Chapter 5737: Chapter 4760: X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (End)

Hearing this, everyone looked solemn. But this was actually expected - everyone knows what the relationship between Professor X and Magneto is.

"Can’t he be resurrected?" Spider-Man said, "Weren’t those mutants in the commando team brought back to life too?"

"No, Peter. Even if they can be resurrected, the pain of death is unbearable," Iron Man looked at him and said, "However, I also agree that this matter might not be easy to resolve. You must know, Professor X is not to be underestimated."

"But they were trying to help the mutants," Spider-Man added, referring to those from the Central Universe.

"They just left the mutants with no choice," Captain America said, "To Professor X, the death of Magneto is indeed difficult to accept, even if he’s brought back to life, he would still be angry. Not to mention other casualties."

"The key point is whether Professor X truly wants to use these losses to elevate the status of mutants. I don’t think he would," Hawkeye said, "Though he might not be as mild-mannered as he appears, he certainly is responsible enough for his friends and students."

"That’s where the difficulty lies," Winter Soldier shook his head and said, "Even if this matter is resolved, mutants might still fear the Central Universe. After all, the process of resolving it is indeed too intense."

"I actually think it’s a good thing," Black Widow said, "The Prime Universe is a bit annoying, but is the Central Universe really any better? If they truly manage to resolve this perfectly, more people would inevitably lean towards the Central Universe."

"Oh, heavens, I hope not," Spider-Man spoke first. He knows the Central Universe the best and said, "Anything involving Doctor Shiller is dangerous. I’m really afraid he might drag all those universes into a black hole."

"So maintaining balance is best," Thor gently tapped the table, "The Prime Universe, due to its special status, has a natural advantage but practices interventionism; the Central Universe rises later, with strong capabilities, it can oppose interventionism. They maintain a balance, the Multiverse need not worry about being destroyed."

Everyone nodded, clearly agreeing with this view. It’s unwise to lean towards any universe. Both the Multiverse should recognize the issues of Prime Universe’s interventionism and see the dangers of the Central Universe. This way, a relatively balanced state can be maintained, rather than one dominant side leading everyone astray.

"You’re going to the Shi’ar Empire?!" Nick looked at Professor X with some surprise and said, "Although we intend to negotiate with the new Emperor, you need not..."

"Erik is still there," Professor X said, "At least I need to bring him back. What’s more, I also want to know what exactly Shiller is up to. Although I know these things are mostly his doing, why make such a big fuss about it?"

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"He could make everyone feel that all this is accidental, rather than having suspicion fall on the Central Universe. You should know, even if the outcome is good, this kind of approach is something not everyone can accept. It seems like they’re tarnishing their own reputation."

"Maybe they really don’t want to interfere," Nick said, "By lowering their reputation, fewer people might come looking for them, which makes sense, doesn’t it?"

Professor X sighed and said: "I’m just puzzled about his confidence that I wouldn’t hold it against him for killing Magneto. Even if he can be resurrected, I also..."

"Then you should see it for yourself," Nick relented and said, "Even if negotiations don’t work out, the Central Universe won’t let Earth be destroyed."

The recently rioted Ferocious Feather Star still appeared desolate. When Professor X stepped on this land again, he could only feel that things had changed. He had to admit, after having his own home, even places where he once lived for a long time felt strange.

Many things once happened here, closely related to the fate of mutants. Perhaps today’s events are the same, Professor X has a feeling that Shiller has prepared a surprise for him.

"Professor, Professor!" A voice called from behind. Professor X turned around and was startled. Although the voice was Cyclops Scott’s, the one walking over was a giant robot.

"Oh, sorry, Professor, did I startle you?" Cyclops said, "I’ve changed bodies, or rather my consciousness temporarily resides here. I’m not an enemy."

"How could I not recognize you, Scott," Professor X said warmly, "Whatever form you take, it makes no difference to me, does it?"

Cyclops chuckled and said, "I know you are eager to meet Mr. Lanshire. He’s inside, come with me."

Professor X was a bit shocked by his reference, he said, "I remember you only kept basic respect for him, and that was because of me."

Cyclops shook his head and said, "He saved my life. At the time, inside the Mother Module, I was already exhausted. He was actually more suitable to control this robot, but he gave me the opportunity. Regardless of who he ultimately did it for, basic respect is not enough from now on."

"Alright. Let’s not call him Mr. Lancher, that’s not his real name, it sounds incredibly fake," Professor X said with a smile.

He walked into the adjacent drawing-room, but did not see Magneto. An attendant handed him something resembling a flash piece, and as soon as Professor X received it, he immediately connected Magneto into his consciousness.

"Are you alright, Erik?" After his routine inquiry, Professor X finally shed his long-held patience and tore off the facade of warmth. "Rushing into the sun made you look like a hero, Mr. Eisenhart. How does it feel to embrace the sun that way?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Charles, we need to talk about this later."

"No way in hell," Professor X’s tone turned icy, "Erik, you better understand, right now your consciousness is in my spiritual domain. If I don’t let you leave, you can’t leave. When you get a body depends on me. If you have the ability, you can escape here for a lifetime; just as well, we won’t have to worry about you embracing the sun again."

"What I meant was, we can talk about our issues later," Magneto said, his voice still a bit guilty but aiming to address the urgent matter, "Shiller wants to introduce someone to you, aren’t you going to check him out?"

Professor X looked puzzled but shifted his focus back to reality. He looked up to see Shiller indeed leading someone over. Almost instantly, a cognitive storm erupted above Ferocious Feather Star. Professor X’s fingertips dug into his palm, and bright red blood flowed at once.

"Gabriel," Professor X struggled to utter the name, "You..."

The Fire God stood there, looking at Professor X calmly, as if saying nothing, doing nothing, was enough for a verdict.

Professor X looked anxiously at Cyclops and said, "Scott, listen to my explanation, at the time... I was only worried about you breaking down, and I didn’t intentionally refuse to save him..."

It was the first time Shiller saw Professor X so flustered, even completely collapsing. The brainwaves he emitted were almost tangible, and screams came from guards outside the door. It was apparent he was trying to restrain himself but couldn’t; this was indeed an instance of mutant ability out of control.

"Calm down, Charles," Magneto’s voice appeared in his mind, "We’re here to communicate and solve the issue, not to blame or judge anyone."

Professor X still couldn’t calm down. But Cyclops said, "We already know what happened back then. None of us wanted that disaster to occur. We also know there’s no way you’d intentionally leave Gabriel behind without saving him. Erasing my memory later might have been for my sake, but it certainly caused Gabriel significant harm."

Shiller understood what was happening; this was something unavoidable in the comic storyline, one of the few pieces of evidence showing Professor X’s inhumane side.

In short, Gabriel was kidnapped as a child and grew up in the Shi’ar Empire. He returned to Earth briefly, joined the X-Men for missions, yet faced peril during a mission, and everyone else was rescued, but he was left behind.

Though he eventually escaped, he drifted into the cosmos instead of returning to Earth. Professor X thought he was dead and worried Cyclops would collapse from guilt for not saving his brother, so took it upon himself to erase memories related to Gabriel.

This incident resulted from a series of mistakes culminating in tragedy. Professor X made significant errors, yet no malicious intent was involved. To speak bluntly, he had some overly controlling expectations for Cyclops as the eldest X-Men child.

Even now, his guilt towards Cyclops outweighs that towards Gabriel, because if Gabriel indeed died, his actions might still have some condolence-like explanation. However, if Gabriel is alive, his memory erasure becomes a barrier to their brotherhood reconciliation. He was terrified Cyclops would blame him.

"Professor, I’ve never blamed you," Cyclops said, "Given the circumstances at the time, without adjusting my memory, I know exactly how much I’d break down. I couldn’t return to the X-Men, and that would be irresponsible."

"What we’re discussing now isn’t about who was right or wrong back then. I don’t think you owe Gabriel anything. The reason I want to compensate him is that I’m his brother, and I’ve never fulfilled my brotherly responsibilities throughout all these years. This is entirely a personal action, only that my ability is limited, and thus I seek your help."

Professor X was incredulous, deeply shocked. But he realized Cyclops was truthful. Cyclops never blamed him nor sought to leverage his guilt to compensate Gabriel. He was just seeking help, like whenever he faced unsolvable issues. Cyclops Scott was just such a person.

Professor X squeezed his hands tighter. He couldn’t describe his current feelings. He felt gratified by Scott’s continued kindness and forgiveness and yet guilty for all he had done to him.

After a moment, Professor X asked softly:

"What do you want?"

"The whole Shi’ar Empire."