Chapter 95: Immortal ability, Fast regeneration.

Professor X had long suspected that his mental abilities might not surpass Kurogai's, yet he still hoped to outmatch Kurogai through his refined skill and years of psychic mastery. His goal was simple: stop Kurogai from harvesting mutant blood without restraint. Unfortunately, he had gravely overestimated his own chances.

This was no surprise. Though Tsukuyomi was a form of illusion, it represented the pinnacle of psychic technique. In a contest of skill, Professor X was utterly overwhelmed. The moment he was pulled into Tsukuyomi's nightmare world, his consciousness shattered under the strain. As soon as the illusion broke, Professor X collapsed, unconscious.

"Can't miss out on his blood either."

Kurogai murmured, glancing at the unconscious Professor. Wasting no time, he produced a small blade, carefully making an incision on the Professor's arm to draw blood.

The Ultimate Eye swiftly absorbed Professor X's genetic DNA. Almost immediately, Kurogai noticed something remarkable — the growth rate of the third tomoe in his Sharingan accelerated dramatically. It wasn't even comparable to the others he had taken before.

A few moments later, Professor X, his formidable psychic energy stirring, regained consciousness.

"I suppose you've taken my blood as well."

He smiled bitterly, resigned to his failure. The sting of defeat was palpable. He had placed his hopes on halting Kurogai, only to be bested completely and stripped of the very thing he sought to protect. It was a humiliating loss.

"I told you, Professor. I need mutant blood, and yours… is one of the finest."

Kurogai said without remorse. He had no reason to lie; the results spoke for themselves. The Professor's genetic material was accelerating the evolution of his Sharingan at a rate he hadn't thought possible.

"Will you truly not harm them… the other mutants?"

Professor X fell silent for a long moment before asking. His tone had softened. What else could he do? If he himself couldn't stand against Kurogai, who else could? The man's psychic strength had reached a terrifying level. No one else at the X-Mansion, or among the scattered mutant enclaves, could possibly stop him.

Professor X still had one final hope — the Phoenix Force sleeping within Jean Grey. If Jean could one day control it, perhaps she could face Kurogai head-on. But the Phoenix was volatile, dangerous, and beyond Jean's mastery. Unleashing it now might cause an even greater catastrophe.

What Professor X didn't realize was that the Phoenix Force would never turn against Kurogai. The bond between the Undying Bird and the Phoenix transcended reason. Even if unleashed, the Phoenix would never oppose him.

"I only seek to become stronger."

Kurogai didn't waste another word. He turned his back on the weary Professor and walked out of the office, leaving without hesitation to find his next target.

"I knew you were no good. I'll stop you here and now!"

The first one to intercept him was Storm. After Professor X realized Kurogai's intent to harvest mutant blood, he initiated two emergency plans: evacuate the students via the hidden tunnels and, failing that, confront Kurogai himself.

The result was obvious. In the briefest moment — the blink of an eye in the real world — Kurogai had already subdued the Professor.

Because in Tsukuyomi's illusory realm, however long time dragged on, only a mere heartbeat passed outside. That meant Storm and the others had barely begun evacuating the students when Kurogai appeared before them.

"You're done!"

Storm had already summoned storm clouds overhead, the sky darkening as crackling bolts of lightning danced across the clouds. With a sharp command, she directed a thunderbolt to strike.

Crack!

Lightning crashed down in rapid succession, one bolt after another raining down on Kurogai's position, a deafening roar shaking the mansion grounds.

"Perfect — not even the strongest can withstand this barrage," Storm thought, a flicker of hope igniting in her heart.

And then — a calm voice drifted from within the lightning storm.

"Is this your power? Honestly, among mutants, yours isn't half bad."

Kurogai spoke casually, as though indifferent to the lightning coursing through his body. His voice cut through the storm like a knife.

Storm's expression changed at once. The lightning slowly faded, revealing Kurogai stepping forward from the heart of the storm.

His body was cloaked in flickering cyan flames, licking at his skin. Any wounds he might have sustained closed rapidly, consumed by the flames. In moments, even the flames receded, leaving him standing there completely unscathed.

The Phoenix's power of immortality revealed itself in full. Even a cataclysmic natural disaster like Storm's lightning assault was meaningless before it.

This wasn't just an immortal ability — it was a power capable of rivaling Death itself. Kurogai hadn't even bothered to dodge. Why evade an attack that posed no threat?

When power renders resistance pointless, the struggle itself loses meaning.

"How… how is this possible?! That's lightning… no one walks away from that without a mark!"

Storm was shaken. She knew her abilities. Among the X-Men, only Professor X had the skill to reliably subdue her. Her power, tied to nature's wrath, was immense — enough to devastate cities if unchecked.

That was why she had stepped up to face Kurogai, certain she could slow him down. But seeing him unharmed was a shattering blow to her confidence. Not a single burn, no scorched clothing, nothing.

She gritted her teeth, determined to strike again. Her eyes clouded over, turning white as she prepared another assault.

But Kurogai wasn't interested in letting her waste his time.

"This is getting tedious. Stay down."

His eyes changed once more, the blood-red Sharingan manifesting, the tomoe spinning before fusing into the pinwheel pattern.

Mangekyō Sharingan: Tsukuyomi.

Activated.

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