A group of mutants hadn't dug far into the ground before they discovered a pyramid-like structure.
The moment they saw it, they grew excited. Inside, they soon found a tall, blue-skinned man sleeping.
This was the first and oldest mutant... Apocalypse.
"Ahem, yes, we finally found it... This is the strongest mutant," the old prophet said, commanding the others to bring Apocalypse out.
In fact, the pyramid's damage had already triggered Apocalypse's awakening, but his long slumber made the process slow. By the time he reached the surface, he was fully conscious.
"Where is this place?" Apocalypse asked in ancient Egyptian, glancing at the group of dusty, ragtag mutants. They looked at each other in confusion, unable to understand a word.
Without waiting for a reply, Apocalypse closed his eyes. Through countless reincarnations, he had amassed numerous mutant abilities. In some ways, he was like a supercharged version of Orochimaru.
Each time he possessed a new body, it brought no side effects, only extending his life and adding to his arsenal of powers. By now, even Apocalypse himself likely didn't know how many abilities he had.
The only drawback was that his body-switching process required more than Orochimaru's. He needed pyramid technology to assist, and failure to do it properly could cause issues.
Orochimaru had poor health and was defeated by Uchiha Sasuke, his possession target. Apocalypse had even worse luck. During a possession attempt, the loyalists under his command buried the entire pyramid underground. Without sunlight or assistance, he remained sealed for a thousand or two thousand years.
If it weren't for the butterfly effect triggered by Shin, these mutants wouldn't have survived, and Apocalypse might have suffocated in this timeline.
Now, with his eyes shut, Apocalypse began sensing the electromagnetic waves saturating the air. Initially, he only wanted to get a read on the population and current era. But in the process, he accidentally detected the Earth's entire wireless network.
Some mutant powers evolved over time. For example, Magneto's abilities would be significantly limited in a primitive society, useless against cavemen with sticks.
Back in the day, electromagnetic sensing was barely useful, perhaps for basic radar. But now, in the modern world, it might be far more dangerous than Magneto's metal manipulation.
Apocalypse absorbed the electromagnetic data like Orochimaru reading scrolls. Despite his monstrous powers, his true strength lay in his mind. He was a scientist at heart, and his intellect was enhanced beyond human limits.
After all, he had invented the pyramid-based soul transfer thousands of years ago. His intelligence was on par with Earth's top-tier scientists, and his brain processed information even faster.
In just minutes, he had learned every human language and gained an understanding of modern technology and the mutant situation.
Opening his eyes, Apocalypse slowly levitated into the air. "My people, your king has returned!"
The mutants exchanged awkward glances. Was this guy insane? Or just some ancient fossil?
Talking about kingship in this era felt... childish.
Suddenly, the old prophet coughed violently and blurted, "Oh no, in five minutes, another army will arrive!"
The mutants panicked. Several turned to flee, but Apocalypse raised his hand and formed a transparent dome that enclosed them.
"Do not fear. I shall enhance your abilities. The weak shall once again grovel beneath the strong."
With those words, Apocalypse grabbed a mutant and placed his hand on the man's head. A moment later, the mutant felt his power surge. He threw a casual punch, smashing a large hole in the ground.
"My powers... they've grown stronger! Hahaha!"
Jealousy spread instantly. Who cared if this guy acted like a cartoon villain? If he could make them stronger and elevate them above others, a feudal hierarchy didn't seem so bad after all.
Apocalypse observed the group and knew he had won over at least half. The rest could be swayed once they saw how easily he destroyed the incoming army.
He was especially concerned about technologies that could threaten him, nuclear weapons were his top priority.
With his current strength, if humans didn't deploy weapons of mass destruction or develop anti-mutant tech, regular armies would be meaningless.
First-world countries posed a challenge. But the Egyptian military? Laughable. Apocalypse didn't even need to act. The mutants he had strengthened had already wiped out the pursuing forces.
Unfortunately, their potential was limited. The old prophet was the only one with a truly valuable gift, though even his predictive powers were heavily flawed. Even if Apocalypse healed him, he might not survive more than a few days.
The poison had damaged the old man's body too severely. Healing him couldn't restore his spent vitality.
Still, the old man had let go of worldly attachments. With all his descendants gone, and the soldiers who had killed his family now dead, he had nothing left to live for. He offered to sacrifice his life for one final prophecy to guide mutant-kind.
Even Apocalypse, with all his knowledge, had never encountered another predictive mutant. If not for the old man's short lifespan and flawed ability, Apocalypse might have considered using him as a new vessel.
Now that the old prophet volunteered his final act, Apocalypse didn't stop him. On the contrary, he enhanced the prophet's ability to its peak, so much so that the strain would surely kill him once the prophecy was made.
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