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Scott's sudden laugh startled the mutant, but by the time she reacted, it was already too late.
She was fast enough to hit him the moment he reached for the button on his glasses, but she was far slower than his optic blast, not even as fast as the blink of an eye.
She could sense the level of his power but didn't truly understand it, which led her to the wrong conclusion that he needed his glasses to use his ability. And for that mistake, she paid a heavy price.
"It doesn't matter if I'm strong or not," Scott said, his voice cold. "But you... you're a fool."
He lifted his head and opened his eyes. A terrifying red laser enveloped the mutant's body, vaporizing her almost instantly. Scott didn't close his eyes, but instead, let the beam continue forward, shooting directly toward Jean.
Naturally, the attack had no effect on the Phoenix. An invisible barrier blocked Scott's blast, gradually pushing it back until the red light in his eyes faded completely. Scott was left powerless, but his eyes met Jean's perfectly.
"Jean! Stop! Don't kill anyone else, wake up!"
Scott shouted, his voice filled with raw emotion. He hoped his simple words could reach the last remaining part of Jean's consciousness, buried beneath the Phoenix Force. And in that moment, it worked.
Unlike Charles, both the Phoenix and Jean could sense his fear of her powerâhis deep desire for her to be suppressed. They were a part of her, and his true feelings were impossible to hide from her. But Scott was different.
The Phoenix and Jean, who could read everyone's thoughts, felt nothing but pure, unconditional love from Scott. There was no coercion, no fear. He didn't want to suppress her, even though she had become so monstrous. He simply wanted her to calm down and come back to him.
This pure emotion was far more effective than Charles's psychic abilities. Perhaps during the time the Phoenix was dormant, everything about her life was an illusion, but her love for Scott was the only genuine thing.
Feeling Scott's deep emotions, Jean's consciousness began to stir. She started fighting the Phoenix for control of her body.
"Aah!"
Sensing the threat, the Phoenix immediately tried to kill Scott, but Jean's consciousness inside her stopped her. The two personalities in her body began to struggle, causing the Phoenix's powers to fade.
The house, which had been floating in the air, crashed to the ground with a loud bang. Charles also collapsed, and Eric slowly got back to his feet. He walked over to Jean, who was screaming and clutching her head, and gently patted her shoulder.
"Come on, kid. You need some time to calm down."
Gradually, the screaming stopped.
The Phoenix was still in control, but she looked at Scott and knew that the other personality in her body wouldn't allow her to hurt him.
"Let's go."
The Phoenix made her choice. With a wave of her hand, the X-Men were knocked back dozens of feet, falling to the ground. Charles, already badly injured, fell into a coma. Clearly, Jean's personality would protect Scott. But even she found it difficult to feel good about Charles, who had suppressed her for so long.
Eric and his group left. No one dared to stop them. Logan and Scott could only carry the unconscious Charles back to the academy.
"Things are bad," Logan said, looking at the sun in the sky as Scott piloted the jet. "Clark, I guess it's all up to you now."
They had fully grasped Jean's power. While they hadn't lost hope, they knew they couldn't win a war against her.
In the Sun's Core
To fully absorb the immense energy of the sun and grow stronger as quickly as possible, Clark's consciousness had entered a brief state of deep rest. As his mind faded, another consciousness began to emerge from within.
"I see. So this is the world this boy lives in?"
A green, ethereal shadow appeared beside Clark. The figure's Kryptonite armor and smooth, bald head, much like Nick Fury's, revealed his identity. This was Lex Luthor, a consciousness that had surfaced from the depths of Clark's mindâa Lex Luthor from another world.
There's no such thing as selfless kindness in this world. At least for a man like Luthor, that was the truth. When he used the computing power of Clark's brain to foresee the future, he didn't lie, but he also didn't tell the whole truth.
Luthor knew that Clark was the young Superman, and if he didn't do something, he wouldn't be Lex Luthor. So why did he become Superman's enemy? The simple explanation is that Luthor saw the negative side of Superman's power: a powerful Superman would make humanity dependent on him. As long as he was around, people would stop working for progress and would suffer when he was gone.
But in reality, Luthor knew the real reason for his hatred: Superman was simply too perfect. In every wayâability, character, everythingâSuperman was flawless. To a man with an ego as immense as Luthor's, this was unforgivable. He became Superman's enemy simply to prove that he was better, that he, too, could be called "Superman."
Upon seeing the young, naive Superman from another world, the idea of taking over his body took root in Luthor's mind. Using the excuse of foresight, he left a part of his will deep within Clark's consciousness. If Clark were to ever lose control of his body, even for a moment, Luthor's consciousness would have an opportunity to seize control.
Now, with Clark in a deep slumber to absorb solar energy, this was the perfect opportunity. He was only one step away from becoming Superman. All he needed to do was control the body and completely suppress Clark's original consciousness. Then he, Lex Luthor, would become the Superman of this world!