[27] Brian Vs. The Black King
On the shore of the port, Brian and the Black King, Sebastian Shaw, stood facing each other.
After Brian rejected Shaw's offer, the Black King immediately hurled an energy bomb at him.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed across the shore.
The energy bomb was charged with the shockwaves and explosive force Shaw had absorbed from the recent cruise ship blast.
Though the energy bomb was small—about the size of a palm—it carried immense destructive power.
The ground beneath Brian's feet shattered from the force of the shockwave.
At the center of the explosion, Brian was engulfed in flames.
Sebastian Shaw stared intently at the blaze, eager to see if Brian could withstand his attack.
Suddenly, a low, commanding voice emerged from the heart of the explosion.
"Sebastian Shaw, did you really think you could kill me?"
With those words, Brian strode forward, unharmed, emerging from the inferno.
At this moment, Brian had evolved into a form resembling the Silver Surfer.
His entire body, now covered in silver-white metal, gleamed with a radiant metallic sheen under the light of the flames.
The scorching heat only caused a faint red tint to appear on his metallic skin.
The shockwave from the explosion had no real effect on him—it only forced Brian's right foot to step back slightly due to the kinetic impact.
In this Silver Surfer state, Brian's skin possessed strength comparable to, if not greater than, titanium alloy.
Not only could he withstand powerful energy explosions, but he was also impervious to extreme heat.
Additionally, this form granted him both high strength and remarkable lightness—his weight was only one-tenth of what it normally would be, making his movements swift and agile.
Whoosh.
With just a slight push off the ground, Brian sprinted 100 meters in under 5 seconds.
In an instant, he stood before Sebastian Shaw, clenching his right fist and throwing a powerful punch directly at him.
Bang.
Shaw did not dodge or attempt to block. He let the full force of Brian's fist connect with his face.
But instead of taking damage, Shaw absorbed all the kinetic energy from the punch.
Brian's punch landed on Sebastian Shaw without causing any harm.
"Brian, I am invincible," Shaw declared confidently.
Mimicking Brian, Shaw raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and struck with immense force.
With the kinetic energy fueling his punch, Shaw's blow was swift and brutal.
Bang.
Brian was knocked back two meters, landing heavily on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
From within the swirling dust, Brian sprang back to his feet with a swift kip-up, casually brushing the dirt off his metallic body as if nothing had happened.
Despite the force of Shaw's attack, Brian remained unscathed—only the dust marked where he had fallen.
In his Silver Surfer form, Brian's durability made him highly resistant to physical attacks. Shaw's energy-charged punch felt no more than a minor annoyance.
Boom.
No sooner had Brian stood up than Shaw launched another, even more powerful energy bomb.
The violent orange-red energy shot toward Brian.
At the moment of impact, Brian's metallic body underwent another rapid transformation—evolving into a blue-black stone skin.
His height surged to 2.5 meters, and his weight increased to 350 kilograms.
He now resembled a massive, hulking stone giant—heavy and seemingly clumsy, but exuding raw power.
The orange-red energy from Sebastian Shaw struck Brian, but it neither harmed him nor made him flinch.
Brian stood steady, as unmoving as a seasoned warrior.
Under Shaw's astonished gaze, Brian strode forward, unbothered by the energy bombardment, each step heavy and deliberate.
When he reached Shaw, he swung his massive fist, as large as a casserole dish, aiming directly at him.
"Brian, don't waste your strength," Shaw said calmly, raising his right hand to intercept the punch.
He absorbed all the kinetic energy from Brian's strike into his body without difficulty.
"You can't hurt me."
With all the kinetic energy safely absorbed, Shaw's tone remained composed.
In the next moment, Shaw retaliated—raising his hand and striking Brian's body.
Boom.
The energy released from Shaw's blow detonated with the force of a medium-range missile, forming a small mushroom cloud upon impact.
But then, from the center of the explosion, Brian's voice echoed defiantly:
"Keep going, don't stop."
As the dust and smoke cleared, it became clear that Brian had evolved once again.
This time, he had reverted to his normal appearance.
A shimmering golden circular force field surrounded him, absorbing the brunt of the explosion and rendering him completely immune to its effects.
"Have you adapted to my energy? You got an energy force field now?"
The Black King, Sebastian Shaw, frowned slightly, staring at the shimmering protective force field surrounding Brian. A sense of powerlessness began to creep over him.
No matter how he attacked, Brian would adapt, evolving into a new form to counter it.
The more dangerous the situation, the stronger Brian became.
While Brian's first two evolutions were merely structural changes, this third evolution had granted him a new mutant ability.
Shaw could barely fathom what Brian might evolve into next if the fight continued.
Perhaps Brian would eventually become entirely immune to his energy attacks?
Shaw's gaze lingered on Brian, and a profound sense of helplessness washed over him.
At the same time, his fear of Brian reached its peak.
An enemy who could evolve infinitely—an almost unkillable force.
How could Shaw not be afraid?
"Enough, Brian. You can't kill me, and I can't kill you.
This fight is pointless—a meaningless waste of time," Shaw said, his voice tinged with frustration and defeat as he looked at Brian.
Brian shrugged indifferently.
He never intended to defeat Sebastian Shaw.
His fight with Shaw was only meant to apply pressure, and now that the objective had been achieved, Brian had no intention of wasting any more time.
In truth, it wasn't just Shaw who felt frustrated—Brian felt the same way.
Shaw's energy-absorbing mutant ability was truly overpowered.
Every attack only made Shaw stronger, like a combination of physical immunity and an energy-boosting buff.
"Emma, let's go," Shaw said, noticing that Brian had stopped his assault.
He walked over to Azazel, casually lifting the severely injured teleporter, and addressed Emma Frost, the White Queen.
"Okay, Shaw," Emma replied with a nod. She glanced back at Brian, offering him a playful smile.
With that, the remaining three members of the Hellfire Club turned and departed.
Brian watched silently as Shaw and the others disappeared from sight.
A smile spread across Brian's face.
Although the fight with Sebastian Shaw had ended somewhat anticlimactically, it wasn't without its rewards.
During the encounter, Brian had gained a new adaptive evolution option.
In his genetic code, right next to the four-winged angel inscription, a new golden shield inscription had appeared.
Brian decided to call this new ability the energy shield.
His first encounter with the Hellfire Club had proven to be quite fruitful.
Not only had he acquired two new adaptive abilities, but he had also managed to steal the mutant ability of Riptide.
And, more importantly, he had secretly recruited Azazel, the Red Devil. Heheh.
In high spirits, Brian dusted himself off and walked over to Professor X and Raven.
"Professor X, is Magneto still alive?" Brian asked.
"Erik's condition isn't looking good. He needs to be taken to a hospital immediately," Professor X replied, glancing up at Brian with a look of gratitude.
"Thank you, Brian.
If not for your help, Raven, Erik, and I would likely have died at the hands of Sebastian Shaw."
Faced with Professor X's gratitude, Brian waved his hand very generously.
"Charles, don't sweat it. Let's send Magneto to the hospital first."