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*****
Not long after Mystique and Nightcrawler teleported away, two unfamiliar mutants crossed through space and appeared in the room.
Caliban was not particularly surprised. He was used to mutants of every variety coming to do business with him, and spatial powers were nothing unusual.
"Two guests I haven't seen before—what is it you're looking for?"
"We seek the most powerful mutant in the world. We heard you have the means to find him."
One of them pulled back his hood, revealing unnaturally blue skin.
It was Apocalypse, once the ruler of ancient Egypt. He had only just awakened from beneath the pyramid, only to discover that the world he had ruled had fallen into the hands of those lowly slaves.
The problem was that these so-called slaves had developed many powerful weapons—some so devastating that even he felt a degree of unease, such as nuclear arms.
To rule the world once again, he had to recruit powerful mutants, unlock their full potential, and reassemble his Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.
He had just found a mutant capable of controlling lightning and storms—the Storm—but he still needed three more.
Caliban looked Apocalypse over, then chuckled.
"Of course, I have a way—if the price is right."
By evening, George sensed a fluctuation of spatial energy at the door. The corner of his mouth curled slightly.
"At last, they've come. Any later and I might have had to take the initiative myself."
The door swung open, and four figures entered one after another.
George raised his head. The first, blue-skinned, bald, dressed in strange attire, and radiating immense energy, was clearly Apocalypse.
Behind him stood three others. The dark-skinned girl with white hair had to be Storm. The woman in the purple leather suit was Psylocke, formerly Caliban's bodyguard, now turned traitor under the weight of Apocalypse's power.
In fact, Psylocke was someone George himself had returned to this world.
Once, the Time Variance Authority had pruned her and cast her into the Void, where she served Cassandra. Later, George had captured her and thrown her into his miniature world.
It was during a soul-search of Psylocke that he had learned about this universe, which allowed him to devise his current plan.
When he sent her back, he erased all memories of her time in the Void.
Thus, Psylocke believed she had always been Caliban's guard and had never left.
The last of the three was a man with metallic wings, formerly the angel who had lost to Nightcrawler in the underground arena. His once-white feathers had been transmuted into metal by Apocalypse.
He could still fly, but now his wings were weapons of war.
The sight reminded George of the elder martial brother from a movie about Mount Shu.
"You killed my wife and daughter. I was just about to hunt you down—yet you walk right in yourselves? Then die, all of you!"
George put on a mask of rage, unleashing his powers. Instantly, every piece of metal in the room transformed into deadly blades, hurtling toward the four intruders.
The sudden attack startled the three behind Apocalypse. With so many weapons moving at such speed, there was no way they could block them all.
Magneto was indeed Magneto. Even after their enhancements, they were nowhere near his level.
No wonder he had been able to attempt multiple presidential assassinations.
"Calm yourself. We are not those wretched slaves who harmed you. We have come to invite you to join us."
Apocalypse stood unmoved. With a glance, all the flying weapons crumbled into sand and fell harmlessly to the ground.
"Join you?"
George feigned confusion.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Me? I am Yahweh, the Sun God. Across countless cycles I have borne many names.
Born from death, I will ignite the flames of judgment to purge humanity and set this world back on its rightful path.
I shall uproot this false civilization and sow new seeds. It is my destiny to ignite the fire of a new civilization—our civilization."
Apocalypse stepped closer to George, his voice filled with mesmerizing persuasion.
"My child, I know your grief is unbearable. Let us build a better world together."
"You're right. This world has disappointed me far too much. I will see it destroyed. I will join you!"
George seized Apocalypse's hand, feigning that he had been swayed.
Apocalypse's eyes lit up. He had expected more effort to convince Magneto, who was far harder to manipulate than the other three.
But fortune favored him: the man had just lost his family, consumed by rage and despair—an ideal state for persuasion.
So without further thought, Apocalypse activated his power.
"Your strength is already great. Feel it deeply—I will help you push it to the limit."
Apocalypse's eyes turned pure white. George instantly felt the X-gene in his body quiver as his control over magnetism and psychic force surged upward.
The speed of his growth was like a rocket launch—no exaggeration.
Indeed, it made sense. Once, he could lift bridges and dozens of warships. Now, his abilities were expanding toward the level of moving planets.
The difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
"This one… he's even more powerful than I imagined!"
Twenty minutes passed. Apocalypse's power was nearly spent, yet George's potential still hadn't been fully drawn out. There was still more to unlock, and Apocalypse found himself secretly shaken.
Never before had he spent so long awakening a mutant's potential.
With the other three, their potential had been fully unleashed in less than a minute.
"Don't stop—keep going! I can take more!"
Sensing Apocalypse trying to withdraw his hand, George immediately tightened his grip.
Even he hadn't expected his X-gene potential to be this vast.
The gains already far exceeded his expectations, and there was still more buried power waiting.
After all, though Apocalypse's power targeted mutant genes, George's body was no ordinary vessel. It had been strengthened by countless incarnations and tempered by countless techniques.
The essence of his life was no longer that of a normal human.
Perhaps because of this, his mutant genes held far greater hidden strength.
What's more, he didn't only carry Magneto's powers—he also bore the abilities of Professor X.
When Apocalypse unlocked his potential, he was activating two distinct powers at once, which naturally required twice the effort.
"I… can't!"
After half an hour, Apocalypse felt, for the first time, the exhaustion of pushing his powers to the limit. Gritting his teeth, he tore his hand away, ending the process.
Normally, when a mutant overused their powers, they would collapse like a human pushed beyond physical limits—weak, faint, and in need of rest.
But Apocalypse, who had accumulated countless powers and refined them over millennia, had long since transcended such limits.
And yet, for the first time in centuries, he had experienced the sensation of power exhaustion.
(End of Chapter)