Caesars Palace Hotel
After following Richard back to the hotel, Magneto wasted no time. "Let's speak in the study—privately."
Though Magneto hadn't specified the topic, Richard anticipated the conversation. He nodded toward the twins. "You two should rest. We'll talk later."
He then led Magneto to the study.
Once inside, Magneto immediately closed the door and turned to Richard. "You rescued them because you knew they were my children?"
"Of course not," Richard replied evenly. "I only made that connection after observing your reaction."
He was being truthful. His rescue from Wanda and Pietro had been prompted by a system mission. Whether they were Magneto's children in this universe or not, he would have intervened regardless.
After all, the system had offered Shadow Flare as the Mission reward.
"You truly had no prior knowledge of their relationship with me?" Magneto pressed.
"Despite my many abilities, I'm neither omnipotent nor omniscient," Richard answered calmly. "You yourself were unaware they were your children—how could I have known?"
Magneto fell silent, absorbing this.
After a moment, he continued, "Regardless, I owe you a debt."
His expression hardened slightly. "I dislike owing favors. I propose to help you reclaim the Wesley family's confiscated assets as compensation for rescuing Wanda and Pietro."
Reclaim the Wesley family's property?
Richard smiled and shook his head. "When I first encountered Mystique, I made my position clear: I will reclaim what was taken from me through my own efforts."
"As for your perceived debt—you owe me nothing. I didn't rescue Wanda and Pietro because of their connection to you."
He paused, then added casually, "I'd suggest you contact other women from your past. Wanda and Pietro may not be your only children."
More than just these two?
Magneto remained silent, studying Richard with narrowed eyes.
He couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that Richard somehow possessed extensive knowledge about him—that this young mutant had somehow peered into the core of his being.
This young man...
After a contemplative silence, Magneto spoke. "Whether you believe I'm indebted to you is your concern. Whether I choose to repay that debt is mine."
"That said, I have information you might find valuable. My sources indicate the Department of Mutant Affairs has formally requested SHIELD's assistance."
"Soon, both organizations will coordinate efforts to apprehend you."
"While I don't yet know if the entire Avengers roster will participate, even a partial deployment would present significant challenges for you."
"My visit to Las Vegas was specifically to propose an alliance. Together, we could easily overcome not only the Department and SHIELD, but even the combined might of the military and Homeland Security."
An alliance?
Richard wasn't surprised by Magneto's proposal, but felt little urgency to accept it.
Even without Magneto's assistance, he didn't consider the Department of Mutant Affairs and SHIELD to pose a genuine threat.
If he chose to depart, neither organization could prevent him. His Alpha-level telepathy alone made him virtually untouchable, not to mention his other abilities.
After brief consideration, Richard responded, "Let's postpone discussion of an alliance. I'm not currently interested in partnering with anyone."
"Are you truly that confident?" Magneto asked, his tone measured.
"While SHIELD isn't officially specialized in mutant affairs, their capabilities rival or exceed the Department's."
"Among the younger generation of mutants, your prowess is unmatched."
"However, challenging both the Department and SHIELD simultaneously—I'm not underestimating you, but I question whether your current abilities are sufficient."
Following the incident at the Los Angeles branch, both Magneto and Professor X, along with the Department and SHIELD, had conducted thorough analyses of Richard's capabilities.
They'd all reached the same conclusion: Richard, though formidable, was not invincible—and certainly not an Omega-level mutant.
"My affairs are my responsibility," Richard replied. "Perhaps you should focus on how you'll establish a relationship with Wanda and Pietro. They lack extensive social experience, but they're not easily deceived."
Richard recognized the limitations of his current power—he couldn't yet move through the world with complete impunity. But acknowledging those limitations didn't translate to fearing the Department or SHIELD.
To be frank, he considered both organizations merely obstacles—significant, perhaps, but ultimately surmountable.
"My offer of alliance remains open," Magneto said, extracting a business card from his jacket pocket. "Should you reconsider, contact me at this number."
He placed the card on the desk—a minimalist design featuring only a phone number—and departed without further comment.
More than an hour later, Magneto had successfully "persuaded" Wanda and Pietro to acknowledge him as their father.
Moreover, he had convinced them to return with him to the Brotherhood of Mutants headquarters.
As Magneto prepared to depart with the twins, Richard offered a parting observation.
"A personal suggestion, if I may: The future of mutantkind cannot be determined by one or two individuals."
"I understand your intentions. Everything you do aims to counter discrimination and oppression, to secure fair treatment for mutants."
"But surely you recognize this isn't a simple task—the probability of success is minimal."
"A group's destiny depends not only on leadership but on the collective will to resist oppression."
"Were I in your position, I'd prioritize family over attempting to save those who haven't learned to stand for themselves."
From a personal standpoint, Richard genuinely admired Magneto.
However, he remained pessimistic about the broader mutant cause.
If individual mutants failed to develop the will to resist, instead passively awaiting salvation from self-proclaimed heroes, the cycle of discrimination would persist indefinitely.
Fairness is earned through strength. A group that won't fight for itself isn't worth saving.
Magneto smiled at Richard's assessment. "Should I interpret your words as suggesting I focus on family matters while leaving the rest to you?"
From anyone else, Richard would have dismissed such a response as willful misinterpretation.
But Magneto was no simple-minded fool—he was deliberately attempting to conscript Richard into his cause.
"No, you misunderstand," Richard clarified. "I merely hope you'll be a proper father to Wanda and Pietro."
Magneto offered no further comment, departing with the twins.
After they'd gone, Richard turned to Emma Frost. "I'll return you to New York tomorrow. From there, I'll handle matters independently."
"I can provide assistance," Emma offered immediately.
"No. I'm not so inadequate that I require a woman's help," Richard replied.
"Very well, I'll await you in New York," Emma conceded. "But if you don't return, I'll ensure U.S. officials understand precisely how much damage an Alpha-level telepath can inflict when cornered."
Richard laughed. "Truly unnecessary. The Department and SHIELD lack the capacity to eliminate me."
He placed an arm around Emma's slender waist, leading her toward the bedroom.
By noon the following day, Richard had received his custom-tailored suits and teleported Emma back to New York.
After escorting her to her luxurious apartment, he teleported directly to the gates of the Department of Mutant Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC.
Though his mission "Son of the Devil (III)" required eliminating Captain America, Richard felt no rush to assault SHIELD's Triskelion headquarters.
He understood that targeting the Department's headquarters would inevitably draw Captain America to him—no need to seek out Rogers specifically.
Richard's appearance predictably caught the attention of the security personnel. Upon recognizing him, the guards immediately alerted their superiors and triggered the alarm system.
A piercing siren echoed throughout the complex.
Though Richard could have prevented the alarm, he deliberately allowed it.
Under the watchful eyes of the guards, he calmly withdrew the Masamune from his system inventory.
He didn't immediately attack. Instead, he addressed the blade in his hand: "Old friend, let's embark on a proper rampage today."
With those words, Richard pushed off the ground, launching himself toward the Department's headquarters building like a human projectile.
When he was approximately a hundred meters from the structure, he raised the Masamune overhead and brought it down in a sweeping arc.
Heaven Severance!
Rather than employing techniques like Zenshin or Judgement Cut End, he executed his self-created technique: Heaven Severance.
Silver-white lightning crackled along the Masamune's blade—not actual electricity, but mana configured in a specific manifestation.
As the sword completed its arc, an invisible but devastatingly real wave of energy—pure "sword force"—hurtled toward the Department's headquarters.
The invisible sword force sliced through the reinforced concrete building as if it were paper.
Despite its construction of steel and reinforced concrete, the Department's headquarters offered no more resistance to the divine energy than a watermelon to a sharpened blade.
Before the agents and staff could react, the upper half of the structure detached along the Masamune's clean cut, toppling sideways like a child's building block.
After three months as the Department's most wanted fugitive, Richard had arrived at their headquarters alone, launching the decisive confrontation between himself and the agency with a single devastating strike of Heaven Severance!
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