Battle for Attilan (4)

Black Bolt could absorb electronic energy from the surrounding environment, then release devastating power through sound. Even a mere sigh could cause an unimaginable disaster. Thus, ever since he had become aware, Black Bolt had rarely spoken. The last time he opened his mouth had been during the Attilan slave uprising, when Alex was still slowly mutating in the Fetal Care Center!

The terror of energy accumulated over decades erupting all at once was easy to imagine. Fortunately, Black Bolt had deliberately restrained it. Otherwise, a single roar might have reduced all of Attilan to ashes.

Even so, the entire hall was reduced to dust beneath Black Bolt’s roar. Even the pervasive Terrigen Mist was blown away, exposing everyone, including Alex, who had been frozen within a Terrigen Crystal.

At the sight of Alex’s condition, Medusa, Black Bolt, and the other Inhumans all froze. They had no idea Alex was undergoing a Second Mutation, much less that he was trying to stop it.

Just then, countless shattering cracks suddenly appeared across the Terrigen Crystal encasing Alex. Then, with an explosive bang, Alex leaped out, unable to suppress the delight on his face.

"Thank you, Black Bolt!" Alex stretched his body a little before being the first to thank Black Bolt. Without Black Bolt’s roar at that critical moment, Alex knew he could never have stopped the mutation caused by the Terrigen Mist.

Black Bolt merely looked at Alex in bewilderment, having no idea what he meant.

Alex ignored him and turned toward Apocalypse, a faint cold sneer curling across his lips as he said icily, "Apocalypse!"

The destructive energy unleashed through Black Bolt’s voice had wiped out nearly eighty percent of Apocalypse’s apostles in an instant. The survivors had only been spared under Apocalypse’s protection. In this battle, Apocalypse had suffered grievous losses.

Although Apocalypse had not been injured, fury was raging in his heart. With Alex provoking him again, he charged forward without another word.

There were no fancy moves in their head-on collision. Neither Apocalypse nor Alex gained any advantage, and both were hurled backward at lightning speed. Only then did the violent Shockwave howl outward, flattening everyone and everything around them. Only Black Bolt and a few others barely endured it.

"Well, this fight has nothing to do with us anymore!" After casually dealing with the remaining apostles of Apocalypse, Emma led the X-Men back into the distance. Looking at the two figures colliding in the sky like comets, a faint melancholy showed on her face.

Medusa, holding Maximus upside down by his ankles after he had been exposed amid the destruction of the hall, also came to stand beside Emma. Her expression was grave, and there was a trace of worry in her eyes.

As Alex and Apocalypse’s battle grew increasingly intense, many of Attilan’s buildings suffered damage to varying degrees. If they kept fighting, Attilan itself might be blasted apart.

Noticing the concern in Medusa’s eyes, Emma gave a soft laugh and reassured her, "Don’t worry. Alex knows his limits."

In the air, after several consecutive exchanges, Alex and Apocalypse chose to stop at the same time. They stood facing each other, neither showing much expression. Both knew that attacks like these could not harm the other.

"How about we change locations?" Alex glanced down at Attilan below and made the suggestion.

Apocalypse snorted coldly and was about to refuse, but after thinking it over, he nodded in agreement. Apocalypse knew very well that Alex had plenty of ways to force him out. Insisting on causing destruction here had little meaning and would only provoke the Inhuman race. Black Bolt’s earlier attack had left a profound impression on him.

With unspoken understanding, Alex and Apocalypse left Attilan at the same time, vanishing without a trace.

That day, the entire Earth seemed to tremble, with violent explosions audible everywhere. By nightfall, the tremors and explosions had vanished, but terrifying stellar explosions erupted in the night sky instead. Blinding white light engulfed the entire sky, as though the world had come to an end.

Finally, when both the stars and the Earth returned to calm, everything was settled.

On Mount Everest, within a hidden pocket of time and space, everyone in Attilan waited eagerly for Alex’s return.

After a day and a night, Attilan had returned to normal. Most of the buildings had already been repaired. Once Maximus’s madness became known, Black Bolt was jointly elected by the Gene Council and the Fetal Care Center to become king of the Inhuman race once again, and the Inhuman race swiftly returned to its former order. As for Maximus, he had been imprisoned.

The group did not wait long before Alex finally appeared, his face pale. Not a single part of his body was uninjured, and wounds covered him everywhere. Yet his eyes were exceptionally bright, gleaming like stars in the night sky.

"Alex!" The moment Emma and the other women saw Alex appear, they rushed forward and threw themselves into his open arms, tears streaming down their faces.

Alex stretched his arms like rubber and wrapped them all in an embrace. Smiling, he said, "I didn’t break my promise. It really wasn’t that long, was it?"

His words made them all laugh through their tears. They patted Alex’s body and stood up, a flush of embarrassment on their faces.

After quite a while, the women finally calmed down. Emma also regained her capable demeanor and asked worriedly, "What happened to Apocalypse?" Given the abilities Apocalypse had displayed, killing him would be extraordinarily difficult.

"He ran." Alex shook his head with a bitter smile, saying gloomily, "That guy is too cunning. I tore him in half, but I never expected that he would still use the opportunity to escape in the end."

Seeing the worry on everyone’s faces, Alex turned and smiled, adding, "But don’t worry. Without several years to recover, Apocalypse can forget about coming out to cause trouble." As he spoke, Alex put on a supremely confident expression and said smugly, "Even if he dares to come out, isn’t there still me? If I can tear him apart once, I can tear him apart a second time!"

"Apocalypse escaping is still a problem in the end," Emma said, far less relaxed than Alex. She knew very well that releasing a tiger back into the mountains would bring future trouble, especially when Apocalypse was such a vicious and troublesome tiger.

Alex also knew how troublesome Apocalypse was, but there was nothing he could do now that Apocalypse had escaped. He could only comfort her, saying, "Don’t worry. I’m here."

After reassuring Emma, Alex turned to Medusa. Attilan had not suffered much damage from beginning to end, but it had been badly damaged during his battle with Apocalypse. Feeling guilty, Alex asked apologetically, "By the way, how is Attilan?" Alex had teleported back directly and did not know Attilan’s current condition.

"Attilan is fine." Medusa smiled gently and shook her head. "Attilan was preserved this time thanks to you!"

Alex smiled as well. "After all, Inhuman blood runs through me too."