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After pondering for a moment, Syd glanced at the still-active mirror dimension, then turned his gaze to Kaecilius and said, "Dismiss the mirror dimension."
Kaecilius and the other sorcerers, who were already anxious, were momentarily stunned by this command.
How did he know about the mirror dimension?
How could an ordinary person know about such a thing?
For a moment, Kaecilius and his companions stared at Syd with surprise and suspicion.
However, as soon as he mentioned the mirror dimension, they quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
Kaecilius felt a flicker of hope but had little time to formulate any plans before Syd, still floating in the air, casually said, "I understand the mirror dimension better than you do. If you're smart, you won't make any foolish moves."
Hearing this warning, Kaecilius and the other sorcerers sighed in resignation.
The fact that he knew the term "mirror dimension" meant he wasn't bluffing.
Given the circumstances, they didn't dare try anything.
The next moment, Kaecilius raised his hand and dispelled the mirror dimension.
As the spell was lifted, the surrounding area returned to normal, with any lingering anomalies fading away.
With one final glance at the people below, Syd moved and, with the Tesseract and the Mind Scepter in hand, flew away effortlessly.
Watching his retreating figure, Steve and the others wanted to stop him but found themselves powerless. All they could do was watch as he disappeared into the distance.
"Sigh, this White-Clad Stranger is truly mysterious. He's not just an Omega mutant, but also possibly a god from Asgard. He knows about things like the Infinity Stones and this mirror dimension magic…" Bruce Banner, having shifted back and hastily covered himself, sighed in amazement.
Steve and the others, though silent, couldn't help but agree. The White-Clad Stranger was as enigmatic as Messiah—both powerful and equally shrouded in mystery.
"Maybe all Omega mutants are like that?" Tony muttered helplessly. "Well, at least this Battle of New York is finally over."
But Steve shook his head, looking toward a specific direction. "No, it's not over yet."
His gaze was fixed on Loki and the Chitauri commander.
Thor and the others blinked, suddenly remembering that there were still some loose ends to tie up.
In the next moment, all eyes turned toward Loki and the Chitauri commander.
Loki, the Chitauri commander, and the remaining Chitauri forces paled.
Unfortunately for them, it was too late to escape.
Facing the combined forces of Thor, Tony, and the others, the Chitauri commander and his forces stood no chance and were swiftly defeated.
However, when it came time to capture Loki, an unexpected twist occurred.
"Loki!" Thor growled.
Loki, who should have been struck by Thor's thunderous attack, remained unscathed, standing calmly.
Because it wasn't the real Loki—it was just an illusion. The real Loki had slipped away when the mirror dimension was dispelled.
"My dear brother, we'll meet again next time," Loki mocked before disappearing completely under Thor's furious gaze.
Frustrated, Thor could only turn his attention back to the Chitauri commander.
"Loki!" The Chitauri commander glared in anger as he was captured, his fury directed at the spot where Loki had vanished.
Clearly, he was furious and resentful that Loki had left him behind.
Tony raised his hand, ready to finish off the Chitauri commander.
But before he could act, Steve stopped him.
"Tony, we can't kill him yet," Steve said with a sigh. "Fury wouldn't allow it either."
Tony frowned but eventually shrugged and lowered his hand. "You people who deal with politics are always so complicated."
It was clear that Fury probably didn't want to risk killing the Chitauri commander, fearing it might provoke the Chitauri into an all-out invasion or perhaps use him as a bargaining chip for some kind of negotiation.
Tony didn't care for such political games and handed the Chitauri commander over to Steve for processing.
While they were dealing with the Chitauri commander, Kaecilius opened a yellow portal and led the other sorcerers through it, making their escape.
By the time Steve and the others realized it, the sorcerers had already vanished.
Resigned, they focused on cleaning up the remaining Chitauri forces.
While they dealt with the remnants of the invasion, far above, Syd was flying through the sky, observing the aftermath of the Battle of New York.
This battle had been widespread, with all of New York serving as the battlefield, and Stark Tower was merely the epicenter, standing out among the chaos.
Syd knew that the Ancient One had been involved in the fight as well, though she had focused on defending the Sanctum rather than directly confronting the invaders.
During the battle, she had quietly taken down many Chitauri forces herself.
Syd wasn't surprised by her lack of direct involvement.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One had much to oversee. Her interventions had to be measured, as acting too freely could cause unforeseen consequences.
Her main priority remained the defense against threats like Dormammu and other dimensional beings. Loki's antics were hardly worth her attention.
Her goal was to protect the Sanctum and ensure the stability of the magical barriers that kept Earth safe from dimensional invasions.
"If things had followed the original path, Banner might have already gone to the Sanctum seeking the Time Stone," Syd mused, thinking of the time-travel mission that the Avengers would eventually undertake.
But something was off...
Using his enhanced vision, he scanned the battlefield repeatedly but found nothing suspicious.
In fact...
"Even the Tesseract and Mind Scepter are in my possession. If anyone had time-traveled here, they would have come looking for them…"
"Even if they couldn't defeat me, they wouldn't give up so easily. They'd try to talk me down, persuade me, surely."
Syd shook his head.
It was clear—no one from the Avengers had traveled back in time.
"Is this because of my influence?" he wondered.
"It seems the future has changed dramatically…"
"Then again, maybe not. I'm a walking anomaly. Perhaps my presence has prevented the time-traveling Avengers from appearing now, but who's to say they won't travel back to some other point in time?"
Given his existence, the future was constantly in flux. Everything depended on what he decided in the moment.
(End of Chapter)