Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 589

With Stryker and his soldiers neutralized, Hank McCoy gathered the older students and those with combat-capable abilities to organize a response. The younger and less experienced students were assigned to stay behind, care for the injured, and keep watch over the captured soldiers. The rest would move out to rescue Charles Xavier.

Under normal circumstances, Hank would never send students into a real combat zone. But the situation left no room for caution. Some abilities were simply too important to leave unused, especially Kurt Wagner’s teleportation, which made him ideal for extraction.

The rescue team totaled nine people.

Moira MacTaggert. Hank McCoy. Raven Darkhölme. Alex Summers. Scott Summers. Kurt Wagner. Jean Grey. Pietro Maximoff. And the school’s newly hired teacher, Rowan Mercer.

Once everyone was assembled, Hank led them to a reinforced underground hangar he had personally modified. Inside were newly prepared combat suits made from specialized materials, designed for maximum protection, as well as a supersonic aircraft of his own design.

Hank believed in Charles’s dream of coexistence with humanity. But belief didn’t mean blindness. The school needed contingencies. If nothing else, it needed a way to fight back or escape.

After boarding the aircraft, Rowan raised a hand. A glowing golden arrow appeared in front of the cockpit, pointing decisively toward the horizon.

"Follow it," Rowan said. "It’ll take us straight to the professor."

The jet hadn’t even fully cleared New York airspace when a familiar voice echoed in everyone’s minds.

"Listen to me. All of you."

Charles Xavier’s voice spread across the planet, carried by psychic force alone.

"Humanity and mutantkind alike have lost their way. But I have returned. And judgment is coming. The world you’ve built—"

Far away, on a ridge outside Cairo, Apocalypse stood behind Xavier, forcing the broadcast through him. Rowan stood nearby, hands relaxed, watching with apparent indifference.

When the declaration ended, Apocalypse turned toward the city and unleashed his power.

Cairo’s buildings began to break apart at the molecular level. Stone, steel, and concrete disassembled and reformed, rising skyward into the shape of a colossal pyramid. This structure would gather solar energy on an immense scale, fueling Apocalypse’s rebirth.

As the pyramid grew, Xavier looked toward Rowan, his expression filled with pain.

"Are you really going to help him?" Xavier asked quietly. "To destroy the world?"

"I don’t have a choice," Rowan replied aloud.

But beneath that answer, another voice spoke directly into Xavier’s mind.

Relax. Don’t react. Just listen.

Xavier stiffened for a fraction of a second, then forced himself to remain calm.

I’m not Magneto, Rowan continued mentally. I’m undercover. I have a plan to deal with Apocalypse.

Xavier’s shock was immediate.

You’re not Erik, he realized. You have psychic abilities. Then who—

Someone who knows Apocalypse very well, Rowan replied. Trust me.

There was a pause.

This is dangerous, Xavier said. If you miscalculate—

If we fight him head-on, it’s worse, Rowan answered calmly. This is our best chance.

After a moment, Xavier gave a subtle nod.

Then I’ll cooperate.

Thirty minutes later, with the pyramid more than halfway complete, a supersonic jet broke through the clouds above Cairo.

Thanks to Rowan’s intervention at the school, Stryker had been dealt with early. No one had been captured. No time had been wasted. They had arrived far sooner than they were ever meant to.

"Looks like someone’s coming to die," Angel said, metal wings unfolding as he pointed toward the approaching aircraft.

Rowan glanced at Apocalypse and spoke with confidence. "Just pests."

At the same time, he transmitted instructions directly to the team aboard the jet.

"Let them come," Apocalypse ordered. "Continue the construction. I want them alive. They should witness who rules this world."

The jet touched down.

Six figures stepped out in X-Men combat suits.

Hank. Raven. Pietro. Scott. Alex. Jean.

Rowan, Kurt, and Moira remained aboard. Kurt’s role was clear. Moira couldn’t fight at this level. And Rowan had no intention of being seen yet.

The battle erupted immediately.

The Four Horsemen clashed with the six X-Men, abilities colliding in a violent storm of force and coordination. At first, the fight held evenly, but the balance didn’t last.

Even with Pietro’s overwhelming speed, the Horsemen had an answer.

Rowan, still posing as Magneto, raised a hand. Electromagnetic force surged outward, forming a containment field that slammed shut around Pietro, trapping him mid-motion.

Apocalypse, seeing victory assured, turned his full attention back to the pyramid.

Just a few more minutes.

That was when Kurt Wagner moved.

In a flash of blue smoke, he appeared beside Xavier, grabbed his arm, and vanished again, reappearing inside the jet.

For an instant, Apocalypse froze.

Then Rowan’s confident voice cut in smoothly.

"Trust me, my lord," he said. "They won’t escape."

Rowan extended his hand.

The jet shuddered violently as invisible force seized it mid-takeoff. Rowan launched himself forward, tearing through the air and crashing straight into the aircraft.

The final phase had begun.