Boom!
"Wow! Did you see that?" Alex shouted excitedly to his friends. He had just fully controlled his ability, hitting exactly where he aimed, and his power was impressive.
"That's the tree I used to stay in when I was a kid. My grandfather once tied a swing to it for me to play on." Charles looked at the old tree, now cut into several sections, his expression complicated as mixed emotions stirred within him.
"Don't worry about it, Charles. At least your grandpa can see the tree again," Renzo joked from beside him, while Hank stood nearby in his beastly form.
Yes, Hank had originally wanted to eliminate his mutant abilities, but instead accidentally triggered his mutation further, leaving him with a feral appearance.
He felt deeply dissatisfied and even thought the people around him were laughing at him. Fortunately, Raven calmed him in time and told him she liked how he looked now.
"I think you're more attractive like this." Those had been Raven's exact words. She looked at him with affection, and the big guy lit up as if he'd been injected with pure adrenaline. His resistance faded significantly.
"Found it!" Renzo suddenly shouted. A plane heading to Cairo had just lost contact. According to radar readings, it had likely been attacked, and the pilot had said just before the signal cut out—
"A blue devil! Devil!"
This made Renzo even more certain that Apocalypse was in Cairo.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Eric immediately stood up and headed toward the transport plane. Salvador's expression was just as grim—she wanted to rescue the big guy.
Aman, Alex, and Sean quickly put on their battle uniforms and stood ready.
"And I…"
A hoarse voice suddenly echoed through the room. Everyone turned, alert and cautious.
A red-clad gentleman slowly stepped out of the shadows. Azazel stood before them, looking lonely and broken. "I lost everything. They came to me… but I refused."
His suit was dusty. Five deep scratches ran across his face, from brow to chin, carved by his own nails. His left eye had been gouged blind. Seeing his miserable state, Renzo was reminded of Logan—the same kind of tragic, pitiful figure.
Silence fell over the group. Not long ago, among the younger ones, only Pietro had been able to stand against Azazel. The rest hadn't even had the courage to resist. Now, seeing him like this, whatever resolve they had gathered seemed to crumble.
"Welcome," Renzo said softly, unable to suppress a sigh as he looked at the shaken group. None of them had experienced real battle before—their willpower was still fragile.
Still, Renzo was glad to have another ally. It meant his side had grown stronger.
Their current lineup: Renzo, Charles, Eric, Raven, Aman, Sean, Alex, Salvador, Hank, and Azazel. Though they now outnumbered Apocalypse's side, the gap in strength remained significant. At present, only Azazel, Renzo, Eric, and Charles could contend one-on-one. The others were still too inexperienced.
Renzo turned to the group, his expression serious.
"This time, it's war. All of us need to be prepared to face death at any moment. If you don't stay sharp, you might die without even leaving a trace behind."
He spoke the harsh truth calmly. He understood that in war, people die—and they needed to understand that now.
"However," he continued, "I believe we will win. We have to win. This isn't just about us—it's about the safety of the entire world. We're all tied to it."
"You all probably know I come from another world. In fact, I've fought in—and won—two wars that threatened entire worlds. One of them even engulfed the multiverse."
"Despite how difficult it was… we still won. We defeated the enemy."
Renzo let out a quiet chuckle. "After saying all that, I just want to tell you one thing… together."
"We'll be remembered forever in the history of future generations."
Charles smiled. So did Eric. Raven too… one by one, smiles spread across the faces of the young mutants. It was clear—they were ready.
"X-Men… assemble!"
...
Cairo
Pyramid
Apocalypse sat upon his throne like a god. Sunlight filtered down from the opening above, casting a soft glow over his body, enhancing his aura of divinity and grandeur. To some, it truly looked as though a god sat atop the pyramid, gazing down upon his subjects with pride.
"Children… our enemies are coming."
Apocalypse suddenly rose, spreading his arms as if to embrace the sun itself.
"That group of traitors who consort with humans seeks to overthrow my dynasty once again."
He raised his hands, releasing two streams of strange purple energy from his fingertips, striking the massive stone pillars on either side.
Before the stunned eyes of those present, the pillars seemed to come alive. Countless fragments of stone fell away as the structures shifted and reshaped, forcing several people to stumble back in shock.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pillars gradually transformed, carved into the forms of two colossal figures—limbs, torsos, heads…
Two mighty stone giants now stood on either side of Apocalypse, like divine warriors clad in golden armor, guarding their god.
"Are you kidding me?!" Pietro stared at the towering figures, his legs going weak. With power like that… what were they even supposed to do? Was this just for show?
Logan's expression darkened. He had already been dissatisfied with Apocalypse and had considered finding a chance to overthrow him. But now… with these giants… how was he supposed to fight? One punch and he'd be flattened into paste. What kind of fight was that?
They weren't the only ones shaken. Sebastian Shaw maintained a smile on the surface, but inside, fear gnawed at him.
"Emma… if it were you, could you control Apocalypse's mind?"
Emma shot him a look as if he were an idiot. If he wanted her dead, he should just say it outright. Why beat around the bush? She could manipulate ordinary mutants with effort—but Apocalypse? He was far beyond that level.
"Wow… it really is like a miracle," Victor said without hesitation. But his grin was feral, his bloodthirsty gaze locked onto Apocalypse. As his power grew, so did his brutality—he was becoming more beast than man.
"Do gods bleed?" Victor muttered to himself, a crazed smile spreading across his lips. "I really want to taste the blood of a god."
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