Not only that—conversely, the Sentinel robots launched identical attacks.
From the single eye of each Sentinel robot, streams of orange-yellow flames spewed forth. These flames were identical to Sunspot's, but far more terrifying in terms of power and scale.
More critically, it wasn't just one Sentinel behaving this way—three to five of them attacked simultaneously, each focusing directly on Sunspot. Despite his ability to store solar energy within his cells, even Sunspot had limits.
Under this ferocious barrage of fiery assault, Sunspot didn't even have time to respond. Within moments, he was forcibly melted by the overwhelming heat, leaving not a trace behind.
Seeing this, Gambit immediately attempted to help. He hurled a card charged with violet energy toward the Sentinels. However, this only made things worse. His counterattack provoked a simultaneous retaliation from several Sentinels. Since Gambit's power wasn't especially formidable in comparison, he too was instantly incinerated by the same terrifying flames.
He became the second casualty among the Mutants.
Witnessing this tragedy, the remaining Mutants were overwhelmed by a shared sense of sorrow and helplessness.
But what could they do in the face of countless Sentinel robots? They were far too powerless.
Wolverine's adamantium claws—indestructible as they were believed to be—were directly melted. Both of his arms became crippled.
Magneto fought back with tremendous strength and succeeded in taking out several Sentinel robots. Yet in a moment of carelessness, shards of a destroyed Sentinel pierced into his abdomen. The injury rendered him incapable of further resistance.
On the battlefield, only Jean Grey and Cyclops remained, standing back-to-back.
They were clearly at their limit. Dozens of Sentinel robots surrounded them in every direction.
Cyclops unleashed a massive laser blast, taking down half of the attackers. But before he could fire again, the Sentinels transformed their forms and pierced through his body with lethal precision.
"No!!"
Jean Grey—Phoenix Girl—screamed in grief. Her telekinetic powers erupted wildly, instantly crushing several Sentinels nearby.
She dropped to her knees, cradling Cyclops in her arms. Tears fell onto his lifeless body as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Cyclops was near death. He reached out a trembling hand and wiped away the tears from Jean's cheeks.
"Live on," he whispered weakly.
His arm fell limply, lifeless.
Jean wanted to scream again, but her throat had become too hoarse—no sound came out. Her entire body shook, and something dark awakened within her.
Her pupils turned pitch black, the whites of her eyes completely vanishing. A terrifying aura surrounded her.
"Let's destroy everything."
"Let's die together!"
Madness flickered across Jean's face.
She pried open Cyclops's eyelids. A powerful red laser beam burst out, directly shooting into her eyes.
But instead of being harmed, Jean absorbed the beam.
She devoured it—devoured all the residual power that lingered in Scott's dying body.
The air behind her twisted violently. The ground around her sank under invisible pressure from a terrifying force.
Sentinels that dared to approach were immediately crushed by the sheer weight of her unleashed power.
The power surging around Jean grew stronger and stronger.
Cyclops's body began to disintegrate, broken down to the most basic of particles.
Behind Jean, the fiery image of a black phoenix rose into the air.
She stood up, her gaze vacant.
Everything around her began to disintegrate—rocks, debris, grass, trees, corpses—everything rose and crumbled into elemental particles.
The remaining Sentinels, even those standing in the far distance, began to crumble with just a glance from her.
It was as if Thanos had snapped his fingers—all was disintegrating.
Even Magneto's eyes widened in fear.
"Jean!!"
"Jean, calm down!"
Wolverine, despite his destroyed arms, shouted with all his might.
But Jean couldn't hear him—or perhaps, more accurately, she wasn't Jean anymore.
What now resided in her body was the Black Phoenix—a separate personality sealed long ago by Professor X's powerful mental abilities.
This personality, unchained, could unleash Omega-level combat power.
Even while battling for control with Jean's consciousness, the Black Phoenix had already annihilated hundreds of Sentinels and obliterated everything in her vicinity.
She was like a living black hole, her only goal: absolute destruction.
Magneto watched the terrifying transformation, a bizarre and helpless thought crossing his mind.
"Am I really going to die... not at the hands of Sentinels, but of one of my own?"
His abdomen throbbed in pain, and he sighed.
Closing his eyes, he awaited the end.
But time passed... and death didn't come.
The pain in his abdomen remained—but he felt no disintegration.
Magneto opened his eyes.
In front of him stood a tall figure. A radiant green light emanated from around this person, forming a protective shield that resisted the Phoenix's destructive energy.
Shock flickered in Magneto's eyes.
Who is this?
Who can withstand the full power of the Black Phoenix?
He remembered well—back when Jean was still underage and first revealed her Phoenix form, both he and Professor X had barely survived.
That time, the entire town Jean lived in had nearly been wiped off the map.
The Sentinels—capable of changing form and adapting—were like toys to her. With a single thought, they were reduced to nothing.
But the person standing before him now had withstood all of this.
Who was this man?
Chapter 61 Preview: "What a Terrifying Power? You Should Be Scared!"
The Black Phoenix represents everything that Jean Grey feared about her own strength. It is a second personality born of trauma—a being that thrives on destruction and chaos.
Even while Jean's main consciousness battles internally to suppress it, the Black Phoenix can still release catastrophic force.
She has the ability to control matter at the microscopic level, breaking it down into elemental particles. Not even the second-generation Sentinels can withstand it.
Hundreds of Sentinels were reduced to vapor.
Had Jean not been resisting from within, her former comrades may have been the first to disintegrate.
At this critical juncture, the man who appeared to save Magneto, Wolverine, and even the half-dead Juggernaut, was none other than Robert.
Yes, Robert.
Up until now, Robert had been completely immersed in fishing.
He hadn't noticed the chaos erupting around him.
Not until the lake water began to recede rapidly.
Even Robert couldn't ignore that—the water was draining before his eyes. Though fishing was his top priority, even he realized something was wrong.
Still, before taking action, he carefully packed his fishing gear and stored it away before walking, unhurried, toward the dam.
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