Apocalypse moved fast.
At least, for an ordinary person like Evelyn, his speed was completely beyond reaction.
But unfortunately for him, his target was Herman. And in Herman's eyes, Apocalypse's movements were so slow they might as well have been in slow motion—like watching a turtle crawl.
Even The Flash, wearing Savitar's armor, couldn't outpace Herman. So how could Apocalypse possibly compare? After all, the so-called ancient ruler had merely absorbed the ability of a mutant with a mediocre speed talent.
The "speedsters" of his era weren't even half as fast as Quicksilver. Mutants of that time were far weaker than those of the modern age—it was simply evolution at work. Mutant genes, like all life, had continued to evolve.
Without the Mini-Pyramid Reactor, Apocalypse would have long been left behind by history. Even if he had been born with hundreds of mutant abilities, he would still have been obsolete. It was only because of the reactor that his power level had been forcibly elevated far beyond what it should have been.
Not only had it granted him countless abilities, but it had also fused the energies of many mutants into his own body.
"What a pity, all that power wasted on you."
Apocalypse didn't realize that every move he made had already been clearly seen by Herman. Blue light flashed across Apocalypse's eyes, and in his mind, he could already see himself snapping Herman's neck.
"Hm?"
Just as he appeared in front of Herman, the overly confident ancient tyrant noticed something strange—Herman's eyes were following him.
The man was actually looking straight at him.
Impossible!
Apocalypse froze in disbelief. His speed should have been far beyond human perception. How could someone's gaze track him at that velocity?
Before he could even process the thought, Herman moved—his arm shot up faster than Apocalypse could see, aiming straight for his neck.
It was one of Herman's preferred opening moves—strike at the vital point. He always enjoyed the sensation of snapping an enemy's neck between his fingers.
"Damn it! What the hell are you!?"
Apocalypse's instincts screamed danger. Despite his arrogance, he was far more battle-hardened than speedsters like Savitar. Just as Herman's hand was about to reach him, he activated one of his mutant powers—his body flickered, turning translucent and ghostlike.
As Herman's palm sliced through empty air, Apocalypse's form dissolved into mist, scattering like smoke on the wind.
A moment later, he reappeared on the far side of the hall, his body reforming back into solid flesh.
"You have two abilities!"
Now back in physical form, Apocalypse stared at Herman with wide, uncertain eyes. He was convinced that aside from the energy shield, Herman must have another power—something that enhanced his speed or reaction time.
It was no wonder he was shocked. In his era, other than himself, he had never met a mutant with multiple abilities.
Times had changed. Mutants had evolved. Today, having multiple powers wasn't rare—but back then, even single-ability mutants were few and far between.
Apocalypse had been one of a kind.
In fact, single-ability mutants were so scarce in his time that even when he mobilized an entire kingdom to search for one with a specific power, months could pass without finding a single candidate.
"You think I'm the same as you? Heh... old relic. In that tiny worldview of yours, do you really think there's nothing extraordinary beyond mutants?"
To Herman, Apocalypse was nothing more than a tyrant out of his time—a fossilized relic who should've stayed buried.
Even with the reactor's enhancements, millennia had passed. Apocalypse was no longer the mightiest being on Earth.
It was like those pay-to-win players in online games—sure, spending money could make you strong, but if you stopped playing long enough, the game's updates would leave even the biggest spender hopelessly outdated.
"Watch your tone, insect! You think possessing two abilities gives you the right to commit the absurd act of killing a god?"
"You have no idea what true power is!"
Apocalypse's arrogance flared. The blue light in his eyes blazed brighter, pulsing violently as he unleashed a surge of psychic energy at Herman.
His psychic strength wasn't supreme, but it wasn't weak either—after all, it was a fusion of thousands of mutant minds.
He intended to invade Herman's thoughts, seize control of his mind, and force him to take his own life. In the process, he'd extract information about this new world straight from Herman's brain.
Two goals in one strike—Apocalypse's plan was perfect.
Except, it failed instantly.
To Herman, the psychic attack felt like a squirt gun spraying at the ocean.
It was... almost pitiful.
"That's it?"
Herman gave Apocalypse a look of utter contempt.
"How... how is this possible!?"
Apocalypse's eyes went wide as he realized his power had done nothing.
He was completely dumbfounded.
Could this be... a third ability?
For a fleeting moment, he even suspected that Herman had somehow stolen and used his divine artifact.
If he hadn't just seen the reactor still intact beneath the ruins, he would have already accused Herman of being the thief who had stolen his treasure.
Truth be told, the Mini-Pyramid Reactor left behind on Earth by the Celestials had indeed fallen into Apocalypse's hands long ago—something he had since claimed as his own divine possession.
"Have mutants become so extraordinary now?"
Apocalypse still stubbornly believed that not every extraordinary being in the world was simply a mutant. His eyes flickered with thought, and soon, the shock faded from his expression, replaced by a look of growing excitement.
"The stronger the mutants of this age become, the more advantageous it is for me."
He had already begun scheming—plotting to seize the powers of this era's mutants. Even after being repeatedly astounded by Herman, not once did Apocalypse consider that he could lose.
"Your way of thinking is really unpleasant."
Though Herman couldn't read minds, he could easily guess what was going through Apocalypse's head.
The hunger to devour others' powers... perhaps it was an addiction.
For Apocalypse, stealing others' abilities had become second nature. In a way, Herman mused, this so-called ancient Egyptian might as well have been an American greedy billionaire rather than Egypt's god-king.
"I can sense that you know me quite well."
Apocalypse looked at Herman with an ambiguous smile spread across his broad, disc-like face.
"Your abilities are impressive. I am a man who values talent. So even though you have dared to profane my divine power, I am still willing to grant you another chance."
"Kneel before me. Acknowledge me as your master. Not only will you receive my forgiveness—you shall also gain even greater strength through my gift."
His voice carried a persuasive, almost hypnotic tone. It was true that he possessed the means to amplify mutant power—unfortunately, Herman's abilities had nothing to do with mutant genes.
"Trying so hard to play god? You've really gotten too deep into character."
Herman chuckled, his tone dripping with mockery. The look on his face instantly enraged Apocalypse.
"I've given you more than one chance to live," Apocalypse hissed. "I have shown mercy—yet you squander my goodwill."
The blue light in his eyes flared, flickering more violently by the second. His tone grew cruel, and the energy surging within his body began to boil over.
"With your outdated tricks, you actually think you can kill me?"
Herman calmly observed the changes in Apocalypse's aura. He could tell the ancient tyrant was about to unleash a major attack.
"Insect! Witness power beyond your comprehension!"
The blue radiance in Apocalypse's eyes erupted into a blinding blaze. The surrounding pyramid began to quake violently.
"My God…"
Inside the golden energy barrier, Evelyn could only stare in horror as the colossal pyramid exploded into countless fragments that filled the sky.
The desert sands surged upward, swirling together with the debris to form a massive, roaring dragon of dust and stone.
Apocalypse's display truly left Evelyn trembling in awe and terror.
However—
To Herman, the spectacle was unimpressive. Not even a flicker of emotion crossed his face. If anything, he felt a trace of disdain at the clumsy way Apocalypse handled energy. The ancient mutant possessed countless abilities, yet not a single one he had mastered.
All that apparent might was merely the result of dumping more power into his attacks. It wasn't skill—it was brute force.
"Your show of power means nothing before me."
Herman's gaze remained calm. In a realm invisible to mortal eyes, a tide of black death energy surged forth—hundreds, even thousands of times more overwhelming than the raging sands—enveloping the entire desert in its shroud.
Its sheer presence utterly dwarfed Apocalypse's display, and even the essence of its power was on a far higher level.
But since the death aura existed within a dimension unseen by ordinary sight, neither Apocalypse nor Evelyn could sense the vast, suffocating domain Herman now commanded.
Apocalypse still believed his strength was supreme. Confident to the extreme, he summoned the endless storm of sand and debris, hurling it all toward where Herman stood.
"No!"
Evelyn's terrified scream cut through the roaring chaos. To her, even though Herman was a powerful sorcerer, there was no way he could withstand such a catastrophic, world-ending attack. Her face turned pale as snow.
"Die!"
Apocalypse's face twisted into a savage grin.
"Stone or dust—it makes no difference. Everything in this world meets its end one day."
"I am the Lord of Death. All that perishes must bow before me."
Waves of deathly power surged through Herman's eyes.
His expression remained utterly calm as he looked through the churning sands and violent storm, his gaze fixed on the floating figure of Apocalypse in the distance.
For an instant, Apocalypse's heart clenched.
"What gives you the right to think you can grant me death?"
As Herman's words fell, the cascade of sand and stone crashing toward him—like a colossal waterfall—instantly disintegrated into nothing but drifting ash.
Under the influence of death itself, Apocalypse's once earth-shattering attack was stripped from reality, as though commanded to cease existing.
That fierce, overwhelming power... vanished in an instant.
It was as if the terrifying spectacle from moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion. Evelyn could only stare, mouth agape, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Even Apocalypse himself froze.
His expression twisted with utter incredulity.
"Why... why is this happening?! What did you do?!"
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had unleashed his most formidable power, yet not only had it failed to slay this blasphemer—it hadn't even managed to scratch him. The scene before him completely shattered his understanding of reality.
Herman had used some unfathomable method to dissolve his attack effortlessly, and for the first time, a flicker of unease stirred within Apocalypse's heart.
Wasn't he supposed to be the mightiest god?
What was this man before him?
His strength should have been enough to crush countless beings like him with ease! So why—why could this one withstand his so-called invincible power?!
"This is where it ends… Though I was already mentally prepared, you've still managed to redefine how low my expectations can go."
"Is this it? The One True God?"
Herman almost sounded disappointed.
As a black gleam flickered in his eyes, the raging tide of death energy in the unseen realm surged forth, pouncing on the unprepared Apocalypse and devouring his life force without mercy.
"No! Damn you—what have you done to me?!"
In an instant, Apocalypse collapsed to his knees, writhing in agony. His cells and skin visibly aged before Evelyn's eyes, wrinkles spreading rapidly as his body withered into something corpse-like and dry.
The suffocating grip of death's power enveloped him completely. For the first time in millennia, Apocalypse felt the freezing, merciless touch of true death.
"What did I do to you?" Herman asked quietly. "I recall you were the one saying you'd make me kneel before you... make me beg for mercy, wasn't it?"
He walked slowly toward Apocalypse. At that moment—on the brink of death—Apocalypse finally saw the death energy swirling around Herman.
The power that had been voraciously draining his life now coiled around Herman like loyal serpents, spreading across the desert and blotting out the sun itself.
Death surged and roared... as though rejoicing before its master.
"What... what kind of monster are you?!"
For the first time, Apocalypse realized the truth—he had provoked something far beyond his comprehension.
"No!"
He raised his withered arm in defiance, but even his Sky Father–level energy and powerful regenerative abilities couldn't halt the corruption of death gnawing away at him.
"With this pathetic display, you dare call yourself a god?"
The black radiance in Herman's eyes deepened, his tone calm yet colder than the grave. To Apocalypse, that calmness was far more terrifying than any fury.
"Don't kill me!"
Apocalypse was already little more than a desiccated husk, trembling on the edge of collapse, his life barely flickering.
It seemed as if at any moment he would tumble into the abyss of death. His eyes, filled with desperate terror, pleaded for mercy.
But Herman ignored him. He simply watched in silence as the power of death consumed the so-called god.
"I am the Lord of Death. All life should tremble and bow before me. You, with your body of dust and mortal flesh—how dare you demand me to kneel?"
His gaze was cold, his words quiet yet absolute.
As his voice faded, the death energy surged even more violently.
Apocalypse's withered form crumbled, collapsing like a sand-carved statue returning to dust.
"No! I don't want to die!"
His will to live flared with desperate strength—but it was useless.
Though he screamed in defiance within his mind, his body could no longer obey. Even the once-vibrant blue light in his eyes now flickered weakly, a dying flame about to be snuffed out.
His hand was the first to decay, crumbling into dust. His arm followed, breaking apart like dried clay as ash fell silently to the ground.
Soon after, Apocalypse's entire body disintegrated into dust—his once-proud soul utterly powerless as it was drawn into the [Realm of the Dead].
"How peculiar," Herman murmured, watching as the soul vanished into the dark dimension. "Even a mutant's soul can retain a trace of its former strength."
In that moment, the energy within the [Realm of the Dead] surged dramatically. The undead within it began to pour their power toward Herman in waves of reverent offering.
"All done."
With Apocalypse erased, Herman turned amid the now-silent desert. His gaze fell upon Evelyn, still standing motionless within the protection of the golden energy barrier.
She looked utterly frozen—stunned beyond comprehension.
...
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