[88] : Failed Negotiations
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Roger flew through the sky, bathed in sunlight that continuously enhanced his heat vision and x-ray vision abilities.
These were abilities he had acquired and strengthened after traveling through the Marvel Universe. His heat vision, x-ray vision, and even his farsightedness had all been upgraded to some extent.
Now, in the world of the X-Men, Roger felt different again, as if parts of his body had been strengthened further.
Based on this feeling, Roger could reasonably confirm that the process of crossing dimensions was beneficial to him. Each time he traveled, one of his abilities was enhanced.
The first time, it was the biological force field from The Boys world. The second time, it was his eye-related abilities from the Marvel world. And now… it seemed to be some physical enhancement.
Maybe his defense, recovery speed, or strength had been enhanced, Roger couldn't tell. Unlike his heat vision or x-ray vision, the changes to his body felt minimal, and since it wasn’t a speed boost, he couldn’t precisely determine which ability had been strengthened.
Right now, though, Roger was about to face Apocalypse, and he didn’t have time to figure out his new powers, just like when he entered the Marvel world, he couldn’t immediately verify his heat vision.
“Tch, does every dimensional crossing have to coincide with a major event?”
Aside from the world of The Boys, Roger had noticed a pattern during his second crossing: each time he passed through to a new world, it was always at a pivotal moment.
The zombie apocalypse in the Marvel Universe and now the looming battle with Apocalypse were examples of this.
This pattern left Roger little time to focus on his personal matters. Upon entering each new world, he had to immediately consider how to save as many people as possible.
But the X-Men world was different from the Marvel Zombie Universe. In the zombie apocalypse, if Roger didn’t fight hard, he would likely end up as one of the undead. His survival depended on his efforts.
Roger definitely didn’t want to become one of those brainless flesh-eating zombies.
However, in this world, even if Roger didn’t face Apocalypse, he could still live comfortably.
What did it matter to him if Apocalypse built a pyramid in Cairo, causing millions of deaths? It wasn’t as if it would directly affect him.
And why should it concern Roger if Apocalypse ended up ruling the world?
There’s a saying: "When the sky falls, let the tall people hold it up." In this world, the X-Men were the ones to handle such problems. Roger, an outsider, could easily hide and watch the X-Men battle Apocalypse from a safe distance.
He could even enjoy the spectacle, like a live-action movie.
Fighting Apocalypse wasn’t Roger’s responsibility, and he didn’t need to save anyone in this world since it had nothing to do with him.
But Roger ultimately decided to confront Apocalypse himself, buying the X-Men time.
He knew full well that going up against Apocalypse, knowing he couldn’t win, was foolish. Risking his life to stop a tyrant for the sake of strangers in a world that wasn’t his own would be considered madness by anyone else.
Yet, Roger couldn’t stand idly by.
It wasn’t just a few thousand or tens of thousands of people, this was the lives of millions!
Millions of lives were at stake, a number so astronomical that Roger couldn't turn a blind eye.
If he didn’t intervene and allowed events to unfold as they originally did, those millions would be buried beneath that massive pyramid.
Their flesh, their bones, would become the foundation stones beneath the pyramid!
Roger couldn’t stand by and watch these people die. Deep inside him was something called a "conscience," and it wouldn’t let him sit back and do nothing while they perished.
So, even though Roger had no connection to this world and even though he knew he would likely lose, and lose badly, he still decided to help the X-Men face Apocalypse, no matter the cost.
“I’m almost moved by my own actions... sigh…”
Thinking back to his experiences in the zombie world and now the opponent he was about to face, Roger couldn’t help but sigh.
How many dimensional travelers, after crossing worlds, still had to run around saving the world? Probably not many.
The thought brought a small sense of pride to Roger.
“Can anyone else do what I’m doing? Ha!”
Amusing himself with this thought, it wasn’t long before Roger reached his destination.
With his enhanced vision and x-ray abilities, Roger quickly located Apocalypse and his Horsemen, hidden somewhere in Germany.
They were in an underground bunker. Apocalypse was designing new battle suits and face paints for his Horsemen. In simple terms, he was giving them new, stylish outfits.
At the moment, Apocalypse had four mutants under his command, whom he had recruited after awakening.
The first was Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, a girl not even twenty years old. She had been cornered in an alley in Cairo after stealing, but Apocalypse saved her, making her his first Horseman.
The second was Betsy Braddock, aka Psylocke, originally a bodyguard for a mutant named Caliban. Apocalypse managed to sway her to his side, making her his second Horseman. Her ability was to manifest psychic weapons from her hands.
The third Horseman was Angel, Roger didn’t know his real name, who had been forced into underground fights by humans. His wings were destroyed, and he was hiding in a warehouse when Apocalypse found him. Apocalypse restored his wings and turned them into metal, making him his third Horseman.
The fourth Horseman was none other than Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto. Once a pivotal figure in the X-Men series and sometimes an ally, Magneto was currently an enemy.
Roger scanned Apocalypse and his Horsemen, recalling everything he knew about them.
It was no surprise that Apocalypse, one of the most powerful mutants, immediately sensed Roger’s presence the moment his gaze locked on him.
“Someone’s coming,” Apocalypse’s voice echoed through the bunker, layered with a strange reverb.
His Horsemen froze, but before they could react, a gold and red heat beam pierced the room, aimed directly at Apocalypse!
A circular shield of energy appeared around Apocalypse, deflecting Roger’s carefully charged heat vision. The beam struck a fire extinguisher in the room, causing a massive explosion in the underground bunker.
Magneto, using his magnetic powers, quickly manipulated nearby objects to shield against the explosion, creating an escape route for the others above.
Storm darted out of the bunker through the opening, avoiding the explosion's impact.
Angel, with his metal wings, shielded Psylocke from the explosion’s shockwave and fire, following closely behind Storm as they escaped.
Had it not been for their considerable powers, and Magneto’s presence, Roger’s surprise attack could have wiped out all of them except Apocalypse.
But even if they didn’t die, it didn’t matter to Roger. His heat vision had merely been a "greeting," forcing Apocalypse to focus on him rather than rushing off to Cairo to build his pyramid.
Landing from the sky, Roger locked eyes with Apocalypse as though nothing had happened. Apocalypse, his gaze piercing, asked:
“Child, why did you attack me?”
Unlike other villains Roger had encountered, Apocalypse’s attitude was much more pleasant. Even after Roger had attacked him, his tone remained calm and kind.
This was likely because Apocalypse viewed Roger as a fellow mutant.
Apocalypse was known for treating mutants with respect. As long as they didn’t attack him or show overt hostility, he presented himself as a benevolent to other mutants.
In the original storyline, if it weren’t for the fact that Charles Xavier had powers Apocalypse didn’t, and the X-Men insisted on opposing him, Apocalypse probably wouldn’t have targeted them at all.
After all, if Apocalypse could recruit the X-Men, it would greatly benefit his cause.
Roger wasn’t a mutant, of course, but he could use that identity to chat with Apocalypse and buy more time.
Apocalypse had far too many abilities, more than Roger’s own set of powers, and Roger wasn’t sure if he could defeat him. If a fight broke out, his heat vision alone probably wouldn’t be enough to bring Apocalypse down.
And judging by the earlier scene, his heat vision didn’t seem to pose any real threat to Apocalypse.
With that in mind, Roger answered Apocalypse’s question seriously:
“Because you want to rule the world.”
“Are you trying to play the hero?”
“I guess so. Even though I have no real connection to this world, I can’t stand by and watch innocents die at your hands.”
Roger’s tone was sincere.
Since Apocalypse was in the mood to chat, Roger decided to engage him, hoping to delay him for a little longer.
However, what Roger didn’t expect was for Magneto, seemingly provoked by Roger’s words, to suddenly interject:
“Innocents? What do you know of innocents? My wife, my daughter, were they not innocent? Where were you when the innocents suffered?”
“...”
Magneto’s words left Roger speechless.
He could have told Magneto that he hadn’t been in this world at the time, but what good would that do? Magneto wouldn’t care. Anyone who had just lost their wife and daughter wouldn’t listen to reason.
To tell someone to be generous or to keep an open mind after such a loss was nothing but empty words.
But even knowing this, what could Roger do?
He really hadn’t been in this world at that time, and he didn’t have the power to resurrect the dead. So all he could do was softly reply:
“Magneto, I’m truly sorry about your wife and daughter, but you’ve already killed those responsible…”
“It’s not enough,” Eric interrupted Roger, his voice cold. “It’s far from enough! I want more people to feel my pain! No one can stop me!!”
“...Looks like negotiations have failed.”
Roger sighed, realizing his attempt to stall for time had been in vain.
Seeing the fury and confusion in Eric’s eyes, Roger knew there was no avoiding a fight.
Sure enough, as soon as Roger finished speaking, Eric commanded a massive wave of metal, hurling it straight at Roger!
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