Eric hid in the sea, his eyes fixed on the yacht not far away. His mortal enemy was on that ship.
His mother had been brutally murdered by the man aboard—Sebastian Shaw. He had endured for twenty years before finally rediscovering this man's trail. This time, he would kill him with his own hands.
Eric slipped onto the yacht with ease, quietly drawing the dagger hidden in his boot as he observed Shaw's position.
Sebastian Shaw had been in high spirits lately. He had exposed the existence of mutants to the highest levels of government, using his powers to intimidate them and stage a show of dominance. He had even killed a colonel, yet the military didn't dare say a word. It fed his vanity immensely.
On top of that, with a beautiful woman at his side, life couldn't be more comfortable.
Just as Shaw was indulging in his fantasies of the future and reaching toward the White Queen, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang out.
"Sebastian Shaw!"
Eric stepped forward openly, gripping the dagger tightly. Rage flooded his mind. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill the hypocrite standing before him.
"He's here to kill you," the White Queen said calmly. Her psychic powers activated instantly, slamming into Eric's mind and dropping him to his knees.
"Ah!" Eric gritted his teeth, struggling not to cry out as waves of painful memories surged through his mind.
He had miscalculated. He thought Shaw was the only mutant on board. He hadn't expected another mutant with such powerful telepathic abilities.
If nothing changed, he would die here. His heart filled with unwillingness and fury. Why—after all these years—couldn't he even get close to Shaw?
Shaw observed Eric with interest, curious to see what he would do. From the beginning, he had admired Eric's power and anger—it was like looking at a younger version of himself.
Just as Shaw stepped forward to inspect him, a sudden roar echoed from the sky.
Everyone looked up. Even the White Queen was startled enough to drop her control, freeing Eric.
"What the hell?"
Eric stared upward. A dark blue vortex had appeared in the sky, crackling with lightning, as if something was about to fall out of it.
"Ah!"
A figure shot out of the vortex and slammed into the yacht, punching a massive hole through the deck.
Before anyone could react, another scream followed, and a second figure fell from the vortex, plunging into the sea with a splash—then vanishing without a trace.
"People… falling from the sky?"
Shaw frowned at the vortex. Fortunately, after the two figures fell, it disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.
"Was that your doing?" Shaw asked, glancing at the Red Devil.
"I've been here the whole time," the Red Devil replied. His teleportation couldn't create something like that.
"Then…"
Shaw and the others approached cautiously, peering down through the shattered deck.
"Hi."
Renzo lay in the wreckage below, offering an awkward but polite smile.
"Damn it… the system glitches at a time like this." Outwardly calm, inwardly, Renzo was in turmoil. This was the X-Men universe—a dangerous place, second only to his own. And in the future, it would only get worse. If Wanda ever awakened the Phoenix and combined it with black magic…
He didn't even want to imagine it. For a moment, he regretted not bringing her along.
"Could someone give me a hand? I… don't think I can move."
Shaw and the others exchanged glances. The Red Devil teleported down and brought Renzo back up.
"A mutant?" Shaw studied him carefully, doubt in his eyes.
It wasn't entirely his fault. Technology in this era was limited—he had likely never seen anything like Renzo. With his red face and green body, Renzo looked too strange to be considered normal.
"Haha…" Renzo gave an awkward laugh without answering.
He had already figured out where—and when—he was. With Eric standing right there, it was clearly the moment of his first attempt to assassinate Shaw.
Still, that was fine. At least he didn't have to deal with the Phoenix or Apocalypse decades later.
Eric seized the moment of distraction. His power activated instantly as he hurled the dagger toward Shaw, aiming to kill him in one strike.
Clang!
The White Queen's body transformed into diamond, blocking the attack effortlessly. She followed up with a swift kick, sending Eric flying off the yacht and into the sea.
"No more interruptions now," Shaw said, turning back to Renzo with a smile. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
Renzo fell silent. His system was unstable—likely disrupted by the strain of traveling through space-time. Most of his abilities were unusable. In other words, his strength had dropped drastically. Right now, he wasn't much different from an ordinary target.
His mind raced. If he opposed them, he'd probably get beaten senseless. But black magic tended to favor darker individuals—Eddie was proof of that. That meant infiltrating the enemy might give him an advantage.
The choice was obvious.
Joining the heroes meant stagnation. Joining the villains meant opportunity.
So why hesitate?
"Sebastian Shaw," Renzo said eagerly, putting on the expression of a devoted admirer, "I know you can lead mutants to greatness."
The flattery was almost excessive.
Shaw seemed pleased, but he didn't lower his guard. He glanced at the White Queen before asking calmly, "You're a mutant too, aren't you? What are your abilities? And what was that thing that brought you here?"
"My abilities…" Renzo hesitated briefly. "Mental influence, an indestructible body, and flight. As for that vortex… I'm not sure. I just saw a blue-glowing gem. When I touched it, I ended up here."
The lie was clumsy, but the Soul Stone quietly shielded his mind from the White Queen's telepathy. He even added a nervous gesture, patting his chest.
Shaw and the others exchanged looks. Something felt off, but the White Queen hadn't detected any deception. And Renzo claimed to admire Shaw.
In the end, Shaw decided to keep him close. Mutants should help each other—and more importantly, Shaw had absolute confidence in his own strength. No one could truly threaten him, not even this mysterious newcomer.
"I see… Then you can stay on this ship for now."
"Thank you, Mr. Shaw!" Renzo replied enthusiastically, playing the role to perfection.
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