Back at the CIA base, everyone had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying the Black King was. His power had left them in awe, completely crushed by his overwhelming strength.
At that time, even Alex had used every trick up his sleeve and still couldn't so much as scratch the Black King. In the end, all he could do was reluctantly lead everyone in retreat.
But now? It hadn't even been that long—and the same Black King was lying there, beaten and battered by Alex?
Raven and Hank both stared, completely unable to accept the scene in front of them.
"Go back inside. Bring Charles here!"
Alex ignored their stunned reactions and barked the order at Raven and Hank.
They snapped out of it and immediately rushed toward the hotel.
At the hotel entrance, the phasing man stepped forward to block them.
"You so much as twitch, and I'll fry you."
Alex's eyes narrowed, a dangerous red glow flaring to life.
If the guy dared to lift a finger, those heat rays would cut him down without hesitation.
During the fight just now, the phasing man had done little more than toss out some half-hearted support moves. Even when the "Black King" was getting pummeled into the ground, he hadn't made a serious move.
Alex figured he was probably like Windshifter Woman—his ability seemed flashy but likely came with some major drawback. Otherwise, this guy would've been even more broken than she was.
Of course, that was just a guess.
But when Alex saw how the phasing man paled under his threat, it only confirmed his suspicion.
"Forget it, Alan. It's over. We've lost."
Just then, the beaten-down "Black King" slowly got back to their feet and spoke to the phasing man.
Only—it wasn't the Black King's voice.
Everyone nearby was stunned.
Alex, Raven, and Hank all turned to stare.
Right before their eyes, the "Black King" shimmered like an optical illusion. The colors of their body rippled and changed—until standing there was a blue-skinned woman.
Another shapeshifter!?
Hank was in complete shock.
He looked at the blue-skinned woman, then at Raven beside him. His brain short-circuited.
Two people. Both blue-skinned. Both shapeshifters.
How could anyone not think they were long-lost sisters?
Even Raven herself was dumbfounded.
She had never seen someone so eerily similar to her in her entire life.
Was this… actually her sibling?
"You—you can change shape too? Who are you!?"
Raven asked, stunned.
The woman caught the key word instantly. Her brows lifted in curiosity.
"You mean… there are others like us?"
"Raven, I'll go get Charles!"
Hank didn't wait for answers. As much as he wanted to know, he knew this wasn't the time. He gave Raven a quick nod and rushed back into the hotel.
The phasing man didn't even try to stop him. He just stood there, watching the blue-skinned woman, expression flickering. Then, without a word, he turned and ran.
Sprinted right out of the hotel.
Alex didn't lift a finger to stop him. He might as well have been invisible.
That guy was a side character—his presence or absence meant nothing.
All of Alex's attention was now focused on the woman in front of him.
The Black King hadn't been the real Black King. Someone had been impersonating him.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
Of course the Black King would be behind the scenes right now, pulling strings to push the world toward the missile crisis. He wouldn't waste time personally fighting a bunch of mutants.
And the weakened energy-absorption ability?
Also explained—because this wasn't the real deal.
Just one question remained:
Why did this woman have the same powers as the Black King?
A name flashed through Alex's mind—and he instantly realized who this woman was.
A mutant with an ability eerily similar to Mystique's—except even more terrifying. She didn't just copy appearances. She could copy others down to the genetic level.
That meant she could replicate not just looks, but powers.
Which explained how she had used the Black King's abilities.
This whole mission had been a waste of time.
Everyone had been fooled by this woman.
No—by the real Black King.
[Mission complete. Congratulations, Host. You have received 700 Origin Points!]
[Detected remaining points in reserve. Would you like to use them now to upgrade?]
Everyone else had been played for fools, sure.
He'd just earned a fat reward.
Seven hundred Origin Points—enough to push his power to the next level.
Still, now wasn't the right time to power up.
He turned to the blue-skinned woman.
"I'm guessing you have no idea where the real Shaw is?" he asked.
"I get paid to do a job. Everything else? Not my problem."
The woman shrugged, her tone casual, as if she wasn't remotely worried about the situation she was in.
"But I can see now why Shaw's so interested in you guys," she added, giving Alex a thoughtful look.
Her mission had been clear: recruit if possible. If not—kill them all.
That alone showed just how much Shaw valued this group.
"Is that so? I'm not feeling particularly honored."
Alex rolled his eyes.
A wave of voices and hurried footsteps approached. Charles and the others arrived at the scene with Hank leading the way.
They saw the woman in front of Alex and their expressions instantly turned to disbelief and frustration.
They'd risked their lives in this fight. Some had even nearly died.
It had all been for nothing.
"A blue-skinned shapeshifter… Raven, is she related to you or something?"
And, of course, the ever-clueless Banshee had to ask the dumbest question possible.
I wanted to clarify a mistake in my previous usage of character names. Instead of "Siryn," I should have referred to the character as **Sean (aka Banshee)**. Moving forward, I'll ensure to use the correct name—**Banshee** or **Sean Cassidy**—to avoid confusion.
Apologies for the oversight, and thanks for your understanding!
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