Chapter 994: Marvel: Awakening the Little Universe at the Start, Chapter 540

But...

And then what?

Is this the only reason you think you can make Hawk retreat?

That is impossible.

So—

Egypt, Cairo.

Yellow sand rolled under the scorching sun like a golden ocean. In the desert on the outskirts, a pyramid made of pure metal, which had been built by Magneto not long ago and stood towering into the clouds as the latest throne for the mutant Apocalypse, rose from the ground.

Apocalypse stood on a sand dune in front of the pyramid, guarded by the Four Horsemen he had recruited at his side.

Apocalypse’s deep blue skin shimmered with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

Apocalypse was tall and burly, with dark markings on his face and head, and folds on his chin.

Wearing an ancient, dark armor with religious and Egyptian elements, Apocalypse standing there on the sand dune looked like an ancient tyrant who had walked out of Egyptian mythology.

At this moment, Apocalypse’s eyes were slightly closed, and the images that had flooded his mind the moment he was resurrected were flashing through his thoughts.

Just then.

Boom!

A loud noise suddenly came from the sky.

In this world, the Cairo thief and mutant Storm, who wore many dreadlocks; the mutant Psylocke, wearing a purple tight-fitting combat suit that outlined her perfect muscle lines; the mutant Angel, who had a pair of huge, sharp metal wings on his back; and the mutant Magneto, who had put on his red helmet and dark armor again because of the tragic death of his wife and daughter, all looked up at the high sky in unison.

Coming into view!

A scarlet beam of light streaked over from afar, instantly splitting the clouds, and then plummeted at a speed exceeding sound, slamming into the ground a hundred meters away from Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen.

The moment Hawk’s feet touched the ground, the resulting shockwave instantly leveled the surrounding sand dunes, and the tremors traveled for miles.

The yellow sand, swirling like thick smoke, roared toward Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen.

Apocalypse did not move.

But his Four Horsemen were knocked to the ground by the sudden blast of air.

Although the sand dune beneath his feet had collapsed, Apocalypse stood steadily in the raging sand by relying on his molecular manipulation ability. He opened his slightly red eyes, and then his gaze pierced through the swirling sand and landed on Hawk, who was wearing a scarlet tight-fitting combat suit, tall and burly, with a cold expression.

Their eyes met.

"I am curious..."

Hawk spoke, his voice as usual, cold and calm, as if chatting: "I can understand you being able to sense me, but how you know I come from the outside is something I cannot understand. So, who is standing behind you? The Celestials?"

Yes.

He did not believe that Apocalypse alone could challenge him.

Just as Hawk had said, Apocalypse might be able to sense his existence, but there was absolutely no way he could know he came from the outside.

Without a doubt.

Someone like him, who also came from the outside, must have found Apocalypse and made him the vanguard for this time.

Hawk’s first suspect was the Celestials, with whom he had a grudge.

But he could not be sure.

After all, if the Celestials were behind it, then when Apocalypse captured Professor X, he should have captured his daughter Jean as well.

Because only then would Hawk potentially have something to fear.

Unlike now.

Apocalypse had no chips in his hand that could threaten him.

Because his daughter Jean was currently with her mother, and Hearing Wanda, who had become strong for her daughter's sake, would likely disappoint the mastermind if they wanted to play some trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain, as they would be facing the monstrous rage of a mother, the Scarlet Witch.

But...

Apocalypse listened to Hawk’s words, remaining motionless, his red pupils fixed on Hawk.

On the other hand, the other three horsemen beside him, excluding Magneto, seemed to feel that their master had been insulted and attempted to attack Hawk.

Hawk took it all in, watching the unmoved Apocalypse.

"Fine!"

"Not talking? Then I'll ask the questions again while we fight!"

"Bang!"

Hawk’s figure left a scarlet afterimage in the desert. A second ago he was a hundred meters away, but the moment he finished speaking, Hawk’s fist was already closing in on Apocalypse’s face.

Apocalypse crossed his arms in front of his chest, and under his "Mutant Ability—Molecular Restructuring," he covered his arms in a layer of indestructible alloy shell.

Boom!

The moment Hawk’s fist collided with Apocalypse’s arms, a deafening metallic roar erupted.

The three eager horsemen were once again blown away.

Magneto quickly avoided the range of the attack, then, according to his agreement with Apocalypse, rose into the air and began to exert his power, twisting and shifting the Earth’s magnetic field.

The ground beneath Apocalypse cracked radially, and the fissures spread from under Apocalypse’s feet toward the base of the huge metal pyramid standing in the desert.

The entire desert seemed to tremble under this blow from Hawk.

The next second.

In just a split second, Apocalypse finally could not withstand Hawk’s punch, which was like a star colliding, and was instantly sent flying. His body, like a cannonball, pierced through three sand dunes, and with undiminished momentum, caught up to the fissure spreading toward the pyramid base, finally slamming into the outer wall of the pyramid with a loud boom.

The moment he looked up, Hawk had already appeared in front of him again.

Second punch.

Boom!

"Mutant Ability—Molecular Restructuring!"

The moment Hawk’s second punch arrived, Apocalypse instantly decomposed his molecular structure. Hawk’s second punch passed directly through Apocalypse’s body and instantly pierced the outer wall of the pyramid behind him, leaving a large hole in the metal wall.

Just then.

Apocalypse’s body took the opportunity to reorganize and then condensed behind Hawk. His right hand turned into a pitch-black blade, and with a *pfft*, he stabbed toward the chest of Hawk, who had turned around in an instant.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Hawk was below.

Apocalypse was above.

Apocalypse pressed down on Hawk’s body with one hand, pushing Hawk toward the interior of the metal pyramid while stabbing hard at Hawk’s chest.

But...

The tip of the blade collided with the scarlet tight-fitting suit on Hawk, sparking a series of flashes, but it simply could not pierce through Hawk’s suit.

A look of astonishment appeared on Apocalypse’s metallic face for the first time.

Hawk’s mouth curled upward. As he was about to hit the metal floor below, he turned in mid-air, grabbed Apocalypse’s wrist, and directly performed an over-the-shoulder throw in the air, slamming Apocalypse toward the metal floor inside the pyramid.

Boom!

Apocalypse’s back made intimate contact with the metal floor, emitting a dull sound.

It was like ringing a bell.

But people outside this bell might find the sound pleasant.

However, if one were inside this large bell, it would be unbearable.

Hawk frowned subconsciously, his eyes instantly scanning the interior of the pyramid, which was covered in dense runes that could not be seen from the outside.

The next second.

As the dull sound gradually became long and drawn out, Hawk also felt the surrounding air suddenly become viscous.

This gave Hawk the feeling of suddenly falling into a quagmire.

Something is wrong here!

Hawk raised an eyebrow, looked up at the large hole he had just come through, and instantly braked, intending to leave.

But just then.

The large hole he had just blasted open began to heal at an extremely fast speed, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely sealed.

"Boom!"

"Hum!"

Hawk’s punch hit the wall. Instantly, the runes carved on the surrounding walls seemed to come alive, flashing with golden light while emitting a melodious sound, and the feeling of viscosity increased a level further.

Just then.

Hawk, standing in the air, heard the movement, turned around again, and looked down.

Coming into view.

Apocalypse had already crawled up from the metal floor. As the viscosity around them gradually weakened, Apocalypse’s body was expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Two meters.

Three meters.

Until five meters.

And as Apocalypse’s body grew taller, complex golden runes similar to those on the interior walls of the pyramid also appeared on his blue skin.

The golden runes exposed on Apocalypse seemed to be breathing with the golden runes on the interior walls of the pyramid, echoing each other.

Hawk was in no hurry to leave now; he descended in altitude and stared at Apocalypse, who had turned into a five-meter-tall giant.

"So—"

"The pyramid is your energy amplifier?"

“……”