Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]
Chapter 304: The Advantage of Reading the Script in Advance

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: The Advantage of Reading the Script in Advance

If Ethan were Charles, he probably wouldn’t have mentioned how Erik later parted ways due to ideological differences. But Charles brought it up quite openly.

Hearing about what he would do in the future, Erik’s expression turned a little strange. However, upon hearing that even when their conflict was at its peak, neither had tried to kill the other, he felt that he had truly made a good friend.

From Ethan’s outsider perspective, the friendship between these two always seemed a little strange. Even Ada leaned over and whispered to Ethan, "Are those two...?"

"No." But Ethan was certain that the bond between them absolutely surpassed that of most couples or spouses in the world.

The X-Men timeline is actually quite messy, riddled with inconsistencies. Due to the movie Days of Future Past, some parts could be explained by the altered future causing changes to certain events.

For example, in the original timeline, Deadpool, as a mercenary, carried out several missions with Logan, was later transformed into a superweapon, and ultimately destroyed after a major battle with Logan.

However, due to the events of Days of Future Past, the timeline was rewritten. Deadpool never underwent transformation during his mercenary period but successfully left the team. It was only after being diagnosed with cancer that he accepted the transformation, eventually becoming the most irresponsible superhero, Deadpool.

There were many such changes, but they were irrelevant to the people present. What mattered was understanding the potential threats and enemies that might appear in the future, then figuring out how to resolve them.

Since Ethan’s arrival, this world had already diverged from its original path. While the rest of the future was uncertain, the plot of Days of Future Past was now impossible. Charles and Erik, knowing about the Sentinel Program in advance, would definitely prevent it from unfolding. The future wouldn’t spiral into chaos, and naturally, Kitty Pryde wouldn’t be able to send Logan’s consciousness back to the past to warn them.

Besides the Sentinel Program, even enemies like Sebastian Shaw now had more clear-cut countermeasures. Now they knew what he would do in the future, they knew his specific powers, and they knew exactly how to deal with him.

A foe like that could be neutralized simply by improving their own strength. For the current Charles, Sebastian Shaw was nothing to worry about.

The only one they needed to treat with caution was Apocalypse—the powerful enemy known as the first mutant. They would likely struggle to deal with him at this stage, especially since their main trump card, the Dark Phoenix Jean Grey, hadn’t been born yet. Relying on himself and the still-young Erik, they stood no chance against that monster.

"Next, I might have to give you some serious tutoring."

Magneto’s strength in the future wasn’t just due to his naturally powerful abilities. It was also tied to his persistent training and constant deepening of his powers.

Magneto’s ability to manipulate magnetic fields—one of the four fundamental forces of the universe—was incredibly potent.

How strong was peak Magneto?

He could induce natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions by manipulating magnetic fields. He could even move entire planets. Moving metal objects was the most basic of his skills.

By controlling magnetic fields, Erik could also fly. He could become optically invisible, enhance his physical condition, and even develop a symbiotic relationship with the Earth’s magnetic field. This granted him a lifespan equal to that of the planet. As long as Earth wasn’t destroyed, he wouldn’t die. And even if it was, as long as magnetic fields existed in the universe, he could continue to survive.

He could create an energy field to protect himself, one that even nuclear weapons couldn’t penetrate. It also allowed him to survive in space.

He could even create wormholes using magnetic fields to achieve spatial teleportation.

At his peak, Magneto was essentially a living cheat code, an unstoppable force.

But to reach that point, in addition to relentless training, he also had to enrich his scientific understanding. Controlling magnetic fields required vast knowledge, spanning countless disciplines—enough to make even top scholars collapse from the pressure.

In the comic universe, Magneto reached that level by self-study, turning himself into a top-tier scholar. Though he had no formal education, the knowledge he possessed placed him at the very top of Earth’s intellectual hierarchy.

As for the current Erik... he hadn’t received any formal education. He had spent his early years in concentration camps, then wandered the world driven by revenge. It was obvious he couldn’t possess the depth of knowledge needed to unlock the full potential of his powers.

"So, to solve future threats, I need to get stronger. And to get stronger... I need to study?"

"Pretty much."

Erik currently believed his power stemmed from anger. He triggered it by tapping into rage. This method was not only hard to control, it produced poor results and hindered further development.

Charles had considered helping Erik escape his rage-filled state before, but at the time, he didn’t fully understand the scope of Magneto’s abilities. He could only rely on motivational words, hoping Erik would let go of hatred and embrace the light.

Now that he had inherited the knowledge and memories of the older Charles, he understood his "old rival" Magneto well. He now knew exactly what Erik’s powers were, and more importantly, how to help him improve.

In Charles’s view, having Magneto study seriously was much better than trying to motivate him with empty words. The more he learned and understood, the more likely he was to find his own answers.

Besides, Erik had an enormous amount of catching up to do. Studying all that knowledge would consume a significant portion of his time and energy. Without free time or energy, he wouldn’t be able to run off and stir up trouble.

From every angle, this was the ideal solution.

Erik was silent for a moment. He ultimately agreed to Charles’s suggestion to study, but he made one request.

"Sebastian Shaw must be dealt with by my own hands."

Charles opened his mouth to try to persuade him otherwise, but unexpectedly, Ethan—who had been silent—spoke first.

"That is your right. No one has the ’qualification’ to stop you."

Ethan deliberately emphasized that word, locking eyes with Charles. He had no personal grudge against Charles, but he firmly disagreed with his desire to stop Erik from seeking vengeance.

Charles probably didn’t want Erik to be consumed by revenge and fall into darkness, but Ethan believed that not taking justice into one’s own hands for the murder of one’s mother was what would truly turn someone into a lunatic.

It wasn’t that Charles’s approach was wrong. It was just a product of his own upbringing. His worldview, outlook, and values didn’t allow for killing. He had always believed this was right and had lived according to that belief. Naturally, he hoped his friend would do the same.

Erik stared at Ethan in confusion. He couldn’t understand why this stranger—someone he’d just met—would support him, while Charles, his long-time friend, was so strongly opposed.

He remembered how Charles had mentioned their futures diverging due to ideological conflict. At this moment, he was already feeling how deep those differences ran.

Charles wanted to say something more, but Ethan gently tapped the coffee table in front of him.

"Put yourself in his shoes, Charles. If your parents were killed in front of you, just for an experiment, what would you feel?"

Charles had "seen" that scene in Erik’s memory. But in the end, it hadn’t happened to him. It was hard to truly understand the despair and fury Erik had experienced.

Still, from that deeply imprinted memory, he had felt at least a portion of Erik’s pain. It had indeed been unbearable.

He now understood why Erik was so intent on killing Sebastian Shaw. But he remained torn by his own principles and still felt that killing was wrong.

The conversation paused here. Having discussed so much, no one felt like talking further about the future. They decided to shift focus and handle the current issue first.

Sebastian Shaw believed that the rise of nuclear weapons had triggered the awakening of mutant genes. In the decades following their appearance, a large number of mutants had emerged. Before that, mutants were exceedingly rare.

So, he planned to provoke a conflict between the world’s two nuclear powers—the Soviet Union and the United States—triggering a nuclear war, turning the Earth into a paradise for mutants.

As for ordinary people? They were simply collateral damage.

It had to be said—Sebastian’s idea was insane. He seemed to have overlooked the fact that most mutants had the same physical constitution as humans. A nuclear war would wipe them out too.

Or maybe... he simply didn’t care about the weak ones. Perhaps all he wanted was a small, elite group?

Whatever the reason, Sebastian Shaw’s plan was madness. If successful, it would lead to disaster—something Charles absolutely could not accept.

Whether they had to kill this madman or not, his crazy plan had to be stopped.

"What should we do now?"

"I don’t know what plans you have. If I were calling the shots, I’d say we head out right now and raid that guy."

Charles thought for a moment. His current memories lacked information on Shaw’s location. The man had a nuclear submarine roaming the ocean, making him impossible to track.

However, memories from the future offered a clue.

"Or... we quietly wait for this guy to come to us."

(To be continued.)

***

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