Apocalypse

"Aaargh!!"

With a piercing psychic scream, Charles's voice abruptly cut off in everyone's minds.

The telepathic link had been severed.

"Apocalypse... does that mean the guy in front of us?" Richter asked quietly.

"That should be it..." Miles bit his lip. "Damn it... that shouldn't be possible. Why is this guy still alive?!"

The next moment, the tall figure known as Apocalypse slowly raised a hand toward them.

Almost at the same time, Madeleine seemed to sense something and was about to turn around when she suddenly let out a muffled groan. She clutched her temples, blood streaming from her nostrils, then rolled her eyes back and lost consciousness.

Having just gone through the battle with Demon Bear, she had no time to react to this sudden change, much less resist Apocalypse's invading psychic power.

Then, Madeleine's body was seized by an invisible telekinetic force and slowly lifted into the air, drifting toward Apocalypse.

"The Phoenix Force's new vessel... You really created something remarkable, Stasis..."

Apocalypse murmured soundlessly to himself.

"Madeleine!"

Seeing Madeleine attacked, Miles cried out. Then he pressed a hand against his temple and launched his attack without hesitation!

In the darkness, the sniper drone turned its barrel. Blazing muzzle flash erupted, and with a thunderous bang, the sniper round tore through the air with a shriek, heading straight for Apocalypse's head!

But Apocalypse did not turn around.

He merely raised his other hand casually. The bullet, capable of shredding an ordinary human body, slammed into a viscous telekinetic field. Its speed plummeted before it finally stopped in front of him, humming uselessly in midair.

Then his fingers twitched.

The sniper round reversed direction and shot back at Miles even faster than before!

In that split second, a small figure lunged in front of Miles like lightning. Two steel claws sprang out, carving two lethal streaks of cold light through the night.

"Clang!!"

A piercing metallic crash exploded, sparks flying everywhere. The bullet, precisely cleaved in two, grazed past Miles's cheeks, leaving two distinct scorch marks from the searing airflow.

It was Laura.

She did not even have time to look at Miles. She merely lowered her stance instinctively like a leopard ready to pounce, staring fixedly at the distant enemy.

"Dani! Madeleine!"

Cannonball Sam watched his companions get captured and his comrades fall into danger, letting out a furious roar. Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and transformed into a golden cannonball once more, hurtling straight at Apocalypse without fear!

But this time, he hit a wall.

"Boom!"

A dull, heart-stopping impact rang out. The invisible telekinetic barrier before Apocalypse did not even ripple as it absorbed all of Sam's violent momentum and erased it without a trace.

Then Apocalypse extended a hand indifferently and pressed down at Sam through the air.

"Boom!"

The golden energy field around Sam instantly collapsed. With a blank expression, he was slammed out of the air and into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Attack!"

It no longer mattered who had shouted it.

The instant Sam was defeated, everyone remaining reached a silent understanding.

Miles gritted his teeth and unleashed his psychic power. Yet the moment he tried to sense Apocalypse's mind, a crushing pain struck his head as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. His body trembled, and he collapsed to the ground.

This Apocalypse also possessed psychic power, and it was far stronger than Charles's!

"Aah!"

Silverlight surged in Delia's eyes. She thrust both hands forward, turning invisible telekinesis into crushing pressure as she tried to pulverize Apocalypse along with the earth beneath his feet!

But no matter how hard she tried, the figure before her remained completely unmoved, as if unaffected in the slightest. Then Apocalypse casually waved a hand and sent Delia flying.

"Aaargh!" Bobby roared as dazzling blue arcs erupted across his body. A thick whip of lightning tore through the night sky and lashed down at Apocalypse! At the same time, Ice Woman Mona unleashed a torrent of freezing air from both hands with all her strength, flooding toward Apocalypse!

Yet Apocalypse merely raised a hand. A transparent telekinetic barrier spread out and blocked both the lightning whip and the freezing air!

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The weeds on the ground surged wildly as Ivy Rebecca stirred the plants into a frenzy, vines wrapping around Apocalypse's body from all directions!

But the next instant, faced with Apocalypse's violent and terrifying telekinesis, those fragile plants all exploded at once!

"Ugh!" Rebecca groaned and fell to the ground.

"Aah!"

Richter pressed both hands to the ground, causing clumps of earth to rise and crush toward Apocalypse. At the same time, Charlotte projected her spirit from her body and charged at Apocalypse, trying to pass through the barrier and directly attack his mind!

Against Apocalypse, everyone gave it everything they had!

But it was useless.

A telekinetic storm descended. The earth roared, and sand and dust surged!

Richter only felt as though an invisible sledgehammer had struck him. His entire body was sent flying.

Gideon and Jonah did not even get the chance to approach before they were forced back!

At the same time, Charlotte's spirit had only just neared Apocalypse when he suddenly looked at her!

"Aaaahhh!!"

The next moment, Charlotte's spirit screamed and instinctively fled back into her body. She clutched her head and curled up on the ground in agony.

Their attacks could not even get within a meter of Apocalypse!

There was no sound, no explosion, not even a ripple of energy. Amid the raging telekinetic storm, lightning vanished, frost shattered, and stone spikes crumbled into powder.

"What kind of monster is this guy..."

Bobby, utterly drained, dropped onto the ground and stared at the terrifying being before him in horror.

Apocalypse had no interest in answering Bobby's question. With a casual gesture, he pulled unconscious Sam from the crater he had made and brought him together with Dani and Madeleine, who were already floating in the air.

He waved his hand again, and space beside him split apart like shattered glass, revealing deep, twisted darkness behind it. Then he casually threw the three of them inside.

The portal closed instantly, and all trace of the three vanished completely.

After doing all that, Apocalypse did not hurry to leave. He slowly turned back and looked over Miles, Laura, Bobby, and the others again with those cold, pure eyes.

There was no killing intent in that gaze, nor any anger. There was only appreciation for unusual objects.

Seeing this, Miles clutched his aching head as a suspicion surfaced in his heart—this Apocalypse did not intend to kill them. He wanted to take everyone away!

Meanwhile, beneath the other side of the academy, a Flying Dragon S equipped with a Reaper electromagnetic sniper rifle silently flew out through a ventilation shaft and disappeared completely into the deep night.

"Miles, can you hear me?"

Just then, Charles's weak voice sounded in Miles's mind once again.

"I'm heading to the Mind Control Room... I need the Brainwave Amplifier to fight him..."

"This Apocalypse... his use of psychic power is far more refined than that of the one I encountered before. He's blocking my senses... How are you all?"

"Dani, Madeleine, and Sam have been captured! Charles, his target is to capture people!" Miles replied rapidly in a low voice. "His telekinesis is terrifying, but he doesn't seem to have shown the ability of Molecular Manipulation yet... Urgh!!"

Before he could finish, Miles suddenly felt weightless, and the ground beneath his feet instantly fell away. An irresistible force seized him out of thin air and slowly pulled him toward Apocalypse.

"Damn it!" Richter, who had just gotten back to his feet, roared. He stomped both feet down, trying to trigger a violent tremor. But just as the ground rippled slightly, mountain-like pressure descended from above and pinned him flat to the ground, leaving him unable to move even a finger.

But Apocalypse reacted even faster!

He suddenly reached out and froze the charging Laura in midair, rendering her unable to move.

"Grr..." Laura growled through gritted teeth, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free.

Apocalypse glanced at her and murmured, "Tch, a Wolverine replica? A worthless specimen..."

As he spoke, he slowly began tightening the hand gripping Laura.

"Crack... crack, crack..."

Laura let out a pained groan as every bone in her body creaked under the crushing pressure of invisible telekinesis! Unlike Logan, only the claws in her hands and feet were reinforced with Adamantium. The rest of her bones were ordinary.

"Fuck!"

Miles cursed inwardly. While Apocalypse held him suspended in the air, he used every ounce of concentration to control the Flying Dragon S hidden in the distance, gradually locking its sights onto Apocalypse's temple!

Adamantium round loaded...

Charging began...

But in that instant, Apocalypse seemed to sense something and abruptly turned his head!

His gaze did not deviate in the slightest. It pierced through hundreds of meters of darkness and camouflage, locking precisely onto the corner where Flying Dragon S was concealed!

Then he stretched out his hand, spreading his fingers as he prepared to crush the invisible drone in midair!

[Not good!]

Miles hurriedly stopped the drone's charge and maneuvered it away at full speed!

"Crack!"

The next moment, invisible telekinesis formed into a giant hand and grabbed at the drone, narrowly missing it as it retreated!

"Hmm?"

Apocalypse snorted coldly. Seemingly realizing something, he gave Miles a meaningful extra glance before reaching toward the drone again.

He sensed it... that drone was dangerous. It could not be allowed to remain...

"Roar—!!!"

A savage, inhuman roar suddenly came from the side! Amid the flying dust, Logan burst forth like a beast, slamming into Apocalypse's outstretched arm with unstoppable ferocity!

Hit by Logan, the telekinetic force gripping Miles stopped abruptly.

The restraints around Miles loosened, and he lost all support, crashing heavily onto the ground. The impact made his chest tighten, and he began coughing violently.

"Cough, cough..." Miles wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes still fixed tightly on Apocalypse.

This guy's senses were terrifyingly sharp!

"Hah!!"

Logan had clearly entered full combat mode. His eyes were bloodshot, and the muscles in his arms bulged as he locked Apocalypse in a bear hug like a mad beast. The next instant, the three metal claws on the back of each hand sprang out with a sharp sching, tearing wildly at Apocalypse's chest and abdomen without hesitation!

The screech of metal scraping against flesh echoed through the night, throwing off a string of dazzling sparks. Adamantium claws carved deep wounds down to the bone into that body, exposing the inhuman structure beneath.

Yet Apocalypse merely gritted his teeth and casually waved a hand at Logan again.

The next moment, an irresistible force hurled Logan away, smashing him heavily into a distant wall with a dull thud.

Apocalypse straightened up again. The flesh torn open by Logan's steel claws wriggled and knit together in an eerie fashion. Within two or three seconds, it had fully recovered without leaving even the faintest scar.

"Fuck..." Logan staggered out of the rubble, spat out bloody saliva, and glared fiercely at the unharmed monster. "What the hell is this thing?"

Apocalypse completely ignored the insignificant insect in his eyes. He raised a hand again and casually grabbed through the air. Rebecca, Charlotte, and Gideon were instantly seized by invisible, overwhelming force, their feet leaving the ground no matter how they struggled.

Another portal tore open beside Apocalypse, revealing chaotic darkness within. Without even looking, he threw the three of them inside.

After doing that, those cold eyes turned toward Miles, who had just climbed back to his feet.

[Am I the target this time?]

Miles's expression darkened.

But just as Apocalypse was about to use his telekinesis again, his body suddenly stiffened without warning. For the first time, twisted pain appeared on his cold face!

At the same time, Charles's voice rang out in Miles's mind.

"Miles!!"

It was Charles! He had put on the Brainwave Amplifier!

Now!

Miles clenched his teeth and used his psychic power to control the nearby Flying Dragon S drone, aiming it at Apocalypse's head.

"Aaargh!!"

At the same time, Logan roared and charged forward. He drove both claws into Apocalypse's shoulders, pinning him in place. Veins bulged in his arms as he tried with all his strength to tear Apocalypse's head right off!

"Ugh..." Apocalypse groaned. His vicious gaze locked onto Logan as he stiffly reached out and shoved him away, tearing a large mass of flesh from his own body in the process.

At the same time, Charles trembled all over inside the Mind Control Room. While controlling Apocalypse's mind, he could also feel the pain of the attacks Apocalypse suffered. Yet he gritted his teeth and endured it, shouting, "Miles! Fire!!"

The energy indicator on the Reaper electromagnetic sniper rifle instantly shifted from blue to blinding crimson, reaching its critical point. The high-frequency capacitor charge became a shrill whine before it fired violently!

At the same time, Apocalypse turned to look over, but Charles's control slowed his reaction by a beat.

"Bang—!!"

The next second, a 10-millimeter round forged entirely from Adamantium was propelled from the barrel by immense electromagnetic force at a terrifying speed close to Mach 8!

The massive recoil blasted the entire drone backward by more than ten meters!

There was no thunderous boom, only an extremely muffled burst.

"Pfft!"

A burst of white light mixed with blood, flesh, and energy erupted from Apocalypse's head. A huge chunk of skin and flesh on his skull was instantly vaporized by the devastating kinetic force, twisting even the surrounding air violently!

The instant the round hit, Apocalypse staggered hard, his entire body trembling as he nearly fell to the ground.

At the same time, Charles let out a pained groan in the underground brainwave control room, feeling in sync the agony of having his head blown apart by the round. Even so, he forced himself to remain conscious!

He knew that now was not the time for him to collapse!

"Did it work?"

Miles murmured to himself, only to see Apocalypse, half of whose head had been blown apart, raise his hand again!

"He's not dead!!" Charles cried out in Miles's mind!

Apocalypse rose again. He swayed, then grabbed with invisible telekinesis and crushed the Flying Dragon S drone completely!

"Crack!!"

Then he grabbed Logan, who had charged at him again, and violently threw him away!

At the same time, the gruesome wound on his head healed at an incredible speed!

Miles and Logan both widened their eyes at the sight. This Apocalypse's healing ability did not even have the usual weakness of the head!

"Stop!!"

Charles's face twisted as he roared under his breath, pushing his psychic power to its limit in an attempt to control Apocalypse's movements. But the heavily injured Apocalypse endured it, stiffly extending a hand toward Miles.

Even under Charles's amplified Mind Control, Apocalypse could still maintain movement. The strength of his will was terrifying!

Faced with Apocalypse's telekinetic restraint, Miles had no ability to resist. He was seized by Apocalypse and thrown into the reopened portal.

[No, this can't happen...]

[At least I need to leave something behind...]

"Ugh..." Miles watched helplessly as he flew toward the pitch-black portal. His face twisted as he used all his strength to pull a small object from his body.

A Spider robot.

The next moment, Miles was thrown into the portal and vanished.

However, less than a moment later, a spider drone no bigger than a palm was thrown back out by Miles from the other side of the portal and landed on the ground.

Crack!

The moment the Spider Robot hit the ground, Apocalypse crushed it beneath his foot.

Boom!!

The Spider Robot beneath Apocalypse's foot exploded, but the impact of the blast was pressed into the ground by his sole, producing only a muffled thud.

After doing all that, Apocalypse, with a chunk missing from his head, staggered into the spatial portal.

With a flicker of light and shadow, the portal vanished.

"...Fuck!"

Logan, who had rushed back, looked at the devastated battlefield and slammed his fist viciously into the wall beside him.

In that sudden battle, Miles, Madeleine, Dani, Sam, Rebecca, Charlotte, and Gideon had all been taken away... The X-Men's new generation had lost nearly half its strength!

"Charles... what the hell happened?!" Logan demanded of Charles in his mind.

"It was Apocalypse..." Charles muttered. "But how is that possible... I saw Jean's Phoenix Force vaporize him into ashes with my own eyes. There can't possibly be a second Apocalypse in this world!"

"Shit, forget what's possible or impossible!" Logan said hoarsely. "Use your helmet and find out where Miles and the others are!"

"Give me some time..." Charles steadied himself and activated the Brainwave Amplifier once more, beginning a global search for the others.

Yet after several minutes, he found nothing. Wearing the Brainwave Amplifier, Charles could search the minds and memories of every human on the planet in a short time, yet he simply could not find where Miles and the others had been taken!

It was as though they had vanished entirely from this world.

Just then, Aurora's steady voice suddenly sounded through the institute's broadcast system.

"Mr. Charles, I found them!"

"When the enemy closed the spatial portal just now, I intercepted an electronic message Miles sent through the spider robot!"

The spider robot had been designed for infiltration and intelligence gathering. It could record all kinds of information and also possessed a special signal frequency known only to Miles and Aurora.

Although it had been crushed by Apocalypse the instant it was thrown out, that was already enough for a super AI like Aurora to intercept the electronic signal Miles had sent.

"Essex Corporation!"

The instant they heard that name, both Charles and Logan fell silent.

Charles sighed inwardly. He already knew where Miles and the others were.

In the underground area of Essex Corporation, within that region that could not be investigated with psychic power—the Psychic Shielding Zone!

That was why... he had been unable to locate Miles and the others anywhere in the world.

At the same time, it meant that... the Apocalypse from earlier was connected to Essex Corporation!

Which meant... Essex Corporation's true secret... was actually...

"Artificial Apocalypse!!"

No wonder a government agency like ATHENA had taken them so seriously.

Having understood all this, Charles slowly removed the Brainwave Amplifier and began considering what to do next.

Miles and the others needed rescuing... but the problem was that they simply did not have enough strength.

The existence of the Psychic Shielding Zone prevented Charles's abilities from offering any support. With only Logan and the remaining children, they stood no chance at all against that terrifying Apocalypse and the mysterious Essex Corporation!

And there was also the ATHENA agency, whose position remained unclear...

Without question, Xavier Institute had been pushed into an unprecedentedly passive situation.

"..."

Charles closed his eyes. Only after spending several minutes weighing every possibility in his mind did he slowly open them again.

Perhaps it was time.

Charles took a deep breath and asked Aurora through the communicator in an incomparably grave tone:

"Aurora, tell me... where is Erik?"