36: Super Breathing!
Witnessing the lasers' ineffectiveness, Apocalypse shifted his focus to another tactic. His mastery over numerous abilities bolstered his confidence in dealing with Rhodes.
While Rhodes' body could resist the molecular-disrupting lasers, it wouldn't withstand direct molecule disintegration.
Apocalypse conjured twin flames in his palms, melding them together akin to a flamethrower, and exhaled a curtain of fire toward Rhodes.
The original destructive beam shattered molecular compositions, but this Extinction Fire converted molecules into energy at a material level.
Apocalypse's lips curled as flames enveloped Rhodes. He hoped Rhodes would survive with just a single cell, enabling the reproduction of his body.
As the fire waned, Rhodes remained unscathed.
"What! Even Extinction Fire fails against you! What is your body comprised of? Could it surpass the universe's matter?"
Apocalypse gazed at Rhodes in panic, condensing flames in his palms once more, attempting to burn Rhodes to ashes.
Initially cautious of Rhodes' possible bodily destruction, Apocalypse's second attempt held nothing back.
The flames surged again, a crimson curtain soaring toward Rhodes, intent on cleaving him in half.
Rhodes stood unfazed. His steel physique transcended ordinary matter, rendering him invulnerable, even against bathing in a nuclear explosion.
Enveloped by flames, he felt a tingling sensation.
"Ding! Host [Rhodes] has evolved [Super Breathing]!"
A newfound fullness suffused his chest, his breath deep and potent. He could expel air with a force capable of dislodging dust from the ground, its potency limitless.
He inhaled lightly and exhaled gently.
"Wow~" His breath released, generating a visible shockwave that dispersed Apocalypse's flames.
The fire surged back, engulfing Apocalypse.
"Ah!" A scream echoed as a light blue light shrouded Apocalypse, vanishing him.
Meters away, a light blue aura expanded, revealing Apocalypse anew. His skin was bloodied and burned, quickly healing through molecular reconstruction.
"I don't believe it! This flame eradicates everything in the world! Can your body truly surpass universal matter?" Apocalypse clenched his fists, assembling a vertical flame curtain.
Rhodes remained stationary, exhaling deeply. A heavy mist flowed from him, cascading like a waterfall, dispersing and enshrouding the ground.
The mist extinguished the flames upon contact, resembling the death fog of Hades.
Suddenly, Apocalypse's eyes narrowed, sensing a cold breeze. His body frosted over, light blue ice crystals forming from his nose downward.
Frozen in place, he resembled an ice sculpture in the snow.
"Damn it!" Vibrations ran through the ice, muffled curses echoing.
Numerous light blue rays emitted from his form, traversing various directions.
The ice sculpture shattered, revealing Apocalypse's vexed form.
"Simpleton! Prepare to be torn apart, resurrected, torn apart again, and driven mad by unending agony. Then, I'll control your mind, making you my slave!"
Apocalypse forsook his abilities, instead opting for direct physical combat. His superhuman strength and physique bolstered his confidence in close combat. He was convinced that abilities would no longer aid Rhodes, opting to physically crush and rend him.
Rhodes stood, inhaling deeply. As Apocalypse drew near, Rhodes exhaled.
"Boom!" An explosion erupted as their collision disrupted the rapid airflow, the resulting combustion resembling a gas explosion.
The force sent Apocalypse hurtling into the air, his trajectory forming an arc before he vanished.
Rhodes remained unmoved, seemingly unaffected by the explosion's power.
His gaze shifted skyward, the distant figure of Apocalypse gradually receding, his chest cavity regenerating from the explosion. The latter struggled to execute a space teleport.
A pale blue light enshrouded him, whisking him away.
Inside the palace, Apocalypse materialized in a blue light, crashing to the ground, wailing in agony.
"Ahh! Curse it!"
Onlookers paled, retreating in fear, unsure how to react.