Magneto wanted to subdue the remaining Four Horsemen of Apocalypse. Although the X-Men and the others could see his intention, they were powerless to stop him. The main reason was the absence of Professor X, without him, they lacked a guiding force.
As for Mr. Sinister, the remaining Horseman, he didn't even fully obey Apocalypse and was secretly plotting his own schemes. He certainly wasn't going to listen to Magneto.
In terms of strength, Magneto, who was still weakened, not yet fully unlocking the depths of his magnetic field powers, couldn't truly defeat him.
Even if Magneto couldn't overpower him, he couldn't recruit him either.
Compared to others who still held some form of mutant solidarity, Mr. Sinister had absolutely no allegiance to mutant-kind.
'Mutants? New humans? The future of mankind? None of that matters to me. Got a good ability? Great—you'll be today's lab experiment.'
Yet, at this moment, Mr. Sinister didn't flee. Instead, he sneered and said, "Don't forget, everyone... Apocalypse still has a trump card!"
A trump card? Shin and the group of mutants already on the pyramid exchanged confused looks. He truly couldn't imagine what Apocalypse could possibly have that could rival the Phoenix Force.
But soon, they didn't need to wonder anymore.
With a thunderous boom, the entire pyramid was split in half. Two immensely powerful forces surged from opposite ends of the structure, red light, and flame shooting skyward and clashing in the sky.
"What kind of monster-level mutant is this?" Shin muttered, dumbfounded. "The energy index is way off the charts!"
His Observation Haki was nearly useless, the overwhelming energy saturated the space, like trying to spot stars beside the sun. It was impossible to sense any ordinary life forms.
In his perception, only two massive energy vortexes collided. One of them was blazing and full of life, clearly the Phoenix Force. The other exuded chaos and mystery, bathed in a crimson glow.
There was no time to hesitate. Shin immediately manipulated the pyramid's debris, lifting everyone into the air. As they rose, the battlefield inside the pyramid became fully exposed.
Seven individuals stood within the ruins. Alongside the two Phoenix avatars and Apocalypse, Professor X was locked in a chamber whose roof had been blown apart.
Next to Professor X sat another man in a wheelchair, his head lolled to the side, reminiscent of Stephen Hawking. It was obvious to anyone that he was either paralyzed or mentally compromised.
Apocalypse, Professor X, the two Phoenix avatars, and this strange man made five. The last two, a man and a woman, were engaged in combat with the Phoenix girls.
Although both seemed to be fighting, only the crimson-dressed woman was actually attacking. The young man beside her? He was carrying her on his back while sprinting around at breakneck speed!
The woman, cloaked in scarlet with glowing red-tinted hair, waved her hand to release countless strange red lights, resisting the fiery Phoenix Force!
Even so, the Phoenix Force hosts held the advantage. Whenever the Phoenix flames broke through her defense, the young man would swiftly carry the woman away, dodging at supersonic speed.
From Shin's perspective, if he weren't carrying the red-clad woman, the man's speed would definitely surpass the sound barrier.
Witnessing the pair's astonishing abilities, Shin was struck by a realization and turned to Magneto.
Magneto glanced at him, confused. "What's going on?"
Shin shook his head. "Have you ever seen those two before?"
The X-Men and the Brotherhood were just as puzzled. Shin opened his mouth to explain but then hesitated. How was he supposed to explain this to Erik?
The two individuals below were none other than Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. But Shin only knew their aliases. What were their full names again? He vaguely remembered Scarlet Witch was named Wanda, but her surname? Gone. And Quicksilver? Also forgotten.
In the comics, these two were supposedly Magneto's children. But with Scarlet Witch's convoluted origin stories, it was impossible to be certain. Especially in this world.
Magneto had been... active in his youth. The number of illegitimate children he had was unknown. Unless they took a DNA test, Shin couldn't confirm whether they were actually his kids.
Still, the pieces were falling into place, and Apocalypse's backup plan had been unveiled. The real surprise was how Apocalypse had even discovered Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
Just like how Jean Grey was connected to the multiversal Phoenix Force, Scarlet Witch's Chaos Force was also multiverse-tier. However, this power had a known source—it seemed to have been bestowed upon her by an entity named Chthon.
In theory, Chaos Force was slightly inferior to the Phoenix Force. But they were close in scale, and within a single universe, that difference barely mattered, both had destructive potential beyond comprehension.
However, unlike the Phoenix, which was morally neutral and difficult to control early on but easier later, the Chaos Force was darker by nature.
The Phoenix Force was like a trial by fire, once mastered, it became a steady stream of power. The Chaos Force was the opposite. Though initially gentle, it was incredibly difficult to control or unleash at full strength.
Only under intense emotional stimulation could Chaos Force truly erupt, but that also increased the risk of total corruption.
With his power, Apocalypse could easily capture Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver before they awakened their full potential. But how had he managed to control Scarlet Witch?
And more puzzling, how was she managing to hold her own against a Phoenix avatar? Even if she had the Chaos Force, without emotional stimulation, she shouldn't be able to fight at this level.
But now? Despite being at a disadvantage, Scarlet Witch was trading blows evenly. Was she fully in control of her power? Or had her emotions been pushed to the edge?
Shin, who had only dabbled in Marvel lore, was baffled. The rest of the mutants were even more confused.
Finally, Magneto turned to Emma Frost, the White Queen, and asked bluntly, "Is this the trump card Apocalypse left behind? Where the hell did he find those two?"
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