[Multiverse2] Ch: 12 [Power-5%]

[NEW Chapter]

The underwater cavern trembled as my fist slammed against Apocalypse's barrier. My dark crimson aura flickered, bathing the crystalline walls in an eerie glow. Apocalypse stood unflinching, his ancient eyes measuring me with a look that was equal parts curiosity and disdain. His power was overwhelming, but I wasn't backing down. Not now. Not ever.

With a flick of his wrist, Apocalypse dispelled the barrier and stepped forward, towering over me. His shadow fell upon me like a mountain, suffocating in its enormity.

"Your defiance is futile," his voice boomed telepathically, echoing through the waters like the tolling of a death knell. "The strong will always rule, and you, human, are still far too weak."

I snarled, baring my fangs. "You haven't seen anything yet."

I quickly opened the skill window and scrolled through it. Dang! Too many skills, I should have reorganized them properly. Whatever, first thing first, gotta take them away from here. There were too many civilians on the island. If I use my full power, they won't survive the blast. Tsk. Talk about annoying.

Well, ah! This skill should take them away from here to somewhere isolated. Desert.

<Mass Teleportation>

In the blink of an eye, I teleported myself and Apocalypse and his ten henchmen out of the cavern. We found ourselves floating above a vast desert, the barren landscape stretching for miles in all directions. The sun shone high in the sky, scorching the air with its oppressive heat. Apocalypse's eyes narrowed as he surveyed his new surroundings, his gaze falling back upon me with a look of annoyance.

"A clever move, but useless," he said coldly.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and grinned, feeling the shift in my own power. "Elemental Mode: Activate."

Immediately, my vampiric aura receded, its crimson glow fading as I pulled from a different well of energy—one far older, far more primal. My body began to crackle with power as all four elements responded to my call. Flames licked at my skin, lightning danced between my fingertips, water manifested into spiraling whirlpools around me, and the very earth trembled beneath my feet. The sky darkened as storm clouds gathered, and the wind roared in response to my power.

The Horsemen moved forward, but I raised a hand.

"Don't even try it," I warned, eyes flashing. "You're dealing with something far beyond your paygrade now."

War snarled, his battle axe raised, but Apocalypse held up a hand to stop him, his voice booming in my mind. "Let him show us the full extent of his power. Let him learn the futility of it."

I shot forward before War could react, my body moving with the speed of the wind itself. Fire ignited around my fists as I launched a flurry of punches, each one carrying the force of a meteor. The first punch landed squarely in War's chest, sending him rocketing backward through the sky like a comet. He crashed into the sand dunes below, forming a massive crater.

Not waiting for the others to react, I turned my attention to Pestilence, who began spewing toxic clouds of disease into the air. I raised my hand and summoned a gust of wind so powerful it tore through the desert, scattering his poisonous clouds into the atmosphere.

"Nice try," I muttered, summoning a bolt of lightning from the stormy sky. It struck Pestilence dead center, sending him spiraling into the ground, smoke rising from his charred armor.

Famine, sensing my next move, attempted to drain my elemental energy, but I smiled. That was his mistake. My connection to the elements wasn't something that could be easily severed.

"Think you can siphon energy from me?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous. I clenched my fist, and the ground beneath Famine's feet rumbled. Massive pillars of earth shot up from the sand, surrounding him in a prison of rock and stone.

With a snap of my fingers, I sent a tidal wave of water crashing down on Famine's makeshift prison, filling it to the brim before freezing it solid. The look of shock in his eyes was satisfying.

Only Death remained, his scythe gleaming ominously in the sunlight. But before he could make his move, I snapped my fingers once again, igniting the sand beneath him with an explosion of flame. He vanished in a plume of smoke, only to reappear behind me, scythe raised.

I barely managed to dodge the blade as it whistled through the air, cutting so close that I could feel the icy chill of death graze my skin. I spun around, summoning a whirlwind of fire to push him back, but Death was relentless. His scythe cut through the fire like it was nothing, and his cold, hollow eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

"Persistent, aren't you?" I growled, summoning the full force of my Elemental Mode. "Let's see how you like this!"

With a loud roar, I released a powerful mix of fire, wind, water, and earth all at once, creating a swirling storm of elemental energy around Death. The ground shook and split open, sending fiery pillars into the air, while lightning bolts struck from above. A strong wind circled us, picking up sand and rocks, turning the air itself into a weapon.

Death tried to block the attack with his scythe, but even he couldn't handle the immense power of the elements. His scythe broke, and with one final, huge explosion, Death was thrown to the ground, disappearing into the swirling sand.

I hovered above the desert, breathing heavily, my body glowing with the energy of the elements. The Horsemen were defeated, but Apocalypse still stood, his face showing no emotion.

He lifted his hand, and the desert started shaking. Huge cracks appeared in the ground, and from them came tall stone creatures with glowing eyes, just like the colorful energy coming from Apocalypse.

I tightened my fists, feeling the elements answer my call once more. "You're right. The Horsemen were just the beginning."

I activated my Elemental Mode to its fullest. The sky turned dark as a huge storm gathered above, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring. Flames burst from the ground, turning the desert into a burning landscape. The wind roared like a hurricane, while huge waves of water fell from the sky, making the battlefield a wild mix of elements.

Apocalypse's golems rushed forward, but I was prepared. I called forth a giant column of fire that engulfed the first golem, melting it into liquid rock in moments. The second golem was caught in a whirlwind of sand and wind, its large body breaking apart as it was torn to pieces.

But Apocalypse stayed calm, his eyes shining with a powerful, ancient energy. "Impressive," he said, his voice echoing through the chaos. "But it's still not enough."

With a gesture, he summoned a massive wave of energy that collided with my elemental storm. The force of the impact was enough to send shockwaves through the desert, flattening the dunes and tearing apart the landscape.

I gritted my teeth and pushed back, trying to overpower Apocalypse with the combined might of the elements. But it wasn't enough. Even with my Elemental Mode active, I was getting pushed back. Now this is fun. Without realizing it, I was smiling. It has been so long since I last went all out. It's too good to end it too soon.

A huge explosion rang out, throwing me back. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground, surrounded by the smoldering remains of my Elemental Mode.

"This is the limit of your power," Apocalypse said, his voice filled with contempt. "You are not worthy to face me." He opened multiple portals as the rest of the mutants who were in the stasis came out. He even freed the Four Horsemen. So, ten insanely powerful ancient mutant and their big boss. Ah! The day is getting better and better...

I got up slowly, brushing the dust off my clothes. "Not bad for a start," I said, grinning.

"For a start?" Apocalypse raised an eyebrow.

"What? Ohh, you thought all the jumping around we were doing till now was the real fight?" I chuckled. "I just wanted to see how far I can hold you all off with just 5% of my full power. After all, this is supposed to be an easy job."

Apocalypse's eyes widened as he yelled in rage, "YOU DARE MOCK ME!" His aura exploded outwards in a wave of raw power. It was so overwhelming that I could feel it pushing down on me, trying to crush me into the ground. But I stood firm, my own power rising up to meet his.

"And what the fuck are you gonna do about that?" I looked down at the mutant with a cold gaze as I summoned my void flames over my palm.