Mordo clearly had not expected Strange to ask that. He gave him a strange look and explained, "Of course it isn't some spell. It's the Wi-Fi password here. Sorcerers aren't isolated savages."
"Uh…" Strange truly had not expected the mysterious Kamar-Taj to have Wi-Fi, so he could not help being a little surprised. But very quickly, his attention returned to the Wi-Fi password in his hand.
RIPAncientOneLOL. Did this arrangement of letters have some deeper meaning?
So Strange asked curiously, "Master Mordo, does this Wi-Fi password have some deeper meaning? Could you explain it to me?"
The moment Strange finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent. He keenly realized that he might have asked something he should not have.
Mordo's reaction was intense. He suddenly looked at Strange, hesitated for a moment, then said with deep meaning, "The matter of the Wi-Fi password involves both the previous and current Sorcerer Supremes. Under ordinary circumstances, do not ask other sorcerers about the Wi-Fi password."
Strange nodded instinctively. It seemed this seemingly simple string of letters contained some hidden meaning. Mordo's warning not only failed to dispel Strange's curiosity, it made him even more curious about what was hidden inside the Wi-Fi password.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
On this day, in the floating city's training field, Harry's voice rang out along with profound mental magic, echoing in the hearts of many sorcerers.
Teaching through mental magic could greatly improve Harry's teaching quality. Because of that, while Harry served as Sorcerer Supreme, the sorcerers' strength had increased by at least fifty percent compared to when Master Ancient One held the position.
"This mysterious language of magic has existed since civilization was born. Long ago, the venerable ones called this language spells. If that name feels unrealistic to you, you can think of it as a kind of program.
"But unlike so-called computer programs, it is the source code that builds the real world. We gather energy, draw it from other spaces within the multiverse, recite spells, forge shields and weapons, and thus cast magic."
Standing at the front of the gathered sorcerers, Strange looked excited. But soon he became uneasy and asked, "Can I really cast magic successfully even with my hands like this? My hands can only wave around in the air right now. I mean, how do I go from raw material to master?"
Harry did not answer him directly. Instead, he asked in return, "Then how did you repair damaged nerves? How did you put a severed spine back into place?"
Strange thought for a moment and answered, "Study and practice. Year after year?"
"That's right. That's exactly it. Oh, and sign this." Harry handed Strange a contract that continuously radiated golden spiritual light.
"What is this?"
"A contract. A contract with me."
Strange immediately noticed something strange. "Wait. Aren't we supposed to obtain energy from other dimensions?"
At that moment, Master Mordo, who was standing nearby, revealed a smile Strange found quite familiar.
"That's right. That used to be the case. But ever since Master Potter became Sorcerer Supreme, everything changed. Now we can not only borrow energy from the Vishanti, but also from the Sorcerer Supreme."
Strange looked at Harry with astonishment. Although he had only recently come into contact with magic, he could vaguely sense that this Master Potter did not seem like a normal sorcerer.
Rather than saying he was a sorcerer who cast magic by borrowing power from Dimensional Demon Gods, it might be more accurate to call him a robber who stole energy from other Dimensional Demon Gods. Or perhaps it would be even more appropriate to call him a Dimensional Demon God who could generate energy on his own.
At the same time, inside an abandoned church that had long since fallen into ruin and was filled with the scent of decay, dust drifted wildly through the dim light, and broken pews leaned every which way.
Kaecilius wore a black robe, moving through the church like a ghost. His face carried fanaticism and determination, and behind him followed a group of believers wearing the same crazed expressions.
Next, they would pray to the great Dormammu, seeking eternal life in the Dark Dimension.
Kaecilius stood at the very center of the church. On the floor beneath him, a huge, complex magic circle had been drawn with some liquid that gave off an eerie glow.
Around the magic circle stood seven tall black candles. Their flames flickered, casting light across Kaecilius's slightly twisted face as excitement overtook him.
He slowly raised both hands and muttered under his breath. His voice was low and hoarse, like a roar from the depths of hell, and what he recited was the forbidden summoning incantation.
As the spell rang out, the entire church began to tremble violently. A bone-chilling wind howled in from all directions, making everyone's robes snap loudly.
The believers shut their eyes one after another, clasping their hands together. Their faces were filled with devotion and awe. On their foreheads, dark-red marks representing Dormammu gradually surfaced. Those marks flashed with eerie light like living things, as if establishing some mysterious connection with the Dark Dimension.
"Dormammu, great lord of darkness, hear our call and descend upon this world!" Kaecilius suddenly lifted his head and shouted with all his strength.
His voice echoed through the church, intertwining with the wind and the humming of the magic circle to form a chilling, uncanny melody.
At that moment, the eerie light at the center of the magic circle grew brighter and brighter, like a gate to hell slowly opening.
Darkness surged out of it like a violent tide, spreading and expanding until, in the blink of an eye, it had swallowed the entire church floor. Within the darkness, countless eyes seemed to flicker, giving off terrifying red light.
That dark substance continuously rolled and twisted, gradually condensing into blurry shapes, like souls trapped within it and struggling in agony.
Suddenly, a bolt of purple lightning struck from the depths of the darkness and hit the church's dome. In an instant, stones fell like rain.
Immediately afterward, a gigantic figure appeared faintly within the darkness. It was Dormammu's projection.
Its body was made from pure dark energy, constantly changing and twisting. Purple flames burned around it, and the powerful pressure it emitted made everyone present almost suffocate.
When Kaecilius saw it, he immediately knelt on one knee and shouted, "Great Dormammu, your servants have long awaited your arrival. May your darkness cover the entire world!"
The other believers followed his example, prostrating themselves on the ground and expressing their loyalty and reverence toward the lord of darkness.
Facing their loyalty, Dormammu remained cold and spoke indifferently. "Go. Destroy the guardian arrays. Destroy the Three Sanctums. Welcome my arrival!
"Once I devour Earth, you will obtain eternal life together with me!"
"Yes!" Kaecilius immediately replied. At this moment, his entire body trembled with excitement. He had not expected things to go even more smoothly than he imagined. His very first prayer had successfully drawn Dormammu's attention.
After Kaecilius agreed, an immense wave of dark magic power poured into their bodies from the mysterious symbols on their foreheads.
The many sorcerers all showed looks of delight. They could sense that their strength had increased several times over in a short period.
If they fought now, they could easily kill the versions of themselves from just a few minutes ago.
They had successfully contacted Dormammu, received Dormammu's command, and obtained powerful strength. Just as Kaecilius was about to remove the sacrificial ritual and leave to destroy the Three Sanctums, he suddenly noticed that the Dormammu phantom before him had begun to distort. Immediately afterward, another blurry phantom, so indistinct it could barely be seen, formed behind the first one.
The newly formed phantom roared at them, "Damn ants, that isn't me…"
But just as he started speaking, he was struck by a beam of pitch-black energy that scattered his head, preventing him from continuing.
Kaecilius was somewhat confused. He seemed to have sensed a familiar aura within that pitch-black beam of energy, so he asked curiously, "Lord Dormammu, what was that just now?"
Dormammu's expression did not change, and he answered lazily, "Only a foe I enslaved. Ignore him and go do what you must."
As soon as those words were spoken, Dormammu's figure disappeared from Kaecilius's sight.
Although Kaecilius still had some doubts, he did not dare disobey Dormammu's orders. He opened a portal and left the ruined church, preparing to plan the important matter of destroying the Three Sanctums.
After they left, another unclear roar came from within the broken sacrificial ritual.
"No! Damn you, Harry Potter! You keep stealing my dark magic power, and now you're impersonating me! You deserve to die!
"I won't let you succeed. I will resist!"
Smack!
A huge hand made from Dormammu's dark energy slapped Dormammu across the face, and Harry's voice also rang out from all around.
"Shut up, Dormammu. Behave and watch quietly, and I can beat you one less time!"
"Ahhhhhh! Harry Potter, I'll kill you one day!"
Smack!
The floating city's training field was bathed in a strange halo. The sky seemed to be covered by a thin veil of magic, and occasionally a few streams of light streaked across it. Those were traces of magic traveling through different dimensions.
On the field, many sorcerers were fully immersed in training. The scene was lively and full of tension.
Sorcerers in robes of various colors paired off to spar and train their magic.
In the corner of the field, however, Strange seemed completely out of place.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and his face was full of anxiety and frustration.
Following Master Mordo's previous instructions, he took a deep breath and once again tried to mobilize the magical energy inside his body.
He closed his eyes tightly, focused his mind, and recalled those obscure, difficult spells and runes.
His hands moved through the air as he tried to condense a simple magical shield.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the magical energy inside him was like a mischievous child, refusing to obey his commands.
The sorcerers around him successfully cast magic again and again. Magical light kept flashing, and laughter and cheerful voices rose one after another.
But Strange still gained nothing. His shield never took shape. He could not even produce a trace of bright magical light.
Although he kept trying unwillingly and continuously increased the output of magic power, the most he managed was a faint glimmer that seemed to flash between his hands. Even that lasted only an instant before vanishing without a trace.
Strange opened his eyes and looked at his still-empty hands, his heart filled with disappointment.
At that moment, Harry walked out from the distant sanctuary and came to Mordo. Smiling, he said, "Master Mordo, please pause for a moment. Let me have a few private words with Strange."
"Of course," Mordo agreed without hesitation.
Harry and Strange walked to a table and chairs on the side. The moment they sat down, Strange said with a bitter expression, "This has to do with my hands. Because of my hands, I can't cast magic."
Harry shook his head and denied it.
"Of course it has nothing to do with your hands."
"How could it have nothing to do with my hands?" Strange naturally did not believe him.
Harry shook his head and said to a sorcerer nearby who wore a plain training robe, "Master Hamir."
Master Hamir slowly walked over and revealed the arm he had always kept covered.
The instant that arm was fully exposed, Strange's eyes abruptly contracted. That arm had no hand.
Next, Master Hamir put a Sling Ring on his other, intact hand. Then he controlled both his severed arm and his good hand to move, easily outlining a complete magic circle.
After the magic circle dispersed, Harry nodded. "Thank you, Master Hamir."
Then he looked at Strange with an unfathomable expression and said, "You can't stop a river by swinging a knife at it. The water keeps flowing. You need to learn to move with the current and borrow its force as if that power came from yourself."
Strange still did not understand and asked, "How am I supposed to move with it and borrow its force? That simply won't work!"
"No. Everything in the world has its own logic. In the past, you succeeded through your own intelligence and talent, but that is all it was.
"So wake up, Strange. Give up the self you are clinging to now, and your power will grow stronger.
"Come with me!"
Harry made no movement, but a portal formed in front of him. After Strange stepped through the portal, he discovered that behind it was actually a mountain peak in the Himalayas, with temperatures dozens of degrees below freezing.
The cold wind cut through the clouds like a blade, sharpening the snow-white peaks of the Himalayas into an even harsher, colder sight.
Strange's shoes sank into snow up to his knees. Ice crystals slid down his pant legs and against his skin, while the freezing wind pierced straight into his bones, bringing with it a cold that seemed to soak through his entire body.
"Wait. Where is this?" Strange asked.
"Mount Everest. Beautiful, isn't it?" Harry stood with his hands behind his back, his feet resting on the snow without sinking in at all, as if he had shaken off gravity.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Strange was a little confused. "But it's very cold."
"That's right. At this temperature, if a person stays here for more than thirty minutes, their organs and their life will be in danger."
"Fantastic."
"You probably won't last two minutes before passing out."
"What?"
"Surrender, Strange…" While Strange was not paying attention, Harry stepped back into the portal, playing unbelievably dirty.
Strange instantly panicked and cried out in terror, "Wait, no, no, no, no!"
But the Sorcerer Supreme's figure had already disappeared without a trace.
Now Strange could only rely on himself to open a portal if he wanted to avoid freezing to death.
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