Hey, are you the legendary Li Kang? You're younger than I imagined. Don't worry, our master said not to kill you, so you can relax." The twin sisters said with bright smiles.
"You sound very confident. Many people have tried to kill me, but none have succeeded. Do you two have what it takes?" If the situation hadn't been so bizarre, Li Kang would have burst out laughing. These apprentice-level sorcerers, who usually perform well in apprentice spell duels, think they are top-tier sorcerers in the world. In reality, they are still far from truly powerful sorcerers.
As a sorcerer, caution is paramount. Like that black man just now, and these twin sisters in front of me, they rush to the front without waiting for their companions, eager to claim credit. Such reckless apprentice-level sorcerers usually don't live long.
"Although we won't kill you, we will cut off your limbs and cut out your glib tongue. Let me introduce myself, I'm Sasha, and this is my sister, Jill." A fierce glint flickered in the twin sisters' eyes.
Sasha blew a flirtatious kiss, while her sister Jill, stuck out her tongue and licked her Mystic Silver Sword, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
Sasha, the older sister, had shaved half of her right head, and Jill, the younger sister, had shaved half of her left head. On their scalps, both had tattooed Dormammu's flaming mark.
By now, Li Kang had guessed whose disciples they were.
"You two beauties are adorable, but your words are too frightening. Why don't we compete in bed instead? That way, the world will be harmonious and beautiful, and no one will get hurt. In my opinion, this is a fantastic idea; all three of us will be winners, and everyone will be happy." Li Kang's eyes swept over the twin sisters' ample bosoms.
"Hahaha… All three of us will win? You're truly humorous!" Jill grinned, a hint of madness in her smile.
Before her laughter faded, the twin sisters suddenly moved apart. Sasha leaped high, her form rapidly shifting in mid-air, while Jill spun around, creating illusions of herself all around Li Kang.
"Please, it's just the Phantom Stride and Shadow Clone Illusion. Child's play. You talked so tough earlier, why don't you show some real skill? Watch this, Earth Tremor!" Li Kang stomped his foot, and a shockwave spread out from him, knocking Jill flying.
Almost simultaneously, Sasha flashed down from the air, appearing behind Li Kang and thrusting at his back. Li Kang spun around, dodging Sasha's attack, and at the same time, his Mystic Silver Sword swept towards her scalp, but it was blocked by Jill, who had arrived just in time.
The two sisters attacked from left and right, their Mystic Silver Swords clashing, sparking a shower of fire. The sisters' coordination was seamless, weaving a curtain of light before Li Kang's eyes. Even people who had trained together for decades wouldn't have such rapport. Their combined power was several times stronger than that of two ordinary sorcerers working together.
No wonder the twin sisters were so confident; they really did have some skill.
"Salerno Soul Combat!" Li Kang's soul abruptly surged out of his body, kicking Jill away. His soul was out of his body, but his physical body continued its relentless assault.
Under the dual attack of Li Kang's soul and body, Sasha was struck in the shoulder by a sword in the blink of an eye and retreated.
Salerno Soul Combat is the most profound soul combat spell. Although the soul leaves the body, the physical body still retains consciousness, as if one person has become two. Even the Ancient One would find Salerno Soul Combat a headache.
No matter how intimate Sasha and Jill were or how well they coordinated, they were still two individuals. Li Kang's soul and body were separated, yet they were originally one, and the power of their combined coordination was absolutely incomparable to that of ordinary twins.
The twin sisters' faces, originally confident and fierce, were replaced by expressions of disbelief. They had only ever glimpsed Salerno Soul Combat in forbidden books; this magic, which only existed in theory, had actually been mastered by someone.
"You two are really lucky. I have a principle: I don't kill women. You may leave," Li Kang said with great composure as his soul returned to his body.
Li Kang took two steps back, intending to test the strength of the magical net surrounding the apartment.
The twin sisters exchanged glances. Sasha said with a pale face, "Hmph, that's your foolishness. Even if you don't kill us, you've humiliated us. When our companions arrive, you'll still fall into our hands. By then, you'll regret your soft-heartedness! In this world, no one can humiliate Sasha and get away with it. I swear, I will skin you alive."
Li Kang's eyes gleamed as he weighed how serious Sasha's words were. Among the two sisters, Sasha was undoubtedly the backbone. Although Jill could appear ruthless, she was merely clumsily imitating Sasha. From Sasha's eyes, it was clear she was serious. If Li Kang fell into her hands, he would undoubtedly face a fate worse than death.
As for Jill, she was merely a puppet controlled by her older sister, Sasha. The assessment concluded that Sasha was indeed a pervert and a significant threat.
Li Kang gave a carefree smile. "Even so, one must have principles. I respect women above all else. People can kill me, but making me kill a woman is absolutely impossible. I am simply that kind of gentleman."
"I think you're just an idiot. Who still believes that nonsense?" Sasha said with a look of disdain.
Li Kang shrugged, offering no response.
Suddenly, the tip of a Mystic Silver Sword pierced through Sasha's chest. Li Kang had appeared behind her sister at some unknown moment, impaling Sasha with a single thrust.
"No!!!" Jill felt it as if her own body was being torn apart.
"You…" Sasha pointed at the other Li Kang, who was still in the distance, her mouth choked with blood, unable to utter the rest of her words.
"Idiot, don't you know Loki's Illusion? The world of magic doesn't distinguish between genders. In the magical world, the more a woman is, the more terrifying she is. Someone actually believes that sorcerers don't kill women. You want to skin me alive? Then don't blame me for being ruthless; blame yourself for being too overconfident." Li Kang pulled out his Mystic Silver Sword, and Sasha fell, her eyes filled with hatred.
Jill threw herself onto Sasha's corpse, weeping heartbreakingly.
"Your closest person is gone; I completely understand your pain. You must feel like you've lost your backbone now, haven't you? Have you always listened to your sister's ideas since childhood? Your sister must have enjoyed tormenting people. I killed her out of necessity. I can see that I'm in trouble this time, but I absolutely cannot fall into the hands of a sadist." Li Kang lit a cigarette and pointed at Jill, saying.
"Kill me!" Jill shrieked, clutching her sister's body. "The reason we followed our master was so that we could be together forever in the Dark Dimension. Now that she's dead, everything is meaningless."
"If killing you could get me out, I wouldn't mind doing it, but I'm trapped now. I probably know who your master is. Killing you now has no meaning for me. I need to find a way to reconcile with you; killing you would only increase hatred." Li Kang walked to the window, reached out, and touched it, but was zapped back by an electric current.
"Sooner or later, I will kill you!" Jill wiped away her tears, her voice filled with hatred.
"Many people want to kill me; get in line," Li Kang said dismissively. "It seems your master is meticulously planning to capture me. Your master must be Kaecilius, right? Only he understands my defensive spells so well."
"Li Kang is Li Kang, worthy of being my good friend; you actually guessed it was me." A portal opened, and a handsome, resolute middle-aged man stepped out of the halo.
Following behind him were three women and five men, a total of eight people dressed as apprentices. Li Kang was all too familiar with the apprentices' attire; it was the clothing of the Sanctum Sanctorum apprentices, which Li Kang himself had once worn. On the periphery, at least twenty more people were weaving this enveloping magical net. Even Kaecilius alone was a formidable opponent; this battle couldn't be won.
Since he couldn't win, he had to figure out how not to lose.
"Kaecilius, my old friend, I didn't expect that after all these years, you'd finally come to see me. But I don't understand why you had to make such a grand display?" Li Kang's face broke into an enthusiastic smile, silently casting several defensive spells before looking at Kaecilius.
Five years apart, Kaecilius had aged considerably, with gray hairs at his temples, but the expression on his face was not as gloomy as before; instead, it held a certain openness.
"I am truly sorry for falsely accusing you back then. I sincerely apologize for my naive thoughts at the time. At the same time, I also want to express my gratitude. If it weren't for you back then, I would never have known that the Ancient One's private collection contained information about Dormammu. I also wouldn't have known that there is a Dark Dimension in this world, a wonderful place that transcends time. I thank you." Kaecilius genuinely clasped his hands together and bowed, the highest etiquette of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
The Dark Dimension belongs to the Dread Dormammu. It is indeed a dimension that transcends time, but Dormammu is a cruel tyrant, keen on conquest and destruction, not governance.
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is omnipotent; he is the god of the Dark Dimension. If he wished, he could transform the Dark Dimension into a beautiful and prosperous place. Yet, looking at the Dark Dimension now, it is nothing but ruins. All worlds drawn into the Dark Dimension face only destruction. Only Dormammu's trusted confidants are privileged to live within his magical castle; everything else is annihilated.
But Kaecilius spoke of the Dark Dimension as if it were a paradise, a utopian realm.
"The Dark Dimension is a good place? Are you sure you haven't gone mad? As a sorcerer, have your studies gone to the dogs? Dormammu is indeed a god, but he is an evil god! The Dark Dimension is even worse than hell; at least hell is lively. But the Dark Dimension is a pile of dung. What kind of mind-altering concoction did Dormammu feed you to make you so deluded?" Li Kang looked at Kaecilius in confusion.
This was not at all the persistent and intelligent roommate he had known years ago. This person before him was merely a fanatic trapped by his own delusions.
When they studied together at the Sanctum Sanctorum, Li Kang and Kaecilius shared a room. Kaecilius looked after Li Kang like a younger brother. Among that generation of disciples, he, Kaecilius, and Mordo were the three strongest. However, Mordo was too rigid, and Li Kang was notoriously mischievous, so among the three, Kaecilius was the most favored by the Ancient One.
The Ancient One had even publicly announced that if anything were to happen to her one day, Kaecilius was very likely to become the next Sorcerer Supreme.
But this fanatic before him bore no resemblance to his good roommate from back then.
Back then, although Li Kang resented Kaecilius, deep down, he was secretly making excuses for him. Perhaps Kaecilius had some unavoidable hardship, or perhaps the Ancient One had discovered some clues, and he was forced to report him.
After all, those were forbidden books, but if one had enough status, they had the right to read them, just never to take them out of the library—that was the highest rule of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
But now it seemed that Kaecilius had merely been using him. By betraying him, he not only gained early access to forbidden books but also won the Ancient One's trust.
"Regarding that, I feel it's necessary to clarify. Actually, Dormammu didn't seek me out; on the contrary, I actively sought out Dormammu," Kaecilius said calmly.
"Why? Are you crazy?" Li Kang exclaimed in surprise.