"Puff!"
Alaric couldn't help but laugh.
"That was embarrassing… Buddy, can you understand that?" Wade scratched his head and looked at him with a slight smirk.
"Leave it to me," Alaric replied, nodding his head.
"I knew it was a good idea to call you!" Wade grinned and stepped back in satisfaction.
"Hey, lady, your opponent is right here!" Wade moved aside and pointed toward Alaric.
Warhead heard that and frowned.
Was Wade implying that he doubted their strength? Or, on the contrary, was he too confident in this strange magician they barely knew? She didn't like that feeling.
As a member of the X-Men, she wanted to prove that Wade wasn't the only one with exceptional abilities. His regeneration was incredible, even stronger than Wolverine's, but the X-Men had always sought those who could be heroes, not just powerful fighters.
Rumble!
Red energy burst out of Warhead's body. With power radiating like blazing fire, she charged toward Angel.
"Awesome!" Wade began clapping, genuinely impressed.
Warhead stopped, and her black jacket burned to ashes, revealing the special X-Men uniform beneath. She felt her confidence grow, especially after hearing Wade's words.
Look at this, Wade, she thought, this is the power of real heroes.
"Fire!!" Angel shouted angrily, like a beast preparing to attack, and cast a glare at Wade.
The armed soldiers nearby raised their weapons, ready to pull the triggers.
But before they could shoot, they all simultaneously lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Suddenly, there was only the soft sound of snapping fingers… and everyone dropped as if felled by a scythe.
Angel: ???
Wade, Warhead, and Colossus, who was just returning from the fight, all turned their heads sharply and stared at Alaric.
"I helped you get rid of the soldiers. You're welcome," Alaric said calmly, almost politely.
At that moment, Alaric had unleashed psychic magic that destroyed the soldiers' minds. They didn't suffer; their consciousness simply vanished, and their bodies crumpled as if their strength had drained away.
"Excellent!"
Wade raised his hands to applaud Alaric, and Alaric merely accepted the applause with a sigh.
Colossus's eyes burned even brighter as he looked at Alaric, as if he were gazing at a priceless treasure.
"Did you just use telepathic abilities?" Colossus asked with a mix of curiosity and respect.
That was a rare and powerful ability, something he had only ever seen in Professor Charles or Jean Grey. He was certain he had encountered an extraordinary mutant. If he hadn't come with Wade, he would have missed the chance to meet someone with such talent.
"I'm a sorcerer," Alaric explained.
"I understand!" Colossus nodded seriously.
Alaric rolled his eyes inwardly. Do you even understand? he thought. I'll have to erase your memories later…
"Buddy, can you send me up?!" Wade shouted, looking toward Francis, who stood at the top of the deck.
Francis simply turned quietly, waiting for Wade's approach. As for the mercenaries already lying on the ground, he felt no pity for them. He had no sense of guilt; they were merely weapons he had paid for. He cared only about one thing, Wade and his regenerative abilities.
"Yes, you can jump," Alaric said calmly.
"Jump?"
"Yes, just jump."
Wade looked at him suspiciously, then gave a hesitant hop on the spot. At that moment, a portal opened beneath his feet, and in the next instant, as he landed, he found himself on the deck, his eyes widening in surprise.
Francis was also dumbfounded when he saw Wade suddenly appear in front of him. Wasn't his ability just regeneration? How did he appear here? Was it the doing of that new companion of his?
"Awesome!" Wade shouted excitedly.
"You bastard, Francis! I'm coming for you!!"
With a sigh full of admiration, Wade drew his katanas and glared at Francis with malice.
"Don't worry, darling! I'll get you out of here!!" he shouted, thinking of Vanessa.
"Wade?" Francis was momentarily at a loss for words.
---
Down on the ground, Alaric ignored the curious looks from Colossus and Warhead.
"What was that…?" Colossus muttered.
"Magic! I know!!" he said confidently, trying to explain to himself what he had seen.
"No need to point that out," Alaric muttered and began walking toward Angel, who was approaching him.
"She has a lot of strength… maybe I should help?" Colossus said uncertainly, looking toward Alaric.
In his opinion, Alaric was someone who used mental powers and teleportation. He didn't think of him as someone who could handle close combat.
But what happened in the next moment left Colossus speechless, and even Warhead stood wide-eyed, at a loss for words.
Angel watched Alaric step forward cautiously. She didn't dare underestimate him. She clenched her fists and charged at him, aiming straight for his chest.
Boom!
Alaric raised just one hand and stopped her punch, standing firm without the slightest movement.
"The rule is simple," he said. "Never punch someone in the face without reason."
He smiled slightly, adding, "Now be careful… because I'm going to punch."
Angel tried to pull her hand back to retreat, but Alaric's left hand, white and faintly glowing, held her fist like steel pincers. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.
In the next moment, Alaric activated his magical purification flow. A powerful energy surged through his body like a raging river. His entire figure shone with a faint, threatening aura.
Angel felt her heart race. Instinctively, she realized she was facing a force that could destroy everything. It seemed to her that Alaric stood before her like a living nuclear bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
She tried to yank her hand free but failed. She could only stand before him in despair, bracing for the blow.
Suddenly, Alaric loosened his grip.
Angel jerked her hand back in surprise, but due to the sudden loss of resistance, she lost her balance and began to fall backward.
For a moment, a thought flashed through her mind that she might escape, a faint smile flickered on her lips… but before she could finish the thought, the world before her turned dazzlingly white.
Rumble!
Alaric delivered one of the most powerful punches of his life.
The force of that punch shook the air, the very space seemed almost torn apart. Even before his fist touched Angel's body, the energy of the blow swept over everything in front of him.
In an instant, Angel vanished, and on the side of the abandoned ship yawned a massive hole, as if that part had never existed at all.
Everything in the path of that punch was completely obliterated.
Wade raised his hands to cover his face and shouted in shock, "Holy Fuck!!"
Colossus and Warhead were speechless, staring at the scene.
"I'd never have said that was magic…" Colossus muttered, still in shock.
Francis stood frozen, staring at the void where Angel had just been. Only one thought echoed in his mind: Is it too late now to change my mind…?