X-Force: Beyond Omega

The rubble still settled around David Moreau's lifeless body, his twisted form sprawled across the shattered ground like a discarded waste. Aron barely spared it a glance. His attention was already fixed on the four figures before him—the Horsemen of Apocalypse.

Plague. Autumn Rolfson. X-23. Magik.

Each of them radiated an aura of overwhelming power. At a single glance, Aron could tell that their mutations had been forcibly pushed beyond natural limits, and other than him there was only one being who could do this type of power upgrade. He read their mind like open books. Apocalypse had chosen them from the broken prisoners of Genosha. He reforged them into something new and unleashed the rest to kill everyone outside.

'Jean, your team's up. Don't kill anyone. Just capture them or beat them to near-death,' Aron contacted Jean through telepathy, then shifted his focus toward those four. His golden eyes flickered as he analyzed each of them in turn.

Plague stood at the front, her tattered cloak billowing despite the still air. The sickness she commanded spread from her like an unseen mist, warping the stone beneath her feet, corroding metal, and eating through the very air with an unnatural stench. She was with Magneto when he attacked Genosha but after his failure, she was captured along with many others.

To her right, Autumn Rolfson—now War—stood with cold poise. The earth beneath her blackened and withered in her presence. Her mutation, once subtle, had become an unstoppable force. The very concept of decay answered her call. Her origin story was different from the OG one. She was born in Genosha and was captured when her mutation awakened. Just like other mutants, David turned her into a test subject.

X-23 stood to the left, her adamantium claws gleaming in the emergency lighting. She was silent, her breathing measured. She never got to see the sunlight after she was created using Logan's genes. Those bastards kept her imprisoned for 20 years and experimented on her. And right now, being free of all her restraints, she was filled with rage and bloodlust.

And then there was Magik.

Her eldritch armor was darker than the void, her Soul Sword pulsing with raw, violent energy. The golden glow in her eyes flickered as the demonic corruption within her pulsed in tune with whatever enhancements Apocalypse had buried inside her. And just like Plague, she was also captured years ago during the attack. Back then she didn't know her real power, but now, Apocalypse has opened her eyes.

Aron exhaled slowly.

"I take it you're not here to chat?"

Plague's voice was like a whisper carried on a deathbed breath. "You will come with us."

Aron tilted his head slightly. "Not a request, I assume."

X-23 shifted her stance, claws flexing. Magik's fingers tightened around her blade. Plague and Autumn were ready to unleash their powers at a moment's notice.

"Look at you all... I guess you are used to slavery, huh? First these Genosha bastards and now Apocalypse? Is this what you four want?" He looked them in the eye one by one. "Are you happy being slaves? Do you even have a will of your own?"

War narrowed her eyes. X-23 hissed. Magik took a step forward, her blade igniting into a jet-black flame. Plague raised a hand, halting them all.

"We will not fall for your tricks. Our master will cleanse this world of the weak, and we will stand at the forefront. We mutants will once again stand at the peak of evolution. Like Gods... Everyone will pray for us to spare their worthless lives," Plague said, her voice like a hiss of the wind.

"So, no place for weak, huh?!" Aron blinked and appeared beside her, his hand on her shoulder and he was unaffected by her disease. "Kids... You have no idea what true power is. So, let me show you." He simply absorbed her power, turning her into a normal human girl. Her disease vanished and her strength waned. She fell on her knees.

"W...what?"

Before anyone could realize what was happening, he used the Space Stone's power to appear behind Autumn and touched her back, absorbing her power almost instantly. With her now depowered and a human, she couldn't stand on her feet anymore. Her weak body gave out and she fell to the ground.

"What have you done?"

Aron flicked his fingers teleporting them out of his way, back to the land.

X-23 didn't hesitate. With an animalistic snarl, she lunged, her claws flashing through the dim light like silver streaks of death. Her speed was inhuman, a blur of motion as she aimed straight for Aron's throat.

At the same time, Magik raised her sword high, the dark flames licking at its length growing more intense. With a single downward slash, she tore open a rift in space, stepping through and appearing behind Aron in an instant. Her blade came down in a vicious arc, aimed to cleave him in two.

Aron exhaled sharply. 'Might as well enjoy a little fight.'

X-23 struck first, her claws a hair's breadth from Aron's throat before they froze. Her arms trembled with exertion, but they refused to move any further.

Magik's sword stopped as well, the blade just an inch away from his back.

"W...what!?"

"A simple telekinesis," Aron explained casually as he flicked his fingers, sending them both flying. X-23 was sent hurtling toward the nearest wall while Magik was blasted through the air. X23 flipped over mid-air and stabbed the wall with her claws, her adamantium weapons sinking deep into the concrete. Magik, on the other hand, slashed her sword and opened a portal behind her, disappearing into another dimension before reappearing before Aron.

"Haaa!" She swung her sword horizontally.

Aron didn't bother moving and allowed the blade to touch his body.

"What the...?!" To her surprise, her sword simply stopped and lost all the power.

X23 kicked the wall and shot forward like a bullet, using her momentum to slash her claws at Aron's head.

"Oh, now you want to play too?" He didn't dodge and just let the claws touch his face. But the claws didn't go in. The power she put behind the attack disappeared. X23 once again flipped back and landed on the floor.

"Arrrggg!!" Like a wild animal, she once again rushed in and began to stab and kick him relentlessly.

Her attacks were fast and strong, but not even a drop of blood came out of Aron.

Magik raised her sword high above her head, the flames roaring higher and higher. The air around her rippled as if something had distorted it. Then she brought the blade down, aiming for Aron's head. However, a burst of energy erupted from Aron's body, sending them both flying backward. Magik flew through the air, her eldritch armor absorbing most of the damage, but X-23 was slammed into a nearby wall, the impact forcing a groan out of her.

A couple of broken metal rods pierced through her body.

"Argg!" X23 got up and pulled out those rods. Her wounds were already healing. "What did you do?" She hissed.

"Oh, just simple energy absorption and discharge. But don't worry, I used only 1% of my power." He looked at both of them with amusement in his eyes. "And still, you both can't touch me? Not even close. What a disappointment."

"You...! How dare you!" Magik was furious. She had never been so humiliated.

"Nothing you can do about that," Aron used his power to put X23 to sleep. He opened a portal under her connected to the School. Her body fell to the other side.

"You..." Magik raised her sword once again and charged in. This time she went in for the kill. She didn't hold anything back. Her speed increased and she slashed her sword left and right, every time aiming for a vital organ.

'Hmmm... Good speed.' He dodged all of her attacks while looking at her with a smile. "Still holding back, huh?!"

"Stop looking at me with those eyes!" Magik growled.

Aron simply shook his head. "You know it's wrong, don't you? Yet, you decided to join Apocalypse... Why?"

"Shut up!" She roared and shot forward. Her movements were faster than before.

Aron didn't bother to dodge anymore. He just allowed her sword to hit him. It didn't even leave a scratch. He didn't even budge an inch.

"It would seem you still have some conscience left."

Magik took a step back, her golden eyes filled with frustration and rage. The dark flames surrounding her blade burned brighter than before, but this time they turned crimson.

"Don't be his slave. You are stronger than that. All that suffering and pain you went through, if you do the same to others, then what's the difference between you and those bastards? You will be no better than them," Aron grabbed her sword barehanded. His Phoenix Force-infused body was immune to the eldritch flames. He looked her in the eye and spoke calmly.

"Look at me and tell me you want to do this. Are you happy with this life?"

"I...I..." Magik didn't know what to say. She didn't want this. She never wanted any of this. She just wanted to be a hero and save others.

"Don't you dare betray, me," Apocalypse's voice rang inside her head. His power erupted from within her, searing her every nerve. It was like a thousand needles were piercing her brain all at once. Magik screamed. Her muscles tensed as she dropped to her knees, clutching her head in agony. Her body began to glow with crimson energy, the light growing brighter by the second.

"Get the fuck out of her head," Aron shielded her mind with his Phoenix Force.

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