The death of the Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One, would inevitably send shockwaves through Kamar-Taj.
This much was certain.
The ambitious Kaecilius would never allow someone else to take the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Already tempted by the allure of dark power, he would likely resort to underhanded means to aid his ambitions. Still, such internal political strife within Kamar-Taj was a small concern in comparison.
The death of The Ancient One—especially a synchronized death across all timelines—would unleash consequences far beyond a simple change in leadership.
After all, the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme was to guard the Earth.
And with the Sorcerer Supreme gone, Earth had lost its shield and deterrent across the dimensions. The planet's protective barrier would begin to fracture with the fall of its guardian.
No one could say when the Dimensional Demon Gods of the Outer Realms would discover this fact. So far, none had invaded Earth.
Whether these beings remained cautious, unaware, or whether The Ancient One herself had foreseen her demise and prepared accordingly, was uncertain.
After all, from her final battle with Herman, it was evident that she had already accepted death—choosing to sacrifice herself in an attempt to banish him beyond the Marvel Universe.
It would only be natural if she had made preparations before that end.
...
Outside.
Herman's absorption of Seth's divinity had already shifted the course of history. And since The Ancient One's death in the future had resonated through all timelines, the resulting chain reaction could very well surpass even the influence of Seth's divine power.
Whether these changes would prove good or disastrous remained unknown.
One thing, however, was certain.
Through the [All-Seeing Eye], Herman had attained the Platinum-tier identity of "The Deceiver of History." When he returned, this identity would allow him to reap benefits from the historical distortions he had caused. How much he gained, however, would depend entirely on how deeply his actions had altered the timeline.
...
Egypt.
The pocket dimension of the City of the Dead.
Within the shattered space, Herman hovered midair, black battle robes billowing around him as divine power surged through his body, exuding an aura of solemn majesty.
At that moment, Evelyn dared not look directly at his figure suspended in the sky. Deep within her heart, an irresistible force compelled her toward reverence—a primal urge to kneel.
It was the overwhelming pressure of a higher lifeform upon a lower one, the instinctive awe that lesser beings felt toward divinity.
"Having absorbed Seth... I now stand at the very peak of the Sky Father–level," Herman thought to himself. "Yet the gap between me and the Universal-level remains... significant."
He quietly assessed his strength. Even without considering the unique nature of his power, he was now among the highest tier of Sky Father–class beings.
Even top deities like Odin, the All-Father, no longer posed a threat to him. It wasn't arrogance—it was a sober truth. Among the countless Sky Father–level entities across the cosmos, Herman estimated he now ranked near the top.
"This journey to Egypt... should yield more than I expected," he murmured, eyes glinting as he gazed into the distance.
The pocket dimension lay in ruins, yet the hall that housed the Dark Book still stood, untouched amid the devastation.
Beneath the ancient, interwoven runes—suppressed by the Book of Darkness's power—slumbered a being even mightier than Seth, the god of war.
The God-King of ancient Egypt.
Ra, the Sun God.
A true divine sovereign.
Herman believed that if he could claim this god's essence, his strength could finally break through—to reach the level of a Universal-class existence.
At the thought, the look in his eyes grew subtly fervent as he turned toward the sealed power of the Sun God.
"A rich harvest."
Herman absorbed the divinity of Seth, the God of War, with satisfaction, knowing that the Sun God's divinity still awaited his hunt.
Yes.
Now that he no longer feared any Sky Father–level gods, there was no reason to spare Ra, the Sun God. After all, he had just slain Ra's right-hand man—his most capable son—and the two were now bound by an unending enmity.
"Wizard! Can you let me out now?"
Evelyn shouted from within the energy barrier, eager to examine the mysterious tome still floating in midair.
Unaware of the legendary Darkhold, she assumed that the undamaged book suspended in the ruined hall must be the mythical Book of the Dead.
"If you want to die, I can let you out. But remember—our enemy isn't gone yet. The one we just defeated was merely an appetizer."
Herman's calm reply made Evelyn freeze.
Behind the War God Seth stood Ra, the King of Gods.
Just as the wizard had said—Ra, the King of Gods—that was the true threat. Evelyn immediately fell silent. Her curiosity for ancient relics couldn't overcome her fear of a god-king.
Even without knowing how powerful Ra truly was, his place in Egyptian mythology said enough. He was a being at the absolute pinnacle—far stronger and more terrifying than the God of War before him.
"I think I'll stay right here. I like it here," Evelyn muttered, choosing the safer path and sitting down inside the divine barrier Herman had conjured.
Her thoughts were far from calm—unease and anticipation churned within her—but curiosity still lingered. Could this powerful wizard truly defeat the Sun God Ra?
Even as her heart wavered, she couldn't suppress the desire to witness the creator god of Egyptian mythology with her own eyes—the one said to have forged the world itself.
"A wise choice."
Herman walked toward the great hall, its structure battered but still alive with the flow of ancient runes. The previous battle had nearly annihilated the entire pocket dimension; only this area survived.
The combined power of the Darkhold and the runes carved into the ground had withstood the destructive shockwaves unleashed during his battle with Seth.
Beneath those runes, Herman could feel a powerful force stirring restlessly. Clearly, the previous fight had awakened the slumbering supreme god of ancient Egypt.
"I'd like to see for myself what a god-king's power truly is."
He stopped before the Darkhold.
His eyes glimmered with the power of death—eyes capable of freezing the thoughts of mortals. Reflected within them was the desolate vision of the [Realm of the Dead].
The War God Seth, whose divinity and strength he had absorbed, now had his soul enslaved within the [Realm of the Dead].
Herman had gained yet another Sky Father–level soul to fuel his endless power.
Seth, however, suffered unending torment and cold within that realm. His face, twisted in agony, still bore traces of hatred and fear toward Herman.
"You imprisoned my soul!"
"You'll suffer a fate worse than mine!"
Though bound by Herman's will and unable to resist, Seth's voice still roared in defiance within the Necropolis—unlike Apocalypse, who had quickly surrendered and now spent every day begging for mercy.
This ancient god of war, however, was far more stubborn.
He still had no idea that his own father had already fallen under Herman's gaze. His curses rang out endlessly, as if he had already seen the future—one where Herman and the entire world perished together.
"What gives you the courage to keep shouting like that? Is it the Darkhold you're counting on? Or your slumbering father god?"
Herman's will surged into the [Realm of the Dead], manifesting as a colossal face that blotted out the heavens.
Frost Giants, Apocalypse, and all of Apocalypse's followers fell prostrate upon the frozen wasteland, trembling before their sole sovereign.
Only Seth remained defiant.
"...Heh... You'll see, Dimensional Demon God," he sneered. "You'll understand soon enough how foolish it was to kill me."
"You think I was guarding the Sun God's slumber? Hahaha! I was forced to protect the peace and balance of this world!"
"You have no idea what state my father is in now!"
"You'll meet a fate far worse than mine!"
"Without me... that seal will break. The entire world will pay for your act of godslaying!"
Seth's laughter echoed, crazed and bitter. He seemed utterly convinced that Herman would fall—and that the world itself would collapse along with him.
"The state of the Sun God Ra?"
In the mortal realm, Herman's eyes flickered slightly. From Seth's frenzied laughter, he sensed that something was terribly wrong.
He was just about to probe Seth's mind within the [Realm of the Dead], to see what knowledge the war god possessed—something that Herman himself had yet to uncover.
However…
Before he could act, before Seth could even scream under the pain of having his memories torn open, a terrifying force suddenly erupted upward.
A brilliant golden light burst forth from the shattered ground.
The power of the Darkhold tried to force the radiance back down, attempting to suppress it.
Yet, without a divine will to guide it, the Darkhold's residual power could no longer contain what was sealed below. The golden light leaked out, growing more intense by the second.
Realizing that the Darkhold was on the verge of being completely overpowered, Herman didn't hesitate. He simply reached out and stored the Darkhold within his personal dimensional space.
"Since you can't hold it back, I don't need you to."
The moment he retrieved the Darkhold, the seal beneath the ancient runes completely lost stability—fracturing and collapsing at blinding speed.
An overwhelming golden power shot toward the heavens.
It was… the divine might of Ra, the Father of the Gods, the God-King of all deities in ancient Egypt.
As the seal continued to unravel, Herman's eyes narrowed.
"Red?"
Amid the erupting golden brilliance, he felt something off—a trace of madness tainting the light. Within the Sun God Ra's power pulsed a faint, disturbing crimson hue.
Then, as the sky-filling golden figure slowly emerged from the broken seal, its voice thundered across the ruined dimension:
"Consume! Devour this world!"
The colossal figure, towering between heaven and earth, blazed with divine radiance. Yet within its ancient words burned a primal insanity and obsession.
The overwhelming might of the God-King spread through the pocket dimension in chaotic waves.
"A mad supreme god…"
Herman's eyes flashed rapidly.
He could sense it clearly now—the state Ra was in. And more than that, he was stunned to realize something horrifying.
Ra's current condition… was exactly like that of the Ancient One when she had come to him alone before—an existence that no longer possessed a soul.
What in the world…?
What happened to this supreme god of ancient Egypt?
Why was he in the same state as the Ancient One?
Could this possibly be just a coincidence?