Chapter 190: The Brotherhood

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*****

Erik hadn't flown far when he spotted the Hellfire Club members near the battlefield.

He paused for a moment, a smile appearing on his face.

Were they planning to join him in taking down the Black Queen?

With that thought in mind, Erik descended, the metal coffin trailing behind him.

Erik appeared before the group.

The Hellfire members froze, instinctively stepping back.

The earlier battle had been far too terrifying—beyond anything they could have imagined.

They had intended to help, but as they neared the battlefield, they saw a meteor crash down. Then, a shockwave like a hurricane blasted them away.

After that...

They didn't dare get any closer.

Now that Erik had returned, that could only mean—the Black Queen...

Their gazes shifted to the metal coffin floating behind Erik.

Understanding their thoughts, Erik gave a faint wave of his hand and spoke in an exhausted voice, "It's over."

As he spoke, the metal coffin opened, revealing the Black Queen inside.

Thud!

Her corpse fell to the ground like a lump of lifeless clay.

It was her—the Black Queen.

A hush fell over the Hellfire group—then they erupted into cheers. They gathered around Erik, lifting him into the air.

"Magneto!"

"Magneto!"

Their cheers were filled with excitement and relief.

They cheered for Erik—but also for themselves.

With the Black Queen dead, they were finally free. No longer would they be forced to gather life force for her. No longer would they live in fear of being turned to ash at her whim.

And after witnessing the battle, they realized something else—Erik's strength was no less than the Black Queen's.

Once they lowered him to the ground, everyone stared at Erik, eyes brimming with emotion and excitement.

At that moment, Pyro spoke up: "I propose we make Erik our new leader!"

Rockslide added in his dopey voice, "No objections here!"

Boom-Boom clapped her hands—startling the group.

She had a habit of accidentally using her powers when she moved her hands.

"Tch."

Rolling her eyes at the group, Boom-Boom beamed and said, "I agree too!"

Erik wasn't just powerful—he had taken down the Black Queen and freed the Hellfire members from her oppressive reign. And during the battle, he had saved their lives as well…

They exchanged glances, nodding one after another in agreement.

Pyro turned to Erik, his voice filled with passion: "Magneto! Our new leader—the new king of Hellfire!"

Erik frowned slightly.

Seeing his expression, everyone's heart sank.

Could it be… Erik was going to refuse?

Nervously, Pyro asked, "Erik? You're not rejecting us, are you? We only recognize you as our leader now!"

Erik was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled at them.

"I accept!"

"Magneto!"

"Yeah!"

"That's awesome!"

The crowd broke into cheers once more.

Erik raised both hands and gestured for them to quiet down. "I accept," he said, "but I don't want to be called a king."

His eyes glinted as he spoke boldly, "From this day forward, we are no longer the Hellfire Club. We are the Brotherhood!"

The Brotherhood?

The Brotherhood!

They all repeated the name silently, smiling as they nodded in agreement.

"Magneto, what do we do next?" Pyro asked excitedly, practically bouncing in place, eager to be sent off on some grand mission.

Erik smiled faintly. "As it happens, there is something I need you to do—right now."

Pyro's expression turned serious. "What is it? I promise I'll get it done!"

Erik patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry—it's nothing difficult."

The others looked on with curiosity.

Erik pointed to the Black Queen's corpse. "Burn her."

Pyro paused, then looked at Erik with excitement. "Is this so we can completely say goodbye to the past? That's so meaningful!"

Erik: "…"

He nodded slightly, replying with a soft "Yeah."

Sure, let's go with that—though in truth, it was just because the Black Queen's abilities were too bizarre, and Erik didn't want to risk her coming back to life somehow…

A blazing fireball ignited in Pyro's hand, which he then hurled at the Black Queen's body. The flames quickly grew, engulfing her completely.

As her body was rapidly reduced to ash, Erik said, "Let's go."

The others nodded and followed him as they departed swiftly.

---

Meanwhile, back at the battlefield…

Charles slowly walked toward those who had been waiting for him.

As they saw him approaching, everyone's expressions shifted.

Logan and Hank McCoy were filled with joy and excitement, while the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were struck with awe, amazement—and a tinge of fear.

Charles could clearly sense all their emotions.

He came to a stop before them, offering a warm smile. "It's over. The Black Queen has been confirmed dead."

Although they had already suspected this the moment Charles walked off the battlefield, hearing him say it aloud still sent the crowd into cheers.

As the crowd celebrated, Hill exchanged a glance with Hawkeye. Their expressions were serious, but both couldn't help the small smiles tugging at the corners of their lips.

Charles's power had exceeded their expectations—something they would need to be mindful of.

Still, they were grateful he was currently standing on their side. And this battle… this victory… it was something to truly celebrate.

The only downside was the damage S.H.I.E.L.D. had suffered.

Forget the lost weapons and personnel—just the building that was destroyed…

Their director was going to be heartbroken.

Thinking about how Nick Fury would react, Maria Hill and Hawkeye couldn't help but chuckle to themselves.

---

And in fact…

"Bang! Bang!"

Nick Fury, who had been teleported out of the battlefield by Mike and was now back in the underground base, slammed his desk twice as he watched the battlefield footage streaming in from the front lines.

He was ecstatic.

Absolutely delighted—especially at the thought of how much this had cost HYDRA!

As for himself—was he upset?

Sure, a little.

He had watched that building go up piece by piece. But compared to letting HYDRA come out of this unscathed? No contest.

Besides, now HYDRA would have to rebuild their base from scratch. If he played his cards right behind the scenes…

Tch, he could probably funnel some funding off that.

Thinking of it that way, that tiny bit of regret? Worthless!

But more than anything else, what thrilled him most was the power Charles and Erik had displayed.

"Too powerful. Way too powerful."

That scene of the meteor crashing down—just remembering it made his blood boil with excitement.

This kind of power—this was the power that would protect Earth in the days to come.

And just thinking about that made him grin from ear to ear.

"The Kent family… all freakishly strong," he muttered with an odd expression.

Mike aside—Fury still didn't know the full extent of Mike's abilities.

Clark, on the other hand, had already gone toe-to-toe with Carol Danvers before reaching adulthood. Chances were, he was even stronger now.

And then there were Charles and Erik—their power was among the rarest in the world.

Could it be… that every child Mike adopted would end up monstrously powerful?

Was it too late to make Mike his godfather?

Smack!

Fury slapped his forehead, shaking the ridiculous thought out of his mind. He stood up and headed out of the base.

(End of Chapter)