Mavuika walked to her side. "Tonight?"
The Ancient One nodded. "Tonight."
Mavuika flexed his wrists. "Finally, I can stretch my limbs a bit."
The Ancient One glanced at him. "Your Highness, aren't you nervous?"
Mavuika smiled. "Nervous? I'm more excited than anything."
The Ancient One sighed softly. "You really haven't fought in a long time."
Mavuika nodded. "I feel like my body is about to rust."
Night fell.
In the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One opened a massive Portal.
On the other side of the gate was the night view of Hong Kong, with towering buildings, flashing neon lights, and a constant flow of traffic.
But the streets around the Sanctum were already deserted; Mordo had evacuated all the residents in advance.
Ancient One, Mavuika, Loki, Wanda, Pietro, and Strange—the group stepped through the Portal and onto the soil of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Sanctum was located on a quiet street in the city center; its appearance was that of an ancient Western-style building, completely at odds with the surrounding skyscrapers.
The outer walls of the Sanctum were covered in Protective Runes that glowed with a faint blue light in the night.
Mordo stood at the entrance of the Sanctum; seeing the Ancient One, he walked forward quickly to meet them.
"Master, Kaecilius and his Followers have entered Hong Kong. They are approaching the Sanctum and are expected to arrive in ten minutes."
The Ancient One nodded. "Is the evacuation complete?"
Mordo nodded. "The residents of the three surrounding streets have been evacuated without causing much of a stir. We used a little magic to make them think it was a drill."
The Ancient One nodded with satisfaction. "Good. All of you retreat inside the Sanctum. Do not come out without my command."
Mordo was stunned for a moment. "Master, we can help—"
The Ancient One raised her hand to interrupt him. "Mordo, this time is different. Kaecilius is opening the gate to the Dark Dimension. That is not something you can handle."
Mordo opened his mouth to say something, but seeing the Ancient One's gaze, he swallowed his words.
"Yes, Master."
He turned and led Strange and the other sorcerers into the Sanctum.
As Strange reached the door, he stopped and looked back at the Ancient One.
"Sorcerer Ancient One," he said, "you... will come back, right?"
The Ancient One looked at him and smiled gently. "Of course. I haven't taught you the trick to opening Portals yet."
Strange glanced at her, then turned and walked into the Sanctum.
On the street, only the Ancient One, Mavuika, Loki, Wanda, and Pietro remained.
Loki stood beside the Ancient One, arms crossed over his chest. "Sorcerer, what do you need me to do?"
The Ancient One thought for a moment. "Protect the Sanctum. Don't let those Dark Sorcerers rush in; the young sorcerers inside still need time."
Loki nodded. "Leave it to me."
Wanda walked up to Mavuika. "I can help, too."
Mavuika looked at her, nodded, and smiled. "Good."
Wanda nodded.
In the distance, at the end of the street, dark figures appeared.
Kaecilius.
He wore dark-colored robes, his eye sockets were sunken and pitch black, and his entire body was shrouded in black energy.
Behind him followed a dozen Followers with similarly blackened eyes; they were like a group of ghouls crawling out of hell, walking toward the Sanctum with shuffling steps.
Kaecilius stopped and looked at the Ancient One, a twisted smile curling on his lips.
"Master, you've come."
The Ancient One looked at him, her eyes filled with regret and helplessness.
"Kaecilius, turn back. Dormammu is lying to you."
Kaecilius's smile remained unchanged.
"Lying to me? He gave me power, he gave me truth, and he gave me the hope of eternal life. And you? What did you give me?"
The Ancient One remained silent.
Kaecilius continued, "You can't stop it, Master. Dormammu will eventually descend. This World needs change, needs to be reshaped, and I will be the one to reshape it."
The Ancient One sighed softly. "You've changed."
Kaecilius laughed. "It's not that I've changed, it's that you cannot see clearly."
He spread his arms, and black energy surged from his body, Swirling in all directions like a tide.
The Followers also released their energy simultaneously. Black mist filled the air, corroding everything on the street—streetlights rusted, walls peeled, and the ground cracked.
The Ancient One stood her ground, unmoving.
She took one last look at Kaecilius and then shook her head gently.
"You may go," she said.
Kaecilius was taken aback. "What?"
The Ancient One didn't answer. She turned her back to Kaecilius and walked toward the Sanctum.
Kaecilius watched her back, the smile on his face slowly fading, and then he laughed—a laugh filled with madness and resolve.
"Fine. If you won't stop me, I'll do it myself."
He turned to face his Followers.
"Sacrifice!"
The Followers knelt in unison, arms crossed over their chests. Black energy surged from their bodies and converged onto Kaecilius.
Kaecilius's body began to swell, his skin cracking to reveal black, lava-like patterns beneath.
The Ancient One stopped but did not look back.
Mavuika stood not far away, watching the scene with a slight frown. "What is he doing?"
The Ancient One's voice was very soft. "He is sacrificing his own Followers, using their life energy to open the gate to the Dark Dimension."
Mavuika's hand tightened slightly. "You're not going to stop him?"
The Ancient One shook her head. "I can't stop him. His resolve has reached this point, and—"
She paused.
"If he doesn't open the gate this way, Dormammu will find another. Rather than letting him hide in the shadows, it's better for him to open it here. At least we know where the gate is."
Mavuika glanced at the Ancient One. "You're surprisingly open-minded."
The Ancient One gave a bitter smile. "What else can I be?"
Kaecilius's body had swollen to its limit. His skin tore open completely, revealing a mass of black, writhing energy. He opened his mouth and let out an inhuman roar.
Then, the sky split open.
It wasn't the clouds that split, but space itself. A massive black rift appeared above the Hong Kong Sanctum, its edges Burning with dark red flames, and its depths were a void—a pure darkness where nothing existed.
The Dark Dimension.
Dormammu's domain.
Black mist began to pour from the rift, bone-chilling and carrying a suffocating and hopeless aura.
The Ancient One finally turned to look at the rift.
"It's here," she whispered.
Mavuika walked to her side and looked up at the rift. There was no fear in his eyes, only a calm, scrutinizing light.
"This is the Dark Dimension?"
The Ancient One nodded. "Dormammu's domain. There, he is the ruler."
Mavuika nodded. "Then we shall make that our battlefield."