* BOOM *

Val grabbed Apocalypse and burst out of the factory. He held on to the first mutant and plowed through three buildings.

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

Val was going to plow Apocalypse through a fourth one, too, but he saw a force field around him. He clicked his tongue and flung him at the fourth building, nonetheless.

* BOOM *

Apocalypse crashed on the wall, but he wasn't hurt anywhere. He landed on the ground and massaged his neck while looking up at Val, who was hovering above him. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Ah! So, you must be Starlance? You don't look that impressive to me."

"I could say the same thing, but I know your reputation," Val replied. "Let's see if you are as good as they say."

Val flew forward to attack him, but Apocalypse grabbed his hands, and they grappled each other. Val increased his power and pushed Apocalypse down.

* BOOM *

A small crater formed around Apocalypse, and his feet dug into the ground.

Apocalypse smiled and taunted, "Thank you for awakening me. If it weren't for you, I'd still be sleeping, and the idiots would still worship these false gods. It's time I give them a real god to worship."

Val didn't reply and pushed him more as the crater got more prominent, and he pushed even more.

* BOOM *

Another crater formed, and Apocalypse's feet dug deeper into the ground. Both of them were locked onto each other and trying to push each other back.

"That's it?" Apocalypse taunted. "Is that all Starlance has to offer?"

Val smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not finished yet."

Val pulled Apocalypse closer, absorbed the energy from the surroundings to amplify his strength, and attacked him with a right hook.

* BOOM *

Apocalypse was hurled in the air, and Val chased after him. When he began to slow down, Val aimed and attacked his chest.

* BOOM *

Apocalypse crashed through a building. Val followed him, and when he came out through the building, he aimed and punched him again, but this time with even more strength.

* BA - BOOM *

Apocalypse was sent flying like a ragdoll, but Val wasn't having it. He caught up to him and struck his back with his elbow.

* BANG *

This attack knocked him away again, and he fell to the ground. When he began to slow down, he hit the top of a building and bounced off before falling to the ground again.

* BOOOM *

Apocalypse was sent to the ground, creating a large crater with a big explosion. Val landed beside him and grabbed his head. Then, he began smashing his head on the ground repeatedly.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

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Small craters formed around Apocalypse while Val continued smashing his head, and Val thought, 'I'm pummeling him because I want to make him angry. He might reveal his hidden cards to me if he gets angry. Till now, I haven't seen one, and he's been holding himself back. When he reveals it, I won't prolong this useless fight. I would need to change my plan accordingly. But.. there's one thing that might help me achieve that.'

Val smashed his head again and whispered in his ear, "Is that all you have to offer? All that talk about being a real god, only to end up being beaten like a dog. You are just a weakling and a wannabe. I thought you might show me something interesting, but I guess... You are not as good as you claim to be. You are a false god. Look at you now, a mere ant in front of me. What a letdown."

'Me? A weakling? A wannabe? An ant? A.. false.. god?' Apocalypse gritted his teeth and thought, 'How dare this mortal belittle me like that?! This insect! This lowly scum! I am the great Apocalypse, the first one, and the strongest mutant, the En Sabah Nur! How dare he call me a wannabe, weakling, ant, or false god?!'

His skin turned darker, his muscles grey, and his eyes began glowing eerily purple. The aura around him changed, and his hands also glowed eerily purple.

Val let go of Apocalypse quickly when he saw the changes and stood away from him.

"You should not have provoked me, mortal!" Apocalypse roared. "I'm going to show you who the real God is here!"

'Yess!! He's finally revealed it!! Now, I need to figure out what it is and get the fuck out of here!' Val smiled and thought.

Apocalypse charged toward him, his glowing fist ready to attack. But before his punch could land on him, Val backed away and dodged it.

* WHOOSH *

"Why are you running, coward?!" Apocalypse taunted.

But Val ignored his taunt and backed away again when he saw him rushing at him. However, this time, Apocalypse teleported behind instantly and punched his back.

* BOOM *

Val was thrown forward. But, Apocalypse wasn't finished yet. He teleported in front of Val and punched him again.

* BOOM *

Val was thrown backward, and Apocalypse teleported again behind Val. He punched him again and continued this back and forth.

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

"Coward? Weakling? Ant? False god?" Apocalypse was enraged. "I'm going to beat you to death, you unworthy trash."

Apocalypse kept punching him repeatedly while shouting, but Val, on the other hand, had amplified his defense against his blows by absorbing the energy, and he was calmly thinking, 'What's that purple glow? I've seen it somewhere. But where? Come on! Think! Think!.... I need to check it out.'

Apocalypse was about to punch him again, but suddenly, his fist was caught by Val, who aimed his own fist and attacked his chest.

* BOOM *

Apocalypse was hurled back slightly, but Val appeared before him, grabbed his leg, and flung him down.

* BANG *

* WHIRRR *

* BA - BOOM *

An explosion occurred around the spot where Apocalypse crashed.

As the dust settled, Apocalypse stood on his feet, dusting off his shoulders. He looked at Val, who landed before him and said, "Well, I must admit. You are not a disappointment. Too bad you won't live long enough. But don't worry, I'll leave you some still recognizable parts for your friends and family."

The purple glow in his fist increased, and he aimed and shot a powerful energy beam at Val, who also shot an energy beam from his palms.

* SHOOOM *

* BOOM *

Both of the beams collided and created a strong wind in the area. The cars were thrown away, the nearby buildings' windows shattered, and the streetlights flung away. But, neither of them was backing down and increased the intensity of their beams.

Val analyzed the energy beam before him, and he quickly realized, 'Holy fuck! This is...! This is the fucking Death Seed! Fuck! I've got what I wanted. There's no need to prolong this fight anymore. See ya, old fossil!'

He manipulated his energy beam and caused a massive explosion.

* KA - BOOM *

Apocalypse stopped releasing his energy beam and squinted his eyes due to the massive explosion. He didn't see how Val could make such an enormous explosion happen out of nowhere. But, as the dust settled, he looked at the area where Val was supposed to be, and there was nothing except a cloud of smoke.

At that moment, Storm and Angel descended from above and asked, "Are you alright, Master?"

"I'm fine," Apocalypse replied and looked around. "Where's that Starlance?"

"He disappeared," Angel answered.

"Master, do we need to find him?" Storm asked.

"No. Let's go. There's no need to find a coward who runs away from a fight." Apocalypse replied and started walking.

Storm and Angel followed him while glancing around.

Meanwhile, Val entered the abandoned factory and saw Nightcrawler helping Mystique sort out the dead bodies.

"Mystique," Val called out, and she looked at him with a relieved expression. "We need to get out of here. Apocalypse can return anytime."

"Ok," Mystique said and put the Chrono in her pocket. She walked toward him and stopped. Turning around, she pointed at Nightcrawler and said, "Take him, too. He's a good kid, and his gift is pretty useful. He'll help us."

"Alright," Val said and looked at Nightcrawler. "If you come with us, we can protect you. But we won't force you to come with us. So, if you want, you can leave now."

Nightcrawler didn't hesitate for a moment and said, "I will go with you."

"Okay," Val nodded and extended his hand to him. "Grab hold of me. I'll take you out of here."

Nightcrawler reached for his hand and grabbed it.

* BOOM *

Val flew away while carrying both of them.