Chapter 171 – Duel on the Moon
The light spat them out onto the dusty stone of the Blue Area ruins. Alien towers crumbled under an eternal silence. Above them, the Earth loomed huge and blue, filling the black sky like a watching god.
"Mein Gott…" Nightcrawler whispered, tail curling tight. "To think, men once dreamed of walking here. And we are about to bleed on it."
"Poetic, elf," Logan grunted, boots crunching gray dust. His nostrils flared. "Air's thin, but breathable. Whole place stinks of old stone and staler blood."
Angel flexed his wings uneasily. "Can't get used to it. No wind. Flying here feels… wrong."
"Focus," Cyclops said sharply, his voice carrying the weight of nerves he didn't want them to hear. His visor gleamed red in the lunar light. "We're here for a fight, not a tour."
The Shi'ar materialized across the ruins. Nine warriors, gleaming in alien armor, weapons humming with power. The Imperial Guard.
Smasher cracked his knuckles, armored bulk glinting. Oracle floated effortlessly, her eyes glowing with psychic fire. Earthquake slammed his fists together, dust trembling at his feet. A fire-wielder flared alive, flames burning even in the vacuum-thin air.
Lilandra's voice thundered across the battlefield, magnified by unseen tech. "By right of combat, the fate of Jean Grey will be decided. Begin."
No horns. No signals. Just violence.
---
The teams broke apart fast.
Colossus and Thunderbird slammed shoulder to shoulder against Earthquake, the ground shattering as titans collided.
Storm and Angel tangled with the fire-wielder and a winged Shi'ar, winds and flame ripping through alien skies.
Nightcrawler and Beast darted between Oracle and her guards, teleportation flashes and acrobatic strikes against overwhelming precision.
Logan grinned, claws snapping free with a metallic SNIKT. His body sank low, predator mode. He closed his eyes, not to see but to feel.
The Equalizer burned inside him. Predator's senses. Reflex stacked on reflex. Hearing mapped the ruins in perfect 3D. A faint breath. A shift of weight. The scrape of alien steel.
"Gotcha," he growled.
He lunged, vanishing into shadows, claws whispering across armor before the guard even knew the hunter was behind him. The alien fell unconscious without a scream.
Logan didn't stop. He hunted.
---
Elsewhere, Cyclops and Jean faced four of the Guard. Blasts of crimson optic fire cut through the ruins, ricocheting off Shi'ar shields. Jean stood behind him, straining, holding back the Phoenix inside, using only her base telekinesis to throw up barriers, hurl chunks of moonstone, anything but fire.
Cyclops barked, "Jean! Stronger! We need more!"
"I can't—if I let go—"
"Then we'll die!"
A searing beam struck Cyclops across the chest, hurling him to the ground. His visor cracked, sparks spraying.
"Scott!" Jean screamed. Her breath stopped. Her heart froze.
And then something inside her snapped.
The Phoenix screamed awake.
---
Every guard in the area staggered back as a flare of fire erupted from Jean's body, her hair a burning corona, eyes molten gold. The ruins shone with living flame.
Four Shi'ar collapsed instantly, unconscious before they could register the force.
The X-Men looked up, horror twisting into grief.
"Oh, no," Storm whispered, lightning flickering weakly around her fingers.
Nightcrawler crossed himself, whispering a prayer.
Logan froze, claws dripping blood, staring up at her silhouette in the lunar sky. "Jeannie…"
From the Shi'ar cruiser, Xavier's voice hit their minds like a hammer, filled with sorrow. X-Men. Hear me. This is my fault. I failed her. You must end this—before she burns creation itself.
"No…" Cyclops croaked, dragging himself to his knees. "No, you don't understand… She wanted this. She planned it all."
Above them, Phoenix turned toward the Shi'ar weapon buried in the ruins. A massive cannon, ancient and hidden, groaned awake as her power touched it. Its core charged, brighter, brighter—
Cyclops shouted, tears in his visor's cracks. "She's drawing it! She's making it kill her! Don't you see? This was her plan!"
"JEAN!"
The cannon fired. A beam of annihilation cut the sky.
Phoenix spread her arms wide. The fire screamed. And then—silence.
When the light cleared, Jean Grey's body lay in the dust, still and fragile. The ruins were silent but for the labored breaths of the X-Men.
Cyclops collapsed beside her, clutching her hand. "No. No. I was going to propose… I was going to—" His voice broke.
Her eyes fluttered open weakly, lips barely moving. "I heard you, Scott… and I agree…"
And then she was gone.
The team stood broken, bathed in Earth's pale light.
Even Logan had no words, just a hollow ache in his chest, claws still dripping blood, now feeling useless as twigs.
The stars watched, silent judges.