Outside Cairo, in the desert.
Apocalypse clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the buried pyramid in the distance. Ultimately, he chose the spot where he originally built the pyramid, deciding to construct a city around it.
At this moment, the others were already in Cairo preparing to return to the future; everything was going according to plan, leaving only four people following Apocalypse.
The excuse used was still the same old one—to go to Cairo and spread belief for Enshabunur.
Apocalypse readily agreed to let the others leave the group.
Displaying miracles is indeed a good method. If those kids can inform some ordinary people to come and observe on-site, the powerful force he exhibits will undoubtedly make everyone submit willingly.
The moment has arrived; Su Ming gestured to Little Rascal to remove her gloves and make contact with Cable.
Little Rascal hesitated somewhat, but Cable was more straightforward; he directly shoved his arm into Little Rascal's hand.
In almost an instant, Cable seemed to lose strength, convulsing and collapsing into the yellow sand. His powers were instantly absorbed by Little Rascal, and he could no longer suppress the mechanical virus within him, losing mobility in half of his body.
Little Rascal's face turned red; she was containing too much energy.
With such a commotion, Apocalypse naturally noticed as well and was planning to turn around to check the situation when Deadpool, kicked by Su Ming, timely wrapped around him.
"Uh, Apocalypse buddy, my friend here ran out of power. He might need a battery replacement; the process is very dirty, and the new battery needs to be inserted from 'there.' With your esteemed status, it's better to avoid and not watch."
Apocalypse looked suspiciously at Deadpool's sincere gaze and then glanced at Cable, who had collapsed in the yellow sand.
He vaguely felt something was wrong. That half-mechanical kid seemed to have some illness, and there were no indicators requiring energy.
Moreover, the girl beside him seemed to have been causing trouble all along.
"You all..."
But before Apocalypse could finish speaking, he felt the temperature around him rapidly rising, and a familiar red light appeared in his vision.
On the distant horizon, a gigantic firebird soared, spreading its wings and letting out a thunderous cry, swiftly charging towards several people.
This red light was so dazzling and bright that the sun in the middle of the sky appeared dim in comparison.
"Retreat!"
Su Ming didn't speak; the Godslayer turned directly into a soft whip, wrapped around Wade next to Apocalypse, and gave a pull.
With the other hand, he directly grabbed Little Rascal and separated her from Cable.
When Little Rascal absorbs others' powers, there is some attraction that makes it hard to break free. However, this force falls far short compared to Su Ming.
Only because Su Ming pried open Little Rascal's hand, he became the target of absorption.
The Promethium Armor didn't block this kind of superpower; Strangulation quickly retreated deeper into Su Ming's body when faced with the high temperature. Fortunately, Su Ming had X Metal as a base, so as long as they took care not to burst Little Rascal, letting her absorb for a while was fine.
Phoenix has arrived; now, all they had to do was make a quick getaway.
"Cloak, enlarge."
The Magic Floating Cloak obediently expanded, carrying a few people like a flying carpet to make their escape. Although the appearance of Phoenix seemed far away, it actually arrived right next to everyone in the next instant.
"Phoenix!"
Apocalypse gritted his teeth, bewildered at why every time he had just gained victory, Phoenix would appear to interrupt. Why did his subordinates always flee when encountering Phoenix?
However, today, he already had a way to deal with Phoenix!
...................
Phoenix is not Jean Grey; its mission is to destroy everything.
However, after sharing a body and persona with Jean Grey for a long time, it sometimes feels as though it is Jean Grey, often attempting to replace her existence.
It resembles Jean Grey's dark persona more.
After Secret Guest and others returned to the future, following Su Ming's plan, they informed Jean Grey about Cable being in danger.
Jean Grey, Cable's stepmother, has a complicated relationship with the Red Queen, naturally feeling worried but momentarily having no good solution—frustration, urgency, unease, anger.
All these emotions piled up, which Phoenix particularly delights in, acting like a catalyst to awaken fragments of the Phoenix Power—Jean Grey couldn't find Cable right away, but it could.
It promptly seized the opportunity to act, taking over Jean's body, fully unleashing its power to tear through space-time and arrive here.
Make the world burn!
Flying overhead, its deep red eyes first caught sight of the unconscious Cable, who could be dealt with later... then, it immediately noticed the gray-skinned monster seen not long ago.
Neither side hesitated at all, instantly engaging in combat.
Apocalypse, reflecting on his past defeat, didn't remain idle during over a hundred years of slumber and now wouldn't be instantly killed by Phoenix, instead presenting a strange equilibrium.
Apocalypse avoided a head-on clash with Phoenix, continually stacking various protective means on himself while fleeing, intending to behave like a turtle, shielding himself until he could escape unscathed.
Indeed, during past encounters, he discovered Phoenix's invincibility but also realized that it wouldn't linger long in this world, so as long as he kept evading attacks and maintained sufficient protection, he could then make an escape.
This was his strategy—escape!
Having been abandoned by Horror last time, he learned his lesson, letting his subordinates cover for him this time while he makes his getaway.
On the opposite side, Su Ming and the others, riding on the flying carpet morphed from the cloak, had already fled quite a distance despite Wade retreating a bit late earlier—he was mostly cooked.
The strange smell emitted in the high heat rose, making him smell like a sheet full of urine stench.
Su Ming was in good condition. Except for Strangulation retracting completely into his body, he remained unharmed.
Little Rascal was alright too, having stolen considerable energy, but her hair was slightly curled—the high temperature and flames nearly swept everyone up.
Cable was in the worst state, with the mechanical virus seizing the opportunity to invade his body.
Su Ming broke free from Little Rascal's absorption, allowing her to catch her breath and rest a bit while he detached a piece of X Metal from the Nightfall Greatsword and placed it on the human side of Cable's body.
Since X Metal once reinvigorated both Batman and Superman, the mutant shouldn't pose an issue either; at least it wouldn't let Cable die.
A worthy universal energy source, Cable's condition soon stabilized; the mechanical virus's spread halted, and he regained consciousness, although too weak to fight temporarily.
Su Ming cautiously retrieved the X Metal, even weighing it to check if any was missing.
The Marvel folks here remain unaware of the significance of X Metal, but caution is warranted once returning to DC, lest others covet his valuable possessions...