NOVEL NEXT Chapter 202: One-Shotting a Decepticon—Now That's Magneto!
What the hell just happened?
Every Decepticon on the ground stared skyward, dumbfounded, as flames erupted in the sky where Dreadwing had just been.
"Did… did Dreadwing just get destroyed?!"
Bonecrusher couldn't help but mutter aloud, disbelief clear in his voice.
It was just a human fighter jet. That shouldn't have been a threat to Dreadwing at all.
He'd taken down more helicopters and combat aircraft over the past few days than they could count.
Human machines—no matter how flashy—still relied on manual operation. Their reaction speed was sluggish, their firepower laughable. Against a Decepticon like Dreadwing, they were practically target practice.
So when Dreadwing soared off to engage another approaching jet, no one batted an eye.
Why would they?
It was just another routine takedown.
But now? Dreadwing was gone. Blown apart in seconds.
What the hell just happened?
"That useless scrap heap actually got killed?" one of the Decepticons snapped, voice dripping with disgust.
They were Decepticons, dammit—technologically superior in every way. If it had been Dreadwing against an entire squadron, maybe losing would be understandable.
But losing in a one-on-one? To a human machine?
Unacceptable.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Colonel Atkins was reeling between shock and elation.
When they'd seen a single jet approaching from the distance, everyone braced for the worst. After all, they knew what the Decepticons were capable of.
How could a lone aircraft possibly help?
But what happened next had stunned them beyond words.
That jet hadn't just fought Dreadwing—it had annihilated him.
"Hell yeah!"
"Finally—someone took down a Decepticon!"
Compared to the stunned silence of the Decepticons, Atkins and his troops were practically cheering.
It was a miracle.
That monster had already destroyed four attack choppers and two fighter jets in a single engagement. And now, he had been destroyed just like that.
But… who was the pilot?
They hadn't received word of any reinforcements.
---
WHOOSH.
As everyone on both sides stared, the mysterious Blackbird Jet descended slowly toward an open patch of land nearby.
The sleek, black aircraft cast a massive shadow over the battlefield as it came in for landing.
---
"Decepticons… here we come."
Inside the Blackbird, the mutants stared through the windows at the towering alien machines outside.
Their massive forms radiated oppressive power—more terrifying than anything they'd ever faced.
Even for seasoned mutants, this was a whole new battlefield.
"No need to be nervous."
A calm voice cut through the tension. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier. We're responding to your government's emergency request. We're here to deal with the Decepticons."
"If you've received notice about us, great. If not, feel free to verify. Just know—we're here to help, not to fight you."
At that moment, Colonel Atkins and his soldiers heard Xavier's voice not through a radio… but inside their minds.
---
Charles Xavier?
Atkins blinked in confusion. The name wasn't familiar.
But the psychic voice echoing in his head left little room for doubt.
The newcomers were mutants.
---
He wasn't the only one to realize it. The rest of the unit quickly caught on.
And their feelings… were complicated.
For years, the government had treated mutants as threats.
Suspicion, regulation, persecution—it was the status quo.
But right now?
Facing down a terrifying alien enemy like Megatron?
Mutants suddenly didn't seem so bad.
The public had long known about their terrifying powers. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, mutants had destroyed entire naval fleets.
And if anyone had the power to deal with alien machines from another world… it was probably them.
---
"Rattlesnake!"
Bonecrusher barked out a command.
Rattlesnake—an underground-traveling Decepticon shaped like a triple-headed metal serpent—immediately responded.
His massive body spun like a drill, diving into the ground and disappearing beneath the surface.
But from above, Colonel Atkins and his men could still see the telltale rippling of dirt surging toward the descending Blackbird.
"Look out!"
"Enemy beneath the ground!"
"There's a Decepticon tunneling toward the jet!"
---
Of course, the people inside the Blackbird couldn't hear them.
But that wasn't a problem.
"Don't worry. We've got this."
Charles's voice once again echoed inside Atkins' mind—calm and confident.
He'd already read Atkins' thoughts and memories. Even if he couldn't see the ripple of dirt from this angle, he knew what was coming.
---
"Erik—one of the Decepticons is tunneling under us. Looks like a three-headed metal serpent."
"I know," Magneto replied coolly. "I've already sensed him."
He stood up slowly, unbuckling his seatbelt and walking toward the open hatch—the same one Alex had exited through moments before.
---
"Should I relocate for a safer landing?"
Hank glanced back from the cockpit, a bit anxious.
"No need. Just slow down a little," Magneto said, eyes calm and focused.
---
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground erupted.
Three massive metallic serpents burst from beneath the earth, jaws wide, launching toward the Blackbird with terrifying speed.
Atkins and his troops instinctively flinched.
But just as the attack was about to hit—
CLANG!
The serpents froze mid-air, as if slamming into an invisible wall.
---
There stood Magneto.
One hand raised, palm out.
Without a word, he had stopped the Decepticon cold.
---
And then—he raised his hand.
Rattlesnake's entire 30-meter-long body rose from the earth, flailing in midair like a fish on a hook.
He struggled, twisted, roared—but couldn't move.
It was like an invisible giant had him in its grasp.
---
Magneto's fingers twitched—
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
With three crisp, metallic cracks, Rattlesnake's three heads snapped clean off his body.
One-shot kill.
The battlefield fell silent again.
---
Now that… is Magneto.