No other cost?
Mordo and the apprentices were filled with doubt.
They wanted to dismiss it, but Stephen Strange's actions were undeniable.
Could there be a hidden price they weren't aware of?
Or was the deity simply luring Strange in with temporary benefits?
These thoughts were all they could muster to reconcile what they had witnessed. Otherwise, if it were true…
As they wrestled with their skepticism, Stephen Strange spoke again, turning to Mordo. "Providing faith alone to gain the power of a dimensional deity… I don't see an issue with that."
"Even the Ancient One draws energy from the Dark Dimension. If I can gain this power by simply offering my faith, how is that any worse?"
Mordo froze at Strange's words.
He had nearly forgotten this uncomfortable truth.
However, since the Ancient One was still alive, and Mordo had never seen the Dormammu mark on her forehead during battle, he couldn't confirm his suspicions.
In his heart, the image of the Ancient One remained unshattered.
Mordo gritted his teeth and said, "One day, you'll regret this."
"I won't," Stephen Strange replied, shaking his head as he dispelled the Form of Ikonn and the energy whips, releasing Mordo.
Then, Strange turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Mordo frowned. He suddenly felt the need to bring Strange before the Ancient One.
Without thinking further, Mordo instinctively swung his staff, the artifact of the Staff of the Living Tribunal, attempting to stop Strange by force.
Whoosh!
The sound of wind howled sharply.
Sensing danger, Strange instinctively channeled the remaining divine energy granted by the deity and cast one final spell.
A flash of radiant golden light appeared—a golden staff that seemed vaguely familiar collided with Mordo's dark artifact.
Boom!
To the astonishment of Mordo and the onlooking apprentices, the moment the two weapons clashed, Mordo's staff was cleaved cleanly in two.
Mordo stared in disbelief at the broken staff in his hands and the golden staff in Strange's grip.
"This… is the Staff of the Living Tribunal?"
"You managed to summon it without an artifact? How?"
"And how can your spell be stronger than mine, even with my artifact?"
Mordo sensed the divine energy radiating from Strange's golden staff and suddenly realized the truth.
Strange had used the deity's divine power to enhance his magic.
Was this why it felt so different?
It was just like Kaecilius back then…
Looking at Strange from a distance, Mordo was left speechless, his emotions a mix of shock and inner turmoil.
Even in his own heart, he felt the faint stirrings of temptation.
Faith in this mysterious dimensional deity could grant such overwhelming power?
As Strange departed, leaving the apprentices and Mordo behind, Mordo couldn't resist heading directly to the Ancient One.
When he arrived at her chamber, he recounted everything in detail.
The Ancient One listened, her expression momentarily still.
"So, the future has shifted once more…"
She sighed softly and said, "Let things take their course."
"This is Strange's choice. All I can do is guide him."
Mordo was incredulous. "Supreme One, we're just going to let this happen? Strange…!"
The Ancient One shook her head.
Mordo fell into silence, questioning whether he had misunderstood everything and whether his decisions had been wrong.
If even the Ancient One didn't see this as an issue, why was he so insistent?
Perhaps… he too could try placing his faith in this deity?
The thought lingered in Mordo's mind.
...
Time passed.
Under Syd's watchful gaze, a few apprentices discreetly sought out Kaecilius.
This didn't surprise him.
What did catch him off guard, however, was the appearance of Wanda, Pietro, and Stan, led into Kamar-Taj by a mage.
Syd was startled to see them arrive so soon; he had expected it would take them several more days to reach Kamar-Taj.
Using the power of the Mind Stone, Syd delved into the mage's memories and understood what had happened.
It turned out that Wanda and her companions had encountered this mage en route, who brought them directly to Kamar-Taj.
Their arrival quickly drew the attention of the other mages, particularly Kaecilius, who gave them a curious glance.
Perhaps these three could also become followers of the Master?
Seizing an opportunity, Kaecilius approached Wanda and Pietro in private, explaining the difficulties of mastering magic and the benefits of becoming a follower of the deity.
After his pitch, Kaecilius left.
Wanda and Pietro exchanged words, and finally, Pietro hesitated. "Do we really have to do this?"
Wanda nodded firmly. "If we don't, how else will we defeat Tony Stark?"
According to the mage who brought them here, mastering magic required significant time—time Wanda couldn't afford. She wanted her revenge on Stark as quickly as possible.
With the deity's power, they could achieve that vengeance sooner.
Pietro fell silent, unable to refute her logic.
That very night, the siblings sought out Kaecilius and asked him to teach them.
Kaecilius didn't refuse and immediately began teaching them how to pray.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner, Syd turned his attention elsewhere.
He retrieved a black stone from his spatial ring.
"I wonder, what vision of death will I face this time?"
"Will it be the true form of an Old God, or Arishem the Judge of the Celestials?"
"Or perhaps something else?"
With these thoughts, Syd gripped the Power Stone in one hand while channeling energy into the black stone in the other.
Soon, a familiar ripple of energy emerged.
Without resisting the ripple, Syd's vision blurred, and a scene unfolded before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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The dark void of space.
The blue Earth.
A massive, fiery red giant loomed over the planet, gazing down with an overwhelming presence.
Satellites turned their lenses toward the figure, and countless humans on Earth watched in horror.
"Arishem the Judge… again?"
Seeing this scene, Syd surprisingly felt a sense of relief.
Compared to facing an unknown entity or the true form of an Old God, Arishem at least was familiar—his abilities were well-documented and understood.
If it were an Old God's true form, who could predict the extent of its power?
As this thought passed, Syd's attention returned to the Celestial Judge before him.
"Why would this Judge come to Earth just to eliminate me?" he murmured, his mind swirling with questions.
After pondering for a moment, Syd whispered, "Could it be because of the sleeping Celestial, Tiamut, in Earth's core? Does he see me as a threat to Tiamut's emergence?"
He delved deeper into his memories of the Celestials.
According to legend, every billion years, a new Celestial must be born to maintain the balance of energy in the universe.
Arishem the Judge would scatter the seeds of the Celestials across the cosmos, embedding them within various life-bearing planets—like Earth.
The choice of life-bearing planets wasn't random. The birth of a Celestial required vast amounts of energy derived from intelligent life.
To ensure the proliferation of such life, Arishem even created the Eternals, superpowered humanoids tasked with protecting humanity and fostering its growth.
Once the population of intelligent life reached a critical mass, the Celestial seed, slumbering within the planet's core—Tiamut—would begin to absorb the life force of all beings on the planet, including the Eternals, to fuel its birth.
This process, known as the Emergence, would result in the planet's destruction—an unavoidable sacrifice akin to a chick breaking free from its shell.
In simple terms, Tiamut's birth would come at the cost of all life on Earth.
And, unfortunately, the billions of humans currently on Earth meant the conditions for Tiamut's emergence had been met.
Syd was acutely aware that the planet's destruction was inevitable.
He couldn't be certain whether he would survive the cataclysm.
In a twisted sense, Thanos' snap, which halved Earth's population, had delayed Tiamut's emergence…
Syd suspected that Arishem was here either to prevent him from interfering with Tiamut's birth or because Arishem had discovered his presence while inspecting Earth and decided to eliminate him for reasons unknown.
As these thoughts churned, Syd refocused on Arishem.
Before long, he saw himself in the vision, clad in white and standing in Earth's orbit, staring down the Celestial Judge.
This time, there was a noticeable difference—he was holding something in his hand.
"The Space Stone…" Syd mused.
A flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.
"Can I resist Arishem with the Space Stone's power?"
As before, Arishem wasted no time. A familiar red energy beam shot from his fist, illuminating the void.
Before the attack could strike, the white-clad version of Syd in the vision cast Divine Speech and activated Sunshine.
"Light!"
In an instant, the boundless light of the sun converged in the vacuum of space.
The brilliance of Divine Speech combined with Sunshine to meet the red energy beam head-on.
The collision lit up the void with violent flashes of platinum and crimson light.
Within moments, the platinum brilliance overwhelmed the red beam, completely annihilating it.
Arishem stared in astonishment as the platinum light bathed his colossal form.
A mere being from Earth possessing such power? Enough to nullify his energy beam entirely?
Arishem was shocked.
Though the attack had been casual, it was still unfathomable for a planetary life form to neutralize it.
Moreover, he sensed something peculiar—the red energy beam had not merely been neutralized; it seemed to have been wholly eradicated, converted into… nothingness.
Confusion flickered across Arishem's expression.
While Arishem pondered, Syd watched the vision, his expression calm and unsurprised.
The last time he faced Arishem, several of his abilities hadn't reached Level 5. Now, significantly stronger, he could erase the red energy beam with ease, even without the Space Stone's aid.
However, defeating Arishem was another matter entirely.
As expected, the platinum light touched Arishem's form but was halted by an invisible barrier.
Previously, the light had quickly dissipated upon encountering this barrier. This time…
Syd's eyes gleamed with expectation.
Infused with nearly all the divine light energy in his body, Sunshine and the Divine Speech light rapidly began to break down Arishem's barrier.
But halfway through the process, Syd frowned.
The barrier's decay had slowed to an imperceptible crawl, barely making a difference.
"How is this possible?"
Arishem's power was staggering. Even with multiple Level 5 abilities, Syd couldn't fully breach the barrier.
The light began to wane, signaling that his divine energy was nearly exhausted.
Then, Arishem's deep, resonant voice echoed.
"An Asgardian god?"
The astonishment in his tone was evident.
It was clear that Arishem had recognized something.
Before the vision's Syd could respond, Arishem continued coldly, "Asgardian god. Your existence hinders me."
Three golden rings abruptly materialized around Syd, binding him and restricting his movements.
"Your power is insufficient."
Arishem's tone carried a dismissive air, as if even an Asgardian god was insignificant to him.
The fading brilliance of the light confirmed his judgment.
Though this being's strength was surprising, it was ultimately limited.
The next moment, Arishem unleashed a terrifying energy beam, spanning kilometers, directly toward the immobilized Syd.
After one last glance at Syd, Arishem's massive form began to shimmer, preparing to leave.
In Arishem's mind, this Asgardian god was as good as dead.
(End of Chapter)
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