"Stark! Now!" Mister Fantastic shouted.
Immediately, Stark launched the shoulder missile and fired two repulsor lasers from his arms—striking Eric directly.
Black Bolt's pseudosonic scream hadn't stopped for a moment. Now, with Eric's magnetic shield down, the devastating wave hit him head-on.
Doctor Strange launched his own attack. Employing Ikon's illusion magic, he divided into hundreds of duplicates. Each duplicate performed a different spell, and each spell hit with ghastly force.
Missiles, laser beams, energy bolts, magic—scores of assaults hit Eric simultaneously. The explosion illuminated the battlefield, fire engulfing Eric completely. The shockwave ripped through the base's strong walls and floors, destroying them. Equipment was yanked from the ground, pulled into open space.
Quickly thinking, Doctor Strange created the Mirror Dimension, creating a boundary between the battlefield and the emptiness of space.
"There's still magnetic field activity! Keep firing!" yelled Mister Fantastic. He clutched a hidden detection device, tracking the readings at the center of the blast. His brow furrowed.
Stark reacted in an instant—his arms changed, becoming double flamethrowers. The arc reactor hummed at maximum capacity, channeling all its energy into a concentrated blaze.
Doctor Strange incanted swiftly. Arcane fire flooded from his hands, pouring down over Eric's location.
Black Bolt stopped his assault. A genius in his own right, he understood the basic science behind high-temperature degaussing. If he continued, he may not jam the fires his companions carefully generated. He gritted his teeth, stopping from further noise.
"The magnetic field's weakening! I'll compress it!" Mister Fantastic shouted again. He leapt into the air, stretching and flattening his body into a wide, flexible disc that wrapped tightly around the flames and Eric, sealing them in. Only a small vent was left, allowing Strange and Stark to keep pouring fire inside.
"Eric…" Professor X muttered. He knew he could save him. But he couldn't.
Suddenly—boom! A light-blue shockwave burst from the core of the fire. Mister Fantastic was hurled aside, his stretched form distorted and bent by the force. The shockwave then knocked Stark and Strange back, sending them flying across the base.
"Damn it, vibranium cloak!" Stark swore.
"Not just the cloak," Eric's voice echoed, laughing. "My socks and insoles are vibranium too. Want them?"
Stark's scowl deepened. Eric's joy only made it worse.
"Alright, everyone—playtime's over. I've got to go," Eric said casually.
He tapped his finger. A tiny, bead-sized metal particle shot from his fingertip and hit Mister Fantastic. Instantly, it expanded into a massive metal net, entangling Reed's still-malleable, half-human form.
Then Eric turned to Black Bolt. He stretched out his fingers widely—and Black Bolt was lifted off the ground, trapped in an unseen magnetic field. A shimmering, glowing wall enclosed him. He tugged futilely, but understood in his horror that any blast would rebound against him. He couldn't even risk opening his mouth again.
Then came Stark.
Eric locked eyes with him and narrowed his gaze. A strange magnetic pulse rippled through the air, disrupting Stark's neural patterns. Stark collapsed silently, unconscious before he hit the ground. No scream. No resistance. The carbon nanotube suit might not be magnetic—but it no longer shielded him from electromagnetic interference. Without the suit's protection, Iron Man was just a mortal man.
Of the six Illuminati titans, only Professor X and Doctor Strange were left uninjured.
"Riven!" Eric snapped, simultaneously firing a blast of electromagnetic energy.
A jolt of electricity ran through Mystique's collar—breaking her under Professor X's telepathic control. She sprang into action, dipping into her boot for a tiny needle and injecting it into the side of Xavier's neck.
Leech Serum!
Professor X's abilities disappeared at once.
"Beloved Supreme Sorcerer," Eric said, matter-of-factly straightening his sleeves, "I never wanted to be your adversary."
He tilted his chin and met Strange's gaze.
"This universe is going to experience a cataclysm. And regretfully… there's nothing we can do to prevent it."
Doctor Strange's face grew blacker. "I don't think you have power on that level," he warned. He still had a card up his sleeve—an old, forbidden incantation. One that would cost him everything, but might beat Eric.
But, he stayed back.
"No. Naturally not me," Eric said, rubbing his head in his hands. "I just want to live. We can't beat what's coming. But I can get out."
Doctor Strange stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes went wide as the truth dawned on him.
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