POV Rio
Everything was set. I had done everything I could to ensure this worked. Including giving Jean a helmet I had taken apart from the Mento Helmet. I had found a loophole around the no modification rule. If I took something apart, it lost all system bonuses, but I could then use those parts to build or create something new. In this case, I had made a helmet meant to boost Jean's sense of self so she isn't lost to her power while also giving her some powerful abilities. It was... Unlikely that she would survive. But it gave us a sliver of hope. If she controlled her power long enough, the combined effort of Charles, Emma, and I could possibly re-seal her power. It was a long shot, I admit, but it was a chance, and I would be dammned if I didn't at least try to save her.
I take a deep breath and transform into Constantine. I would need all the strength I could muster for this to work. I only left a tiny fraction of my power in a magic clone who would operate as Batman and, more importantly, work to destroy any backups the creature created. All I had to do now was wait. And it seems like I didn't have to wait for long, as someone was spotted near the X-Mansion. I knew it was the creature instantly as he took a form I knew well.
An injured Scott Summers slowly hobbles to the front gate and opens it with his codes. The creature keeps up the act even as he likely notices the mansion was almost empty.
"Help! I need help!" the creature screams as he hobbles towards the property.
"S-Scott! You're alive!" says Kitty Pryde as she runs towards him.
"Y-Yeah, I barely managed to escape, but I need to see the Professor; it's urgent," the creature says, and it fully confirms that he truly assimilates those he kills as he acted flawlessly.
Hell, if I didn't see the absolute depravity and the screaming souls of everyone he killed, I would think it was Scott. It was a sickening sight. Thousands of human souls all screaming in agony and despair, with faces frozen as they were likely right before death.
'That explains why I couldn't find him.'
I notice his soul constantly shifts between soul templates, as I would call them. It was something that looked to be happening by accident, as I think he can't control all the souls he absorbed, so every single one was constantly pushing to the surface only to get pushed out of the way moments later by the next eager soul. It was disgusting. A perversion of the natural order that made me want to douse this creature in holy light. To relieve all those suffering souls but I had to be patient, but the trap was about to be sprung.
'I guess it's good I didn't call Ghost Rider.'
This creature might be the only thing I have seen that would be completely immune to it, as his soul is practically impossible to find in the swarm of innocent souls.
'I don't even know if he has a soul.'
Hellfire might have worked, though, but it's hard to say, as Hellfire generally doesn't work on soulless beings, so it might have been equally useless. Of course, none of this mattered as I couldn't contact Ghost Rider. He was in Limbo and was so embroiled in the conflict there that when I tried to talk to him previously, he nearly attacked me in his justice-blinded rage. You see, Ghost Rider isn't around right now, as Zarathos has taken over and nothing will stop him from killing demons. So I felt it better to let him work out his pent-up rage and left him to it.
I refocus on the creature as I feel he has entered the range for the trap.
'It's show time.'
I slam my hands down, and a massive magical barrier surrounds the mansion, which distracts the creature long enough for him to not notice the numerous Earth Spikes jutting from below. None of them damage him, but that wasn't the point; I just needed to ensure he wouldn't move for my real objective to hit.
A blue ball of fire hits the creature, and he pats his chest after it hits.
"Was that supposed to hurt me?" the creature asks mockingly.
Suddenly I am elsewhere as the spot I was just at was skewered by dozens of tendrils.
"Tsk, the Guardians. You should have stayed out of this and waited to be devoured," the creature says with annoyance.
"Thanks," I thank Quicksilver for the save, even if I didn't need it.
"Avengers Assemble!" I joke.
With that, the rest of the team makes their appearance. Hundreds of metal shards rain down and shred it. Tony fires lasers at metal fragments, creating a lattice of red beams to further slice into the creature, and Lucy attacks with her Vectors, crushing and slicing whatever she can. I meanwhile prepare the spell matrix to trap the creature.
POV Shift Batman (Rio Clone)
I dive into the water and approach the magical marker. The curse had worked flawlessly and led me straight to the backup that the creature had left behind. In this case, it was a single unassuming egg hidden under a rock in the ocean. As soon as I spotted it, I put a cage around the egg and turned on the device, which annihilates anything inside of it.
'Now that's done, back to the Watchtower.'
POV Shift Rio
The creature suddenly pauses, and I use that chance to encase them in a magical box.
"You clever little humans. I underestimated you. But now, playtimes over," the creature says calmly.
BOOM
Crack
I brace as the creature attempts to break the box.
"It won't last much longer!" I scream.
"Professor, do it!" Jean demands.
"I-I, I'm sorry, Jean," Charles says while placing his hand on her forehead.
Charles' head snaps back, and he collapses on his chair. I don't get any time to worry about that as the spell starts to come apart at the seams. Behind the creature was a massive portal leading to Maveth. Then it happens.
Shatter
The box shatters, and tendrils come flying towards everyone.
POV Shift Quicksilver
Time pauses as the tendrils head for everyone. I have fractions of a second to make my choice, but I knew who to save.
Flashback...
"Hey, kid," Constantine comments.
"Me?" I ask.
"Yeah, you, look, if it ever comes down to it and you have to make a choice between Ruby or me, choose Ruby," Constantine orders.
"What? But..." I go to refute.
"Look, kid, I got my own way out of this, trust me. If I somehow kick the bucket, I'll just charm my way out of Hell," Constantine says cheekily.
Flashback Ends...
I start running towards Ruby first. I grab her in my arms and run away from the attack, then I return to move the now defenceless Charles Xavier. As I moved him, I noticed that a tendril was almost upon Emma Frost, so I strained myself to go faster and grab both the Professor and Emma.
When time resumes, I have to take a breather as I wasn't used to moving that fast while carrying such weight.
"You seriously didn't just call me fat, did you?" Emma asks dangerously.
I look up with wide eyes.
"Uh, gotta go!" I say as I speed off.
BOOM
POV Shift Jean Grey
The power... It was intoxicating. I felt like a god even as the attack from the monster comes near me; it was blocked before it could even get within ten feet of me.
BOOM
It was only the sight of Constantine flying past me that I finally snapped out of it and refocused myself to complete what needed to be done. I stared at the enemy and, with a gesture, he flew through the open portal with me following fractions of a second later. I could already tell my time was limited.
As soon as the portal closed and I was certain that I got every last bit of him, I finally decided to look at him directly. His eyes were filled with greed.
"Such power, to think that such power was hidden from me," the creature says.
I channel my power but pause a second later.
"Jean," Scott says with those eyes I could never forget.
"Scott," I say longingly.
"Join me, Jean; we can be together forever," Scott offers.
I walk towards him.
He keeps that look, and even his mind is just as I remember it. That warmth, that loving stare and endless devotion.
We embrace, and as razor-sharp tendrils approach me from behind, I say my last words.
"I'm sorry, Scott," I say and let my power go.
My power quickly turns him to dust, and I hear his last words.
"I-Impossible... I am... Perfect...tionnnnn," the being says as he is disintegrated down to the molecule.
POV Shift Charles
I wake with a pounding headache, and I recall what happened.
"Jean!" I look up and around for her, but I don't see her.
"Professor," Jean says mentally.
"Jean. Are you okay?" I ask with worry.
"It's done," Jean responds.
"Very well, give me a moment, and we will come help you," I say with confidence.
"No, don't bother. The genie is out, and it can't go back in the bottle," Jean says calmly.
"Give me a chance to help you, Jean," I say firmly.
"Professor, I know my power better than anyone right now," Jean replies coldly.
"I won't leave you, Jean," I say firmly.
"Charles... This is what I want; let me go," Jean says with a warmth that made me start to cry.
"Please don't do this, Jean," I beg.
"Goodbye, Professor, thank you for all you did," Jean responds.
Before I can respond myself and everyone around us is knocked out.
POV Shift Jean Grey
Once I was certain nobody would be able to come here and risk themselves for no reason, I sat down and waited for my time. But it seems I missed someone, as someone sat next to me.
"Batman, what are you doing here?! You need to leave now!" I say with alarm.
"I'm not leaving you," Batman says firmly.
"You'll die," I say sadly.
"Better than you dying alone," Batman says calmly.
"I'm dying very soon," I say with a sombre tone.
"Yes... I'm sorry," Batman says with the first sign of real emotion I think I had ever heard from him.
"You couldn't have stopped him. And this trap wouldn't have worked without me. I read his mind before I killed him. He had already found ways to counter teleportation magic and was close to developing his own. This wouldn't have kept him for more than a couple of days at best," I say sympathetically.
My face cracks with a painful tear of my powers.
"C-Can you stay with me... I'm scared," I say honestly, even if I know it was wrong.
Batman doesn't say a word and only offers his hand.
I take it as tears run down my face.
"Thank you," I say as my power finally gets the better of me and it is all released.