Chapter 74: The Final Battle — Overtime

The arrival of Hydra was far too conspicuous. In less than ten minutes, a massive crowd had gathered nearby to watch the spectacle. Yet, to call them mere onlookers would be misleading—for every person present possessed formidable combat abilities. They had originally gathered to take down the boss, but with Joss standing there, none quite knew how to proceed. After all, most belonged to the ranks of the law-abiding, at worst neutral; no one was reckless enough to strike at Hydra in a way that would send everyone, Joss included, straight to their doom.

Furthermore, the presence of renowned heroes from the Avengers and Blade, who vouched for Joss and assured everyone he would deal with the monster, worked to pacify the agitated crowd—if only slightly. Yet, when the metaphor of Hydra turned into reality before their eyes, restlessness spread rapidly among them. Half wanted to leap into action, the other half to flee in terror.

Hundreds of serpentine heads swayed in the air, each movement slicing through the sky with a deafening crack. Merely brushing against the creature shattered vast stretches of concrete, and even some of the superhuman onlookers dared not step forward.

At the very moment Hydra’s aura reached its peak, when even Steve and his companions were ready to intervene, the monstrous ball of serpents suddenly fell silent! The abrupt rise and fall of tension was more thrilling than any rollercoaster—countless fighters, already bracing themselves to attack, were forced to swallow back their battle cries.

But then, another twist! Hydra, which by all rights should have perished from an uncontrollable frenzy and self-destruction, suddenly sprang back to life! Not only did it revive, but it even spoke in human language—or at least a tongue that everyone present could understand.

If that had been all, it might have been dismissed as having “knocked some sense into the beast.” But then, inexplicably, it called out Joss’s name.

It was impossible—Hydra could not have known. Apart from the Avengers and SHIELD, those present who knew Joss by name could be counted on one hand. Yet Hydra, a being banished who knows how many eons ago to some unfathomable, distant place, recognized him?

Not even Joss was spared from confusion.

“Could it be that the original owner of this body I’ve crossed into harbored some earth-shattering secret?”

This absurd thought lasted but a moment before Joss shook his head, dismissing it. After all, he had long since taken over all the memories of this body. If its former master truly possessed such secrets, would he really have died of exhaustion during basic training at boot camp? What a joke that would be.

“Hey, hey… if it’s not that, then there’s only one possibility left…”

Just as the saying goes, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” No matter how hard Joss tried to deny it, only a single answer came to mind.

“You’re… Apocalypse?!”

Although a body possessed by Apocalypse would undergo a series of transformations, gradually assuming his true form, what stood before them now was a massive ball of writhing serpents—impossible to identify from appearance alone. Yet, with a bit of deduction, among all those Joss knew, only one was both capable of mind possession and harbored a deep-seated hatred for him.

[Hidden Quest Activated: The Return of Apocalypse]

[This quest has no mandatory requirements and no failure penalties. Rewards will be granted solely based on your performance during this unforeseen event.]

[PS: Do you regret dancing on his grave now?]

Almost as if to confirm Joss’s suspicion, the system interface abruptly refreshed, displaying a new line of text!

Under Apocalypse’s control, the serpentine mass unfurled. Each snake’s head moved with greater agility and strength than before, exuding a far more chilling aura. Then, countless pairs of crimson eyes fixed themselves on Joss, and a thunderous roar erupted in unison:

“That’s right! I am the new world’s king! I am… Apocalypse!”

A roar saturated with psychic power erupted like a tangible shockwave, hurling Joss dozens of meters through the air! And this was not even a true attack—merely the psychic overflow that accompanied his wrath!

The mental onslaught was so intense that Joss dared not activate his invincibility skill, fearing that if this force found no release, he would meet a terrible end.

Hydra, whose demise had been caused by psychic exhaustion, was a perfect vessel for Apocalypse, who could endlessly transfer his consciousness to possess other mutants’ bodies. Now, with his formidable spirit inhabiting this near-immortal flesh, a monstrous new being was born!

What should have required an intricate ritual was made effortless by Hydra’s vegetative state, allowing Apocalypse to seize control in an instant.

Heaven only knew where Apocalypse had lain in wait, biding his time for this perfect opportunity. Joss even suspected that Apocalypse had infiltrated the upper ranks of Hydra long ago, and had stumbled upon this plan by chance, enabling things to proceed with such speed and precision.

“Tch, I knew you’d show up again eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon,” Joss muttered. Last time, Apocalypse had only just been resurrected and his host body was far from powerful—yet it had still taken the combined efforts of Joss, Blackie, and Laura to barely hold him at bay. In the end, only by bluffing did they scare the still-confused Apocalypse into abandoning his host.

Such a tactic would never work a second time.

Now, Apocalypse possessed a body even stronger than in the original film, and with his mastery over sand manipulation, Joss had not a sliver of hope of victory.

“This time, you cannot deceive the great Apocalypse! You will die here! Here, I shall raise my pyramid! Here, I shall take the first step in my new world!”

“Uh… I just wanted to remind you,” Joss suddenly raised his hand like a schoolboy seeking permission. “Pyramids are for the dead. Are you sure you want to build one for yourself?”

“ROAR! Insignificant human! You dare mock me?!”

With a furious roar, countless snake heads lunged at Joss. Yet, unlike before when facing the weakened Hydra, Joss’s expression was calm before this mightier incarnation.

“I’m not joking. Remember not long ago when you tried the same thing? Who was it that ended up dead?” Joss stabbed his greatsword into the ground, folded his arms, and let out a cold laugh.

“You think you can trick me again? Those things hold no power. You really imagine the same trick will work twice?” Apocalypse sneered, enraged at the memory of his previous humiliation—a disgrace he now intended to repay with interest.

“Hmph, you still won’t believe until you see the coffin for yourself. Very well—let me show you!” Joss stepped forward with a cold laugh, causing even the colossal serpent mass controlled by Apocalypse to involuntarily recoil.

Realizing his own hesitation, Apocalypse flew into a rage, transforming into a black blur and hurtling toward Joss.

Joss took a deep breath, hands subtly forming the posture of a tai chi master. Then, he suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs:

“Jean! Master Gu! Sentry! All you big shots out there! Heeeeeeeeeeeelp!”