As the men charged, Jayden's eyes darted to a metallic rod lying discarded on the ground. With a sharp flick of his hand, he summoned it up with his telekinesis.

The rod shot off the dirt with a whip-crack sound, spinning through the air before slapping neatly into his palm. His grip tightened instantly… and the moment the cold iron kissed his skin, his power surged.

A ripple of transformation spread up his arms. The veins beneath his skin shimmered silver before hardening entirely. His flesh darkened, gleamed, and then shifted into reflective metal, coating both arms from fingertip to shoulder. His claws extended in that same breath, now sharp, metallic extensions.. deadlier than ever.

But Jayden wasn't done. His chest shuddered, bones vibrating under the strain of power. He clenched his jaw as the Greater Wolverine Stalker partial transformation roared alive. His muscles bulked, his canines sharpened, his golden eyes glowed feral. With a guttural growl, he forced his inner skeleton into its adamantine state, his frame reinforced into unbreakable armor.

All of it happened in the span of heartbeats.

By the time his enemies registered the change, Jayden was already a weapon.

The first thug reached him.. fist swinging wildly, veins glowing faintly with fire essence. Behind Jayden, another thug lunged in silence, his blade of jagged ice aimed at Jayden's spine.

Jayden's eyes narrowed.

He twisted fast. The iron rod in his hand blurred as he slammed it forward, meeting the fire thug's fist mid-swing.

CRACK!

The crack echoed like a gunshot, the rod reinforced by his metallic grip. Bones shattered in the thug's wrist. The man screamed as his arm bent the wrong way, body spinning from the sheer force of impact.

At the same instant, Jayden's instincts flared. The ice dagger sliced through the air toward his back. Without turning, he whipped his left metallic claw backward in a vicious backhand slash.

SLASH.

Steel met ice… his claw tore through the frozen blade like it was brittle glass and carved a deep line across the attacker's chest. Blood sprayed as the thug stumbled back, gasping, clutching his wound, before Jayden rendered him unconscious with a kick to his temple.

"Pathetic," Jayden muttered, voice low, metallic arms glinting under the streetlight. Then he moved forward and slammed his elbow into the first thug's chest, causing the man to let out a painful groan before passing out.

The other eight men didn't hesitate, they rushed in together, powers flashing.

One hurled twin spheres of compressed wind. Another's arms crackled with lightning. A hulking brute stomped forward, his skin hardening into stone. Three more dashed in with enhanced speed, their bodies blurring like shadows. Behind them, two ranged fighters conjured weapons: one with a flaming bow, another with crystalline shards that hovered and spun like daggers.

Jayden grinned.

He spun the rod once in his grip, then planted his feet.

The wind spheres reached first… he ducked low, sliding across the dirt as they passed overhead and collided into the wall behind him with an explosive whoomph. Before the wind-user could recover, Jayden snapped his hand out, telekinesis seizing the man by the throat. With a flick of his wrist, he yanked the thug forward… right into his adamantine-reinforced knee.

CRACK!

His chest connected with Jayden's knee. Cartilage and bone crunched as the man collapsed, unconscious.

Lightning flashed.. another thug lunged, electric fists aiming for Jayden's chest.

CLANK.

Jayden blocked with the rod, the electricity sparking harmlessly across his metal arms. Snarling, he slammed his clawed fist into the man's gut. The metal claws sank deep, clothing and flesh tearing apart. The thug spasmed, coughed blood, then went limp as Jayden hurled him into two incoming speed-users.

The three tumbled together in a heap, groaning.

The brute was next. His stone fists swung in wide, hammer-like arcs, each blow heavy enough to crush steel.

BOOM.

Jayden met him head-on. Rod against rock, the impact thundered through the street. Sparks lit the air as Jayden's metallic claws clashed with stone skin. With a feral roar, Jayden caught the brute's arm mid-swing, twisted it savagely, and drove his clawed hand straight into the man's chest. His metallic claws punctured through the stone shell, dragging the brute down onto his knees. One savage headbutt later, the stone-skinned thug crumpled unconscious, his armor cracking apart.

Arrows of fire suddenly rained from above, hissing through the night. Jayden raised the rod, spinning it in a blur. The arrows shattered harmlessly against the whirlwind of metallic strikes. He snapped his head up, eyes glowing.. then hurled the rod like a javelin.

WHOOOSH!

The iron spear cut the air and impaled the fire archer through the shoulder, pinning him to the wall with a scream.

The thug controlling the crystalline shards acted immediately, hurling the dagger-like crystals straight at Jayden.

Jayden didn't let the attack reach him. His telekinesis snapped the crystalline shards midair, freezing them inches before they skewered his side. He clenched his fist, and the shards reversed course, shooting back at their conjurer.

The man screamed as his own weapons shredded into him, piercing deeply into several parts of his body. He fell to the ground instantly, probably dead.

But that was only the beginning of Jayden's carnage.

There were three thugs left now… the speedsters.

Jayden flexed his claws, his breath low and steady. "Come on then."

They blurred, circling him in dizzying streaks. Jayden's eyes darted, golden irises tracking every movement with precision.

The moment one lunged from the left, Jayden pivoted. His claw shot out in an accurate slash. Blood sprayed. The speedster dropped mid-run, clutching his torn throat, slowly gasping for air as he passed out.. and away.

The second came from behind. Jayden didn't turn, instead he stretched his hands… and his telekinesis ripped the rod back from the pinned archer, yanking it through the air. The rod slammed into the speedster's temple like a cannonball, sending him flipping lifelessly into the dirt.

The last one faltered. He froze, eyes wide, steps hesitant.

Jayden stalked toward him slowly, metallic claws dragging sparks across the brick walls. "You should've left when you had the chance." he muttered softly, his voice cold as ice.

The thug turned to bolt, but he was too late. Jayden closed the gap in a blur, lifted him off the ground, and drove his fist straight into the man's skull.

With a shove, he let the man crumble to the floor, unconscious.

All the ten thugs were defeated now… some unconscious, some dead.