tal clanged, feathers shot out like arrows, flas surged, and arcs of violet light slashed through the air.
A relentless storm of attacks bombarded Apocalypse, sealing him entirely within his turtle shell. As soon as one attacker retreated, another stepped forward, ready to continue. If the sa thing happened again, they needed to be prepared to avoid being compromised and stop Apocalypse from seizing control once more.
The three surviving Horsen of Apocalypse had now completely turned against him. Whether the X-n could defeat Apocalypse or not, they were no longer willing to follow him.
Even the most loyal Molcarba had been instantly killed by Apocalypse simply because she'd been mind-controlled. The others had just barely brushed against death's edge themselves—they knew their fate if they kept following him.
If they wanted to survive, their only chance was to fight alongside the X-n and increase their odds of victory.
"Charles, we can't keep dragging this out!" Raven said anxiously. The sensation of brushing up against death monts ago had been too terrifying—she feared any slip might give Apocalypse a chance to break through again.
"But we have no other choice! It's a battle of endurance now!" Charles replied, equally tense. He watched the battlefield carefully, ready to use telepathy to enter Apocalypse's mind and interrupt his control—even if it ant risking being overpowered again.
"Charles! We can't hold on much longer!" said Sunfire, Shiro Yoshida, panting heavily.
Charles was well aware they were at their limits. Angel, Warren, no longer had the strength to regenerate his tallic feathers—his wings were nearly bare. Mimic, Calvin, had dropped out of his copying state, unable to maintain another's powers. Psylocke, Elizabeth, wielded energy blades that were growing dimr and weaker.
…
Only Erik still had the strength to fight, maintaining the magnetic blockade around Apocalypse. But… even Charles didn't know how much longer Erik—or Apocalypse—could last.
After thinking it over, Charles clenched his teeth and made a hard decision.
"Erik! Get ready to release him!"
"What?!" Everyone faltered for a mont, nearly disrupting the seal.
"I'm going into his mind!" Charles had made up his mind. It was their only chance—to kill Apocalypse in the ntal realm.
Apocalypse was simply too powerful, wielding countless abilities. If he could hold on this long, it likely ant he had so kind of super-regenerative powers. If this dragged on, they would definitely lose.
In the psychic world, it all ca down to who had stronger willpower and ntal strength. If Charles could pull him into that realm, Apocalypse's limitless powers could be sealed off. He had to take the gamble—on his willpower and ntal prowess.
"Charles! That's too dangerous!"
"Yeah! You almost got controlled by him last ti!"
"We still might—"
But Charles remained firm despite their protests.
"Do any of you have a better idea!?"
"But you—"
"Enough. I'm one of the X-n too. What you can do, I can do as well! Erik, follow my lead!"
"You sure about this?" Erik asked without turning his head.
"Trust !"
"…Alright." Erik nodded.
Charles locked eyes on Apocalypse within the shell, waiting. Then—he saw it. Apocalypse, previously motionless, gave the slightest twitch.
"Now!"
At Charles's command, Erik released his control—the tallic storm froze midair. In that instant, Charles entered Apocalypse's mind.
"Charles made it in! Erik, now's the ti!" Raven shouted, hoping they could finish Apocalypse while he was ntally restrained—but Erik stopped her.
"Don't! Charles's mind is in there. If we kill Apocalypse now, we can't be sure he'll make it back."
"Then what do we do?!" Raven cried, deeply worried. Even if her feelings for Charles had cooled, he was still the most important brother in her life.
"We trust him," Erik said through gritted teeth, surrounding Apocalypse with magnetic fields again, ready to trap him the mont Charles failed.
The others surrounded Charles. If Apocalypse took over his mind, they needed to restrain him imdiately.
Watching from the side, Mu shook his head.
"Sigh… too naive. Sure, he's gifted, but how can decades of ntal strength compare to centuries of experience…"
As he sighed, he channeled so of his own psychic energy to support Charles in secret.
…
Inside Apocalypse's psychic world, Charles faced him directly.
"You've made a mistake, Charles," Apocalypse sneered.
"Have I?" Charles didn't bother with talk. He rushed forward, fists raised. Though his physical combat skills were diocre, he had trained in basic techniques—enough to subdue soone.
But before his confident punch could even land, Apocalypse caught it easily in his palm.
Slowly, Apocalypse began to squeeze, twisting Charles's wrist. The pain forced Charles to his knees.
"How…" Charles grimaced as Apocalypse lood larger and larger before him.
"Fool. This is my mind. I'm the master here. Your ntal strength is impressive… but you've underestimated . I've lived for centuries—you think I wouldn't prepare for such an obvious vulnerability?"
With that, Apocalypse's massive right fist crashed down, slamming Charles into the ground.
"I am Apocalypse!"
Boom~
"I am your god!"
Boom~
"No one defies !"
Boom~
"All you traitors must die!"
Boom~
…
Every blow ca with a thunderous roar. Apocalypse vented his fury—ever since his awakening, everything had changed. The children of gods had beco criminals, slaves had beco masters. His return had not been t with worship, but hostility from the mutants he once saw as his people. The rage he felt was overwhelming.
He would take Charles's power, use it to cleanse the world, preserve only those loyal to him—and execute the rest. He would build a divine kingdom, ruled by him alone.
After countless strikes, Charles lay dazed on the ground. Apocalypse grabbed him like a ragdoll.
"I'll kill them, Charles. Everyone you care about. Then I'll take your body, use your powers to purify the world. You should be honored, Charles. You've played a key role in creating a perfect new world," Apocalypse mocked.
Slowly, Charles's consciousness returned. Glaring at Apocalypse, he raised his limp fist.
"You… won't… succeed!"
With that defiant shout, a mysterious force surged into Charles.
The slow, seemingly helpless punch slamd into Apocalypse's face.
Boom!
The sudden burst of power left a crater in Apocalypse's face and sent him flying.
Freed, Charles landed on the ground, confused, staring at his hands. Looking down, he realized—he could stand easily now.
"What is this…" Charles didn't know where the strength ca from—but he knew he could still fight.
"Round two begins now, Apocalypse!"
Charles charged forward. Despite being dwarfed by Apocalypse's massive size, the mysterious power gave him the upper hand in close combat.
"Damn it! What… What is this!?" Apocalypse roared, disbelief in his eyes. Charles should've been crushed! How had he suddenly beco so powerful?
"No! It's not just Charles! My powers… they're fading!" Apocalypse panicked. "Who is it!? Who's interfering!?"
"Looking sowhere else?!" Charles seized the distraction, landing another punch to Apocalypse's head and pinning him to the ground, raining down blows.
"Ahhh!! Charles!!"
"Shut. Up!!"
With each roar, Charles answered with fists. The flurry of punches ca faster and faster, so much that Apocalypse couldn't even speak.
With each strike, Apocalypse shrank, returning to his normal size. The punishnt now matched what he'd done to Charles earlier.
Finally, perhaps exhausted, Apocalypse stopped thinking. Charles stepped back, panting, then raised a ntal projection of a gun and aid it at Apocalypse's forehead.
"Honestly, I've never used one of these before. And I don't want to. But…"
Bang~
A bullet pierced Apocalypse's skull.
"…I couldn't risk you getting out. For the sake of the world, it's better you die."
With that, Charles vanished from Apocalypse's mind, leaving behind only a corpse.
As Charles disappeared, Apocalypse's ntal death triggered the collapse of his psychic world. It dissolved into void, with only the husk of Apocalypse's spirit remaining.
At that mont, Mu appeared. Disappointed, he shook his head. "Didn't think it through."
Then, turning to Apocalypse, he spread his arms wide.
"Stardust Spiral Strike."
Countless stars shimred, twisted, and spun behind Mu, forming a spiral that shredded Apocalypse's spirit into nothingness. Only after confirming it was completely destroyed did Mu nod and vanish.
And thus, nothing remained in the void of the psychic world.
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