Alexander Summers and Scott Summers unleashed torrents of crimson energy—Havok's plasma blasts erupting from his chest, Cyclops's optic beams blazing from his eyes—hammering Apocalypse relentlessly.
Wanda Maximoff and Jubilee joined the assault, Wanda's scarlet chaos magic intertwining with Jubilee's vibrant plasma bursts, both aimed at the ancient mutant.
Jean Grey, wielding her telekinesis, hurled massive boulders from the pyramid's ruins, each crashing toward Apocalypse with devastating force.
Yet, despite the X-Men's combined might and Sebastian's Fiendfyre, Apocalypse's defenses held. His energy absorption nullified their attacks, his form unyielding.
Storm, stirred by the sight of Mystique—awoke from her defeat. Glancing at the fallen Horsemen, Rakshasa and Scarlet Light, she made her choice.
Betraying Apocalypse, she soared above the shattered pyramid, summoning a barrage of thunder that struck her former master.
Under the onslaught of energies—plasma, chaos magic, telekinetic stone, and lightning—Apocalypse's body disintegrated, reduced to ash. Yet, his powers surged, rebuilding him instantly.
He raised his head, glaring at Sebastian in the sky, a defiant grin spreading. "You cannot destroy me! As long as mutants exist, my strength is boundless. I will outlast you all, leaving none alive!"
A purple-red energy shield enveloped him, pulsing with spatial power—a clear sign of his intent to flee, as he had before.
Sebastian's Fiendfyre, though searing and soul-burning, lacked the explosive force needed to overwhelm Apocalypse swiftly. Recognizing this, he shifted tactics. Dark clouds churned above, spiraling into a vortex. A radiant orb of blue-white light emerged, like a celestial eye, glaring down at Apocalypse.
Odin's Eye of the Storm.
The Fiendfyre vanished, replaced by a blinding lightning bolt that plummeted from the vortex. The white-hot strike pierced Apocalypse's shield, overloading his absorption in an instant. His body disintegrated from within, abilities frozen, as ash consumed his flesh, bones, and essence.
"I… refuse to accept this," Apocalypse rasped, staring at Sebastian, godlike in the storm. "Why… must I fall to a mortal? Unless… it was all foretold…"
A flicker of understanding crossed his face, perhaps glimpsing the light in Sebastian's brow. He relented, his form dissolving completely, erased from existence.
With Apocalypse's defeat, Charles withdrew from their psychic battlefield, exhaustion etched on his face. Yet, as he surveyed the X-Men he smiled, a weight lifted. These students, once shielded, now stood as warriors, defending their future and Xavier's School.
This victory, costly but triumphant, owed much to Sebastian, a debt Charles silently acknowledged.
Sebastian descended, his wand vanishing into his sleeve. He met Charles's gaze. "It's done. Apocalypse is gone—no longer a threat to mutants or humanity."
"Sebastian, we owe you immensely," Charles said, voice heavy with gratitude.
Sebastian shook his head, a faint smile breaking through. "Charles, I've told you—I follow equivalent exchange. I owed you two favors; this settles one. You've one left, so choose wisely in future."
"I'll remember that," Charles replied, nodding solemnly.
The aftermath was straightforward. Sebastian and the X-Men boarded their jet, and with Sebastian opened a portal, whisking them back to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. But as they disembarked, an eerie silence greeted them.
"The children… they're gone," Charles murmured, his hand rising to his temple. His telepathy swept the grounds, confirming the grim truth: the students had vanished.
"Charles, what's happening?" Raven asked, her voice sharp with concern.
Charles's brow furrowed. "The children have been taken, Raven. I have a suspicion who's responsible, but we need to confirm it. Kurt, take us to the basement—where Cerebro is. You know the way."
Kurt nodded, gripping Charles's and Raven's shoulders, his tail curling around the wheelchair's handle. With a puff of navy-blue smoke, Nightcrawler teleported them—Charles, Raven, and the wheelchair—to the underground chamber housing Cerebro.
Charles donned the helmet, his mind amplified by the device. Within moments, he located the students. As suspected, Colonel William Stryker had abducted them, splitting them between two locations: Stryker's Weapon X research base and a military facility in the east.
The X-Men gathered, and Charles addressed them. "The children are divided. Some are at Stryker's base, others at an eastern military compound. We'll split up to rescue them."
Sebastian stepped forward, his tone resolute. "I'll handle Stryker's base alone. This isn't a favor to you, Charles. I care for those kids and won't let them suffer. Besides, I have my own reasons for going there."
His motives weren't purely altruistic. Sebastian had long sought something in Stryker's possession, and this mission aligned perfectly with his plans.
Charles, sensing Sebastian's ulterior goal but trusting his commitment to the children, nodded. Mutants, despite their powers, were vulnerable—a single bullet could end them. Sebastian's sophisticated magic made him ideal for the dangerous task, freeing the X-Men to focus on the military base.
"Sebastian, thank you," Charles said. "The children were taken recently—Stryker hasn't had time to harm them. I'll give you their location."
"Don't worry," Sebastian replied, his eyes steady. "I'll bring them back unharmed."
Alkali Lake Base, a military fortress nestled beneath the lake, sprawled through a dam and hollowed mountain chambers. Its sterile corridors hummed with menace, a labyrinth designed to cage the extraordinary mutants.
Sebastian arrived via a portal, materializing in the shadowed forests nearby. The dam loomed in the distance, its waters glinting under moonlight. With a whispered incantation, he dissolved into black smoke—Apparition cloaking his form—and slipped through the trees, a phantom in the night.
Guided by Charles's telepathic coordinates, Sebastian infiltrated the base with ease. He navigated its steel corridors under a Disillusionment Charm, invisible to the patrolling soldiers. Soon, he reached the holding cells, where the abducted children huddled, their eyes wide with fear, faces pale in the harsh fluorescent light.
Emerging from invisibility, Sebastian raised a finger to his lips, silencing their gasps of recognition. His wand flicked, casting silent Alohomora charms that sprang the reinforced cells open with soft clicks. The children's trembling hands steadied, hope flickering in their gazes.
He conjured a shimmering portal, its edges glowing with arcane light. "Through here," he whispered, voice calm but firm. "It'll take you back to the school. You know how to stay hidden and safe there, don't you?"
The children nodded, some clutching each other. He offered a reassuring smile, gesturing toward the portal. One by one, they stepped through, vanishing from Alkali Lake's cold prison to the familiar warmth of Xavier's School in New York's suburbs.
As the last child crossed, Sebastian twirled his wand, collapsing the portal into a pinpoint of light that winked out. His mission to save the children was complete—but his true purpose here was just beginning.
In the control room, Colonel William Stryker's eyes narrowed at the surveillance feeds, now showing empty cells. Alarms blared, and two squads—over twenty soldiers—raced to the cell block, rifles raised, ready for a fight. As they approached, the cell door swung open, revealing Sebastian, wand in hand, standing alone with an unnerving calm.
The soldiers froze, fingers twitching on triggers, when Sebastian's wand vanished into his sleeve. He raised his hands, a mocking smile curling his lips. "I surrender. Please, don't hurt me."
His tone dripped with feigned vulnerability, but his eyes gleamed with calculation. The soldiers hesitated, torn between gunning down a mutant or capturing a prize for study. A powerful mutant like this could be… useful.
Stryker's voice crackled through the captain's earpiece, cold and commanding. "Bring him to me. I have questions. And don't forget the suppression collar."
The soldiers snapped into action, clamping a metallic collar around Sebastian's neck—designed to nullify mutant powers. They shoved him through the base's twisting halls, their grips bruising but unsteady, to a fortified chamber where Stryker waited.
Stryker studied Sebastian, his gaze dissecting, searching for weakness. "Whatever scheme you're plotting, you're my prisoner now. That collar strips your abilities. You're nothing but a ordinary human."
Sebastian's smile widened, unshaken, a predator toying with prey. "Are you Colonel Stryker?"
Stryker's brow creased, unease flickering beneath his composure. The mutant's demeanor was wrong—too relaxed, too confident for a collared prisoner. But the suppression device was secure; no mutant could defy it. "I'm Stryker. What do you want?"
"You," Sebastian said, his voice low, almost amused. "I came here for you."
Stryker scoffed, masking a twinge of doubt. "You've found me, but you're powerless. Just a man, now. What can you do to me?"
Sebastian's eyes glinted, a secret dancing in their depths. The collar might bind a mutant, but a wizard's magic was another matter entirely—and Stryker was about to learn the difference.