"Do you truly want to resurrect Charles?" Raven asked, her voice low.
Vincent nodded. "Charles's resurrection is a good thing for us. At the very least, we won't need to guard against his constant presence in the human psychic plane. With a physical body, he may not be able to wield his telepathy as effectively as he does now."
Flesh was the ultimate constraint.
A bodiless Charles was practically akin to the protagonist of Lucy—perhaps not as omnipotent, but dangerously close to becoming an omnipresent entity. If his spirit were ever corrupted, he would become a catastrophic enemy.
"Charles's genetic material needs to be provided by the Xavier School," Raven said, unsure. "Even then, entering the cloning field requires significant time, and success isn't guaranteed."
"Do your best. If it fails, that's Charles's fate. If he truly turns to evil, I'll kill him before he can act," Vincent said ruthlessly.
Raven fell silent. At least she didn't oppose it.
After bidding Raven farewell, Vincent returned directly to his villa.
Gwen was already waiting, wearing her black-and-white Ghost-Spider ballet suit as she burrowed under his covers.
"Honey, did you miss me?" Gwen's youthful face bloomed with fanatical adoration.
"Of course."
Vincent wasted no words. He reached out and tore the spider-suit apart. This was his favorite part.
...
At the Xavier School, Storm returned in silence. She hid everything that had happened at Oscorp Tower today, telling no one.
But the deserted school left her spirit in a trance, almost unable to hold on. Once a paradise for mutants, the school now faced immense external pressure following Professor X's death. Whether it could survive depended entirely on these few old comrades holding it together.
Now Iceman was missing—suspected to be captured by Apocalypse.
This was the primary reason for Storm's compromise. Find Apocalypse. Rescue Iceman.
But rescuing Iceman from Apocalypse would be incredibly difficult. Since Jean's disappearance, no one among the X-Men could rival Apocalypse's power. Even the remnant spirit of the Professor couldn't attack him directly.
Apocalypse was the strongest, most perfect mutant. His power had permeated human history.
"Ororo, your heart is heavy. Did Vincent Hall agree?"
Professor X's voice drifted into her ear.
"He will move against Apocalypse. Furthermore, he'll use cloning technology to create a new body for you, restoring you from your spiritual state." Storm smiled.
"That is good news. Why do I sense such worry in you?"
"Professor, the Ice Demon is too powerful. If we ever truly come into conflict with him, it will be our doom," Storm voiced her concern.
"Your worry won't affect his strength. If he truly becomes irredeemable, we will simply have to fight him with everything we have. But for now, the Ice Demon is a lesser threat than Apocalypse. He doesn't slaughter humans and has no interest in ruling ordinary people. Our worry is premature," Charles counseled.
"Then I must trouble you, Professor, to find Apocalypse. He's cunning and hides his tracks well. But now that he's captured Iceman, you should be able to locate Bobby!"
Storm still needed the Professor to find their enemy. With current technology, finding an Apocalypse who wished to remain hidden was nearly impossible.
"I will find him, but it takes time. If he detects me, everything will be wasted. Remember, Apocalypse possesses teleportation—he can shift to any corner of the Earth instantly," the Professor said seriously.
Storm nodded.
"Child, your abilities hold infinite potential. But you seem to understand them only superficially, failing to unleash your true power."
Inside an underground pyramid.
Apocalypse looked down at Iceman, who glared back with fury.
"I've heard of your deeds. I hadn't joined the X-Men back then, but if you think mere persuasion will make me join your organization, you're daydreaming," Bobby retorted fiercely.
"No, I don't intend to persuade you. I offer two paths: submit to me, and I will help you unleash your latent potential. Or, I will take your power, transfer my consciousness into your body, and seize it directly. But you are a mutant. If you follow me, I can be merciful."
Apocalypse looked down at Bobby with cold indifference.
Bobby's body was bound by power dampeners; he couldn't use any abilities.
"I am an X-Man. I am Bobby Drake. I will never submit to you." His heart was solid ice.
"A pity. I've observed the movements of all mutants for years. You were merely one candidate. Since you refuse my goodwill, I can only execute the enhancement plan."
"You're afraid of the Ice Demon's power? That's why you want my ability—to counter his freezing force?!" Bobby sneered.
"Child, you don't know the limits of your own power. Your frail body and primitive usage waste your infinite potential. I admit, I underestimated you children who wield natural forces. Any ability, pushed to its absolute limit, can destroy heaven and earth."
Red light flickered in Apocalypse's eyes.
"Cyclops?! Impossible!!!" Bobby cried out.
"Death is not the end, Robert!!!" Apocalypse smiled cruelly.
"Is this to deal with Jean?"
"The Phoenix Force is not of this Earth. Aside from the Battle of New York where I saw two Infinity Stones, nothing on Earth can rival the Phoenix!!!"
Apocalypse suppressed his voice, exposing his greater ambition. The secrets he knew exceeded most imaginations. He had glimpsed the power of the Stones and, with his ambition swelling, naturally set his sights on them.
Unfortunately, his identity was exposed. Returning to America was problematic. Based on his understanding of the Ice Demon, the moment he stepped onto U.S. soil, Vincent would strike. He would kill him at any cost.
Two kings cannot share a kingdom. They were both domineering figures who tolerated no threats to their lives.
Apocalypse knew his only advantage was his mastery of multiple abilities. Their combination gave him many methods. But having witnessed Vincent's freezing power, Apocalypse realized that if he were covered by that ice, he might be thoroughly killed.
The best way to counter ice was to become ice. To be completely immune.
"You will definitely be killed by the Ice Demon," Bobby said viciously. "You don't understand his power. He is the Ruler of Ice. Even if you take my power, you can't defeat him!"
Apocalypse shook his head. "Acquiring your ice power allows me to resist his freezing, preventing him from restricting me. As long as I am not restricted, my method of killing him will not be ice."
Apocalypse waved his hand.
Sand began to crawl over Bobby's body, binding him completely. A massive altar appeared in the center. No matter how Bobby struggled, he couldn't break free.
Energy flowed from Apocalypse's hand into Bobby. Soon, Iceman fell into a deep sleep.
"Finally, a new cycle begins."
The Twelve Apostles of Apocalypse guarded the critical entrance to the underground pyramid.
Apocalypse didn't hesitate. He immediately began the consciousness transfer. With each transfer, he carried over all previous abilities. He had no fear of his power diminishing.
Iceman sank into darkness.
A familiar voice woke him.
"Bobby, tell me your location."
"Professor? Is it really you?"
"No time. Tell us where you are immediately. Apocalypse has started the transfer. You must encase yourself in ice, protect yourself, and broadcast your location," Charles said urgently.
Suddenly, the psychic world turned purple. Terror spread.
"You? Charles... your power truly maddens me. You actually achieved spiritual immortality, omnipresence... this is the power I have dreamed of."
Apocalypse tried to climb the psychic ladder directly into Charles's mind. But a powerful force surged from the darkness.
A man in a suit walked out of the pitch-black psychic void, radiating sun-like power that illuminated Bobby's mind.
"You cannot stop me!"
Apocalypse erupted with power, shattering Bobby's psychic world and expelling both Charles and Vincent.
Vincent pushed Gwen aside and sat up in bed. He didn't wake her.
That brief contact with Apocalypse confirmed his enemy was troublesome.
Power wasn't just about quantity. At a certain bottleneck, it got stuck. Apocalypse was a Quasi-Skyfather level being. Because he possessed too many abilities, ordinary Skyfather beings might not defeat him.
"A pity about Iceman."
It was too late. Vincent shook his head helplessly. He had truly turned the Marvel plot upside down.
"Apocalypse is definitely in Africa."
"And to prevent telepaths from sensing Bobby, he added anti-psychic metal to his underground base."
"I only saw endless desert."
He hadn't found Bobby's true coordinates. He couldn't save him.
At the Xavier School, the X-Men gathered again, heading straight for the Cape of Good Hope. Though they hadn't found the prison, they had found clues.
Vincent set his mood aside. Someone like Apocalypse wouldn't be easily found if he wanted to hide.
His gaze turned to SHIELD.
After the Battle of New York, SHIELD underwent massive changes. Nick Fury had approved Project Insight.
"Project Insight... earlier than I expected."
Vincent's face grew serious.
Orbital weapons suspended in the sky. Input a list, and execute global assassination.
To achieve hegemony, Hydra would target elites worldwide who opposed them. Their ambition to rule the world hadn't changed. And Vincent was absolutely their primary target.
"It's extremely likely they'll use nuclear weapons against me."
Vincent mused. That was their only option.
He could dodge conventional nuclear strikes before they landed. But if a nuke dropped from orbit over New York at Mach 20, the detonation would occur in seconds.
Nick Fury wouldn't allow Hydra to put nukes in space. But Fury would soon realize: if he didn't kill Hydra now, Hydra would kill him. Once Fury died, no one could stop Project Insight.
Vincent didn't like the one-eyed man, but if Fury died, the game would become less fun.
"Strucker has taken the Mind Stone. Who knows when he'll create the Scarlet Witch..." Vincent muttered.
He needed to guide Wanda correctly, not let her rampage. Vision couldn't be allowed to exist. Ultron had to be destroyed in the cradle.
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