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Tang Lin was lying there, upgrading. His Stone-man's Heart skill, hailing from the Magic Ring world, seemed to have been stimulated by this world filled with various superpowers, physics laws being warped repeatedly, and began undergoing unusual changes.
When the progress bar reached 100%, this skill would either evolve to lv2 or mutate into another special ability.
However, the final 1% seemed to lack some sort of trigger and remained incomplete.
Tang Lin fell into a deep sleep, while Magneto was busy as ever. His threats to the German military led to his status as a fugitive being known worldwide in Berlin. Years ago, Magneto attacked congressmen and several dignitaries in America and was classified as a world-class terrorist.
With such a commotion, it instantly became headline news.
But the first to approach wasn't those human armies humiliated by Magneto; they weren't foolish. They knew that Magneto's power wasn't something conventional weaponry could deal with and were working on other methods to counteract him.
The first person to attempt to stop Magneto was his best friend and lifelong adversary, Professor X.
Professor X, as the world's strongest telepath, could, through machine enhancement, connect to the mind of any human or mutant worldwide. Now, without the helmet blocking his mental waves, Magneto's mind was immediately invaded by Professor X.
"Erik, my dear friend, sorry I'm late," Professor X's voice resonated in Magneto's mind.
"Charles, this has nothing to do with you," Magneto responded angrily.
"Don't be like that, Erik. I can feel your inner turmoil. I know what you've lost, but this isn't the right way forward," Professor X pleaded earnestly.
"Do you think invading my mind makes you empathize with me?" Magneto retorted with a cold laugh.
This so-called old friend only appeared when he lost everything, spewing life lessons, and yet he always ended up forgiving him. But not this time. This time, he would not be swayed by this person.
"Erik, I understand you. You have other options. You don't need to be at odds with the entire world," Professor X persistently tried to persuade him, hoping to avoid taking control of Magneto's mind against his will.
"Of course I do, as you've already seen, haven't you?" Magneto said.
Professor X delved deeper into Magneto's memory and saw a Giant, the kind that only existed in myth.
"Resurrect the dead?! How is that possible, Erik? You're making a deal with a Demon," Professor X exclaimed in shock.
Tang Lin's mummy-like appearance was indeed deceptive. Even Professor X's first reaction was Evil God, a demonic presence from Hell. What, you're telling me those burns led to this bandaged state? Who would believe that?!
"Whether Demons or Gods, as long as they can bring my family back, it doesn't matter. Charles, if you try to stop me, I will kill you! Now, get out of my head!"
Magneto's roar made Professor X realize his old friend's determination, so he temporarily severed the psychic connection with Magneto. Until the last moment, Professor X didn't want to push Magneto into a killing spree.
Professor X attempted to use his telepathic abilities to connect with the Giant by Magneto, aiming to discern the Giant's origin and purpose. If this really was an Evil God, Professor X would exert his full strength to eradicate this Evil God and prevent his old friend from treading a path of ruin.
Employing the Brain Wave Enhancer to search, even from New York, America, Professor X could easily pinpoint Tang Lin's location. But when he tried to invade Tang Lin's thoughts, he discovered an astonishingly immense spiritual power.
This spiritual power seemed to be the concentrated will of hundreds of thousands of people, solid as a dam, blocking all psychic invasions from Professor X. Perhaps a bit more effort might breach this mental defense, but Professor X refrained. Such an action would equate to a direct attack, surely alerting the mummy Giant.
Initiating an attack without being sure of total control could cause the Giant to go berserk, leading to massive human casualties in Berlin.
Before Professor X could devise a safer strategy, a purple glow emerged around Magneto. Like a purple energy shield, it suddenly appeared in front of Magneto and then slowly dissipated.
When the glow faded, four mutants stood before Magneto.
One mutant, resembling a purple yam spirit, led three subordinates—two women and a man.
This yam-like mutant was clearly Apocalypse, recently awakened from Cairo. Upon discovering humans ruled the world and mutants were relegated to subordinates, he couldn't accept it. Thus, he began recruiting powerful mutants as his subordinates, aiming to conquer the world once more.
At his side, the three mutants were Storm Goddess, Ling Die, and Angel.
Their talents were outstanding, yet still inadequate compared to his goal of world domination. So, Apocalypse sought Magneto, desiring this powerful mutant to join his ranks.
The moment Magneto saw them, a heightened sense of vigilance arose within him.
"Who are you? Here to save these humans?" Magneto asked, gesturing towards the imprisoned soldiers.
Apocalypse didn't glance at the humans, replying to Magneto in a benevolent father-like tone, "I am here for you, my child."
"For me?"
Apocalypse disregarded Magneto's hostility, "Indeed, this world was once on the right path. But humans betrayed me, plunging it into this sordid existence. My child, join me, and together we shall purify this world."
"Can you bring my family back to life?" Magneto asked.
"Resurrect the dead?" Apocalypse was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Magneto to request this. He had no such power, but couldn't show it, so he diverted the conversation: "My child, that's not the right thing. Between life and death..."
"So you can't do it, huh?" Magneto interrupted Apocalypse, saying, "Then I won't join you. Get lost!"
"Hehe, my child, it's because you don't yet know what I can offer you," Apocalypse replied confidently.
Among Apocalypse's numerous abilities, one was greatly enhancing other mutants' superpowers.
Originally, Storm Goddess could only kick up some sand to blur vision, but now she could summon thunder and drastically alter the weather; Angel's one burnt wing had regrown four new Steel Wings under Apocalypse's enhancement; as for Ling Die, his Spiritual Light Blade was significantly strengthened, able to easily slice through reinforced concrete.
Apocalypse set his sights on Magneto because, once enhanced, he'd have the power to alter the Earth's entire magnetic field, capable of annihilating Earthly civilization and reconstructing a mutant regime.
Apocalypse raised his hand, intending to apply his enhancement ability on Magneto, subduing him with power. Magneto was acutely wary of him, having been ready for combat from the start. Apocalypse's hand gesture seemed all too familiar to Magneto. He thought, "You think I don't know what you're doing?!"
Dozens of metal fragments flew from the cell, slicing towards Apocalypse's hand. Magneto knew Apocalypse's strength and only meant to teach him a lesson, not intending to get into a massive altercation during this critical time of resurrecting his wife and daughter.
Apocalypse, skilled and courageous, allowed the metal shards to strike his arm without defending. Apocalypse possessed a Wolverine-like super regenerative ability. Magneto's assault was perfect for showcasing his abilities, letting him know he was an invincible Divine who eradicates resistance.
However, the redirected hand faced a huge shadow. Due to the dim lighting, this shadow was hidden in the woods, so Apocalypse couldn't clearly see what it was. At this moment, with Apocalypse still activating his enhancement skill, when facing this shadow, the enhancement effect began playing a role.
"Huh, there's another mutant here?!"
Filled with doubt, Apocalypse found his enhancement ability ineffective on humans and other flora and fauna, but this shadow reacted, leading him to believe it was a fellow mutant.
In the next moment, he realized something was amiss.
The energy within him surged like a dam burst, enhancing this shadow, rapidly depleting his abilities. Within just half a second, it seemed as if he was being entirely drained!
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