At this moment, not only were The Avengers who had just narrowly escaped shocked, but everyone watching here was beyond astonished.
The Red Orchid Factory is not on the scale of factories on Earth; it can be fully understood as an entire planet made of factory equipment, with a size and mass not less than that of Mercury. It even has a very complete gravitational traction system, allowing it to resist the sun's gravity at such a close range. Yet, this factory planet was thrown towards the sun just like that.
No one knew how Magneto did it.
Even the mutants were dumbfounded, more accurately, all mutants except Professor X and Apocalypse. Because the two of them knew that the flesh is not a necessity for Magneto; on the contrary, a material body is his shackle. Without a body, existing purely in the form of a magnetic field, Magneto is the true master of magnetism.
Those perfect space stabilizing devices couldn't last even half a second in his hands, and the entire factory was pulled out from space, then hurled towards the sun like a baseball.
Wait a minute, if Magneto gained such tremendous power by abandoning his physical form, does that mean he already died?
People hadn't even had the chance to feel glad about Magneto's death when, in that instant, a psy-storm swept across the Earth. Everyone could only read one meaning from Professor X's brainwaves—"Magneto is dead, I can no longer discern right from wrong!"
In that minute, everyone's thoughts came to a complete halt. Humanity had a whole minute stolen from them, an unprecedented phenomenon since the creation of God.
The one who broke the deadlock wasn't Professor X's remaining rationality, but the blinding light that erupted after the entire factory was pushed into the sun's core—that light was abnormal!
The temperature at the Earth's core is enough to devour everything; nothing can survive such high temperatures and pressure. Yet somehow, some substance, when it came in contact with the extreme high heat beyond extremes, finally burst out that last bit of power.
The source energy crystal from the Shi'ar Empire unabashedly absorbed the heat of the sun's core. Then, as the light gradually faded, a teleportation portal, gleaming with dazzling brilliance, appeared at the sun's core. Professor X abruptly awakened.
"Shi'ar Empire!!!"
Almost everyone let out the same roar. They realized this was a complete and utter trap.
The local Iron Man was stunned, blankly staring at the teleportation portal, but he was the first among the Prime Universe Avengers to figure out what's going on. Because the Iron Man from the Central Universe had warned him about the illegitimate origin of the technology and materials.
At this moment, the local Iron Man wished he could black out and collapse, but he simply didn't have the luxury to do so. He needed to use this time to send signals to Earth, summoning all battlesuits and gear, and have the Earth government immediately prepare for battle at the highest alert level. The Shi'ar Empire didn't have good intentions coming here.
As expected, a few seconds after the teleportation portal opened, the army of the Shi'ar Empire charged right out, clearly having been lying in wait. When Thor saw the leading figures, he immediately brandished his hammer: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!!!"
"To where?!!" The local Iron Man roared at him, "We're in the solar system, Earth is right behind us, there's no way back!!!"
Only then did Thor suddenly realize, they weren't fighting at the doorsteps of the Shi'ar Empire, but rather the Shi'ar Empire had directly intruded on their headquarters. Calling it a headquarters was underwhelming; it was as if they were pressing a gun to the commander's forehead.
He immediately swung his hammer, striking at the army with a lightning bolt, but it had little effect. Since the attackers were prepared, it was only natural they would have protective measures. Knowing the first wave of attack would surely trigger a fierce counterattack, they had set up a collective Divine Power Shield. Thor's strike only made the shield flicker without any other impact.
"This is big trouble," Thor gritted his teeth, "Royal Guard, Divine Power Users, Double God-level, Source Energy Cannons…"
"Stop them, stop them quickly!!!" The Main Universe Iron Man shouted, and of course, he wasn't just shouting; he was the first to charge forward. The Prime Universe Avengers followed closely behind.
They knew how strong the army sent by the Shi'ar Empire was, but they had no way back. If the Earth in this universe was destroyed right beneath their eyes, the reputation of the Prime Universe would be utterly ruined.
The Avengers in the local universe also couldn't shirk responsibility, but they were far too few in number, appearing weak in the face of the Shi'ar Empire's massive army.
For a surprise, the mutants also immediately joined the battlefield. Apocalypse said nothing, launching himself with fists raised, and the other mutants had no choice but to follow.
After all, Clarkia also resides on Earth. If the aliens destroyed Earth, they too would have no home left. So what more could be said? We're united!
"Did you know all along," Professor X coldly stared at Shiller, "You knew the Shi'ar Empire would come."
"This was the only way," Shiller said, "You once asked me how the Central Universe resolved these vexing contradictions. Now I can answer you—with a powerful external enemy, all forces can be united."
"Erik is dead," Professor X said, "I can no longer feel his presence, he has vanished from this world."
"If it were before, I might have casually said 'oh well, there's always resurrection,' and that's not idle talk from an unbothered position; I've resurrected several times myself. But…" Shiller paused for a moment before continuing, "My friends have taught me that even if resurrection is possible, the death of loved ones is unacceptable."
"The reason you can't sense him is that he's already been uploaded into the system at Red Orchid Factory," Shiller spread his hands and said.
"But Red Orchid Factory has already been consumed by the Sun..."
"That part of the factory has indeed turned into a Teleportation Portal, but the Mother Module hasn't," Shiller said. "Not much Crystal was used there, and before the Sun Core had time to melt it, the Teleportation Portal was already open, the Mother Module should have teleported to the other side."
Professor X paused in his actions, he said, "But the Shi'ar Empire won't let that thing go."
"Correct, but they won't demolish it, they will merely take it back for research."
"What's the research value in that?"
"With all due respect, if the Shi'ar Empire could on their own create Nimrod, they wouldn't try to teach humans the technology and Crystal, letting them do it. They didn't just do it to trick humans into opening the Teleportation Portal, it's purely because they can't do it themselves."
"Compared to the Shi'ar Empire, human technology might indeed be undeveloped, but there's one aspect that is exceptionally strong: creating super weapons capable of destroying Earth. Humans are best at destroying humans. So what humans endowed to the Mother Module is of paramount importance, and the Shi'ar Empire wouldn't easily give up on such valuable research resources."
"But they only want the technology of the Mother Module, if discovered, they wouldn't spare Erik."
"Shouldn't you ask if Erik would spare them?" Shiller revealed a sneer, "If the Mother Module hadn't awakened, why would Magneto take such extreme measures to demolish the factory."
Professor X suddenly felt perceptive, he said, "Nimrod? Your target is Nimrod?"
"Hacking has two aspects to consider, one is the hacker's technology, the other is the defense system's strength. Magneto's consciousness is strong and would be the sharpest spear; the factory is destroyed, the Mother Module lost its energy source, it suffered severe damage, the defense system won't function, it lost its strongest shield. In this condition, Nimrod's self-consciousness which has been put into production is incredibly fragile, a pushover."
Professor X was stunned in shock. Shiller's series of plans were directly aimed at Nimrod. Moreover, he was likely nearing success.
Magneto's spirit paired with Nimrod's body, what would it become?
No one dares to imagine, nor can anyone conceive. If Shiller's plan indeed succeeds, the Mutant Kingdom would possess a truly invincible emperor through the ages, never to be threatened again.
Yet Professor X did not feel joy, because he could sense Shiller would not do such a thing. Or rather, what Shiller desires might not even stop at that. As for what comes next, Professor X couldn't fathom.
At this moment, a voice sprang up in Professor X's mind: "Professor, we're back!"
"My God, Logan, are you all right?" Professor X immediately asked, "You... where is Scott???"
Within Professor X's Spirit Domain, silence reigned, until Mystique spoke up: "He wished to stay against the Mother Module, his consciousness remained in the factory, it might already have..."
Professor X was about to feel sorrow, but suddenly realized that if Magneto wasn't dead, then perhaps Cyclops, who went into the Mother Module, wasn't dead either, his consciousness still existed.
Suddenly, he froze again. Because he realized that if Cyclops was also within the Mother Module, then the one obtaining Nimrod's body might possibly not be Magneto, but Cyclops.
To be precise, Magneto would offer this body to Cyclops, as Scott Summers was his most valued successor, deeply cherished and emotionally close eldest son.
Professor X slowly closed his eyes, gripping the table corner with his fingers, until he scratched his fingertips. The surging emotions in his heart almost swallowed the other consciousness.
He almost couldn't control his brainwaves, causing the entire human race on Earth to be stolen for two seconds. At this point, a hand pressed onto his shoulder.
"Calm down, Professor," Shiller said, "Why wouldn't Cyclops save Magneto?"
Professor X parted his lips, about to say they've been enemies for the better part of their lives, but couldn't speak. Because his Spirit Domain's conscious bodies, blown tumultuously by the storm, were already flooding with agitation.
Professor X had no choice but to send them away and instructed Moira to prepare for the totem revival plan. After they left, Professor X turned to look at Shiller. Shiller chuckled saying, "You are the best hostage, Professor."
"Magneto would, because of you, offer Nimrod's body to Cyclops. Cyclops, too, because of you, would try every way to save Magneto. From this day forward, X-Men and the Mutant Brotherhood, these old foes, will likely never have any more conflicts. Isn't that so?"