Although Mordo was still uneasy, he no longer had any reason to keep arguing.
After all, everything he was worried about could be easily dealt with by Harry. Whether it was a multiversal war or a paradoxical timeline, neither would be a problem for Harry in his out-of-control state.
But Mordo soon realized there was a new problem. Although the timeline itself was no longer an issue, an even more serious issue had appeared, Harry had to enter his out-of-control state to solve a timeline paradox, and if Harry entered that state, then he would become the greatest problem in the multiverse!
"Of course, Master Mordo, you can study with Strange as well. I think you also have a decent talent for time magic," Harry suddenly said to Mordo with a smile.
Mordo's expression sharpened. He threw the problem he had just discovered to the back of his mind and nodded heavily.
"Sorcerer Supreme, I think what you said is absolutely right. With you here, we really don't need to worry about the timeline!"
Strange, who had witnessed Mordo's change in attitude from the side, was speechless.
Master Mordo, your image in my heart has completely collapsed!
Several more months passed after Strange began studying time magic alongside Mordo and even Wong.
On this day, Harry brought Strange to a secluded secret chamber. His usual relaxed expression disappeared, replaced by seriousness.
Strange also realized that something important was about to happen, so he remained silent and waited for the Sorcerer Supreme to speak.
After they arrived in the chamber, Harry gently snapped his fingers. It was as if the stars themselves had shifted. The walls inside the chamber were instantly replaced by endless, dark space, and in front of Harry and Strange, a blue sphere floated in that vast darkness.
Strange recognized it at a glance. That was definitely Earth.
After doing all this, Harry sat down in a chair and gave Mordo a look. Mordo immediately understood and said to Strange, "Strange, do you know what Kamar-Taj's responsibility is?"
Strange clenched his fists. When he looked up, he met the rare seriousness in Mordo's eyes.
He thought for a moment, then answered uncertainly, "Fighting dark forces? That's how it always goes in movies."
Mordo shook his head. "That is not accurate."
He gently moved his hands, and dense Runic matrixes appeared over the projection of Earth in front of them. They were the Trinity Guardian Array, constantly perfected by generations of Sorcerers Supreme.
Mordo's voice was low and deep as it sounded beside Strange's ears.
"Do you see those arrays? That is the Trinity Guardian Array, and it is also a solid barrier protecting Earth.
"Kamar-Taj's responsibility is not that simple. Our duty is not to fight evil forces, but to protect Earth and the human world from the invasion of dark powers from the multiverse."
"Dark powers?" Strange asked in confusion.
Mordo nodded and explained, "That's right. Evil Dimensional Demon Gods, Abyss demons, other extradimensional creatures, magical entities, and things of that nature."
"Wait, you mean we have to fight gods?!" Strange panicked.
Mordo reassured him, "Don't worry too much. Extremely powerful energy entities like Dimensional Demon Gods are not something we need to deal with. That is the responsibility of the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Our targets are merely some low-level demons that invade Earth. Even the current you can easily defeat most low-level demons."
At this point, a look of reminiscence appeared on Mordo's face, and he smiled. "Master Potter also went hunting low-level demons a few years ago. Back then, he was nowhere near as powerful as he is now."
Strange's eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, "How did Master Potter back then compare to me now?"
If Master Potter could grow strong enough to become the Sorcerer Supreme in just a few years, then didn't that mean he could as well?
After all, Master Potter had personally admitted that he was the most outstanding one among everyone!
Unlike Strange, who was full of expectation, Mordo suddenly fell silent.
His current job was to stir up Strange's interest and gradually guide him into becoming the next generation's Sorcerer Supreme. But the answer to Strange's question would not achieve that effect. It would only crush Strange's confidence.
You may be the most outstanding one among everyone, but that group does not include Harry!
Mordo quietly looked toward Harry, asking with his eyes how he should answer.
Harry directly sent Mordo a message. After receiving the answer, Mordo smiled brightly and said, "Harry back then was not as strong as you are now, Master Strange. We all know that you are the most outstanding one among us, don't we?"
Strange did not notice anything unusual at all. He completely believed Mordo's words and said excitedly, "As expected, a genius shines no matter where he is. Perhaps I can also become the Sorcerer Supreme in the future!"
Seeing that the thought of becoming the Sorcerer Supreme had indeed appeared in Strange's heart, Harry patted his shoulder and encouraged him.
"Keep it up, Strange. In my current condition, I can no longer serve as Sorcerer Supreme for long periods of time. The next Sorcerer Supreme will still have to rely on you."
Strange froze and asked, "Why? You're obviously still very young."
Harry shook his head, looking sorrowful. "My condition has never been good. The magic inside me can go out of control if I'm not careful…"
This was the first time Strange had heard of this. His impression of Harry had always been very good, so he asked worriedly, "What happens if it goes out of control? Will you die?"
Harry nodded. "That's right. Someone really will die."
Strange said, "That's terrible. Don't worry, Harry. I'll grow stronger as quickly as possible. Once that happens, you'll be able to retire!"
Mordo and Wong, who had just arrived, looked at each other from the side and saw the corners of each other's mouths twitching uncontrollably.
Seriously, dude?
Why are you comforting Harry?
Once he loses control, yes, someone really will die.
But the person who dies won't be Harry. It'll be us!
After that, Wong and Mordo explained Kamar-Taj's responsibilities to Strange together. After learning that he was even more outstanding than the current Sorcerer Supreme, Strange's interest in magic greatly increased.
He was going to become the next Sorcerer Supreme!
Harry watched all of this and nodded slightly. Then he shifted part of his attention to the New York Sanctum. Sure enough, Kaecilius had chosen the New York Sanctum as his first target.
Next, Harry closed his eyes and focused, placing most of his attention on the New York Sanctum.
He needed to secretly rescue all the sorcerers and disguise it as though they had been killed. Only then would Kaecilius continue performing.
After all, if Kaecilius found out that all his efforts were just part of a stage play Harry had arranged, there was no need to even think about it. He would definitely refuse to perform.
Several dozen minutes later, most of the New York Sanctum's defenses had been destroyed by Kaecilius. It was at that moment that Harry suddenly opened his eyes.
The time had come!
Just as Harry opened his eyes and withdrew his attention, the door connected to the New York Sanctum suddenly exploded violently from the side.
The instant the door shattered, a powerful blast "just happened" to hit Strange.
He felt as if his body had been struck hard by an invisible sledgehammer. His breath suddenly caught, and his entire body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
His body tumbled uncontrollably through the air. The world spun before his eyes, and the air around him was squeezed by the tremendous force until it let out a sharp whistle, making his head buzz.
Boom!
He finally stopped. His back slammed into a wall, and the hard bricks dug into his spine, sending a wave of pain through him. A metallic sweetness rose in his throat.
When he struggled to his feet, his surroundings were no longer the secret chamber inside the floating city, but a broad hall.
Although this hall was not as luxurious as the sanctum in the floating city, it was still rather lavish and full of a mysterious style.
Without question, this building was still connected to Kamar-Taj.
Strange scanned the surrounding architecture and slowly walked toward the door ahead. A few minutes later, he arrived inside a room filled with magical artifacts.
His gaze was drawn by the rows of bookshelves and the display of rare treasures, until it finally landed on a red cloak quietly floating above a stone platform.
The cloak seemed to be made from some strange fabric that was soft yet tough. Its edges were embroidered with fine golden runes. The runes shimmered faintly, as if whispering ancient spells.
Strange took a few steps closer. The cloak seemed to sense something and trembled lightly, producing a faint rustling sound, as if welcoming his arrival.
Back in the secret chamber inside the floating city, the shattered room had already been restored to its original state by a repair spell.
While Strange was meeting the Cloak of Levitation, Mordo asked, "Harry, are you certain Strange will be chosen by the Cloak of Levitation? If he isn't, there is no way he can escape from Kaecilius on his own. We may have to step in and help him."
Harry chuckled. "Don't worry. The only condition the Cloak of Levitation uses to choose a master is magical aptitude. Although Strange's aptitude is not as good as mine, he can definitely be recognized by the cloak."
Looking again at the projected scene of the New York Sanctum in front of them, sure enough, the moment Strange's fingertips were about to touch the cloak, it suddenly flew up like a living thing and spun rapidly through the air, stirring up a rushing wind.
Strange instinctively took a step back, staring warily at the strange scene.
The cloak circled him several times, then actually flew straight toward him. Strange subconsciously raised his arm to block it, but he did not expect the cloak to gently settle over his shoulders. Like an old friend reunited after a long separation, it affectionately rubbed against his neck.
Strange widened his eyes in surprise. He tried gently shaking his shoulder, and the cloak moved with him, showing no sign of slipping off.
He tried raising a hand to pull at it, but the cloak clung tightly to him, as if it had already become one with him.
Mordo looked at everything in front of him with envy. Clearly, the Cloak of Levitation had already acknowledged Strange.
The Cloak of Levitation was a powerful magical item. It could provide its user with strong defense and the ability to fly.
It could be said that after obtaining the Cloak of Levitation, Strange's strength had increased by at least fifty percent.
After receiving the Cloak of Levitation, Strange was clearly excited. However, he obviously still remembered the explosion from earlier and knew there might be danger nearby. After feeling out some of the cloak's functions, he continued exploring the New York Sanctum.
Soon, he arrived in a strange room containing dozens of different doors.
The scenery behind each door in the room was different. Some opened onto an endless ocean, some onto an ancient forest, and others onto a desolate desert.
Ever since Harry simplified the technology for stabilized portals, the cost had dropped drastically. As a result, Kamar-Taj had installed many doors leading to every corner of Earth. Among them, there were even doors leading to other planets and other dimensions.
After curiously examining those doors, Strange continued carefully exploring. Suddenly, he heard a continuous series of screams, so he cautiously moved in that direction.
Soon, he arrived in the main hall of the New York Sanctum. At this moment, the hall had already become a living hell.
Two groups of sorcerers from different factions were clashing inside the hall. One side was made up of Kamar-Taj sorcerers wearing fitted sorcerer robes. As for the other side, Strange knew who they were as well. They were Kamar-Taj's traitors, servants of the Dark Dimension led by Kaecilius.
By the time Strange arrived, the last Kamar-Taj sorcerer had also been killed by the traitors. Strange stared firmly at the traitor who had killed the final sorcerer, observing his appearance while quietly retreating.
The traitor was tall and thin, his frame gaunt. Beneath his black robe, his shoulder blades jutted out like raven wings, and when he moved, there was always a strange rhythm to him, as if his bones were slightly out of place.
Beneath his pale skin, blue veins bulged visibly. Especially when he cast magic, those veins glowed with purple-black curse patterns, writhing across his neck and the backs of his hands like living things.
His eye sockets were visibly sunken from his obsession with dark magic. His whites were filled with spiderweb-like blood vessels, and his pupils were eternal deep-purple spirals. He looked utterly evil.
Strange thought of what Mordo had told him about the traitors. Without a doubt, this was the leader of the traitors, Kaecilius!
With Kaecilius's perception, of course he noticed Strange immediately. He looked up at Strange standing above the stairs, observed him for a moment, then smiled.
"An unfamiliar face. I wonder how long you have stayed in Kamar-Taj?"
Strange's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the Eye of Agamotto in his pocket. He knew that if he wanted to escape successfully, he could only rely on the Eye of Agamotto to strengthen his magic and use the Cloak of Levitation to flee.
Otherwise, he would very likely be brutally killed by Kaecilius.
After hearing Kaecilius's question, Strange did not answer. Instead, he asked back, "You goddamn bastard, why did you kill them?"
Kaecilius's expression twisted savagely, and the purple-blue veins on his face bulged continuously. He sneered.
"Kill them? No. I am saving them! I redeemed their souls and allowed them to enter the Dark Dimension!
"They cling to outdated rules and use so-called justice to imprison the power of magic. They created countless useless restrictions. That is true evil!
"And Dormammu's power can bring eternity. In that eternity, there will no longer be any boundary between life and death. There will be no more disease, no more pain. That is true mercy!"
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