Marvel: Neo Journey

Gwen and the others exchanged confused glances, uncertain of what Neo meant. Seeking an explanation, they turned to him, only to find him quietly stretching.

Noticing their stares, Neo finally spoke.

Neo: "You all have to last five minutes against me. All of you, at once."

Gwen: "What do you mea—"

Before she could finish, a slash came her way, forcing her to duck instinctively to avoid being hit. The sudden attack startled her, but before she could even scream, Neo was already in front of her.

A powerful punch struck her stomach, sending her flying.

Seeing this, Adrian was the first to react, attempting to kick Neo. Unfortunately for him, Neo simply took a step back, effortlessly dodging the attack.

Seizing the opportunity, Neo swept Adrian's legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground, and followed up with a swift kick to his face.

Alex and Carina's eyes widened in shock as they watched their two strongest teammates fall effortlessly.

Frozen by disbelief, they barely had time to react before Neo grabbed Alex by the arm and, with surprising ease, hurled him straight into Carina, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Neo looked down at the defeated group with clear disappointment—until Gwen got back on her feet and shot a web at him.

Neo sliced through it in an instant, shredding it into hundreds of strands, and smoothly dodged the feint Gwen had planned.

Realizing her attack had failed, Gwen enveloped her body in cursed energy as a defensive measure.

Neo, seeing her reaction, responded with a much stronger slash aimed directly at her. The moment his attack struck her protective aura, it shattered like glass, leaving Gwen completely exposed.

Feeling her barrier break, Gwen instinctively raised her arms to shield herself—but it was futile. A powerful punch sent her flying once more.

Watching her get launched again, Adrian immediately rushed to her aid. When he reached her, she was only semi-conscious from the impact. He quickly helped her up, then turned to face Neo, who was now standing still, watching them.

Alex and Carina had already lost consciousness.

Still disoriented from the hit, Gwen groggily asked:

Gwen: "Where am I? Why are you holding me?"

She tried to move, but her balance failed her, nearly making her collapse. Adrian kept her upright and leaned in, whispering something in her ear.

As soon as she heard it, her eyes widened in shock.

Gwen: "That's insane."

She whispered back.

Adrian: "Look, kid, I know it sounds crazy, but we don't have another choice."

After considering for a moment, Gwen hesitated—but then nodded.

With their plan in motion, Adrian suddenly sprinted toward Neo at full force, determined to knock him down.

Neo raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Adrian's speed—it was fast enough to rival a speeding car.

But it still wasn't enough.

Neo was faster.

Just as Adrian got close, Neo effortlessly leaped over him and delivered a precise downward kick to his head, slamming him into the ground with brutal force.

Unfortunately for Neo, Gwen seized the opportunity.

She channeled all of her cursed energy into a single, powerful attack—launching an enormous web straight at him, aiming to trap him completely.

And she did.

Neo was caught off guard, ensnared mid-air as if he were floating in space.

Seeing this, Gwen beamed with satisfaction.

Gwen: "Adrian, your plan worked! I got him!"

Adrian, still lying on the ground—half-buried in it, to be precise—grunted in acknowledgment.

Neo raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised by their teamwork. In theory, their strategy was sound—probably their best option. But in a real fight, if he had been serious, he would have simply killed Adrian before Gwen could execute her move.

That didn't matter now. They had earned some credit.

For a few seconds, at least.

Because, in the next moment, the web restraining Neo completely unraveled.

He landed smoothly, eyes locked onto Gwen, ready to strike.

TRRRRRRIM.

Fortunately for Gwen, the alarm rang at that exact moment, signaling the end of the training session.

She let out a relieved sigh. No more hits.

Neo, realizing time was up, called out:

Neo: "Whoever is faking being knocked out is getting a beating!"

Alex and Carina immediately shot up, standing stiffly in front of Neo.

Neo looked at them, clearly disappointed.

Neo: "I kind of expected that from you, Carina, but even you, Alex?"

Alex lowered his head in shame.

He didn't want to stay down and pretend to be unconscious. He had wanted to fight.

But standing in front of Neo…

It felt like standing before a dragon.

So he chose to play dead.

Yet, shame burned inside Alex.

This wasn't how a servant of his master should act—someone who had fought against powerful curses.

For the first time in his life, Alex felt an overwhelming urgency to become stronger. A drive he had never experienced before. Without a word, he turned away from Neo and marched toward the forge, his frustration demanding an outlet.

Neo noticed the shift in his demeanor but chose not to intervene. A war was coming.

They all had to be prepared.

If they weren't… he would lose them.

And that was a possibility he refused to even consider.

His gaze then shifted to Carina, who stood with her head down.

He knew exactly what she felt, but there was nothing he could do for her. There was no way to make her fit into this group any more than she already did.

Neo wished she could live a normal life.

But that was impossible.

She was a mutant—a dangerous one.

If she truly unleashed her full power, she could plunge an entire city into blackout. But despite her immense strength, she was useless against curses.

Neo sighed. He understood all too well what it was like to feel out of place.

But there was nothing he could do for her.

Shaking off those thoughts, Neo addressed the group.

Neo: "I liked the technique you two used, Adrian. The problem is, it only works against an opponent slightly stronger than you. If the enemy is much stronger, it's completely useless."

Adrian, still unconscious, obviously didn't hear him.

But that was intentional.

Gwen did hear it—and she would pass the message along.

Neo then instructed the others to resume training while he went to take care of something.

He arrived at Alex's forge and knocked.

No response.

But he could hear something.

So, without hesitation, he stepped inside.

CLANK! CLANK!

Alex was hammering away, forging something with such intensity that Neo immediately noticed his grip was bleeding.

Neo briefly considered stopping him. But then—he felt it.

The sheer concentration in Alex's aura.

The sheer amount of cursed energy he was pouring into his work.

Something incredible was happening.

Without a second thought, Neo shrugged off his kimono, tossing it into a corner. Stripped down to his underwear, he stepped closer to the forge, channeling his cursed energy—not for himself, but for Alex.

At this rate, the forge's heat had become so intense that if they didn't shield themselves with cursed energy, their bodies would literally start to melt.

Fortunately for Alex, Neo didn't reinforce his own body.

He used his power to protect Alex instead.

After all, Neo had natural regeneration.

And so, an unspoken battle began in the forge.

Meanwhile…

Inside a secluded mansion, far removed from society, a bald man sat in a wheelchair, his face severe with concern.

Something terrible had happened.

For the past month, the X-Men had been reporting strange creatures wandering everywhere.

What was even more alarming—people either ignored these monsters or were completely unable to see them.

Professor Xavier had tried to use his powers to interact with these beings.

The result nearly killed him.

He didn't know why—but when he attempted contact, he was struck by a vile, primal force.

A dark energy unlike anything he had encountered before.

Recently, he had been desperately searching for answers.

And thankfully, a breakthrough had come.

A few days ago, Rogue had brought him a screenshot of a post made by someone named Sukuna.

The post explained everything.

These creatures weren't just anomalies. They were curses.

And there was a way to fight them.

For weeks, Xavier had studied everything about them before deciding on his next move. But above all, there was one glaring issue—

They couldn't fight these things.

Mutants lacked the ability to harness cursed energy, rendering them powerless against the creatures.

This made their involvement in the fight nearly impossible.

But there was one alternative.

Sukuna had mentioned something—something called Cursed Tools.

Weapons capable of harming curses.

The only problem?

Xavier had no idea where to find them.

And even less of an idea how to make them.

Right now, Xavier was deeply troubled.

Some time ago, he had detected a powerful mutant energy signature.

But every time he tried to locate it, he was blocked—by the same eerie force surrounding those monstrous entities.

At the moment, all X-Men were strictly forbidden from going on missions.

Curses were a threat they simply couldn't face.

Xavier refused to lose his students because of his ignorance regarding forces as powerful as Sukuna had described.

And so, he had tasked Rogue with scouring the internet, searching for anything that might help them.

He hadn't expected an answer so soon.

Not even a day had passed when Rogue burst into his office, breathless, her voice shaking with urgency.

Rogue: "PROFESSOR! A CURSED TOOL AUCTION IS HAPPENING IN A WEEK!"

_____________________________________________

Hey, everyone! If you're enjoying my fic, please send some Power Stones!

Hey, guys! Sorry for not being able to write yesterday—work was way busier than I expected, so I could only write today.

But if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, feel free to share! I always read them.