'Fuck you ...'
Before the Phoenix disappeared, Luke vaguely felt a telepathic wave of anger.
He smiled and shook his head; he must have been hearing things.
Despite hardships, Phoenix Force crossed the starry sky and came to Earth to save the people of Las Vegas from danger!
It had such a fearless spirit; how could it possibly swear!
This obviously didn't make sense.
'Maybe, it said, "Thank you for the opportunity."
Luke nodded his head.
Phoenix Force came to the Earth, passing through the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere, causing inevitable catastrophes along the way.
Now he gave it a chance to save hundreds of thousands of innocent lives and thus completed its redemption.
He thought that the Phoenix would surely be grateful!
A perfectly logical trail of thought!
'I am really a kind person. '
Luke showed a satisfied smile.
He not only indirectly saved Las Vegas but also prevented a crisis.
Incidentally, letting the guilty Phoenix successfully redeem itself!
It felt good to be a good person!
"What are these?"
Luke was about to fly to Hotel Inferno and leave the task of cleaning up the mess to Captain America.
He consumed so much that he had to bask in the sun for several days before he could recover.
The skin and flesh of his arm, which were burnt to the bone, was growing back.
The tattered suit was gradually restored to its original state.
As soon as the Phoenix disappeared, a cloud of sparks suddenly appeared.
They were between illusion and substance as if they were transparent crystals.
In the time it took Luke to observe, several pieces scattered and disappeared or flew away as streams of light.
"Fragments of..."
He grabbed a few pieces with a quick glance, and then there was a warm, soft feeling.
On closer inspection, there were flame-like patterns flickering and flowing within.
'It's like eating a Super-pill. '
Luke tried to absorb one,
He's in good shape anyway, and there's nothing wrong with him.
Like flaming crystals, the fragments were transformed into ripples of power that were incorporated into his body.
Luke felt a wave of pleasure spreading from his tailbone all the way to his brain.
The energy that would have taken days to recover in the sun was instantly recharged like a game character drinking a healing potion, instant full health.
Beyond that, he tracked the fragment of Phoenix Force.
He vaguely 'looked' into the endless pure white space, in which there was a huge cocoon.
Countless energy threads were wrapped around it, interweaving with shining light.
This was the real 'Phoenix Force'.
It was the embodiment of a concept.
It wouldn't die.
It wouldn't disappear.
Even if it had been seriously injured by the Iron Fist, it could reconstruct itself.
Even if it were hit by Apocalypse's suicide bomb, at most, it would just go back to the 'White Hot Room' to recuperate and sleep.
"Actually, it just strengthened a little bit of physical strength, with no obvious increase."
Luke said with some disappointment as he withdrew his gaze.
This wasn't in line with his expectations. The gap was relatively large.
The Phoenix Force was one of the three ancient powers of the Marvel Universe and was one of the most powerful plug-ins in the universe.
Jean Grey got a fragment, became the host, and directly became an omega mutant.
She beat Professor X and Magneto and almost destroyed the world when she went to the dark side.
'It didn't seem to do much for me, except for a few seconds of pleasure.'
Luke grabbed the remaining pieces and planned to give them to White Queen to see if she could become a famous 'Phoenix Host'.
The Phoenix Force seemed to be particularly fond of mutants. In the comics, except for Captain Marvel and Thanes, son of Thanos, the other hosts were talented mutants.
If it was given to Captain America or Howard, there was a high probability that it wouldn't have much effect.
With this in mind, Luke's interest in the Phoenix Force faded.
It belonged to the kind of power that had a high upper limit but was difficult to raise.
The Phoenix Force, in its full state, was a multiverse class entity.
Restart the universe, or destroy it, face off against the Living Tribunal and take on the five deities.
But the complete Phoenix Force, like a sated Galactus, was a pseudo-concept.
There was no such thing!
The Phoenix Force's main body wanders the universe in search of a host.
The rest stay in the White Hot Room, channeling the emotions and spirit of cosmic life.
The most powerful of all hosts, Jean Grey, had never come close to completing its form.
No matter whether it was the Dark Phoenix or the White Phoenix form, it only reached an all-father level.
'Instead of going through the hassle of collecting the Phoenix Force, it's better to brush up on your reputation.'
Luke gave up the idea of being a host when he realized that there was no direct ratio between pay and gain.
Of course, the main thing was that he didn't know if the Phoenix would retain its previous memories when it was reborn.
If he kept it, then there was a possibility that it would beat him to death.
"Where's the firebird?"
When Luke flew to Hotel Inferno, it was all over.
Howard finally put his mind at ease and started asking questions like a curious toddler.
"It completed its heroic mission to save the innocent citizens of Las Vegas and returned to its home."
Luke leaned into the executive seat reserved for Mephisto and completely reclined.
He seemed to have kept Apocalypse at bay, but it took a bit of effort to really tackle the mutant god.
'Clearly, I am a pacifist, so why should I be forced to do anything? '
Luke shook his head and sighed. As everyone knew, he didn't like violence.
Only when he was forced to do would so he use his fists to reason with someone.
"Work with the municipal government to clean up the mess. The task of counting the losses will be left to you, Steve."
Luke left all that tedious work to Captain America, the only one fit for the job.
"It looks like tonight's bachelor party is a bust."
Howard was a bit disappointed. He had a lot of excitement in store for Steve.
It was guaranteed to be a new experience that Captain America had never tried before!
"I don't mind that, but should we postpone the wedding? I can't guarantee that I'll be able to handle everything in Las Vegas in such a short time!"
Steve was the spiritual embodiment of the American soldier, with a very high sense of awareness.
In order to restore order to the locals of Las Vegas, he offered to postpone his own wedding.
If this conversation had been broadcast live, many people would have been 'touched' by it.
"That's not necessary. A team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents will be here tomorrow."
Luke didn't want to spoil Captain America's wedding date. He was looking forward to seeing the Winter Soldier swallow this bitter wine.
"I don't think we'll be able to throw a bachelor party, so I'll go back to Brooklyn and make up for it."
Howard heard this and winked at Luke. He had an appointment with the succubus tonight.
"However, Hotel Inferno can hold a charity party, with the main theme of 'Raising Money to Rebuild Las Vegas', with Howard as the initiator and leader of the donors."
In order to give Howard, the pervert, a taste of what it's like to be drained, Luke turned and added these words.
He also gave Mephisto a knowing look.
The old devil nodded quietly, indicating that he would suggest that the succubus should intensify her efforts.
After the important things were settled, Luke looked for a room to lie down.
Before he fell asleep, he folded his hands and whispered, "I hope that Howard's okay."
'I don't think it would kill anyone ... right?
'Probably.'
...
...
On the peaks of the California mountains, the mutants, who were too afraid to move about, waited for Apocalypse to return.
"The Great God ... has fallen!?"
It wasn't until the sun was setting that Caliban, who could sense his compatriots, suddenly fell to his knees with a shocked look on his face.
He couldn't accept that the legendary mutant god would fail and die!
"What?! This can't be!"
Some people were reluctant to believe it.
"Apocalypse fell?!!"
Apocalypse has fallen!
"Then should we break up? You go back to your Cairo, and I'll go back to my Berlin?"
It was Erik, the teenager, who finally made the suggestion to break up the group.
His feelings for Apocalypse weren't deep, and he didn't regard him as a god-like the others.
Although Erik thought that the Black King Sebastian Shaw was the nightmare that tormented his life.
But it must be admitted that, while he hated the other party with a passion, he also absorbed some of his ideas and concepts.
Worshiping a god was something that only the foolish, the backward, and the weak do.
All Erik could think about was how to have power comparable to that of the gods!
And how to use this power to change the world!
After he escaped from Auschwitz, he wandered from place to place, living at the bottom of the social ladder.
This child who hadn't become Magneto yet had seen the sufferings of too many compatriots and experienced too many wicked things under human hands.
"You would betray the Great God! The Great Apocalypse!?"
Caliban turned his head and stared at Erik, who was trying to slip away. His eyes were fierce.
He wasn't loyal to Apocalypse, but he never thought of betrayal.
First, the news was too sudden, and Caliban had some doubts about his judgment.
Second, these mutants who got together through Apocalypse were undoubtedly a valuable asset.
Caliban worked as a black-market businessman, dealing with local warlords and private militants in Egypt.
He was well aware of the need to gather a group of fighters and build up a force.
Therefore, it was impossible to let his fellow mutants leave so easily.
"You said, Apocalypse has fallen. It's useless for us to stay here. It's better for us to go our separate ways."
Erik's youthful face revealed a hint of seriousness.
"Oh, where can you go? No passport, no cash, no driver's license, nothing that can prove your identity and lead a normal life. You have nothing."
Caliban smiled soberly and sent out a series of questions.
They traveled across the country and across the states, all using Apocalypse's ultra-long-range spatial transmission.
With the loss of Apocalypse, the mutants were left without support and were at a loss as to what to do.
"We need to confirm the news of the fall of the Great God, Apocalypse, and then think of other ways."
Caliban deliberately excluded Erik and isolated him.
"As for cash and identification, I used to do business in this area, so I can handle it."
With the above necessities, Caliban easily became the leader of the mutants.
Erik, on the other hand, was ignored because he was too young, and his words had no weight.
In desperation, he could only follow the majority.
A flash of light pierced the clouds from over Nevada.
The fragment, like a flame crystal, seemed to have found its target.
It flew down and into Erik's body.
The latter simply rubbed his neck, feeling a little hot, not knowing what was going on.
This scene happened all over the world!
For example, in the Mutant Academy in Westchester County.
Another example was in the deep-sea prison of Atlantis, where a pale young man was paralyzed in bed.
The Phoenix Force was scattered, but its hosts began to appear.