"What the hell is this?"
Looking at his appearance as a great demon king, Aron couldn't help but complain.
He now looked like something straight out of a nightmare.
It could be compared to the black, eerie cloak of undead Strange from a parallel dimension in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Sit in front of Satan, and Satan himself has to offer you cigarettes...
A true villain among villains.
"No, this completely ruins my image."
As soon as he uttered those words, everything around him changed.
All that dark energy and black tendrils disappeared in an instant.
As if nothing had happened. The evil was an illusion.
The cloak now looked completely new.
The damaged parts automatically repaired themselves, and its appearance was now almost identical to Doctor Strange's levitation cloak, only in black.
"This is the Dark Cloak of the Great Shadow."
"You might think it resembles the levitation cloak, but in reality, it's the opposite."
"The levitation cloak was actually modeled after this one."
The Ancient One's voice was quiet but serious. A trace of respect could be seen in her eyes.
There was something she didn't say aloud.
The former owner of this cloak... was known as the God of Dark Magic.
"And what's it for then? Other than making me look like the final boss?"
Aron pulled the cloak with disgust.
Fighting with this on?
If someone grabs it, you're done for.
"…"
"Explore its abilities on your own."
"In short, whatever the levitation cloak can do, this one can do and more."
The Ancient One still looked at him with disapproval.
With a sigh, she shook her head.
This boy won't appreciate anything he can't see right away…
"Maybe I should reconsider giving you the New York Sanctuary."
She didn't even finish the thought before Aron was already standing upright, serious.
Instead of answering, the Ancient One handed him a belt.
"The Space Belt of Simontos."
"Inside is a pocket dimension for storing items. And besides that, you can open a portal anytime, effortlessly."
Aron didn't even wait for the Ancient One to finish the sentence.
He grabbed the belt and fastened it.
"Protection of reality is my responsibility!"
"Give me the New York Sanctuary and you won't regret it!"
He slapped his chest with his fist, confidence radiating from his eyes.
For Aron's persuasion, the Ancient One didn't say much.
After handing him the key to the New York Sanctuary, she turned and left.
"Step out and go through the door."
"In the blink of an eye, I became the guardian of the sanctuary."
Looking at the strange key in his hand, Aron had a feeling of déjà vu, everything happened too fast.
He didn't have much to say about his appointment.
On one hand, the Ancient One had given him too much. On the other hand... the dimensional barrier issue troubled him.
The system wasn't a magic wand.
It was a system with rules. No matter how powerful, if you're labeled as a demon, you get expelled.
But whether it was Belath's statement or the Ancient One's warning, one thing became clear: the system wouldn't solve everything for him.
Power must come from within.
Ultimately, the system can exile someone, but the problem remains. There's no permanent solution.
In the end, it all comes down to power.
Before beings called "Celestial Fathers," "Lords of Dimensions," and the like, without power, you don't even have a voice.
Aron remembered Belath's words: "I will kill you. And your soul is mine."
That was the price of weakness.
No one will ask for your opinion.
You want to negotiate? You need strength just to be at the table.
At the very least, so you're not just another ant to be crushed.
"Otherwise I'll end up like Strange, negotiating through death."
He thought of Strange's desperate deal with Dormammu.
That wasn't a real negotiation.
Dormammu simply lost patience.
If not, Strange would still be dying.
"But I'm not Strange."
"At least Dormammu can't kill me."
Aron touched his pocket.
Since the last time he nearly summoned Quags, he had prepared an entire set of cards. Each with an exorcism ritual.
From Lords of Hell to Dimensional Demon Gods, he had it covered.
"I just need to keep progressing step by step."
"Don't die. Don't provoke the big players. Everything will be fine."
And now something dawned on him.
That story about the dimensional barrier, about two merged worlds that the Ancient One mentioned?
Nine times out of ten, it was a setup.
If the situation were truly that serious, the Ancient One, that bald old woman, surely wouldn't have just walked away.
"She tricked me into becoming the guardian of the Sanctuary."
He touched his chin, thinking.
If memory served, the first place Kaecilius attacked in the movie was the New York Sanctuary!
And…
He looked down the stairs.
It seemed the previous guardian, Master Daniel, had gotten a one-way ticket.
"Wonderful."
He turned toward the hall full of magical artifacts.
If the Ancient One had given him the title of guardian...
Then all this... is mine, right?
Aron's eyes lit up.
The first thing that caught his attention were three random doors, just like in the movie.
Open them and you can go anywhere on the planet.
Teleportation magic can do the same, but these doors had style. The visual effect was better. You could see the destination before opening them.
"I'll take one, set it up at home."
"And I can jump between points whenever I want."
He took the door, lifted it, and wiped his hand on the belt.
A flash of light.
The door vanished, absorbed into Simontos' space belt.
Perfection.
The magical storage did its job.
...
Meanwhile...
While Aron cleaned the Sanctuary, in SHIELD's special operations unit, Agent Grant Ward quietly left the group.
At a secret location, he made a phone call.
"I have something to report."
"This might affect the success of our main project!"