"ROAR!!"
Rory's movement was lightning-fast, within the blink of an eye, he was already in front of the Ancient One.
She spun her hands into a glowing circle, conjuring a runic shield.
Crack!
The instant Rory's fist collided with the shield, it shattered like glass. Shock flickered in the Ancient One's eyes, she had already foreseen the terrifying strength of Rory's future self, but hadn't expected the present version to already be this formidable.
Rory's fingers, still mid-strike, opened and clawed straight for the Eye of Agamotto on her chest.
The Ancient One reacted swiftly. A glowing orange rune whip materialized in her right hand, lashing toward Rory with a sharp snap!
The blow staggered him. But he quickly regained footing and charged again.
But the Ancient One could fly.
She retreated midair, soaring toward the rooftop of a nearby building, between them lay a yawning, bottomless gorge.
Gritting his teeth, Rory sprinted with explosive momentum and launched himself across like a human missile.
Just before he reached her, the Ancient One spun open a portal and disappeared into it.
BOOM!
Rory's impact obliterated the rooftop she'd just left. Without hesitation, he dove into the portal just before it sealed shut.
"Don't run!!!"
The Ancient One could easily be considered a Skyfather-tier entity, empowered by the Dark Dimension itself.
But Rory wasn't weak either. With the genetic might of Thanos coursing through him, he might not be fully immune to magic, but he certainly wasn't getting subdued by low-tier spells.
In truth, neither of them had gone all-out yet.
The Ancient One had access to stronger spells, but her goal wasn't to kill Rory. She only wanted to send him away without damaging this timeline.
Rory, on the other hand, was holding back on purpose. He wanted them to underestimate him, especially with Strange soon to arrive.
CRASH!
Rory smashed through another building. Floating debris hovered in midair. He kicked off a chunk of wall, hurling himself toward the Ancient One again.
SLASH! She split the flying wall in half with a precise gesture.
"Rory," she said calmly, "accept it. This is fate."
"Screw your fate! I don't buy it!"
As the fight dragged on, Rory grew more and more comfortable with his enhanced physique. His movements flowed with brutal elegance.
But he wasn't fighting just to win, he had a bigger plan. He couldn't break free from the Mirror Dimension by brute force alone. He needed something more strategic.
And so, a new plan began to crystallize in his mind.
He shattered another runic shield. Just as his fist was about to land on the Ancient One's face,
Snap! A rune whip wrapped around his wrist.
But it wasn't the Ancient One.
Rory turned to see Doctor Strange, his Cloak of Levitation billowing behind him.
Somehow, a purple dimensional rift had opened in the sky, Strange had likely arrived through it.
Two Sorcerer Supremes now stood before Rory. His chances of winning dropped to nearly zero.
"You'll regret this, Ancient One!" Rory growled, staring her down even as he remained bound.
She said nothing. Strange stepped forward. "Rory, you don't belong here. I've come to take you back."
Rory's eyes gleamed, not with fear, but with a flicker of excitement.
This wasn't his original timeline anymore. He'd been cast into a branched reality, one disconnected from the sacred thread of destiny.
But he wanted to go back, to the original Sacred Timeline.
Because knowing the future was Rory's greatest cheat code.
His original plan had been to wipe out S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America, retrieve Pym Particles from Hank Pym, and use a time-travel wristband to return to 2023, to confront that Steve Rogers and settle the score.
Back then, he lacked the strength to fight the Avengers. But now, with his third genetic enhancement complete, Rory was at the peak of his power.
Without vengeance, what was the point of all this power?
If Doctor Strange wanted to send him back, even better.
Still, a Sorcerer Supreme wasn't easily fooled. Rory knew he had to sell it.
"Heh. You Supremes… acting like cosmic remote controls. You love poking your fingers into everyone's fate, arrogant and hypocritical. You've built your high horse on a crooked foundation. It's gonna collapse one day."
Strange tightened the whip's grip. "You can stop talking. Nothing you say will change how we see you."
He nodded at the Ancient One, then started dragging Rory toward the glowing dimensional rift.
Rory turned his head. "Ancient One! Give me back my lab rat!"
The Ancient One paused for two seconds. Then, with a flick of her hand, she opened a small portal.
Through it, a white mouse was happily nibbling on a biscuit.
"Chirp?" the mouse squeaked, poking its nose through the opening. When it spotted Rory, tied up like a roast, it squealed, darted forward, and scampered onto his shoulder.
Strange glanced at the mouse, sighed, and dragged Rory into the purple rift.
Moments later…
They emerged into a dimly lit sub-basement of the New York Sanctum, in the year 2023.
Whoosh. The portal snapped shut. Strange led Rory up into the main hall.
"Thank God," said Steve Rogers, standing up from a chair. "Doctor Strange, you did it!"
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Rory. "Well, well. Never thought we'd meet again."
"Oh, I definitely planned on it," Rory replied with a crooked grin. "In fact, I brought a gift for you."
"Let's skip the banter and decide what to do with him," said Sam Wilson, aka Falcon.
The Sanctum's main chamber was filled with familiar faces: Doctor Strange, Captain America, Falcon, Bucky Barnes, and War Machine.
Strange spoke firmly. "To prevent him from destroying this timeline, I'll imprison him permanently in the Sanctum's holding cells. He'll live out the rest of his life here."
"No better option?" Bucky asked, sliding a thumb across his throat. "Like… something final?"
"No. He's dangerous, yes. But until he commits a crime, we can't justify executing him."
Sanctimonious hypocrites.
They debated Rory's fate like he wasn't even there.
"Heh… heh heh heh… HAHAHAHA!!"
Suddenly, Rory burst into laughter.
"What's he laughing about?"
"How should I know?"
"Maybe he's lost it."
The laughter stopped cold. Rory turned to Strange, voice quiet but sharp:
"Too bad you lost the Time Stone. Without it, you're just a magician doing party tricks."
Strange's brow twitched.
Rory added, "Did you really think a little binding spell could hold me?"
"…What do you mean?"
"I mean," Rory said, smiling wider, "I couldn't take down the Ancient One while she had the Time Stone. Fighting two Sorcerers Supremes at once was a bit much. So…"
Strange's face paled. "No, stop him!"
Too late.
Freed from the Time Stone's influence, Rory unleashed his full power.
He tore through the runes like paper.
WHAM! He punched Bucky straight through the Sanctum doors. The Winter Soldier flew into the street outside, crashing into traffic. Screams erupted.
Yes, this had been Rory's real plan ever since the Ancient One pulled him into the Mirror Dimension.
After the Avengers' final war against Thanos, they had disbanded or scattered.
Now, with the Sacred Timeline restored, Rory was back on home turf.
And Strange, without the Time Stone, was no longer untouchable.
Whoosh.
Strange conjured another rune whip.
Snap.
Rory caught it barehanded.
"Come here."
He yanked hard, pulling Strange into range, and smashed him with a fist to the chest.
BOOM!
Strange crashed into a wall and vanished behind the debris.
Steve and Sam charged in.
But with no shield and only a pistol between them, they were completely outmatched.
Smack! Rory caught Sam by the throat with one hand, while blocking Steve's punch with the other.
A quick knee to Steve's ribs sent him flying out of the Sanctum.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
For Advance Chapters, please visit and consider joining me on P(a)treon!
p(a)treon.com/Lnee
1-2+ Chapters daily on P(a)treon, will go up depends on the powerstone extra chapters.
You can also access my other translated fics on P(a)treon!