22 Chapter 22 - A Battle of Spirits

The giant turned his head at the sudden appearance of Mikael. He retracted his fist as he turned to face Mikael as he looked him over. His brows knit together as disgust filled his eyes.

"What purpose does a pathetic human serve here? What technology did you use to come here?" The giant asked, the disdain clear in his voice.

"Technology? It's funny that you think I need technology. And as for my purpose? Well I'm here to ruin your day." Mikael said with a smile as he looked the giant directly in his eyes his clothes slowly changing into black robes with every step.

"Pathetic ant. I am En Sabah Nur! I have seen civilizations fall and rise several times over. I am Apocalypse! I am a god!" He yelled in response to Mikael's taunting.

"God? Bitch, you look like a smurf that overdosed on steroids before sleeping with an orangutan." Mikael responded with a straight face as veins became visible on the giant's forehead.

"I will not be disrespected by an ant!" Apocalypse roared as he swung his fist towards Mikael kicking up a cloud of dust as it impacted. A satisfied smile started to grow on his face before it was quickly stripped away by a voice that sounded right by his ear.

"Disrespect you? I don't need do anything. Life has already done that for me." Mikael told him as he suddenly appeared sitting on his shoulder one leg resting on top of the other. "Have you seen yourself in a mirror? No, never mind they likely all shatter just from you walking in the room. You know shattering mirrors is bad luck right?"

Apocalypse roared as he slapped his hand towards Mikael. Jean and Xavier watched as the hand approached Mikael before he disappeared in the blink of an eye as the hand smacked into the side of the giant's head causing him to stumble backwards. Mikael reappeared a split second later right in front of the pair as he walked towards Jean.

"You did good Jean. I'll take it from here." Mikael wiped away the sweat from her forehead before turning to address Xavier. "I have something to talk to you about."

Mikael suddenly turn around hand outstretched as Apocalypse's fist came slowing to a halt in front of him. Mikael looked up into the giant's eyes and as his own began to glow a soft bluish green light.

"Impossible, what are you? You're not human, you can't be." Apocalypse asked, the disdain in his eyes now replaced with grim determination as he now regarded the dark robes figure as a threat. Mikael gave him a smirk as he responded by pushing both hands forward creating a bluish semi-transparent sphere that blasted into the giant's chest launching him through the wall of the mental construct around them. Apocalypse tumbled through the air as he slammed into the ground as he bounced and rolled until he managed to right himself and dug his feet into the ground as he slid to a halt. He looked around at the now different environment, marble beneath his feet, eight pillars lining the great hall he now stood in with great statues of hooded figures standing in front of each.

"What is this?" Apocalypse asked out loud. The great doors he came crashing through began to close as Mikael walked into the hall, Jean and Xavier followed him as they watched enthralled by the battle.

"You are no longer in Charles's mind. You're in mine." Mikael said as he gradually closed the distance.

"Now if we were doing in person or if you were actually at your peak you might actually be a challenge. But here? In my mind?" Mikael explained and gave a shrug of his shoulders before he continued. "I'm gonna kick your blue ass."

A multitude of hissing sounds filled the air as countless multi colored blades lit up the dark hall around them. Dozens of robed figures came out of the shadows as they all turned their dark hooded heads towards the giant in unison. Mikael lifted a hand as his own lightsaber appeared in his palm before he activated and pointed it towards Apocalypse. The robed figures charged in his direction as they leaped through the air, lightsabers carved through the air as they tore into his armor and body.

Mikael dashed forward and joined the fray as his silver blade joined the barrage of blues, greens and yellows. Apocalypse swung his large fists through the air sending some of the robed figures flying as they dispersed into mist only to have a different figure take their place. Mikael leaped back and forth, disappearing from one side and appearing on the other avoiding the attacks that Apocalypse started to focus on him. The giant form of Apocalypse seemed to shrink with every attack he suffered as he roared in defiance against the onslaught of shadows. Until eventually the crowd stopped and backed away forming a ring around Mikael and the now human sized Apocalypse.

"What did you do?" Apocalypse asked as he stared at his shrunken and scar ridden form before turning his sight towards Mikael.

"Why should I tell you?" Mikael responded with a smirk before he grasped the air in front of him. Suddenly Apocalypse had his arms pressed tight against his body as he was lifted into the air.

"You think this will stop me? I am a god! When I recover my strength you will be the first to suffer!" Apocalypse roared as he struggled against the invisible hold on his body. Suddenly he was pulled through the air until he was face to face with Mikael as he looked into the softly glowing eyes. For an instant he believed he could see a group of planets orbiting a single star in the depths of Mikael's eyes.

"Stay out of our minds." Mikael whispered in his ear as he pushed Apocalypse through the air watching as he seemed to hit an invisible wall as a dark vortex appeared and enveloped him before disappearing without a trace. The shadows turned to Mikael as they began to fade into mist leaving him standing alone in the center of the dark hall. The sounds of footsteps turned him around as he saw Jean and Xavier approaching.

"Is it over?" Xavier asked apprehensively.

"No, it's not. He'll be back." Mikael answered.

"Why couldn't you just destroy him?" Jean asked.

"Because I can't. At least not yet. He was nowhere near his full strength. If he was, you would never have been able to resist as long as you did before mastering your power. All I've done here was give him an injury that he needs to recover from and drained a piece of his power." Mikael explained.

"You drained his power? Couldn't you have drained the rest." Xavier asked.

"With time maybe. But had I continued to, he would have noticed and retreated on his own. This way he'll believe he lost some of his strength due to the injuries I gave him rather than as a result of me draining it." Mikael answered as he put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We'll talk more later. For now you need to rest." Mikael told them as he pushed sending them flying through the now opening door. With a jolt Xavier and Jean gasped for air as Xavier tore off the helmet on his head and threw it aside. Jean stumbled on her feet as she started to fall backwards when a hand appeared on her back and supported her.

"Careful, you've been standing here for I don't know how long. Move slowly." Mikael told her as he held her upright before he turned to look at Xavier. "Hello professor. I wish we could've met under less…complicated circumstances."

"Well that's one way of putting it. I'd love to do the introductions here but I just want to be out of this room right now. Kitty could you help me?" Xavier asked as he struggled to even operate his wheelchair. Kitty quickly ran up wiping tears from her face as she started pushing the wheelchair out of the room. Jean tried to walk out after them but quickly started to fall to her knees before Mikael caught her again.

"I'm sorry, I'm still a bit dizzy. Just give a second." She said as she tried to stand straight again. Unwilling to watch the pitiful display Mikael simply stepped forward and picked her up in a Princess carry and walked after the professor and Kitty.

"Hey-" Jean tried to protest as her cheeks blushed before she was immediately interrupted by Mikael.

"I should've told you to start training physically too." He said straight faced as he followed the other pair up the ramp into the rest of the mansion while Jean just put her head down in embarrassment which only intensified when a young man with brown hair and glasses appeared in the center of the lobby in a puff of smoke with a blue furred figure with a tail and just stared at the group.

"What happened here?"

Across the ocean standing in front of a large crater in the earth where Auschwitz once stood a group of four looked on as the figure of Apocalypse fell to a knee and coughed out a mouthful of blood. A trickle of blood leaked from his ear as he growled in anger. His hand balled into a fist as he slammed it into the ground.

"When I have recovered I will make sure you pay for this transgression." He whispered through gritted teeth as he stood to his feet as a violet sphere formed in the air in front of him. He walked through before quickly being followed by three of the four individuals. A brown haired man lingered behind as he stared at the blood that was slowly turning to sand. His brow knit together as he closed his eyes before opening them moments later as he started to walk into the sphere.