"Rorschach!"
"No!"
Charles's face twisted in pain as the psychic shock surged through him. A raw cry escaped his throat before he could stop it.
In that moment, he finally understood what had happened.
Rorschach had killed Shaw.
For Charles, the realization felt like a heavy blow.
All this time he had focused entirely on Eric. Eric's lifelong obsession had always been killing Shaw, so Charles believed that if anyone crossed that line, it would be Eric.
But he never expected that the one who would ultimately do it was Rorschach.
The disappointment cut deep.
Charles had always held high hopes for him. Compared to Eric, Rorschach had always seemed calmer and less extreme.
But now—
He had taken the same path.
"Charles, what happened?"
Moira noticed his reaction immediately and stepped closer with concern. Raven and Hank also turned toward him, alarmed by his expression.
"Shaw is dead," Charles said weakly after a moment. "Rorschach killed him."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I never thought… Rorschach would choose this."
Raven frowned.
"Charles, what's wrong with that?" she asked bluntly. "Shouldn't someone like Shaw die?"
In her eyes, Shaw was the embodiment of cruelty and destruction. A man like that didn't deserve mercy.
Charles looked at her in disbelief.
"Raven… how can you think that way?"
The pain in his heart only grew heavier.
He never imagined that the person who had grown up beside him would disagree with him at such a critical moment.
"Charles, your tolerance is misplaced this time," Raven replied firmly.
She didn't back down.
Charles turned toward the others.
"Moira? Hank?"
Moira hesitated.
Hank adjusted his glasses quietly.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Their silence already said enough.
Clearly, they did not share Charles's absolute belief in refusing to kill.
After a moment, Moira finally spoke.
"In any case," she said carefully, "Shaw should have been handed over to the CIA."
Privately, Moira believed Shaw deserved far worse than death. From her perspective, Charles's unwavering refusal to kill was almost naïve.
But as an agent, she still believed that the proper procedure would have been arresting Shaw and letting authorities handle him.
Of course—
Rorschach wasn't a CIA operative.
Inside the submarine, Rorschach suddenly heard a familiar system notification.
[Mission completed.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 2000 Origin Points.]
[Surplus Origin Points detected. Would you like to use them immediately for enhancement?]
A flash of excitement crossed his mind.
The reward had arrived.
Two thousand Origin Points.
However, this wasn't the moment to worry about upgrading his abilities.
The battlefield situation still required his attention.
"Rorschach."
Eric's voice pulled him back to the present.
Eric stood nearby, staring at Shaw's lifeless body on the floor.
For a moment, his expression was strangely complicated.
"You killed him."
The man he had pursued for revenge his entire life was finally dead.
But Eric hadn't been the one to deliver the final blow.
There was regret in that fact.
Yet Eric couldn't bring himself to resent Rorschach.
If anything, he felt the opposite.
Without Rorschach's intervention—and with Charles interfering in his mind—he might never have succeeded.
"Yes," Rorschach said simply. "I killed him."
He glanced down at Shaw's corpse.
"It's over."
Eric shook his head slowly.
"No," he said quietly.
"This is only the beginning."
He looked directly at Rorschach.
"Charles's world… isn't meant for people like us."
A new determination burned in his eyes.
"I'm going to build my own."
He extended a hand slightly.
"Come with me, brother."
Rorschach shook his head.
"Eric, Charles's path isn't mine," he said calmly. "But yours isn't either."
"You already know that."
Eric sighed softly.
"That's a shame," he admitted sincerely. "If you and I joined forces, we could create an entirely new era."
Rorschach shrugged.
"But that's not the era I want."
Eric studied him for a moment.
Rorschach might be young, but he was not easily influenced. His beliefs were already firmly established.
Changing his mind would be nearly impossible.
Eric understood that.
So he didn't press the matter further.
Instead, his gaze shifted.
"Rorschach… can you give me that?"
He pointed to the helmet in Rorschach's hand.
"Of course."
Rorschach passed it over without hesitation.
Eric took the helmet and placed it on his head.
The two men then left the submarine together and stepped out onto the beach.
Outside, the battle had already ended.
The winged mutant and the dreadlocked fighter—the last remaining members of Shaw's group—had been defeated and restrained by the X-Men.
"Eric!"
"Rorschach!"
The moment the others saw them emerge, the mutants quickly gathered around.
Eric glanced at the prisoners.
"Alex," he said calmly, "let them go. The fight is over."
Alex hesitated.
Instead of immediately obeying Eric, he looked toward Charles.
Among the mutants, three figures carried leadership weight: Charles, Eric, and Rorschach.
But the one everyone truly followed was Charles.
The mansion belonged to him.
The training had been organized by him.
Their growth as a team had come under his guidance.
Eric might possess overwhelming power, but Charles's authority remained unquestioned.
Rorschach, meanwhile, occupied a different position.
He was their peer.
Someone their age.
They admired him deeply, even looked up to him—but they didn't instinctively treat him as a commander.
Seeing the hesitation, Eric didn't react with anger.
Instead, he turned to address everyone present.
His voice grew firm.
"Shaw is dead," he declared.
"But our enemies are still here."
He raised his arm and pointed toward the fleets waiting on the distant ocean.
"Our true enemies are right there."
"I can feel their weapons beneath the water. Their guns are aimed at us."
His voice rose with intensity.
"They fear us."
"Americans. Soviets. All of humanity."
"They unite because they fear the unknown."
Eric's eyes swept across the gathered mutants.
"My fellow mutants… they are afraid of us."
.....
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