In a luxurious presidential suite in Cairo.
"Ugh!"
With a muffled groan of pain, Apocalypse's tall, blue body staggered back a step.
For the first time, a look of shock and confusion appeared in his deep eyes.
He felt like a thief trying to peer into a room through a keyhole, only to be stabbed in the eye with a red-hot iron rod by the person inside the moment he leaned in.
"My Lord, what's wrong?" Storm, Ororo, noticed his abnormality beside him and asked with concern.
Psylocke and Angel also cast inquiring glances.
Only Magneto Erik remained immersed in the boundless grief and hatred of his deceased wife and daughter, indifferent to everything around him, with a visible, distorted magnetic field swirling around his body.
Apocalypse waved his hand to indicate he was fine, but for once, a frown creased his usually expressionless face.
He spoke slowly, his voice as raspy as if it had been weathered by wind and sand for thousands of years: "I... have found an interesting soul."
"His power is immensely strong, and his mind is sufficient to host my consciousness. He is simply the perfect vessel, fully worthy of becoming my new body to walk the mortal World."
"Then let's take it!" Angel said, impatiently flapping his metal wings, making a screeching metallic sound,
"Let those mortals see who the true ruler of this World is!"
"Yes, my Lord, your will is our command!" The psionic blade in Psylocke's hand hummed.
But Apocalypse did not respond immediately.
The force that had expelled him earlier gave him a faint, long-forgotten sense of unease.
The last time he felt this way was two thousand years ago.
And then... he was betrayed by his own followers, sealed in endless darkness for a full two thousand years!
"No rush." Apocalypse ultimately chose to play it safe. He shook his head, his deep gaze sweeping over the four beside him,
"Before we usher in the new era, we need more power. We must liberate more of our people."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to "Magneto" Eric:
"My child, I can feel the burning rage in your heart. Tell me, who is our common enemy?"
Hearing this, Eric's eyes instantly became bloodshot. He looked up and spat out a name through gritted teeth:
"Stryker... William Stryker!"
"He built an X Laboratory, specifically to experiment on, imprison, and torture our kind!"
"Very well." Apocalypse nodded, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Then let his hell become the cradle of our new army."
...
Alkali Lake, Canada, General Stryker's secret Base.
Heavily guarded, cold steel and concrete formed a massive underground fortress where countless Mutants he had captured for experimentation were imprisoned.
But today, this fortress met its doom.
Accompanied by a violent shaking of the earth, Magneto, enhanced by Apocalypse, hovered in mid-air.
With his arms wide open, he looked like an apocalyptic conductor.
Under his will, the metal structure of the entire Base groaned, twisted, and deformed!
"Rumble—!"
The massive metal walls were torn apart by brute force, and the entire underground structure actually flipped upside down in the blink of an eye!
General Stryker, who had been hidden in the deepest depths of the underground, stared in utter bewilderment at the sunlight appearing before him and Old Magneto in the sky.
It took him only 0.01 seconds to make a decision.
"Activate the sonic weapons! Quick!"
At Stryker's command, a piercing hum rang out as several massive sonic transmitters were aimed at Magneto in mid-air.
The invisible sonic waves vibrated through the air, powerful enough to rupture the internal organs of any living creature in an instant.
Eric, who was not wearing his helmet now, shuddered violently in mid-air, his face contorting in pain.
However, before a smug smile could form on Stryker's face, Apocalypse in the distance calmly raised his hands.
As he raised his hands, the sophisticated sonic instruments instantly short-circuited.
Immediately after, the sand on the ground suddenly came alive, turning into giant yellow pythons that instantly swallowed the sonic instruments along with General Stryker and his soldiers.
The dense yellow sand sealed them tightly inside, leaving behind only severed, twisted limbs.
The battle ended with absolutely no suspense.
Apocalypse stepped into the depths of the destroyed Base, and countless cages imprisoning Mutants automatically swung open before him.
Those tortured, numb-eyed Mutants, upon feeling the kindred yet supreme power radiating from Apocalypse, fell to their knees one after another, the flames of "hope" and "fanaticism" reigniting in their eyes.
Just then, a wild, inhuman roar echoed from the deepest part of the Base.
A figure rushed out like a fired cannonball, smashing through the heavy alloy gate, covered in shards of laboratory equipment and drenched in blood.
He was a man with knotted muscles, yet his entire body was covered in experimental devices.
At this moment, there was only the most primal wildness and desire to kill in his eyes.
He stared at Apocalypse from a distance, and with a sharp "snikt", three gleaming Adamantium claws popped out from the backs of his hands!
That's right, this man was none other than the famous "Wolverine," Logan!
At this moment, like a thoroughly enraged Beast, he lunged at the nearest target, Apocalypse, regardless of friend or foe.
Angel and Psylocke were about to step forward to stop him, but Apocalypse raised his hand to halt them.
"Clang!"
Logan's steel claws struck squarely in front of Apocalypse, only to be blocked by an invisible Telekinetic Shield.
The Adamantium claws scraped against the shield, producing only a shower of blinding sparks without leaving even a single white mark behind.
Apocalypse studied Logan with great interest.
"Excellent healing ability, excellent skeleton... excellent willpower. Aside from being a bit short-legged, he has almost no flaws."
He admired Logan as if appreciating a work of art, then suddenly extended a finger, lightly tapping Logan's forehead.
An invisible power instantly surged into Logan's body, making his wild eyes grow even redder.
The wounds on his body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his muscles swelled crazily, turning him into something as exaggerated as a demon muscle man in the blink of an eye.
Apocalypse felt the almost limitless healing factor within Logan. Although his own abilities included a similar effect, it did not stop him from appreciating this pure, powerful talent.
"The Four Horsemen are the symbols of the Apocalypse," Apocalypse's voice echoed in the empty Base. "But my army does not mind having one more brave horseman."
He pressed one hand onto Logan's head, blue light surging.
"From this day forth, you shall be my fifth Horseman. Your name is—'War'!"
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