Chapter 16

{First of all, I want to thank you for the support for this story. Seriously, imagine my surprise when one day I woke up, checked Webnovel, and my story had over 400,000 views. Thank you so much.}

POV Narrator

Logan knew they were in a terrible situation, and it all stemmed from a single move. That's why he hated fighting Avalanche. The team was split up and likely facing opponents who had an advantage over them.

He didn't know where Vela was, and as her superior and mentor, he couldn't help but worry about her. To top it all off, he was fighting his mortal enemy, Sabretooth.

"So, Logan, got yourself a new pup in your group?" These words didn't make Logan shout, but they did make his blows more frantic, something his rival noticed.

"Oh, don't tell me you've grown attached to her, Logan, have you? My nose doesn't lie, Logan, even if she's a little big for a pup. A little girl? Seriously? How desperate is that old cripple?"

Logan had known Sabretooth for years and was the first to admit that Victor was an intelligent man—a homicidal maniac, but an intelligent bastard.

So, he knew words like these were just to make him lose his cool and make mistakes.

"RAHHHH!"

Even knowing this, he couldn't help but scream with all his might and pounce on his rival like an animal. Sabretooth simply smiled and responded in kind.

Thus began a battle between two bloodthirsty beasts.

Logan swung a downward slash with his right hand, embedding his claws in Victor's left shoulder. In response, Victor plunged his claws into Logan's solar plexus and unleashed a flurry of punches to his face with his left hand.

Despite having his claws stuck in Victor's shoulder, Logan slashed Victor's left arm with his other hand and delivered a Spartan kick to his stomach to free himself from Victor's claws.

After the kick, they both separated. Their wounds had already begun to heal, so except for their torn outfits, it seemed like nothing had happened.

When they were about to lunge at each other again, a gut-wrenching scream echoed from the depths of the forest.

Both men turned toward the sound, first because of the scream itself and then because they could sense someone approaching from that direction.

"Vela?" Logan wondered as he spotted a familiar silhouette. To his horror and dismay, it wasn't who he thought it was.

It was that girl with short brown hair and a white streak. But now her entire body had changed—from her hair, now pure white, to the long tail, horns, and scales. The girl now had the same characteristics as Vela.

"Well, well, well, look who got a makeover. I'll admit, purple doesn't suit you all that well, but who am I to talk about fashion? I'll admit, I'm a bit old-fashioned, right, Logan?" Victor's favorite target was Logan, but he never missed a chance to taunt anyone, even his own teammates.

"…" Rogue didn't respond.

"What's wrong, kid? Don't tell me that scream earlier was because you bit your tongue."

"…"

Victor, now annoyed at being ignored by someone he referred to as "another idiotic kid under my care and the blue chick's orders from the guy with the flashy helmets and capes," started walking toward Rogue, who kept her head down the entire time.

"Listen, kid, just because you—AAHHHHHH!" Mid-sentence, Rogue raised her hands, and a black, hellish substance shot out from them. Victor couldn't react in time and found himself covered in the substance. He could only scream in agony as it began burning his skin.

Normally, Logan would laugh at the sight of his enemy writhing on the ground while his skin melted, but this time he only stared at the girl in front of him with a serious expression.

"You... where's Vela?"

"…"

Rogue didn't say a word. She slowly raised her head until Logan could see her eyes. When he saw them, he could only tremble.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, recognizing the same look Vela had during her last training session when she lost control and fought like a beast even more savage than any animal.

At that moment, while the rest of both teams continued fighting, wondering what that scream had been, Logan understood that he had to stop the girl in front of him if he didn't want any casualties.

With his claws raised high, he leaped with all his strength, a war cry in his throat and resolve in his heart, throwing himself at the girl who was now nothing more than a killing machine.

...

"I don't like this," said a blue-skinned, orange-haired woman to herself.

"What? That scream?" Although he knew it wasn't directed at him, the man with the red helmet responded.

"Yes, it sounded too inhuman."

"In a way, we're all inhuman, Mystique."

The blue-skinned woman rolled her eyes—or yellow in her case—and said, "You know what I mean, Erik."

"Well, if you don't like it, you can go check it out yourself."

"You know the reason we're waiting here, on top of a mountain and not down there helping the team, is because if the government finds us, they'll send every man and machine they've got."

"Perks of being some of the most wanted people on the planet."

Mystique just rubbed her forehead and said, "Look, I don't like this, so I'll go check, make sure everything's fine, that idiot didn't eat a kid, and the mission isn't going to hell."

"Alright, just don't interfere unless it's necessary. This is a good opportunity for the kids to gain experience."

With her leader's approval, Mystique ran to the cliff, leaped off, and transformed into a bird, taking flight.

"Show-off," Erik muttered.