Chapter 71: Discovery of the Celestial Artifact
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Location: The Hidden Tomb, Beneath the Great Pyramid, Egypt
The air inside the ancient tomb was thick, heavy with the weight of time itself. Dust swirled in golden beams of light filtering through the cracks in the stone ceiling, illuminating the worn hieroglyphs that told stories long forgotten. The atmosphere was oppressive, as though the very walls whispered warnings in a language no human could understand.
But Baron Wolfgang von Strucker was not a man deterred by ghosts of the past.
He strode through the cavernous chamber with the confidence of a conqueror, his crisp Hydra coat untouched by the dust that clung to his subordinates. Around him, a battalion of Hydra scientists and heavily armed operatives worked frantically, their high-tech scanners pulsing with eerie blue light as they analyzed the monolithic structure before them.
A colossal stone obelisk, engraved with symbols far older than any Egyptian civilization, loomed at the heart of the chamber. Unlike the hieroglyphs on the walls, these markings pulsated faintly, like veins carrying the lifeblood of something ancient—something alive.
Dr. Alrich Meinhardt, Hydra's leading archeo-engineer, knelt before the obelisk, his gloved fingers brushing across the engraved surface. His breath hitched as his instruments crackled with raw energy.
"This... this is it," he whispered. "The Celestial Rebirth Codex."
Strucker's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "Finally."
For months, Hydra had scoured the deserts of Egypt, chasing rumors of an artifact that predated humanity itself. The Codex was said to contain the power to forge a new breed of superhumans—beings capable of bending reality, transcending mortality.
Gods among men.
And now, it was within Hydra's grasp.
"Begin extraction," Strucker ordered. "Carefully. We do not know how it—"
A tremor rattled through the chamber.
The Hydra soldiers stiffened, hands tightening around their weapons. Dust rained from the ceiling as the obelisk's pulsations grew erratic, the once-dormant symbols igniting in a cascading symphony of blue and violet light.
Then, the wailing began.
A low, guttural hum, ancient and resonant, reverberated through the tomb like the voice of something waking from an eternal slumber. The obelisk split, its stone shell fracturing, revealing a core of shifting, cosmic energy.
Meinhardt stumbled back, horror in his eyes. "It's... it's responding to us!"
"Step back!" Strucker barked, but it was too late.
A pulse of raw Celestial energy erupted outward, sending soldiers flying like ragdolls. The high-tech scanners exploded in showers of sparks, and the very fabric of the chamber seemed to distort as reality twisted around the artifact.
Then—
A shadow moved within the energy.
Not a mere echo of light or dust, but something alive.
The wailing crescendoed into a guttural roar.
From the heart of the obelisk, a figure emerged.
A towering, armored titan—his skin an ethereal blue, adorned in ancient gold and black armor that pulsed with divine power. His eyes, glowing with cold fire, surveyed the world he had once ruled.
Strucker's blood ran cold. He had studied the legends, the myths, the prophecies. He knew what he was looking at.
This was no ordinary artifact. No simple tool of evolution.
This was Apocalypse.
En Sabah Nur had awakened.
The titan exhaled, his breath shaking the room, his gaze sweeping across the Hydra forces like an emperor appraising his subjects.
Strucker forced himself to remain composed. He straightened his posture, adjusting his gloves before taking a single step forward.
"Lord Apocalypse," he said smoothly, voice unwavering despite the primal terror clawing at his instincts. "We have come to restore your dominion."
Apocalypse's gaze locked onto him—ancient, unreadable. "You awaken me from eternity..." His voice was both thunderous and whispering, reverberating across dimensions. "...And yet, you are but insects."
Strucker did not flinch. "Insects who control this world."
A pause. Then—a deep, rumbling chuckle.
Apocalypse extended a hand, and gravity itself warped. Dozens of Hydra soldiers were yanked off the ground, their bodies contorting in agony as an unseen force crushed their bones into dust. Their screams died instantly.
The titan lowered his hand. The bodies fell like discarded dolls.
Strucker's breath was steady, but a bead of sweat traced his temple. "Your strength is unquestionable, my lord. But even the strongest require allies."
Apocalypse tilted his head, intrigued. "You would offer me service?"
"A partnership," Strucker corrected. "Hydra commands the armies of man. We have technology, knowledge... influence. With your power and our reach, together we will create an empire where only the worthy remain."
Apocalypse considered him for a long moment. Then—he smiled.
"A bold proposition." His hand lifted again, and Strucker felt the air grow heavy, as though reality itself trembled at the titan's whim. "But tell me, mortal... are you worthy?"
The energy around Apocalypse surged. The chamber quaked as the stone walls disintegrated into dust, revealing the desert night sky beyond. The Great Pyramid trembled above them, sand spiraling into the air like a celestial storm.
Strucker stood firm. "Let me prove it."
A silence stretched between them—one of judgment.
Then, at last, Apocalypse nodded.
"Then rise, Wolfgang von Strucker. And let us remake this world... in my image."
The Age of Ascension had begun.
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To Be Continued...
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