Chapter 189: Impact
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As the colossal artificial star plummeted from the sky, everyone watching this terrifying scene couldn't help but hold their breath.
The Black Queen looked up, her gaze at Erik filled with shock and fury.
This Magneto… had been hiding his true strength all along.
Judging by the power he was displaying now, it was far greater than what he had shown during the Hellfire incident—far greater, by more than just a little.
But…
The same truth remained.
No matter how terrifying this attack was, it would only matter if it actually hit her.
Just as she was about to teleport away, her eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
Her psychic shield—had been breached!
In an instant, she felt a surge of powerful mental energy invade her mind, trying to wrest control of her body.
But as a mutant who had lived for many long years, her experience quickly kicked in—she immediately launched a counterattack.
She converted all the life force stored within her body.
In a flash, her psychic power exploded, forcibly expelling Charles's mental energy from her mind, and she reconstructed a new psychic shield.
Charles's eyes flickered slightly, and he let out a quiet hum as an even stronger wave of psychic power surged forward.
And just as she and Charles were locked in their mental clash, the massive meteor had already come crashing down.
But Charles's interference continued to disrupt her—she simply couldn't teleport away in time.
There was no way to dodge it!
The Black Queen's eyes turned pitch black in that instant.
Boom!
The "meteor" struck.
The earth shattered. Violent tremors rippled out like an earthquake, and the shockwave from the impact swept outward like a hurricane, blowing everything in its path away.
The lake in front of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters churned violently. Massive volumes of water were flung into the sky, crashing down like a torrential rain.
Even the underground base beneath S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters began to crack from the force, with some sections starting to collapse entirely.
As the dust began to settle, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been running frantically and taking cover in the distance looked upon the sunken terrain ahead. Their faces turned ghostly pale.
Was this really the power of a human?
If the enemy truly wanted to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, just one of those things would be enough… The thought alone was chilling.
Yet, even such an attack hadn't taken the Black Queen's life.
Charles could still sense the fluctuations of her mental energy.
But something about her state now was… off.
"Erik," Charles muttered.
"I understand," Erik replied, nodding as a slight smile curved his lips.
A mass of black substance quietly emerged from beneath the "meteor," rose to its surface, and twisted into the shape of the Black Queen.
Her shadow form had allowed her to evade the fatal impact.
However, at this moment, she looked utterly disheveled.
Her once-fair and delicate skin had become parched and brittle, as if all moisture had been drained away. She no longer resembled a youthful woman—she looked like an old crone.
With hatred in her eyes, she glared at Charles and Erik. In her hands, two black crystals appeared.
They began to absorb life force.
If she were a machine wielding immense power, then life force was her fuel. Without sufficient life force, her strength would drastically diminish.
As she absorbed more life energy, the dried-out skin on her body regained its luster. She devoured the energy with desperation, though a trace of fear began to creep into her maddened gaze.
Escape?
There was no escaping now!
Charles's interference prevented her from teleporting repeatedly, and Erik could keep up with her easily.
As for fleeing on foot… that wasn't an option either.
These two had abilities that were difficult to deal with, and they worked together with unsettling precision.
Whenever one attacked, that wretched telepath would suddenly intensify his psychic assault, forcing her to divert much of her focus to defending herself.
She racked her brain for a way to break through this situation, but before she could come up with a viable plan—
A mass of shadow loomed ever larger above her.
She looked up—her pupils contracted.
Another meteor?
Though it was only half the size of the previous one, in her current condition, getting hit by it would mean severe injury, if not death.
That familiar psychic power surged once more.
Cursing under her breath, she crushed the crystal in her hand without hesitation. The massive surge of life force was instantly converted into magical energy, which she then infused into the meteor beneath her feet.
In that moment, the meteor came alive. As it fell, it transformed into a towering giant covered in glowing blue-black patterns. The giant raised its enormous hands to meet the descending "meteor."
Impact.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the sky.
The "meteor" paused briefly—then shattered the giant's palms, obliterating its arms almost instantly. The crushing force didn't stop there—it tore through the giant's body and barreled downward, heading straight for the Black Queen standing below.
But that slight delay was all she needed.
In that instant, the Black Queen managed to seize control of the falling meteor using her life force.
She panted lightly, her skin once again withering and dry.
Reaching into her reserves, she took out her final crystal, preparing to absorb its life force and escape—no matter the cost.
But perhaps… her intent had already been seen through.
Suddenly, metallic blades burst from the ground beneath her, piercing straight through her body.
When did this happen?
Of course—during the first meteor strike. The bullets she and Erik had been fighting over were left unattended. During the earlier chaos, they had fallen to the ground… and now, they became the final piece that sealed her fate.
She screamed in pain, frantically draining the life force from the crystal to heal her wounds.
But under Erik's control, the metal writhed like giant serpents—coiling around her both inside and out.
Desperate, she once again activated her shadow form with no regard for consequences. But at that moment, an overwhelming wave of psychic power—stronger than ever before—crashed into her mind.
It shattered her mental shield, and then surged deep into her consciousness.
Her body froze in place.
The twisting metal gave one final wrench—thin streams of blood seeped from the gaps.
At the same time, Charles's immense psychic power wiped out the last trace of her consciousness.
It was over.
Joy lit up the brothers' faces. They exchanged a glance—countless words condensed into a single, thrilled look.
Right now, they wanted nothing more than to give each other a hug. But remembering who they were… they could only suppress their excitement.
"We did it."
Charles's voice echoed in Erik's mind.
Erik let out a wild laugh—but then added, "No. We haven't reached our goal yet."
"Let's keep going."
They encouraged each other, then, after exchanging a quick look, Erik shot into the sky. With a flick of his hand, the Black Queen—entwined in metal—was lifted up with him.
Midair, the swirling metal twisted into the shape of a coffin, sealing her corpse inside.
At the same time, the helmet Erik had discarded earlier—buried somewhere during the chaos of battle—rose into the air at his command and flew toward him, vanishing with him into the sky.
(End of Chapter)