Soviet Union, Moscow – Red Square.
Countless armored vehicles moved back and forth, transporting various types of missiles like ants carrying supplies.
At the center of the Soviet army, the Black King stood, his body enveloped in a golden energy aura,
His voice echoing across the entire world.
"X-Men, don't you call yourselves the saviors and superheroes of mankind? In that case—come and stop me.
This time, I will go to New York in person. I will make you X-Men feel the wrath of the world's strongest mutant.
I will make you, a bunch of Jokers—traitors to mutants—experience shame, experience despair.
Experience death!!
X-Men, your doomsday has arrived."
Black King Shaw's voice rumbled like rolling thunder, carrying across the entire globe.
His words were filled with seething rage and unhinged madness.
The X-Men had destroyed his plan to reshape the world in an instant nuclear inferno.
They had set fire to his vision of a mutant-led future.
Now, the Black King burned with only one desire—
To tear the X-Men to pieces.
With Black King Shaw's declaration of war, the world—having enjoyed only a few hours of peace—was once again plunged into panic.
Especially in New York, where the citizens fell into complete hysteria.
At that moment, inside the Cerebro Enhancement Room at Xavier's Manor, Professor X, Magneto, and Brian listened to Black King Shaw's war declaration.
Aside from Brian, both Professor X and Magneto's faces turned pale with shock.
"Fuck—Black King Shaw wants to turn himself into a nuclear bomb!"
As someone who had followed Black King Shaw since childhood, Magneto immediately understood his former leader's plan.
That fucker, Sabastian Shaw was going to turn himself into a living nuclear warhead.
Once in New York, he would detonate the massive energy stored in his body—
Unleashing a nuclear-level explosion capable of wiping the city off the map.
With sheer unstoppable power, he intended to reduce New York to ashes.
Professor X took a deep breath, stunned by the sheer madness of Black King Shaw's plan.
Black King Shaw actually intended to turn himself into a walking, self-propelled nuclear bomb—
And then obliterate all of New York in an act of pure vengeance.
"This Sabastian Shaw—he's completely insane."
Professor X spoke with difficulty, his voice trembling.
Even Brian had to admit—this was next-level insanity.
Who needed a nuclear bomb when Black King Shaw himself was one?
As long as he absorbed enough energy, he became a living nuclear weapon.
And worse—he wasn't just a one-time bomb.
His mutant ability allowed him to reabsorb energy even after detonating,
Meaning he could trigger nuclear-level explosions repeatedly.
An infinite loop of devastation.
No matter how many times he detonated himself, his ability made him completely immune to nuclear explosions.
At this moment, the world's strongest mutant was displaying a power that could shatter the world itself.
"Now—how do we stop Black King Shaw?"
Professor X and Magneto exchanged tense glances.
The euphoria of being hailed as saviors just moments ago had completely vanished.
At this moment, fear was the only thing in their hearts.
The sheer shock and pressure brought by Black King Shaw were overwhelming.
That was why they had no idea how to stop him.
"Brian, do you have a plan?"
Professor X turned to Brian, who remained calm as always, hoping he could come up with a way to counter Black King Shaw.
"Ah.. I'm sorry, Charles, but I don't have a way to defeat Black King Shaw,"
Brian admitted, spreading his hands.
At this stage, Black King Shaw was practically invincible.
His ability to absorb any form of energy made him immune to all physical attacks, except for mental powers.
Even Brian could only fight him on equal footing neither could kill the other.
Right now, the two most unkillable mutants in the world were Brian and Black King Shaw.
This was exactly why Brian had worked so hard to join the X-Men.
Because, on his own, he simply couldn't defeat Black King Shaw.
He needed the combined strength of Professor X and Magneto to contain him.
Then, Brian planned to wait for the right moment to unexpectedly remove Black King Shaw's mental protection helmet—
Allowing Professor X to temporarily control him with mental power.
Only by doing this would Brian have a chance to kill Black King Shaw.
"Facing the strongest mutant in the world, We only have two choices.
The first choice is to flee New York, hide our identities, and live in fear.
The second choice is to face Black King Shaw head-on, fight to the death... And maybe, just maybe, we'll have a sliver of hope to win."
Brian's calm yet decisive words made Professor X and the others look resolute.
Running away was not an option!
Neither Professor X nor Magneto were the kind of people who would flee at the last moment.
That meant there was only one path forward!
A direct confrontation.
"This is the first true war of the X-Men. And it may also be our last."
Professor X's tone was heavy with unspoken weight.
Strictly speaking, this was indeed the X-Men's first real war.
All their previous encounters had been nothing more than small skirmishes in comparison.
With that realization, Brian, Professor X, and Magneto began strategizing on how to defeat Black King Shaw.
To ensure that the X-Men had as few constraints as possible in the upcoming battle, the first priority was to evacuate the people of New York.
Professor X was particularly concerned about this.
To facilitate the fastest possible evacuation, he immediately turned to the Cerebro Enhancement Room and put on the helmet of the brainwave enhancer.
In an instant, his mind connected with every individual in New York City.
Then, Professor X began broadcasting his message directly into their minds.
—"People of New York City, I am Professor X, leader of the X-Men.
I have unfortunate news to share—Black King Shaw is planning to detonate himself in New York.
For your safety, I urge you to evacuate the city immediately."—
Every person in New York City received Professor X's telepathic warning.
The moment they learned that Black King Shaw intended to transform himself into a living nuclear bomb, panic erupted across the city.
A mass exodus began—citizens scrambled to flee New York.
Chaos overtook the streets.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Just as people rushed around like ants on a hot pan, consumed by fear.
Military helicopters suddenly appeared in the sky, arriving rapidly.
The New York military began coordinating the evacuation, guiding citizens to escape in an orderly manner.
At the same time, inside the White House in the President's Office, Raven was delivering an urgent presidential speech.
"Please evacuate New York in an orderly manner. Do not panic!
Trust in the strength of our forces.
The military and law enforcement stand with you!
They stand with New York.
They will fight until the very last moment, until they defeat Sabastian Shaw.
God bless everyone! God bless America!"
With Raven's presidential address, the U.S. government swiftly mobilized into action.
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