Ding!
[You have successfully killed Agatha Harkness!]
[Reward: Phoenix Force Fragment (Will-less)!]
Cassius never expected to get a Phoenix Force Fragment from this. With this fragment, his power was bound to grow even further. He knew that his current power was already incredibly terrifying. With a third Phoenix Force Fragment, his power would undergo a qualitative change. In fact, he now felt as if he could take on a Skyfather like Odin and it would be like fighting a child.
"It seems that old witch didn't die for nothing. At least she left me something useful," Cassius muttered to himself. Although he had gained immense power, he had no intention of conquering the Earth or becoming a vigilante like Homelander. This power, at the very least, could protect him and everyone around him.
"Fuse!" With a single thought, the third Phoenix Force Fragment was given to him by the system and merged into his body.
The next moment, he felt a scorching power surging through him, coursing all over his body. This energy, with a terrifying force, washed over his entire being, constantly cleansing his flesh. Every time this energy passed through a different part of his body, he could feel his body subtly growing stronger.
A fiery red phoenix also appeared in his mind. But unlike the last time he saw it, the Phoenix simply glanced at him before disappearing.
"The Phoenix?" Cassius could clearly feel that as he merged with more of the Phoenix Force, the immense pressure it had brought before was gone. Instead, it was treating him as an equal.
The reason for this feeling was that although the Phoenix Force Fragments were "will-less," it didn't mean the Phoenix Force was easy to control. The more of the Phoenix Force you had, the easier it was to control.
As the Phoenix Force Fragment merged into his body, he couldn't help but close his eyes. Although he wasn't looking at his surroundings, he could feel the fluctuations of all living things in a 360-degree, dead-angle-free radius. He could even vaguely create a three-dimensional map in his mind made up of all living things. He could clearly sense everything, from small blades of grass to trees and ants.
In other words, if he wanted to, he could easily control the life and death of anyone within this range!
This power was beyond Cassius's imagination. He was sure that even if Odin were to fight him, he would not be his match.
The Phoenix Force had undergone a massive change. Although he had not yet broken through to a Universal level, it was more than enough to deal with Odin. It could even be said that although he was now at a Skyfather level, his power was beyond comparison.
This terrifying power made Cassius sigh. This was the power he had always wanted. The feeling of being able to control the life and death of all living things made him feel a little excited.
At the same time, below Cassius.
"This mysterious person's power is too terrifying!" Tony's adam's apple bobbed up and down. He couldn't have imagined that such a power existed in this world. And this person seemed to have some kind of connection with Wanda.
"I don't even know if this person is a friend or a foe!" Steve stood by the side, speaking with a solemn tone. He had also noticed that Cassius's single finger contained a terrifying power. This terrifying power was far greater than his own. If he had been the one hit by that finger, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
"The Phoenix is gone now. I can feel that we can fly up again!" It was at that moment that Falcon Sam felt that the power that had been suppressing them had disappeared.
"I'm going up to see who this person is!" Tony gritted his teeth, a hint of determination in his eyes. He didn't know if this action would anger the mysterious person. But after witnessing the mysterious person's power, this sense of fear only grew stronger. He was now eager to find out who this person was. And now was the perfect time!
But at that moment, space began to fluctuate.
Buzz!
With a crisp sound, a ring of light instantly appeared directly below Cassius. The golden ring of light swallowed Cassius's body. The next second, Cassius completely disappeared from where he was.
"Cassius?" Wanda, who was floating nearby, was stunned when she saw this. In the blink of an eye, Cassius had disappeared from in front of her. She didn't even have time to react to what had happened.
What was even stranger was that although this golden ring of light showed fluctuations of magic, the energy dissipated very quickly. She couldn't even track Cassius's whereabouts with the remaining aura.
"Friday, what just happened?!" Tony, noticing the expression on Wanda's face, quickly asked.
[Boss, I've detected a spatial distortion. Someone just created a spatial teleportation portal.] Friday's voice sounded.
"Created a spatial teleportation portal?" Tony was a little surprised. "With bare hands?"
When Loki invaded Earth before, he had also created a wormhole. But Loki couldn't travel through the wormhole like Cassius had just done.
However, at that moment, in an ancient and beautiful dojo.
Cassius was also a little surprised. He stood in the center of the dojo, calmly observing his surroundings. "This place looks a little familiar?"
Although he knew a lot of places in Marvel, it didn't mean he could remember every single one. The reason he had allowed this power to take him was because he could feel that this power had no ill intentions. Otherwise, that Inter-Dimensional Portal wouldn't have even opened.
"But this place looks pretty good!" Cassius sniffed the sandalwood scent that wafted through the air, and his mood felt a lot better.
At that moment, in a courtyard not far away, a one-handed monk was drawing water with his remaining hand. It was as if he wasn't curious about Cassius's arrival at all and was just minding his own business.
"Cassius, come and have a cup of tea with me!" At that moment, a distant and calm voice sounded from behind Cassius.
"So it's the Sorcerer Supreme." The moment he turned around, Cassius had already called out the Ancient One's title.
The Ancient One was sitting cross-legged in front of a tea table that looked quite old. The kettle next to her was slowly spewing steam.
The moment he arrived here, he had already sensed the presence of all living things around him. Although the Sorcerer Supreme had hidden herself very well, he was still able to catch her presence. The only reason he hadn't known her identity for sure was because he hadn't turned around to see her with his own eyes.
"It seems you are indeed special. At least, you're more special than I thought you'd be." The Ancient One was stunned for a moment before she gave a bitter smile and shook her head. The Phoenix Force within Cassius was far more powerful than she had imagined.
"Come and try my tea. Although it's not the best, you can't get it anywhere else." The Ancient One raised her right hand and gestured for him to sit. The moment Cassius defeated Agatha, he had proven that he had the power to be treated as an equal.
"Hmm, I've never tried this kind of tea before. It has a bit of an herbal scent to it." Cassius didn't refuse and took a sip of the tea. After he swallowed it, the aftertaste lingered, and a warmth welled up inside his body. From this, you could tell that the Ancient One really had a lot of good stuff here.
"This tea is very rare. Even I don't drink it often, Mr. Cassius. You're very lucky." The Ancient One picked up the teapot in front of her and poured the tea into Cassius's cup until it was half full.
"The Sorcerer Supreme invited me here specifically, not just to taste this tea, right?" Cassius looked at the Ancient One in front of him and said with a half-smile. He wasn't surprised that the Ancient One had invited him here.
After all, the commotion he had caused earlier was quite big. Even Tony and the others had rushed over. There was no way the Ancient One wouldn't know. He was just curious about the reason she had summoned him.
"The power flowing in your body is the Phoenix Force." The Ancient One took back her hand, and the smile in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.
The Phoenix Force was a terrifying existence. Although it had immense power, the possibility of it losing control was also very high. It could even be said that once it lost emotional control, it could directly destroy the entire universe.
This was not a joke.
The Phoenix Force was fully capable of doing that.
Even she herself didn't have the absolute confidence to win against the Phoenix Force. And she had also felt how powerful the Phoenix Force Cassius had released earlier was.
According to her knowledge, it was already close to the verge of losing control. That was why she had specifically invited Cassius here. The purpose was to make Cassius understand the Phoenix Force within him.
"I know it's the Phoenix Force." Cassius nodded calmly, not caring about the surprised look on the one-handed monk's face not far away. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his inner pocket. "Sorcerer Supreme, I just finished a fight. A cigarette isn't too much to ask for, is it?"
"Go ahead." The Ancient One simply nodded and agreed to Cassius's request.
Although Cassius had asked for permission, he had already pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth before she even answered. With a spark of flame from his index finger, he took a deep drag of the cigarette, which had a rich aroma.
"Cassius, you still don't understand how terrifying this power is." The Ancient One was as calm as still water. She didn't stop him and continued to speak. "The Phoenix Force is destructive. It can annihilate all things!"
She hoped that Cassius would take this matter seriously because it concerned the safety of the entire universe. Once it lost control, no one would be able to stop this terrifying power.
"I'm very clear about that. The Phoenix Force can not only annihilate all things, but it can also create all things." Cassius let out a long puff of smoke, his left hand on the ground, and answered with his legs relaxed. He had already vaguely guessed the Ancient One's purpose for inviting him here.
"It seems you already have a certain understanding of the Phoenix Force, but there's one thing you might not know..." At this point, the Ancient One paused, observing the expression on Cassius's face. She then shook her head helplessly and said, "This is a form of dark magic. If you don't practice controlling it, you will lose control."
The reason she was paying attention to Cassius's expression was because she wanted to see some other emotion on his face. But to her disappointment, Cassius was calm and composed the entire time. Even after she told him that the Phoenix Force was a form of dark magic, she still couldn't see any sign of fear or contemplation on his face. This calmness alone already surpassed a lot of people.
"Actually, you've said so much, but all you want is for me to join Kamar-Taj, right?" Cassius put out the cigarette in his hand, casually opened an Inter-Dimensional Portal to a trash can and threw the cigarette butt in, and then continued, "If that's the case, I refuse."
He had no interest in this cold and snowy place. After all, living here was not "enjoying life." This was a place you came to when you were living too comfortably and wanted to find some misery. Besides, he didn't want to be a hero who saved the world. He would rather do something fun with Wanda.
"..." The Ancient One was stunned for a moment before she gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "I know what you're thinking. Whether you join or not is up to you. I won't force you."
She did want Cassius to join Kamar-Taj, because if this power could be controlled under her guidance, the risk of it losing control would be greatly reduced, which would better protect the safety of this universe.
However... from the looks of it now, she clearly couldn't force Cassius to do something he didn't want to do.
"Master Ancient One, if dark magic is so terrifying..." Cassius said with a half-smile. "Why do you also practice it?"
With that, he waved his right hand violently, and with a quick sweep of the Phoenix Force, a mark appeared on the Ancient One's forehead. This was clearly a mark that symbolized the power of dark magic!
"How did you know!" The Ancient One's calm face finally showed a hint of change.
"I know that you've been looking for a successor so that you can fake your death and get rid of the trouble of dark magic." Cassius said. "But that person isn't me, it's Stephen."
The Ancient One had borrowed Dormammu's power. And since Dormammu was the Lord of the Dark Dimension, the price for borrowing his power was one's soul.
How could the great Sorcerer Supreme pay with her soul? The mark on the Ancient One's forehead was the payment. If she were to erase the mark, she would have to pay a heavy price. Therefore, the Ancient One was in desperate need of a successor so that she could retire.
"How did you know all this?" The Ancient One's face was solemn, suppressing the shock in her heart. If it weren't for the Eye of Agamotto being in her hands, she would have suspected that Cassius could see the past and the future.
This was indeed her plan all along, but Cassius's appearance had made her change her mind.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with practicing dark magic. As long as you don't do evil, you're still the Sorcerer Supreme." Although the Ancient One's expression was now very strange, Cassius didn't show any signs of being on guard. He knew very well that this was the Ancient One's biggest secret. If such a thing were to be exposed, anyone else would have been furious and killed him to silence him, but the Ancient One would never do that. She had always had her own principles and beliefs, so he wasn't worried that the Ancient One would suddenly make a move.
"You really are special." The Ancient One took a sip of her now-cold tea. "I wanted to find you so that you could protect Stephen in the future!"
Although she could only stick to her original plan, she still hoped that the growing Stephen could be protected. And Cassius was the best candidate!
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be a babysitter for a know-it-all." Cassius refused without a second thought. Just thinking about Stephen's smug face made him shake his head.
The Ancient One let out a long sigh and then continued after a moment. "Then, if one day Earth is in danger, will you lend a hand?"
Cassius picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. He drank it and then nodded.
"You can rest assured about that. After all, I'm used to living here."
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