Marvel's master of cosmic magic-Chapter 586

"They’ve started."

Rowan Mercer felt the surge the instant it happened. A vast psychic signal spread across the planet, sweeping through every corner of the world. Mystique had made her move. Charles Xavier had activated Cerebro and begun searching for Magneto.

Rowan allowed the connection.

Because he had replicated Magneto down to the smallest detail, Cerebro locked onto him immediately.

"Hello, my old friend."

The moment Xavier’s voice echoed in his mind, Rowan released the prepared memories. The deaths. The bodies. The rage and grief layered thick with despair. He amplified the emotions until they were impossible to ignore.

On the other end of the link, Xavier faltered.

"I’m so sorry," Xavier said, his voice breaking. "I can feel your pain. Your confusion. I—"

"You think slipping into my mind lets you understand my suffering?" Rowan snapped, perfectly mimicking Magneto’s bitterness.

Xavier responded the way he always did, with calm persistence. "This isn’t the answer. Come back, Erik. Let me help you."

The argument escalated quickly, sharp and raw.

And that was when Apocalypse intervened.

He entered Rowan’s mind without warning, following the psychic channel straight into Xavier’s signal. From there, he traced it further, reaching Cerebro itself. Apocalypse’s control over energy and systems allowed him to seize the machine directly, overriding its functions and, through it, Xavier’s will.

"Remarkable," Apocalypse murmured as he explored Xavier’s consciousness. "Such power. And such a fascinating device."

He saw it clearly now. Xavier wasn’t limited to reading thoughts. He could influence them. Control them. With Cerebro, he could locate anyone on Earth and impose his will from across the globe.

Apocalypse adjusted his plan instantly.

Why dismantle governments one by one when he could end it all at once?

Through Cerebro, he forced Xavier’s power outward, targeting every soldier with nuclear launch authority. Orders were issued. Silos opened. Submarines armed.

Missiles launched worldwide.

Rowan extended a sliver of his awareness along the psychic channel, watching everything unfold inside the Cerebro chamber. He remembered how this had ended in another universe, but timelines were fragile things. His presence alone could change the outcome.

He stayed ready.

If Xavier failed, Rowan would act. He could seize every nuclear weapon mid-flight and hurl them into space. His control now spanned the planet. Distance meant nothing.

He was the final failsafe.

"No, Alex!" Xavier shouted, breaking through Apocalypse’s control for a precious moment. "Now! Destroy it. Destroy the system. Everything!"

Alex Summers didn’t hesitate. He tore open his uniform, energy building in the specialized harness at his chest. A massive concussive blast erupted, ripping through Cerebro’s core and obliterating the surrounding machinery.

The connection snapped.

With the system destroyed, Apocalypse lost his leverage. The missiles were already airborne, but without guidance or final commands, they failed to detonate.

Apocalypse roared in fury and tore open a portal to the school.

Xavier’s body was too valuable to abandon.

He stepped through and immediately drew the unconscious Xavier toward himself.

At the same time, Rowan acted.

Metal surged from the shattered equipment, reshaping into heavy restraints that pinned everyone else in place. He struck Alex unconscious before the man could fire again. A second blast would have leveled the school.

Some things weren’t worth gambling on.

Apocalypse glanced back at him, satisfied. "Good instincts."

Another portal opened.

They emerged in Cairo, the city beneath Apocalypse’s ancient tomb. This was where he would build the pyramid. Where he would transfer his consciousness into Xavier’s body and claim that power for himself.

Humanity’s nuclear arsenal had already been spent. Rebuilding it would take time. Time Apocalypse no longer needed to fear.

With Magneto at his side and his other enhanced lieutenants ready, nothing conventional could stop him now.

Storm. Psylocke. Angel.

They followed him through the portal.

Rowan stepped forward as well.

Then, at the threshold, he paused.

Without breaking stride, he left something behind. An unseen fragment of thought. A silent observer, hidden from every sense in the room.

And then he followed Apocalypse into the desert.