It was now confirmed that the mysterious voice echoing inside Mr. Hedgehog's mind had come from Apocalypse himself. The ancient mutant had used his immense telepathic power to broadcast a message to every mutant across the world, calling them to gather in New York and form a massive mutant army.
Magneto's previous plan to attack New York had failed spectacularly, so this time Apocalypse had decided to take matters into his own hands. If mutants continued flooding into the city from every direction, New York would soon be completely defenseless.
When Coulson learned about the situation, he immediately called for an emergency meeting. The room quickly filled with anxious discussions as the remaining leaders tried to figure out how humanity could possibly respond to a threat on this scale.
After a long debate, Coulson finally made a decision.
Humanity would go to war.
Using every communication channel still available, Coulson began broadcasting messages across the world, calling on any remaining military forces and survivors to gather in New York. His goal was to assemble humanity's last defensive line and face Apocalypse's mutant army in a final battle.
Not long after the broadcast began, Coulson approached Jack again.
"Jack, you have to step in and help this time," he said, his tone sincere and pleading.
Jack's expression darkened slightly as he listened.
"Coulson, we came here to stop the war between humans and mutants," Jack said calmly. "But now you're trying to start the ultimate war."
Coulson looked helpless.
"Jack, we don't have a choice," he replied. "Apocalypse is gathering every mutant he can in New York. The city's defenses alone won't last even a few hours against that kind of force."
He took a breath before continuing.
"When that army arrives, everyone left in New York will become lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Once Apocalypse takes the city, he won't stop there. His army will move from one city to the next until every human settlement is wiped out."
Coulson's eyes hardened.
"The only way humanity has even a sliver of hope is by gathering every remaining fighter and facing them head-on."
Jack watched him silently for a moment before asking, "So what exactly do you want from me?"
Coulson's voice became serious.
"Jack, I want you to use your last trump card."
Jack's brows slowly knitted together.
"You mean… the mutated superheroes?"
Coulson nodded immediately.
"That's right. Use your time reversal spell and bring them all back. If we can resurrect the fallen heroes, we can rebuild the Avengers and fight Apocalypse's mutant army together."
Jack fell silent.
Coulson's logic wasn't completely wrong. In fact, it explained why so many people had supported the plan during the meeting.
But something about the entire situation still bothered Jack.
Apocalypse possessed a very unusual ability. He could grant superhuman powers to ordinary people, transforming them into mutants.
Logically speaking, if Apocalypse wanted to dominate the world, he could simply construct a massive signal amplifier and use it to convert humanity itself into mutants. With that power, he wouldn't need to wage a direct war at all.
So why gather mutants and attack cities instead?
And why was Coulson so determined to push the world toward this battle instead of trying to prevent it?
After sending Coulson away, Jack immediately found Wanda and Diana.
"It looks like we can't wait any longer," he said.
Diana immediately understood his meaning.
"You want to skip New York and go straight to Egypt to deal with Apocalypse?"
Jack nodded.
"To catch a thief, you capture the king first. If we eliminate Apocalypse, the entire war will collapse."
He paused and looked at Wanda.
"How are you feeling now?"
"My injuries are almost completely healed," Wanda replied confidently. "And I'm one hundred percent sure I can defeat Apocalypse."
However, she quickly frowned.
"But Egypt is his stronghold. Isn't it a bit reckless for just the three of us to go?"
Jack smiled faintly.
"That's why I called for reinforcements."
"Reinforcements?" Wanda asked, puzzled.
Diana's eyes lit up with excitement.
"You mean Superman and the others?"
Jack nodded.
"That's right. I already contacted Superman, Batman, and the Hulk. According to the timeline, they should already be waiting in Egypt."
He raised his hand and opened a teleportation portal.
"Let's go meet them."
…
Egypt.
A desert camp had been set up about ten kilometers away from Apocalypse's pyramid fortress.
Under the blazing sun, Dr. Banner sat inside a small tent wiping sweat from his forehead while staring at the two men standing outside in the heat.
"Hey," Banner called out, confused. "Aren't you two hot at all?"
Superman smiled casually.
"What heat?"
He shrugged lightly.
"I could stand on the surface of the sun and still be fine."
Banner blinked.
"…You're just bragging."
Batman calmly added, "My armor has an automatic temperature regulation system."
Banner sighed.
"Great. So I'm the only normal human suffering here."
At that moment, a teleportation portal opened nearby.
Jack stepped out first, followed by Diana and Wanda.
"Hold on a second!" Banner suddenly shouted as he jumped to his feet and ran over.
He grabbed Jack's arm urgently.
"Get me a chilled beer. I'm melting out here."
Jack turned around, opened another portal briefly, and returned with a bottle of ice-cold beer.
Banner grabbed it like it was treasure.
As he chugged it down, he sighed happily.
"Jack, this teleportation thing of yours is amazing. I wish I could do that."
Jack ignored the comment and turned toward Superman.
"What's the situation here?"
Superman's expression turned serious.
"Apocalypse has gathered more than two hundred mutants around the pyramid," he explained. "And it looks like they're preparing to activate a large-scale teleportation ability to send all of them to New York."
With teleportation-type mutants involved, transporting two hundred people across the world wouldn't be difficult.
Batman crossed his arms.
"So what's the plan?"
Jack glanced around before speaking.
"I need someone to clear a path so we can reach Apocalypse directly."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Banner.
Banner had just finished his beer and was sitting comfortably under the tent, letting out a satisfied burp.
"Banner," Jack called, holding up another cold beer.
Banner's eyes lit up instantly and he rushed over.
"Jack, you're a lifesaver."
He reached for the bottle happily.
"Don't mention it," Jack said with a smile. "Just run over there in a moment."
Banner suddenly felt uneasy.
"Wait… it's me again?"
Before he could react, Jack smashed the bottle against Banner's head.
The glass shattered with a sharp crack.
Cold beer poured down Banner's face, but it did nothing to cool the anger rapidly rising inside him.
Everyone nearby instinctively stepped back.
Banner's muscles began swelling as green skin burst through his shirt.
Jack pointed toward Apocalypse's fortress and shouted.
"Banner—charge!"
Banner's body expanded violently as the Hulk burst free.
Wanda stared in shock.
"Jack… how did you turn him back into the Hulk?"
Jack shrugged casually.
"No idea. Let's focus on the current problem first."
The Hulk suddenly swung his fist.
"Smack!"
Jack was sent flying several meters across the sand.
Diana quickly ran over and helped him up.
"Jack, are you okay?"
Jack rubbed his chin.
"I'm fine."
"Then why didn't you dodge?" Diana asked.
Jack laughed.
"If we don't let that big guy vent a little, he won't cooperate properly."
…
At Apocalypse's pyramid, Magneto stood on a raised platform addressing the gathered mutants.
More than two hundred mutants had already assembled beneath him.
Suddenly Mystique tapped his shoulder.
"Erik… look over there."
Magneto turned.
A massive green figure was charging straight toward them.
Mutants rushed forward to intercept, unleashing their powers.
But in front of the Hulk's overwhelming strength, their abilities were meaningless.
He smashed through the crowd like a living tank.
Mystique muttered under her breath.
"That guy looks like a green Juggernaut."
As if responding to the challenge, the real Juggernaut leaped off the platform.
"Let me handle him!"
He charged forward like a runaway locomotive.
The two giants collided head-on.
The Juggernaut was instantly sent flying.
Before he could recover, the Hulk was already on top of him, fists hammering down like meteors.
Mystique raised an eyebrow.
The Juggernaut had always dominated in pure strength, but recently he seemed to be losing badly.
First Jack knocked him out with a punch.
Now the Hulk was beating him senseless.
Seeing the situation, Magneto acted immediately.
He pulled metal fragments from deep beneath the desert sand.
A tiny metal projectile shot toward the Hulk at terrifying speed.
"Crack!"
The projectile struck the Hulk's head like a high-caliber bullet.
The Hulk collapsed to the ground.
The surrounding mutants held their breath.
Then the Hulk suddenly sat up again, rubbing his head as he roared angrily.
Magneto frowned.
"How is he still alive?"
He unleashed a storm of metal projectiles.
The bullets slammed into the Hulk one after another, eventually sticking to his body and completely encasing him.
Soon the Hulk was trapped inside a giant metal shell.
The mutants cheered.
But the metal shell suddenly trembled.
A massive green hand punched through it.
The Hulk ripped the metal apart and burst free.
Magneto's eyes widened slightly.
This monster's strength was beyond reason.
Without hesitation, Magneto lifted both hands and hurled the metal shell containing the Hulk high into space like a launched rocket.
…
Back at the desert camp, Wanda looked worried.
"I hope the green guy will be okay."
Superman shrugged.
"What could possibly happen to him?"
He had fought the Hulk before and knew just how ridiculous his durability was.
Moments later, a blazing green figure crashed down from the sky like a meteor.
The Hulk smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater.
Sand collapsed inward like quicksand, dragging several mutants down with it.
Then the Hulk leaped out of the pit and charged forward again.
Even Juggernaut's attempt to intercept him ended with a single punch sending him flying.
Magneto quickly lifted himself into the air on a metal platform.
The Hulk immediately jumped up in pursuit.
Metal pillars rained down toward him.
The Hulk smashed them apart with brute force.
Jack watched the chaos for a moment before opening another portal.
"Alright," he said. "Our turn."
He stepped through the portal with Diana and Wanda.
They appeared inside Apocalypse's throne chamber.
Apocalypse sat calmly on his throne like an ancient pharaoh while Mister Sinister stood beside him watching the outside battle through a floating mirror.
Sinister stepped forward with a cold laugh.
"A bunch of reckless fools. How dare you—"
He suddenly recognized Jack.
The rest of his sentence died in his throat.
Sinister slowly turned to look at Apocalypse.
"Useless creature," Apocalypse said coldly.
With a casual wave of his hand, he slammed Sinister against the wall.
Sinister instantly shut his eyes, slid down the wall, and collapsed onto the floor while pretending to be dead.
....
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