MTS: Marvel and Beyond

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Black King

Seeing the younger mutants' keen curiosity about his powers, Alex smiled mysteriously and said,

"Kids, some things are just understood. If you don't get it, even if I explain, you still won't understand. So why bother?"

The room fell into an awkward silence. Everyone was speechless. He said so much, but it explained nothing at all.

Banshee, clearly unimpressed, muttered, "He's obviously the same age as us, so why act all wise and mature? It's so annoying..."

Banshee didn't bother lowering his voice, so everyone in the room heard his complaint. Mystique felt a bit embarrassed; she thought she'd made a mistake by bringing up Alex's abilities in the first place.

Alex shook his head and chuckled without responding. Although they were technically the same age, their life experiences couldn't have been more different.

While they were still playing house, Alex was already traveling across worlds, toppling the shinobi world of Naruto, overturning the pirate world of One Piece, and most recently, annihilating the Celestials of an entire universe. Now, he was traversing parallel universes to collect the Phoenix Force fragments.

To him, Banshee and the others were little more than children.

Sensing the tension in the room, Mystique quickly spoke up to lighten the mood. "We're government operatives now; we should have code names! I want to be called Mystique!"

Following her suggestion, everyone began showcasing their abilities to each other and coming up with code names.

One by one, new and fascinating powers were revealed, and the atmosphere gradually shifted from awkward to lively.

When Havok (Alex Summers) demonstrated his power, cutting a metal statue on the lawn clean in half, the room erupted into cheers. The excitement reached its peak.

Finally, everyone turned their eyes to Alex and began chanting in unison:

"Alex! Alex! Alex! Show us your powers!"

At that moment, Banshee quietly grumbled again, "What powers? I bet he's too weak to even use them."

Mystique overheard and immediately defended Alex: "No, Alex's powers are incredibly strong! They might even destroy the entire area if used recklessly—that's why he doesn't show them casually!"

Unlike the newer members like Banshee, Mystique was well aware of Alex's terrifying strength. His powers were immeasurable, far beyond even Charles and Erik.

Most importantly, his temper wasn't as mild as it appeared.

The others, however, remained skeptical, exchanging doubtful glances. After all, since the moment they'd met Alex, they hadn't seen him use any abilities. If Professor X hadn't personally invited him, they might've assumed Alex was just an ordinary guy.

Alex began to rise, preparing to showcase a fraction of his abilities—and perhaps teach Banshee a small lesson.

Of course, it wasn't because Banshee's taunts had annoyed him. No, Alex wasn't that petty.

He simply wanted Banshee to learn some humility from this experience. Otherwise, he'd surely get himself into trouble in the future.

Alex was doing this for Banshee's own good!

However, just as Alex was about to act, he suddenly stopped.

Looking toward the commotion outside, he settled back into his chair. The guest had arrived. Letting the guest deal with Banshee would surely leave a far more memorable lesson for him.

A sly smirk crept across Alex's lips.

Banshee, seeing Alex stop and make no effort to showcase his abilities, became even more convinced of his own theory. "I knew it. He's just a regular guy..."

Before he could finish, the sharp sound of gunfire suddenly erupted outside.

The gunshots sent a wave of fear through the young mutants, most of whom had never experienced real combat. They cautiously made their way to the glass windows.

As they peered outside, they saw a figure plummet from the sky, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.

Under the dim light, they could barely make out the figure. When they realized who it was, their faces turned pale. It was one of the agents they had casually chatted with just hours earlier.

Now, the agent lay lifeless, his body broken from the impact. Bones jutted grotesquely through his skin, and his intestines spilled from his torso. The sight was both horrifying and tragic.

"Ahhhh!" Several of the young mutants screamed and stumbled backward instinctively.

The grotesque image before them had paralyzed them with shock and confusion.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted in the distance, followed by the sight of a tornado, towering over ten meters high, ripping through the area. The remaining agents were caught in its ferocious winds, flung helplessly into the sky.

As the tornado subsided, the agents rained down onto the blood-soaked lawn like ragdolls. The dim lighting, combined with the devastation of the destroyed buildings, painted a ghastly and nightmarish scene.

A crimson phantom darted among the ruins, mercilessly eliminating any surviving agents. Occasionally, it stopped just long enough for the group to catch a glimpse of its face.

It resembled a demon straight out of legend—ferocious, powerful, and merciless. Its gaze toward them felt like a predator sizing up helpless prey.

When the chaos finally died down, two figures climbed through the broken window and entered the room. The young mutants huddled together around Alex, shouting and pressing toward him in panic.

But if one observed closely, none of them actually touched Alex. They were stopped half a meter away by an invisible barrier, unable to move closer.

From the double doors came a panicked voice: "Wait! Are you looking for mutants? Through that door—there they are! Just let us normal people go. We're no threat to you!"

The voice abruptly cut off, silenced by the unseen figure they were speaking to, who evidently had no intention of sparing them.

A middle-aged man entered, wearing a strange helmet, a red tie, and a neatly tailored suit. He turned to the Azazel and asked calmly,

"Where is the telepath?"

Azazel replied, "Not here."

"That's unfortunate," the man said, "but I suppose I'll have to make do."

Removing his helmet, he stepped forward with a pleasant smile, looking around at the group. His expression was warm and inviting, completely at odds with the actions of someone who had just massacred dozens of agents.

"My name is Sebastian Shaw," he introduced himself. "I'm not here to hurt you, my friends. A revolution is coming. When humanity realizes who you are and what you can do, each of you will face a choice:

Will you be slaves? Or will you rise and rule?"

"Make your choice freely," Sebastian Shaw said with a calm but commanding tone, "but know this: if you do not stand with me, you stand against me.

You can stay behind and fight for those who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live a life fit for kings."

The mutant known as Angel didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, her decision clear. Her life of being bullied and degraded as a dancer had left her yearning for power and respect.

Aside from Angel, the others remained rooted in place, their silence speaking volumes about their choice.

As Shaw prepared to leave, his gaze swept across the room, only to land on Alex, seated leisurely at the back.

Unlike the others, who struggled to mask their fear, Alex was utterly nonchalant. He munched on a bag of chips and sipped from a can of soda, his demeanor so relaxed it was as though the carnage unfolding around him was nothing more than a show for his amusement.

Intrigued, Shaw approached him and asked, "Young man, how about joining me? Together, we could live like royalty."

The question drew the attention of everyone in the room. It was only now that Mystique and the others realized Alex had been casually snacking this entire time.

Could it be that he truly felt no fear? After all, the man before him was a dangerous killer who had just taken the lives of dozens of agents.

Alex finally put down his chips, still chewing as he answered vaguely, "Me?"

Swallowing the last bite, his voice became clearer. "Well, if I were them," he gestured toward the younger mutants, "I'd probably join you. It's inevitable that the relationship between mutants and humans will only deteriorate over time. If I were in their shoes, I'd strike first, wiping out humanity's power before they had the chance to respond."

Shaw chuckled, sensing Alex wasn't finished. "And what about you?"

"Oh, me? I'm not joining you. Humans aren't really a threat to me. Actually, their existence makes the world more interesting. Without them, life would be pretty dull."

Shaw laughed louder this time, though it was more out of derision than amusement. He had expected some profound insight from this young man, but instead, he found his perspective laughable.

Shaking his head, Shaw didn't press further. "You're not even worth my time," he muttered, turning away. He had bigger plans to execute and no interest in wasting time on Alex or the others.

As Shaw stepped into the courtyard, Banshee couldn't resist a snide remark under his breath.

"'Interesting' and 'boring'? What nonsense. He's completely delusional."

Mystique glared at Banshee, silencing him. She still believed Alex possessed immense power, far beyond their understanding.

At that moment, Darwin broke away from the group and approached Shaw, claiming he wanted to join them. As he reached Angel, however, he suddenly shielded her with his body, transforming his skin into rock to absorb any incoming attacks.

Simultaneously, Havok unleashed his energy blasts, sending powerful waves of concussive force hurtling toward Shaw.

Havok smirked, confident in his ability to deal with the situation. After all, his blasts were strong enough to slice through solid metal. How could anyone withstand that?

But he was too young and too naive to understand the limits—or lack thereof—of mutant powers.

The crimson blasts stopped mere inches from Shaw, who calmly absorbed them into his body, the energy dissipating without a trace.

Havok's smirk froze, his confidence giving way to sheer terror.

Shaw's once-amiable smile twisted into something darker and more menacing. Unlike the original timeline, where he might have walked away, Alex's presence had introduced a butterfly effect, and Shaw's patience was now gone.

"You've mistaken my mercy for weakness," Shaw sneered. "It seems I need to teach you a lesson."

With a single gesture, he subdued Darwin, conjuring a glowing energy sphere brimming with destructive force. He forced the sphere into Darwin's mouth, and moments later, Darwin's body was torn apart from within.

Unfazed, Shaw turned and strode back toward the room.

For the remaining mutants, it was clear: against Shaw, who could absorb and redirect any energy, neither Havok's blasts nor Banshee's ultrasonic waves stood a chance.

Thus, Sebastian Shaw easily defeated the young mutants one by one.

The last to fall was Banshee, who was sent flying by a mere tap on the shoulder from Shaw. The force hurled him across the room, landing him at Alex's feet.

When Banshee looked up and saw Alex still calmly snacking on chips, as though watching an entertaining play, he could no longer contain his anger.

"You damned jerk!" Banshee yelled. "Whether you have mutant powers or not, help us out already!"

Alex, unfazed, smiled and replied leisurely, "Call me 'Dad.' If you make me happy, maybe I'll help you."

Banshee bristled with indignation but, seeing Shaw approaching and faced with the prospect of imminent death, he reluctantly held onto a shred of hope and shouted: "Dad, help us!"

"Louder, I can't hear you," Alex teased. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Dad, help us, please!" Banshee shouted louder, his voice tinged with desperation.

Alex finally stood up, brushing off crumbs. "Alright, then. Dad will help you."

When Alex rose, Shaw didn't attack immediately. Instead, he smirked with amusement and said, "Go on then. Show me what mutant ability makes you think humans can't harm you."

No sooner had he spoken than his expression shifted drastically. He felt a formless barrier pressing against him, forcing him to retreat as Alex approached.

For the first time, Shaw's energy absorption powers failed him completely. He could not absorb even a shred of energy from the invisible force emanating from Alex.

In an instant, Shaw, Angel, and Azazel found themselves pinned against the walls, utterly immobilized. Not even Azazel's teleportation powers could function.

Banshee was left speechless. He had only half-heartedly pleaded for Alex's help, never believing Alex could actually defeat Shaw. His only hope had been to escape.

But reality far exceeded his expectations.

Mystique and Beast, while already aware of Alex's abilities, were nonetheless awestruck. They knew Alex was incredibly powerful in telepathy, but they hadn't realized he possessed other, equally terrifying powers.

The seemingly invincible Sebastian Shaw was subdued effortlessly.

Shaw, Angel, and Azazel were even more stunned. None of them had anticipated the young man before them to wield such devastating power, so overwhelming that even the mighty Sebastian Shaw was utterly helpless.

Alex walked up to Shaw, scrutinizing his X-gene with a calm demeanor.

"Your energy absorption potential is woefully underdeveloped," Alex remarked coldly. "You don't deserve this ability."

Even bound, Shaw remained defiant. The immense energy within him was enough to obliterate everything around him, potentially freeing him from Alex's force field.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Shaw retorted. "I started with the ability to absorb the heat of a lighter's flame. Now I can take in nuclear radiation itself! Nothing can harm me!"

Alex smirked dismissively. "That's just a minor increase in scale. No real transformation.

Do you understand energy-to-matter conversion?

Can you manipulate molecules to halt their movement entirely?

Can you lower the temperature to absolute zero or stop time itself?"

Shaw fell silent. He knew of such concepts and had tried to achieve them, but years of effort had yielded no results. He had concluded that such feats were beyond human capability—things only gods could achieve.

Suddenly, Shaw felt the environment shift. Under Alex's influence, the very walls began to dissolve, breaking down visibly into atoms, protons, neutrons, and quarks, until finally only strings remained.

An endless stream of radiant energy in shimmering shades of blue and violet flowed around them. Though the energy was unimaginably destructive, it remained contained, harming no one as it swirled protectively around Alex like a crown surrounding its emperor.

"This is energy decomposition," Alex explained, his tone calm but firm. "When energy absorption reaches its true potential, you can disassemble matter and extract infinite energy from anything."

Alex absorbed the surrounding energy effortlessly. Then, with a mere thought, he expanded the energy's influence. The temperature in the room plummeted rapidly, time itself slowing to a crawl.

Eventually, even the quarks stopped moving, the strings binding reality itself coming to a halt. All matter was frozen in time.

Only Alex and his companions, shielded by a mysterious force, remained unaffected, moving freely through the frozen world.

The others stared at Alex in utter disbelief as he continued:

"This is what it means to stop time.

This isn't the domain of gods; it's achievable with effort and understanding.

But you, Shaw... your potential is far too low."

°°°

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