A Deadly Impasse

Kaecilius looked at Doctor Strange with a complicated expression.

Judging from Doctor Strange's appearance, he must not have been in Kamar-Taj for long. To become a full-fledged sorcerer so quickly and gain the recognition of magical artifacts, he must be a genius.

Sneaking into forbidden books, secretly manipulating the power of time—how much he resembles his younger self.

"May I have your name?"

Kaecilius suddenly became interested in Doctor Strange.

"Stephen Strange, Doctor Strange."

Doctor Strange said calmly.

"Are you a doctor?"

Kaecilius asked calmly.

"Yes, I am a doctor."

When Doctor Strange spoke of his former profession, a hint of pride appeared on his face.

"You are a doctor, you believe in science, you save other people's lives, but you cannot fight against time. Time is humanity's greatest enemy, and death is humanity's greatest insult. You can save a critically ill person, but can you save everyone in the world who has aged and died because of time?"

Kaecilius showed a rare hint of sadness; his initial purpose in going to Kamar-Taj was to resurrect his deceased wife.

Seeing that Doctor Strange remained silent, Kaecilius tried to persuade him again.

"Dormammu will do. Dormammu is the ruler of the Dark Dimension. He will come to devour our world, and we will gain immortality. We can become a part of him, the most beautiful part."

A religious fervor returned to Kaecilius's eyes.

He saw a reflection of his younger self in Doctor Strange. Now that the mission was complete, he didn't mind spending a little more time to give Doctor Strange and the others a chance.

An opportunity to embrace darkness and gain immortality.

To everyone's surprise, after hearing his words, Doctor Strange simply shook his head subconsciously.

"You call being devoured by a monster immortality? Look at yourselves, look at your faces, your bodies—what part of you can still be considered human? Dormammu turned you into killers, monsters. Wake up!"

It's unclear whether the words "assassin" or "monster" stung Kaecilius.

As soon as Doctor Strange finished speaking, his expression changed drastically, from kind words of advice to murderous intent.

"I'm only giving you one last chance because you and I used to be so alike. Are you sure you want to refuse me? Refuse the great Dark Lord Dormammu?"

Doctor Strange turned around and exchanged a brief glance with Wong and Mordo.

It was a deadly situation. Just now, Wang and Mordo were still preoccupied with the Ancient One absorbing Dark Magic.

But now we can't care about whether it's true or false.

The three exchanged a glance, and each saw a death wish in the other's eyes.

They couldn't help but laugh at the same time; it was a rare opportunity for the three of them to die together.

Since death is inevitable, why not fight it out before you die, and make it spectacular?

The three understood each other's gaze, and a surge of pride rose within them.

The three of them shouted at the same time and, with perfect coordination, attacked Kaecilius.

Doctor Strange was still wielding his energy whip, and Mordo seemed to have abandoned his defense, conjuring a sword in his hand. Only King, with his two energy shields, willingly served as the meat shield among the three.

The three had a clear division of labor. Wang used all the energy in his body to create a huge energy shield, which tightly surrounded Kaecilius, resisting all his attacks.

Having acquired the Cloak and also possessing a movement artifact, Mordo used a whip to interrupt and restrain Kaecilius, while another, wielding a knife and utilizing his boots, launched attacks on Kaecilius from various angles.

The others that Kaecilius brought didn't move. Just now, Kaecilius had said that he would take care of these three men.

But whether these three knew they were doomed, or whether that one glance they exchanged made them understand each other perfectly, it's unclear.

Not only was their energy much greater this time, but the three of them also cooperated with unparalleled skill.

Doctor Strange flew through the air, and whenever Kaecilius made a move, he would immediately use his whip to either lash out or wrap it around Kaecilius's arm, without directly confronting him. As soon as he could reduce Kaecilius's strength, he would quickly let go.

The goal is to reduce the frequency and intensity of attacks received by the king.

Mordo then rained blows down on Kaecilius from all directions, one after another.

For a moment, Kaecilius was left looking utterly humiliated.

However, all three knew in their hearts that with so many powerful Dark Magic surrounding them, they would all die sooner or later. They just wanted to think of a way to take Kaecilius down with them.

The three people had a very good and noble idea.

However, the Dark Magic that Kaecilius obtained was indeed powerful enough, as one wound after another appeared on his body.

Kaecilius suddenly stopped attacking, but Doctor Strange's whip and Mordo's knife continued to pound on his body.

Ignoring their attacks, he roared to the sky.

"Ah!~!~!~!~!"

It was said to be a long howl to the sky, but it sounded more like a scream of agony.

After the scream, Kaecilius's wounds visibly healed slowly.

His body suddenly grew three centimeters taller, the scales on his face looked even thicker, and black mist swirled around him.

The front half of the person's skull had actually protruded forward several inches.

In short, he looks even less like a human being.

"Don't just stand there, do it!"

Mordo was the first to realize that no matter what happened, the best course of action was to fight.

Doctor Strange paused for a moment, then instinctively lashed out with his whip.

However, this time the target was not hit, and Kaecilius quickly reached out and grabbed his energy whip.

Seeing this, Mordo quickly intervened, his energy blade creating a whooshing sound as it slashed down towards Kaecilius's forehead.

Kaecilius laughed and, instead of dodging, headbutted the energy blade headfirst.

"Clang!!"

With a deafening roar that trembled, the energy blade shattered into pieces and vanished into thin air before Mordo's incredulous eyes, while only a faint mark appeared on Kaecilius's forehead.

And the mark disappeared immediately, visibly.

Kaecilius yanked the whip hard, and Doctor Strange, unable to withstand the force, flew forward. Even the Cloak's slight counterforce was useless, and Kaecilius grabbed him by the throat.

With a sudden movement, another hand reached out and grabbed Mordo by the neck, who was still in disbelief at the blow he had just received.

He grabbed one person by the neck with both hands, as if he were holding two chicks.

Kaecilius looked up and laughed heartily.

"See that? This is the true power of darkness. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj? They're as weak as chicks."

Wang was utterly desperate. The energy shield in his hand dissipated instantly. He glanced desperately towards the Avengers Compound outside, hoping for a miracle.

Kaecilius seemed to sense his gaze.

"You still hope someone will come to save you? Is it that hypocritical coward, the Ancient One, or those so-called Hero, a bunch of nameless people in strange costumes? Kamar-Taj is getting more and more depraved, associating with these people. Today, no one can save you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xia Yu's cheeky voice rang in Kaecilius's ears.

"Oh? Nobody can save him? Are you sure?"

Xia Yu had been watching for a while, and it turned out that the protagonist's timely arrival and slapping of the villain's face were mostly planned out; there weren't that many coincidences.