"Logan?"
A familiar voice rang out by his ear.
Cyclops turned his head, eyes quickly locking onto the source. A trace of surprise crossed his face.
"What are you doing here?"
"Captain!?"
Logan looked up but didn't answer—instead, he shot back a question.
"What about you? What are you doing here?"
"And that energy around you... your powers… they've gotten stronger?"
There was hesitation on Wolverine's face.
He could feel it—an overwhelming surge of energy radiating off Cyclops. Especially the laser beams behind those eyes—it was like a terrifying beast was lurking within them. Even he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
But—
Now's not the time for that.
"Captain, since you got here first, did you find any trace of the talisman?" Wolverine asked urgently.
This was a race for the talismans—whoever got them first would gain the upper hand. And with Thor hot on their trail, time was tight.
He didn't know... Cyclops already had the Pig Talisman in hand.
Cyclops's lips twitched. His expression grew… complicated.
Talisman traces?
Should he tell him that he not only found the traces…
But he had the actual Pig Talisman in his pocket?
Cyclops was torn.
He was just about to give Logan a pleasant surprise when—
BOOM!!
A thunderous crack split the sky.
Blinding electric light surged across the skyline.
In an instant—
A lightning bolt crashed down from the heavens.
Thor descended, dramatic and domineering.
"Heh~"
"You guys are faster than I thought!"
He stepped out of the lightning, casually flicking his wrist. Electric arcs danced across his body, amplifying his wild and untamed presence.
It was an unexpectedly cool entrance—spectators everywhere couldn't help but take screenshots.
But—
For Thor himself?
He wasn't exactly thrilled. Wolverine beat him here.
Even if they were on the same side—
He couldn't stand being second.
"Hmph! Finding the talismans isn't just about speed. So what if you arrived first?"
"Only the one who holds the Pig Talisman wins!"
Cyclops's pupils contracted. His heart trembled.
That's it!
That's what he'd overlooked!
When he picked up the Pig Talisman… the system had triggered a notification.
So—
Logan and the others were here… chasing the talisman?!
They were tracking its location!
Cyclops's heart tightened. His instincts screamed to stash the Pig Talisman and quietly profit.
But—too late.
"Hmm?"
"What's that glowing thing in your hand?"
"This location… that energy reading… it's the talisman, isn't it?"
Thor's minimap data aligned perfectly with the blip in Cyclops's hand.
He'd caught a glimpse of the brief white flash earlier.
Thor's eyes narrowed.
His muscles may have been dense, but his instincts were sharp—he followed them now.
Bullseye.
"The Pig Talisman! You have it?!"
It sounded like a question, but Thor's tone left no doubt.
His piercing stare seemed to strip away all secrets.
"Crap!"
Cyclops's heart sank.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
—
"Hahaha~"
"Perfect! That's it!"
Loki clapped excitedly, grinning ear to ear.
Who knew…?
His idiot brother actually used his brain for once.
Finally!
They'd caught him red-handed.
Now the rewards were practically guaranteed!
Even Odin, on his throne, nodded slightly in approval.
—
"I knew it."
Professor X's eyes dimmed. He could barely hide his disappointment.
Of course…
Nothing ever comes easy.
Thor was just too overpowered.
Without interference from his father, Thor was nearly invincible in this world.
Even if Cyclops and Wolverine teamed up, their chances were close to zero—unless some miracle happened.
But—
Miracles?
Professor X looked away. He wasn't holding his breath.
In the adult world, miracles don't exist.
—
"Tsk~ I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
"So what if you're lucky? You still can't beat me, the Thunder God!"
"Yay! I'm officially a Thor fan now! Damn Europeans, eat my blade!"
…
From Thor's brash attitude, it was clear—he wasn't about to let things slide just because they were on the same team.
Conquest.
Domination.
That was Thor to the core.
But—
The audience might've predicted the beginning…
They didn't see the ending coming.
—
"Hand over the talisman." Thor's voice was low and commanding, releasing a crushing sense of pressure.
Power belongs to the strong.
The weak have no claim to treasures.
Cyclops clenched his jaw.
A heavenly gift like this… just hand it over?
No way.
Especially now—
The Pig Talisman had supercharged his optic blasts. He felt a rush of strength like never before.
Yeah, he got his ass kicked before—
But now?
With the Pig Talisman's power—
Maybe… just maybe…
There's still hope!
"Tch—" Thor scoffed. Cyclops's stance made him laugh.
"You? A loser?"
Thor shook his head, calm but contemptuous.
"You couldn't even take one hit from me. You think one talisman changes that?"
"Naïve!"
He crushed the Rat Talisman's wielder.
What could some Pig Talisman possibly do?
The Rat held the power of life itself. What could laser vision compare?
"You won't know until we fight!"
Cyclops's hands were sweating. The memory of defeat loomed large.
But he bit the bullet and charged.
He had the talisman!
He wasn't backing down without a fight!
The fire of battle ignited—fueled by desperation and determination.
"Hmm?"
Sensing his fighting spirit, Thor raised a brow, surprised… and slightly impressed.
He admitted it—he underestimated him.
It's easy to punch the weak.
It's brave to draw your sword against the strong.
"So, unwavering willpower, huh?"
"Fine. I, Thor, acknowledge you as a true warrior!"
"But to beat me?"
"You're still far from enough! POWER is TRUTH!!"
Thor roared.
Lightning erupted around him—his eyes turning silver-white bolts of fury. He didn't hold back.
No tests. No warm-ups.
Full power from the start.
BOOM!!
Voltage surged—thousands of volts transformed into serpents of lightning, ready to obliterate everything.
Even through a screen, the intensity made people tremble.
But then—
The unstoppable lightning…
Something was off when it hit Cyclops.
Zzzzz—
A searing red beam countered the thunder.
From Cyclops's eyes, a crimson glow burst forth—his optic blasts now seething with power.
The red light didn't roar like thunder.
But in that tide of lightning—it stood out like blood in snow.
Small. But unyielding.
And then—
Counterattack.
The lasers grew stronger, flickering like lightning themselves—pushing back Thor's storm.
A destructive force!
Unleashed!!
—
BOOM!!!
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!
Cyclops went all out—optic blasts tearing through thunder and armor like tissue paper.
Even Thor's hammer, forged in the core of a dead star, was scarred.
Thor staggered, his power fading.
But Cyclops?
His energy kept rising.
His eyes glowed so fiercely—it looked like they could cut through space itself. A terrifying destructive power radiated off him.
"This—this can't be!"
Thor's eyes widened. He couldn't accept it.
This guy was a total loser a moment ago!
—
Asgard.
"It's the Pig Talisman."
"Laser vision capable of destroying all things." Odin opened his lone eye. Golden light shimmered.
In mere moments, Cyclops's strength had transformed.
The only variable?
The talisman.
"Is the Pig Talisman really that powerful?" Nick Fury muttered.
"Wait… could the Pig Talisman be the strongest of the twelve?"
"Was the Rat just a red herring?"
—
"No."
"It's not about the talisman." The Ancient One gently shook her head.
"It's about the host."
Her voice was soft but firm.
Cyclops and the Pig Talisman were the perfect match. No other user could've pulled this off.
But more importantly—
She narrowed her eyes at the broadcast.
There was something else.
Something awakening inside Cyclops.
A power deeper than even the talisman.
A transformation.
She'd felt it before—
When she connected to the Dark Dimension.
"No…"
This wasn't just borrowing power.
It was becoming one with a dimension.
Just like… Dormammu.
Cyclops wasn't just using the dimension.
He was becoming its master.
He was nearing the realm of a dimensional god.
—
"What the hell is that?!"
In the farthest reaches of space, in the shadows beyond Earth's dimension…
A black orb let out a string of curses.
Dormammu watched in disbelief.
Cyclops… had just achieved the same thing he'd sacrificed everything for.
Even now—Dormammu was still paying the price.
Corrupted by dark power.
A monster.
But this guy?
Cyclops got the same results as a side quest reward?!
Dormammu couldn't believe it.
Especially when he sensed the Laser Dimension wasn't any weaker than the Dark Dimension.
He snapped.
"System…"
"System…"
"I want a system too!!!"
—
Meanwhile, in Metropolis—
"Clark, can you handle him?"
Batman frowned, looking at his most trusted ally.
He didn't trust powers. Ever.
But the answer?
Clark's face grew solemn.
"If it's just him and the talisman, even at full power, I can suppress him."
"But if he's… something more…"