"What!?"
"Strange went after Kaecilius!!?"
Aron had brought the Squirrel Girl back to the sanctum in New York.
By chance, he ran into Wong, who had also come to the New York sanctum to find the Ancient One and to deliver a report on his work.
From Wong's mouth, Aron learned that Strange had not returned for two days.
He was wandering like a mad dog, chasing and trying to kill the traitor of Kamar-Taj – Kaecilius.
"Why didn't you say something so important earlier?"
When Aron heard the news, his expression immediately changed.
The Ancient One saw it and guessed something.
"Didn't you, boy, say it was fine to use that mud truck?"
"..."
"Ancient One, the plan has changed a little, that's normal."
Wong listened to the conversation between Aron and the Ancient One, but he was completely confused.
Why did he not understand what the two of them were talking about?
Weren't they talking about Strange?
How did a mud truck suddenly get mentioned?
What confused Wong the most was…
Wasn't Strange just chasing a traitor? Considering all the commotion, it could have seemed like a simple pursuit.
And now Dormammu had fled…
Kaecilius no longer had the blessing of the Dark Dimension, yet he was pushing through magic and fighting against Strange.
Wasn't there too much concern for Strange's safety?
"You don't understand."
Aron didn't waste time explaining.
He once again summoned the spell of search, and when he found Strange's location, he teleported directly using the power of the Space Stone.
Leaving Squirrel Girl alone with the Ancient One and Wong.
"Well… hello."
Squirrel Girl awkwardly greeted them.
The atmosphere immediately became even more uncomfortable.
...
Coastal cliff.
Strange had finally caught up with Kaecilius and forced him to the very edge.
"Who are you?!" Kaecilius shouted.
Strange answered him word by word:
"Didn't you tell me to remember your name? I remembered it!"
"..."
Kaecilius was stunned for a moment.
"When did I ever tell you to remember my name? I've never even seen you!"
His voice still echoed, but the anger in Strange's heart was already boiling like fire.
"Oh, you forgot! You forgot so quickly!"
"To you ordinary people… are not even worth remembering!!"
Strange looked at his hands, still trembling from damaged nerves.
The anger burned even stronger.
"Stop your lies, Kaecilius!"
His gaze became cold and sharp.
The Shield of the Seraphim shone in his left hand, while in his right appeared the Sword of Vishanti.
Months of sleepless nights and exhausting training had finally brought him to this moment, the moment he would test everything he had learned.
"It's time for you to die! Revenge for my hands!"
"I would rather serve Satan himself than spare you!"
As those words echoed, Strange raised his sword and charged at Kaecilius.
"Wait, wait!"
"What disability?"
Kaecilius only wanted to shout: Your damaged hands have nothing to do with me!
But he didn't have the chance.
Suddenly!
The sky lit up with a terrifying light of the sword, unlike anything ever seen before!
From out of nowhere, a flash cut through the horizon!
For a moment, everyone on the northern hemisphere, wherever they were, could lift their heads and see that light.
It wasn't ordinary light.
It was black as ink, and carried only one message, death sentence.
Kaecilius's last thought before darkness enveloped him was…
What exactly did I do?
Do you really want to kill me with this attack?
Boom——!
The light of the sword fell.
The earth resounded as if shaken by an earthquake of ten degrees!
The seaside cliffs vanished in an instant.
Where the light of the sword passed, the sea was split in two!
Seen from space, it looked as though a massive scar had appeared on Earth's surface.
The Ancient One spoke in shock:
"Are you insane?"
Tiamut stirred uneasily:
"What's happening up there, what's with all the noise?"
Even that gigantic bald figure on the Moon turned his head and looked toward Earth.
"Interesting… this young man…"
The Watcher only glanced at the scene briefly, then retreated once more into silence.
Because Aron had sensed his presence.
The All-Black the Necrosword pierced through the space between Earth and the Moon, its tip menacingly aimed at the Watcher.
"Turn away."
"There are things better left unsaid, understand?"
...
Strange stared at the divided sea and couldn't believe it.
"This… Satan… No, Aron, why are you here?" he asked, stunned.
Kaecilius, stripped of his dark power, was already at his limit. Strange could have finished the job himself.
He hadn't expected that it was precisely this battle that disturbed Aron.
"Khm…"
"Whatever smells of evil, I'm there! Especially filth like this, who side with demons from other dimensions! I can't wait to destroy them to the last bone!"
His words were filled with frustration, but behind them lay clear determination.
Aron had already made contact with Hela.
He arranged for her to guard the hellish dimensions and, when Kaecilius's soul arrived there, to erase it completely from existence.
"Aron, no matter what… I want to thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I'd probably be lying in some hospital right now, barely alive…"
Strange hadn't managed to kill the one who destroyed his life, but his gratitude toward Aron couldn't be hidden.
The death of Kaecilius extinguished his obsession.
Revenge had finally been carried out.
"Strange," Aron said calmly, "remember, the most important thing is to have an open heart. Don't carry that hatred inside you all the time. If you look at everything from a broader perspective, life becomes easier. Look at me, I never take revenge…"
Strange was speechless, stunned by his words.
"You're right," he nodded. "It's all over now. And… if it weren't for my crippled hands, I'd probably still just be a surgeon, scalpel in hand. I would never have taken the path of magic."
He laughed self-mockingly.
"Sometimes I think maybe that's fate."
"..."
Aron controlled his expression not to show doubt.
"Return now to Kamar-Taj. My sword cut deeper than I thought… it seems there might be trouble."
He paused and looked toward the turbulent sea in the distance.
On the surface appeared a small black dot.
Aron sensed something was wrong.
"Do you want to help?" Strange asked him. "My strength could be of use."
But Aron immediately opened a portal and, without much discussion, pushed Strange inside.
He remained alone, staring at the stormy sea.
The slash of his sword had split the ocean in two.
At the bottom, a massive fissure had opened, like a new Mariana Trench.
The water was quickly returning to its place, creating a gigantic super-tsunami.
"Good thing I restrained this. Otherwise… it wouldn't have been as simple as ordinary destruction."
He was aware that only power of this level carried catastrophe.
Now he understood why the Ancient One and Odin didn't lightly interfere in human affairs.
The rumbling echoed as Aron sighed.
And then, from the raging sea, a figure suddenly emerged.
In his hand he held a trident.
It was Namor, the ruler of Atlantis.
In Marvel movies his name had only just begun to resonate, but in the comics he had long been present.
The first Marvel superhero. A veteran.
For Marvel what Superman was for DC.
–––
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