51: Chapter 51 Non-Magnetic Iron Fist

The helmet cracked open with a thunderous sound.

Magneto fell, but Peter didn't stop.

He was only using half his strength, yet he continued punch after punch.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, each strike coinciding with the peals of thunder.

Magneto's helmet split into two halves down the middle.

Peter ripped off the fragments and tossed them aside, then slammed another punch into his face.

His nasal bone shattered, blood gushing from his nostrils, mixing with the rain to stain the bronze knuckle dusters red.

"Spider-Man! Stop!" Charles shouted, pressing his hands to his temples, attempting to use his abilities on Peter.

"Baldy." Peter tapped his helmet. "Telepathy-proof."

Charles looked utterly shocked. Peter ignored him and looked back at Magneto.

"You were going to kill them, weren't you? You would have killed them without hesitation. Why? Because they are humans, because in your eyes, they belong to an inferior race."

"But what you are doing now, how is it any different from those who persecuted you in the first place?" Peter was filled with unprecedented rage. He had almost lost his friends tonight, all because of a madman with power.

His forearm throbbed with piercing pain, blood continuously seeping from the gaps in his Webbing bandages. But he didn't care. He didn't care at all.

Peter slammed another punch into Magneto's face, and a snow-white tooth flew out. Magneto's eyes were swollen shut, and his face was already covered in bruises.

"That's enough, kid." Wolverine stepped forward, trying to stop him. A red mechanical arm popped out from behind Peter, its sharp tip pressed against Wolverine's throat.

Peter didn't even have time to care that the man in front of him was one of his favorite heroes.

"Not now." He growled and raised his arm, preparing to smash Eric's skull like a watermelon.

"Peter! Stop!" Charles suddenly shouted. Everything slowed down in an instant.

"Peter?" Mary Jane widened her eyes. "Peter?" Jean repeated. Liz Allan couldn't even speak.

Peter slowly looked up at Charles. "You bastard. Whose mind did you forcibly intrude upon to get this information? Was it..."

His gaze landed on Felicia's terrified face. "No... not her. You hypocritical bastard!"

Peter dropped Magneto and charged at Charles.

"Don't be rash, kid." Wolverine blocked the space between them, his claws glinting in the night. "You don't want to do this."

"He forcibly intruded into my girlfriend's mind." Peter growled. "You'll see if I dare to strike."

Peter tried to bypass him, but Wolverine pushed him back. He met Wolverine's gaze.

"So that's how you want to play? Fine!" Peter lunged forward. Wolverine stepped back and kicked him in the abdomen. Peter was sent flying, but he quickly climbed up and charged again.

Wolverine roared and pounced, his claws flashing. Peter easily leaped over him, opened the distance, and landed steadily in front of Charles. A red mechanical arm pressed against Charles's throat.

"How are you any different from him?" Peter growled. "He would kill us, and you would use us. You tore this information right out of her brain as if it were your God-given right!"

"No, I would not do this lightly, Peter." Charles said in a calm tone. "I did it because you gave me no choice!"

"Why?!"

"Because you were going to kill him!" Charles shouted.

"He would do the same to us!" Peter roared.

"Taking another's life is not justice." Charles retorted.

Peter paused. The words echoed in his mind. Charles was right.

"Perhaps... but what you did is unforgivable. You don't have that right!"

"If you wish, I can erase this memory from her mind—"

"No!" Peter growled, grabbing Charles by the collar. "You are never, ever allowed to touch their minds again! Do you hear me, you bald freak?!"

"Even if I just suspect that you've manipulated the minds of the people I care about, I don't give a damn about whatever Mutant army you've assembled; I will twist your head right off your shoulders! Do you hear me?!"

Only the sound of rumbling thunder remained in the background. Peter let go and retracted the mechanical arm.

He walked past Wolverine without even glancing at him, arriving before Magneto's battered body. "I want you to remember this moment, Eric." Peter began.

The words he had once said to another superpowered being surfaced in his mind, and they were perfectly applicable now.

"Every day from now on, even in your most vulnerable moments, you must remember—that a human once defeated you."

"With nothing but an EMP gun and a pair of bronze knuckle dusters, I defeated the Master of Magnetism. Humans are not weak, Eric; we will not fall. If you make an enemy of us, you will die."

"You think a war is coming. You're right."

"But this is not a war between Mutants and humans; it is a war between those who abuse their power and fancy themselves gods, and those who understand the value of their own gifts."

"Whether you like it or not, you belong to the former. You represent everything wrong with Mutants."

"Because the so-called racial divide between humans and Mutants does not exist at all. There is no difference between us. There is only us, and we only have each other."

"I hope you take that to heart, otherwise, the next time we meet, I will not show any mercy."

Peter turned around. He had said what he wanted to say.

He looked at the girls. Mary Jane, Liz Allan, and Jean all appeared extremely frightened, their faces full of fear.

But Felicia didn't care at all. She rushed up and hugged Peter tightly. "I was worried to death."

"I'm fine, Kitten."

Peter put away the bronze knuckle dusters and slowly wrapped his arms around her. "I told you, didn't I? I will never let anyone hurt you. Never."

"P-Peter?" Mary Jane stepped forward. "Is it really you?" Peter sighed and released his embrace. He glared coldly at Charles, then turned to the girls.

Peter tapped his helmet, and the mask slowly slid open, revealing his weary face. He offered a gentle smile. "Hey... I'm glad you're all safe."