When the giant male agent rose and immediately positioned himself in front of the female agent, shielding her with his massive frame, Richard's instincts sharpened. Protecting a teammate on the battlefield was normal, especially when that teammate lacked direct frontal combat capability. But this felt different. The urgency in his movement, the way his body angled slightly inward rather than outward, suggested something beyond tactical reflex.
Richard trusted his intuition.
After hearing his words, neither the giant nor the woman responded. They remained silent, eyes fixed on him with guarded intensity. The air between them felt heavier than the gravity fields she had been casting.
"You really don't have anything else to say to each other?" Richard asked again.
He drove the Masamune into the ground in front of him, the long blade sinking cleanly into the soil. The gesture wasn't surrender, but it was deliberate. It signaled patience.
Perhaps they believed there was no path out alive. Or perhaps the act of planting his weapon showed enough sincerity that they understood he would grant them a moment.
After several seconds of silence, the giant turned his head slightly and looked at the woman behind him. His expression shifted, no longer hardened for combat but softened by something unspoken. It was the look of someone who had words caught in his throat.
She understood anyway.
For the first time since appearing, the female agent smiled. It wasn't forced or bitter. It was bright, almost gentle.
She stepped forward and took his right hand.
Neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other, eyes locked, communicating without sound. Whatever needed to be said had already been understood. There was no panic, no trembling.
If Richard had wanted to strike, this was the perfect opening.
He didn't move.
Under the watchful gaze of Richard, Jean, Logan, Clarice, and Sabretooth, the giant suddenly released his transformation. His massive frame compressed rapidly, muscle and bone shrinking until he stood once again as an ordinary man.
He wrapped his arms around the woman and pulled her close.
Then he kissed her.
It wasn't hurried. It wasn't desperate. It was deliberate and deep, the kind of kiss meant to carry memory rather than seek reassurance. The forest was silent except for the wind brushing through the leaves.
Nearly half a minute passed before they separated.
The man stepped back and transformed again, his body swelling into colossal proportions. His voice, now amplified by his giant form, rumbled through the clearing.
"Thank you."
Richard met his gaze and gave a single nod. He pulled the Masamune from the earth in one smooth motion and leveled the blade toward them.
Dimension Slash.
Space fractured.
The invisible edge cut not through air alone, but through distance itself. The strike did not follow a straight trajectory. It manifested unpredictably, emerging where resistance was weakest.
The giant tried to move, and the woman attempted to activate Gravity Binding one final time. It made no difference.
Before the technique that bent dimensions rather than merely slicing matter, they had no effective defense. The spatial rupture carved through them cleanly.
Their bodies fell.
In their final moments, neither showed fear. Their expressions remained calm, almost relieved, as though they had already accepted the outcome the moment they held hands.
[Mission "One-Winged Angel (I)" completed!]
[Mission rewards: Prison Gate and Black Magic Crystal delivered!]
[Skills Prison Gate and Black Magic Crystal awakened!]
The notifications appeared in Richard's vision immediately after their deaths. He didn't pause to examine them.
Instead, he walked toward the fallen bodies and activated Plunder.
[New abilities acquired: Giant Body, Gravity Binding!]
[Same-type ability detected. Initiating fusion!]
[Giant Body strengthened!]
[X-Gene superpower list updated!]
He briefly reviewed the updated panel.
[Alpha Level: Plunder, Super Strength, Super Physique, Super Self-Healing, Teleportation]
[Beta Level: Ejection, Ion Shockwave, Mind Isolation, Mind Charm, Giant Body, Gravity Binding]
[Delta Level: Energy Absorption, Telekinesis, Beast Instinct, Bone Claws]
After confirming the integration, he closed the interface. He summoned Big Flame, conjuring a sphere of orange-red fire that pulsed with intense heat. With a controlled gesture, he directed the flames over the two bodies.
The fire consumed them quickly.
He watched as flesh and bone reduced to ash, the wind scattering the remnants across the forest floor. It was over.
For a brief moment, an unfamiliar heaviness settled in his chest. Perhaps it was the accumulation of bloodshed over the past days. Perhaps it was the calm acceptance he had seen in their final expressions.
The sentiment lingered only briefly.
He adjusted his state of mind and teleported to stand before Jean and the others.
"It turns out your promise doesn't carry much weight," he said to Jean calmly.
"Tell the professor not to use the brainwave enhancer to search for me. And don't send you to find me again. If I want to see him, I'll go to the school myself."
Jean nodded slowly. "I'll tell him."
Richard shifted his gaze to Clarice and Sabretooth.
"Victor, you're a good adoptive father," he said evenly. "But you're not a good teacher."
Sabretooth's expression tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"You can't protect Clarice forever. Her mutation has strong potential. If it's properly developed, she could surpass you."
Richard's tone remained measured. "Let her stay at the school. It's better for both of you."
He did not agree with every method Professor X and Jean employed. But their ability to guide young mutants was undeniable. Clarice's identity as an illegal mutant was already exposed, and the Mutant Affairs Department would almost certainly classify both her and Sabretooth as accomplices.
Keeping her near him would only increase the risk.
"You don't need to tell me," Sabretooth replied quickly. "I told her last night. She'll study at the school for now. When the time's right, I'll take her away."
Richard looked at him with faint surprise. He hadn't expected that level of foresight.
"Then we'll meet again," Richard said.
He prepared to teleport.
Then a thought surfaced.
He stepped toward Logan instead.
"Do you really want to know your past?" Richard asked. "Ask him. He's your half-brother."
He pointed at Sabretooth.
The word hung in the air.
Jean and Logan both froze, shock evident on their faces. They hadn't known. Sabretooth himself stiffened, surprised that Richard possessed that information.
He had told Richard that Logan was his brother, but he had never specified they were half-brothers.
How did he know?
Confusion flickered across their expressions, but Richard gave them no opportunity to question him. He activated Teleportation and vanished instantly.
As soon as he disappeared, Logan's gaze locked onto Sabretooth.
Time moved on.
Three months passed.
During that period, Richard experienced fully what it meant to be an S-level wanted criminal under the Mutant Affairs Department. After eliminating the three agents, the Department escalated its response. The capture teams grew larger, better equipped, and more coordinated.
It changed little.
When not being tracked, Richard secluded himself in remote areas to refine his techniques. Dimension Slash, Prison Gate, Eight Swords Flash—he drilled them relentlessly, pushing for efficiency and control.
When discovered, he fought.
The battles were brutal and decisive, the unspoken rule clear: whoever lost would not walk away.
Three months of combat and training elevated all his skills to Level 3. He plundered several valuable mutations along the way, including a heat ray ability from one agent and a fully functional telepathic power from another psychic. While not on the level of Professor X or the White Queen, it was comprehensive and versatile.
The Sephiroth template fusion rate increased by forty-five percent.
As the synchronization deepened, his appearance changed. Long, flowing silver hair cascaded down his back, nearly identical to Sephiroth's iconic form.
Waist-length hair came with inconveniences. It caught on branches and required care. But he didn't mind.
Because he had to admit, it made him look better.
Some inconveniences were acceptable trade-offs.
In a forest dozens of kilometers from San Francisco, Richard continued his training. His silver hair moved with the wind as he executed Dimension Slash, then transitioned into Prison Gate, followed by Eight Swords Flash.
Hours passed.
After completing his routine for the day, he opened the attribute panel.
.....
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