On what was once a picturesque island paradise, the ground was now a battlefield littered with corpses.
The Hellfire Club, originally vacationing on the island, had been ambushed by the pursuing Brotherhood of Mutants. Midway through the battle, the X-Men intervened, turning the fight into a chaotic two-on-one melee. Most of the fallen mutants were members of the Brotherhood—nameless, faceless cannon fodder whose deaths went unnoticed.
From the outset, Magneto had targeted Azazel, hoping to prevent his escape. Unfortunately, the demonic teleporter still managed to slip away. Thankfully, Sebastian Shaw, the Black King, was not so lucky. His capture was the primary objective; the others were secondary.
Facing Magneto's furious assault, the Black King had been forced to play his trump card, absorbing the full power of a nuclear warhead to withstand the attack. The sea around the island was now a graveyard of fish floating belly-up, killed by the aftershocks of the energy blast. The island itself had sunk several meters as Magneto ripped the metal from its very foundation, shaping it into a storm of deadly projectiles.
When Charles and the others arrived, they found the two main combatants at the center of the battlefield, both wearing psychic-shielding helmets, rendering Charles's telepathy useless. For a time, he could only direct the X-Men to engage the other members of the Hellfire Club.
Suddenly, a force field materialized out of thin air. Apocalypse and his followers had arrived.
The time for hiding was over. He was confident he could wipe out all three factions and declare to the world the dawn of a new age: the age of mutant rule.
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Alan was the first to speak. "You've all fallen into our trap! Lord Apocalypse is about to rule the world! Kneel now, beg to join, and I can guarantee you a standard eight-hour workday with weekends off! Plus, a generous benefits package and a take-home pay of three thousand dollars!"
"You're trying to overwork them. Put away your capitalist attitude," Wade sneered.
"Not convinced yet?" Alan declared righteously. "The benefits package includes heartbreak insurance, foot massage insurance, health insurance, massage insurance, special care insurance, a romantic love bonus, a devotion bonus, and a family planning bonus! The perks are amazing, so don't be greedy. After all, they're only giving their lives, while Lord Apocalypse is giving his money!"
"What exactly is special care insurance?" Wade asked, his voice serious.
"Some people have different preferences. We have to take care of all our special interest groups."
Enough, you two! We're in the middle of a battle! Take your comedy routine somewhere else!
"My dear Magik!" The moment Alan saw the blonde-haired, straight-banged figure, he abandoned Wade and sprinted across the battlefield to her side.
Having just dispatched an opponent, Illyana looked at him coldly. "Are we enemies now?"
"Don't be so serious. I've never been a fan of all this fighting and killing." Alan took Illyana's hand and led her to the edge of the battlefield.
"What are you doing?" Illyana yanked her hand away, a hint of killing intent in her eyes. "Why did you betray the school?"
"That's a strong word. I just switched jobs," Alan said earnestly. "It's tough to find a job these days. We have to think about our future. After all, being a superhero is a poor profession."
"Who has a future with you?" Illyana scoffed.
"Be stubborn all you want. Keep running away. It's my fault for spoiling you." Alan, a man for whom shame was a foreign concept, looked at Illyana with an expression of pure adoration.
Meanwhile, Apocalypse made the first move, aiding Magneto. The Black King was a major threat; his power ceiling was terrifyingly high. Having absorbed the energy of a nuclear blast, he could have easily obliterated Apocalypse.
The battle shifted to a three-on-one. The Black King unleashed terrifying waves of energy, holding his own against both Magneto and Apocalypse. The other members of the Hellfire Club, however, were no match for the combined forces and quickly surrendered.
A storm of sand and a crushing magnetic field converged, forming a massive tornado at the center of the battlefield. Blinding, brilliant flashes of fire flickered within the vortex.
"You press the attack to draw his attention. I have a plan," Apocalypse proposed.
"Fine!" Magneto agreed instantly. He manipulated the magnetic field with both hands, bombarding the Black King's fiery shield with a relentless storm of metallic sand.
At that moment, Apocalypse's eyes turned a milky white.
The Black King, focused on maintaining his defensive flames, suddenly noticed his helmet was disintegrating into sand.
"Damn it!" By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Within seconds, the psychic-shielding helmet crumbled to dust. Simultaneously, the Black King's body froze in place.
Charles, who had been providing support from the sidelines, finally seized his opportunity.
Instantly, the tornado subsided. Magneto withdrew his magnetic field and walked calmly towards his foe. He pulled out a coin he had kept with him for years.
"You gave this to me, a long time ago. Now, I'm returning it."
As he spoke, the coin, bearing the insignia of the Axis powers, slowly floated from his palm towards the Black King. Trapped by Charles's mind control, Shaw was aware of everything but unable to move. The coin passed through his forehead and out the back of his skull.
With his revenge finally complete, a look of profound release washed over Magneto's face.
With that, the Hellfire Club was finished. The remaining members watched their leader's demise, a shared sense of doom settling over them.
The war was over. All eyes turned to Apocalypse, Magneto, and Professor X. Though the battle had ended, a greater conflict was brewing. Charles had always known that Apocalypse was not a force for good.
"Magneto," Apocalypse said, his voice deep and resonant. "I helped you once. Will you help me?"
"How?" Magneto was clearly not ready to trust him completely. He would refuse any unreasonable request.
"We both wish to build a nation for mutants. The X-Men are the obstacle in our path. I need you to keep them occupied," Apocalypse stated bluntly. This was something the Brotherhood had been doing for years, their love-hate relationship with the X-Men a long and storied one.
Charles immediately interjected. "Erik, don't listen to him! He wants us to kill each other!"
But whether they escalated their conflict or not was not Apocalypse's true goal. From the very beginning, the Phoenix was the only one who needed to be dealt with.
"My dear Magik, excuse me for a moment."
Watching the three leaders posture and debate, Alan grew bored. He walked straight up to Jean Grey.
"You're the Phoenix, right?" Alan confirmed.
"Yes, I am." Jean recognized the madman who had toyed with her twice and shot him a cold look.
Pfft!
The next second, Jean's eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the syringe embedded in her arm.
"Feeling weak?" Alan said with a triumphant grin. "I've injected you with the neutralization serum. From now on, there will be no more Dark Phoenix crisis."
Every head on the battlefield turned towards them. The words "neutralization serum" sent a wave of shock through the crowd. To use such a vile thing…
Apocalypse couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
Charles remained calm, a grim look on his face. Perhaps this was for the best. Every time he had observed Jean's dark persona, he had felt a profound sense of terror.
Magneto just looked confused. Why would this lunatic inject the Phoenix? Did they have some kind of personal feud?
[Chapter Complete]
***
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