Escanor(Marvel)

POV Escanor

I was trying to figure out how to get closer and catch their attention. Mentally, I reached out to the Professor, hoping he would hear me, but there was only silence in response. Looks like that didn't work.

To make matters worse, I couldn't approach them with a weapon. However, standing idly by and waiting wasn't an option. I had to take control of the situation. Deciding that my weapon would be useless anyway, I tore the bag from my shoulder and tossed it into the trash without a second thought.

"Sorry, Punisher, looks like I won't be getting that back."

I moved toward the checkpoint and got in line for inspection, but an ominous feeling was already gripping my chest like icy chains.

Things were moving too fast. I barely had time to process what was happening when the Prime Minister took the stage. His speech, of course, had been prepared in advance, but what shocked me the most was the Professor's decision to reveal the truth to the world.

A year ago, he wouldn't even hint at such a thing. Back then, he promised to keep it all a secret. And now… Now, it seemed that no longer mattered.

When Trask appeared, I tensed up. At any moment, he could order his Sentinels to attack the X-Men. I tried to get to Logan, but before I could do anything.

Magneto appeared.

Fear for my life consumed me as a massive arena hovered overhead, capable of crushing me at any second. I felt like a mosquito trapped in a clenched fist.

And when the Sentinels raised their weapons, aiming them directly at us, I knew this was it. The end. I even managed to say my goodbyes to life.

But the shots never came.

Instead, a battle erupted between the X-Men and Magneto.

Hiding among the debris, I watched the fight unfold. The X-Men were resisting fiercely, but the Sentinels' firepower was overwhelming.

Hank was quickly forced into cover, struggling just to survive under heavy fire. Wolverine lunged into battle without pause, dodging blasts, weaving between the Sentinels his claws leaving barely any damage. Scott was holding the line with mixed success. And the Professor… The Professor was lost in the chaos of battle useless in this kind of fight.

Then I saw Ororo get hit. She collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, her body battered and wounded.

Helplessness stabbed through me like an icy spear to the chest. There was nothing I could do to save the people I cared about.

I had loved her from the moment I first saw her. There was something divine about her presence, something mesmerizing. She became my guiding light the reason I stayed at the Professor's school. And now… now I was going to lose her.

No!

Something ignited inside me. My heart filled with determination. I wouldn't let this happen. Even if it cost me my life.

I surged forward.

At first, my steps were slow, but with each passing second, my body began to change. Heat flooded my veins, my muscles tensed, turning into solid stone-like strength. I grew taller, stronger. A blinding light radiated from me as I carved my way through the battlefield.

I made it.

Standing in front of Ororo, I shielded her with my body, and the plasma blast meant for her struck me instead.

Power Level: 140,000.

"There is no need to fear any longer, for Escanor is here," I declared, seeing her eyes widen in shock.

I grabbed the Sentinel's metal arm and crushed it like a toy. The steel crumpled like a dry twig. Pulling the iron monster toward me, I slammed my fist into its chest, ripping out its reactor. The light in its eyes flickered and died instantly. The useless heap of metal collapsed at my feet.

Around me, astonished voices rang out:

"You're supposed to be dead?!"

I merely smirked, straightening to my full height.

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I am impossible to kill."

The remaining Sentinels immediately turned to face me, their weapons glowing as they prepared to fire. I didn't flinch. Their attacks were meaningless. Let them try.

The first barrage of energy struck me, but I felt no pain just a faint tingling sensation. The second, the third… I could stand here forever.

"Not bad," I drawled lazily, brushing off the barely visible scorch marks from my shoulder.

But time was slipping through my fingers. I could already feel my strength fading. The transformation wouldn't last much longer.

I took a step forward my fist shattered the head of the nearest Sentinel into splinters. Blow after blow, they fell one by one. Each strike of mine was like the sun itself, burning through their metallic bodies. I was filled with overwhelming power and confidence. Nothing could frighten me. No one could stand in my way.

When the last of these iron puppets collapsed, I turned my gaze to the one responsible for harming Ororo.

Magneto.

He hurled metal debris at me in fury, but it bounced off like mere toys. In an instant, I was upon him, seizing him by the throat. He choked, his eyes widening in terror.

With my other hand, I tore off his helmet, crushing it into a tiny metal sphere before tossing it aside.

And the moment I did, the Professor took control of him.

"So you really did survive, kid," Logan rasped, wiping blood from his lips. He looked roughhis clothes were in tatters, his body covered in wounds that were already healing.

I smirked.

"You already relaxing? Don't get too comfortable. I'm not done beating you up yet," I said with a grin. Logan let out a good-natured chuckle.

But there was no time left. My power was fading fast. I felt the weight return to my muscles, the sun abandoning me. There was nothing more for me to do here.

Gathering the last remnants of my energy, I leaped into the sky, soaring farther and farther from the battlefield.

I could feel my body losing its former strength. The moment my feet touched the ground, they failed me, and I crashed down, tumbling across the grass.

"Khh… " I coughed, feeling the cold creeping back into my flesh.

Weakness. Ordinary, human weakness.

I looked at my hands—they had returned to normal. My fingers were back in place, my skin had lost the golden hue it held just seconds ago. A hollow emptiness settled in my chest. I knew this wouldn't last forever. It would be a long time before the sun filled me with its power again.

There was only one thing I regretted not killing Bolivar Trask. There was no time to dwell on it, but if I had done it myself, mutants would have been declared the number one threat, and the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Magneto had attacked everyone. They stopped him, and now he would face trial. Maybe, just maybe, that would slightly delay an immediate war.