"Eric, are you alright?"
Ignoring the stunned stares around him, Rorschach calmly walked over and offered a hand to Eric.
"I'm fine..."
Eric took the hand, a little stiffly. His expression was a mix of embarrassment and confusion—he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he, a seasoned mutant, had been upended in front of a junior.
Rorschach pulled him up with ease.
"Eric, keep an eye on Bradley. Leave this guy to me."
"No, Rorschach. This guy... he's a real monster," Eric warned, shaking his head.
He knew Rorschach was strong—strong enough to send Sabretooth flying—but raw power alone didn't win fights to the death. And Sabretooth? He was a seasoned killer, a butcher soaked in blood. Experience mattered.
"Trust me." Rorschach smiled, casual as ever. "He's nothing to me."
Without waiting for a response, Rorschach turned and strode toward the ruined wall where Sabretooth had landed.
Eric hesitated but didn't stop him. He wasn't Charles—he wouldn't shield Rorschach from hardship. If anything, he saw potential in the boy. Maybe it's time he gets tested.
And if things got out of hand... Eric would be there to clean it up.
"Ugh...!"
A cough echoed from outside.
Sabretooth staggered back to his feet, his face twisted in a mix of shock and fury. Blood dripped from his mouth, his chest grotesquely caved in where Rorschach's fist had landed.
He growled low, tearing open his shredded shirt.
The wound looked ghastly—flesh mangled, ribs cracked, muscles pulped.
But it didn't last.
The meat squirmed, muscles stitching themselves back together. Bones shifted, popped, and realigned. Within seconds, the saber-toothed tiger's chest looked almost good as new—save for the dried blood smeared across it.
He casually yanked out the knives Eric had embedded earlier, letting them clatter to the ground like toothpicks.
Eric's eyes darkened.No wonder... he thought. That's why stabbing him didn't do a damn thing.
Not far away, Agent Zero still stood silently, arms crossed and watching with lazy interest. He had no intention of stepping in.
One, Sabretooth hated being interrupted mid-fight.Two, Zero knew how terrifying Victor's healing factor was. Even if he lost ground, he'd grind his enemy down eventually.
Or so he thought.
"You actually made me feel pain again..." Sabretooth said, wiping the blood from his chin. A maniacal grin formed."So now, before I kill you, I'll make you feel it too."
He pointed at Rorschach with one clawed finger, then dropped to all fours like a beast.
"Rorschach!" Eric called out instinctively.
"I've got this!" Rorschach shouted back, and before the words even left his mouth, he moved.
He dashed forward—a blur of motion.
Eric barely tracked it with his eyes. Rorschach's running speed exceeded 50 meters per second—faster than a speeding car on the highway.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance.
WHOOSH!
The pressure wave from his movement was enough to knock the air out of Sabretooth's lungs.
Victor's eyes widened—so fast!
But he didn't falter. He gritted his teeth and lunged forward, claws ready to trade wounds.
The classic Wolverine-style: eat damage, dish out more, rely on healing to win.
Too bad he picked the wrong opponent.
BANG!
Before Victor's claws even touched fabric, Rorschach's fist collided with his skull.
Sabretooth's head snapped back, his entire body flung through the air like a human missile.
THUD!
He crashed into the dirt dozens of meters away—his head grotesquely deformed, blood leaking from every orifice.
The ground trembled slightly where he landed. His body was still.
If it were anyone else, that hit would've ended it permanently. Rorschach's punches packed over seven tons of force—like getting hit by a runaway truck at full speed.
Even Sabretooth—even with his monstrous healing—was knocked unconscious.
"Shit... not good."
Agent Zero's casual expression finally cracked. His lips pulled tight, brows furrowed.
Before, he hadn't seen how Victor got wrecked. Now, he'd seen it with his own eyes.
One-sided.
Sabretooth was outclassed.
Zero moved.
BANG!
Without a word, he raised his arm and fired a bullet straight at Rorschach.
But Eric was already watching.
With a flick of his hand, the bullet froze mid-air in front of Rorschach, trembling under the force of magnetic repulsion.
Whoosh!
In the same breath, Eric redirected it—along with every piece of metal nearby—toward Zero.
BANG BANG BANG!
Zero rolled to the side, narrowly dodging flying debris and returning fire in rapid succession. A firefight erupted—metal screaming through the air while bullets danced between the two mutants.
The battle wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
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