31.

"Fair enough, I guess..." Kai shrugged nonchalantly walking towards Magneto completely disregarding and destroying the metal pieces thrown at him, "Oh by the way, look out for those three for me will ya, if they act against me just throw them to the side with whatever you can."

"Sure." Rogue nodded turning back towards Cyclops, Storm, and Xavier.

With the use of her ability, she had weakened almost every single one of them, whereas Cyclops who was still active seemed like he had completely given up in fear of attacking his own teammate irrationally since Kai seemed quite insistent on proving his ability was more of a curse than he actually thought.

"Rogue, can you hear me?" 

"Please don't go through with this." 

Xavier used his powers to telepathically communicate with Rogue pleading for Magneto's life. He wanted to act with every fiber of his being, but he knew controlling Rogue or any other people would just be pushing the members of X-men to their deaths if it came down to another attack against Kai.

Rogue turned her head towards him shaking her head slowly.

"I am sorry," She said as she directed Storm's ability, formulating strong winds towards Xavier slowly but surely pushing him away. Struggling to control the unknown powers she slowly increased the scale of her attack pushing away Xavier further away as a warning.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," Kai remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "To think a band of Omega-level mutants would fall so easily to a little girl. Unable to attack and harm her because of their pride as 'Heroes'."

"I always hated the fact that Xavier was soft..." Magneto repented, "If only he was strict and decisive with his action, he could've used the girl or even you to finish things before you could even... hell, what am I even complaining about, I was the one who didn't take you seriously in the first place."

With his powers weakened by not only his machine but Rogue as well, he would need plenty of time to recover, the time his enemy likely wouldn't give him. If he currently was at his peak, he was confident enough to win or at the very least escape in one swift motion.

But now, he was at the mercy of a monster and a girl who could siphon his very essence.

Kai's grip tightened on Magneto's collar, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. "Look around you, all the mutants you created are either dead or have escaped even your one true friend is sitting ducks unable to do anything."

"The cause-"

"I don't give a shit about your cause." Kai cut off Magneto arrogantly stating, "But I'll tell you one thing before you- well before I kill you."

"Your machine doesn't work at all, so your plan was doomed from the get-go."

"What do you mean?" Magneto's eyes widened in shock and confusion.

Kai's grip tightened as he pulled Magneto closer, their faces inches apart. "Well, I am not a scientist but the amount of radiation you use to change regular guys into mutants was beyond what any human body could handle."

"But even excluding the machine, turning these politicians into mutants wouldn't have changed much to begin with." Kai shrugged, "A flawed plan with even more flawed execution, to be honest."

"How did you know-" Magneto barely let out his words under the immense pressure from Kai's grip. His defiance was crumbling, replaced by a mix of astonishment and dread.

Kai's eyes narrowed, his tone cutting through the tension like a blade. "Let's just say I have my sources. You underestimated the consequences of your actions, and now you're paying the price."

Magneto gritted his teeth, his hands futilely grasping at Kai's iron grip. "You think you've won, but you've only delayed the inevitable. Mutants will rise. We will overcome."

Kai's smirk was cold and unforgiving. "Maybe they will, maybe they won't. But your time in the spotlight is over."

Magneto's body split into millions of pieces in an instant. The once-feared mutant turned almost liquid like slipping away from Kai's hand into a puddle.

The once-feared mutant turned dead in an instant as the defeating silence enveloped the aftermath of the confrontation. The tension that had filled the air moments before seemed to dissipate, replaced by a palpable sense of finality.

Cyclops, Storm, and Xavier stood in stunned silence, processing the turn of events that had unfolded before them. What seemed to be a manageable fight turned into a battle where they nearly lost their lives. And for what?

Cyclops and Storm questioned their purpose as the defeat left them broken. All that just to defend Magneto, a terrorist, and some thugs ruling over New York. Were they even in the right trying to stop Kai? Or had their powers really clouded their judgments far enough to make them believe they could pass justice on people who didn't need them?

Xavier on the other hand was mourning the death of his friend. Xavier, deeply affected by the loss of his longtime friend turned nemesis, felt a profound sense of failure and regret. Maybe if he had stopped Eric before, maybe if he could've convinced him if he pressured him further.

Countless questions draped over the X-men's mind like a heavy shroud.

"That was melodramatic..."

"Looks like we're done here..." Kai walked towards Rogue, "Shall we get moving?"

Rogue nodded with a heavy sigh glancing at the defeated heroes as she turned away, "Why do they look so defeated?"

"You know the quote, every yang has its yin or whatever... basically every hero needs their villains, and they just lost their biggest villain at the moment. In a way, it's comical to mourn their enemy now." Kai said as he grabbed Rogue carrying her in his arms, "If they are really good as they claim... they'll begin focusing on the future but if not... well I'd love to see that."

"That's fine and all, but why are you carrying me?" Rogue asked slightly flustered, 

"Can you fly using Storm's ability?" Kai questioned back as Rogue shook her head, "Not yet..."

"Then you've got your answer..." Kai bent his knees taking a huge leap as they soared through the air. Rogue's hair fluttered in the wind as Kai carried her effortlessly, traversing the distance with each powerful stride. Below them, the defeated X-Men remained in the aftermath of their confrontation, grappling with the weight of their choices and the loss they had suffered.