Obadiah Apocalypse

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

Miles' feet hit solid ground, and he landed heavily on the cold 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, severely suppressing his psychic power.

It was an environment that could only be described as "suffocating" for any telepath. Here, Miles' sensing range, which had originally been enough 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 brutally grabbed his head and pinned him to the ground.

But that instant was enough for Miles to recognize the person before him.

Cecilia Reyes, Chief Operating Officer of Essex Corporation.

So that Apocalypse had come from here... Everything fit together now...

Once he realized that, Miles used his ability to write the words "Essex Corporation" into the Spider robot in his hand, then hurled it toward the spatial gate with all his strength.

The next moment, an invisible force field instantly enveloped and restrained his body, leaving him unable to move.

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

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

Facing Reyes' question, the immobilized Miles merely gave a cold laugh.

"Heh... You tell me."

The next moment, pain appeared on Reyes' face. She uncontrollably released her hold and let go of her restraint on Miles.

Mind Control!

"Cough, cough... Sure enough, my ability has grown stronger..."

Miles could feel that Reyes possessed an exceptionally strong will. If it had been his former self, he could never have controlled her so easily!

Then next...

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

Seeing the scene before him after returning badly wounded, Apocalypse said nothing. 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.

"Phew..." Reyes, having regained her freedom, let out a breath. Then she rushed forward without hesitation and pinned Miles to the ground again. She took out a Mutant Suppressor and snapped it around Miles' neck.

The indicator on the collar lit up. The red light flickered abnormally fast for a moment, then returned to normal.

"You little bastard..."

Reyes then took out a syringe and viciously stabbed it into Miles' arm, drawing a full 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 prison nearby. Madeleine, Sam, and the others whom Apocalypse had captured earlier were unconscious inside as well. Like Miles, every one of them wore Mutant Suppressors, their abilities temporarily sealed.

"Hey? Sam?" Miles nudged Sam awake.

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

"If I'm right... this should be beneath Essex Corporation's headquarters."

As Miles spoke, he began rapidly surveying his surroundings.

This was undoubtedly inside Essex Corporation's underground Psychic Shielding Zone. The entire facility was astonishingly vast and filled with an icy, oppressive atmosphere. More than a dozen enormous incubation tanks stood in the center. Within the murky green nutrient fluid floated experimental subjects of all shapes, some peaceful and others twisted, chilling anyone who looked at them.

At the same time, Reyes carefully put away Miles' blood sample and walked toward Apocalypse. Several blood samples had already been placed on the specimen rack, clearly indicating that the others had been drawn from as well.

"Sir! How were you injured this 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 was hoarse but still steady. "Time is short. Prepare to carry out the plan immediately."

"Yes, sir." Reyes nodded, then began arranging the experimental equipment, apparently preparing to conduct some kind of experiment.

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

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

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

Everyone stared at the sight in disbelief. This level of immortality surpassed even Wolverine Logan, who was famed for his regenerative abilities. Logan would still suffer memory loss if a bullet pierced his brain, but this Apocalypse seemed completely unaffected!

So... he was...

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

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

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

Two of the dozen incubation tanks stood out in particular. Floating within them were two identical Obadiah Essexes, their expressions peaceful, as if they were merely asleep.

That meant the Obadiah Essex they had encountered during their visit to Essex Corporation yesterday had most likely been just a clone as well. 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 guy had gotten Apocalypse Gene. According to Charles, when the X-Men had fought Apocalypse back then, Apocalypse's body should have been completely burned to ashes by the Phoenix Force.

And Obadiah Apocalypse differed somewhat from the original Apocalypse. The original Apocalypse excelled most at Molecular Manipulation, allowing him to alter matter directly on the molecular level. The Obadiah Apocalypse before them looked very much like Apocalypse, but he seemingly did not possess that signature Molecular Manipulation ability. In its place, he wielded terrifying Telepathy and telekinesis.

Seeing Miles apparently lost in thought, Ms. Reyes slowly frowned.

"You seem quite relaxed, Mr. Miles," Reyes said coldly. "It seems you have little awareness of your current 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 anything else?"

His tone was calm, carrying not the slightest anger, as though he did not care at all about Miles and the others' hostility.

"Not for now." Seeing this, Miles adopted an equally casual manner and spread his hands. "That drone and sniper rifle are the greatest accomplishments I've managed in the past year. I'm not like you, Mr. Obadiah. I don't have the resources of an entire corporation to squander."

"That is true." Obadiah nodded in agreement. "Personal research is ultimately limited in what it can achieve. Even a genius cannot advance without sufficient accumulated resources and experimental data. What a pity. If we had met under different circumstances, I think I would have appreciated you greatly."

"What an honor." Miles humored him, then asked, "So, Mr. Obadiah, could you tell me why you brought us here?"

"I need to collect your genetic samples and 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 left." Obadiah replied, "The federal government has already noticed me. I must accelerate my progress."

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

With the strength Obadiah Apocalypse had displayed, combined with the power of Essex Corporation as a whole, he should have been capable of secretly controlling this country.

"Because you don't understand."

In response to Miles' question, Obadiah spoke 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, represented by that woman Ritts?

Miles' heart sank, and he instantly understood what Obadiah meant... From the very beginning, Ritts and the ATHENA Office had been targeting Essex Corporation—Obadiah Apocalypse himself!

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

But this time, Obadiah merely shook his head and closed his eyes again, refusing to answer further.

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

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

"..." Obadiah looked deeply at Miles, then slowly turned 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 rising sharply!

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

The girl who had always been so enthusiastic toward Miles seemed to lose her soul upon seeing Obadiah Apocalypse, becoming a puppet. At the same time... flames began to burn 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 slid silently to one side.

Then Madeleine's body slowly rose into the air and flew toward Obadiah.

Caught by telekinesis, Madeleine stiffly twisted her head and slowly looked at Miles. She tried desperately to say something, but no sound came out.

"Something's wrong..." Miles watched Madeleine slowly drift toward Obadiah, the unease in his heart stronger than ever!

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

"Ah!!!"

Madeleine let out a piercing scream as invisible telekinesis began crushing her body. Her limbs twisted inward at grotesque angles, her bones producing teeth-grinding cracking sounds!

He was going to kill Madeleine!

"Obadiah!!" Miles roared, his eyes blazing with fury. "Didn't you only need blood samples?!"

"She is the exception!"

Obadiah answered coldly.

"Fuck you, Obadiah!!"

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

In truth, the moment Reyes had put that collar on him, Miles had already used his ability 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 before was mainly because he had been in terrible condition then, on the verge of death. Moving even a finger had been difficult, let alone using his ability.

If Miles had wanted to, he could have removed this collar at any time. But Obadiah's power was too great, so Miles had not acted immediately. He had chosen to probe Obadiah first and try to negotiate.

But now that Obadiah intended to kill Madeleine, that was another matter entirely!

Snap! Snap!

At nearly the same moment, the collars on everyone else in the prison malfunctioned as well, clattering to the floor.

Miles then tried to use his psychic power to remove Madeleine's collar, but the instant his Telepathy extended outward, it was brutally suppressed by Obadiah's even 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 responded instantly. His muscular body was immediately enveloped in a brilliant aura of energy, and he transformed into a humanoid cannonball, crashing directly toward Obadiah with a howling rush of wind!

Miles had not coordinated with them beforehand, but the others understood what they needed to do the instant their collars broke apart.

"Don't move!"

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

"I'll handle her!"

Seeing this, Wraith Charlotte immediately sent her consciousness out of her body as a ghost and slammed straight into Reyes' body!

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

There were now two consciousnesses inside her body. With the left and right halves of her body controlled by different minds, they began grappling with each other. Then Reyes started hitting herself, throwing a punch with her left hand and a slap with her right, making for an exceptionally bizarre sight.

At the same time, Obadiah's eyes flashed with surprise at the sudden change, but he did not panic. He maintained his suppression of Madeleine with one hand while spreading the fingers of his other hand, forming a barrier before him.

Boom!

Sam's full-force Collision was forcibly blocked, as though he had struck an immovable wall, leaving him suspended in midair!

At the same time, Miles plunged headlong into the telekinetic field around Obadiah. The air around him instantly became incomparably thick. Every step was like wading through a swamp, while invisible pressure crushed his body from every direction, making even his bones groan faintly.

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

"Hold on!!" Miles stretched out his arm with all his strength, desperately releasing his psychic power, yet he was still just short of Madeleine!

Just a little farther!

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

Watching her companions fall into a desperate battle, Dani in the corner turned pale. Clutching her head, she slowly recalled Charles' teachings from not long ago.

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

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

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

"Ahhh!!!"

Moonstar Dani stretched out her hand and let out a shriek that echoed throughout the laboratory with all her strength!

Illusion Manifestation!

The next moment, the shadows behind her began to twist and swell violently. A giant bear made of pure, solidified fear energy materialized out of thin air. It was not made of flesh and blood, yet it was more oppressive than any wild beast.

Roar—!!!

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

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

He instinctively released his control over Madeleine, and a Telekinetic Storm swept out, blocking the Demon Bear's attack!

"Madeleine!"

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

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

Gritting his teeth, Miles cautiously reached out, wanting to see whether Madeleine was still breathing.

But the next moment, Madeleine suddenly opened her eyes!

Her pupils had completely vanished, leaving 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 a pure, tyrannical law capable of burning all things to ash! Crimson flame energy erupted from within her body, yet there was not the slightest heat to be felt—only a trembling awe that rose from the depths of the soul! Violent, scorching, unstoppable!

The sturdy alloy ceiling seemed as thin as paper before this power. It was instantly torn apart and blown away, exposing the concrete framework and complex cables and pipes within. Steel reinforcement melted in the golden-red energy with piercing hisses, and the entire underground structure trembled on the verge of collapse beneath Madeleine's outburst!

Miles' body was uncontrollably thrown aside by the force, and he crashed to the ground, his gaze filled with shock and uncertainty.

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

"The Phoenix Force..."

Obadiah, who had just knocked Sam away and torn the Demon Bear apart with his bare hands, finally underwent a drastic change in expression. Looking up, he saw Madeleine slowly floating in the air, wrapped in Phoenix Fire. Golden flames burned in her eyes, sacred yet indifferent.

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

Facing Madeleine's attack, Obadiah immediately raised his strongest Telekinetic Barrier. A blue-violet psychic force field formed into a warped crystal wall before him, his absolute defense capable of withstanding a nuclear blast!

The golden-red Phoenix Force collided with the blue-violet Apocalypse force field, and the resulting gale swept everything around them away without restraint!

More than a dozen incubation tanks exploded with a bang, spraying green nutrient fluid 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 a stalemate for less than a second before the entire laboratory exploded!

"Boom!!"

Amid the violent energy eruption, the exhausted Madeleine lost consciousness again. The phantom Phoenix dispersed, and she reverted to an ordinary girl, falling helplessly from the air into Miles's steady arms.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, the laboratory looked as though a typhoon had passed through it, leaving utter devastation behind.

"Urgh..."

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 lay limp as though she had fallen apart. Only her red hair remained exceptionally vivid, like blazing fire radiating an eerie glow!

Miles's heart tightened at the sight.

[The Phoenix Force is devouring her!]

On the other side, Obadiah was in equally miserable condition. His body was a bloody mess, with large sections of flesh charred and vaporized. He was clearly gravely injured.

Under the Phoenix Force's scorching flames, even his regeneration had finally slowed considerably.

"Sam!"

As Miles called out a warning, Sam had already turned into a cannonball once more and shot forward, attempting to ram Obadiah to death!

At the same time, Miles unleashed Mind Control, trying to invade Obadiah's mind... only to be rebounded by Obadiah's even stronger psychic power the next instant!

"Hmph!"

At the same time, facing everyone's attacks, the half-dead Obadiah slowly raised a hand that was nearly nothing but bone and expanded a Telekinetic Barrier again, blocking Sam's assault!

Miles's heart sank at the sight.

He still couldn't be killed after all this?!

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

No, they couldn't kill him like this!

Madeleine had already collapsed from exhaustion. Once Obadiah recovered, the others wouldn't stand a chance against him!

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

If they didn't leave now, they really would lose their chance!

Just then, Reyes moved stiffly, stepping in front of everyone one step at a time.

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

Reyes, 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 charged forward and smashed a heavy punch into her head!

Reyes let out a muffled groan and collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

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

"Quit talking! Move!"

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

"Clang!"

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

Then, accompanied by a crackling burst of electrical sparks, the laboratory's remaining lights all dimmed. Every machine stopped operating, and the room sank into pitch-black darkness.

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

In the darkness, Obadiah silently sensed Miles and the others leaving. Gritting his teeth, he slowly propped up his ruined body. His charred face held a pair of eyes that shone with terrifying brightness.

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

"All researchers, evacuate to a safe area immediately!"

"Activate the Chimera Legion!"

"Do not let them escape!!"

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

As Obadiah's orders were issued, the nutrient fluid inside the incubation tanks towering through the darkness was rapidly drained away.

Pairs of savage eyes—crimson, deathly pale, or glinting with metallic light—silently lit up!

"Roar!!"