn it!" Wanda's current power was akin to telekinesis. She seized Reed's shield and shattered it, then tried to crush Reed, but it was only a hologram.
"Impossible... it clearly had a bioelectric field," said Polaris in disbelief, flying beside her father and levitating Pietro.
Reed appeared elsewhere.
"What a lovely family..." Reed spoke with a cold, emotionless expression as if looking at lab rats rather than people.
"Lorna, take Pietro and leave...Wanda you too... I'll stay..."
"Magneto was resilient; he had endured an attack at Mach 5 without having his head blown off. A shot to the stomach wouldn't kill him, but it definitely hurt.
"Father?! Absolutely not!" Pietro immediately refused.
"But" Wanda refused.
"Go!"
"…" Lorna had a worried look. Unlike her father, she always sought a way to stop being Magneto's daughter and become her own person. Moreover, she didn't approve of many of her father's actions, but in the end, he was still her father. Even if one day they ended up on opposing sides, she wouldn't let him die.
"No!"
"Lorna… no, Polaris!" Magneto looked sternly at his daughter; at this rate, all mutants would die. They need someone. It's my responsibility—I brought them to hell, and I'll get them out!"
"How noble…"
Reed didn't interrupt them, but not because he was kind; he simply didn't even consider Magneto an opponent. Magneto was very powerful, but this Reed Richards was an anomaly, an error, or an impossibility. One could say that Magneto had bad luck and was born in the wrong universe.
"Boring…"
A portal opened behind Pietro. He moved quickly, but a flash enveloped him, and he was trapped inside an energy sphere.
"Pietro!" Wanda tried to free him, but her powers didn't work.
Reed shrugged, pulled out a gun, and shot at Wanda. She defended herself, but her shield was pierced, and she was hit. "If you were the Scarlet Witch, at least you'd be a nuisance… but now you're just a brat…"
Emma Frost appeared below and caught Wanda.
"Emma."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, thank You"
Emma looked at Wanda. She wasn't hurt, but her powers didn't seem to work; although it must be temporary, it was still terrifying that someone had the power to neutralize Wanda's powers.
Emma Frost stared at Reed Richards, he was a complete madman, and she could tell just by looking at him. However, he was very dangerous.
She hung up her phone...
Finally, contact had been made with Professor X. Emma was unable to make contact earlier because Charles Xavier was very cautious around Allen, even avoiding the use of his powers near him to prevent any misunderstanding of his intentions.
Currently, Logan, Beast, and Storm were on their way to the Vault, but it was unlikely they would arrive in time. It was a dire situation either way: if the mutants won, it would be disastrous for them, as they had attacked one of the world's most important prisons. If they lost, many mutants would die or be captured.
After being informed Charles had tried to reach Allen, but he had already disappeared.
...
"Reed Richards the missing genius..."
"Teleportation?" Reed raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall the White Queen having that power… or I see if you were the real one…"
Emma Frost was a fan of Allen, yet there are many Emma Frosts in the Chat because she is famous, and no one could say if it's the real one or not. After all, the Emma Frost of reality is cold, distant, haughty, and proud, while the most famous Emma Frost in The Chat was the type of obsessive and unconditional fan.
Emma Frost looked at Reed mockingly, "You're pathetic…"
Reed Definitive aimed at Emma and shot, but the energy from his shot stopped halfway and disintegrated.
At the same time, the sound of a step was heard behind him. Being in the air would only be possible if air or space were solidified.
Wanda's eyes slowly opened as she saw an expression of astonishment on Reed's face, which soon turned into fear.
The battlefield came to a halt; the Sentinels assessed the threats, and all flew toward Reed to protect him.
"What a time for a war… did you have to interrupt my class?"
Allen was standing behind Reed with a book in his hand. He closed his book, and instantly, the hundreds of Sentinels—many already evolved—were cut into pieces and fell like rain.
Reed stopped moving, but his dull eyes flashed; his opponent had returned. "That's right… only you are worthy, and only I can entertain you in this world!"
Reed turned around and extended his hands, holding two buttons. Allen cut off his arms. "Ahhh! Good decision!, one would destroy the vault!, and the other would detonate a bomb I have in my heart!–"
Allen used his hand to pierce Reed Richards' chest and extract his still-beating heart, covered in blood; however, it was an artificial heart.
Reed's heart exploded, enveloping Allen in a black-and-white mist.
"This will send you to the Negative Zone!!"
Reed's body began to regenerate.
"..." Allen watched Reed until his body was swallowed up in the trap that sent him to the Negative Zone.
Reed laughed but immediately turned to the others. "Haha, well, that will give me a few seconds to finish you all off and then…-"
A crack appeared in the space… and the head of a green humanoid insect flew past Reed Richards. "To be honest, I thought Annihilus would last longer…" Reed shook his head, stretching his arms as he mocked, "I guess they don't make universal threats like they used to."
Reed laughed, but his gaze also showed irritation, "Even I couldn't imagine seeing someone come out of the Negative Zone with their bare hands…"
Allen's fingers emerged from the dimensional rift as he forcefully opened it…
"That doesn't even make sense, hahaha!"
Reed gave in and pulled another button from his lab coat. At the same time, Allen's silver eye looked at him through the slowly opening rift.
"Let's dance!… The Strongest!"
"I don't like the idea of dancing with a man but...go ahead..." Allen's eyes turned red, "Show me what you've got... The Smartest..."
====
A/N: The Strongest against The Smartest, I love the sound of that. 🍷🗿
PS: Even if he exists because of my fault it makes me want to punch Reed in the face XD
My new patreon is: Patreon.com/_Aizen