Chapter 48.
Li Yue suddenly realized something crucial—Doctor Strange's abilities would definitely be present, and so would the Ancient One. No wonder she had confidently sent Wang and Mordo to join the battle.
Li Yue couldn't naively assume that the Ancient One didn't understand how powerful Dormammu was.
But seeing that no one would truly die relieved her mind. She could finally stop worrying about them.
As the resurrected Captain America, Mordo, and Wong prepared to rejoin the battle, their eyes were drawn toward the Ancient One's side. Unexpectedly, two unfamiliar figures had appeared beside her, prompting the trio to stop and look more closely.
Upon seeing clearly, both Captain America and Mordo were visibly surprised.
Wong, however, appeared confused. He didn't recognize either Li Yue or Annie.
"Li Yue? You're finally here!" Mordo was the first to speak. His usually calm expression lit up with joy as he rushed straight toward Li Yue.
"I visited you just over a month ago," he said, nearly breathless. "But Mr. Stark told me you had just left—less than a minute before I arrived!"
"Wait, what did you just say?" Li Yue interrupted, frowning. "Did you say a month ago?"
He wasn't particularly interested in Mordo's attempt to find her, but the timeline didn't add up. If he heard correctly, Mordo said it had only been a month—not seven years!
"Yes, just one month!" Mordo confirmed quickly. "At that time, Kaecilius had just defected from Kamar-Taj. He stole the ritual that summons the Lord of the Dark Dimension—Dormammu!"
"–He even brutally murdered the last librarian, decapitated him, and performed a dark sacrificial ritual to Dormammu. Kaecilius and his followers fully embraced Dormammu's teachings."
"I wanted to ask for your help immediately, but I was a step too late—you were already gone!"
"Over this month, Kaecilius grew immensely powerful due to the dark dimension's energy. He launched separate attacks on both the Hong Kong and London Sanctums. He succeeded in killing the Masters –who guarded them! The temples were completely destroyed. That's what triggered Dormammu's invasion!"
"Fortunately, your friends helped stall him—at least long enough to prevent the Earth's total destruction."
Li Yue had only intended to confirm the timeline, but Mordo's rapid-fire explanation had poured out like a freestyle rap, possibly amplified by his deep voice and dramatic flair.
Still, Li Yue gleaned some useful insights. So it had only been a month in this world. That meant the time flow between worlds was nearly one-to-one—something that actually made sense now.
But a troubling thought lingered in Li Yue's mind, 'Why did Kaecilius betray so early? Based on the original timeline, this betrayal shouldn't happen for at least six more years. Was this the result of a butterfly effect?'
"What's going on here? Why did Kaecilius suddenly rebel?" Li Yue asked the Ancient One, hoping she had the answers. He was certain she knew the full story.
"What Mordo said is true," she replied with a serene expression. "You should understand—the timeline of Kaecilius's fall into darkness has accelerated. The reason lies in your presence here. Your appearance changed the flow of fate."
Despite the seriousness of her words, the Ancient One continued to smile gently at Li Yue, showing no sign of blame.
"But if you knew this was going to happen," Li Yue protested, "why didn't you stop it? Why not capture Kaecilius before his betrayal? Or warn me in advance so I could stay?"
"If I had told you to stay, would you still have acquired the power you now possess?" she replied calmly. "Would you have returned at precisely this moment with such strength?"
"The future is full of unknowns. Every decision shifts the timeline, creating a new path. I can only guide the world toward the best possible timeline—but 'best' doesn't always mean eliminating every danger."
Her words were layered with meaning, and though Li Yue grasped part of it, much of her reasoning still felt elusive.
"So… is this really the best outcome?" he asked, confused yet intrigued.
From her cryptic explanation, he inferred that the current situation was exactly what the Ancient One had hoped for.
But could he really defeat Dormammu's invasion? Li Yue still had doubts.
"Then, Master," he said with renewed determination, "I should join the battle now."
He could sense that Thor wouldn't hold out much longer. Though Thor had grown significantly stronger, he was still no match for Dormammu in a head-on fight.
As Li Yue began floating toward the battlefield, the shocked expressions on Captain America and the others followed him. It was as though an invisible force was lifting him effortlessly.
"Wait, Master Gu Yi," Li Yue suddenly paused, turning back. "You must've seen the possible outcomes of this battle. How many of them end in victory for us?"
He remembered how Doctor Strange had once seen over 14 million future scenarios. Curiosity drove him to ask.
The Ancient One smiled knowingly and said nothing. Slowly, she raised her index finger.
Seeing that gesture, Li Yue's heart dropped.
One? Only one victory?
He broke into a cold sweat despite his powerful new body. Was this going to be like Tony Stark's fate in Avengers: Endgame?
"Damn… You really are the Supreme Sorcerer," he muttered under his breath.
Li Yue quickly dismissed the dangerous thought forming in his mind.
Just kidding—there's no way I'd be the kind of person to sacrifice my life for others. Absolutely not!
"Oii Mordo, when did you meet someone this powerful? He can actually fly!" Fat Wang, the new Librarian of Kamar-Taj, asked in astonishment. He couldn't help but nudge Master Mordo beside him, clearly confused, as he had never seen Li Yue before.
Without hesitation, Li Yue launched himself into action, his body shooting forward like a missile toward Dormammu's massive face. This time, he wasn't planning to rely on any superpowers. He wanted to test if his current physical strength alone could take Dormammu head-on.
Breaking the sound barrier in an instant, Li Yue reached hypersonic speed. His right fist crackled with blinding lightning as he clenched it tightly, aiming straight for Dormammu's eye—the most vulnerable-looking spot he could find.
Almost instantly, Li Yue closed the distance to Dormammu. At that moment, Dormammu was still clashing with Thor, but he suddenly sensed a swift presence barreling toward his right eye. Reacting quickly, he raised his right hand in an attempt to block the blow.
Meanwhile, Thor noticed Dormammu's momentary distraction. Not one to miss such a perfect opportunity, Thor summoned his full divine might, channeling all his thunderous energy into Stormbreaker. He gripped the axe with both hands, lightning exploding around him, then hurled it toward Dormammu's left eye with all his strength.
Li Yue's strike landed first. His lightning-imbued fist collided directly with Dormammu's raised right palm.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield. Invisible shockwaves of raw energy surged outward, disintegrating countless nearby asteroids into fragments that dissolved into dark energy and merged with the void.
Both combatants recoiled. Li Yue was blasted backward by the intense recoil, pushed hundreds of meters away before managing to stabilize himself midair. Dormammu, on the other hand, was seriously injured—his right palm had been punctured by Li Yue's powerful strike. Thick black energy oozed from the wound, dripping into the air like dark blood and slowly evaporating.
And then came Stormbreaker.
Thor's axe, infused with divine lightning, struck Dormammu's undefended left eye with brutal force.
"ROAAAARR!!"
A pair of agonized, thunderous roars ripped through the dimension. The air trembled, space itself began to warp, and the boundless energy of the dark dimension spiraled violently in every direction.
"Li Yue, thank God you're here! Do you even know what we've been through? We've been wiped out 81 times!" shouted Tony Stark, who had just regained consciousness from Dormammu's earlier attack. He spotted Li Yue floating in the sky and couldn't hold back his excitement.
His voice cracked slightly, and memories of the past month's horrors came flooding back.
After Li Yue disappeared a month ago, Mordo had arrived looking for him. When he found that Li Yue was gone, he was ready to leave. But Tony—being naturally curious and nosy—was intrigued by the way Mordo traveled. The magical portals he created looked strikingly similar to those used by Li Yue, albeit with a different color.
Tony, always one to meddle and –explore new tech, thought it would be interesting to follow Mordo to see magic in action. He also had another idea brewing: maybe he could integrate magic into his Iron Man armor—now that would be revolutionary.
So, Tony stopped Mordo before he left.
Initially, Mordo was hesitant. The battles they fought were between sorcerers—definitely not suited for ordinary people. But Kamar-Taj wasn't a closed-off organization, and Tony Stark was no ordinary person. Mordo had heard of him online—the famous superhero, Iron Man.
Though Mordo thought Tony was perhaps a bit too self-confident, he agreed. After all, most of the seasoned Kamar-Taj mages had been either deceived or corrupted by Kaecilius, leaving only a few apprentices behind. Facing Kaecilius and his followers with such limited support was nearly hopeless. With Li Yue missing, bringing in Iron Man didn't seem like the worst idea.
So, Mordo reluctantly allowed Tony to accompany him back to Kamar-Taj, hoping to use whatever help he could get.
Of course, things didn't go as planned.
While Tony's armor was incredibly advanced and powerful by Earth's standards, it was woefully underpowered in the face of the dark dimension's corruption. Kaecilius, now strengthened by Dormammu's energy, could rewrite reality itself. Against him, even Iron Man was helpless.
Both the Hong Kong and London Sanctums fell.
In truth, this outcome had been allowed by the Ancient One. She had held back her full power on purpose. If she had gone all out, Kaecilius and his acolytes wouldn't have stood a chance.
Now, only the New York Sanctum remained.
Mordo had no choice but to explain the stakes to Tony: if the New York Sanctum fell too, the barrier between Earth and the Dark Dimension would collapse—and Dormammu would fully manifest and consume the world.
When Mordo warned that if the last temple fell, the entire Earth would be swallowed by the Dark Dimension, Tony couldn't help but panic a little. After all, this was the first time he was facing a potential world-ending disaster.
But there were barely any capable fighters left—just the new librarian Wang, Master Mordo, and the Ancient One, who seemed to be holding back for some reason. Against Kaecillius and his followers—who had gained immense power after being corrupted by Dormammu—they stood no chance.
In desperation, Tony called Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., hoping to get help. Though Tony could be arrogant and narcissistic, he had long since stopped caring about his ego when the whole planet was at risk.
But Nick Fury had just made a disturbing discovery—his beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. had been thoroughly infiltrated by Hydra. Aside from a few trusted individuals, nearly everyone else was a double agent. Overwhelmed by the crisis and unsure who to trust, Fury was already scrambling to clean house when Tony called.
Worse yet, Tony failed to fully explain the severity of the situation, so Fury didn't take it seriously. He only sent Captain America for support, thinking the issue was manageable. After all, Cap wasn't suited for espionage or rooting out spies, but Fury figured he could help stabilize things on the ground.
However, they ultimately failed to defend the New York Sanctum from Kaecillius and his cultists.
With the Ancient One still deliberately holding back her full power, all three sanctums were destroyed. The sky above New York City darkened as a rift to the Dark Dimension appeared and slowly began expanding, threatening –to engulf the entire Earth.
Meanwhile, Thor—who was spending time with Jane Foster—–sensed the surge of dark energy from afar. He had heard tales from Odin about the Dark Dimension: a place beyond the Nine Realms, silent, bleak, and teeming with corrupt, eldritch energy. Few beings could survive there, and its ruler, Dormammu, was an ancient force who could rival Odin himself in power—especially in his own realm, where he was nearly immortal ad nigh-omnipotent.
As a protector of the Nine Realms, Thor couldn't allow the Dark Dimension to consume Earth. And with Jane being human, he had a deeply personal reason to act.
"Jane, the Earth is under threat. I must go—if I don't, the entire planet may be swallowed by the Dark Dimension."
After saying his goodbyes, Thor flew off with Stormbreaker, speeding toward New York.
Kaecillius, having succeeded in destroying the final sanctum, laughed triumphantly, eagerly awaiting Dormammu's arrival. But then, to everyone's surprise, the Ancient One stepped forward, forming a strange gesture with both hands.
Kaecillius immediately felt something was wrong. He tried to charge forward, but his body started to stiffen. His movements slowed, his thoughts dulled—and soon he froze in place like a statue, unable to move.
The Eye of Agamotto, glowing on the Ancient One's chest, unleashed a brilliant green light that swept across the surroundings like a wave. Everything it touched fell under its effect—time itself slowed to a crawl, and then froze completely.
Where chaos had ruled mere moments before, silence now reigned. The streets of New York, once filled with screaming and fleeing civilians, were eerily still.
Tony stood nearby, eyes wide with shock, staring at the bald, regal-looking woman who had just performed the impossible.
He had never expected the unassuming Ancient One to possess such overwhelming power.
'She just stopped time... how is that even possible?'
Next to him, Captain America was equally stunned. Holding his shield tightly, he looked around in disbelief.
It was hard enough adjusting to a world that had changed over 70 years—advanced technology, flying metal suits, Norse gods—but now this?
Another dimension was invading Earth. A sorcerer could manipulate time itself.
"How am I supposed to keep up?" Cap muttered, feeling lost. "I'm just a guy wih peak human ability... What am I even doing here?"
He seriously considered asking to be frozen again. Of course, what he didn't realize was that his natural "balance" made him an invaluable asset—his passive ability to go toe-to-toe with nearly anyone was what made him truly exceptional.
"This world is insane!" he sighed, barely able to process what was happening.
While everyone stood stunned by the Ancient One's power, a sudden burst of lightning crackled from the sky. A figure dropped into view—hammer in one hand, axe in the other.
Thor had arrived.
Naturally, he was still –able to move freely. The Ancient One had sensed his approach long before and allowed him through the temporal freeze. Otherwise, he too would have been suspended mid-air like everyone else.
"We're all here," Thor said calmly. "Let's go. It's time we paid Dormammu a visit."
...…..
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