At that moment, Shin felt a chill run down his spine and heard the sinister voice of Apocalypse behind him.
"What a perfect opportunity! I must thank the host of the Phoenix."
A bloodied hand pierced through Shin's chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body going limp.
Because of the Phoenix Force surging chaotically within him, Shin was unable to activate his elemental form. His Observation Haki also failed under the disruption, leaving him vulnerable to Apocalypse's sneak attack.
"Heh… you're celebrating too soon." Though his life force was rapidly fading, Shin still managed a weak sneer. Even with a gaping hole in his chest, his vitality was strong enough to last a few more minutes.
Besides, dying wasn't new to him... Shin had died before.
In this dying state, Shin didn't hesitate. He gathered all his chakra and forcibly triggered his elemental transformation. In an instant, he turned into a volatile mass of lightning and fire. The Phoenix Force within him ignited uncontrollably, culminating in a violent explosion.
With a shriek, Apocalypse, his body half-destroyed, barely managed to flee. Even with his energy-absorbing ability, he suffered severe injuries from Shin's self-destructive attack.
Fortunately for him, Apocalypse also possessed molecular reconstruction powers, so the injury wasn't fatal. However, the two Jean Greys, no longer restrained by Scarlet Witch, had already rushed over their faces twisted in grief and rage.
At that point, Apocalypse could no longer afford to worry about his empire or Professor X's body. He immediately activated his teleportation power and escaped in haste.
"I'm sorry! This is all our fault!" The two Jean Greys fell to their knees in anguish. In their eyes, Shin had only been grievously wounded because of them and Apocalypse had seized that moment to strike a killing blow.
Wolverine, who had been blasted far away by Shin's explosion, finally regained consciousness. As he tried to rise, his body had already recovered more than halfway.
"Don't blame yourselves, Jean… you meant well." Seeing the sorrow on their faces, Wolverine quickly tried to comfort them, then froze as a faint light flickered.
Shin, whose body had been blown to ashes, began to reform resurrecting before their eyes.
What the hell? He can just come back from that? Wolverine was stunned. The guy had literally turned to ashes.
Even with Wolverine's own legendary healing factor, this kind of recovery made him feel utterly insignificant.
"Oh thank God!.. you're alive!" both Jean Greys gasped, pressing hands to their chests in relief.
Shin, now fully reformed, looked around. Apocalypse was gone. Quicksilver had also vanished, having escaped with Scarlet Witch on his back.
While the Great Illusionist's powers were formidable, they weren't limitless. Distance reduced their effectiveness, especially against a high-energy being like the Scarlet Witch. It was likely she'd regain her senses soon.
The pyramid had been blasted to rubble. Mr. Sinister had been captured by Shin. Psylocke had escaped. The White Queen defected on the spot. Arclight lay on the ground, electrocuted and charred. The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse were officially dismantled.
As for the X-Men, Cyclops was the only one still lying on the ground half-dead from the lightning strike. Storm had avoided the brunt of the attack with her powers. The younger reserve members of the X-Men had taken hits, but all survived. They were elites after all none had truly died.
Magneto had protected the Brotherhood with his magnetic field.
Professor X and the Great Illusionist, who were both frail and immobile, had been saved by Jean Grey's intervention. Miraculously, they were completely unharmed.
In the end, Cyclops was the only one seriously injured.
Realizing Shin was alive, Jean Grey rushed to check on Cyclops. Thankfully, Storm had shielded him to some extent, and his injuries, while severe, weren't beyond repair.
At Jean Grey's current level of Phoenix mastery, resurrection was difficult but restoring someone on the brink of death was manageable.
The two Jean Greys released the Phoenix Force simultaneously, surrounding Cyclops in golden fire. Within moments, he stirred, reborn from the ashes, fully healed.
Later, the X-Men and Magneto helped rouse Professor X. This time, the Phoenix Force wasn't especially effective but Shin's medical ninjutsu proved invaluable. With a single wound-extraction jutsu, the old man regained consciousness.
As for the Great Illusionist, Jean Grey restored his mind with a wave of her hand. Sadly, while his body returned to normal, his memories did not. Mentally, he was now like a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Meanwhile, the collateral damage was staggering. A large number of mutants and civilians in Cairo had died or been severely injured during the battle.
Ironically, the Brotherhood and the X-Men had joined forces to fight Apocalypse and his Horsemen and after all the chaos, none of the main combatants died. But many weak mutants and ordinary onlookers had perished.
Jean Grey, ever compassionate, managed to revive nearly everyone still clinging to life, including some fanatics who had worshipped Apocalypse.
The weaker the mutant, the more devoted they had been to Apocalypse. But for someone like him, who judged mutant worth strictly by power, these worshippers were of no use.
Magneto's Brotherhood, on the other hand, took in many of these rescued mutants. Thanks to Apocalypse's enhancements, most now had abilities well above the average human. They met the Brotherhood's standards and their anti-human sentiments made them ideologically compatible.
Even Professor X didn't object. At least with the Brotherhood protecting these unlucky mutants, they had a unified front. Few dared to provoke them now, not even the government.
Professor X's own Xavier Institute could only take in a limited number of teachers and students. This limitation had always been an unspoken agreement with the U.S. government.
After all, if Professor X had thousands of mutants under his wing, the powers that be wouldn't sleep easy.
Notably, after recovering, both Arclight and the White Queen also joined the Brotherhood. Though judging by the White Queen's demeanor, it was probably just a temporary move to repay Magneto for saving her.
Regardless, Apocalypse had fallen, and Magneto's faction had grown considerably. The Brotherhood's ranks had swelled, and Magneto was now even considering founding a mutant nation.
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