"I told you she's still a little imperfect." Luke continued with a look of regret on his face, "She still needs one last ingredient to become the perfect life in my opinion."
"What material?" Agatha's heart was involuntarily shrouded in a shadow. She vaguely sensed something bad and malicious in Luke's tone.
"A soul! A mysterious soul that is powerful enough, has extensive magical knowledge, and has extraordinary skills! Preferably a creature from the Nine Realms, as their soul characteristics are particularly prominent. Although there is no limit to gender, I still prefer a witch. After all, in my understanding, she should be a woman. Of course, it is best if it is voluntary." Luke blurted out without concealment, and while speaking, his eyes were fixed on Agatha.
"You want my soul?" Agatha's face changed drastically. Even ordinary people knew the importance of the soul, and for someone like her who dabbled in witchcraft and magic, it was even more important. No wizard would give up their soul so easily.
Even Agatha thought about the crazy emotions she had been experiencing recently, and a terrifying idea came to her mind.
"Did you deliberately reveal your identity and lure me here?" Agatha blurted out, the magic power in her body vibrating, and dangerous black magic condensed in her hands.
"Don't be like that, everything is negotiable." Luke wasn't impressed by Agatha's magic, as the violent fluctuations died down before it could even begin to take shape. With Held nearby, he didn't even need to use his magic-suppressing techniques.
"Besides, even if you kill me here with magic, so what? I'm just a pitiful clone! What's the point of killing me once, ten times, hundreds or thousands of times?
Pointless!
As for those dark magics like blood curses and soul bonds, I still have at least 25% of Mephisto's genes in my body. I have natural resistance to souls and curses. Although Dormammu's contribution is not much, the dark magic you wield will definitely not harm me.
"This deity created me with the idea of emphasizing endurance. My combat prowess may be lacking, but my energy resistance and vitality are incredibly strong. Perhaps he thought this would help me live longer?" Capital Luke scratched his chin.
"How did you control my mind?" Agatha realized the surrounding space was completely sealed off. All her escape methods were blocked in this space. Especially with Held, whose magical power was unfathomable, nearby, she felt a moment of despair. She now felt that her madness in coming here was entirely orchestrated by Luke.
"I didn't control your mind. My morals have always been flexible, but I haven't done anything like controlling the souls of the beings in Midgard or the Nine Realms. I don't need to do that.
I need them to maintain their diversity. As for the future direction? I can guide, but I won't control. After all, if I did, I'd have to deal with the Avengers and other resistance groups first." Luke shook his head, denying Agatha's accusation.
"Then what about my previous state?" Agatha still didn't believe it. "I came here with all my might, like a possessed person..."
"That's normal." Luke interrupted the excited Agatha, "As a witch, you should understand one thing more deeply than anyone else: all power comes with risks! The more powerful the power, the greater the risk of using it.
You stole my energy before, but you don't have the will and means to control all kinds of energy like the Ancient One. What's worse is that you didn't even read my energy manual!
Even authorized Kamar-Taj mages must strictly follow the manual to use my energy, and they must also test and filter it regularly. What makes you think you can use it so recklessly?
Your confidence and experience?
Everyone, including the current Supreme Sorcerer, knows that one cannot be lax about spiritual energies, otherwise they will silently erode one's spirit, infect one's soul, and affect one unconsciously.
When self-confidence turns into arrogance and love turns into greed, you have become its slave.
Obviously you don't know this, or you don't care about it. You only pursue powerful strength, so you are stealing this energy all the time, more and more, more and more frequently, and more and more eagerly.
It becomes an obsession. You become intoxicated by the beautiful vision of your rapidly growing strength, and as the accumulation of wealth grows, you easily develop an undue greed.
You want to find its source and completely control it. You may have extracted some information from others and thought that I, an ordinary person, would be easier to manipulate. You are greedy and arrogant.
Your inner emotions are constantly being magnified, and it's clear that all of this is your own fault. You've fallen into this situation, and you can only say that it's your own fault."
"Those mages of Kamar-Taj..."
"They all use relatively safe energy after being filtered. If you want to touch the source of the energy, you don't have the permission of the Supreme Sorcerer." Luke spread his hands.
In fact, there is more than one method. As long as you wear equipment with properties such as the Stone of Tranquility, you can still maintain your sanity and calmness, although this method still has hidden dangers.
Including the king, everyone used the Stone of Tranquility as a support and bridge, slowly and step by step becoming familiar with the root energy and trying to gradually master it. Agatha's unrestrained use of it, with ideas in mind, would naturally be amplified and influenced.
"You know everything?" Agatha felt a chill all over her body as she listened to Luke talking about her actions.
"The Atrium and the Nine Realms are where the Data Dimension has its deepest roots, and the Data Dimension's nature is to analyze, monitor, and record everything. You didn't think your theft would go unnoticed, did you?
To be honest, your stealing method is too crude."
"I won't give up my soul," Agatha said stubbornly. She didn't drag Wanda into the situation, or perhaps she thought Wanda wouldn't side with her. After all, she had once wanted to seize the power within Wanda, and had even done something to infuriate her.
"I'm afraid that's not up to you. Being forced is also voluntary." Luke shook his head. When the other party was about to fight to the death, he suddenly said, "But this method may make Held incomplete. After all, she is currently unique. So I am willing to give you a chance. A chance to soar to the sky and catch up with Master Ancient One.
All I, Luke, desire is a near-perfect creation. If you voluntarily merge your soul with Held's, and your soul and consciousness are able to conquer her and occupy the body I created for her, then everything she possesses will become your nourishment.
The same is true for you.
This is a gamble, do you want to come?"
Wanda also looked at her former teacher with a complicated look. She was not a person without courage, or rather, she was a person who truly pursued power.
She would do anything for power.
If Luke makes a request now, the other party will agree to it without hesitation.
The fact was just as Wanda expected. Agatha said without hesitation, "I can accept this bet, but how can you guarantee its fairness?"
"Are you saying I would do something behind the scenes? I don't deny that demons from other dimensions would do that, but it's unnecessary for me.
All I want is a perfect work!
Whether you live or die is not important to me." Luke gave a slightly sarcastic smile.
Agatha fell silent. Her mind was rapidly determining whether Luke's words were true. When she glanced at Held beside her, she suddenly understood.
Regardless of whether what Luke said was true or not, there was only one way left for her.
Cooperate.
Whether she cooperated actively or passively, she had already reached the end after arriving here and meeting Luke. She still had a chance to survive if she actively cooperated. Even if Luke had not deceived her, once she could obtain Held's body and knowledge, her power would indeed usher in a significant increase.
If you are passive, there is no hope at all.
"Of course, the battle of souls is a long one, and any external factors could lead to the defeat of one of you. It's normal for you to feel apprehensive. How about this?
I will send you to another universe, one that I cannot reach yet. This way, the influence you fear from me will be greatly reduced to a minimum."
Seeing Agatha's hesitant look, Luke smiled and added another condition that made Agatha's heart move.
"Other universes?" Agatha looked at Luke, her sharp eyes trying to observe any possible abnormality from his face, but the other party's tone and expression were so sincere that it made her feel a little unreal.
"A very special universe, worthy of my possession. I sent an apostle there, but something unexpected may have happened. He disappeared, and no information was ever sent back.
What's worse is that my connection with that universe is becoming increasingly vague, and I have to send people over again to strengthen this connection before it continues to exist.
How about a universe I can't reach for the time being, where you can unleash all your abilities without worrying about my influence. If you are the winner, you only need to bring that universe to me. Held knows the method." Luke said sincerely.
"Can I still refuse?" Agatha took a deep breath and asked with a wry smile.
"Then the bet is established." Luke pulled out a contract that held an ominous aura. "Take a look at it. If you think it's okay, sign it. Compared to the others, a contract is more trustworthy and binding, isn't it?"
Agatha looked with fear at the filthy energy lingering on the contract that made her feel terrified and uneasy. She had never imagined that there was such a dark energy in the world that could pollute her entire soul with just a slight sense of it.
But she also felt somewhat relieved. A contract governed by this level of energy was extremely binding on both parties. At least, she believed she couldn't resist or violate it. This only added a certain degree of credibility to Luke's words.
"The terms above are fine." As a witch second only to the Ancient One, Wanda, and others in power, Agatha's profound magical knowledge placed her at the top of the pack of witches and wizards. She was particularly adept at the dark arts, possessing unique skills of her own. Deceiving her in a magical contract would be an extremely difficult feat. Even Mephisto would struggle to pull it off.
Luke's failure to tamper with the contract further increased Agatha's trust. She didn't realize that, influenced by various factors, her thoughts and tendencies had unconsciously followed Luke's expectations and plans.
"Happy cooperation, I wish you victory."
Luke watched Agatha sign the contract with her magic, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Let Held take you to the teleportation point. The journey might be a little awkward, and I can't predict what will happen there. Please protect yourself. Of course, if you have any unresolved matters that need to be sorted out, I can give you some time." Luke watched the contract swirl in the air, then burn in a black flame and disappear. He looked at Agatha and spoke.
"I have nothing else to arrange." Agatha shook her head. As soon as the contract was signed, she could already feel the weight of the restraints that weighed her down and oppressed her. It was as if a vast abyss lay behind her, ready to devour her completely and crush her to pieces.
"Please." Luke opened a portal in front of Agatha and the others.
Following Held, Agatha walked in without looking back, and in the end she didn't even glance at Wanda, as if she had forgotten Wanda's existence.
Watching the portal disappear, Wanda looked at Luke with mixed feelings: "Is everything you said true?"
"What's really going on?" Luke asked back, feeling a little puzzled by Wanda's inexplicable words.
"I just don't care whether she survives or not." Wanda frowned and said hesitantly.
"What do you think?" Luke asked curiously.
"It should be true, right? After all, you put so much effort into it," Wanda speculated. If it weren't true, why would Luke waste so much time and effort on making so many promises?
"Fake!" However, Luke gave a casual answer that surprised Wanda.
"Fake?" Wanda's expression was a little unbearable.
"Capital's words are deceiving! Why does she dare to trust me so much? Because I guided her emotions? Oh, I'm sorry, I am a person with a flexible moral bottom line, but I don't have it!" Capital Luke said proudly.
For a moment, Wanda didn't know what expression or words to use to deal with the complacent Luke.
"Don't look at me like that. Do you understand the pressure of KPI? There's no way I'm going to do any business that's going to lose money! Even Luke can't ask that of me! He can kill me, he can destroy me, but he can't hold me down and make me lose money!
Everything I said was true, I simply concealed her pitiful chances of success and all the poor information. I need a powerful, knowledgeable, willing witch to give her soul and everything she has without reservation, but I don't need her to resurrect in a body. She's just the final expendable material."
Luke's words were filled with cold, ruthless cruelty.