AN: Couldn't think of a better name for this chapter. Oh, give some ratings.

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"Should I kill them at once?" Aron asked. He saw what they did down there in the cells and those poor kids being brainwashed to become soldiers of The Hand... He just wanted to kill them all, painfully.

"They killed my contact. I need you to leave some for me," Natasha said, clenching her fists.

"Will do. Just be careful..." He summoned the Phoenix flames.

The metal hissed as his Phoenix flames melted through the blast door, spilling molten steel onto the floor in fiery rivulets. The chamber beyond was wide and dim, with only flickering lights casting shadows over the grim scene. Waiting for them, a line of Bakuto's mutants stood with hardened, brutal faces, eyes gleaming with the madness of Bakuto's ruthless indoctrination. At the end of the room, Bakuto himself watched with cold satisfaction, encased behind a barrier like a predator waiting for his prey to exhaust themselves.

"Welcome, Natasha," Bakuto called out with a mocking grin. "And your friend. I've been waiting. This is as far as you go."

Aron's face hardened, his fists clenching as the Phoenix flames around him flared brighter. "We're finishing this," he murmured, voice cold with deadly resolve.

At once, the mutants lunged forward, a vicious snarl tearing from their ranks as they charged. Aron's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, he vanished in a burst of flames, his form phasing through their strikes. He reappeared behind a hulking mutant with thick, scaly skin, his hand seizing the man's shoulder. Without hesitation, Aron released a blaze of Phoenix fire, igniting the mutant from the inside out. "Die, motherfucker!"

The man's skin bubbled up, flesh melting away as he screamed. "ARGGGG!!!!" His body collapsed in a smoking heap on the floor.

Natasha was already on the move, weaving through the fray with deadly precision. A mutant with blade-like arms swung at her, his attack swift and lethal, aiming to gut her on the spot. She ducked beneath his swing, bringing her knee up to shatter his ribcage with a sickening crunch. As he gasped, Natasha seized his head, twisting it with a brutal snap that sent him to the ground, his limbs twitching in death's final throes.

Two more mutants came at her, their fists and claws aimed to tear her apart. Natasha slipped between them, dropping a flash bomb as she darted past. The blinding light disoriented them, and she wasted no time, driving her baton into one's eye, feeling the satisfying squelch as it sank deep. He screamed, blood and fluid spurting down his face, and she wrenched the baton free, kicking him in the gut so he fell back into his companion.

Meanwhile, Aron tore through his opponents like a living inferno. He grabbed one by the throat, his Phoenix flames spreading to engulf the mutant's body, skin and bone alike charring and melting in seconds. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, and Aron threw the lifeless husk aside, his eyes locking on his next target.

A speedster tried to dart behind him, but Aron phased out and reappeared mid-strike, plunging his hand into the man's chest.

"Using speed against me? A bad move," Blood sprayed as he ripped out the mutant's heart, crushing it in his fist before dropping it onto the floor.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Natasha dodged a swipe from a mutant with metal claws, sidestepping his attack before slamming her baton into the back of his skull. The blow cracked bone, and as he staggered. She quickly grabbed his arm, twisting it until it snapped. "YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!" His howl was cut short when she drove her elbow into his face, shattering his jaw and sending teeth scattering across the blood-slick floor.

Another mutant with spiked knuckles closed in, jabbing toward Aron's gut. Aron didn't flinch, catching the mutant's arm mid-punch. The Phoenix flames around his hand grew hotter, turning the mutant's skin black as it seared through muscle and bone. With a grunt, Aron twisted the charred limb clean off, hurling it aside before sweeping the mutant's legs and sending him sprawling. He raised his foot, stomping down on the mutant's skull, bones splintering under the force. Blood pooled around his foot as he stepped forward, leaving the crumpled remains behind.

Natasha turned, only to be caught by a mutant's fist slamming into her shoulder. She winced, feeling the bone crack, but channeled the pain without even screaming in pain. Dodging his next attack and countering with a knife drawn from her belt, she stabbed it into his gut, twisting the blade, ripping through muscle and organ. "Humff!" She yanked the knife out, blood spraying across her suit, then slashed his throat in a single, swift stroke.

"Kuggg!" He gurgled, clutching at his neck as he fell to his knees before collapsing in a bloody heap.

Only a few mutants remained, and they faltered, their confidence shaken as they watched their allies slaughtered in moments. Aron didn't wait, leaping forward with a feral snarl, his flames scorching the floor as he reached them. One mutant tried to run, but Aron caught him by the hair, yanking him back and forcing his head back to stare into his eyes.

"Leaving so soon?" Aron sneered. With a surge of Phoenix energy, he incinerated the mutant's face, leaving nothing but a charred skull as the body fell limp.

The last remaining mutant backed away, but Natasha was on him in an instant. She drove her fist into his face, feeling his nose break under her knuckles, and then drove her knee into his groin. He doubled over, and she seized his head, slamming it repeatedly into the floor until it was nothing more than a bloody mess beneath her hands.

The room fell silent, broken only by Bakuto's slow, mocking clap as he stepped from behind his barrier.

"Impressive, Natasha. And your pet flame. But you're still out of your league."

He gestured, and a hulking figure emerged from the shadows—a mutant covered in grotesque, jagged stone, each footstep a rumbling tremor. His arms were made of metal and large claws on his fingertips. From the looks of it, that guy was a lab-made mutant.

"Well," Aron looked toward Natasha. "That's the guy who killed your contact." He extended his arm toward her. "Let me give you a little gift."

Natasha nodded and took his arm. She was surprised to feel the sudden surge of foreign power. She felt strong. Then memories surged into her mind, letting her know how to use the power. It was the Shaw's power.

"Thank you." She gave him a nod and moved forward.

Bakuto smirked, gesturing for his behemoth to attack. "Kill them." The mutant thundered forward, swinging his claws, his strike so powerful that it cracked the concrete beneath his feet. Upon coming in contact with Natasha, the attack was nullified as she absorbed the energy with Shaw's power.

"WHAT?!?" He stared at her in shock.

Natasha walked in and flicked his forehead with her finger.

[Baaam!] The giant flew across the room, crashing into the energy barrier. But he was quite sturdy, and he immediately got back up to his feet. Then he charged at Natasha like a freaking truck. However, she stopped him with just a single finger, absorbing the kinetic energy.

"DAMN YOU!" The giant yelled in rage and began to throw rapid punches and slashed at a blinding speed.

However, they were all absorbed by Natasha's power.

"WHY WON'T YOU BITCH JUST DIE?" He yelled before opening his mouth and throwing an energy blast at her from point blank.

But, she again absorbed it with Shaw's power.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!!?!?!?!?"

Without waiting any more time and words, Natasha placed her palm on the giant's chest, pushing all the absorbed energy into him.

The giant exploded, blood splattering everywhere.

"Well, that was something," Aron walked toward her.

Natasha huffed in exhaustion. A regular human using mutant power, although it was untested before... But it worked.

Now, both of them glared at Bakuto, who was all alone now...

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