Magneto nodded. "Yes. Charles used his power to create a special device. Put it on a mutant—or a human—and he can wipe their memories and turn them into his. Total brainwashing. No one can resist it."
"Wait, seriously? Then he could make supermarket discounts happen whenever he wants!" Saitama blurted.
Everyone stared.
Supermarket… discounts?
Saitama coughed. "Ahem. Just thinking about, uh, personal matters. So you and the Professor are completely at odds, right?"
"Correct. Fighting among mutants is foolish—but to unite our kind, Charles must be stopped. If we follow his vision, the few will always be sacrificed for the many. I will never accept that." Magneto met Saitama's eyes. "If we save people, we save everyone. That is my creed."
Saitama blinked, then lit up. "Ohhh! That's cool. That's real hero talk!"
"…Uh," Magneto said, thrown by the sudden enthusiasm.
"If that's the case, helping you sounds right," Saitama continued.
"For the future of mutantkind! If you're willing to stand with me, then next we—"
"So where's Professor X?" Saitama asked.
A pulse throbbed behind Magneto's eye. Did this man not understand sentences?
"Charles can control a mutant's mind with ease!"
"Mm. Got it. So… where is Professor X?" Saitama asked again, face utterly serious—as if he fully understood that getting close risked instant mind control.
Magneto opened his mouth, then closed it again. What else could he say?
Mystique stepped forward. "If he controls you, the Professor wins this war. Completely."
Saitama scratched his chin. "You mean… he can control me?"
Magneto finally exhaled. "Yes. If you face Charles head-on, he could seize you in an instant. And if he gets that collar on you, then—"
A spear of lightning crashed from the sky.
"Enemy attack! It's Storm!" someone shouted from the crowd.
More bolts hammered down. The building had already been half-ruined when Saitama fell through it earlier; now everyone stood exposed under Storm's barrage. The quick managed to dodge. The slower ones braced and took it. They were hardy, and even a direct hit didn't drop most of them—but it still hurt.
Saitama looked up. A dark figure hovered fifty meters above, ringed in crackling arcs. With the slightest wave of her hand, she called down lightning that sent bodies skidding and rolling.
Faces tightened. No one wanted to admit it, but they had no answer for an attacker floating that high overhead.
"Damn it! Why's that lunatic hitting us now?!" Toad bellowed from the ground—and a clean white bolt almost flattened him on the spot.
"System, scan her."
[Data received. Parsing.]
[Name] Ororo Munroe
[Codename] Storm
[Attributes] Intelligence 5 (Genius); Strength 2 (Normal); Speed 5 (Supersonic); Durability 3 (Enhanced); Energy Projection 6 (Multiple energy forms); Fighting Skills 6 (Master of numerous martial arts)
[Special Abilities]
• Weather Control: Senses and influences weather within a region—localized rain and temperature shifts; can, to a degree, generate blizzards, cyclones, and other extreme phenomena.
• Lightning Projection: Calls and directs powerful electrical discharges.
• Owl's Sight: Excellent night vision.
Saitama rubbed his nose. "Storm, huh. Is she your friend?"
"Friend?!" Toad yelled. "Does this look like friendship to you? She's frying us!"
"So… she's with Professor X?" Saitama asked.
"Yes," Magneto said, raising his hands. Sheets of metal rose and fused into a massive canopy, shielding the crowd below. "Charles hasn't committed to open war—yet. This is harassment. If we endure a few waves—"
A thunderous crack cut him off. Saitama vanished.
Only fractured ground remained.
W–What?
Before Magneto could process it, the earth shivered again. He looked down—and there was Saitama, landing lightly amid the dust.
With someone in tow.
No, not "with." He had someone by the collar, one arm casually extended.
Storm.
Magneto's scalp prickled. He felt lightheaded—on the verge of a hemorrhage.
What just happened?
He'd seen Saitama disappear in a blink—then reappear on the ground, holding the woman they struggled to answer even from afar.
(End of Chapter)
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