With Onslaught all but spelling it out, Luthor figured out the answer fast. And for the first time, a flicker of unease crept into his heart.
Even someone like him, after relying for years on Reid's foresight and intel, had unconsciously become dependent.
This kind of situation was something Luthor hadn't prepared for. Or rather, not even Reid had seen it coming.
Because things had gone too smoothly for too long.
Just then, Onslaught continued speaking.
"And I know exactly how that woman would think. Take a guess… why do you think she came to New York?"
New York, a city under the control of LexCorp, was the most dangerous place a mutant could be. So if Emma had led the neutral mutants here, there could be only one reason: to show goodwill to Luthor.
"Arthur!"
Luthor suddenly understood and immediately warned Aquaman. At the same time, he sent his entire analysis through the mental link to everyone.
But Onslaught moved faster.
The distance between Hell's Kitchen and LexCorp's Manhattan headquarters wasn't short, but in the end, it was still within the same city.
For someone like Onslaught, that distance was nothing.
* * *
Meanwhile, Emma, hiding in Manhattan with the neutral mutants, instinctively felt something was wrong.
They had also sensed the intense mental pressure not long ago and could roughly guess what had happened to the academy.
In the very next moment, accompanied by a flurry of metallic dust, Onslaught descended from the sky.
"Erik?"
The familiar sensation of metal manipulation made Emma momentarily believe the one arriving was Magneto, long thought dead. But a second later, she realized this wasn't the man she once knew. And whoever it was, they were not here as a friend.
From Onslaught, she could sense the psychic presence of both mutant leaders. That alone was enough for her to guess the general truth of what had happened.
"Charles? Or should I say Erik? What exactly are you planning?"
Emma shifted into her diamond form. It gave her complete defense against psychic abilities while also enhancing her physical durability. But the power she once took so much pride in didn't bring her the slightest sense of safety now.
"Planning? I'm creating a future for mutantkind. And from now on, call me Onslaught."
With that, the mutant wasted no time. Knowing there was no room for pleasantries, he launched a barrage of metallic attacks.
Emma and the group behind her responded immediately, unleashing their powers in a desperate attempt to fight back.
But against Onslaught, who now possessed the two of the most powerful mutant abilities, their resistance was doomed from the start.
Aquaman arrived just a few seconds too late. When he reached the scene, all he saw were the withered bodies of numerous mutants scattered across the ground. Emma was clutched in Onslaught's hand, her powers and life force being drained away.
"Let go!"
With a roar, Aquaman raised the Trident of Poseidon and unleashed a thunderous strike toward the mutant. Onslaught, despite having absorbed so many powers, didn't dare take the hit head-on. He hurriedly dropped Emma and dodged the incoming attack.
Then, Aquaman lunged forward, closing the distance with incredible speed. The trident in his hand thrust directly at Onslaught's chest. If it landed, it would mean certain death.
But the mutant had already gained far too many abilities.
Just as the trident was about to pierce through him, his body dissolved like a wisp of smoke. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind his attacker and delivered a heavy punch, sending him flying thousands of meters. Aquaman was launched out of Manhattan, soaring beyond the borders of New York City.
And before he could fully regain control of his body, Onslaught teleported behind him again and drove him straight down into the ground.
Boom!
The impact cracked the earth. It was clear that after absorbing so many mutant powers, Onslaught's control over magnetic fields had grown even stronger.
Among the abilities he had taken were also those that enhanced physical strength. With a more powerful body, he could manipulate magnetic forces with even greater intensity.
Aquaman tried to break free from the crater he'd been slammed into, but the surrounding rocks, under Onslaught's control, were crushed into sand. That sand quickly wove itself into countless fine threads, pinning him firmly against the ground.
"You, and LexCorp, can admire the beauty of space together... along with this city!"
The ground trembled.
Beyond just restraining Aquaman with the sand, Onslaught had begun manipulating the very earth beneath New York City. His plan was to send all his enemies, along with the city itself, into space.
"Ahhh!!"
Aquaman roared, summoning lightning and storms with his trident, but the sand controlled by the mutant kept surging relentlessly.
Even as thunder crashed down again and again, the restraints didn't weaken. Instead, the charged sand fused under the pressure, forming a glass-like prison that trapped him even tighter.
"I'm sorry... I was late."
Just as the city was about to rise under Onslaught's terrifying power, Reid finally arrived.
In a flash, he appeared behind the mutant and delivered a powerful punch at his heart.
"What?!"
Onslaught hadn't anticipated this at all. If he had known Reid could get so close without warning, he wouldn't have been so relaxed after overpowering Aquaman. He had even let himself feel a sense of assured victory.
He wasn't too worried, however. He didn't believe the man's physical strength was anything worth fearing. Just managing to sneak up without being noticed was, in his eyes, the full extent of Reid's abilities.
But the next moment, Onslaught's expression changed.
Unlike Aquaman, Reid didn't go head-to-head against his physical body. Instead, his form suddenly turned intangible, phasing straight through the mutant's armored exterior and his enhanced body, heading directly for his heart.
"Phasing? Damn it!"
Onslaught wasn't unfamiliar with phasing abilities. After all, Shadowcat had a similar power. Based on Reid's movement, he immediately realized what the man intended to do.
He planned to phase into his body and crush his heart from the inside.
Realizing this, the mutant could no longer focus on restraining Aquaman or destroying New York. He immediately turned into a column-like swirl of black mist and vanished, barely evading Reid's silent but deadly attack.
"I didn't expect... you had something like that up your sleeve."
Beneath the heavy armor, Onslaught was drenched in sweat. Still, as he faced his opponent again, he forced himself to put on a confident front.
"I've got more than just that," Reid replied with a slight smile. He had indeed arrived late, and New York had already taken some damage.
But that delay had revealed something important: Onslaught's biggest weakness at this time.
Emma's powers hadn't been fully absorbed. And the immense psychic ability Charles once had, amplified by Cerebro, had now returned to its normal levels.
"Ah!!"
Onslaught suddenly clutched his head in pain. A sharp sting pierced through his mind—Reid had launched a psychic assault.
When the mutant tried to fight back with his own mental powers, he realized too late that the overwhelming psychic strength he had inherited from Charles had faded. His current abilities were no match for Reid's.
**
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