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Meanwhile, on Earth.
A high-level sorcerer named Kaecilius, after murdering the librarian, defected from Kamar-Taj with several other sorcerers.
The Sorcerer Supreme Gu Yi ordered her chosen successor, Sorcerer Stephen Strange, to pursue and capture them.
A church somewhere in London.
At this moment, the church that should have been sacred was filled with a murky aura of darkness.
In the center of the church, Kaecilius sat cross-legged, his eye sockets filled with eerie purple-black cracks. He placed an ancient parchment marked with red runes on the ground, and then began casting a spell along with several other sorcerers whose eyes bore the same purple-black marks.
In the next instant, starting from the location of the runic parchment, the ground began to move irregularly until the entire church was churning and rotating.
This was the ability to control material changes from the high-level magic 'Mirror Dimension'!
But the problem was... Kaecilius was not currently inside the Mirror Dimension!
In other words, he could now even influence the material changes of the real World!
One must know that this was a magical height that could never be reached through normal cultivation!
A look of joy appeared in Kaecilius's eyes, and his tone was somewhat excited: "As expected! The great Dormammu did not lie to me. The power of the Dark Dimension can indeed achieve those impossible things that hypocrite spoke of!"
"As long as I destroy Earth's Three Sanctums, the great Dormammu can help me resurrect my wife and daughter!"
Just as Kaecilius was pleasantly surprised that he had actually managed to change reality and was about to be reunited with his deceased family, a black-and-red portal suddenly opened in the church.
A thin figure draped in a dark red cloak floated out from within.
This person was, naturally, our half-Dark Strange, Sorcerer Stephen Strange!
As for why he was 'half-Dark'?
That was because since Christine's return, the darkness in Stephen's heart had been expelled; he no longer walked the path of extremes.
However, the Stephen of this Universe also had no intention of giving up practicing the forbidden arts he had read about in Ancient One's hidden collection.
With the Ancient One's tacit approval, he continued to cultivate these forbidden arts!
For example...
With his back to the light and his face obscured by shadow, the half-Dark Strange looked at the group with only his cold eyes: "So you're the ones who want to destroy Earth's Three Sanctums?"
Seeing that the newcomer was not the Ancient One, Kaecilius immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't take the arriving Strange seriously at all, his gaze indifferent:
"Are you the new disciple that hypocrite took in a while ago? Hmph! You can't be so naive as to think that with less than a year of cultivation, you can stop me—someone who has cultivated for years and has the blessing of the Dark Dimension's power?"
Hearing Kaecilius's contemptuous attitude toward him, not a single ripple of emotion appeared on the half-Dark Strange's face. He simply stated without feeling:
"Then you admit to your crimes. Now, representing the Spider Family's Superhuman Registration Act, I sentence you... to immediate execution!"
"Representing the Spider Family? Shouldn't it be Kamar-Taj?" Kaecilius couldn't help but be stunned upon hearing this.
But before he could get an answer, he witnessed a scene that made his pupils tremble with shock!
He saw several giant, octopus-like tentacles sprout from the body of Dark Strange, who was floating in mid-air, sweeping toward them!
Kaecilius was the most senior and strong enough, so he reacted immediately. Relying on the ability to control reality granted by the Dark Dimension's power, he manipulated the floor beneath his feet to move backward rapidly, dodging the incoming tentacles.
But his other accomplices weren't so lucky!
Their bodies were directly coiled by the sweeping tentacles, followed by a series of bone-crushing sounds and screams that made Kaecilius's scalp tingle!
Crack, crack, crack——————
"No, no, no, AAAAAHHH!"
However, these sounds lasted for less than two seconds before falling into a sudden silence!
Looking at the blood flowing down from the tentacles, how could Kaecilius not know that his companions were all dead!
Kaecilius looked at Strange, who was floating in mid-air with tentacles dancing all over him, exuding a Lovecraftian aura, and couldn't help but gasp!
Who the hell is the one who fell into darkness here?!
Is it me?
Why do I feel like it's freaking you!
Kaecilius, who was originally full of confidence and felt he could easily handle this little rookie, was now truly terrified. He unconsciously took a step back.
"Oh? You actually dodged it..."
The half-Dark Strange's emotionless eyes looked at Kaecilius as he said calmly, "You asked me just now why I represent the Spider Family, right?"
"Because according to the rules of Kamar-Taj, I would need to bring a traitor like you back to go through a series of tedious trial procedures, and in the end, you might not even be sentenced to immediate death..."
"But the Superhuman Criminal Act established by Spider Monarch, the leader of the Spider Family, is different. For a crime like yours, I can execute you right here on the spot!"
"So... Kaecilius, are you ready to face your death?"
As he finished speaking, Strange reached out his hand. His arm instantly transformed into a fire-breathing dragon amidst a twisted expansion, which also illuminated Strange's hideous and distorted face!
Whoosh————————
In just the blink of an eye, the black-and-red flames spewing from the dragon's mouth swept through the entire church!
When the flames dissipated from the church, nothing was left except for the half-Dark Strange and a few piles of charred bone ash on the ground.
Seeing this, Strange was not satisfied.
Because the amount of ash was wrong; one was missing!
And it was obvious who that missing one was...
Kaecilius had escaped!
"Tsk, what a pain! Wasting my date time with Christine!"
Strange said grumpily. He raised his wrist and pressed a button on the bracelet he was wearing. The next moment, a red holographic projection was cast from the bracelet.
Strange said calmly:
"Ultron, put Kaecilius on your Level 1 system surveillance list. Scan and search 24 hours a day without interruption. Notify me immediately if there is any trace of him!"
[Understood, Sorcerer Strange. His facial profile has been entered into the Level 1 surveillance list.]
Hearing Ultron's response, Strange finally smiled with satisfaction.
My seniority in magic isn't as high as yours?
But not only am I taking a shortcut, I'm also dual-cultivating magic + Technology. How can you compete with me, kid!
You can run for a moment, but in this modern age full of cameras, can you run for a lifetime?
With Ultron, the moment you show your face, you're finished!
With Ultron helping to find the man, Strange finally had time to go to that date of his that had been delayed for a year.
With a wave of his hand, amidst the sparks of magic, his sorcerer's robes transformed into a neat suit, and then he opened a portal...