23.

"Yawn!!"

"How long will it take for us to reach there?" Kai said lazily as he got out of the car.

"The chopper should be here any time soon, sir," Nathan replied holding on to his jacket, the trip from Canada to back here in an instant had left him hazy, especially after the events that followed soon after. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how are you so certain that Fisk would take Rogue there?"

"Some things are just easy to know..." Kai said refusing to state anything further after all, how could he explain that the movie plot he once witnessed on the big screen was how he knew most events and characters by design?

"..."

Kai turned around quickly as he heard some whisper suddenly jolting him to keep up his guard. Looking around he couldn't find a single soul nearby as he wondered to himself if Xavier had sent someone to spy on him, so just as a precaution he signaled Nathan to get closer to him as he made a hand sign.

"Sir?"

"..."

*Boom!* 

A wave of cursed energy covering a 50m radius destroyed the part of the airport in an instant but unlike what Kai had expected he didn't find any mutant lying around.

"Hmm.." Kai turned his head towards Nathan, "Do you hear anything?"

"No, sir." Nathan shook his head immediately as he watched Kai scan the surroundings with a keen eye. The blast of cursed energy had cleared a significant area, but there was no sign of any mutants or enemies. The silence that followed was unnerving.

Kai's brows furrowed in concentration. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid," he muttered to himself. "But better safe than sorry."

Nathan stayed close, his eyes darting around the now-empty airport. "We should be careful, sir. If Fisk and Magneto are involved, there's no telling what they might have planned."

"I know, I know..." Kai rolled his eyes.

The moment he had swallowed the finger before heading to the mansion, he could feel his control over the cursed energy exponentially increase followed by the obvious increase in his strength.

Fisk and the others weren't much of a threat, to begin with, but if his suspicions were correct Fisk would have his men gain mutant abilities with Magneto's device.

In a normal context, with how faulty Magneto's device was he could just sit back and enjoy as they die due to the mutation in their body but with the added context of Kill points, with Fisk and his goons growing stronger by the minute, he knew he was in for a treat.

Just then, the distant sound of rotor blades reached their ears. The helicopter was finally arriving.

The helicopter flew over New York, its powerful rotors slicing through the early evening air. The cityscape below was a vibrant tapestry of lights and motion, the towering skyscrapers standing like sentinels against the darkening sky. As the chopper made its way towards its destination, Kai peered out the window, his eyes scanning the familiar landmarks—the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park—all bathed in the glow of the city lights.

Despite the breathtaking view, Kai couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The whispers had returned, faint and elusive, teasing the edges of his consciousness. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to focus on the source of the whispers, but they remained just out of reach, slipping away like shadows in the night.

Nathan, sensing Kai's tension, remained silent, his own eyes fixed on the horizon. The helicopter continued its journey, passing over the bustling streets and iconic bridges, heading steadily towards the Statue of Liberty. The majestic monument loomed in the distance, a symbol of freedom and hope, now the site of a sinister plot.

As they neared the statue, the pilot brought the helicopter to hover a safe distance away, the powerful machine settling into a steady rhythm. The wind from the rotors whipped around them as they prepared to disembark. Kai's eyes narrowed as he focused on the statue, the whispers growing louder yet no more comprehensible.

"Sigh! Fuck I'll deal with that later," Kai said as he readied himself,

"Sir...are you going to-"

"Jump?" Kai cut off Nathan as he shook his head, "No, I am just taking what kids call it a leap of faith. You head back to a safe spot and start finding details on any of Fisk's men who aren't present here."

"Yes, sir..." Nathan nodded as he watched Kai leap from the helicopter, his body cutting through the air with precision and grace. As he descended, the whispers intensified, their maddening chorus pushing him to his limits. Yet, his focus remained unbroken. He landed on the ground with a soft thud, rolling to absorb the impact.

Kai straightened, his eyes locking onto the distant form of the Statue of Liberty. The area was eerily quiet, the only sound being the faint rustle of the wind. He could sense the presence of Fisk and Magneto, the malicious aura they exuded was impossible to ignore.

----------------------------

Rogue began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around, disoriented but aware of the profound change within her. The memories and powers she had absorbed from Magneto were now a part of her temporarily but the powers she felt were much weaker compared to when she had absorbed them, as the machine seemed to have taken almost all the abilities she had stolen away.

"You're awake," Magento stopped in the middle of his sentence as he stared at the dazed Rogue, "Wonderful, the device seems to just drain the powers from you before it barely even touches your life."

"Yo-you're here..." Rogue muttered barely as she stared with her gaze wide open,

"Of course, I am dear," Magneto spoke when he suddenly felt someone pat him on his helmet squeezing it tightly enough to bend the helmet with ease.

"I think she's talking about me."

Magneto turned, his eyes widening slightly in surprise as he faced the man who was staring daggers into him. He had seen monsters in his life, not mutants who looked like one but actual monsters in the disguise of humans. This man, Kai, radiated a dark energy that unsettled even the master of magnetism.

Kai's eyes locked onto Magneto, a smirk forming on his lips. "Well, this is quite the reunion, isn't it?"

Before Magneto could react, the now ginormous Fisk came rushing in. Each of his steps was heavy, and taking advantage of his 'rocky' form, he slammed himself into Kai, attempting to use his massive strength to overwhelm him.

Kai braced himself, his cursed energy flaring up to meet the force of Fisk's attack. The impact was powerful, sending shockwaves through the room, but Kai stood his ground, pushing Fisk back with just a single palm.

"Did you get a makeover to hide that bald head of yours?" Kai taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "But seriously cosplaying as another character? That's even a new low for you?"