Chapter 19

Reacting with incredible speed, Hawking, holding Storm and Nightcrawler, quickly retreated to dodge Cyclops' red optic blasts.

Leading the group, Magneto effortlessly lifted a several-ton machine to shield himself from the blasts.

"It's one of your school's teachers; you deal with them," Magneto said, leaving a message as he and Mystique continued forward, abandoning Hawking and the others.

"I've got this!" Hawking shouted and charged towards Cyclops.

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" Cyclops rapidly triggered his visor, firing short bursts of red optic blasts.

However, Hawking was incredibly fast, his movements agile and tricky, dodging each blast with ease, reminiscent of a nimble monkey. But as he drew closer, dodging became increasingly difficult.

Like a pistol—effective at a distance, but deadly up close.

"Hawking, get out of there!" Storm called out from behind, but Hawking was already too close to Cyclops to retreat.

Before Storm could act, Hawking had reached within a meter of Cyclops. Strangely, he stopped moving. Cyclops, showing no mercy, aimed a blast directly at Hawking's head, which would have obliterated anyone else upon impact.

Unfortunately, Storm, although powerful with her wide-ranging lightning and storm attacks, was too slow to react in the confines of the base, and Nightcrawler, a devout Christian, was still bewildered by the sudden assault.

What happened next shocked Storm: the optic blast passed right through Hawking as if he were merely an afterimage.

"It's over!" A voice suddenly came from above Cyclops. Before he could react, he felt a pain in his neck and blacked out.

By the time Storm realized what had happened, Hawking had already leapt over Cyclops, incapacitating him with a swift chop to the neck.

"Such strength!" From Cyclops' ambush to the end of the fight, it took no more than three seconds. Hawking's ability to knock out Cyclops, a seasoned X-Man, in such a short time was astonishing.

Storm had been skeptical of Wolverine's praise for Hawking, but witnessing his capabilities firsthand, she understood that in close combat, she might not stand a chance against him either.

Hawking carried Cyclops back to the group and shouted to Magneto and Mystique who hadn't gotten far, "All clear, no rush, let's stick together!"

Cyclops' ability to absorb energy from his surroundings and convert it into concussive force blasts through his eyes was formidable. Without his visor, his uncontrolled power was like a human laser cannon, capable of demolishing most structures and annihilating enemies instantly.

The only downside was his physical weakness and lack of combat skill, which made him vulnerable up close.

And like many X-Men, he was too compassionate, often holding back, which diminished his combat effectiveness.

Hawking had used the Afterimage Fist technique to create a deceptive clone of himself, confusing Cyclops long enough to get close and knock him out. In a more open space without constraints on Cyclops' powers, Hawking might not have won so easily.

Observing Hawking returning with Cyclops in tow, Magneto was both impressed and speechless—impressed by Hawking's combat skills at such a young age, and speechless because his plan to use Cyclops to divide the group had clearly failed.

They continued forward and soon arrived at the heavily guarded door to the brainwave enhancement room. With a simple gesture, Magneto used the soldiers' own weapons against them, eliminating them without resistance.

Just as they prepared to advance, Storm, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and Mystique all suddenly screamed and clutched their heads, collapsing to the ground.

Hawking quickly feigned the same reaction, knowing this was Mastermind using Professor X, manipulated by Stryker, to locate and begin destroying mutants globally.

Only Magneto, protected by his helmet, was unaffected.

He raised his hands, channeling his full power to forcefully shut down the brainwave enhancement machine. Knowing the facility's layout in detail, he quickly neutralized the threat, ensuring Professor X could no longer be used to target mutants.

As the machine powered down, Magneto opened the door to the brainwave room and pulled Mystique inside, attempting to shut the door before Storm and the others could recover.

The door, reinforced with adamantium, couldn't be forced without risking damage to the entire facility and inadvertently killing Professor X.

Planning to have Mystique impersonate Stryker to order Mastermind to switch from targeting all mutants to all humans, Magneto moved swiftly.

"Triple Afterimage Fist!" Just then, Hawking acted.

Not being a mutant, he was unaffected by Professor X's psychic attack. Leaving an afterimage behind, he darted into the brainwave room just before the door shut.

"Die!" Sensing Hawking's abrupt attack, Magneto instinctively defended himself, launching a coin at Hawking's forehead.

Despite his appreciation for Hawking, if he interfered with his plans, Magneto would not hesitate to kill him. However, the coin passed through Hawking's body as if he were a ghost.

A crack echoed as Magneto turned to see Hawking had appeared behind Mastermind and snapped his neck.

"It's over now, but if you still want to spar, I'm up for it," Hawking said, releasing Mastermind's lifeless body.

(End of Chapter)