Ch: 167-179
Chapter 167 Interrogation
Helpless, Strange had no choice but to resist the believers' attacks while retreating downstairs in the Sanctum.
However, two fists are no match for four hands, and soon Strange began to feel overwhelmed by the believers' onslaught.
Strange, in a moment of carelessness, was kicked backward by a believer.
Strange, flying backward, slid several meters across the Sanctum floor before hitting a wooden table and stopping.
Just as the believers were about to continue their pursuit, a specialized human-shaped shackle suddenly slid in front of Strange.
At this point, Strange was already at his wit's end; anything that fell into his hands was thrown without a second thought.
Facing the shackles Strange threw, the believers initially paid no attention, and the one at the front simply raised his arm to block it.
But the next second, the human-shaped shackle quickly covered his entire body, starting from his arm.
And then the believer's body was stopped dead in its tracks by the shackle.
Seeing this, the remaining two believers immediately formed hand seals, wanting to help him escape.
Seizing this opportunity, Strange quietly circled behind these two believers, then, finding the right moment, summoned a portal behind them, and finally, with two kicks, sent them flying out.
In an instant, the entire Sanctum was once again left with only Strange and the bound believer.
Watching the believer in front of him constantly struggling, Strange walked forward and removed the muzzle from his mouth.
"You will die here."
Hearing this, Strange instantly became agitated; after all, he still had no idea what all of this was about, and after finally escaping from Kaecilius's grasp, a prisoner was now cursing him, which made him somewhat impatient.
"Enough, stop chanting! Stop it now."
Hearing this, the believer simply adopted a defiant attitude and calmly said to Strange, "All of this cannot be stopped, Dr. Stephen Strange."
To this, Strange impatiently asked, "What? I still don't know what happened."
"This is the end, and also the beginning; the result goes from many to few, and from few to one."
Seeing the believer's demeanor, Strange angrily said, "I warn you, if you keep speaking so formally, I will immediately use this to shut your stinking mouth again."
Saying this, Strange waved the shackle in his hand at the believer.
"Speak, Doctor."
Seeing that after fighting for so long, these so-called believers still couldn't remember his name, he couldn't help but wonder if they had gone mad from studying Dark Arts.
Fortunately, Strange once again seriously said to that believer, "Listen to me, my name is Dr. Stephen Strange!"
Hearing this, the believer showed a look of sudden realization and asked, "So, you really are a Doctor?"
"Yes."
"Then as a Doctor, you are well-versed in the laws of nature: everything has its life and death, time ends, the sun fades, temperatures plummet, Earth perishes. But in the Dark Dimension, none of this is controlled by time; everything becomes Eternity."
After hearing the believer's words, Strange rolled his eyes and said, "I think I still need to sew your mouth shut."
But the believer continued to speak to himself, trying to draw Strange into his own camp.
"This World does not need to perish. It can, like many other Worlds, become a part of Dormammu, a very beautiful part, where we will embrace life."
Looking at the believer who was still chattering in front of him, Strange put his arm, which had already been raised mid-air, back down, and then asked the believer, "Is that so? Becoming a part of Dormammu sounds like a perfect utopia in your words. Then I'd like to ask, what have you gained from your new World?"
"The same as everyone else, precious life, eternal life. While the people of this World are still constantly immersed in the struggle between good and evil, no one has realized that their true enemy is time. Time will destroy everything in this World."
"Then what about those people you eliminated before?"
"They are all insignificant. Compared to the vast Universe, they are not even as much as a speck of dust."
Seeing Strange silent for a long time in front of him, the believer thought his words had moved Strange, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Yes, look, look closely around you. This Worldhas not yet returned to its proper course. Now everyone yearns for immortality, wanting to transcend time, but they haven't realized that we are actually just slaves to time. Time is the greatest insult to us humans, and death is the greatest disgrace."
"Doctor, I do not wish to be the ruler of this World. All I do is to save this World, to hand over all things in the World to Dormammu, the Lord of all things, to handle everything. He is the Lord of all things, the source of all things."
To this, Strange remained unchanged, merely saying calmly, "This World should be protected by the Sorcerer Supreme."
Hearing this, the believer looked into Strange's eyes and seriously asked, "Doctor, do you remember why you came to Kamar-Taj? Was it to broaden your mind or to gain power? Neither. You came here to heal your injuries, just like everyone else who first came to Kamar-Taj. Indeed, Kamar-Taj took in us poor people. We came with the intention of healing, but Ancient One always plays little tricks, only she herself practices true magic. Aren't you curious why Ancient One has lived for so long?"
Hearing the believer's words, Strange couldn't help but recall what he had seen in the library.
"I saw those rituals recorded in the Dark Tome, rituals that could obtain dark power."
Chapter 168 Escape
Seeing Strange in such a state, the disciple's lips subtly curved upwards, for he knew that his words had just struck the most vulnerable part of Strange's heart.
The biggest reason they fled Kamar-Taj to become Kaecilius's disciples was that Kaecilius had accurately pointed out the biggest scar in each of their hearts.
And it was indeed true; the main reason Strange came to Kamar-Taj was to find a way to heal his hands, but as soon as he arrived, the Ancient One dragged him into a vortex that originally had nothing to do with him.
At first, she was unwilling to even reveal Dormammu's existence to him; only after Strange discovered it himself was the Ancient One forced to tell him, but even then, the Ancient One still casually gave him several perfunctory excuses.
After he was able to access higher-level magic through the Dark Tome, Mihachi and Wang appeared at the most critical moment and stopped him.
Just now, due to the sudden intrusion of Kaecilius and others, Strange had not noticed some clues he had overlooked; now, after the disciple's words, Strange calmed down, and everything that had happened before began to surface one by one in Strange's mind.
When he first arrived at Kamar-Taj, he had repeatedly stated that his reason for being there was simply to heal his hands; even if the Ancient One, as Sorcerer Supreme, was unwilling to casually help Strange, when Strange truly came into contact with the magical power of time and was able to heal himself, he was stopped.
Moreover, now he was inexplicably standing on the opposite side of Kaecilius; if he hadn't been lucky just now, he would probably be lying in a pool of blood like Daniel.
Now, a calm Strange began to reflect on everything that had happened during this period, slowly recalling the many coincidences within it.
Seeing Strange in front of him show a moved expression, the disciple quickly said, "You know, as long as we go through that ritual, we can obtain sufficiently powerful strength from Dormammu, which will allow us to destroy the Ancient One and her sanctuary in one fell swoop, and then we will usher in a brand new World, because Dormammu will generously grant you Eternal life, and the Ancient Onecannot teach us this. The arrival of Dormammu is absolutely not the destruction of this World, but rather the ushering of new life."
"No! Let's not. Look at yourself now; after coming into contact with Dormammu, he turned all of you into killers. You can imagine that such things will certainly happen frequently in his domain."
"Pfft~"
What Strange didn't expect was that after he finished speaking, the disciple actually couldn't help but laugh out loud, and this action successfully ignited Strange's anger.
"Do you find all of this very amusing?"
"No, no, no, not at all. I'm laughing because your Sling Ring is gone."
Upon hearing this, Strange quickly began to search all over his body for his Sling Ring. Just as Strangewas in disarray, a sharp blade composed entirely of spatial power suddenly pierced him fiercely from his back.
In an instant, Strange felt an extremely intense pain in his chest, and Strange, with a look of disbelief, turned around to look behind him.
He saw that Kaecilius had somehow stolen his Sling Ring, and at this moment, Kaecilius had successfully used Strange's Sling Ring to return to the sanctuary from the great desert.
Kaecilius slowly walked up to Strange, and then, under the latter's horrified gaze, extended his hands, firmly grasped Strange's shoulders, and threw him down the staircase.
Severely wounded, Strange laboriously dragged his body, crawling through the corridor.
Just then, the disciple from earlier, with Kaecilius's help, broke free from his restraints. At this moment, the disciple, with a murderous look, caught up.
Looking at the disheveled Strange in front of him, the disciple's lips revealed a cruel arc.
Then, the disciple rubbed his hands together in front of Strange, and then summoned a spatial blade.
Just as the blade in the disciple's hand was about to fall, Strange's red cloak suddenly came to life as if imbued with vitality.
The red cloak instantly rushed towards the disciple's face, and then, like a python, tightly wrapped around the disciple's head.
Facing the sudden change, the disciple momentarily fell into a panic, but soon the disciple intended to use the blade in his hand to cut through the red cloak. However, the red cloak quickly realized the disciple's intention, and with immense force, it threw the disciple to the ground, then repeatedly slammed the disciple's head against the ground.
Not long after, the disciple was slammed unconscious.
At this moment, Strange, who had escaped a disaster thanks to the red cloak, also discovered the Sling Ring that had fallen off due to being slammed by the red cloak.
So Strange endured the pain in his chest, gritted his molars, and forced his upper body to move closer to the Sling Ring.
What was originally just a few steps away now seemed to be longer than this wooden corridor in front of Strange. Strange tried several times before his index finger finally touched the Sling Ring.
The first thing Strange wanted to do after getting the Sling Ring was to open a portal to Manhattan Hospital, but due to the severe pain in his chest, Strange was temporarily unable to concentrate all his attention to open the portal to Manhattan Hospital.
At this moment, the red cloak, having dealt with the disciple, flew back onto Strange's body and helped Strange temporarily stop the bleeding from his chest, which gave Strange a chance to catch his breath.
After simply reciting the incantation, Strange finally saw the familiar sight he had longed for. Without another word, Strange stepped inside.
Chapter 169 Treatment
After passing through the portal, Strange arrived in a storage room at Manhattan Hospital.
The moment he felt the familiar scent of disinfectant water wafting from Manhattan Hospital, Strangedidn't know whether to be happy or sad.
After all, this hospital held both Strange's most beautiful and most unpleasant memories.
Strange had not expected that after such a long time, his return to Manhattan Hospital would be under such circumstances.
However, the intense pain in his chest left Strange no time for excessive reminiscing.
Strange stumbled and pushed open the storage room door in front of him, then entered the hospital corridor.
Just then, a Nurse who used to intern under Strange walked towards him.
The Nurse recognized Strange at first glance, immediately noticing his peculiarity, and rushed forward to help him.
But Strange pushed the Nurse away and immediately asked, "Where is Doctor Palmer?"
Hearing this, the Nurse quickly replied, "She's still at the Nurse's station."
"Christine!"
At this moment, Strange struggled to walk towards the Nurse's station.
Just then, Christine had just walked out of the Nurse's station. As soon as she clearly saw that the person approaching was Strange, Christine immediately threw the medical case in her hand onto a nearby shelf and stepped forward to help Strange, who was about to collapse.
"Oh, my God, Stephen, what happened to you?"
"Don't ask so many questions, just get me to the operating room quickly. Don't call anyone else."
Upon hearing Strange's words, although Christine was filled with questions, seeing Strange's increasingly dangerous condition, Christine quickly helped Strange into an empty operating room.
"My God, what in the World happened to you?"
Lying on the operating table, Strange struggled to tell Christine, "I was stabbed, and my heart is blocked."
Hearing this, Christine quickly unbuttoned Strange's upper garment and began to examine the injury on Strange's chest.
After an urgent examination, Christine told Strange, "Your chest cavity is normal, but your blood has flowed into your pericardial sac."
Just as Christine finished speaking and was about to turn to get the surgical instruments, Strange, lying on the operating table, suddenly lost his vitality, and his hands drooped along the edge of the bed.
Seeing this, Christine quickly lunged at Strange's chest and began to perform CPR rapidly.
"No, no, no, Stephen, wake up, hold on!"
Seeing that Strange on the operating table showed no reaction, Christine quickly gave up on CPR and instead carefully inserted the syringe from behind her along Strange's blood vessel.
She then took out an oxygen mask and placed it on Strange's face, immediately beginning to extract the blood from Strange's pericardial sac.
But just as Christine was frantically preparing for the surgery, in a place Christine couldn't see, Strange's soul left his body.
After his soul left his body, Strange saw Christine, who was currently drawing his blood. With a thought, Strange directly passed through the Mirror Dimension and arrived in the Real World.
"You should insert it here."
Just as Christine was fully concentrating, Strange's voice suddenly came from in front of her. Christinelooked up and saw Strange floating in front of her.
"Ah! What the hell, Stephen, what happened to you?"
Looking at Christine, who was retreating in fright, Strange quickly extended his hands to signal her to calm down.
"Don't be nervous, Christine, be careful with the syringe in your hand. If you pull it out now, I'll be dead."
After hearing Strange's words, Christine finally managed to calm her panicked emotions.
Then Christine stared blankly at Strange's soul and nervously asked, "What am I seeing now, Stephen?"
"This is my soul."
"So, are you going to die?"
"Not yet, but if you don't hurry and help me draw the blood from my heart, then I will definitely die here."
Upon hearing this, Christine had no time to ask more questions and quickly refocused her attention on Strange's wound.
"Tilt the syringe slightly upwards, yes, just like that."
Seeing that Christine was still hesitating, Strange simply reached his hand directly into his chest. As Strange's hand went in, it was as if a kerosene lamp had been lit inside Strange's chest, illuminating all of Strange's blood vessels.
Looking at the scene in front of her, which was clearer than an X-ray, Christine's nervous emotions slowly calmed down.
Then Christine confidently inserted the syringe in her hand into the correct position.
As everything fell into place, Christine finally asked Strange the question that had been on her mind.
"Stephen, honestly, I've never seen a wound like this. Tell me honestly, what exactly stabbed you?"
To this, Strange could only helplessly shake his head and say, "I don't know what stabbed me either."
At this moment, the Cultist, who had been tightly trapped by the Cloak of Levitation, decisively gave up on continuing to entangle with the Cloak after several attempts, and with a carp jump, his soul immediately left his body.
Just now, Strange had only been focused on returning to Manhattan Hospital and had completely forgotten to close the portal.
Looking at the still open portal, the Cultist did not hesitate and entered the portal in his soul form.
However, the Cultist had never been to Manhattan Hospital, so he couldn't find Strange's whereabouts for a while. But just as the Cultist was still searching everywhere, the indicator light that suddenly lit up outside the operating room door caught the Cultist's attention.
Chapter 170 Another Way of Fighting
Looking at the operating room with the red light on, the Shadow keenly sensed that Strange must be inside dealing with his injuries, so he immediately floated towards the operating room without a word.
At this time, Strange in the operating room was still completely unaware that the Shadow had caught up, and was continuously instructing Christine on how to treat his wounds.
Just then, the Shadow finally passed through the operating room door and entered inside.
Strange and the Shadow discovered each other immediately.
Upon seeing that the Shadow had also pursued him in his soul form, Strange knew that a battle between him and the Shadow was inevitable today.
Strange then turned his head and said to Christine, "My life is in your hands now. Promise me you won't let me die here."
Upon hearing this, Christine looked up at Strange, puzzled.
But before she could ask, Strange's soul retreated into the Mirror World the next second.
Although Christine was full of doubts looking at Strange who had suddenly disappeared in front of her, just as Strange said, his life was now in her hands.
Moreover, Christine knew that Strange must have his reasons for doing this, so she stopped dwelling on it and concentrated on performing surgery on Strange.
Looking at the operating room, which had once again fallen silent and was empty, Christine for a moment wondered if what she had just seen of Strange was her own hallucination.
And in the Mirror Dimension, invisible to Christine, Strange had already engaged the Shadow's soul in battle.
Facing the Shadow who was aggressively lunging towards him, Strange seized the opportunity and violently swung his elbow.
Struck by this powerful blow, the Shadow's soul form uncontrollably fell to the ground, but the next second, the Shadow climbed back up from the floor.
Then, with a fierce charge, he pinned Strange tightly against a wall, and before Strange could react, he suddenly extended his right hand and lifted Strange by the neck, then threw Strange away like trash.
At this time, Christine, who was still performing surgery in the real World, seemed to hear a dull thud from behind her, followed by a tremor under her feet.
Feeling this change, Christine quickly turned to look, but found that it was still empty behind her.
Just as Christine thought all of this was an illusion caused by her excessive tension, Strange and the Shadow fought their way from the ground onto the operating table.
Christine was extremely shocked to see the medical instruments placed on the operating table constantly trembling.
However, Christine had gradually accepted this extraordinary phenomenon by now.
And as Christine continued to focus on the surgery, a sudden immense force, from who knows where, acted upon Christine.
Christine, who was originally unprepared, was suddenly pulled backward several steps by this immense force.
It was precisely because of this sudden change that the syringe in Christine's hand almost came out of Strange's chest due to this force.
At this moment, not only Christine, but even Strange was filled with lingering fear upon seeing this scene.
However, when the Shadow saw that he could not deal with Strange in a short time, he immediately turned his attention to Strange's physical body.
Seeing the Shadow's gaze gradually become Strange, Strange quickly discerned the former's intentions.
He immediately cried out inwardly, "Not good!"
Looking at the Shadow rushing towards his body, Strange also quickly rushed up and embraced the former's soul form, then forcefully dragged both of their soul forms down the floor.
Their two soul forms fell squarely into the vending machine downstairs.
At this time, it just so happened that a Doctor from the hospital was buying snacks in front of the vending machine.
Just after taking the snacks that had fallen from the vending machine, Strange and the Shadow just happened to fall out of the vending machine.
Accompanying them was a large amount of vending machine food.
The Doctor, who had originally planned to turn and leave, heard the sound of snacks falling from the vending machine, immediately stopped his steps, and returned to the front of the vending machine.
Looking at the large amount of snacks that had fallen in front of him, the Doctor incredulously looked around the vending machine.
However, after a round of exchanges, Strange realized that he was no match for the Shadow; in just a few rounds, their battlefield had returned to the operating room.
After being caught by the Shadow and brutally hit with a combo, Strange's soul was directly kicked into unconsciousness by a whip kick from the Shadow.
Concurrently, Strange in the real World suddenly lost his heartbeat.
Upon hearing the piercing alarm from the instrument, Christine quickly grabbed the defibrillator nearby and began to shock Strange's chest.
Strange, who had originally fallen into the Shadow's hands and lost consciousness, was suddenly filled with power under Christine's electric shock; Strange's soul form suddenly opened its eyes, filled with orange light, and then his body suddenly emitted an incredibly powerful force that instantly sent the Shadow flying.
Similarly, Strange's sudden burst of powerful energy also affected the real World; the instruments around Christine suddenly collectively moved backward in one direction within the operating room, influenced by some force.
But what reassured Christine was that after the electric shock, Strange's body gradually regained its heartbeat.
Looking at the constantly fluctuating electrocardiogram on the instrument, Christine's lips curved slightly upwards.
But just then, after sending the Shadow flying, Strange also quickly passed through the Mirror Worldand reappeared before Christine in soul form.
Upon seeing Strange suddenly appear, Christine was much calmer this time.
Chapter 171 Decision
Looking at Strange, who had suddenly reappeared in front of her, Christine said irritably, "Can you stop being so unpredictable?"
But Strange, at this moment, spoke to Christine, seemingly to himself, "Quick, get ready to shock me again!"
Hearing this, Christine asked in surprise, "Why? Haven't you already regained your heartbeat?"
However, just as Strange was about to explain something to Christine, the cultist in the Image Worldcrawled back up and lunged at Strange.
Seeing this, Strange, before being pulled back into the Image World, shouted to the still-confused Christine, "Don't ask so many questions, just do as I say!"
With that, Strange's soul once again vanished from Christine's sight.
Looking at this scene, Christine stood frozen in place for a moment, unsure of what to do.
But out of trust for Strange, after some hesitation and struggle, Christine decisively turned and picked up the defibrillator.
After turning on the power, she pressed it firmly against Strange's chest!
"Thump!"
A series of muffled groans suddenly sounded in Christine's ears; although she couldn't see, Christinecould guess that it was undoubtedly related to Strange, and she also knew that Strange would never harm her, so she didn't mind, instead continuing to focus on the task at hand.
Just as Christine was about to press the defibrillator on Strange again, the entire operating room's electrical circuit suddenly short-circuited.
Instantly, the quiet operating room became a scene of sparks and lightning.
At this moment, Strange in the Image World also gained a huge amplification from the defibrillator, and his soul power instantly reached its peak. Strange firmly gripped the cultist's neck.
As an orange-yellow light gradually appeared in Strange's eyes, with a 'thump', the cultist's soul body was easily torn apart by Strange.
After the cultist's soul body was torn apart by Strange, his body, far away in the London Sanctum, began to convulse violently, but after not long, the cultist's body stopped and then completely lost its breath.
"I never thought that after such a long time apart, you would suddenly return to me in such a way, and even fly out of your body."
Hearing this, Strange said faintly, "I know. In fact, I've missed you a lot. I've also written you many emails, but you haven't replied."
At this moment, Christine showed a playful expression, looking at Strange lying on the operating table, and asked, "Do you remember how you treated me back then? Why would I reply to your emails after all that?"
Seeing that Christine was still angry about his past actions, Strange, completely changing his previous proud demeanor, very straightforwardly admitted his mistake to Christine: "Christine, I am truly sorry for everything that happened back then. During the time I was away from here, I often thought back to everything that happened. Perhaps, as you said, I was a complete jerk. I treated you very poorly and broke your heart. You deserve to meet someone better."
And just as Strange was still pouring out his grievances, Christine quickly stopped him.
"You know, your condition back then really scared me. I really want to know where you've been all this time, and your wound doesn't look like any wound we normally see. I can't even tell what kind of sharp object caused those marks."
After hearing Christine's words, Strange swallowed and then slowly said to Christine, "At that time, I realized that Western medicine might not be able to help me anymore, so I traveled eastward to Kathmandu. Then, in Kathmandu, I found a place called Kamar-Taj, where I met someone named Ancient One."
But when Christine finished listening to what Strange said, she immediately said, "I'm sure you've been driven mad by your hands during this time."
Strange was not at all surprised by Christine's words. After all, any single thing that had happened to him during this period, if sent to a news station, could cause quite a stir, let alone the fact that he had just appeared before Christine directly in soul form.
However, after fighting with the cultist and Kaecilius, Strange's initial dislike for Ancient One had slowly begun to change.
If it had been a day ago, Strange himself would have absolutely believed Christine's words.
But then the sorcerer Daniel, who guarded the London Sanctum, died right before his eyes, and he was powerless, even his own life was almost lost to the cultist.
And most importantly, because of what the cultist told him about Dormammu soon coming to Earth, when he was at Kamar-Taj, Ancient One and Mihachi had countless times called him a Mystic Sorcerer, believing that he was the only one who could successfully prevent Dormammu from descending upon Earth.
Previously, Strange had thought that these things were just lies concocted by Ancient One and the others to keep him at Kamar-Taj, and even if Dormammu really did descend here, weren't Ancient Oneand all the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj still there?
But when Strange witnessed Kaecilius's appearance, he truly felt the threat from the Dark Dimension.
If Dormammu truly descended upon Earth at that time, then everything in this World would become a part of him. In that case, he would never see Christine again, and he would never have hope of recovering his hands and returning to his operating table.
Thinking of all these things, Strange secretly made a firm decision in his heart.
Chapter 172 Magic Cloak
Just as Strange's inner World was plunged into an unprecedented storm, Christine skillfully helped Strange stitch up the wound on his chest.
Originally, Christine had intended to keep Strange in the hospital for observation for a period of time, but she didn't expect that as soon as she finished the surgery, Strange, bracing himself, stood up from the operating table.
Seeing Strange's stubbornness, Christine knew that if Strange wanted to do something, no matter how she tried to dissuade him, it would not yield a good result.
However, Christine was also worried about letting Strange go out alone, so she quickly strode to Strange's side and helped him walk outside.
Upon reaching the corridor, Christine looked at Strange, who was now wincing in pain with every step, and anxiously asked, "Stephen, can you please tell me the truth? Where are you going? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
In response, Strange once again emphasized that everything he had just said in the operating room was true.
"There's a Strange entity from ancient times, and a magic user who can change the laws of nature by himself, who are now trying to kill me at all costs, but I just trapped the magic user who wanted to kill me in Greenwich Village, and the only way back now is through the spatial portal I just left in the utility room."
As he spoke, the two had already arrived at the door of the utility room where Strange had just set up the portal.
Even though Strange had tried his best to make Christine believe everything he said was true, Christinestill thought Strange was suffering from mental confusion due to prolonged stress, as she hadn't truly seen what Strange was talking about.
Seeing Christine like this, Strange knew that no matter how he explained it now, he wouldn't be able to convince her, so Strange simply walked directly in front of Christine and opened the utility room door.
Immediately, a portal emitting an orange-yellow glow appeared in the utility room.
Looking at the portal in front of her, Christine showed an expression of disbelief, and then, at Strange's signal, she carefully stepped into the utility room.
Looking at the never-before-seen scene on the other side of the portal, Christine gradually began to wonder if she was hallucinating because she missed Strange too much.
But Strange didn't care about any of this, because there were more important things waiting for him to do.
With that, Strange bypassed Christine and directly entered the portal. Then Strange turned around and looked at Christine, who was still standing there in a daze, and said, "I'm sorry, although I really want to return to your side right now, I still have things I must accomplish."
After speaking, Strange walked towards the depths of the opposite corridor without looking back.
As Strange's figure gradually disappeared from Christine's sight, the portal in the utility room gradually shrank out of thin air, finally turning into a series of sparks that fell onto Christine's shoes.
Looking at the utility room, which had returned to its quiet state, Christine subconsciously looked around.
At this moment, Strange, who had returned to the London Sanctum, also saw the motionless devotee lying in the corridor.
Next to the devotee floated the red cloak that he had just casually taken from a clothes rack.
Recalling how he had torn the devotee's soul with Christine's help in the hospital, Strange now bravely approached the devotee, slowly crouched down, and then carefully placed his right hand on the devotee's pulse.
As Strange expected, after he tore the devotee's soul body, the devotee's physical body completely lost all signs of life.
After feeling the devotee, who had long since lost his warmth, Strange felt no fear in his heart for having killed a living person. Instead, it completely ignited the courage that had been sealed within Strange's heart for a long time.
Strange knew that these people, including Kaecilius, would never have gone astray if it weren't for the appearance of Dormammu.
If it weren't for Dormammu's appearance, perhaps Daniel would now be comfortably enjoying his beautiful life in some corner of the World, at least not like he is now, a cold remains on the Sanctumfloor.
Thinking of this, Strange's heart was filled with an unprecedented killing intent.
He didn't know how many more people would die because of this foolish darkness.
Since even a being like the Ancient One believes that he is the key to defeating Dormammu, then why shouldn't he do it?
Strange slowly stood up from beside the devotee's body, then reached out and draped the Supreme Cloak, which was floating beside him, over his body, and turned to stride towards the main hall of the Sanctum.
Looking at the damaged armor in front of him, Strange fell into deep thought.
And just as Strange was still searching for Kaecilius's whereabouts, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind Strange.
"Hey, Stephen, are you alright?"
Hearing this, Strange turned around and saw that Mihachi had also arrived at the London Sanctum at some point.
But being able to see Mihachi here was indeed a happy thing for Strange.
"Compared to some people here, I should still be fine."
After hearing that Strange was alright, Mihachi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the next second Mihachi noticed the red cloak behind Strange, and then curiously asked, "What's with that magic cloak? Does it like you?"
At this moment, the Ancient One's voice also came over.
"This magic cloak is very rare."
But at this time, Strange was solely focused on finding Kaecilius's whereabouts.
Chapter 173 Dispute
Upon seeing Ancient One, Strange immediately and anxiously said to her, "I couldn't catch him; he escaped."
"Who?"
"Kaecilius."
Ancient One and Mihachi had already anticipated this outcome, but the next words Strange spoke successfully caught their attention.
"Kaecilius was able to freely fold space and matter in the real World before."
After hearing Strange's words, Ancient One showed an incredulous expression and then reconfirmed with Strange, "Are you saying Kaecilius can directly fold space and matter in the real World without entering the Mirror Dimension?"
"Yes, that's right."
Upon hearing this, Strange noticed that Ancient One, who had always been calm and composed, now had a rare, extremely solemn expression on her face.
Then, Ancient One asked Strange, "How many helpers does Kaecilius have now?"
Hearing this, Strange walked towards Ancient One while replying, "Two. One was sent to the desert by me, and another is currently lying in the Sanctum corridor. There's also a sorcerer named Daniel lying there with that zealot."
"He has already been brought back to Kamar-Taj by us, and his injuries are basically stable now, so you don't need to worry about this."
After hearing Mihachi's words, Strange showed a puzzled expression, but he quickly understood. After all, Daniel's neck had been severely stabbed by Kaecilius right in front of him. As a Doctor, Strangenaturally assumed that such a wound, if not treated promptly, would lead to death from excessive bleeding in a short time.
However, now knowing that Daniel did not die from excessive bleeding, this was in itself a very happy thing for Strange.
Just then, Ancient One, who was nearby, said indifferently, "Now that the London Sanctum has been destroyed, only the New York Sanctum and the Hong Kong Sanctum remain to protect us from the invasion of dark forces. Please go to the New York Sanctum immediately, as it is in dire need of a new sorcerer to guard it, Master Strange."
However, Strange uncharacteristically refused Ancient One's request.
Ancient One had no choice but to emphasize again that if even the last two Sanctums were destroyed by Kaecilius, then no life on the entire Earth would be spared.
Hearing this, Strange recalled what the zealot had told him earlier.
"What about Dormammu? If we become a part of Dormammu's body, won't we have infinite life?"
"The more fear we humans have in our hearts when facing Dormammu, the stronger Dormammu's power becomes. Our human fear is the source of its power."
But at this moment, Strange suddenly walked maliciously towards Ancient One and then spoke everything he knew directly to her, wanting to confront her.
"You once said you could master life and death. Now I finally know how you managed to do all this. Do you know that last night, I saw those pages torn by Kaecilius from the Dark Tome."
After hearing Strange's words, Ancient One coldly said, "I advise you to mind your next words, Doctor."
"Because you might not like to hear it, right?"
To this, Ancient One said earnestly, "Because you won't even know what you're talking about later."
Seeing this scene, Mihachi on the side was utterly bewildered. He didn't understand why the two, who were just united against Kaecilius a moment ago, suddenly turned their spearhead towards each other, and he couldn't understand what they were talking about at all.
"Excuse me, what are you two talking about?"
Hearing this, Strange turned to Mihachi and said, "We're discussing nothing else. Remember what I asked you before, about her lifespan? I now know the secret to her eternal life."
"She gains power from the darkness, thereby achieving immortality."
Upon hearing Strange's words, Mihachi couldn't believe it for a moment. He couldn't believe that Ancient One, who had always been at the forefront of fighting Dormammu, would do such a thing.
Seeing Mihachi's expression, Strange continued to affirm, "No need to doubt. I saw the entire ritual in the Dark Tome back then, and I understood."
However, Ancient One had no intention of defending herself against everything Strange said. Instead, she continued to speak to herself, "Kaecilius will soon return with his fanatical followers. You need more help now."
After speaking, Ancient One walked out of the Sanctum without looking back, leaving Mihachi and Strange standing there, at a loss.
After a long while, Mihachi was the first to react. He then walked up to Strange and said to him, "You don't understand what kind of person she is. You have no right to speak of her like that. You simply don't know how heavy the burden on her shoulders is right now."
"Yes, I don't know, but I don't want to know either!"
"You are a coward!"
"Just because I'm not a killer?"
"To usher in Dormammu's arrival, Kaecilius and his fanatical followers will kill all of us. Before that, can't you strike first?"
Hearing this, Strange immediately retorted, "Didn't I just strike first?"
"No, you were protecting yourself. Your actions were like a dog howling."
"Don't you have any guilt in your hearts?!"
"You simply don't know what I've been through! Just as you said, they are a group of cold-blooded fanatics. We have no other choice but to strike first."
"I think you lack imagination!"
"No, Steve, you lack courage."
Just then, the two suddenly heard a cacophony of footsteps coming from the Sanctum's great hall.
Chapter 174 Escape
At this moment, Mihachi also looked gravely in the direction of the sound, then murmured, "They're back again."
With that, Mihachi grabbed the magical artifact in his hand and ran into the Great Hall.
Seeing this, Strange, worried that Mihachi alone wouldn't be able to handle it, quickly followed.
Soon, the two arrived on the second floor of the Great Hall, where Kaecilius was already standing inside the Sanctum's Great Hall, casting a spell to destroy it.
As soon as Mihachi arrived, he leaped down from the second floor to the first floor of the Great Hall, but unexpectedly, Mihachi's body was frozen in mid-air by Kaecilius.
Seeing this, Mihachi quickly shouted to Mihachi, who was on the second floor, "Hurry up, Steve!"
Hearing this, Strange quickly tried to go down the stairs from the second floor, but just as Strange was about to act, he saw that Kaecilius had surprisingly unleashed the Mirror Dimension.
He directly pulled himself and Mihachi into the Mirror Dimension.
Looking at the changes around him, Strange was momentarily so startled that he forgot what he should do.
At this moment, Kaecilius, having done all this, looked at Strange with a relaxed expression and said, "Everything that happens here will not affect the real World. You'd best be mentally prepared now."
Hearing this, Strange retorted without fear, "It's still unknown who will win."
"It's you!"
Saying this, Kaecilius spread his hands, and then the stairs beneath Strange's feet twisted like a kaleidoscope.
Seeing this, Strange quickly used his magic cloak to lift his body into the air.
At this time, Mihachi was also firmly pinned to the Sanctum wall by two disciples.
And just as Kaecilius was shocked by the magic cloak on Strange, Strange took advantage of this time to suddenly pounce towards the disciples.
After knocking down the disciples, Strange quickly grabbed Mihachi's shoulder and then carried Mihachi, running quickly out of the Sanctum.
When the two returned to the street, Strange found that everything around them had become distorted.
But there was no time for Strange to explore slowly now.
Then Strange asked Mihachi beside him, "I've snatched their Sling Rings now, so they shouldn't be able to run away."
Facing Strange's incredibly naive idea, Mihachi said nothing, turned around, and ran wildly into the distance.
But just as the two reached the intersection, they suddenly discovered that the crossroads in front of them had instantly turned into a cube-like entity.
Looking at the roads that had fully risen in front of them, Strange and Mihachi were at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Seeing this, Mihachi anxiously said to Strange, "Now they have the power of the Dark Dimension. Although they cannot affect the real World in the Mirror Dimension, their control over the Mirror Dimension has greatly increased, so they can still kill us very easily."
"For us to face them in this unprepared state is simply suicidal."
While the two were still chatting, Kaecilius and his disciples had already rushed out of the Sanctumand now spotted the two standing at the intersection, at a loss.
Then Kaecilius and his group quickly approached the location of the two.
Seeing this, even though Strange and the other had not exchanged any words, the next second, both of them turned around at the same time and quickly fled down the street behind them.
Strange also fled desperately, using the Sling Ring in his hand, and then forming hand seals to summon a portal in front of him.
As the two got closer and closer to the portal, Kaecilius behind them would not let Strange and the other leave as they wished, so he quickly used his power to cause the entire street ahead to undergo a mirror distortion.
Although the portal was now right in front of Strange and Mihachi, because Kaecilius had changed the environmental layout of the entire Mirror Dimension, their brains were momentarily deceived by the scene in front of them and could not adapt.
This made the portal, which was originally close at hand, suddenly become immeasurably distant.
Mihachi and Strange both slipped accidentally and fell heavily onto another folded street below.
However, seeing that Kaecilius and his group were about to catch up, Strange and Mihachi immediately adjusted their center of gravity, and then used the power of the Sling Ring to instantly soar into the air and land on the outer surface of a skyscraper.
Strange and Mihachi directly broke free from the shackles of gravity and began walking on the surface of the building.
But Kaecilius and his group were like persistent glue that could not be shaken off.
After seeing Strange and Mihachi jump onto the surface of the skyscraper, Kaecilius suddenly stretched out his hands and then heavily slapped the outer wall of the skyscraper.
The next second, something unexpected happened to Strange and Mihachi on the outer surface of the skyscraper.
The originally hard outer surface of the skyscraper instantly became as soft as a crumpled piece of paper in front of Kaecilius, and Kaecilius's hands forcefully created waves on it.
Soon, these waves spread to the feet of Strange and the other.
Strange, who had originally planned to continue using the portal to leave, was distracted by the influence of the skyscraper's surface under his feet, and could only watch as the portal that was about to form in front of him disappeared again due to his distraction.
But Strange did not give up easily. After the first attempt failed, Strange once again formed hand seals, attempting to open another portal in front of him.
Seeing that Strange still refused to give up, Kaecilius behind him quickly changed his hand seals, and then the entire building was twisted like a pretzel in Kaecilius's hands.
Chapter 175 The Hammer
Before Strange and Mihachi could react, Kaecilius immediately manipulated the entire Mirror World to collapse towards a single point.
Instantly losing their balance, the two fell straight down from the exterior of the skyscraper towards the collapsing point.
Strange's terrified screams echoed throughout the Mirror World.
However, just as the two were falling, another skyscraper was waiting for them at their landing spot.
After a safe landing, Strange and Mihachi discovered that the Mirror World had completely changed.
The original three-dimensional city, now in Kaecilius's hands, had transformed into a multi-dimensional World, a World that Mihachi and Strange simply could not comprehend.
Therefore, the two could only stand blankly at the edge of the skyscraper's surface, watching the constantly changing World before them, powerless.
At this moment, Strange truly felt how much Kaecilius's control over the Mirror World had increased after gaining power from Dormammu.
Looking at everything before him, Strange said to the equally bewildered Mihachi, "All of this is a mistake. We shouldn't be here, dealing with something we have no ability to handle."
But at this moment, Kaecilius, leading his followers, quickly chased after them from behind.
Seeing this, Strange and Mihachi had no choice but to brace themselves and leap down onto the constantly rotating skyscraper ahead.
Perhaps because Strange had sent away one of Kaecilius's followers in the London Sanctum earlier, Kaecilius was now extremely focused on Strange.
He decisively gave up chasing Mihachi and rapidly approached Strange's location.
In response, Strange could only inwardly lament, and then had no choice but to begin a cat-and-mouse game with Kaecilius in this three-dimensional World.
Although at this moment, facing the threat of death, Strange had temporarily cast aside all surrounding matters, in this Mirror World, Kaecilius was the absolute master. No matter how fast Strange ran, if Kaecilius wished, a simple wave of his hand could easily bring Strange before him.
And at this moment, Kaecilius suddenly felt an extremely familiar aura approaching him.
As soon as this aura appeared in Kaecilius's perception, Kaecilius knew in his heart that he did not have much time left. If he delayed any longer, he would face an opponent he could not yet defeat.
Thinking of this, Kaecilius quickly changed his hand seals, and as Kaecilius's hands constantly changed, Strange also noticed that the scenery beneath his feet changed once again.
Even though he was constantly running in the direction away from Kaecilius, as time passed, Strangewas horrified to find that the distance between him and Kaecilius had not only not increased at all, but was getting closer and closer.
And at this moment, Kaecilius, who had been standing still, clasped his hands together, and then from the palms of his hands, a sharp blade composed entirely of spatial power materialized.
Then Kaecilius leaped high towards Strange, right in front of him.
Watching Kaecilius about to land in front of him, Strange suddenly felt a great sense of foreboding. Just as Strange thought he was going to fall here today, a miraculous scene suddenly occurred.
A completely transparent spatial barrier suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Strange and Kaecilius.
And Kaecilius, who had already leaped high, landed heavily on this transparent spatial barrier.
At this moment, the buildings beneath the feet of the two followers who had been frantically chasing Mihachi suddenly changed for some unknown reason.
In the blink of an eye, the few people gradually separated due to the changes beneath their feet.
Looking at the constantly changing scene before him, Kaecilius knew that the Ancient One had arrived, but Kaecilius's heart was extremely calm at this moment, after all, this was not the first time he had faced the Ancient One in a magical duel.
However, in previous times, Kaecilius would often flee the scene before even seeing the Ancient One, but this time, Kaecilius had successfully obtained the power of Dormammu through the ritual recorded in the Dark Tome.
This time, Kaecilius also wanted to see how much of a gap there was between himself and the Ancient One after gaining Dormammu's power, after all, when he was still in Kamar-Taj, Kaecilius had always believed that his talent was definitely among the best in Kamar-Taj.
If it weren't for the Ancient One's reluctance to teach him true magic, he might have already surpassed the Ancient One's height by now and wouldn't have been stuck in place for so long. Therefore, after gaining Dormammu's power, Kaecilius also planned to properly prove to the Ancient One that leaving Kamar-Taj was the correct choice.
At this moment, the Ancient One's figure gradually appeared behind Kaecilius.
As the Ancient One's hands moved, a circular gladiatorial arena was soon constructed out of thin air in this three-dimensional space.
And Strange and Mihachi, who had been frantically fleeing in disarray, were brought to the Ancient One's side.
At this moment, Kaecilius, after exchanging glances with his two followers, began to walk towards the circular area in the center.
Upon seeing this, the Ancient One quickly waved her left hand to move Mihachi and Strange behind her.
But regarding the Ancient One's protective gesture, Mihachi did not respectfully thank the Ancient Oneas usual; instead, he stood in place with a shocked expression, looking at the Ancient One and saying, "You really weren't wrong, she truly drew dark power from the Dark Dimension."
Hearing this, the Ancient One dared not look directly at Mihachi and Strange beside her for a moment, only staring intently at Kaecilius opposite her.
Chapter 176 Magic Battle
"Kaecilius!"
After hearing the Ancient One call his name, Kaecilius slowly walked to the center of the area and said without hesitation, "When I first arrived at Kamar-Taj, I was lost, helpless, scared, and desperate. I trusted you, I respected you, yet you kept deceiving me with lies."
Upon hearing this, the Ancient One showed a pained expression and replied, "At that time, I did it to better protect you."
"To prevent your secrets from being discovered, is that it?"
"To prevent you from being harmed by the truth behind it."
"It's fine now. I have a new mentor who can make me stronger than I am now, even stronger than you!"
"Dormammu has been deceiving you. His so-called eternal life is not paradise; it is hell."
But Kaecilius paid no attention to anything the Ancient One said. Kaecilius went straight to his followers, then summoned a spatial blade from his hand and slowly approached the Ancient One.
"Kaecilius!"
Seeing Kaecilius draw his weapon like that, the Ancient One's face instantly darkened. "I hope you know what you're doing. This foolish behavior is meaningless."
"Hahaha, I've never been clearer about what I'm doing than I am now!"
As Kaecilius's voice fell, his pupils had turned blood-red, and at the same time, his body emitted a terrifying fluctuation that made people feel dread—evidently, Kaecilius's mind had already been completely brainwashed by Dormammu.
Immediately, Kaecilius suddenly rushed towards the Ancient One.
Seeing Kaecilius's frantic actions, the Ancient One's brows furrowed slightly. Then, she let out a soft hum and extended her right hand to block Kaecilius's attack.
At the same time, the Ancient One's left palm also struck towards Kaecilius.
"Bang~"
With the Ancient One's left palm strike, the powerful palm wind instantly repelled Kaecilius.
The Ancient One pursued the advantage. After repelling Kaecilius, she immediately followed up, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Kaecilius.
But at this moment, Kaecilius, who had been sent flying backward, mysteriously disappeared from the Ancient One's sight…
"What's going on?"
The Ancient One whispered in surprise. After all, her magic was not just illusions.
And just then, Kaecilius mysteriously reappeared beside the Ancient One. He then fiercely punched the Ancient One, and this time, Kaecilius actually brought his arms together to form a sharp sword, thrusting it fiercely towards the Ancient One—clearly, this move was the true killing blow.
"Hmph…"
The Ancient One snorted coldly and directly lifted her left leg, kicking Kaecilius in the abdomen. The immense force sent Kaecilius flying backward, but Kaecilius quickly regained his footing on the floor.
"Hehehehehe… Still the same, Ancient One…"
At this moment, Kaecilius suddenly started laughing. Although there was blood on the corner of his mouth, it did not affect his smile at all; instead, it made him look even more sinister.
"What exactly are you laughing at?"
The Ancient One's eyes were fixed on Kaecilius, and her heart was pounding violently, because she seemed to sense something—an aura that was all too familiar.
"Hahahaha! Ancient One, you finally couldn't hold back, you finally exposed your most filthy side!"
Kaecilius roared, throwing his head back, and then his eyes suddenly changed, replaced by a cold glint and a hint of bloodlust. Then, Kaecilius lunged fiercely towards the Ancient One!
"Boom!"
Facing Kaecilius's almost insane attack, in a moment of desperation, the Ancient One finally lost control of her inner self and instinctively used the power she had gained from the Dark Dimension to defend herself.
At the same time, the two followers beside Kaecilius also rushed forward.
In the blink of an eye, the combined attacks of Kaecilius and the two followers landed heavily on the Ancient One's arm.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Two dull thuds sounded, and the attacks from Kaecilius and the two followers made the Ancient Oneretreat a few steps, but the Ancient One quickly regained her footing, and the attacks from Kaeciliusand the two others dissipated at this moment.
But at this moment, Kaecilius's expression did not show any joy because their combined full-force attack had only pushed the Ancient One back a few steps.
Kaecilius had not expected that even with Dormammu's power boosting them, and under the circumstances of a sneak attack, they had only managed to push the Ancient One back a few steps.
One must know that his current power was already enough to defeat any legendary mage. According to their original plan, even if the Ancient One personally intervened, they would have a way to win, but now they had only made the Ancient One retreat a few steps.
This also meant that even their combined efforts might not be enough to defeat the current Ancient One.
"Ancient One, have you forgotten? We are enemies! Since we are enemies, why hold back?"
Kaecilius took a deep breath, then continued to attack the Ancient One.
And the other two followers also followed closely, encircling the Ancient One, but unfortunately, their attacks were still futile. No matter how fast they were, the Ancient One could predict their movements in advance.
Soon, the three fell into a stalemate.
Watching Strange and Mihachi in a stalemate from a distance for some time, the Ancient One was now immersed in self-doubt. She had never expected that the Ancient One, who usually warned them never to have any dealings with the Dark Lord Dormammu, was now shamelessly using Dormammu's power to fight right in front of them.
And at this moment, Kaecilius and his followers once again rushed towards the Ancient One.
"Boom!"
But this time, the Ancient One did not directly blast them away as before, but instead used magic to intercept their attacks.
"Kaecilius, do you think I can't do anything to you like this?"
The Ancient One narrowed her eyes, looking at Kaecilius and asking indifferently.
Upon hearing this, the corner of Kaecilius's mouth slowly curved into an extremely Strange arc.
Chapter 177 First Aid
Immediately, to the shocked gazes of Ancient One and Strange, Kaecilius, without hesitation, plunged the spatial blade in his hand directly into the body of the disciple who was shielding him and Ancient One.
As Kaecilius's strength increased, the spatial blade quickly passed through the disciple's body, directly wounding Ancient One who was in front of the disciple.
"Ancient One, you really haven't changed at all. You're still so self-righteous!"
Kaecilius laughed mockingly, then pulled out the spatial blade stuck beside him, and charged towards Ancient One once more.
At this moment, Kaecilius immediately lifted his leg and heavily kicked Ancient One away.
"Crack!"
Several of Ancient One's ribs instantly broke, and her expression changed several times in pain.
Seeing this, a cruel smile appeared at the corner of Kaecilius's mouth: "What's wrong, where is your power, Ancient One? Didn't you claim to possess the power of Eternity? Now let me see if you will die!"
Saying that, Kaecilius used the power of the Sling Ring to open a portal leading out of the Mirror Dimension behind Ancient One, whose body was currently flying backward.
Seeing Ancient One, who was already heavily wounded and had no power to resist after being kicked away, Strange and Mihachi were also concerned about her condition and quickly moved to chase after her as she fell.
And while Strange and Mihachi were chasing Ancient One, Kaecilius's lips curved slightly, and then, he directly waved his hand, releasing the ropes on Ancient One.
"Thud!"
Ancient One, who had been kicked away by Kaecilius, uncontrollably passed through the portal and arrived high in the sky of the real World.
"Bang!"
After a dull thud, the Sorcerer Supreme, who had protected Earth for an unknown amount of time, actually died from falling from a great height.
Ancient One's sudden descent also scared the surrounding passersby, causing them to scream in surprise.
It was only at this moment that Strange and Mihachi finally arrived, belatedly.
Strange and Mihachi cried out in horror.
"Ancient... Sorcerer Ancient One!"
Compared to Strange, Mihachi seemed even more agitated. In his opinion, no matter how powerful an enemy Ancient One faced, such a situation should not occur. In his understanding, Ancient One should always remain infinitely powerful and endlessly wise.
At this moment, Strange also hurriedly used the power of the Sling Ring in front of everyone present to open a portal in the crowded street, leading to a hospital in Manhattan.
"Christine!"
Christine, who was currently troubleshooting a machine at the hospital's Nurse station, heard Strange's voice and said helplessly, "Not again, is it?"
But when Christine turned around to look in the direction of the voice, she was surprised to find Strangeand Mihachi frantically pushing a stretcher cart towards her.
"I say, old man, what exactly happened to you guys? How did it get like this?"
Christine frowned as she looked at Ancient One, who was already lying on the hospital bed. Although Ancient One's current appearance was indeed quite tragic.
Not only were her clothes more than half torn, and her body covered in blood, but even the robe on her chest was largely ripped. Most crucially, there was a large hole on the left side of Ancient One's chest, with clear burn marks around it.
"She doesn't have arrhythmia; she has myocardial contusion."
Hearing this, Christine anxiously walked up and asked, "Is it neurological?"
"Yes."
And just then, Strange, in a hurry, put on his surgical gown and entered the operating room.
But just as Strange had prepared everything and was about to pick up the familiar surgical knife, Strange realized that after such a long time, his hands still hadn't healed. As soon as he picked up the surgical knife, his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
Seeing this, Strange closed his eyes and sighed helplessly, then said to Nick on the other side, "Nick, we need to hurry and help her with intracranial decompression."
Saying that, Strange handed the surgical knife in his hand to Nick.
Just then, the monitor that had been tracking Ancient One's heartbeat suddenly emitted a piercing alarm.
"Hurry up, she's about to die."
At this moment, Christine's shouts echoed in the operating room.
Hearing this, Strange hurriedly said, "We must give her oxygen quickly."
But as time passed, Ancient One's condition did not improve.
"No, her pupils are dilating. Hurry and bring the stretcher cart; she has no brain activity left."
Looking at the sudden cessation of heartbeat and brainwaves before him, Strange quickly recalled that when he was being hunted by the disciples, he also experienced such a situation because his soul had left his body.
Immediately, Strange quickly steadied his mind, and then with a forceful effort, separated his soul from his body.
As soon as his soul left his physical body, Strange saw that Ancient One's soul had already passed through the operating room wall and left the place.
Seeing this, Strange anxiously chased after her.
"Hey, what are you doing? If you keep this up, you'll die."
But Ancient One seemed to ignore Strange's shouts from behind, continuing to float out of the hospital on her own.
Soon, Strange followed Ancient One's soul to the hospital balcony.
Looking at the myriad lights below, Strange anxiously said to Ancient One, "Why are you still here? You must return to your body immediately, or we won't have time to save you."
But compared to Strange's anxiety at this moment, Ancient One seemed to be listening to someone else's business, showing no reaction at all.
After a few seconds, Ancient One turned around and looked at Strange beside her, saying, "Time is relative. You still haven't truly integrated into the identity of a Sorcerer. I have spent many years peeking into the future."
Chapter 178 Departure
Just then, a pale white lightning bolt suddenly streaked across the distant sky.
Looking at the magnificent scene before him, Strange was lost in thought for a moment.
Then, Ancient One continued to say to Strange, "Actually, I have peered into the timing of today's events countless times, so I already knew that I might not be able to overcome this tribulation today. For such a long time, I have tried my best to prevent countless crises from befalling Earth."
"But no matter how hard I try to maintain the stability of Earth, there are always continuous bad things following one after another. Everyone will reach this point, stagnating."
Upon hearing Ancient One's words, Strange quickly said, "What do you mean? Do you intend to die today?"
Ancient One did not answer Strange directly, but instead asked, "If you could, would you like to see your future now?"
"No."
Regarding Strange's answer, Ancient One looked at Strange with a playful smile, remaining silent for a long time.
After a while, Strange felt uneasy under Ancient One's gaze, and then awkwardly changed his mind, saying, "Alright, actually, I really want to."
After receiving Strange's answer, Ancient One revealed a relieved smile and said, "In fact, in order to prevent Kaecilius's incident from happening again, I have indeed wanted to peer into your future countless times, but what I got were extremely vague possibilities. Even I cannot accurately predict your future."
"Essentially, you are a kind-hearted person, and you are very outstanding, but I am not saying this because you crave success; on the contrary, it is because you are very afraid of your own failure."
Hearing this, Strange said faintly, "I am a very successful Doctor."
"This is precisely why you are not great enough. You are always accompanied by some common negative emotions, and these emotions are more severe in you than in ordinary people. You are incredibly proud and arrogant, which often makes you ignorant of some very simple, yet most important, things."
Hearing this, Strange asked in confusion, "What exactly does that mean?"
"The true meaning of our life is not just about ourselves. When you first came to Kamar-Taj to find me, the first thing you asked was how I helped Jonathan heal his body. I can tell you the answer now; in fact, it wasn't me who healed him. I never made any changes to his body. It was all because he himself injected the power of space into his body."
Hearing this, Strange showed an incredulous expression and asked, "So, all this time, he has been walking supported by the power of magic, right?"
"Indeed. After healing his body, he also fell into a dilemma: whether to return to his own life or continue to dedicate himself to a higher goal."
At this moment, Strange asked uncertainly, "So, does that mean I now also have the opportunity to heal my hands and return to my original life?"
To this, Ancient One did not shy away at all, and directly stated, "That's right. If you wish, you can now return to this hospital and become the Dr. Stephen Strange admired by thousands."
"But everything in this World is constantly changing every day, so many things are bound to be full of regrets. Although I am unwilling to gain power from the Dark Dimension, you must know that if you want to change the current situation, someone will have to bravely take the first step, break the norm, and pursue their higher ideals."
At this moment, Strange said, "But Mihachi doesn't think that way."
"Mihachi is inherently stubborn and inflexible in all matters. This is all caused by his upbringing, but you are completely different. You are always able to be in dangerous situations, yet accurately grasp opportunities and seize the moment. Only by complementing each other's strengths will you be able to defeat Dormammu in the final battle."
Upon hearing that Ancient One was actually asking him and Mihachi to face that mysterious entity that Strange had not yet witnessed, Strange instinctively wanted to escape.
"No, I'm still not ready."
"Stephen, you must know that no one can be ready for this matter. We cannot control what is about to happen in this World."
Saying this, Ancient One reached out her hand and took Strange's.
"Death does not give meaning to life; death merely makes you aware of the brevity of time, that your days are numbered. I am now ready to embrace death."
"Look at everything around you. You know how much I want to preserve all of this forever, so I can truly appreciate this beautiful snowy scenery."
After hearing this, Strange instinctively raised his head and looked at the surrounding scenery.
But just then, Strange suddenly realized that Ancient One had let go of his hand.
When Strange turned his head to look for Ancient One, he found that Ancient One had already left this World.
With the dissipation of the soul body, Ancient One's physical body on the hospital bed also completely died.
"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"
Just then, Ancient One's body instantly lost all signs of life, and at that moment, Strange's soul suddenly returned to his body. Strange woke up in the operating room. Although Strange had been exposed to many things beyond his comprehension during this period, everything that had just happened on the balcony felt like merely a dream to Strange.
Even now, Strange couldn't accept that Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One had left this World just like that, and the burden of saving Earth and all humanity had suddenly fallen entirely on his shoulders.
This made Strange feel as if a huge boulder was pressing on his chest, making even the simplest breathing difficult.
The past events at Kamar-Taj flashed through Strange's mind like a movie.
Chapter 179 Darkness Falls
After Ancient One's heartbeat completely stopped and Strange had seen her off for the last time, he went to the restroom to wash up alone.
Just then, Christine followed him.
Although Strange had never said anything to Christine at this moment, Christine could keenly sense the sorrow emanating from him.
"Are you alright? I don't know what's happening right now, but..."
Before Christine could finish, Strange said first, "I know, but I still have to go now. You once said that losing my hands isn't the end of the World, maybe it's just a new beginning, right?"
With that, Strange extended his hands and cupped Christine's fair face.
"Yes, after all, there are other ways to save lives."
"Harder ways."
"Stranger ways."
Just as the two were deep in a tender moment, the broadcast overhead mercilessly broke the beautiful moment.
"Doctor Palmer, please report to the emergency room. Doctor Palmer, please report to the emergency room."
At this moment, Strange finally told Christine his true thoughts.
"I don't want you to go."
Upon hearing this, Christine smiled slightly, then gently touched Strange's lips.
At this time, a portal suddenly appeared out of thin air on a bustling street in Hong Kong.
But for this Strange phenomenon, the people around seemed not to notice it.
This was because Kaecilius was now able to freely travel back and forth within the Mirror Dimension.
At this moment, Wong, who was guarding the Sanctum alone, had already sensed the dark aura the moment Kaecilius arrived, but when Wong raised his artifact and looked in that direction, he found nothing.
Under such helpless circumstances, Wong reluctantly walked out of the Sanctum.
As soon as Wong arrived on the street, he suddenly heard a voice from the crowd ahead.
"You're on the wrong side, Wong!"
"Kaecilius."
As the saying goes, if words don't fit, half a sentence is too much. Seeing that neither side was willing to stop, both sides directly pulled out their weapons, ready to fight.
But when Wong saw Kaecilius and his followers each holding two spatial blades, he belatedly realized that the opponent had more people than him.
Meanwhile, Strange, after sorting out his emotions, opened a portal and returned to the London Sanctum.
As soon as he passed through the portal, Strange saw Mihachi's lonely figure.
In fact, Mihachi had already sensed the outcome of the matter when Strange had not returned for a long time.
But at present, Mihachi was still quietly waiting for Strange's choice.
"You're right, she wasn't what I thought. In fact, she was very conflicted."
"She was very conflicted. The Dark Dimension is a World full of upheaval and chaos. What if she was devoured? She told us we absolutely couldn't do that, but she herself drew power from it, maintaining her lifespan for hundreds of years."
Hearing Mihachi's words, Strange subconsciously defended Ancient One, saying, "She has always been working for the right thing, and now she has paid the price for it. Didn't you see that?"
But to Strange's words, Mihachi coldly said, "Her forbidden actions brought countless fanatical followers to Dormammu. Kaecilius was even a great disaster she caused. Not only that, even we ultimately became her pawns."
All at once, Mihachi blurted out everything that should have been said by Strange.
If it had been a few hours ago, what Mihachi said would undoubtedly have been what Strange most wanted to say in his heart.
But after the brief separation of life and death just now, Strange's state of mind had greatly improved.
"The World is now in peril, and we don't have much time left. You can't wallow in self-pity here anymore, Mihachi. The London Sanctum has collapsed, and the New York Sanctum has been attacked twice. You know what their next target is. It's Hong Kong. You once told me you would defend the Sanctum with your life. That day will always come, it's just that today is that day. I need you to fight alongside me!"
With that, Strange directly used the power of the Sling Ring to open a portal in front of the two of them.
Looking at the unusual magical fluctuations coming from the portal in front of him, Strange knew that the battle had already begun.
But Strange was still apprehensive about Kaecilius's ruthlessness, so he urgently needed Mihachi's help.
Although Strange had just told Mihachi his truest thoughts, Strange himself was now unsure, not knowing if Mihachi's faith would collapse because of Ancient One's actions.
But at this moment, Mihachi suddenly changed his previous gloomy expression and turned to Strangewith a smile.
Seeing this, Strange realized that Mihachi's previous words were only to test Strange's determination to fight Dormammu.
Subsequently, Strange followed closely behind Mihachi, passed through the portal, and arrived on the streets of Hong Kong.
However, the scattered crowds fleeing and the ubiquitous collapsed ruins made Mihachi and Strangeinstinctively feel that something bad might happen next.
When the two turned the corner of the street, what greeted their eyes was the Sanctum, which had already been invaded by dark forces.
Looking at the scene before them, Mihachi and Strange didn't know what to do for a moment.
Centered on the Sanctum, a mass of purplish-black thick fog was rapidly spreading outwards at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"This is the Dark Dimension."
At this moment, looking at the extremely shocking scene before them, Mihachi whispered.
"Dormammu is coming."
Just then, from a cloud of smoke and dust, Kaecilius and his followers slowly emerged.
"From now on, no one can stop his arrival."
"Is that so? That's not necessarily true."
With that, Strange closed his eyes, and then his hands began to form complex hand seals, starting to cast a spell.