Chapter 376: Aftermath

After Magneto poured all his magnetic energy into the machine, his vitality was severely depleted, and he collapsed on the spot.

The Statue of Liberty, now suspended in the sky, immediately lost control and began to plummet.

The X-Men were still overwhelmed by the despair of the moment, but Wolverine, who cared most about Rogue, was the first to react and rushed forward.

However, if the Statue of Liberty truly fell, even Wolverine wouldn't be able to catch it. It would be reduced to rubble, and Rogue along with it. 

Fortunately, Shin had also flown over. Concerned that everyone on the statue might die, he reached out and activated the power of the Float-Float Fruit. As soon as his hand touched the statue, the entire monument stopped in midair.

"Thank you! Thank you, brother!" Wolverine gasped for breath. Watching the Statue of Liberty fall toward him hadn't been pleasant. Even though his healing factor gave him near immortality, standing there and waiting for impact had left him cold with sweat.

More importantly, Rogue was still on it. If she had hit the ground, she wouldn't have survived.

Shin waved his hand dismissively, not expecting gratitude. He controlled the statue to tilt sideways for a safer descent.

Wolverine immediately leaped up without hesitation. He hadn't officially joined the X-Men yet, and unlike the others, he didn't have strong views about mutant politics. His only concern was Rogue, the one he cared about most.

The rest of the X-Men, still in a daze, stared blankly until they saw Wolverine rushing ahead. Only then did they begin to follow, expressions clouded by uncertainty.

Upon reaching the machine, they saw Rogue and Magneto lying unconscious, their hair completely white. Storm stood nearby with a sorrowful look, while Magneto's followers sobbed in despair.

"Rogue!" Wolverine cried, rushing forward in a panic, only to find that both Rogue and Magneto appeared lifeless.

"They've likely been comatose," Shin said as he landed. "Too much vitality was drained at once."

"Comatose? So Rogue isn't dead? But… her abilities are gone!" Wolverine looked up anxiously, still holding Rogue's hand. There was a flicker of hope in his voice, but also deep unease.

Magneto's followers lifted their heads too. Mystique and Toad had fared better than Sabretooth. Though lacking his regenerative abilities, their enhanced mutant physiology made them tougher than ordinary humans. Storm's earlier attacks had only paralyzed them briefly. Now, they had mostly recovered.

Hearing Shin's analysis, their eyes lit up. If their leader had survived, then there was still hope. They all looked at Shin expectantly.

Shin scratched his head. "Reviving Rogue won't be hard, and there won't be any lasting issues. As for Magneto..."

He didn't finish. Technically, there would be side effects. In her current state, even if Rogue was healed, her life expectancy would only be about ten more years. But her mutant ability was so unique that, by touching others, even briefly, she could replenish her lifespan.

Rogue's power didn't just temporarily steal superpowers; if the absorbed energy was strong and sustained long enough, she could retain a portion of it within her.

As for Magneto, Shin didn't elaborate. Even if he recovered, he'd have no more than a year or so to live and would be bedridden the entire time, good only for final words.

Wolverine didn't care whether Magneto lived or died. Who is this guy to me? he thought. One less person trying to control me. As always, he remained a lone wolf. He wasn't concerned with mutant unity or long-term strategy. For now, and perhaps forever, he'd never thought about the broader future of mutant-kind.

The remaining X-Men, however, had more complex thoughts. Despite their opposition, Magneto was a respected figure among mutants. He had never committed cruelty against his own kind, and both sides maintained a sort of tacit understanding.

Professor X and Magneto were considered the two poles of mutant ideology: coexistence with humans versus eradication of humans. Together, their balance kept the mutant society from collapsing entirely.

Of the three, Cyclops was most aware of this nuance. Trained as Professor X's successor, he had a more aggressive personality and sometimes even sympathized with Magneto's ideas.

Jean Grey and Storm may not have reflected on it as deeply, but they also sensed that Magneto's death would destabilize mutant relations across the globe.

Shin didn't dwell on it. He simply reached out and touched Rogue. A wave of pure, vibrant Yang Release chakra flowed into her body, reigniting the dying ember of her life force.

Then, after some thought, he tapped Magneto's chest as well. The old mutant drew a shaky breath.

Rogue opened her eyes shortly after. Her body felt sore and weak like a machine left rusting for years.

"Logan… is that you?" she asked hoarsely, her voice startling her.

She looked down and saw her hands: wrinkled, skin sagging, her once-toned muscles withered. She looked like an elderly woman.

"What happened to me? Why do I look like this?"

Still disoriented, Rogue didn't realize that Magneto had also woken up. He looked even worse. Though he hadn't been drained as severely as Rogue, he was far older, and she had siphoned some of his vitality when the machine started. Afterward, he continued powering the machine on his own, exhausting even more of his life.

Yet despite being on the brink of death, his face was calm.

"Did the plan… succeed?" he rasped.

"It did, Erik!" Mystique cried, holding him in her arms. "We've turned them all into our kind!"

"Really…?" Magneto whispered after a long pause, a look of relief crossing his worn, wrinkled face.

"Success, my ass!" growled Wolverine. He kicked the machine in frustration and carefully lifted Rogue off of it by her clothes. "Do you know what happened to that official you kidnapped and experimented on?"

At that, Mystique and the others visibly flinched. Magneto coughed violently, then after a long silence, asked...

"Something… went wrong?"

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