"ROAR—!"
A single roar shook the world.
The enlarged Apocalypse, resembling a blue demon god, stomped down.
Piloting the massive Anti-Frieza armor, Tony desperately held up Apocalypse's foot.
Sizzle... Sizzle—
The Vibranium armor groaned under the unbearable strain.
The energy shield was already covered in cracks under the dual pressure of Apocalypse's terrifying brute strength and telekinesis.
"Is this all you've got, Stark?"
Apocalypse roared with laughter, applying more force with both hands. "Compared to my power, your technology is like a child's toy!"
Boom!
Tony was kicked away, crashing deep into the ruins.
Elsewhere.
Erik hovered in mid-air. Although he had just taken a beating from Tony, he was now displaying the terrifying dominance of an Omega-level mutant.
Countless steel bars and metal structures danced like noodles in his hands, forming a massive metal cage, pinning the struggling Hulk firmly to the ground.
"ROAR! Let Hulk go!"
Hulk struggled wildly, but for every steel bar he broke, ten new ones replaced it.
Scott was firing relentlessly, his red lasers sweeping the battlefield. But Sebastian was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much energy hit him, it only made him stronger.
"Delicious! So delicious!"
Sebastian laughed, sending a counter-energy wave that blasted both Scott and Susan away.
Peter was jumping and weaving through the air. But Felicia, was like his nemesis. Her sharp claws always managed to sever his webs at crucial moments, leaving several scratches on his red and blue suit.
"Damn it... why are you so persistent!" Peter grumbled.
On the other side, Steve was breathing heavily.
Watching the constantly retreating battle lines, his heart was filled with despair.
Just then—
Zzzzt—!
Space shattered like a mirror.
The Ancient One finally made her move. She formed a hand sign, and countless golden sparks constructed a massive Mirror Dimension in the air, encompassing the rampaging giant, Apocalypse.
"Come in, freak."
The Ancient One said, her expression serious as she maintained the Mirror Dimension.
With the greatest threat, Apocalypse, removed, Tony finally climbed out of the ruins.
"Capsicle! Cover me!"
Tony roared, his thrusters at full power, locking all weapon systems onto Erik.
"Old man! This time, I'm taking off your helmet!"
However, before Tony could reach Erik—
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two red figures suddenly appeared behind the X-Men.
Azazel, holding Nightcrawler, used his teleportation ability, to cut directly into the defensive perimeter of Jean and Susan.
"Look out!" Charles shouted.
Ohm!
A powerful psychic wave instantly erupted, freezing Azazel just as he prepared to swing his blade.
Simultaneously, Loki and Curt also sprang from the shadows, two daggers aimed straight for the back of Charles's heart.
"Get lost!"
Jean's eyes flared with a residual burst of Phoenix Force, blasting the two attackers away.
The battlefield fell into a momentary stalemate.
Erik recalled the metal scattered across the sky. He forged it into a steel wall in front of him to block Tony's relentless bombardment.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Each repulsor blast that hit it sent Erik's blood churning.
He glanced at Hulk nearby, who was roaring frantically and about to break free of his restraints.
Erik knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
Should he call Master for help?
No!
Erik glanced at the cold figure hovering high above.
If they had to bother him with such a minor matter, what was the point of the Frieza Force's existence?
Useless subordinates had no value.
Thinking this, a fierce glint flashed in Erik's eyes.
He stopped attacking and suddenly turned around.
He looked at his old friend in the wheelchair who was struggling to maintain control of the situation.
"Charles!"
Erik's voice cut clearly through the chaotic battlefield.
"Are you really going to risk your life for these humans? These people who constantly want to lock us in labs and inject us with cures?!"
Charles pressed his fingers against his temples, not answering, his eyes filled with pain.
"Look at them!"
He pointed at the corpse of Brock on the ground, then at the Hydra agents.
"This is the true nature of humanity! Greed, betrayal, weakness!"
"But Lord Frieza..."
Erik looked up at the sky, a trace of fanatic worship in his eyes.
"He may be ruthless, but he is fair!"
"In his eyes, there is no difference between mutants and humans, because everyone is an ant!"
"But he promised that as long as we prove our worth, as long as we are loyal, he will grant us the status we deserve!"
"Even a planet belonging to us mutants!"
"Bullshit!"
Johnny, sitting on the ground clutching a leg injury, cursed loudly.
"Only an idiot would believe that demon's lies! He's going to kill us all!"
"Silence, fire boy!"
Erik waved his hand, and a steel bar instantly sealed Johnny's mouth shut.
He continued to stare at Charles, his voice laced with temptation. "Charles, think carefully."
"If the Avengers win..."
"That's impossible but even if they win, will the government treat us like heroes?"
"No! They will only fear our power even more, and then stab us in the back!"
"Sentinel robots, cures, concentration camps... this is the future humanity has prepared for us."
These words pierced the heart of every mutant like a poisonous barb.
Jean's hand trembled, she remembered the fear of being ostracized by neighbors as a child.
Ororo bit her lip, recalling the days she was hunted as a witch in Africa.
Even Logan, who was locked in close combat with Juggernaut, hesitated for a moment and was punched away.
"This is reality!" Erik roared.
Charles finally spoke, his voice gentle but laced with deep exhaustion and accusation.
"Erik, I will ask you one last time."
"What benefit did Frieza give you?"
"That a proud man like you would willingly abandon all dignity and become his groveling dog?"
"Dignity?"
Erik laughed, a sound full of bitter sarcasm.
"Charles, you are too naive. Being a dog for a powerhouse who can crush planets with a flick of his wrist, or being a babysitter for a group of weaklings who constantly want you dead."
"Which one is truly more undignified?"
"Lord Frieza promised that as he conquers more planets in the future, we will have a planet belonging to mutants. I will be the planetary governor. You will be the deputy governor."
"There, there will be no discrimination, no persecution, only the freedom that belongs to us."
"For that future..."
Erik spread his arms wide, the metal storm behind him raging.
"What does it matter if I have to be a dog?!"
This sentence struck Charles's heart like a heavy hammer.
A mutant planet... a future without discrimination...
Charles looked at the children around him, who were fighting but whose eyes were filled with confusion.
His eyelid twitched slightly.
It was a sign that his conviction was wavering.