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*****
A few minutes ago.
Earth, Egypt.
In a vast desert, a strange pyramid stood tall under the sun, glowing radiantly as if it were made of solid gold.
Inside the empty pyramid, only a few people were present, making it seem exceedingly desolate.
At least, that was how it felt to Daken.
"One big, dumb lug, one sleazy guy, one gray... uh, Lord. So boring..."
Daken lay lazily on a chair, extending a single claw and idly cutting into his own arm, watching the wound heal instantly to pass the time.
"Death..."
Daken muttered his new title, curling his lip.
His current name was so chunibyo, yet undeniably cool.
But no matter what, his power had increased significantly since becoming the Horseman of Death, and he even had the chance to fight Logan again...
Daken was relatively satisfied with his current arrangement.
Just then, Alan, now known as Famine, appeared in front of Daken.
"Come with me. The Lord has summoned us; there is work to be done."
"Work? What work? Aren't we on standby, waiting for an opportunity?"
Daken spoke lazily but still got up from the chair, following Alan toward the main hall.
"You don't think we're the only ones, do you?" Alan said with a smile.
"What else? I thought there were only four Horsemen?"
"Correct, we are the Lord's Four Horsemen, his strongest subordinates. But the Lord has many apostles."
Alan mused for a moment and said, "I haven't followed the Lord much longer than you, but I heard him mention it casually once..."
He frowned, seeming to recall Apocalypse's words.
"Lord Apocalypse seemed to say he had arrangements on Kent Star, and staying on Earth was to find subordinates."
"Wow, he's pitiful. As a boss, he has to recruit henchmen personally."
Daken shook his head, his face full of mockery.
Alan looked at Daken speechlessly and subtly shifted his feet, moving further away from him.
This kind of person was the most likely to get beaten up; he needed to keep his distance.
Soon, the two arrived at the main hall and saw Apocalypse and Walter waiting for them.
Daken glanced at Walter, his gaze sweeping over Walter's waist, and grinned enviously.
"My Lord!"
Alan greeted Apocalypse respectfully.
Apocalypse nodded at the two. "Prepare to depart."
His subordinates had found more children with immense potential, waiting for him to unlock their latent abilities.
"You guys can just go yourselves, it's not like it's an important operation..."
Daken muttered softly. However, seeing the cold stares from the other three, he immediately put on a smile and shouted, "Let's go! I can't wait!"
Walter blinked. "Shameless!"
Ignoring the three of them, Apocalypse focused his mind to open a portal when suddenly, Daken's expression stiffened imperceptibly beside him.
Apocalypse paused, looked at Daken, and suddenly said, "Professor X?"
He could feel that terrifying psychic power, one that made him salivate with desire.
Because Daken had joined them recently, he wasn't wearing a psychic shield. Had they been found?
Apocalypse's eyes flashed, instantly realizing the critical point.
Daken looked Apocalypse up and down.
"You must be Apocalypse?"
"Obviously."
Apocalypse smiled and said, "I originally intended to pay you a visit in a while."
"Visit? Hehe, you are truly friendly."
"I am always friendly to the strong, and I admire what your family has done for mutantkind."
"Admire? Most people would say 'respect'," Charles quipped through Daken.
"Just admiration. However, if you had casually wiped out humanity, then I would truly respect you. I would respect you for sharing my foresight."
"Sorry, we really can't see eye to eye. So, let's forget about the visit."
"That won't do. I have already formulated a plan." Apocalypse shook his head, his eyes glimmering as he smiled. "And you have delivered yourself right to my door..."
Hearing this, Charles was startled.
But before he could withdraw his power, he felt a potent psychic force surge through Daken's mind and drill into his own brain.
How is this possible?
Charles cried out internally. His body stiffened, and his beautiful, lake-like blue eyes were consumed by a pitch-black darkness.
In the next second, Charles lost control of his body.
"This power... it is truly the power of a god."
Sensing Charles's ability, Apocalypse marveled. He then utilized Charles's body and Cerebro to begin sensing the world.
Meanwhile, Emma and Jean immediately detected the intruder.
"Quick! Shut down Cerebro! Something's wrong with Charles!"
Emma commanded coldly. Her psychic power surged out, probing into Charles's mind. She immediately announced, "He's been invaded by Apocalypse! Apocalypse wants to use Charles's power to destroy humanity!"
"Cerebro won't shut down! It's being controlled!" Hank McCoy shouted anxiously.
Logan unsheathed his claws, and Remy LeBeau charged several playing cards with energy at his fingertips, ready to destroy the machine.
"Jean! Help me drive Apocalypse out of Charles!"
Emma ordered icily. Her terrifying psychic power poured out, beginning to help Charles resist Apocalypse.
Beside her, Jean's heart tightened. Recalling some unpleasant memories, her eyes trembled violently as if she might release her true power at any moment.
But thanks to her recent control training, Jean managed to restrain her power. Taking a deep breath, she mobilized her strength and joined in helping Charles.
Two powerful forces flooded in. While battling Apocalypse's power, they located Charles's consciousness, which had been sealed in a corner of his mind.
In the next second, amidst Apocalypse's look of regret, the three combined their strength to expel him from Charles's mind.
The darkness in his eyes faded rapidly. Charles quickly pulled off the Cerebro helmet, gasping for air. He told the group, "I found him. He's in a pyramid in the Egyptian desert."
He prepared to transmit Apocalypse's location to the others via his ability.
"No need," Clark said, shaking his head and looking at Charles with concern. "Since he discovered you, he definitely won't stay put and wait for us."
Possessing spatial abilities, Apocalypse could shift his location at any time.
"Exactly," Nick Fury mused. "Raise the alert level and prepare for battle. I will begin screening the planet's population; perhaps Apocalypse has already sent infiltrators."
"I will assist," Jor-El said with a smile.
Clark said in a deep voice, "Tell me the location where you found Apocalypse. I'll go check if I can find anything."
"Understood," Charles responded, pressing his fingers firmly against his throbbing temples.
"I'll contact the people on Earth, ask them to help track Apocalypse, and warn them of the crisis," said Hank McCoy, who managed Kent Star's diplomatic affairs.
Erik's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Then, let's move."
Apocalypse or not, if he dared to appear in front of him, if he dared to do anything to Kent Star, there was only one outcome awaiting him!
Everyone sprang into action.
Like a precise machine, each person utilized their abilities.
It wouldn't take long to find Apocalypse or uncover his plans.
...
Meanwhile, on Earth.
Apocalypse took Daken and the other two, leaving the pyramid and appearing in a small town on the edge of Egypt.
The moment he lost control of Charles, he made up his mind to initiate his plan immediately.
His plan had been in preparation for quite some time. He had already intended to execute it soon; delaying further would only increase the risk of exposure.
Especially after experiencing Charles's power, he became more decisive than anyone had imagined.
"Where is this?" Daken looked around curiously.
"This is a gathering place I built. Everyone here is one of us!"
Apocalypse spoke calmly. Spreading his arms, he flew rapidly into the sky above the town.
"My followers, the war to change the world... has begun!"
Apocalypse's voice descended from the heavens, spreading throughout the entire town.
As he spoke, he clenched his hand. The town below, as if subjected to eons of erosion, cracked apart. In the blink of an eye, everything shattered into sand.
Buildings, cars on the streets—all turned into swirling sand. Under Apocalypse's manipulation, the sand blotted out the sky, descending like a sea of dunes before coalescing beneath his feet into a massive complex of structures.
A giant gate.
It was a gate made entirely of brilliant gold, towering over a hundred meters high and dozens of meters wide.
Centered around this massive gate were dozens of smaller gates, each several meters high.
The people in the town did not panic at this sight.
Because they were all Apocalypse's followers. They were all mutants; the town itself had been their disguise.
Watching the scene before them, Daken and the other two were stunned.
This was the first time Apocalypse had revealed his power in front of them.
Previously, they only knew he had abilities like power amplification and teleportation.
This ability—matter manipulation on such a scale—was something they were seeing for the first time.
All of Apocalypse's followers gathered toward the gates. Apocalypse descended slightly, positioning himself at the center of the main gate.
Looking down at the mutants rapidly assembling, he revealed a satisfied smile.
These people would follow him to usher in a new era.
"If humanity hadn't betrayed me back then, sealing me within the earth, this place would already be the center of the universe."
In his view, with his leadership, this was an undeniable fact.
Now, he was merely correcting the mistakes of the past and putting the world back on the right track.
With a thought, curtains of blue-violet light appeared within the smaller gates—portals leading to various locations around the globe.
Looking at the thousands of mutants below, Apocalypse's majestic voice rang out again.
"Pass through these gates and destroy your targets!"
Upon his command, the mutants mobilized, rushing toward different gates. Once several dozen mutants entered a gate, it would vanish.
In this manner, after about half of the mutants present had disappeared, only the final, massive gate remained.
It was the gate leading to Kent Star.
With a thought, a giant curtain of light filled the gate, creating a massive portal before everyone.
"Now, follow us and charge! For the revolution, and to change this world!"
Apocalypse's cold voice resonated. He dropped rapidly from mid-air, stood at the forefront, beckoned to Daken and the other two, and led the charge through the portal. Following them, the remaining mutants filed in.
Passing through the gate of light, they appeared in the only city on Kent Star—Kent City.
A portal suddenly appeared in the city. People on the streets were stunned for a moment, but instead of panicking, they were quite curious.
However, as a large number of people poured out from the portal, the expressions of those on the street changed.
This wasn't right!
But as mutants, they all possessed abilities. Even if their powers weren't suited for combat, as more and more people flooded in, they readied themselves for a fight!
This was the home they had built with their own hands, their nation. If these people wanted to try something, they would never allow it!
At that moment, Jor-El, who monitored the entire planet and had detected the portal the instant it appeared, manipulated the city's electronic devices to issue an alert. He began guiding people to evacuate, designating a large area around the portal as a danger zone for imminent warfare.
"Citizens, please leave this area and proceed to the shelters as instructed. The Superpower Police and X-Men will handle the situation here!"
"Citizens, please leave this area and proceed to the shelters as instructed. The Superpower Police and X-Men will handle the situation here!"
"Citizens, please leave..."
The alarms blared repeatedly, but not a single citizen of Kent City left. Instead, knowing these people were indeed enemies, they prepared for battle.
They didn't want the happy life they had fought so hard for to be destroyed.
They would protect their home with their own hands.
Flashes of teleportation light appeared continuously as Jor-El transported the Superpower Police and the X-Men to the scene.
Like a wall, they stood between the residents of Kent Star and the enemy.
People on both sides continued to appear. Finally, after Apocalypse's portal vanished, he looked at the Superpower Police and X-Men blocking his path, as well as the growing number of Kent citizens standing their ground. A look of appreciation flashed across his face.
This was what mutants should be!
Although they were enemies now, it didn't stop him from admiring them.
On the other side, Charles, Erik, and the X-Men at the school were incredibly moved, even teary-eyed, watching the scene where not a single citizen retreated, standing united against the enemy!
Nick Fury, watching this via screen at the Superpower Police Headquarters, was also filled with shock, feeling an urge to rush out and join the fight himself.
This situation was nothing short of a miracle!
But this was Kent Star. This was their unity!
(End of Chapter)