Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing

Chapter 181: New Plan



Onslaught finally realized that with the effects of Cerebro fading, his once-invincible form now had a fatal weakness.

Seeing Aquaman and Reid closing in from both sides, his expression darkened.

'If only I had a little more time...'

If he had managed to fully absorb Emma's powers earlier, things wouldn't have ended up like this.

Still, he didn't waste time complaining. A powerful magnetic force burst from him again, causing the entire city of New York to tremble.

Even if he was at a disadvantage, he couldn't afford to lose his momentum. He had to stay intimidating.

But soon enough, he was forced to face a harsh truth, momentum alone couldn't change reality. And now, he experienced that firsthand.

Reid didn't use any overwhelming power, but he also couldn't afford to hold back as much as before. He understood that it was no longer possible to cover the fact that he had superhuman abilities.

The battle in New York had already drawn too much attention. Unless he erased everyone's memory with telepathy, people would inevitably uncover the truth about him.

And he had no intention of altering the memories of so many. Even though Charles had lost to him, Reid had seen the consequences of tampering with the world's collective memory—the way he had tried to erase the existence of mutants.

Once those hidden traces reappeared, no matter how harmless Charles appeared to be, people could no longer trust him after realizing their memories had been altered.

That's why Reid decided to stop hiding. In this battle, he would unleash his powers openly.

Super strength, super speed, phasing, telepathy—he used them all without holding back.

But not everything was revealed.

For example, his shapeshifting ability. Reid deliberately avoided showing it. If he used it under his current identity, it could lead people to connect him with the Martian Manhunter. That was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

The Martian still hadn't dealt with Carol's situation on his end, and Earth still had Nick Fury with that pager capable of contacting her.

To avoid creating trouble, there were still things that needed to stay hidden.

Even without shapeshifting, Reid wasn't fighting at full power. But with Aquaman by his side, though Onslaught had gained teleportation and a mix of complementary powers that boosted his strength, he was slowly losing ground.

That was because in close-range combat, both men could move at speeds nearly as fast as teleportation.

And on top of that, Reid would occasionally strike with psychic attacks, disrupting Onslaught's mind and putting him at an even greater disadvantage.

"Ah!!!"

Another scream tore from him.

In the mental clash between them, the mutant lost again. A weak but sharp psychic surge pierced into his brain, causing the fused personality of Professor X and Magneto to tremble violently.

As Reid's telepathy chipped away at his control, Rogue's consciousness gradually began to awaken. And that change was already showing on the outside. Onslaught's body started to show signs of falling apart.

This form was created by fusing the two mutant leaders' minds into the consciousness of Onslaught, which then took over Rogue's body.

Now, with her mind waking up, the stability of his being was crumbling.

'No... I can't let this go on...'

Fighting through the stabbing pain in his head, Onslaught twisted aside, dodging Aquaman's trident strike. Then he turned to face Reid, who was blasting heat vision at him, and fired back with a similar energy attack.

Powers that were weak in the hands of other mutants suddenly became terrifying in Onslaught's. Under his control, they were pushed to their absolute limit and unleashed with devastating force.

But even so, it wasn't enough to change the tide of battle. The mutant was still facing the looming threat of defeat.

As Reid and Aquaman launched another pincer attack from both sides, Onslaught finally lost it.

"Get... out of my way!!!"

A terrifying burst of magnetic energy exploded from him.

Under its influence, New York wasn't just shaking anymore. Skyscrapers began collapsing in the chaotic magnetic field, and in an instant, the people of the city were thrown into danger.

"What a damn mess..."

Reid saw it all. He wasn't a hero, and he didn't actually care whether the citizens lived or died. But New York was home to LexCorp's headquarters, the very foundation of all his future plans.

He couldn't afford to let it be destroyed.

After exchanging a quick look with Aquaman, he immediately shot off toward the city. Using his intangible form, he dashed at full speed through buildings, stabilizing crumbling towers and saving civilians mid-fall.

And for the first time, Reid's face became etched into the minds of New York's people.

Meanwhile, with one person gone and the encirclement broken, Onslaught no longer found it as difficult to face Aquaman alone.

The man's psychic powers only worked on marine life. He couldn't exploit the mutant's weaknesses. He could still fight evenly, but stopping the opponent from acting was now out of reach.

Onslaught knocked the Atlantean King's trident aside with a powerful swing, then raised both hands and fired a burst of energy that sent him flying backward.

Just as Aquaman was considering how to change the battlefield, ideally shifting it to the ocean, the mutant made his move.

But instead of launching another attack, he used his teleportation ability and disappeared.

"He left?"

Aquaman didn't react at first. But moments later, as the disturbance in the magnetic field faded, Reid returned after placing several New York civilians in safe zones. The second he arrived, he understood exactly what Onslaught was trying to do.

"Jean! He went back to Westchester!"

The reason they had been able to suppress the mutant so effectively wasn't because their power was overwhelmingly stronger.

Sure, if they were willing to go all out without regard for consequences, both men had the strength to take Onslaught down. But what gave them a true advantage was Reid's superiority in psychic power.

To make up for that weakness, it was obvious what the mutant needed. He had to absorb another powerful psychic. Emma was in New York, but so were they. Trying to absorb her right under their noses would've been impossible.

That left only one option: Jean, who was still in Westchester.

Over short distances, Onslaught's teleportation didn't give him much of an edge. But over the span from New York to Westchester, that ability made a huge difference.

"Let's go."

Reid and Aquaman exchanged a glance before launching themselves in the direction of Westchester. Even so, it would still take them several dozen seconds to reach it without destroying everything in their path.

Not everyone had Superman's bio-field to cancel out the shockwaves from flying at high speed.

Today, once again, Reid wished he had Superman.

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