It struck Magneto harder than the lightning had.
If Soren's brutal magic had scorched his body, these words scorched his soul.
As the greatest doctor in the world, Soren's words weren't baseless.
If Soren Macaluso said there was a flaw, there was a flaw.
Years of calculation, of obsession, of bitter sacrifice, crumbling in an instant under the undeniable truth.
The stubborn flame in his eyes dimmed.
His body, already beaten, seemed to sag with sudden age, as if his spirit had withered.
Soren watched him quietly, sighing inwardly.
He had never relished breaking men.
But sometimes… the truth was the harshest cure.
Turning to the assembled X-Men and Brotherhood members, Soren gestured calmly.
"Rogue , the girl, is still connected to the instrument on Liberty Island's torch. Save her first."
His gaze softened.
"I'll take Erik back to the medical hall. He still has a future to face."
The others nodded, stunned into silent agreement.
Without further ceremony, Soren lifted the broken Master of Magnetism into his arms and vanished into a shimmer of blue energy.
Everlife
The moment they arrived, the soft hum of the medical hall's mystic energy washed over them both. The sacred space, alive with power, immediately set to work.
The blackened wounds on Magneto's body began to mend.
The lingering electric burns faded, his twitching ceased, and color slowly returned to his pallid skin.
Even unconscious, a kind of peace settled over him.
It was in this still moment that the ethereal voice of the system spoke.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully healing Erik Lehnsherr, this world's A-Class character.]
[Erik Lehnsherr]
[World level A]
[Abilities: Magnetic Field Control Lv 8, Metal Induction Lv 9, Machinery Manufacturing Lv 7]
[Ability has been drawn, congratulations, host, you have obtained: Magnetic Field Control Lv 8!]
[A-Class Healing Mission (3/3) Completed! Reward Package Unlocked!]
Soren's heart quickened.
A rush of elation sparked through him, this was his breakthrough.
A shimmering system package materialized. Without hesitation, Soren reached out, mentally selecting
"Open".
A pleasant beep sounded.
[Opening Reward Package…]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the item: "Medical Gloves."]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: "Death Scalpel."]
Soren's brows lifted slightly.
He quickly scanned the item descriptions.
[Medical Gloves]
[Description: When worn, allows the host to treat patients outside the medical hall.]
[Special Trait: Indestructible.]
[Usage Limit: 3 times per month.]
Soren exhaled, a small smile tugging at his lips.
People had whispered of his unbreakable rule, that he would only treat the dying within his mystic hospital walls.
Some called it arrogance, others superstition.
Only Soren knew the truth.
Beyond the walls of his sanctuary, he had no access to the life-giving force that flowed within these walls, until now.
This glove was freedom.
Death Scalpel
He turned to the second item's data.
Soren's gaze fell upon the shimmering image of the Death Scalpel displayed on his system panel.
[Death Scalpel]
[Introduction: Stabbing an enemy with the Death Scalpel causes absolute death.]
[Special: Indestructible.]
[Restriction: Disposable upon use, the host's mental power will be completely drained, resulting in a coma lasting three days.]
A subtle chill ran through Soren's heart.
Death.
Not even the strongest beings would escape it… a perfect killing tool.
On Earth, perhaps it felt excessive. There were few left who posed any real threat to him.
But this was the Marvel Universe.
And once humanity inevitably stepped into the wider cosmos… once beings like Thanos, Dormammu, or Galactus came knocking, this scalpel's true value would shine.
Even if his opponent was a god, a cosmic entity, or something beyond comprehension, as long as he could pierce them~
Though it was a treasure, the risk of falling into a coma for three days paled in comparison to the certainty it brought in a desperate situation.
Soren carefully stored the Death Scalpel away, treasuring it like the last resort it was meant to be.
The system never disappointed.
His mind wandered as he reflected on the system's gifts.
Last time it was the Herb Garden Base, a self-sufficient, high-energy sanctuary for rare plants and herbs, capable of covering an entire island.
He had barely begun to use it, distracted by constant events and crises.
Now, with Magnetic Field Control Lv 8 acquired from Magneto, his ambitions began to spiral.
An island fortified by natural herb gardens… wrapped in a protective, magnetic field barrier… powered by geomagnetic forces and reinforced by his control.
A floating fortress. A haven.
A sovereign domain untouchable by modern technology or even some cosmic forces.
A prototype for a future sanctuary… or a last refuge.
The idea took root in his mind, and Soren felt a surge of anticipation.
He checked his system panel, feeling his mood lift, until his eyes fell upon the conditions for his next Package.
[Mission Points: 0/3000]
[The last 10% must be earned by treating characters of Level C or higher.]
[S-Class Character Treatment: 0/3]
Soren froze.
3000 mission points?!
The last reward had only required 500… now it had leapt to 3000.
Even worse, three S-Class characters needed to be treated to clear the final task.
In this world, S-Class individuals were as rare as mythical beasts.
He'd barely encountered more than any since arriving in this universe, and healing them would likely require dangerous risks.
"…!"
There was no point complaining.
The higher the rewards, the greater the challenge.
He glanced at Magneto, still resting on the medical bed, pale and quiet.
Though the worst of his wounds had mended, the weight of failure and regret lingered in the older man's expression.
Soren sighed and spoke softly, breaking the silence.
"Erik… after the Apocalypse incident, Mutants have finally stepped into the spotlight of the world stage."
Magneto's eyelids fluttered, a trace of awareness returning to his tired gaze.
"Though public opinion is still mixed, at least no one's calling for extinction camps or mutant purges, not yet."
"There's room for subtle change. If handled right… the relationship between Mutants and humanity might finally start to mend."
Magneto's expression flickered with shame.
He realized now how close he had come to making things irreversibly worse.
If Soren hadn't intervened, if the summit massacre had gone forward, it would've been an irreversible declaration of war.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, slowly, with sincerity rarely heard from the Master of Magnetism.
"Dr. Macaluso… thank you. If not for your intervention… I would've doomed us all."
Soren smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"No thanks necessary, Erik. Only… think carefully about your next steps."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream