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  The jungle was relentless—dense foliage obscured every step, roots and vines threatening to trip anyone not paying attention.

  But there was no time for caution.

  The thunderous roar of the Hulk echoed behind Locke and Wolverine as they sprinted through the thick undergrowth.

  Branches snapped like twigs as the jade giant barreled toward them, each step shaking the ground beneath their feet.

  "Run faster, kid!"

  Wolverine growled, his claws at the ready, slashing apart obstacles and carving a path through the trees.

  His enhanced senses had long detected the inevitable— there was no outrunning the Hulk. He was gaining on them.

  Locke was already winded, his legs burned from the strain of pushing himself more than he ever had before.

  He could feel the blood pumping in his ears, the suffocating weight of the Hulk’s fury pressing down on him. To make matters worse, the terrain was sloping upwards towards a mountain.

  "Fuck this- I...I'd rather fight!"

  Locke gasped, stopping abruptly and turning to face the approaching giant.

  "We can’t keep running Logan!"

  Wolverine cursed under his breath. There was no need to fight that thing when they had the chance to keep running. However long that option remained.

  But before he could respond, the Hulk crashed through the trees and hurled a boulder their way.

  Locke barely had time to register the mass of stone, before it slammed into the ground between them, sending debris flying everywhere. It continued on and drilled into the side of the hill, shaking the ground.

  Locke gulped and on shaky legs stood his ground, raising his hands to summon the Chaos Devourer, his earlier promise to not use the spell forgotten.

  It was all for naught. In a single bound, before he could clap his hands the Hulk reached him.

  Locke's eyes had just started to widen when a monstrous green palm connected with his chest, and he was sent flying like a ragdoll, his chest caving in under the blow.

  Air escaped his lungs in a single, sickening wheeze as he crashed into the ground, skidding to a stop against a tree trunk.

  "Idiot!"

  Wolverine snarled, rushing toward the limp Locke.

  He leaped in front of the Hulk, claws slashing at the green behemoth’s skin, buying them some time.

  "You’re not ready to take on the Hulk head-on, kid! Say something if you're still alive."

  Locke managed a wheeze. He lay on the ground, gasping in pain, his vision swimming. His ribs were shattered-he could see the blood seeping through his t-shirt and his entire body screamed in agony.

  But in the chaos, a thought flickered in his mind— the second spell. The one intended to be used on Logan.

  The only chance he had left. He gritted his teeth, half coherently slapped his palms together, activating Armament chaos on Logan's blood.

  Instantly, the world shifted.

  Locke felt the sudden rush of energy coursing through him as he tapped into Wolverine’s mutant power, copying his Healing Factor.

  His body responded immediately.

  He could feel his chest knitting itself back together, the bones realigning, his strength returning.

  But it wasn’t just healing—his muscles bulked up, his senses sharpened, and his stamina surged.

  On instinct, he took a deep breath, the lingering taste of blood on his tongue waning.

  Ptew!

  He spat out a red glob of blood, hands flat on the ground. Muscles filled his forearms and patting his torso revealed a hard surface of flesh, his t-shirt literally bursting at the seams.

  It seems he hadn't just copied the healing but the X-gene as a whole, granting him all of Logan's powers. And because the gene was a single attribute from Logan, it didn't break the rules of Armament chaos.

  It took a second to adjust to the enhanced senses but when he did, he could hear the rapid beating of Wolverine’s heart, the blood splattering from the Hulk’s open wounds, and the wet sound of their blows landing.

  He could even smell the acrid scent of sweat and blood in the air.

  Locke rose to his feet with a low, animalistic snarl.

  His hands clenched into fists as an instinct took over—a raw, primal urge.

  His knuckles burned for a moment, then exploded in a spray of blood as three bone claws erupted from each hand.

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  He felt alive, more alive than ever before.

  Outside the Danger Room, Cyclops tapped his visor as if trying to confirm what he was seeing,

  "No way. Did he just copy Logan’s powers?"

  Beast leaned forward, his face lit with fascination,

  "Incredible. It appears he has. Could it be that his mutation allows him to mimic other mutants' abilities? If so, this could place him on an entirely different class of mutants."

  Professor Xavier remained calm, but his eyes held a deeper understanding.

  "No. The copying ability is not his mutation. His true power remains locked. We are only scratching the surface."

  He observed.

  Jean’s expression, however, betrayed concern. She could feel it—something deep within her stirring at Locke's performance, something dangerous.

  Back in the Danger Room, Locke leaped forward and sank his claws on the Hulk's calf while he was distracted with Wolverine.

  The Hulk roared in pain and Logan took that opportunity to jump at his chest and stab his claws in.

  Evading a swipe, Wolverine springed off him, the momentum and unstable footing tripping the monster off the edge of the high ground, to the vegetation below.

  Now alone, Logan turned glare at Locke.

  "I told you to back off!"

  "And I told you, I'm fighting!"

  Locke shot back with an equal intensity that surprised Logan.

  The veteran X-Man snorted,

  "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the ground."

  Recalling the Hulk's blow, Locke's expression turned ugly. A simple hand swipe almost killed him.

  "I'm pissed about it."

  He growled, displaying his claws,

  "How about it, let's teach this green oversized baby some manners."

  Logan narrowed his eyes at the bone claws before brandishing his own metal ones,

  "Can you keep up?"

  Locke's response was a firm nod.

  Together- with a beastly snarl they jumped at the still recovering Hulk who roared up at their descending forms, welcoming the challenge.

  The resulting clash shook the air.

  Dodging a grab with an acrobatic move that left Locke impressed, Wolverine landed on the Hulk's shoulders and began slashing at his eyes, giving Locke the chance to blaze a trail with his claws across Hulk's side.

  Green blood coated his hand, sizzling with heat.

  They moved like a pack of wolves, coordinating without needing words.

  Their animal instincts communicated through glances and subtle movements, each anticipating the other’s next move.

  All the while dodging direct blows from Hulk. The battle was filled with beastly roars and snarls, devastating everything around.

  Trees were felled, the earth torn and vegetation trampled as they moved around.

  At the 7th minute mark of Armament Chaos' time limit, Wolverine stabbed the Hulk’s head while Locke attacked from the back, his claws sinking through his heart.

  The Hulk let out a loud roar in pain and fury, falling on a knee as green blood splattered onto the jungle floor.

  Sensing victory, the two mutants tore into him even faster.

  But even with their combined assault, the Hulk was still stronger, and his own enhanced healing closed up his injuries almost as fast as theirs.

  "Kid! Watch out!"

  Wolverine yelled shoving Locke away, just before Hulk clapped his hands together.

  With an earth-shattering shockwave, Wolverine was sent flying backward into the trees.

  "Logan!"

  Locke hesitated for a moment, distracted by the sight of his limp form.

  That moment was all the Hulk needed.

  His massive hands closed around Locke’s body, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

  'Shit...I messed up...'

  Locke struggled, his arms pinned to his sides, unable to move or use his claws, unable to even cast a spell.

  The Hulk brought him closer, their faces mere inches apart.

  Locke could see the rage burning in the Hulk’s eyes—an unrelenting, animalistic fury on a face twisted with sadistic glee,

  "LITTLE MAN HURT HULK. NOW HULK HURT LITTLE MAN!!"

  Outside, Beast stood from his chair,

  "We need to shut it off! He’s going to die!"

  But Professor Xavier shook his head.

  "No. Let it continue. If he survives this, we will have witnessed something extraordinary."

  -Locke-

  Ever had an 8 foot giant's mouth roar at you from inches apart? No? You're lucky, it's not fun.

  Belatedly, I found myself wondering why they had to simulate the Hulk's bad breath as well. Then again, I could possibly be distracting myself from the fucked situation I was in.

  'Is this it?'

  My heart was pounding, the sound of my own blood rushing in my ears.

  The Hulk's massive, furious face and all, loomed in front of me, and I knew my time was running out. Literary- Armament chaos had just reached 0 countdown.

  I could feel the claws pulling back into my skin as the spell expired. My body returned to it's original size and I lost the enhanced senses.

  Damn it—not now.

  The Hulk then grabbed each of my pinned hands and strung me up.

  As if punishing me, he started to pull them out of their shoulder sockets, slowly.

  Without Wolverine's healing, the pain became unbearable, bones cracking and joints stretched to their breaking point.

  The guttural sounds of my screams sounded alien even to me.

  Panic swelled inside me as I wondered why Xavier wasn't stopping the Simulation. Was this his revenge?

  I was trapped, out of options, my body screaming in agony. I had no plan, no backup and Logan was still indisposed. So I did the only thing I could think of—I kicked him in the face.

  He growled, like it was nothing, like I was a fly trying to annoy him. And his grip tightened. I screamed even louder, the pain shooting through my shoulders like fire.

  'Is this how I die? After everything? After Wanda, after all the nightmares, is this really how it ends?'

  I couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t accept it.

  Something inside me snapped. It wasn’t rage, not really—it was something deeper, more primal.

  And suddenly— BOOM.

  A surge of purple light erupted from my chest, a force so powerful it blasted the Hulk off of me, sending him flying across the jungle.

  He slammed into an invisible far wall with a deafening crash.

  The simulation ended, dissolving him and the jungle into bits of pixels, revealing the Danger Room, with the entire back section collapsed.

  I hit the ground, gasping for breath, every muscle trembling. I couldn't move my arms but I also felt... different.

  The purple light was still there, forcing me to look up, and there she was—Wanda. I froze in terror.

  The Scarlet Witch, bathed in a purple aura that made her look like a Phantom, standing there like she’d been waiting for me this whole time.

  But it wasn’t just her standing there. I could feel her. Sense her. Command her.

  My terror was replaced by the dawning realization that we were connected, bound in some way that went beyond the physical. Stronger than the connection we had shared before. But now, I was in control.

  It hit me, clear as day—she was mine. I hadn't just beat her; by killing her, I now owned her soul.

  Holy shit, my X-Gene had finally awakened.

  And my first mutant power:- Death Bind:- A part of me whispered- was horrifyingly powerful.

  Death Bind:- Whoever I killed, their souls became bound to me, their powers mine to control. And Wanda— Wanda was my first.

  I stood up slowly, feeling a strange mix of awe and terror wash over me.

  Of all the powers I expected, from telekinesis to super strength to some form of energy manipulation, I never thought this would be It. And to think, I had a second mutation yet to awaken.

  Did I just become hopelessly overpowered?