I Am a Heroic Spirit

"Can we set off now? The distance from here to the Temple of Ramses II is quite long." Magneto said coldly.

"Why do we have to set off at night? The desert is not safe at night." Quicksilver stood beside Magneto and asked casually.

"Ramesses II is the sun god. Naturally, his strongest state is during the day. Night is not his domain." Storm explained with a middle school mentality infected by Apocalypse.

"Monroe is right. Since he calls himself the Sun God, we should use the night to weaken him." Apocalypse agreed.

Apocalypse and Storm said things that seemed reasonable to everyone, but they didn't know that Laerdino's strength would not be affected by this at all.

Apocalypse opened the purple portal, and a group of mutants entered one after another.

-

The main temple complex, Ramesseum.

Ozymandias sat on a high throne, with a woman dressed in Egyptian-style clothing standing beside him.

A mirror was hanging in the air in front of them. What was shown in the mirror was not the appearance of three people, but dozens of mutants who had entered the portal.

Ozymandias snorted coldly and said unhappily, "Humph! I did say I allowed their challenge, that they could freely choose the time of the challenge and that I would give them the opportunity to gather their forces. But I didn't expect them to be so arrogant as to challenge me with just these defective products. I'm beyond angry and amused."

"There are priests serving the gods? Hahahahahaha... I really laughed. Nitocris, trying to defeat the God King with the power of a priest? Isn't this a bit ridiculous?"

Ozymandias laughed heartily and turned to ask the woman beside him.

That's right, the woman next to her is Nitocris, the daughter of Horus, the god of the sky. However, she is not a servant summoned by the Holy Quartz, but a clone summoned by Ozymandias through the power of the temple. Just like the earthbound spirit, although she has the power of a first-class servant in the temple, once she leaves the temple, her body will disappear.

Normally, he serves as Ozymandias' assistant, helping Ozymandias handle all aspects of Egypt's official business. With the power of the temple, he will not feel tired even if he finishes all the official business within one day.

Nitocris said respectfully, "They are only mortals after all. It is a normal strategy for them to gather as much combat power as possible in order to challenge you, even if it is useless."

"That's right, they are just mediocre mortals, with the size of their vision and horizons as small as a cup." Ozymandias nodded in agreement, especially when he thought of the performances of Magneto, Professor X, and Apocalypse in the X-Men, he couldn't help but sneer. They obviously possessed more powerful powers than anyone else, but they still had to be dependent on the weak, or retired like the Joker.

"Then go, Pharaoh Nitocris. You are a dim soul and are not qualified to enter the temple, even the outermost temple." Ozymandias gave the order.

"As you command." Nitocris bent down and responded to Ozymandias.

Then, Nitocris transformed into 4.7 Wind and left through the exit of Ramesseum.

-

When they came out from the other side of the portal, what they faced was not the sphinx or the Pharaoh's guards, but an overwhelming sandstorm.

The violent wind raged in the desert, blowing up countless grains of sand and hitting the mutants. This sandstorm was not a normal astronomical phenomenon, because the power of each grain of sand blown up by the storm was comparable to that of a pistol bullet, even if it was slightly worse, it was not much.

Although Magneto erected a magnetic field defense in time to protect them, the sandstorm came too quickly and caught people off guard. Moreover, the sandstorm seemed to be targeted, and before Magneto's protective measures could cover everyone, most of the first-level, second-level, and third-level mutants forcibly upgraded by Apocalypse were blown away.

Only the Blue Devil escaped with his ability to teleport. Although the Archangel had been holding off the sandstorm until Magneto's force field covered it and had not been blown away, his steel wings had turned into a dirt road in the countryside, full of potholes.

"what happened?"

"What bad luck! We encountered a sandstorm as soon as we arrived."

The sandstorm soon subsided. The crowd grumbled as they took a headcount. Magneto and Professor X worked together to retrieve the mutants blown away by the storm. However, all of them had sustained serious injuries. Aside from the mutants with Iron powers, who were restored to normal strength after Magneto's repairs, the others were no longer able to fight.

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Looking at the large number of wounded, Apocalypse, Magneto and Professor X looked very ugly.

As soon as I went out, I encountered a high-intensity sandstorm. This was a completely bad start and very unlucky.

Although they knew that this sandstorm was abnormal, the three of them were helpless and could only ask Blue Devil and Quicksilver to take away the injured mutants. Because she did not have much fighting ability, Mystique also left the desert at the forced request of Professor X and Magneto.

Although there were differences in other matters, Professor X and Magneto reached an agreement on the safety of Mystique. Mystique only had the ability to transform, so even if she didn't want to leave, she had no right to resist.

"Ugh……"

After all the non-combatants had left, Professor X couldn't help but sigh at the few familiar faces scattered around. They'd already lost more than half their troops before even reaching their destination.

"No time to sigh. The temple is just ahead. Let's get ready to go... I have to admit, this complex of buildings is truly impressive. I've never seen a more magnificent complex."

Apocalypse looked ahead and spoke in an amazed tone.

Professor X and Magneto turned around after hearing this and looked in the direction Apocalypse was looking at, their faces suddenly showing shock.

About a hundred meters away, a city like a floating city on a sea of ​​sand appeared before the mutants' eyes. A complex of temples, the architectural prowess of which was immediately apparent, emerged.

Several temples overlapped and intertwined, forming a magnificent, immense temple complex. Assuming that everything we saw wasn't an illusion but a physical object, the entire complex would stretch tens of kilometers. Even at night, it still shone with the glow of the sun.

This mirage-like scene seems to be covered by something on the outer layer. If you are far away, you will either not be able to see it directly, or you will think that the distance is very close due to visual deviation.

However, only when you get closer can you get a clear overview of the temple complex.

Professor X exclaimed, "That must be the legendary Great Temple of Radiance, the residence of the Sun King Osmanthus!"

"What is that?" Quicksilver suddenly appeared beside Professor X and asked him casually.

Professor X explained, "Sun King Osmantheus, correctly known as Ramses II, was the greatest and most powerful pharaoh of the ancient Egyptian world. He brought prosperity to Egypt in 1300 B.C., and he proclaimed himself the pharaoh of the gods. It's not uncommon for pharaohs to equate gods with themselves, but he was also the king closest to the sun. He was also known as a brilliant architect. He even claimed that all the temples on Earth were built by him. If that's true, the Light of Dendera, humanity's oldest generator, may also be related to his legend. Furthermore, the Sun King was nicknamed the Construction King. That great temple must have been one of his Noble Phantasms."

"Yes, Ramses II built and renovated many temples during his lifetime, including the famous ones at Abu Simbel, Karnak, and Luxor. There are also Nubia, Abydos, Akhimim, Bubatis, Akshay, Deir el-Medina, Amarah, and so on. Almost all the temples are there."

Apocalypse picked up the end of Professor X's words and told him the intelligence and information he had obtained.

"According to the intelligence I received from the Pharaoh's guards, these temple complexes are Ramesseum Tentyris, Ramesseum's true name, the mausoleum of Ramesseum II. There's no doubt about that. The problem lies with Tentyris. Tentyris doesn't refer to the Dendera temple complex, but specifically to the main temple of Hathor, which features the famous Dendera lamp murals. However, the Dendera temple complex has a long history, existing long before Ramses II, and has been repaired and renovated by numerous pharaohs. Ramses II didn't undertake large-scale renovations like he did with the Luxor Temple, and he wasn't the primary builder. Yet, it still appears within the scope of Ramses II's Noble Phantasm. In other words, it's very likely that all the temples in Egypt were summoned by Ramses II as his own property."

"After saying so much, I still don't understand what the meaning of what you said is. Before fighting with Ramses II, we praise his achievements and try to get him to let us go?" Quicksilver spread his hands, tilted his head, and asked in confusion.

Although Cyclops, Phoenix, Colossus, Sabretooth, and others did not speak, they also agreed with Quicksilver's words. Instead of formulating a battle plan before the war, they tried to investigate the past of Ramses II and those temples. Even if they found out, what was the use?

Only Beast, Storm, Professor X, Hellboy, and Imhotep seemed to understand something, but Professor X and Beast used their wisdom to figure out what Apocalypse meant from the perspective of intelligence, while the others understood what Apocalypse was worried about from a theological perspective.

"We are facing a God-King who has descended to Earth. But do you think that with such a large area and so many temples, there is only one god, Ramses II?"

Apocalypse was a little unhappy, not because of Quicksilver's contradiction or the doubts of other mutants, but because of their intelligence and strength. For Apocalypse, these mutants were the worst group he had ever led. If it were in the past, he would not have needed to find other mutants as thugs, his own mutants would have been enough.

"Boss, do you mean that there are gods in those temples?" The archangel understood what Tianqi meant and asked in surprise.

"It may not be a real god, but even if it is just a projection, it will be enough to make you suffer." Tianqi said in a deep voice, gazing at the temple complex not far away.

In his sight, every temple in that group of temples exuded divine light. Even if there were no gods inside, the power of the gods could be released through those temples.

For him, Magneto, Professor X, Hellboy, and Imhotep, those temples would not be a fatal danger, but for other mutants, they would have to fight to the death to pass through those temples.

"Imorton, it's up to you later." Apocalypse turned his head and said to Imhotep.

"...I'll do my best." Imhotep raised his head, gazing at the distant temples, his voice heavy. Through spells and prayers, he could indeed send away the projections or clones of the gods within a certain timeframe. However, this was no easy task; both abundant magical power and a deep understanding of the gods were essential.

"lets go!"

Apocalypse could hear Imhotep's lack of confidence, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded and walked towards the temple entrance not far away. The others followed closely behind him, walking quickly in the desert.

The desert was not easy to walk in. It took the mutants two minutes to walk a distance of less than a hundred meters and arrive at the entrance of the outermost temple, where someone was already waiting for them.

"Divinity of Horus! Who are you?"

Imhotep's pupils suddenly shrank, and he asked the woman in front of him in a deep voice.

Horus?

Professor X subconsciously looked up and saw that this temple was indeed the famous Temple of Edfu. It was even more magnificent than the temple located on the west bank of the Nile.

Nitocris placed her scepter on the ground, proudly facing the mutants, and said, "I am Nitocris, the incarnation of Horus, the sky god, summoned by the great Pharaoh Sun King Osmandis."

"Nitocris, Egypt's first female pharaoh?"

Nitocris's reputation was not low. As the first queen of Egypt, her governing ability was no worse than that of other pharaohs, and she also had a legendary story. Her popularity among all the pharaohs was among the highest. As soon as her name was mentioned, the knowledgeable Professor X found information about Nitocris in his mind.

Imhotep's face changed and he subconsciously took a step back. As a traitor, he still could not face any pharaoh with a clear conscience.

Apocalypse's expression became more solemn. It seemed that it was just as he thought. The Temple of Edfu corresponded to Nitocris, who was known as the daughter of Horus, the sky god, and also as the incarnation of Horus.

Nitocris ignored the expressions of the crowd ahead. After a quick glance, she spoke bluntly, "You've actually made it to the Great Temple. I commend you for keeping your promise and your exaggerated courage. But this is a test. You must demonstrate your strength. You cannot let Pharaoh Osmandes hear the voices of the powerless. Now let us let the Nile wash away our ideas and thoughts. If you wish to pass through the Temple of Edfu, you must defeat me."

After she finished speaking, Nitocris turned around and walked into the temple.

"Is this the first level? The Temple of Edfu."

Apocalypse's gaze penetrated the entrance passage of the temple, glanced at the eagle-headed statue inside the temple, and muttered to himself.

"Do not."

Nitocris, who was walking in the passage, heard the voice of Apocalypse, paused, and spoke.

"The first level has already begun when you arrived."

After saying this, Nitocris passed through the passage and entered the temple, beneath the eagle-headed statue, quietly waiting for the challenge to come.

"It's the sandstorm from before!"

Everyone understood what Nitocris meant, and Cyclops spoke first.

"No wonder."

Imhotep said softly, how could he calm down a sandstorm that contained the divine power of the sky just because he wanted to?

"Everyone, are you ready? Have you made up your mind? Do you want to go?"

Tianqi did not enter the temple immediately, but turned around, faced everyone, and asked questions one after another.

"In just the first level, we lost nearly half our combat power. And this first level was just a exploratory attack by Nitocris, the second level, to verify our eligibility to enter the temple complex. You can imagine how dangerous this second level, followed by the third and fourth levels, and the other levels of the temples that are almost impossible to see in their entirety, will be."

Without waiting for anyone to answer, Tianqi continued.

"You are not Egyptians, so there is no need for you to get involved. Facing a crisis that could be fatal, you are simply being ruled and unable to enjoy democracy. I'm sure the Egyptian people would not want you to suffer casualties as a result."

Tianqi's tone was very sincere and had an extraordinary appeal that moved everyone.

"A good move is to retreat into advance."

Sitting on the throne in the Ramesseum Temple, Osmandis could not help but sneer as he heard the voices and faces of the people in the distance and listened to the words of revelation.

"He's clearly an ambitious man who wants to rule the world, but with his eloquence, he's transformed himself into a righteous man who liberates the people. In order to expand his forces to meet the enemy and protect the laws of the gods, Yu, who should have been on the side of the righteous, (good job) has become a villain who must be defeated. This kind of thing is so funny that it makes me want to laugh. Haha ...

As Osmandis commented, Apocalypse had indeed mastered the art of retreat. Leaving aside Storm, Archangel, and Psylocke, the three knights who revered him as gods, and even Magneto and his subordinates, who were allied with him, the X-Men, who had initially been somewhat hesitant to retreat, immediately relented after hearing Apocalypse's words, their morale buoyed.

Apocalypse, with a triumphant smile on his face, led the way into the temple. However, as soon as he entered the aisle of the temple, the smile on his face disappeared.

The curse continues to erode one's self. Even though one is not affected by it due to the special mutant ability, the bad start still makes one unhappy.

Archangel, Psylocke, Cyclops and other mutants who are only level three are completely unable to withstand the power of this curse. Their strength is constantly weakening. It will probably take less than ten minutes for them to die from this curse.

"I offer this prayer, and ask the gods to see through it, O great Horus of the sky..."

The moment Imhotep realized that his magic power was being eroded, he immediately searched his memory for the corresponding knowledge and prayers, chanted the prayer to the sky god Horus, dispelled Horus's curse, and bestowed Horus's blessing on himself.

However, this was only the curse of Horus. If all the curses of this temple complex were inflicted upon him, no matter how knowledgeable he was, he would not be able to remove them.

No, the curse of the Sun God alone was enough to render him helpless, for the Sun God himself sat deep within the temple complex.

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"Half an hour! My limit is half an hour. We need to defeat Nitocris and leave this temple within half an hour."

After dispelling the curse and bestowing the blessing, Imhotep spoke with a lack of confidence. It wasn't because he'd lied. After all, he'd returned to the human world three times from Hell, enduring suffering and gaining terrifying magical powers. An ordinary first-rate caster without a Noble Phantasm was no match for him. With the Black Scripture of Death and the Golden Scripture of the Sun, which he hadn't used, he had the power to resist even if his opponent used a Noble Phantasm. Performing some blessings and dispelling curses wasn't a problem.

The reason he lacked confidence was actually because he was resisting and deceiving the gods, something that would have been punished by the gods in the past, but he did it out of rebellion against the Pharaoh.

"That's enough, everyone speed up!"

Apocalypse's feet left the ground, and he leaned forward and flew. The people behind him also changed from walking to running, or flying, chasing after Apocalypse at the fastest speed.

"...That's more like it. That's what a hero should do. Even the most foolish challenger needs to possess enough courage to challenge the king's authority."

Under the statue of Horus, Nitocris nodded approvingly as she watched Apocalypse and others enter the temple.

"However, if you want to see the King's honor, courage alone is not enough. You must be brave enough to be qualified to enter Ramesim."

Nitocris waved the Pharaoh's scepter, her spirit rising as she called out in a loud voice.

"Mirror of the Underworld, forgotten warriors of the fallen nation! Nitocris commands! Return to the living world!"

Strange and terrifying dark aliens were summoned. The number of dead people who were not living creatures was more than ten times that of the mutants, occupying half of the space in the temple.

Nitocris said, "Then the test begins! If you wish to see the king, you must first slay these aliens who have answered my summons!"

At Nitocris's command, hundreds of aliens rushed towards Apocalypse and others.

The inhuman monster came with a terrifying aura and was so aggressive that just looking at it would make people feel timid.

However, those who can enter the temple are not ordinary strong people. Not to mention Hellboy, Magneto, Professor X, and Immorton, even if they fight to the death with the first-rate servants, they are confident of survival. Even Cyclops, Beast, Sabretooth, Goriki-773 and others, after being strengthened by Apocalypse, have the strength to confront the second-rate servants who do not use Noble Phantasms head-on.

Just a few alien shapes won't be a problem.

"Monroe." Apocalypse naturally wouldn't act rashly. Even though he changed his appearance and disguised himself as a decent guy, he still had the status of a big boss.