"Knight?"
"Are you talking about me?"
Moving his giant-like body, Red Tank came before Apocalypse, contemptuously swinging a punch. "Red Tank serves no one. Google search and read."
He and Caliban were merely in a cooperative relationship; one could even say Caliban supported him in exchange for safety.
"Is that so?
Child, you were born to be under my command."
Apocalypse waved his hand, and the concrete wall turned into sand, rapidly coiling around him, enveloping his entire body, leaving only his head exposed.
"Even steel can't trap me."
Red Tank paid no mind to the sand that had wrapped him into a large ball, intending to break free.
Even an equal volume of steel would, in theory, be torn apart by him.
But the sand on his body seemed to possess infinite strength; he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried. His powerful body, capable of easily lifting a tank and brimming with infinite strength, was being squeezed to the point of breathlessness.
"Indeed, you can tear steel.
But you cannot tear quicksand."
Seeing through Red Tank's thoughts, Apocalypse slowly said.
He raised his palm, as if something was rising with his gesture.
"Feel this power.
You will revere me as a god."
Bones crackled, his power magnified exponentially, veins bulged on Red Tank's face, and he let out a roar. His already superhuman height surged again, reaching nearly three meters.
Caliban, standing by, widened his eyes in terror. The revolver in his hand also turned to sand and fell at a glance from Apocalypse.
"My power…"
Not just his physique, a Beast-like excitement appeared on Red Tank's face; his own strength had surged more than tenfold. He now felt strong enough to easily lift a tens-of-thousands-ton warship.
"I've never felt such immense power. I feel like I could destroy everything in the World."
However, he still couldn't break free from the quicksand on his body.
"I surrender. I will be your Knight."
After trying for a while longer, deeply realizing Apocalypse's power, he reined in some of his excitement and said in a muffled voice, lowering his head.
"Very good."
Apocalypse nodded slightly in satisfaction. With a wave of his hand, the sand was decomposed and reorganized into a red steel armor, covering Red Tank's body.
"Now, go find my next Knight."
A sphere composed of light like a light blue water ripple formed.
He, with Red Tank following behind him like a subordinate, activated spatial teleportation and departed.
Only a terrified Caliban remained.
…
By reviewing Caliban's memories, Apocalypse learned of the existence and whereabouts of many powerful Mutants, three of whom particularly interested him.
Magneto, who controlled magnetic fields, mentioned by his followers, Professor X, the strongest psychic on Earth.
And Ron, who had fought a great battle with a Mutant named Black King on the ancient bar embargo line two years ago.
"One who can manipulate magnetic fields possesses great potential.
One with powerful and versatile psychic abilities?
And a Mutant who can replicate others' abilities?"
Three subjects who brought him delight.
In a dense forest, at the Brotherhood's gathering place.
Magneto had founded the Brotherhood of Mutants and was giving a speech to the Mutants he had rescued and sheltered.
"Why do they persecute us? Because they fear, fear our power. They envy, envy our potential.
This is merely their unwilling struggle before being eliminated by history."
"Fellow Mutants, this Earth will ultimately belong to us Mutants…"
Standing atop a rock, Magneto addressed the Brotherhood members with a majestic expression.
Due to Ron's influence, he had become more radical, constantly engaging in activities to gather Mutants and overthrow human governments.
He had not met a woman, had a child, and become a steel factory worker as in the original timeline, nor had that tragedy occurred.
Suddenly, a light blue spatial portal appeared behind him.
"Well said. The World is inherently ours."
Two figures emerged from within. Apocalypse, cold and majestic, slowly said, "Those mortals usurp our rightful place, treating us as monsters."
"This World should not be this way."
Red Tank contemptuously scanned the startled and defensive Brotherhood members below, completely disregarding those weaklings.
"Who are you?"
Though he agreed with the words, Magneto couldn't help but frown, his gaze shifting from the towering, oppressive Red Tank to Apocalypse, his expression solemn.
Apocalypse was clearly the leader of the two.
Apocalypse possessed a unique aura, as if a divine statue in a church had come to life, his gaze at people calm and indifferent, like a god looking at mortals.
Arrogant, or truly confident?
"My name is Apocalypse, my children."
"Children?"
Magneto, who also had a tragic past, heard these words, and his mind stirred. A coin swiftly flew from his palm, striking towards Apocalypse's brow.
But before it could get close, the coin turned into dust and drifted away with the wind.
Apocalypse remained calm and composed, not even looking.
"?"
Magneto's pupils contracted.
Though the coin was small, it offered a glimpse into Apocalypse's strength.
The speed of the coin just now was far beyond an ordinary person's reaction time, and what kind of ability was it to turn a coin into dust? If this ability could be applied to the human body…
Apocalypse reached out, and the sand on the ground flew up, coalescing into a brand-new metal coin, which slowly floated towards him.
"Here, my child."
After taking it, Magneto's frown deepened.
Is this control over matter transformation and reorganization?
A god-like ability.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Ra, God, Ra, I have had different names in different eras."
"Your power is not limited to this, Eric."
Apocalypse introduced his origins, slowly walking over, without a hint of hostility, like a kind mentor guiding a child. He gently took Eric's hand and slowly pressed it to the ground.
"Feel downwards, explore downwards, extending to the deepest limits.
You will discover that deep within the Earth, there has always been a World-destroying weapon that only you can use, and you have not realized it."
…
Ron returned to the X-Men World.
This time, since his last return, the Umbrella company, controlled by Raven and White Queen Emma, had evolved into a veritable international behemoth, involved in various aspects such as technology, medical care, national defense, and industry.
Even compared to the level in Resident Evil, it was only stronger, not weaker.
The security forces under the group were more than enough to wipe out a small country.
"Raven, your new bodyguard?"
In the office, Ron sat in a chair with Raven in his arms, looking at a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl nearby, asking casually.
The girl was beautiful, with an Asian face, dressed in a black women's suit. Her demeanor, though youthful, carried a hint of sharpness, like a newly forged weapon.
With a subtle curiosity in her eyes, the girl secretly observed him.
She had heard about Ron more than once from Raven and Emma: the strongest Mutant in the World, Raven Sister's lover, the controller of Umbrella, and the future King of the Mutant kingdom.
"Last time, didn't you give me a list of Mutants to search for? I tried looking, and I found her."
Raven looked at her long-unseen lover, sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, speaking softly.
"Her name is Psylocke."
She didn't ask Ron where that list came from; she knew her partner was somewhat mysterious, for example, disappearing from Earth occasionally and reappearing a few months later.
She also didn't question this, trusting Ron, believing that he would surely tell her when the time was right.
"Psylocke?"
He looked her up and down.
She was too young; he didn't see the mature and sharp aura from the plot.
Raven had found not only Psylocke but also Angel, Nightcrawler, and Storm…