Kamar-Taj.
Inside the solemn central hall.
Several Master Sorcerers were gathered together, and every face looked grim.
The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive like ice. A few young sorcerers didn't dare to speak, their expressions tense.
Baron Mordo, seated in the place of honor, was both shocked and furious.
His hands were clasped so tightly that his knuckles felt numb, and even the chair bore the imprint of his grip.
"I truly didn't expect Kaecilius to betray us."
Only after a long while did Wong speak.
"What's there to be surprised about?!"
"That man never truly revered the Ancient One-sama's teachings!"
"He's arrogant and lawless."
Baron Mordo slammed his fist down hard on the chair, leaving a deep mark.
"Mordo, there's no need to say it like that."
"Kaecilius may have been tempted by someone."
"I went to the library. Pages were torn from the Ancient One-sama's books."
Hamir spoke.
"It was Dormammu."
He added that immediately afterward, his expression heavy.
The moment he said it, the Master Sorcerers' faces darkened even further.
Dormammu!
That was Kamar-Taj's greatest enemy.
Ever since they had entered Kamar-Taj, they had followed the Ancient One-sama in resisting Dormammu.
They knew very well how terrifying Dormammu was.
And now—
Kaecilius had actually defected to Dormammu?
How could that not fill them with shock and rage?
"This is bad!"
"That kid Karl went with them!"
"Isn't he in extreme danger?!"
"No, I have to go after him!"
Baron Mordo suddenly stood up, his face changing drastically.
This was the genius disciple he had just taken in!
Going to hunt down Kaecilius—wouldn't that mean the boy would be dead for sure?
He'd only taught him for a few days!
"How are you going to go?"
"Kaecilius's Mirror Dimension is unbreakable. We can't force it open."
"He's definitely absorbed Dormammu's power!"
"We can't follow their teleportation trail at all—how would we track them?"
"And even if you caught up, could you deal with a Kaecilius empowered by Dormammu?"
Wong shouted.
Baron Mordo fell silent.
Wong was right.
Against the usual Kaecilius, he could surpass him.
But—
Once Kaecilius gained Dormammu's overwhelming power, he would certainly become far stronger.
Baron Mordo truly might not be able to win.
What could he do?
He could only stay silent.
For a time, the Master Sorcerers were at a loss.
They couldn't help thinking—
If only the Ancient One-sama were here.
All of them thought the same thing.
"But how did that kid Karl manipulate Kaecilius's Mirror Dimension?"
Hamir asked.
"That… I don't know either."
Baron Mordo frowned as the thought hit him as well.
Right—
A Mirror Dimension even the few of them couldn't crack—how was Karl controlling it?
It didn't make sense.
To make a projection appear inside the Mirror Dimension—
That wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
Most importantly, it required one crucial thing:
Your mastery of the Mirror Dimension had to exceed the other person's.
How did Karl do it?
Kaecilius might not have had much control over the Mirror Dimension.
But Dormammu was different.
He was a dimensional demon—also the lord of the Dark Dimension.
His grasp over space—
Even the powerful Ancient One-sama was not as good as him.
If Kaecilius had obtained Dormammu's power,
then his control over the Mirror Dimension should be astonishing.
Across all of Kamar-Taj, aside from the Ancient One-sama, no one should be able to match him.
And yet—
This was too absurd!
The Master Sorcerers exchanged looks, eyes full of disbelief.
That kid… was he really this strong?
Such talent—this terrifying?
"So you'd already anticipated this!"
Wong snarled from the side.
Baron Mordo coughed and spoke.
"Is now the time to say that?"
"Karl's fate is still unknown!"
Baron Mordo shouted.
"That's true."
"But we don't have any way to deal with it. We simply can't track Kaecilius."
"The Mirror Dimension erased all traces of their teleportation."
Hamir sighed.
Hearing that,
their expressions all turned ugly.
If Karl really were slain by Kaecilius,
then Kamar-Taj would truly lose a genius who could rival the Ancient One-sama!
How could that not be heartbreaking?
The Master Sorcerers were all filled with melancholy.
"Master Sorcerer! Bad news!"
"Master Sorcerer—bad news!"
At that moment, several scouts rushed in from outside.
Hearing that, the Master Sorcerers' faces went green.
What kind of wording was that?
Baron Mordo snorted coldly and spoke.
"Fussing about—what kind of conduct is that?"
"As sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, keep your minds calm. Don't you understand that?"
The senior sorcerer immediately straightened his expression.
"Yes, Master Sorcerer. Understood."
"Speak. What happened?"
Baron Mordo asked flatly.
"Karl is back!"
…
"And he brought Kaecilius back—captured!"
The sorcerer said.
"What?!"
All the Master Sorcerers stood up at once, not a trace of composure left on their faces.
They were utterly stunned—
as if they'd heard something impossible.
The senior sorcerer was dumbfounded.
Wasn't it you who just said to stay calm? Why are you all losing it now?
But before he could say anything,
Baron Mordo spoke first.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry—go and take a look!"
He stood up and led the way out.
The other Master Sorcerers hurried after him in a flurry.
The way they moved made it look like something life-or-death had happened.
Very quickly, they arrived at the Teleportation Sanctum.
They saw Karl—completely unhurt, utterly at ease—
and Kaecilius on the ground, bound up tight like a rice dumpling.
The Master Sorcerers all twitched at the corners of their mouths at the same time.
Their expressions changed.
What was this?
Kaecilius—who had defected to Dormammu—was just taken down like this?
Was this kid a monster?
"How did you do it?"
Baron Mordo asked with a frown.
"Do what?"
Karl blinked, then asked.
"How did you capture Kaecilius?"
Baron Mordo asked.
"Master Sorcerer Mentor-sama, I just did it like that. Beat him and it's fine. It was pretty hard."
Karl scratched his head as he spoke.
Master Sorcerers: ???
Was he joking?
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]