Upon returning to Hogwarts, a shadow suddenly appeared before Kaecilius. It revealed a slightly weary Selene, who spoke directly to Kaecilius with urgency, "Kaecilius, is the Headmaster not ready to return yet? This time Hogwarts faces a formidable enemy. This small force will not be enough to handle them all."
Hearing Selene's words, Kaecilius glanced at his own forces who were fighting Thanos's soldiers. They were fighting to a standstill but were generally at a disadvantage against the overwhelming numbers. He immediately said to Selene, "It will be alright. Even if Headmaster Sebastian does not return immediately, I can still activate Hogwarts's defenses."
With those words, Kaecilius turned toward Hogwarts Castle. He raised his wand high and shouted with authority, "Sentinels, deploy for combat!"
Whoosh!
The tip of Kaecilius's wand glowed brightly. Simultaneously, the two Primal Sentinels atop Hogwarts Castle activated with mechanical precision. They soared into the sky with incredible speed.
Following closely behind them, twenty ordinary Sentinels emerged from a hidden location deep within Hogwarts Castle. They joined the two Primal Sentinels and charged directly towards Thanos's invading army. For Thanos's forces, these Sentinels were extremely powerful weapons that were difficult to deal with. The moment the two sides clashed, the twenty-two Sentinels functioned like a meat grinder. They rapidly killed Thanos's soldiers and significantly reduced the pressure on those defending inside Hogwarts.
Eric Lehnsherr flipped his hand with practiced ease. The metal weapons held by Thanos's soldiers twisted and contorted into deadly spears. They flew toward the remaining soldiers and instantly annihilated an entire group.
But at that precise moment, Wolverine Logan suddenly appeared in front of Eric. The next second, a blazing energy blast from one of Thanos's weapons struck Logan directly. It blasted him away, sending him crashing into debris behind him. Except for a few internal organs and pieces of flesh, most of his body was charred and scattered. Only his adamantium skeleton remained intact and gleaming.
Sizzle sizzle...
The remaining flesh and internal organs regenerated rapidly with horrifying speed. Logan quickly returned to his original form. Grinning through the pain, he said to Eric, "Be careful out here. If that attack had landed on you, you would probably be ashes by now."
Nodding gratefully to Logan, Eric focused intently once again. He maneuvered the metal weapons scattered across the battlefield to attack the invading enemy forces with devastating precision.
At that moment, without his protective helmet on, Eric suddenly heard Charles Xavier's voice echoing in his mind through telepathy.
"Eric, did you see that?"
"You mean those Sentinels?" Eric responded mentally.
"That is correct. Once our mortal enemies, they have now become our vital force in this battle. I have never felt so grateful for the Sentinels' strength before this moment," Charles said.
Glancing at the battlefield situation, Eric nodded and said mentally, "The Sentinels are powerful, but not invincible against Thanos's forces. Let us maximize our gains while the Sentinels are still relatively intact! I just hope our efforts will succeed in the end. If Sebastian fails in his plan, then all our efforts will have been in vain."
At the same time, Sebastian, whom Eric was discussing, was watching the Dark Dimension surge downward. He was waiting patiently for the person he had been expecting. He was also controlling his Patronus, which had transformed into a giant silver phoenix. It protected the civilians in the city below from the Dark Dimension's corrupting invasion.
When the silver phoenix once again dissipated some of the dark power emanating from the Dark Dimension, Sebastian finally saw the person he had been waiting for.
Agamotto!
This was a being whose race was indistinguishable. He had deep-set features and the skin and hair color of a person of East Asian descent. He wore a magnificent red robe that seemed to shimmer with mystical power. His body emanated an extraordinarily powerful magical force that even Sebastian found genuinely awe-inspiring.
This was Agamotto, the youngest member of the Vishanti Trinity and the First Sorcerer Supreme of Earth.
"Sebastian, you are clearly capable of wielding such excellent and powerful white magic. So why do you insist on reversing fate and interfering with the predetermined workings of this world?" Agamotto asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity.
"Agamotto, what this world should become is not up to you alone to decide. Perhaps this world was always meant to be the way it is now," Sebastian replied calmly.
Slowly shaking his head with what appeared to be disappointment, Agamotto looked at Sebastian and spoke again, "I have always been benevolent toward humans throughout the ages. So I do not mind that you helped the Ancient One escape from our binding contract. I can also give you one final chance to come under our guidance and control. Relinquish the power that makes you so restless and dangerous. You can retain your current strength and gain true immortality. This is your last chance to accept our mercy."
"Benevolent toward humans? Like a human seeing a cute stray cat or dog on the roadside and deciding to keep it? I do not know if other humans would need this kind of condescending benevolence, but I certainly do not," Sebastian said firmly.
The moment he finished speaking, Sebastian suddenly waved his wand with decisive authority. The silver phoenix in the sky instantly dissipated. It turned into white mist that fell and swirled around Sebastian before vanishing without a trace into his being.
Without the protection of the Patronus, the corrupting power emanating from the Dark Dimension surged toward the city below once more with renewed intensity.
Seeing this abandonment of the civilians, Agamotto sighed deeply and said, "That is truly a pity for those innocent lives."
Although he said these words, Agamotto did not immediately attack Sebastian. Or rather, he could not attack Sebastian directly. Moreover, his current primary task was to join Oshtur and Hoggoth in confronting Dormammu's attempted descent as the united Vishanti. They would force Dormammu back to his Dark Dimension. As for dealing with Sebastian, others would naturally handle that matter!
Boom!
A beam of brilliant light descended from mid-air with tremendous force. Thanos appeared on the street not far from Sebastian. He now held a Double-Edged Sword that was vastly different from his previous weapon. Its blade gleamed with a cold metallic light and exuded a palpable sense of destruction. Clearly, this was a cosmic treasure-level weapon. It was more than enough to avoid the embarrassment of his previous weapon being destroyed by Sebastian's magic.
Seeing Thanos arrive exactly as expected, Sebastian was not surprised in the slightest. With his left hand, he pulled the Time-Turner resembling a silver pocket watch from an inner pocket of his robes. His right hand gripped his wand firmly. He said to Thanos, "You have a new sword, and I have some new tricks prepared. Unfortunately, I cannot hold you off for very long. Let us finish this quickly."
"Quickly... if you can actually manage that," Thanos said with cold confidence.
With those words, Thanos immediately charged toward Sebastian with his sword raised for a devastating strike.
But at that precise moment, Thanos suddenly felt his surroundings and himself turn black and white like a photograph. Only Sebastian, who had somehow raised his wand, remained in vibrant colors. Simultaneously, Thanos saw a ghastly green light strike his chest with tremendous force. It sent him flying backward, crashing through a building and burying him under the rubble.
Bang!
Thanos burst from the ruins with explosive force. His body was ablaze with black flames from the Dark Phoenix Authority. The Killing Curse from before had been neutralized by the power of the Dark Phoenix Authority. However, Thanos could clearly sense that even the Dark Phoenix Authority could not withstand it completely unscathed. The Dark Phoenix Authority, which had taken the Killing Curse in Thanos's place, had been weakened by more than ten percent of its total power.
Sebastian's speed had been completely abnormal. Thanos had not seen how Sebastian raised his hand or cast the spell. By the time he reacted, he was already struck by Sebastian's magic. Thanos correctly guessed that this was a new ability Sebastian had mastered or one he had not used before. It was likely closely related to the silver Time-Turner he held in his left hand.
"Since that is the case, then I will make absolutely sure you cannot cast any magic on me!" Thanos thought with determination.
With that thought, Thanos's body suddenly exploded with countless jet-black flames. They rapidly spread and rose outward in all directions. They instantly enveloped Sebastian from all sides and surged toward his body with overwhelming force.
But at that moment, Sebastian suddenly pressed the silver Time-Turner twice in quick succession. In an instant, the black flames vanished completely. They revealed Thanos's figure, who had been hidden within them. Thanos's body froze completely in mid-air. The space around him also stopped entirely.
Sebastian raised his wand with practiced precision and cast the spell on Thanos once again.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Whoosh!
Bang!
Thanos was sent flying again with tremendous force. He stared at Sebastian in complete disbelief. Just like before, by the time he reacted to what had happened, he had already been hit by Sebastian's devastating attack. This time, the Dark Phoenix Authority had consumed even more of its energy to defend against the Killing Curse. After two or three more attacks like this, it would not be enough to stop the deadly spell completely.
Slowly rising from the ground, Thanos looked at Sebastian with new understanding. Then he looked at the silver Time-Turner in Sebastian's left hand. Suddenly, something important occurred to him. He said in a low voice to Sebastian, "Time manipulation?"
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