The north wind of winter blew through.
Apocalypse's eyes, once filled with despair, were now quietly glazed over with a layer of pale blue.
He shivered involuntarily.
It wasn't from physical cold—it felt as if his soul itself had been stripped bare, left naked in the biting winds of winter.
Colder… colder still. His body hunched further, and the urge to simply close his eyes and sleep grew stronger.
At that moment, the sound of the wind seemed to pierce reality itself, echoing directly in his mind.
Apocalypse's thoughts began to slow.
His consciousness turned sluggish, stiff, his thoughts trickling like frozen sap.
He tried to resist, to muster his mental strength.
But even that intention froze.
Soon… nothing remained.
Even the memory of resisting disappeared.
If he had been at full strength, this wouldn't have happened so easily.
But now, weakened, fighting the destructive force of the Phoenix inside him, he had no ability to resist.
White frost crept over Apocalypse's body.
The light faded completely from his eyes.
Yet, he wasn't truly dead.
Not yet.
He was simply… frozen.
At that moment, Russell's gaze shifted to Jean Grey, whose face was beginning to wither as the Phoenix Force slowly drained from her.
It was almost time.
He couldn't wait for the Phoenix Force to completely transfer out.
If that happened—even frozen—Apocalypse might still not survive.
This moment… this balance point… was the perfect time.
The Phoenix Force wouldn't depart simply because either host died.
In an instant, green flames burned within Russell's eyes.
This wasn't illusion magic.
It was the power of death.
He intended to kill both of them simultaneously.
The next second—
The earth shook violently, then cracked open.
No black spikes erupted.
Only boiling magma surged forth, slowly raising a green spear, glowing like molten emerald.
Russell was using the forging powers of the God of Fire, reforging the Flames of Death into a Spear of Death.
Any soul pierced by it… would be consumed entirely.
At that moment, space itself began to warp and twist.
Apocalypse and Jean Grey fell downward, while Russell rose higher.
When they had dropped a thousand meters below him, he raised the "Spear of Death" — hesitation forgotten — and cast the projection.
A green phantom cut through the air instantly, slicing through space itself.
It pierced both targets precisely—bursting with a blinding emerald light.
The next moment.
There was no explosion.
Only silence.
The bodies of both Apocalypse and Jean Grey began to grey, color and life draining from them rapidly.
Their souls perished… instantly.
Apocalypse's decayed body disintegrated completely—reduced to ash.
But Jean Grey was different.
She too had died.
Yet, suddenly, a faint trace of red flushed across her cheeks—as if she were resisting death itself.
Only for a second.
Then, without warning, her body detonated into radiant energy powder.
A deafening cry echoed.
From the golden-red storm of energy, an indistinct phoenix of flame took shape, soaring into the sky.
Space trembled.
Cracks spread across the air in front of the phoenix.
This fragment of the Phoenix Force, acting on instinct, sought to flee—to find its next host.
Russell did not attempt to stop it.
Even now, standing near the peak of godhood, there was little he could do.
This force… was simply too high above him.
He remembered—in its incomplete form—it had nearly killed even the God of Stories Loki.
It wasn't that it couldn't be killed.
It simply hadn't been.
But then… a wail echoed through the heavens.
The energy-formed phoenix suddenly shrieked.
And then… it froze in mid-air.
Completely suspended.
A terrible sight followed.
The Phoenix Force began to vanish.
Bit by bit.
Erased.
As if some child in a higher dimension was holding an eraser, methodically rubbing away a drawing on paper—one stroke at a time.
Until nothing remained.
No trace.
No light.
No fire.
The Phoenix Force… ceased to exist.
A few seconds later, all fragments of the entire Phoenix Force disappeared—as if they had never existed in this world.
At the same time…
In a realm filled with intense heat and endless life energy, the space trembled briefly… then returned to silence.
Inside the mirror dimension, Russell heard the familiar voice of his system echoing in his mind.
Plunder successful!
[Plunder Entry Completed!]
[X-Ability: Energy Manipulation (Gold)]
Mastery of energy utilization and projection.
You can use this metaphysical power for various purposes, such as creating illusions, altering memories, reconstructing matter, healing, and repairing damaged or destroyed tissues.
Simultaneously, you gain powerful control over physical matter.
You can manipulate tangible materials like sand, rock, and more—instantly pulverizing city buildings and reshaping them at will.
You can absorb energy.
You can release energy.
You can even transfer energy to others, allowing them to wield the power you grant.
[X-Ability: Super Reaction (Gold)]
Instantly detect and respond to high-speed moving objects.
[X-Ability: Immortality (Gold)]
Possess extremely potent self-healing abilities and vitality.
Transfer consciousness to inhabit and control a new physical body.
[X-Ability: Force Field (Purple-Gold)]
Generate an almost impenetrable force field around your body.
The smaller the barrier's range, the stronger it becomes; the wider the range, the weaker it is.
[X-Ability: Flight (Purple)]
Fly at speeds exceeding the speed of sound.
[X-Ability: Survival (Purple)]
Survive in any environment short of absolute limits.
Completely immune to radiation, vacuum exposure, and disease.
[X-Ability: Empowerment (Gold)]
Strengthen the superhuman abilities of other mutants, greatly amplifying their powers.
[X-Ability: Mind Power (Gold)]
Possess powerful telepathy and telekinesis.
Invade and control other minds at will.
Note: Can be stacked with other mental powers.
[X-Ability: Super Physique (Gold)]
Exceptional physical fitness.
Substantial boosts to defense, agility, and strength.
Note: Can be stacked with other physique-enhancing entries.
[X-Ability: Mind Power (Purple)]
Limited-level telepathy and telekinesis.
Hearing this, Russell instantly understood—Apocalypse's entry plunder was complete.
Next… it would be Jean Grey's turn.
Though Apocalypse had fewer mutant powers than expected, and some of his abilities might have weakened during hibernation, his original powers were still formidable.
This was enough.
After all, most mutant abilities were trash.
But what excited Russell most… was what came next.
[Phoenix Fragment (Red)]
A small shard of power from the complete Phoenix Force.
Contains vast destructive energy and immense life energy.
Weakness Erasure: This fragment's power will not interfere with your mind.
Note: Some beings in the White Hot Room have noticed the disappearance of this Phoenix fragment. Proceed with caution.
Russell's heartbeat quickened violently.
At that moment, he understood something terrifying.
The system's Plunder Ability didn't simply replicate powers like the Phoenix Force.
It performed true plunder.
When he killed someone's physical form, duplicate, or even a conscious projection—whether Hela, Mephisto, or others—their original divine power, their source energy… didn't return to the universe.
It didn't dissipate.
It became his.
They lost that power forever.
And he… became the new master of it.
He immediately scanned through his previously plundered entries.
Sure enough!
Among them, he found the dimensional source power taken from Chthon (correcting "Xisong" to the proper Marvel name).
[Black Magic Energy – Rare (Red)]
A small amount of high-purity black magic dimensional energy.
Can be linked to hell.
Upon reaching a certain level, it can devour parts of other black magic dimensional energies.
At this moment…
Russell realized:
He now possessed the qualifications to become the new master of the Black Magic Dimension.
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