Aquaman used the crack in the earth to draw in a massive flow of seawater from the ocean. As the water rushed in, Reid looked around.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was located on a flat plain, much like most of the United States, which was dominated by level terrain. Even with Aquaman summoning such a vast amount of seawater, this kind of land made it impossible for the water to accumulate naturally.
It wouldn't just fail to create the ocean-like battlefield Aquaman was used to. It could also flood nearby cities.
Knowing this, Reid didn't hesitate. He raised his fist again and slammed it into the ground with force.
But this time, it wasn't just one punch.
Two punches. Three punches. He struck the ground again and again without pause.
Each blow shook the earth violently, but more than that, the repeated impacts caused the land around them to collapse and sink. Reid forcefully altered the surrounding terrain, turning the plain into a vast lowland. With Aquaman's water flooding the area, it quickly transformed into a huge lake.
Onslaught was caught in the raging water and swept under, dragged straight into Aquaman's element.
The water was chaotic and murky.
Once underwater, the mutant couldn't see anything around him. It was already night, and visibility was near zero.
But what truly threatened him wasn't the darkness.
It was suffocation.
He had absorbed the powers of many mutants, but up until now, he still hadn't gained an ability that let him survive without breathing.
The shifting water currents made it nearly impossible for him to break through the surface. If this continued, he would eventually be defeated simply because he couldn't breathe.
Still, Onslaught didn't panic. He stayed alert, sensing his surroundings while using his psychic abilities to scan constantly. He knew Reid would be shielding Aquaman with mental barriers, but even so, he didn't let his guard down.
The faint ripple caused by Aquaman's movement through the water gave away his location.
The next moment, his trident, coated in swirling seawater, clashed hard against an invisible psychic shield.
The powerful impact sent a column of seawater shooting into the sky before crashing back down.
Their underwater battle began, fierce and unrelenting. Onslaught used every opportunity—each time the water was blasted aside—to gulp in air before diving back into the fight with his opponent.
But the tide quickly turned.
Aquaman could control seawater, yes, but the water flooding in from underground had also brought with it a large amount of metal particles.
Under Onslaught's control, those particles surged through the waves, forming into a long spear. In the blink of an eye, it shot toward Aquaman with deadly precision.
Although Reid had removed all the metal from his body earlier, the internal damage the mutant had already done still lingered. Aquaman was far from being at full strength. Faced with such a sudden strike, there was no way he could dodge.
But just as the spear was about to pierce him, Reid arrived.
With a powerful punch, he shattered the metal spear into a cloud of iron dust once again.
"Arthur, follow the underground water flow and get back to the ocean. Leave him to me."
Aquaman was no longer fit to continue the fight. Besides, battles at their level didn't suit group tactics. Their unique powers were too different to cooperate effectively.
"Alright."
Feeling the injuries in his body, he didn't try to act tough. He immediately swam through the fissure, heading back toward the sea.
"Looks like our battle is about to reach its end."
Onslaught watched Aquaman retreat without making a move to stop him. He didn't have the ability to take the man down under Reid's watchful eyes, and besides, he hadn't lost the strength to fight back completely.
"Yeah. You're about to lose."
Reid spoke calmly, as if stating a fact. Onslaught, however, wasn't surprised at all.
"Of course. I know you're still holding back. You've probably been calculating the right moment to act and just haven't made your move yet."
The mutant had long accepted his fate. He knew he had no chance of winning on his own.
Even if Reid wasn't hiding his full strength, just what he had already shown was enough to keep Onslaught locked in this fight with no escape.
And beyond Reid, there were others: 'Bruce Wayne,' Lex Luthor. They were waiting to take action. They would soon find ways to deal with him and other mutants. In the end, his only outcome would be failure. Nothing he did could change that.
He had used everything he had, pushed every resource and strategy to its limit just to get this far. But now, the paths he had walked and the plans he had used would no longer help him.
"But if you use your full power, you'll suffer losses too, right? Your plan is big, but at least right now, you don't want to reveal your full strength. Am I wrong?"
As he spoke, a powerful surge of telekinetic energy erupted from within Onslaught once again.
"Come on. Use your full power and kill me! Drag yourselves into the same mud as the mutants. I welcome it!"
Hearing that, Reid smiled.
Onslaught had indeed figured out a lot. If he truly unleashed his power—if he revealed that he had the exact same abilities as Martian Manhunter—then it wouldn't just be Carol's side that was affected. The human governments would also realize they had been lied to, and he would immediately become a massive threat in their eyes.
At that point, LexCorp would be seen as the enemy, and mutants might become honored guests. After all, every country would need the mutants to resist the now-dangerous, unstable force that was LexCorp.
If nothing unexpected happened, that might really be how things played out.
Unfortunately for Onslaught, things didn't go that way.
"You're half right," Reid said. "But too bad. I'm not the one who's going to kill you."
The second those words fell, and before the mutant could react, a blazing orange beam shot through his chest. His face froze in shock.
"What?!"
He turned around and saw her—Jean, burning with radiant orange flames. Even her eyes were lit with that same mysterious fire.
The attack had happened in an instant, and with it, all the life force Onslaught had snatched was stripped away. The stolen energies scattered like invisible wind, returning to their rightful owners.
For those whose bodies had already perished, their life force instead fused into the surroundings, becoming part of the ever-present energy of the universe.
"This can't be…"
Onslaught stared at Jean with wide eyes. He couldn't believe it. He had fully absorbed her powers. How did she still have the strength to kill him?
He had even developed Rogue's mutant ability further, making it capable of permanently stealing powers.
But the answer didn't come from Jean, who now stood like a goddess of flame.
It came from Reid.
He slowly flew behind Onslaught and grabbed his head with one hand.
"The reason is simple. Jean doesn't just have mutant powers. She also carries the Phoenix Force."
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