Stephen Strange stepped into a portal bound for the New York Sanctum and appeared at one corner of its rooftop.
The icy wind whistled across his face, bringing a trace of chill. The red Cloak of Levitation fluttered slowly behind him.
He pressed a hand against the wall and looked toward the entrance of the New York Sanctum. The surrounding streets were still strewn with falling leaves, bicycles and cars passing along the asphalt and stirring up the leaves on the ground.
It was a peaceful autumn scene. Nothing seemed wrong.
"Is the New York Sanctum all right?" Stephen Strange's eyes showed a flicker of confusion. In his precognitive dream, Kaecilius's next target had been the New York Sanctum. That was why he had switched places with the Ancient One and come here to investigate.
For now, the outside of the New York Sanctum was calm, and the Sanctum itself had not exploded into a crater like the London Sanctum.
"Kaecilius hasn't arrived yet." Stephen Strange guessed that Kaecilius had not moved so quickly. Strange had simply gotten to the New York Sanctum first.
For something like bombing the Sanctums, the best approach was to blow up all three at once. The longer Kaecilius delayed, the slimmer his chances would become.
Kamar-Taj's sorcerers reacted with extreme speed whenever Sanctums were involved. Once they learned that the London Sanctum had been attacked, the defenses of the remaining two Sanctums would immediately rise sharply. If Kaecilius was even a little late, it would be difficult to recreate what had happened at the London Sanctum, and destroying the New York Sanctum and Hong Kong Sanctum would become several times harder.
Even Strange and the Ancient One had rushed over at once to shore up the remaining Sanctums and add a few more safeguards.