Black clouds burned.
The thick, lead-black curtain of clouds was torn apart by orange-red streaks of fire. Layer upon layer of blazing clouds reflected shimmering flames, spreading down like the hem of a fiery skirt, connected to the skeletal giant bathing in Hellfire high in the air.
The endless black-and-red canopy of sky resembled a great cloak billowing behind the lord of purgatory, majestic and overwhelming, blotting out the heavens and covering the earth.
".How.let."
The Hellfire skeleton James had become occasionally erupted with several explosive tongues of flame from atop its head. He tilted his head slightly, as though he had heard the blue-gray skull in his hand, nearly burned to ashes, conveying some emotion and information to him.
".You won. Don't let power consume you. Be careful of Kang."
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
Within the empty eye sockets of the skull, where orange-yellow flames surged, two deep-blue sparks suddenly flared to life, making it seem a little more alive and intelligent.
He suddenly swung Apocalypse's nearly incinerated head with force, as though snuffing out a lit matchstick. With a hissing sound, the Hellfire atop it went out, barely leaving behind half a charred face.
The entire Apocalypse Royal City had fallen into an eerily silent atmosphere. Even the Ancient One, Emma, Steve, and the others did not know what to do for the moment. They could only watch from afar as clusters of flames rose from James's head and streams of black-red smoke poured from his nostrils.
"Huuh."
As if his rage had yet to be fully vented, James Howlett, clad in vicious black armor and crowned with bone, hovered silently for a moment before turning and walking step by step toward the towering stone throne.
Where the flaming armor passed through the air, each step left behind a