Kaecilius grew even more excited. He spread his arms, and the purple light in his eyes became even more dazzling, like two blazing clusters of evil fire.
"Look at these rotten guardians. They believe themselves righteous, using their cowardly lives to protect this tottering order built on lies. In truth, they are the real evil. They are the enemies stopping us from stepping into immortality!
"Strange, you have only just arrived. You still haven't seen the true nature of this world. Before Dormammu's Dark Dimension, Kamar-Taj's protection is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a car.
"What I am doing is guiding everyone toward liberation, freeing them from the shackles of time and death.
"Their sacrifices were a necessary price. Come, join us. Together, we will achieve the eternal ascension of life!"
As the first choice for Sorcerer Supreme favored by both the Ancient One and Harry, Strange naturally was not bewitched by Kaecilius. He firmly raised his trembling hands, and stable red Rings of Raggadorr appeared in front of his palms.
Although there was fear in his heart, although he was afraid, he was just as determined.
"I've seen death, in operating rooms, in intensive care units. But true fear isn't losing your life. It's losing the right to choose.
"You say Kamar-Taj built order with lies? At least they allow people to choose life, choose death, choose to block a fatal spell for someone else, choose to resist evil, and help people create a safe world.
"And you? You want to take even choice away. You want to turn everyone into living sacrifices stuck between Dormammu's teeth!
"So I will never join you. Besides, do you really think Dormammu is a match for the Sorcerer Supreme?
"If he truly could defeat the Sorcerer Supreme, why wouldn't he just destroy Earth directly? Why does he need to use you as pawns to destroy the protection of the three Sanctums?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Kaecilius fell completely silent.
To be honest, even he did not believe Dormammu was Harry Potter's opponent.
However, his goal was not to defeat Harry. It was to defeat Kamar-Taj. Those were two entirely different concepts.
To defeat Harry, one would have to face him when he lost control. In that state, even Dormammu probably could not defeat him.
But to defeat Kamar-Taj, all they needed to do was destroy the three Sanctums. On Earth, Harry would not enter his out-of-control state at every little thing. And with Dormammu's blessing, Kaecilius's power had already stepped into the Skyfather-level domain, so there was a very high chance that he could destroy the three Sanctums.
Very quickly, Kaecilius regained his composure. The dark lines around his eyes spread outward once again, and he snarled with a savage grin.
"Strange, you will regret this. When you welcome death amid the ruins of your rules, you will understand that your so-called protection is nothing more than a joke!
"Go. Kill him!"
Kaecilius waved his hand, signaling his underlings to charge.
A tall man rushed out from behind Kaecilius. His hands moved rapidly, and a mass of thick black energy gathered in his palms. It was like a small black hole about to erupt, devouring the surrounding light.
"So you're the new rookie sorcerer?" he mocked. "Today, you'll regret ever stepping into this place."
Strange took a deep breath and worked hard to calm himself, rapidly recalling all the magical knowledge he had learned in Kamar-Taj.
He raised his right hand, muttering words under his breath as he tried to summon a shield.
However, because he was nervous, his incantation stumbled. The shield had only just formed before it began to sway unsteadily.
Seeing this, the follower sneered and violently hurled the black energy sphere in his hand toward Strange.
Strange could not dodge in time. The energy sphere grazed his arm, and a sharp pain immediately surged through him. His sleeve was burned, revealing a patch of charred skin.
But Strange did not retreat. He gritted his teeth and focused his mind again, his left hand drawing rapidly through the air to form a complex golden rune.
The rune flashed with dazzling light and instantly transformed into a golden longsword. The hilt automatically fell into his hand.
The Sacred Sword of Vishanti!
He swung the Sacred Sword of Vishanti and charged toward the follower. The blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
The follower clearly had not expected Strange to be so reckless and charge straight at him. In his haste, the follower summoned a shield formed from dark magic to block.
The longsword struck the shield, sending countless golden and black sparks flying. The collision of magical energy triggered a violent tremor, shaking the surrounding bookshelves and scattering books all over the floor.
At this moment, two other followers surrounded him. Each held a dagger that gave off an eerie light, with purple venom flowing along the blades.
One of them moved nimbly, circling behind Strange like a ghost. His dagger stabbed straight toward Strange's back.
Strange sensed the danger behind him. At the critical moment, the Cloak of Levitation suddenly unfolded and wrapped around him like a pair of wings. The dagger struck the cloak, but only left an insignificant scratch.
Strange seized the opportunity to turn around and forced the follower back with his sword.
The other follower seized the opening, pressed his hands together, and chanted an ancient spell.
The ground suddenly cracked open. Countless black vines crawled out of the cracks and rapidly wound toward Strange.
Strange jumped to dodge the vines' attacks while searching for a flaw in the spell.
Finally, he found an opportunity. He concentrated his magic and, just as the vines were about to wrap around him, used the longsword to cut through the nearest few vines.
Amazingly, as those vines were severed, the rest of the vines withered one after another, turning into black powder that scattered into the air.
The follower who had cast the vine magic saw that the situation was bad and tried to flee.
How could Strange possibly let him go? He pointed his longsword at the sky and summoned a bolt of lightning. The lightning was like a silver dragon, charging straight toward that follower.
Before the follower could react, he was struck by the lightning. He let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
After taking care of that follower, Strange turned back and discovered that the follower he had been confronting head-on was using his distraction to prepare a sneak attack.
Strange quickly swung his longsword sideways and blocked the incoming dark dagger.
The two remained locked in a stalemate. Magical energy surged wildly between them.
Strange's forehead was covered in sweat, but his eyes were incomparably firm.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind, and he thought of a new combination of spells.
He concentrated his magic into the longsword while chanting an incantation. The blade began burning with golden flames, and the flames instantly spread onto the follower's dagger, gradually devouring its dark magic.
The follower looked at the scene in terror and tried to break free, but it was already too late. With a roar, Strange pushed hard and knocked the follower flying. He slammed heavily into the wall and fell unconscious.
At this moment, the hall was filled with smoke left behind by dissipating magical energy. Strange panted heavily, looking at the mess around him as complicated emotions surged in his heart.
This was his first true battle after becoming a sorcerer. Although it had been difficult, he had successfully protected himself.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Strange was drawn by the sudden sound of applause. He abruptly turned to look, and sure enough, it was Kaecilius.
Although his subordinates had been defeated by Strange, Kaecilius showed no trace of frustration. These subordinates had originally been low-ranking sorcerers in Kamar-Taj. Because they were dissatisfied with reality, he had been able to bewitch them into converting to Dormammu.
If that were not the case, how could they possibly have betrayed Kamar-Taj, which had been getting better and better after Harry Potter became Sorcerer Supreme?
Even after Dormammu's enhancement, these sorcerers' strength was only barely above average among Kamar-Taj's many sorcerers. Compared to Kaecilius, who had originally been a top-tier sorcerer, the gap was still enormous, not to mention that Kaecilius had also been enhanced.
Kaecilius walked toward Strange unhurriedly. During this process, one purple curse after another gradually slithered around him like poisonous snakes.
Once the purple runes reached a certain number, Kaecilius raised his hand and waved lightly. A large number of purple runes turned into streams of light and rushed toward Strange.
The runes struck the golden shield Strange had just condensed, and the shield shattered inch by inch like fragile glass.
Strange was hit by the immense power contained in the runes. He staggered back again and again until his back slammed heavily into a mottled stone pillar in the New York Sanctum. His entire body felt as if there was not a single spot that did not hurt.
"You are too naive, and just as weak, Dr. Strange." Kaecilius slowly approached. He moved his palm, and the dark energy churning in it transformed into countless tentacles. They pierced through the new magical barrier Strange had summoned and wrapped fiercely around his neck.
Strange struggled violently from suffocation. The Cloak of Levitation flapped frantically, trying to tear the tentacles apart. But the moment it touched the dark energy, its edges were burned with charred holes. Strange had been captured from every direction by Kaecilius and could not resist in the slightest.
Kaecilius condensed a transparent energy blade in his hand and aimed it at Strange's head, grinning viciously.
"It's all over, Dr. Strange!"
The next moment, he stabbed down violently.
Strange looked in despair as the energy blade gradually approached the space between his eyebrows. Memories from the past flashed rapidly through his mind.
So it was true after all. People often said that before death, your life would flash before your eyes.
In only an instant, he thought of his many regrets from before. How restrained he had been with his feelings. How arrogant he had been toward his colleagues. How cold he had been toward his patients. And so many other things.
Strange was not ready to face death, but clearly, he had no choice in the matter.
However, just as Strange's head was about to be pierced by the spatial blade, a golden diamond-shaped shield suddenly appeared in front of his brow and blocked the attack.
Kaecilius froze. He changed direction and attacked Strange from another angle, but no matter where he attacked from, the same golden shield would block him.
The golden shield was only the size of a fingertip, but it was like a towering mountain, firmly keeping him outside.
Kaecilius stared darkly at Strange. From the confusion in Strange's eyes, he knew this was not Strange's doing.
Then the current situation was already very clear. The Sorcerer Supreme, Harry Potter, had been watching this place the entire time.
Now, he had finally acted!
The moment Harry acted, Kaecilius realized that his operation had already failed. However, he did not give up. He tried to draw Harry out, so he set Strange aside, looked around, and roared, "Harry Potter, I know you're here. Come out!"
As he wished, Harry stepped out from a portal that opened in an instant. He looked over the scene before him with some helplessness.
He snapped his fingers, and the damaged New York Sanctum was instantly repaired. Only then did he look at Kaecilius, somewhat disappointed.
"Kaecilius, you're not a very good actor."
Kaecilius immediately understood a great deal from Harry's words. He looked at Harry in disbelief and roared, "You actually used me as a whetstone to train this newcomer! Even now, are you still this arrogant?"
Harry shook his head and added, "Yes, I did indeed use you to train him. But I was not arrogant. In order to use you as an Alchemical stone, I made a great deal of preparation."
The ominous feeling in Kaecilius's heart suddenly reached its peak. He questioned him sharply, "No. What exactly did you do?"
Harry pointed at Kaecilius's forehead and deep-purple eye sockets, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.
Kaecilius recalled the anomaly he had discovered when he summoned Dormammu in that remote church. His body suddenly stiffened. He took a step back and muttered to himself, "No. That's impossible. The one I contacted was Dormammu. It absolutely couldn't have been you!"
But then the mass of higher-dimensional dark magic that appeared in Harry's hand completely shattered the last trace of hope in Kaecilius's heart. Unwilling, he cursed furiously.
"So all of this was your game. You were the one who let me steal those two pages. You were the one who pretended to be Dormammu and contacted me. You were the one who ordered me to destroy the three Sanctums!
"Even the sorcerers from before didn't actually die, did they? All of that was an illusion you showed me. I was nothing more than an Alchemical stone, an Alchemical stone used to help Strange grow as quickly as possible!
"Then what is your real goal? You spent so much effort. It can't be just because you wanted an excellent sorcerer, can it?!"
Harry reached into the arms of Strange, who was frozen in place, and took out the Time Stone. Smiling, he answered, "My goal is very simple. I just want to retire as soon as possible. As the sorcerer in Kamar-Taj whose talent is second only to mine, Strange has the potential to become the next Sorcerer Supreme!"
"Wait, didn't you say my talent was above yours?" At that moment, Strange finally came back to his senses and asked in confusion.
"Uh… looks like I let that slip. But don't worry. I'll restart time immediately, and you'll forget about this very soon.
"Do your best, Strange. Try to defeat Kaecilius in the next loop!"
Harry snapped his fingers again. A dazzling green light spread rapidly outward from him, reversing the surrounding time.
"No!" Kaecilius tried to struggle. He knew he had already become Harry Potter's tool, and he absolutely did not want to return to the past, lose his current memories, and become an unwitting pawn used by Harry Potter.
But clearly, he had no choice either. The time around them still began reversing with irresistible force.
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