Strange swallowed.
His head throbbed as he stared at the woman in front of him.
He was certain he had never met her before.
But he could tell who she was.
Those smoke-stained eyes told him everything.
She belonged to the sorcerer his mentor had dealt with last time.
That much was obvious.
What confused Strange was why she had come for him.
His mentor was the one who had taken action.
He was just the one who had gotten beaten half to death.
But Strange understood one thing very clearly.
Bullies always picked the weak.
And right now, that weak person was him.
He didn't feel angry about it.
He understood his own position well enough.
Gritting his teeth, Strange gathered his scarce magical energy and carefully guided it into the Sling Ring.
He was going to open a portal.
Now.
"How interesting," a voice said softly.
"How do you know Kamar-Taj magic?"
The words reached his ears at the same time as danger.
Strange's pupils shrank.
A transparent blade, pulsing with strange magical fluctuations, stabbed straight toward his chest.
Almost instinctively, Strange twisted his body aside.
He dodged it.
But his face darkened immediately.
That movement had broken his casting.
The magic collapsed.
Then he remembered something.
The ring.
The ring Noah had given him.
"I really-"
Strange didn't even know what to say anymore.
He scrambled up, trying to force magic again.
Before he could stand fully, a sharp kick slammed into his chest.
He flew backward.
And then he saw it.
The ring slipped out of his pocket.
Clattered across the ground.
"Damn it."
Strange's expression turned grim.
This wasn't just bad luck.
This was a disaster.
The woman charged again.
Her movements were wild, aggressive.
Strange rolled desperately, barely avoiding her attack.
But the roll carried him farther from the ring.
At that point, he stopped thinking about it.
He forced himself up, seized the opening, and pushed magic forward.
A golden hexagram flared into existence between his hands.
"That's interesting."
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"Your name, sorcerer."
"Huh?" Strange paused for a fraction of a second.
Then answered flatly.
"Doctor."
"Sorcerer Doctor?"
She looked confused.
"No." Strange replied calmly, already calculating his next move. "My name is Strange. Doctor Strange."
"Doctor Strange?"
She scoffed.
"You're a Kamar-Taj sorcerer, yet you use the name of ordinary people?"
"Forget it."
"Remember this."
"The one who kills you is Nicole."
"Sorceress Nicole."
The moment her words fell, she attacked again.
The transparent blade stabbed forward, vibrating violently.
Strange reacted immediately.
Magic surged as he twisted the direction of her charge and hurled a Shattering Charm straight at her.
Golden light struck her body.
Ripples spread.
And then vanished.
No effect.
Strange stared at his hands.
Then at her.
His heart sank.
"You used academy magic on me?" Nicole looked genuinely surprised.
Then her expression turned openly disdainful.
"Are you not awake yet?"
"Or did you steal Kamar-Taj magic?"
"Exorcist?"
Her assault intensified.
The pressure skyrocketed.
Strange felt completely overwhelmed.
What kind of situation was this?
At first, he could barely keep up.
Then it became worse.
His magic drained rapidly.
For a beginner, his reserves were already impressive.
But compared to her?
The gap was enormous.
Time blurred.
The fight dragged on.
Ten minutes passed without him realizing it.
Ten minutes that felt endless.
His body grew heavier.
His mind dulled.
He didn't even know if he could survive the next strike.
Bang.
He blocked her blade again with magic.
And in that instant of delay, his body faltered.
Nicole's kick landed cleanly.
Strange was sent crashing to the ground.
Before he could react, a binding spell locked his limbs in place.
"It seems this is as far as you go."
Nicole smiled faintly, looking down at him.
"Your magic is almost gone."
"Your control is decent."
"But you're clumsy."
"How long have you been studying magic?"
"Cough... cough..."
Strange struggled uselessly.
He couldn't move.
After a brief silence, he answered honestly.
"A few months. I think."
"A few months?"
Nicole tilted her head.
"Then you're quite good."
"What a pity."
"Under normal circumstances, you'd become a top-tier sorcerer."
"But you chose the wrong path."
She shook her head.
"Goodbye, genius."
"You made the wrong choice."
Her blade rose.
The strange, vibrating magic concentrated at its edge.
It plunged toward Strange.
And at that exact moment-
The red cloak that had tormented Strange for more than a week suddenly moved.
"...Kaecilius, you shouldn't be here."
Inside the New York Sanctum, Mordo stood quietly in the hall.
He watched Kaecilius and his followers step forward.
Behind Mordo, the stationed sorcerers had already formed a standoff.
Mordo sighed softly.
His former brother was likely beyond saving.
The aura around Kaecilius was thick.
Dark.
Evil.
Mordo knew what it meant.
Kaecilius had fully embraced Dormammu.
There was no redemption left.
Steadying himself, Mordo let his magic surge.
Mission or not, that didn't mean he would do nothing.
"Mordo."
Kaecilius looked at him calmly.
Coldly.
A half-smile tugged at his lips.
"Are you going to stop me?"
"Anyone would," Mordo replied evenly.
Golden light flared.
A Living Tribunal Staff formed in his hand.
Nunchaku-like.
"Well," Kaecilius chuckled.
"Seems you won't step aside."
"But unfortunately-"
"You're not Noah."
"No one can replace him."
Mordo didn't waver.
Golden streaks burst outward.
The two clashed.
Both were true Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
Neither relied solely on long-range casting.
Close combat was second nature to them.
Spatial energy exploded.
Fragments of distorted space scattered like shattered glass.
Both had surpassed the seventh tier.
The power they released was terrifying.
Each collision felt like a portal tearing itself apart.
They smashed through fractured space-
And reappeared on the streets of New York.
Civilians screamed.
Even New Yorkers, used to chaos, couldn't stay calm watching reality twist around them.
Mordo noticed it.
He frowned.
But he couldn't stop.
For himself.
And for the others.
He had to keep fighting.
Kaecilius was stronger than Mordo had expected.
Much stronger.
Still, Mordo was no weakling.
For years, Noah's shadow had eclipsed him.
That didn't mean Mordo lacked strength.
Without that anomaly, Mordo would have been the strongest of his generation.
Wielding the Living Tribunal Staff, he pressed forward again.
Their battle spiraled out of control.
Buildings inverted.
Space cracked.
Reality warped.
They weren't even in the Mirror Dimension.
This was the real world.
Just as the destruction threatened to escalate further-
Mordo received a message from Victor.
His expression changed instantly.
He disengaged.
Retreated.
Then vanished.
Kaecilius stared after him, baffled.
Stopping mid-fight?
Leaving like that?
What did that mean?
His thoughts snapped to his apprentices.
Kamar-Taj had more than just a few Arch-Sorcerers.
A halo formed around Kaecilius.
In the next moment, he was back in the Sanctum.
His apprentices lay scattered across the floor.
Injured.
But alive.
Kaecilius let out a breath.
No deaths.
But the situation only made him more uneasy.
"What is this supposed to mean?"
"Luring me away, but not killing them?"
"Victor must have acted."
"If he and Mordo attacked together..."
Kaecilius forced himself to calm down.
There was no point overthinking it.
He had already reached this point.
There was nothing left to hesitate over.
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