"What do you mean?" The Ancient One didn't understand. She had fought the Dark Dimension for years, and now Kurohane was suggesting she become its king? She was actually a little intrigued.
"Nothing else. In combat, Holy Energy is clearly less practical than Dark Dimension energy. Weakening, slowing, corrosion... dark energy is far more useful. The Ancient One has lived for hundreds of years precisely because you've been stealing Dormammu's energy. With your mastery of dark energy, you could become the King of the Dark Dimension. The condition is, there must be a Dark Dimension without a master!"
Kurohane explained that stealing energy from a Dimension King was a habit of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. "The reason Kamar-Taj doesn't allow the use of Dark Energy is the fear that some sorcerers, like Kaecilius, would aid Dormammu. But if you were to become the King of the Dark Dimension, Kamar-Taj would get new spells in the future."
"That being said, how do you plan to kill Dormammu in the Dark Dimension?" The Ancient One asked. "He's invincible inside the Dark Dimension. If you kill him, it's the same as destroying the entire dimension. What good would that do?"
"I can sever his connection to the Dark Dimension, and even erase his consciousness," Kurohane replied, his voice curt. "I'll handle the details. Just tell me if you want to become the King of the Dark Dimension or not!" The Phoenix Force's influence was still strong.
However, The Ancient One shook her head. "I cannot become the King of the Dark Dimension. My soul is already the property of Great Eternity, that is my purpose. Eternal life is nothing but a curse to me. If not for waiting for a successor, I would have died hundreds of years ago."
The Ancient One grabbed Kurohane's right hand and examined it. She felt a strange dark aura, as if she had discovered a new continent. "What kind of Dark Dimension King bestowed such a gift upon you?! And it's not a Dimension King I know. What exactly happened during your time away from this Universe?"
"This is compensation for the other party breaching a contract," Kurohane explained, a trace of lingering fear in his voice. "I was lucky at the time, or I would have been dead long ago." Kurohane still remembered the appearance of Lucifer, a top DC villain, which had almost caught him off guard.
The Ancient One felt the goat head mark on Kurohane's hand. She found no will of the Dimension King, only a simple connection method equivalent to a deactivated magic array. The only one who could control it was Kurohane.
"This Dimension King has a strong contractual spirit. He has no intention of breaking a promise. That's too strange!" The Ancient One smiled. "This 'compensation' on your right hand is your opportunity. From a certain perspective, this is a 'Holy Scar' of the Dark Dimension. This is your chance to become the King of the Dark Dimension!"
Kurohane: (Shocked)!!
"Wow! That's insane!" Becoming a Dual Dimension King was something he hadn't even dared to think about. The Ancient One was indeed creative. But he immediately rejected the suggestion, remembering the complicated relationship between his system and the Holy Dimension.
"In any case, I'm just giving you a suggestion. You can decide for yourself."
Kurohane and The Ancient One chatted, while the Hong Kong Sanctum below had become a ruin. The Dark Dimension had already invaded reality.
Just then, Stephen Strange and Mordo emerged from a portal. Strange, now wearing the Eye of Agamotto, took action. Using the power of the Time Stone, he controlled time around the Hong Kong Sanctum. He froze Kaecilius and the zealots, then reversed time. The damaged building was restored, and Wong, who had been buried, crawled out.
But Strange didn't see the time fracture that appeared. Kurohane watched The Ancient One diligently repairing that time fracture.
"So even if you 'die,' you'll still be here repairing the time fracture, right?" Kurohane asked. "Right. If it weren't for your mastery of Time Magic, Storyteller Loki wouldn't have summoned you to the Time Variance Authority."
"Time is relative," The Ancient One replied. "I haven't finished repairing the time fracture here, but Stephen Strange has already reached an agreement there." The Ancient One pointed to Kaecilius and the zealots being taken by Dormammu, and the Dark Dimension preparing to retreat. No one could withstand an infinite time loop.
"In that case, Kurohane respectfully bids farewell to the Sorcerer Supreme." Kurohane bowed perfunctorily. "Remember the rhythm of the performance. Do you know the Stanislavski System?"
"No."
"What about Mei Lanfang and Brecht?"
"I don't know them either!"
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