Obadiah Apocalypse

The dizziness from the spatial distortion lasted less than a second.

Miles's feet hit solid ground, and he landed heavily on the icy metal floor, his knees going numb from the Impact.

The moment he landed, he sensed that something was wrong. An invisible, crushing pressure blanketed the entire space like a sticky web, firmly suppressing his psychic power.

This was an environment that could only be described as "suffocating" for any telepath. Here, Miles's sensory range, which had originally been able to cover ten kilometers, had been compressed to less than a hundred meters.

"Don't move."

A cold female voice rang out. Miles only had time to glance over before someone viciously grabbed his head and pinned him to the ground.

But that instant was enough for Miles to recognize who she was.

Cecilia Reyes, chief operating officer of Essex Corporation.

So that Apocalypse came from here... Everything fit together now...

The moment he realized that, Miles activated his power and wrote the information "Essex Corporation" into the Spider robot in his hand, then hurled it toward the spatial gate with all his strength.

The next moment, his body was instantly enveloped and restrained by an invisible force field. He could no longer move.

"What did you throw through there just now?" Reyes, dressed in combat gear, held one hand out in a grasping gesture, suppressing Miles's movements as she asked warily.

Caliban had been right. This woman was a mutant, and she had such a practical ability as a Bio-Force Field!

Faced with Reyes's questioning, the immobilized Miles merely gave a cold laugh.

"Heh... You tell me."

The next instant, pain appeared on Reyes's face. She uncontrollably released her hold, freeing Miles from her restraint.

Mind Control!

"Cough, cough... Sure enough, my power has gotten stronger..."

Miles could feel that Reyes's will was extremely strong. If it had been the old him, he absolutely could not have controlled her so easily!

So next...

Before Miles could make another move, the towering, terrifying figure emerged from the spatial gate again.

Apocalypse, returning severely injured, said nothing when he saw the scene before him. He merely glanced at Miles, and Miles felt a sharp pain in his head, involuntarily releasing his control over Reyes.

Then Apocalypse waved a hand and closed the spatial gate.

"Whew..." Reyes, having regained her freedom, let out a breath. Then, without hesitation, she rushed forward and pinned Miles down again before taking out a Mutant Suppressor and snapping it around his neck with a click.

The indicator light on the collar lit up. The red light flickered abnormally fast once, then returned to a steady glow.

"You little bastard..."

Next, Reyes took out a syringe and viciously plunged it into Miles's arm, drawing an entire vial of blood before pulling out the needle.

Then she kicked Miles with her high heel before dragging him by the feet and throwing him into a glass cell nearby. Madeleine, Sam, and the others who had previously been captured by Apocalypse were also unconscious inside. Like Miles, every one of them wore Mutant Suppressors that had temporarily sealed their powers.

"Hey? Sam?" Miles pushed Sam, waking him up.

"Miles?" Sam woke groggily. "Where are we?"

"If my guess is right... this should be beneath Essex Corporation headquarters."

As he spoke, Miles rapidly surveyed his surroundings.

This was undoubtedly inside Essex Corporation's underground Psychic Shielding Zone. The entire facility was astonishingly large and filled with a cold, oppressive atmosphere. More than a dozen massive incubation tanks stood in the center. Within the eerie green nutrient fluid floated experimental subjects of all shapes and forms, some peaceful and some grotesquely twisted. A single glance was enough to send chills down one's spine.

At the same time, Reyes carefully stored Miles's blood sample and walked toward Apocalypse. Several blood samples had already been placed haphazardly on a specimen rack, clearly taken from the others as well.

"Sir! How did you get hurt so badly?!" Reyes asked uneasily as she looked at the mangled half of Apocalypse's head.

"I'm fine." Apocalypse casually waved a hand, his voice hoarse yet steady. "Time is short. Prepare to carry out the plan immediately."

"Yes, sir." Reyes nodded and began arranging the laboratory equipment, seemingly preparing for some kind of experiment.

Apocalypse, meanwhile, sat in a chair nearby and closed his eyes to rest. With every breath he took, the horrific wound began to squirm and heal at a visible rate. Before long, it had completely recovered.

A moment later, a bloodstained 10mm Adamantium bullet fell from his regenerated flesh to the floor with a clang.

"How is that possible..." Rebecca, who had just awakened, turned pale.

The sight left all of them in disbelief. This level of immortality surpassed even Wolverine Logan, who was famous for his regenerative abilities. Logan would still lose his memory if a bullet went through his brain, yet this Apocalypse seemed completely unaffected!

So... he was...

Miles took a deep breath, then suddenly called out through the glass door, "Mr. Obadiah?"

Hearing Miles's voice, Apocalypse slowly opened his eyes. "You've figured it out?"

Miles did not answer directly. He merely turned his gaze toward the distance.

Among the dozen or so incubation tanks, two were particularly conspicuous. Floating inside them were identical Obadiah Essexes, their faces peaceful, as though they were merely asleep.

That also meant the "Obadiah Essex" they had encountered while touring Essex Corporation yesterday had most likely only been a clone. That was why Caliban's senses had judged him to be an "ordinary person."

So this was Essex Corporation's secret... Obadiah Essex had transformed himself into an "artificial Apocalypse"?

What Miles could not understand, however, was where this man had gotten Apocalypse's genes. According to Charles, when the X-Men fought Apocalypse all those years ago, Apocalypse's body should have been completely burned to ash by the Phoenix Force.

And "Obadiah Apocalypse" was somewhat different from the original Apocalypse. The original Apocalypse excelled most at molecular manipulation and could directly alter matter at the molecular level. Although the Obadiah Apocalypse before them resembled Apocalypse, he did not seem to possess that signature molecular manipulation ability. In its place, he had terrifying Telepathy and telekinesis.

Seeing Miles apparently fall into thought on his own, Reyes slowly frowned.

"You seem very relaxed, Mr. Miles," Reyes said coldly. "It seems you have no awareness of your situation."

As she spoke, she slowly prepared to step forward and teach Miles a lesson.

But the next moment, Obadiah Apocalypse suddenly waved a hand and stopped her.

"That drone was your work, wasn't it?" Obadiah looked at Miles with interest. "A very good design. Do you have others?"

His tone was calm, without the slightest anger, as though he did not care at all about the hostility of Miles and the others.

"Not for now." Miles adopted an equally casual attitude and spread his hands. "That drone and sniper rifle were the greatest achievements I could manage over the past year. I'm not like you, Mr. Obadiah, with an entire corporation's resources to squander."

"That is true." Obadiah nodded in agreement. "Individual research will always have limited results. Even a genius cannot make progress without sufficient resources and experimental data. What a pity. If we had met under different circumstances, I think I would have appreciated you."

"What an honor." Miles offered the flattery, then asked, "So, Mr. Obadiah, can you tell me why you brought us here?"

"I need to collect your genetic samples, then use them in experiments to complete my plan."

"That's all?" Miles froze. "If you only needed some blood samples, you could have gone about it another way."

"I considered it, but there is no time." Obadiah replied, "The federal government has already noticed me. I must accelerate my plans."

"The federal government?" Miles frowned. "With power like yours, why would you fear them?"

Based on the strength Obadiah Apocalypse had displayed, combined with the power of all Essex Corporation, he should have been more than capable of secretly controlling this country.

"Because you do not understand."

In response to Miles's question, Obadiah said pointedly, "Why do you think Project ATHENA was established?"

Project ATHENA?

The Office of Extraordinary Threat Response and Strategic Integration, under the joint office of the United States Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense that Ritts represented?

Miles's heart tightened. He instantly understood what Obadiah meant... From the very beginning, Ritts and the ATHENA office had been targeting Essex Corporation, or rather, Obadiah Apocalypse before them!

"Dr. Stasis, ATHENA, and you." Miles pressed on. "What exactly is the relationship between you?"

But this time, Obadiah merely shook his head, closed his eyes again, and stopped answering.

Reyes, who was organizing equipment for the experiment, cast a cold look his way, as if warning Miles that he had asked too much.

"Whew..." Miles took a deep breath. "Then let me ask another question, Mr. Obadiah. Are you planning to kill us?"

"..." Obadiah gave Miles a deep look, then slowly shifted his gaze toward Madeleine.

Miles also looked toward Madeleine, who had just awakened, and immediately noticed that something was wrong with her.

She stood there with vacant eyes, staring blankly at Obadiah. At the same time, the Mutant Suppressor around Madeleine's neck began flashing faster and faster, clearly indicating that her energy response was rapidly rising!

"Madeleine!" Miles instinctively grabbed Madeleine, but she did not react.

This girl, who had always been so enthusiastic toward Miles, seemed to lose her soul the moment she saw Obadiah Apocalypse, becoming a puppet. At the same time... flames began burning uncontrollably in her eyes!

"Damn Stasis..."

Obadiah's expression darkened, and he immediately reached out toward Madeleine!

Whoosh—

With a soft hiss of depressurization, the heavy glass door silently slid open to one side.

Then Madeleine's body slowly floated up and flew toward Obadiah.

Held aloft by telekinesis, Madeleine stiffly turned her head and slowly looked at Miles, struggling to say something but unable to make a sound.

"Something's wrong..." Miles watched Madeleine slowly drift toward Obadiah, and the unease in his heart had never been stronger!

Obadiah slowly pulled Madeleine before him, stared deeply at the girl, then revealed a vicious expression and suddenly clenched his hand!

"Ah!!!"

Madeleine let out a shrill scream as invisible telekinesis began crushing her body. Her limbs twisted inward at bizarre angles, and her bones made teeth-grating crack-crack sounds!

He was going to kill Madeleine!

"Obadiah!!" Miles's eyes nearly split open as he roared, "Didn't you only need some blood samples?!"

"She is the exception!"

Obadiah replied coldly.

"Fuck you, Obadiah!!"

Miles cursed furiously. The suppressor collar around his neck gave a crisp crack, its indicator light went dark, and the metal snapped apart with a pop!

In truth, when Reyes had put the collar on him, Miles had already used his power to make it stop working, leaving only the red indicator light on to deceive them.

The reason he had not done this when General Lake captured him earlier was mainly because he had been in too poor a condition then, on the verge of death. Even moving a finger had been difficult, much less using his powers.

If Miles had wanted to, he could have broken free of the collar at any time. But Obadiah's power was too overwhelming, so he had not done so immediately. He had first chosen to probe Obadiah and try to negotiate.

But now, Obadiah intended to kill Madeleine. That was a different matter entirely!

Pop! Pop!

At almost the same moment, the collars on everyone else in the cell also failed, clattering to the floor.

Then Miles tried to use his psychic power to unlock Madeleine's collar, but the moment his Telepathy extended outward, it was viciously forced back by Obadiah's stronger mental power!

No, he had to get closer!

"Sam! Cover me!"

Miles roared and charged toward Madeleine without hesitation.

"I'm on it!!"

Cannonball Sam moved at once. His strong body was instantly enveloped in a brilliant halo of energy, and he transformed into a human cannonball, hurtling straight at Obadiah with a piercing howl through the air!

Miles had not given them a signal beforehand, but the instant all their collars broke, the others had already understood what they needed to do!

"Don't move!"

Seeing them break free, Reyes hurriedly prepared to rush over and stop them.

"I'll handle her!"

Wraith Charlotte did not hesitate. Her consciousness left her body in ghostly form and slammed straight into Reyes's body!

Reyes's movements abruptly froze, and her gaze became strange and divided. Her left hand rose, trying to grab Miles, but her right hand suddenly seized her left wrist and prevented it from moving.

There were now two consciousnesses inside her body. Her left and right halves, controlled by different minds, began fighting each other. Then Reyes began beating herself up, punching with her left hand and slapping with her right, looking utterly bizarre.

At the same time, a flicker of surprise passed through Obadiah's eyes at this sudden upheaval, but he did not panic. One hand maintained his suppression of Madeleine while the fingers of his other hand spread, forming a barrier before him.

Boom!

Sam's full-force charge was forcibly blocked, as though he had crashed into an immovable wall, suspended in midair!

At the same time, Miles plunged headlong into the telekinetic field around Obadiah. The air around him instantly became incredibly viscous. Every step felt like wading through a swamp, while invisible pressure squeezed his body from all directions until even his bones seemed to groan.

"Ugh..." Madeleine's moans gradually weakened. From the corner of her eye, she saw Miles charging toward her without regard for himself. Her lips moved as she rasped, "Miles..."

"Hang on!!" Miles desperately reached out, releasing his psychic power with all his strength, but he was still just short of reaching Madeleine!

Just a little more!

"Miles... Madeleine... Sam..."

Watching her companions struggle desperately, Dani in the corner turned pale. She clutched her head as Charles's teaching from not long ago slowly resurfaced in her mind.

"Dani, fear is a mirror. It reflects not only what frightens us, but also how brave we truly are..."

"Miles, Sam, and the others... are reliable companions who can fight by your side!"

That's right, I'm an... X-Man too!!

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Moonstar Dani stretched out her hand and, using every ounce of her strength, let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the laboratory!

Illusion Manifestation!

The next moment, the shadows behind her twisted and swelled violently. A massive bear made from pure, solidified fear energy appeared out of nowhere. It was not a creature of flesh and blood, yet it possessed a more overwhelming presence than any beast.

Roar—!!!

The Demon Bear roared as its massive body charged toward Obadiah with unstoppable force!

Faced with this sudden attack, Obadiah's expression finally changed slightly!

He instinctively released Madeleine. A telekinetic storm swept out and blocked the Demon Bear's killing pounce!

"Madeleine!"

Freed from her restraints, Madeleine fell from the air and was caught in Miles's arms as he arrived in time.

At the same time, the collar around her neck snapped apart.

Gritting his teeth, Miles carefully reached out, wanting to check whether Madeleine was still breathing.

But the next moment, Madeleine's eyes abruptly flew open!

There were no pupils left in those eyes, only a field of blood-red!

At the same time, an unprecedentedly terrifying power erupted from Madeleine's body!

Boom—!!!

It was not energy, but the law itself—pure, overbearing, and capable of burning all things to ash! Crimson flames erupted from her body, yet they carried no heat at all. There was only a trembling and reverence born from the depths of the soul! Violent, scorching, unstoppable!

The sturdy alloy ceiling became as thin as paper before this power, instantly torn apart and blown away, exposing the concrete structure and tangled cables within. Steel reinforcement bars melted in the golden-red energy with a piercing sizzle, and the entire underground structure teetered on the verge of collapse beneath Madeleine's unleashed power!

Miles's body was also thrown away uncontrollably by the force, crashing to the side as he watched in uncertainty.

The Phoenix Force erupting from Madeleine... was stronger than last time, far stronger!

"The Phoenix Force..."

Obadiah, who had just knocked Sam back and torn the Demon Bear apart with his bare hands, finally underwent a drastic change in expression. He looked up to see Madeleine slowly floating in the air, Phoenix Fire coiling around her body. Golden flames burned in her eyes, sacred yet indifferent.

That torrent of energy gathered behind her into the phantom of a firebird that covered the sky, then transformed into a solid beam of destruction that crashed down upon him!

Facing Madeleine's attack, Obadiah immediately erected his strongest telekinetic barrier. A blue-violet psychic field became a distorted crystal wall before him—an absolute defense capable of withstanding a nuclear blast!

The golden-red Phoenix Force and blue-violet Apocalypse force field collided, and the raging winds they unleashed swept everything around them away without restraint!

More than a dozen culture tanks exploded with a bang, green nutrient fluid splashing everywhere! Scattered fragments and equipment were swept up by the energy storm, flying in all directions and crashing down with clatters!

Then, the Phoenix Force and Apocalypse's terrifying telekinesis held each other at bay for less than a second before the entire laboratory exploded!

"Boom!!"

Amid the violent eruption of energy, the exhausted Madeleine lost consciousness again. The phantom phoenix dissipated, and she returned to being an ordinary girl, falling helplessly from the air into Miles's steady arms.

In the chaos of battle, the laboratory looked as though a typhoon had swept through it, leaving utter devastation in its wake.

"Ugh..."

In Miles's arms, the unconscious Madeleine wore a twisted expression as faint, pained murmurs escaped her lips. Her face was abnormally pale, and her entire body was limp as if it had fallen apart. Only her red hair remained strikingly vivid, like blazing fire, radiating an eerie glow!

At the sight, Miles's heart tightened.

[The Phoenix Force is devouring her!]

On the other side, Obadiah was in equally miserable condition. His flesh was mangled, large portions of his body scorched and vaporized. He was clearly severely wounded.

Under the Phoenix Force's searing flames, even his regenerative speed had finally slowed considerably.

"Sam!"

The moment Miles warned him, Sam transformed into a cannonball once more and shot forward, trying to ram Obadiah to death once and for all!

At the same time, Miles activated Mind Control and attempted to invade Obadiah's mind... only to be immediately rebounded by Obadiah's stronger psychic power!

"Hmph!"

Meanwhile, faced with everyone's attacks, the half-dead Obadiah slowly raised a hand that was nearly reduced to bone and erected a telekinetic barrier again, blocking Sam's assault!

Miles's heart sank at the sight.

He still won't die after all this?!

Watching Obadiah's body continue to regenerate slowly, Miles's eyelids twitched at that terrifying immortality!

No, we can't kill him like this!

Madeleine had already collapsed unconscious. Once Obadiah recovered, the others would be no match for him!

"Sam, get back!!" Miles roared at Sam, then ordered the others, "We're leaving!!"

If they did not leave now, they really would not get another chance!

Just then, Ms. Reyes moved stiffly, step by step, and blocked everyone's path.

"Don't... even... think... about leaving..."

Reyes, who was struggling against Charlotte within her body, forced the words out through clenched teeth. She was clearly determined to stop the others from leaving at all costs!

"Get out of the way!"

Gideon rushed forward and smashed his fist viciously into her head!

Reyes groaned and collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Charlotte's spirit finally returned to its proper place. Clutching her head, she said to Gideon, "Damn it... couldn't you have gone a little easier..."

"Enough talking! Move!"

Wary of Obadiah's terrifying recovery speed, Miles forcibly led everyone out of the laboratory. Holding Madeleine in one arm, he extended his other hand and activated his power!

"Bang!"

The laboratory's metal doors slammed shut, trapping Obadiah inside.

Then, amid a crackling burst of electric sparks, the laboratory's remaining lights all dimmed. Every device stopped operating, plunging the place into pitch-black darkness.

Miles had completely cut off both the laboratory's main power and backup power!

In the darkness, Obadiah quietly sensed Miles and the others leaving. Gritting his teeth, he slowly propped up his ruined body. On his charred face, his eyes shone with frightening brightness.

Then, through Telepathy, he issued an order to another laboratory:

"All researchers, evacuate to the safe zone immediately!"

"Activate the Chimera Legion!"

"Do not let them escape!!"

Deep within the base, inside an even darker and more massive gene factory.

Following Obadiah's command, the nutrient fluid in the culture tanks standing throughout the darkness was rapidly drained.

Pairs of savage eyes—some crimson, some deathly pale, some gleaming with metallic luster—silently lit up!

"Roar!!"