15.

Kai's words hung in the frigid air, slicing through the tension like a blade. No matter how well Mystique could hide in her disguise, the mere killing intent and the amount of cursed energy she was letting out were easy for Kai to read.

Rogue, still recovering from being thrown aside by Kai, watched with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Her robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing Mystique's true form—a shimmering blue and scaly skin.

Wolverine, disoriented but quickly recovering, stood defensively beside Rogue, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Who the fuck are you..."

Mystique, her features shifting back to her usual appearance, regarded Kai with a mix of admiration and wariness. "Impressive. Not many recognize me so easily."

"Stop with the whole seducing maiden act," Kai yawned as he causally flicked his fingers, launching a slicing attack that cut through the air with deadly precision.

The blast of cursed energy surged toward Mystique barely missing her, as it sliced through the trees behind her, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Where's Rogue?" Kai asked casually aiming his fingers at her.

"Why the menacing look, dear." Mystique smiled as she placed her hands in the air, "I am just a weak woman surrounded by two strong men, it's unsettling that you're threatening-"

"Ah!!!!"

Before she could finish her monologue as she flexed every ounce of seductiveness she could muster at the moment with cunningness written all over her eyes, Kai casually flicked his fingers taking off one of her legs in an instant.

He watched as Mystique struggled and writhed in pain on the snow-covered ground, her features contorting in shock and agony. The severed limb lay beside her, shimmering blue and scaly just like the rest of her form. Wolverine, though taken aback by the sudden brutality, remained vigilant, his claws ready to strike if needed.

"Where's Rogue?" Kai's voice was calm yet commanding, his eyes fixed on Mystique.

Mystique, despite her pain, managed a smirk through gritted teeth. "You think this will make me talk?"

Kai raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I don't need you to talk."

With a swift movement, he gestured again, and another blast of cursed energy surged toward Mystique's other leg, severing it cleanly. Her agonized scream pierced the icy air as she writhed even more, the pain evident in every movement.

"Stop!" Wolverine growled, stepping forward, but Kai held up a hand, his expression unmoved.

"Go play hero somewhere else," Kai gestured shooing off Wolverine as he turned his attention back towards Mystique.

Crouching down he calmly watched her face distort in agony, "I know you well enough to know that you can regrow those puppies back, so why don't we skip the endless torture bullshit and you tell me what I want to know."

"Fuck you!" Mystique barely let out those two words as Kai smiled pleasantly to everyone's surprise,

"What an annoying fucking day. Sigh! What's another dead mutant..." Kai shook his head ready to take her life but before he could the ground beneath them began to shake immensely Kai couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Fucking Juggernaut? Seriously? You brought the whole band just for this."

The earth trembled as a massive figure emerged from the forest, shaking off snow and debris with each step. Juggernaut, towering over them all, exuded raw power and rage, as he casually threw the RV away to the side as if it was just a toy.

Wolverine and Kai immediately jumped to the side taking Nathan with him.

Kai immediately created a hand sign launching a barrage of Dismantle attacks which managed to barely leave a few deep scratches all over the towering goliath in front of them.

Not amused, by his attacks not working, Kai changed his hand signs as Juggernaut let out a roar rushing at him.

Wolverine jumped in trying to stop the goliath before them, but before he could stab him with his claws, Juggernaut grabbed Wolverine by the throat and hurled him aside like a ragdoll. Wolverine crashed through several trees before hitting the ground hard, momentarily stunned.

Kai's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. Juggernaut was a formidable opponent, shrugging off attacks that would incapacitate most others. Nathan scrambled to his feet nearby, fear and awe etched on his face as he watched the titanic clash unfold.

"You're starting to annoy me," Juggernaut bellowed, his voice shaking the very ground beneath them. He charged towards Kai with thundering footsteps, the earth trembling with each stride.

"Same here!" Kai grinned as he let out his second barrage of attacks focusing his cursed energy, "Cleave!"

Kai's grin widened as he focused his cursed energy on a more concentrated and potent attack. With a swift hand gesture, he unleashed a devastating technique known as "Cleave." The air crackled with dark energy as a series of razor-sharp blades materialized around Kai, swirling and pulsating with a malevolent aura.

The blades shot forward with incredible speed and precision, aimed directly at Juggernaut. Each blade sliced through the air with lethal intent, seeking to tear through Juggernaut's formidable defenses. The cursed energy surged towards the towering figure like a relentless storm of destruction.

Juggernaut, caught off guard by the sudden escalation in Kai's attack, tried to shield himself with his massive arms. The first few blades struck, cutting deep gashes into his armored form and drawing blood. The sheer force of the impact pushed Juggernaut back, causing him to stumble momentarily.

But the more he withheld the razor-sharp attacks heading at him, the heavier the attacks got as one after another, the slices cut deeper than before threatening to nearly take his arms off.

Juggernaut gritted his teeth with pure resilience alone, he continued rushing at Kai who was standing still with the annoying grin that he consistently had on since the beginning. Despite the onslaught, Juggernaut pressed forward, his determination unyielding. He swung a massive fist towards Kai, aiming to crush him with sheer brute force.

Kai watched as the raging Goliath's fist descended towards him with incredible speed and force. In the fraction of a second before the impact, as if carried on by a terrifying force, Juggernaut's huge body just slammed sideways missing Kai almost instantaneously.

"Are you alright, sir?" Nathan asked in a hurry making sure Kai was safe but all he could see was an annoyed expression written all over his face.

He turned his attention to where Kai was glancing, and he noticed two people heading towards them, the man was wearing a weird set of glasses that he had never seen before, and the beautiful woman by his side with white hair looked shared the same expression Kai had currently.

"This is why I don't go out often..." Kai shook his head as he watched the two X-men come to the rescue, late as always but always there to show off in places no one wanted them.

Cyclops hurried to Wolverine's side taking care of him whereas Storm walked over to Mystique glancing at her for a second before heading towards him.

"You could've just let me handle it." She said with a hint of reproach in her voice, her eyes reflecting her irritation.

"I feel like a broken record, but same here." Kai rebuked, as he stared down at her meeting her gaze. The tension crackled in the air as Kai and Storm locked eyes, each assessing the other.

"I don't doubt your capabilities, but there are lines you shouldn't cross." Storm's voice rang coldly,

"Don't lump me in with your merry band group." Kai replied with a snort, "Let me guess, you're here for the same objective as me."

"I don't know what your plans are with the girl-"

"Shh!" Kai interrupted Storm with his fingers placed on her lips, "I've had enough heroic statements for the day."