105 Chapter 105: Stick and Move

Brontë watched the lightning burnt ashes of the Vampiric Neyaphem fall as Azazel's Stun-bolt effects left his system. They burned out of existence under the sun. Reminding him that even in all their hybridization and various abilities, they still clung to the shadows spawned by the Krakoakan Canopy.

He kept that in mind as he re-entered the battle, seeking out Cypher.

***

"Thissss is BADASS!" Gabbie howled as she flew fast enough to be untraceable by human eyes.

Lightning danced on the surface of her Symbiote skin.

"Remember what I said." Bronte said as he flew beside her.

"Yea. No big guys. No fun. Got it." An eye opened in Gabbie's shoulder and had her smiling— sticking her tongue out full of flame, "HAHA! Bad guys spotted. See ya!"

She flew into the brush, swallowed by the flowery green glow of the island.

Bronte kept going north. To the sounds of heavy crashes and teleporting discs.

He flew another five minutes before landing in another clearing made by repeated blasts. Cannonball whizzed past Bronte like an asteroid and ripped through a cloud of Neyaphem in bat form.

He skidded to a halt covered in ashen blood and guts, "That better?"

Cypher stood behind Ilyana as she cut the head off a Neyaphem that looked like a snake with arms.

"If Krakoa doesn't accept us it's because you blew up like forty trees. Damage is done, farm boy." Cypher replied before reaching out for an overweight Neyaphem with gazelle horns twenty feet away. As if he'd gained new Mutant powers tree roots exploded from the earth and impaled the demon.

They didn't see the winged one flying in from behind them. It looked like a fallen Angel with the backdrop of the sun above.

Good thing Bronte wasn't religious.

He whizzed past Ilyana and Cypher as he entered the clearing and lunged for the creature with his claws extended.

In a burst of smoke, the Neyaphem turned into its bat form.

Brontë spun around mid flight and caught the swarm in a focused ball of wind before vaporizing it with a lightning blast from his palm.

Another group came from all sides.

"Dude…. Where's your arm?" Cypher questioned.

"Long story. I need your help." Bronte dodged a chained whip thrust aimed at his head and grabbed the metal bind, sending a white-hot current down towards its wielder. Sparks and demon dust flew somewhere deeper in the forest.

"…. Sure." Cypher swallowed.

"Can you ask Krakoa to shrink or move the leaves?"

Duke raised an eyebrow, "Shrink the leaves?"

"Man, tell krakoa to let the sun in." Bronte said in agitation.

"Right—Vampires." Cypher began to work his magic…. That mostly went unseen. Which was interesting since he was communicating.

Brontë continued fighting with the other New Mutants as his brain tingled.

"Good thinking, StormWolf. I'll be working with Cypher to decrypt the Krakoan language and reverse engineer it back into everyone's brain. It could take a while."

Before they could continue the discussion mid-battle, Bronte caught a glimpse of Storm and Mystique through the trees. They were sprinting for their lives from a giant red scaled serpent. Its horns were so large it was cutting through the trees.

"Why are you running?" Bronte thought as the Neyaphem in Serpent form reared up and opened its mucus lined jaws. The smell of gasoline and ichor filled the air. Flames bubbled up its chest like a dragon and splattered across the grounds.

No more time for questions. Brontë was already on the move. He pulled the moisture from the air, freezing it with the spinning winds around his claws.

With his Storm-State active he was too fast. And the cold needed to freeze the air around him with his lightning present was too cold. Too cold for even a demonic dragon.

In a blur he crashed into the Serpent, jamming his claws into its steaming chest.

The mix of temperature extremes caused an explosion of sizzling vapor.

At the source of the forming mushroom cloud, Bronte pulled his arm crusted over in ice from the creatures chest and it shattered like glass.

He stood alone, nostrils flaring.

"That wasn't…."

***

Charles sat at the center of a warzone slowly spreading across the island like a virus. It could be exhausting how wherever they dared to hope— to dream, the same virus broke out. One of fear…. Hate …. Violence.

But for now… dreams were immortal. As long as they had people to fight for them.

And that they did. They were winning the battle.

He relayed information and ideas to his closest X-Men as Iceman, Wanda, Magneto and Jean defended him and the Stepford Sisters from the swarms of Neyaphem.

Swarms that were shrinking fast. Even faster as the forest shifted and changed shape, allowing bright sunlight to shine everywhere. The Neyaphem didn't immediately die like classic Vampires. But they didn't live long either.

"StormWolf was right. The sun burns them even if they're resistant. I'm going to assume Daken's blood is negating the effects but it's not enough. Tell everyone to stay under the sun out of the shadows." Cyclops thought to Charles.

"On I—"

An explosion shook the grounds suddenly.

"What the hell was that?!" Iceman questioned as he stood in front of Charles, skin fully froze over and steaming.

From the blast, Storm skidded across the grass straight to Iceman's feet. She was bruised and unconscious from whatever hit her.

"Oh dear. Iceman, bring her to me."

Iceman lifted her up, as he left his post, Jean covered him.

He slung Storms arm over his shoulder, guiding her to Charles. Thankfully she didn't look to injure—

A pair of electrified claws ripped through her throat.

Charles heart sank….. and quickly rose again as the skin shifted and the clothes burned away in a flowing blaze of demonic lettering, leaving Azazel standing, choking.

"StormWolf, if I may…" Nightcrawler said from the shadows.

"Yep." Bronte lifted Azazel and threw him back towards the forest he came from.

As he soared through the air, Nightcrawler jumped for him, unsheathing his blade to run it across his old enemies neck in a clean slash.

He hit the ground sliding. Azazel's head held firm in his freehand.

***

As soon as Azazel died, the other Neyaphem attempted to flee. Luckily Storm, Pyro and Quicksilver were ready for them.

It didn't take more than a few minutes to end the battle where it stood.

But even then, a great deal of damage was done.

The Mutants gathered in the clearing.

Some worse off than others, but no deaths.

"These meetings just can't avoid being interrupted…." Emma Frost commented, "Those ugly degenerates ruined my dress."

"Yea now consider the world next time." Cyclops replied.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because the world is ours." Magneto explained, "I hope those of you that disagreed to being apart of this idea…. This hope, have changed your minds. From what StormWolf said, this was only a fraction of what's coming. An incomplete project."

"Everyone one of us depended on another today. It worked. I could've died today….. but someone— who doesn't work for me. Or have any reason to stick his neck out for me, helped. We need that to survive."

The majority of them nodded in the silence.

"I'm sorry, Professor… Cyke. I won't change my actions— my son needed help, but I'll do better than being played by a devil next time." Storm explained.

"What game was the devil playing here, though?" Cyclops questioned.

"A stupid one." Emma replied.

"Exactly. He was hilariously outclassed. They didn't stand a chance even with our mission restraints. He had to know that. Azazel's crafty enough to have tricked us all once upon a time. Today was…. Stupid. Suicidal, even."

"He was smart enough to almost get me." Professor X said.

"Everyone was trying to get us. They knew our might as Omega's was to be acknowledged." Magneto replied.

"That should've made them run— or fight smarter instead of clutter." Beast mumbled.

"But they didn't try to kill you…." Bronte said aloud. Suddenly everyone was looking at him as he stood at the back of the group huddle.

The only reason he spoke was because his new ear piece went off. Tigra was awake. Daken was angry.

Cyclopes nodded, "You're right. They wanted you, Professor. It's possible that's why there were so many Neyaphem after you all. They wanted the Telepaths. Meaning this was a targeted assassination attempt instead of a simple terrorist act."

"But isn't his target StormWolf? Why would he want..."

The Stepford sisters silenced Beast and pointed to Bronte.

Silence followed since he was just finishing putting all the pieces together.

"Oh…. Damn. I'm so stupid…."

"What is it?" Charles questioned.

"Telepaths. It's how we find out where he is."

Everyone remained silent.

Brontë stepped through the crowd and approached Charles. "If you feel like making up for how you and yours failed my sister then I need you to come with me to The Baxter Building."