"The Sorcerer Supreme is dead. She's finally dead. Now Earth is mine."
In that hair-raising darkness, a pair of giant eyes as large as asteroids opened. It was Dormammu, the demon god of the Dark Dimension. He was the first to sense the Ancient One's Death. At this moment, he was extremely happy, roaring with joy. He had waited hundreds of years for this human. Although time meant nothing to him, being suppressed by someone using his own power was a humiliation Dormammu had never suffered since gaining consciousness. It was too infuriating... no, too demon-god-infuriating! She really didn't treat a demon god like a demon god. The human Dormammu hated most was the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One. Now he finally had the chance to pull the Earth she protected into his own world. Even if it wouldn't be complete revenge, it would at least eliminate most of his frustration.
"Earth, here I come."
Thinking of the three dark residents he had just signed, he could use them as beacons to break through the three great barriers set by the Ancient One years ago. This way, he could effortlessly devour the entire Earth through the cracks in the barriers. Thinking about how much pain his actions would cause the Ancient One, a look of pleasure appeared in Dormammu's massive eyes. With that thought, he transmitted his will to the three users of dark power.
"I didn't expect the Ancient One to choose such an end. What a pity."
Currently in Avalon, Merlin stood on the lake's surface with a sigh. He truly felt sorry for the Ancient One. He was much older than her; being half-nightmare, he wasn't strictly human, but he still admired the strong among humans. Someone like the Ancient One, who could annoy him so much he didn't dare step out of Avalon, was truly rare. While he felt a bit intimidated, he still admired such a person. To be able to cultivate magic to such a level in just a few hundred years, the Ancient One was definitely a genius among geniuses in the magical world.
"Even if you didn't watch me, I wouldn't have taken a single step out of Avalon. Ancient One, you had a great misunderstanding of me, but I still choose to forgive you. Farewell, Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One."
Merlin spoke with emotion. He never intended to leave Avalon. One must know he didn't really like humans as a species. If any were considered decent, King Arthur and Arthur's father would be the two. Teaching Morgan wasn't because he thought she was good, but because it was fate; he had to do it to facilitate the final direction of the British Empire, moving the pieces for destiny.
"Sorcerer Supreme, farewell."
The moment the Ancient One's heart stopped, Gaea felt it. But her main body didn't go there; the entire Earth was her body, so her consciousness had been following Artoria. Watching the Sorcerer Ancient One's soul drift away, Gaea paid her respects to this great mage who had protected her safety for many years. Perhaps she had only intended to protect humanity, but since protecting humanity required the Earth not be destroyed, Gaea had also received the Ancient One's protection. Otherwise, Gaea, who was sealed by the Celestials at the time, could only have watched herself be destroyed. Or, even if she weren't destroyed, alien immigrants would have surely hollowed out and terraformed the entire Earth.
So no matter what, Gaea had a responsibility to offer a blessing and a word of thanks to the Sorcerer Ancient One. Gaea quietly sent a blessing to the departed Ancient One—a blessing from the consciousness of the Earth. This was the first time Gaea had thanked a life form living on her body. Although they were products of the Celestials' experiments, at least now they were like her own children.
"Mr. Steve, I'll leave the Ancient One's remains to you. Bury her in the cemetery at Kamar-Taj."
Artoria stood in the operating room quietly sending her blessings to the Ancient One. After waiting ten minutes, she walked up to Steve and arranged where the Ancient One's body should be buried. Artoria made this arrangement because Kamar-Taj had a powerful barrier. Some who studied dark magic might covet the Ancient One's remains. After all, this was the body of a great mage who had dominated Earth's strongest era; to them, it was an incredibly tempting treasure trove.
"Rest assured, Miss Artoria, leave that to me."
Facing Artoria's instructions, Steve readily agreed. Artoria's words made him realize this point as well. This was his master's body; how could he let those restless dark fellows use it? Not only could Artoria not tolerate it, but Steve would be the first to refuse. As a Doctor, he valued the idea of respecting the dead, let alone his own mentor. If anyone tried to touch the Sorcerer Ancient One's remains, he would be the first to risk his life.
"When you need my help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Artoria spoke with hidden meaning, referring of course to the matter of Kaecilius. The existence of those three was also the fuse that led to the Ancient One's final resignation. Although this was all the Ancient One's calculation, at least Artoria could beat those three up to vent her anger; that would make her feel much better physically and mentally.
"No, Artoria, don't get involved in this."
The clever Steve naturally understood Artoria's meaning and quickly declined her assistance. After all, the Sorcerer Ancient One had just said she wanted Artoria to live a quiet life. How could he let Artoria get dragged into such a mess? Furthermore, being helped by a woman... Steve still wanted to save some face. Steve's hurried refusal made Artoria a bit unhappy, but she couldn't say anything. She wasn't the type to help for nothing; she just wanted to vent, but was rejected. Artoria gave Steve a disgruntled look and left with Galacta.
"Artoria, are you not sad anymore?"
Pulled along by Artoria, Galacta timidly and cutely asked Artoria a question. Her original intention was to stop Artoria from being sad and crying. Seeing Artoria's current state, she did indeed seem much better than before, but sadness on the surface and sadness in one's heart are two different things. It was possible to seem fine on the outside while being deeply upset inside. Galacta wanted to know if Artoria was truly no longer sad. Her blunt words caused the unpleasant mood Artoria had been feeling to vanish in an instant; there really weren't many girls this cute left in the world.
"I'm fine now, Galacta. Thank you."
Artoria, charmed by Galacta's cuteness, happily hugged the girl before her. Galacta looked like a mature woman but had the heart of a cute young girl; it was Artoria's first time seeing such a 'gap moe' contrast, and she found it incredibly adorable. Hope and Susan, who were usually by her side, couldn't pull off Galacta's brand of natural, pure cuteness.
"As long as you're not sad anymore, that's good."
Artoria's sudden hug caught Galacta off guard, but she quickly reacted. Realizing Artoria had indeed moved past her earlier sadness, a much-relieved Galacta returned the hug. At this moment, neither of them used their powers to go home, so the patients walking nearby stared blankly at the two beauties hugging. It looked like a scene of blooming lilies; an orange aura seemed to shield them from the world, and no one dared to approach them.
Chop! Chop!
The Gaea consciousness following Artoria took in every bit of this scene. Gaea's expression was very calm, but it would have been more perfect if one ignored the kitchen knife that had been crushed into scrap metal in her hand. Expressionless, Gaea swapped for a new knife and raised it toward the fish on the cutting board. In an instant, the entire kitchen was stained with blood.
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