Asgard.
Asgardian Palace.
Conference Hall.
Odin sat upon his throne, with his two sons, Thor and Loki, standing at his side.
Luke sat in his seat with Nick Fury. Across from him sat Mephisto. Unlike previous Dimensional Energy Conferences, Ancient One did not appear at this meeting. Instead, there was a new face that was not entirely unfamiliar.
"So, the Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard has changed?" The Soul Fire drifting within Mephisto's eye sockets fixed itself on Stephen Strange as he drawled.
"This meeting was convened to hand over Ancient One Mage's authority. It is part of the Sorcerer Supreme's Power Succession." Luke tapped the Stone Table with a curled finger, then pointed at Stephen. "This is Master Stephen Strange. You should all know him."
"He is inheriting Ancient One's share in the Energy Bank? I don't think so." Mephisto's head spun several full circles on his neck as he raised an objection. "The one I recognized was Ancient One. Though I hated her, she truly had the strength and possessed a great deal of intelligence we needed. But him? Has he proven himself?"
Odin remained silent. Ancient One's death—or rather, her retiring at the peak—had deeply affected him. Although New Energy had revitalized his body and allowed it to bear greater power without fear of collapse, he still had to face the immense burden that rising energy placed upon his body. For now, the consequences had merely been delayed.
"He drove Dormammu away head-on." Luke calmly dropped a bombshell.
Odin and Mephisto immediately looked at Strange far more seriously. As the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu's reputation was renowned throughout the Multiverse. Unlike Ancient One, whose fame mostly circulated among Dimensional Demon Gods, Dormammu had countless fanatic followers across the Multiverse.
Even Mephisto and Odin at their peaks