The energy surge finally faded.
From the massive crater, Magneto stumbled out, battered and disheveled. Each labored step he took revealed the depth of the damage he had endured. Every bystander who saw him in that state drew a sharp breath.
This was Magneto, a Tier-4 mutant, reduced to this?
Magneto coughed harshly, blood in his throat, his face stormy with frustration and disbelief. Slowly, he lifted his head and growled:
"I take back what I said. You're more formidable than I expected. But if you think this is enough to kill me, you're wrong. I possess the power to turn this planet upside down. You do not."
His eyes locked on Megatron, intense and calculating. Beneath that cold stare was something rare: genuine awe.
He hadn't anticipated this.
This ruthless Cybertronian warlord... was just like him, another Tier-4 lifeform.
Before Magneto could recover further, a completely out-of-place sound cut through the tension, the unmistakable gurgle of someone rinsing their mouth.
Martin dabbed his lips with a hand towel, casually straightened his silk tie, and offered the crowd a charming, almost lazy smile.
To many onlookers, that smile wasn't charming, it was demonic. The kind of grin that belonged to a monster who devours cities with a grin.
"Erik," Martin said lightly, "I'm not interested in joining your Brotherhood. I've got my own plans."
He shrugged, his expression serene.
But that serene smile? To most, it screamed predator in sheep's clothing.
Magneto's expression darkened further. The circle of Transformers closing in on him made his escape feel less like retreat, and more like surrender. His voice lowered, bitter but persuasive:
"You want to build powerful machines. That'll require rare metals, tons of them. I can help. Even oceanic mineral deposits are child's play for me. And if you want Vibranium or Adamantium? I can get those for you too."
Martin chuckled, amused by the offer.
Ocean deposits? Please. He could just create a legion of aquatic Transformers to mine the ocean floor, or use his Polarity Gauntlet to extract the resources himself.
Vibranium? Adamantium?
He didn't need Magneto.
His plan was to take Wakanda by force, seize their Vibranium reserves entirely. Why let a nation of tribal warriors waste it on spears and robes when it could be used to build a new cybernetic age?
Earth had two major Vibranium deposits: Wakanda and Antarctica. He wanted both.
As for Adamantium, Martin already had access to lesser Adamantium alloy tech through global backchannels. Only true Adamantium, Beta Adamantium, and Proto-Adamantium were of real interest to him.
"Go home, Magneto," Martin said, smoothing oil through his hair and preening in a nearby mirror. "You're too weak. Your dreams are too small. You're not worth following."
The flippant tone made Magneto's blood boil.
And then—
"Erik. Leave. You shouldn't have come to New York," a calm, commanding voice echoed through the battleground. "This boy, he won't go with you. His will is too strong."
Professor X had arrived.
The ideological pillars of mutantkind, Magneto and Xavier, had crossed paths once more, right in the middle of a multi-universe standoff.
Magneto scoffed bitterly, his body still trembling from the earlier attack. He cast one last, lingering look at Martin, then began to ascend into the sky.
BOOM!
An energy blast, long-range and precise, smashed him straight out of the air.
"Hey, Magneto," a cocky voice rang out. "You're trespassing in my city. And causing trouble."
Tony Stark soared into the fray in a sleek new armor, music blasting from external speakers.
"Also, turns out Martin and I have a lot in common. Compared to you, I think I'm a much better match."
Magneto crashed to the ground, face twisted with rage.
"Stark... you think just because you're wearing another tin can, you can stand against me?"
"So what if I am, Your Majesty of Scrap?" Tony shot back. His voice was infuriatingly smug.
This wasn't just any suit. It was the Anti-Magneto Armor, designed specifically for this confrontation.
Now was its moment.
"Then die."
Magneto's hand snapped up, and the world bent around it.
A wave of magnetic force slammed into Tony, activating the armor's counter-field generators.
For a heartbeat, it worked.
Then—WARNING.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. said urgently, "Magneto's power levels are exceeding projected tolerances. The suit's polarity systems can't compensate."
Time seemed to stop.
Tony exhaled slowly.
"Yeah. Thought so. I'm probably gonna die, huh?"
The next moment, the Anti-Magneto Armor began to twist, tear, and buckle under Magneto's fury.
One plate. Then another. The suit was being peeled off like foil by a god.
"Erik, that's enough!" Xavier cried out. "Jean, save him! He can't die here!"
Jean Grey stepped forward, eyes glowing with psychic fire.
At the last possible moment, she ripped Tony from the suit's shattering frame and pulled him clear.
Tony collapsed, his heart pounding, mouth still running.
"Thanks, beautiful. I owe you one. Mind if I get your number?"
Jean dropped him like a sack of metal.
Hard.
Magneto stood alone, calm once more, and completely dismissive of everyone else in the field. His eyes focused only on Martin.
"My offer still stands. Sooner or later, you'll see this world's ugliness for yourself. You were never meant to fight for them. You belong with us. The Brotherhood awaits."
He turned, cape fluttering, and disappeared into the sky.