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Chapter 113: The stillness
🕑 Added 2025-08-30 22:13:31 +0000 UTCThe projection from Stark's suit was displayed infront of them in a 3d resolution, the images flickering as the feed struggled to keep up with the chaos of the battlefield. The X-Men sat frozen, eyes locked on the storm unfolding before them.
Kitty's voice broke the silence first.
"I… I didn't know Gojo was that powerful."
Professor Xavier's gaze narrowed, voice calm but weighted.
"Indeed, Kitty. His potential was always vast. But even I did not anticipate this level of mastery."
Hank leaned forward, fingers pushing his now retrieved glasses higher on his nose along with some instruments he was able to salvage.
"It was to be expected," he said matter-of-factly. "Ever since the boy fought Magneto, it was already established he possessed that kind of strength."
Storm crossed her arms, eyes flicking to the projection again. Her tone was steady but tinged with awe.
"Yes, we knew it… but knowing and seeing it first-hand are two very different things."
Rogue hugged her arms tight, shivering slightly as the screen flashed red with another burst of energy.
"Terrifyin'… that's what it is."
Jean reached over, her hand brushing Rogue's arm gently.
"See? I told you he'd be alright," she murmured with a reassuring smile.
But on the screen, Gojo's body suddenly wrapped itself in arcs of lightning, his form vanishing in streaks of light.
"Jarvis, calculate the output of the energy," Tony barked, already pulling up data streams.
Numbers scrolled down Stark's HUD.
"Voltage exceeding measurable containment, sir. Estimated speed… near the natural velocity of lightning itself."
Tony whistled low. "So the kid just turned into a bolt of lightning. Great. Let's slow it down, Jarvis use ultra-focus on a single discharge."
The feed stuttered, then replayed one strike in ultra-slow motion. What appeared was terrifying: Gojo's body was no longer moving as he was lightning, bouncing from angle to angle, striking Juggernaut from every conceivable direction.
"Uh… that's impressive. And scary as hell," Spider-Man muttered, arms crossed. "If Thor and a bug zapper had a lovechild, that'd be him."
Tony snorted. "Trust me, kid, Thor wishes he was this efficient… but the kid still lacks in raw concussion force that Thor has."
Scott frowned, squinting. "But how isn't he burning himself out?"
Logan growled low, lighting a cigar without looking away. "Kid's got a healing factor. Body fixes itself as fast as he tears it apart."
Kurt tilted his head as he saw something on the feed. "But, Herr Stark, what are you doing with these new… cameras?" His blue finger pointed at a hovering cluster of drones feeding the projection.
"Latest toys," Stark replied smugly. "These bad boys keep up with speeds even satellites struggle with. Problem is, the kid's throwing off so much electromagnetic interference, the images keep fuzzing out. This is as clean as it gets."
Hank adjusted his readings, nodding. "He's using lightning to such an extent…" His words halted as the sound of a thunderclap reverberated through the speakers.
On the projection, Gojo hurled spears of lightning like lances, forcing Juggernaut back. Then, impossibly, he teleported upward in a blur of light.
Storm's lips parted as her eyes flicked instinctively to the darkening skies outside the mansion, then back at the projection.
"By the goddess…"
Charles's eyes widened, voice hushed.
"Oh my god…"
The feed brightened with an overwhelming glow. Hank's instruments spiked wildly.
"How is that even possible?" he whispered.
Rogue's hand clutched Jean as the image resolved, a colossal leviathan head made entirely of lightning, roaring loudly above Gojo.
"What… what in the hell am I lookin' at?"
Tony blinked hard, muttering, "Jarvis, tell me juggernaut didn’t hit me to the point of seeing thing."
"Unfortunately not, sir."
Logan's claws clicked out half an inch. His hair bristled all over.
"Every damn hair on my body just stood up…"
Even from where they stood, the atmosphere shifted as the air thickened, buzzing faintly as if the charge of the battlefield itself leaked through the projection. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Jarvis's calm voice cut in.
"Satellite analysis complete. Energy output cataclysmic. Estimated destructive potential spans a ten-mile radius."
Before anyone could speak, a new voice barked over the comms.
"WHAT the hell is happening out there?!"
Nick Fury's face filled the projection, scowling. "We're picking up lightning storms across the grid, did Thor come back without tellin' me?!"
"Nope," Stark replied dryly. "Not Thor. It's the boy."
Fury's good eye widened as the secondary feed transmitted the leviathan. His mouth opened, then snapped shut with a single curse.
"...Muthafucka."
The next instant, the screen exploded in white as the leviathan descended, lightning crashing down upon Juggernaut. For a second, the world turned blinding light. The feed cut out with a sharp crack.
Silence.
The space full of heroes stood still, every one of them stunned into quiet.
Spider-Man finally spoke, his voice cracking nervously.
"Uh… Mr. Stark? You sure he's not, like… Thor's long-lost brother? Or maybe some experiment where they mixed Hulk's blood with Thor's hair and uh, spilled it on a Tesla coil?"
Stark ignored him, eyes scanning as Jarvis reconnected the feed. Numbers rolled again.
"Damage zone… ten miles. Give or take a block."
Fury's voice returned, sharp and final.
"Uppin' that kid's threat level to max. Immediately."
Storm shook her head slowly, eyes on the flickering projection.
"His control over lightning… as of right now it's beyond mine. And the damage…" She trailed off, almost breathless.
Hank folded his arms, voice grave.
"No mutant I've studied wields elemental energy with this degree of precision. It is… unprecedented."
Then, the projection steadied again. Juggernaut appeared, massive and glowing, his body swelling larger than before.
But all eyes turned to the figure hovering calmly before him.
Gojo with his lightning mode gone, body once again like human floated eye-to-eye with Cain Marko. Neither moved. Neither blinked.
And in that eerie stillness, the battlefield froze with them.
