"Go to hell!" George Baker shouted angrily, throwing a punch at Mike.
At the same time, a card quietly dissipated from Mike's fingertips, and a faint, golden-hued shield appeared around him.
[Name: Power Word: Shield
Skill Description: Draws on the soul power of a friendly target to create a shield that absorbs damage, preventing interruptions during casting.]
A loud "Bang!" echoed as George's punch hit the shield, denting it slightly but causing no further damage.
George froze, stunned, then began throwing punches like a storm. Each strike caused the shield to buckle slightly but fail to break.
"Idiot!" Mike muttered. Another card appeared at his fingertips, transformed into sparks, and vanished, while a Zanpakutō manifested in his hand.
"Raise your head, Wabisuke!" he commanded, releasing the sword. The strange blade grazed George, who continued his assault on the shield, oblivious to any damage. Seeing his skin untouched, he sneered and intensified his attacks.
After a few seconds, the Power Word Shield finally shattered. George smirked, aiming a powerful punch at Mike's head, confident in his mutant ability to enhance his physical strength. He envisioned Mike's head bursting like a tomato.
Yet Mike met his gaze with a cold, unflinching stare, making no move to dodge. As George's fist was about to connect, a sudden, immense weight pressed down on his arm, forcing it to drop to his side, followed quickly by the rest of his body.
"Boom!"
George crashed to his knees, his hands splayed on the ground as he struggled, pinned like a sinner kneeling in repentance. Fear flooded his heart.
What was happening? Was this some new power of Mike's?
Mike looked down at George and murmured to himself "Mutants can be fearsome."
But compared to Charles and Erik, this brute's abilities were nothing remarkable.
At the door, the woman watched the scene unfold in terror, then turned to flee.
"Charles, control her!" Mike commanded.
Charles, whose abilities were now more advanced, easily tapped into the woman's mind, halting her escape and steering her back to the room.
Mike raised his hand, knocking George unconscious. After tying him up, he turned to Charles and Erik. "Turn around, close your eyes, and cover your ears."
The boys pursed their lips but obeyed.
Once they turned, Mike struck George twice more with Wabisuke, leaving him crumpled on the ground. With a swift motion, he transformed his Zanpakutō into a sledgehammer, raising it and bringing it down on George's limbs.
Crack, crack! The sounds of bones breaking mingled with George's faint screams before he finally passed out.
Mike tossed aside the hammer. George would escape the death penalty but not the sentence of lifelong injury. Were he not Charles and Erik's biological father, and were Mike not mindful of making the scene too graphic for the boys, he'd have dealt far more severely with this scumbag.
As a last act of "community service," Mike placed an anonymous call to the police before picking up Charles and Erik. A teleportation card appeared in his hand, and, upon activation, they instantly reappeared three streets away, where their car was parked.
Surprised to see their vehicle and Clark waiting for them with a smile, Erik turned to Mike in astonishment. "Dad, you've been following us?"
Charles buried his face in Mike's chest, embarrassed. "I thought we'd kept our mission a secret... Oh my!"
"Come on, you think I'd let you two come here on your own?" Mike laughed, setting Charles down and motioning to the car. "Get in."
They both obeyed, sliding into their seats as Mike locked the doors and settled into the driver's seat. He turned back with a stern look. "We'll talk later about this little escapade."
Charles groaned. "No, Dad! It's all Erik's fault—he dragged me along!"
Erik grinned, raising a fist. "What was that?"
Charles shrank back, looking to Clark for help. "Brother, he's going to beat me!"
Clark shook his head with a smirk. "You deserve it."
"Alright, bring it on!" Charles yelled, feigning confidence.
Mike's forehead throbbed as he turned back, snapping, "Enough, both of you!"
Charles and Erik instantly quieted, sitting upright and well-behaved.
With a weary sigh, Mike started the car but suddenly braked, as if a thought had crossed his mind. "Wait a minute."
A card flickered between his fingers before he vanished from the car, reappearing moments later in George's home.
Examining the unconscious figures on the floor, Mike pinched his chin thoughtfully. A glimmer of light formed in his hand, and a new card materialized.
[Name: Memory Editor
Skill Description: Allows the user to insert their hand into a target's head to access and selectively extract memories, leaving the target with no recollection of the extracted events.
Note: The memories come out like film—very cinematic!]
Mike's eyes flashed as he activated the skill. With his hand inside George's head, he pulled out the memories from their first encounter with Erik up to the moment the family left.
Next, he removed the woman's memory of recent events, ensuring no loose ends. With another teleportation, he reappeared by the car and drove off.
Soon after, police cars arrived at George's house, stirring up chaos.
Residents, fearing they were the target, either locked themselves in or prepared to resist. After all none of them were clean.
Fortunately for the neighbors, the police had only come for George and his accomplice. They took both of them away, the officers glancing nervously at George's battered condition.
"Don't pity this bastard!" the captain barked, recognizing George Baker. "He's taken more lives than I care to count."
The other officers nodded grimly, reminded of the caller's note: Be cautious—he's a mutant.
The captain observed their somber expressions with satisfaction. A flicker of excitement glinted in his eyes; if George's condition piqued Mr. Essex's interest, it could mean substantial money for him.
The thought burned brightly in the captain's mind as he oversaw the cleanup.
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Hope you all liked the chapter and will vote with power stones.
Just one thing....thanks,
Thanks for continuing with me, Warmachine, Spartan, thank you both.
It makes me incrediblely happy when I see your comments under every chapter.