Parting Ways

Black Lantern Quicksilver dragged his heavy body back to the room where Mordo was hiding. Looking at Mordo floating in the air, he said, "Is this magic?"

Mordo was shrouded in golden light, while countless reddish-gold fragments fell across his body, as though two spells were grinding against each other. For someone like Mordo, this was nothing unusual, but Black Lantern Quicksilver had never seen such a scene—not even when he was alive.

"Of course it's magic. Don't you think that question is childish? You knew it was magic and still asked?" Mordo replied to Black Lantern Quicksilver's question with a few offhand words.

Black Lantern Quicksilver hurriedly shook his head. "I was just marveling at it, not asking you. You're overthinking it. I didn't even ask you to answer."

Mordo snorted and continued resting. Surrounded by magic, his strength was slowly recovering.

"The files we stole are still with you, right? So, have you looked into them?" Black Lantern Quicksilver plopped down on a dust-covered sofa and looked at Mordo with an expression of enjoyment. To him, dirt no longer mattered.

Mordo glanced at him and said, "No. I've been restoring my own strength."

That was right. From the moment they found the files until now, they had never examined them. It was time to study them. At least, that was what Black Lantern Quicksilver thought. After the battle, he had realized one thing: they absolutely could not be allowed to appear in pairs. They could only be dealt with one at a time.

Picking them off one by one was the true way forward.

Hearing Mordo's answer, Black Lantern Quicksilver was clearly displeased. To him, reading files required no strength, so if it had been him, he would have checked them immediately to avoid complications. Thus, he said, "Then give me the files. You rest, and I'll check them. My speed is fast anyway."

"Here. Take them." Mordo opened a portal. On the other side was a small attic piled with countless sheets of white paper. Those white sheets were the materials they had taken from Avengers Tower. Black Lantern Quicksilver said, "Why are they still blank sheets?"

"If they aren't stupid, they would have put spells on the paper files. Stephen that bastard would definitely tamper with the papers—for example, an illusion spell. I told you about it."

"How do we remove it?" Black Lantern Quicksilver spoke flatly. In truth, he had been suppressing his emotions the whole time, as he was already completely in a berserk state. He had just been besieged by enemies, only to return and find Mordo resting without a hint of urgency. Naturally, his anger was immense. And now, Mordo seemed to be looking down on him from above, making Black Lantern Quicksilver even more furious.

Mordo fell silent for a second, then pointed at himself.

"What does that mean?" Black Lantern Quicksilver asked.

"Wait until I've recovered my magic. You started talking to me the moment you came in. How am I supposed to rest properly?" Mordo showed no urgency at all as he sat in the air, restoring his magical power.

Black Lantern Quicksilver violently flung the files in his hand aside. Going berserk, he punched Mordo in the face and said, "I've put up with you for a long time. Let me tell you, don't think you're so damn amazing just because you have magic!"

"Is that so?" Mordo returned to his floating position. The magic in his hand transformed into a rope and wrapped around Quicksilver's legs. With a pull of both hands, he yanked Black Lantern Quicksilver to the ground. At the same time, Mordo opened the Mirror Dimension!

Of course, Black Lantern Quicksilver knew about the Mirror Dimension. Without a Sling Ring, one would be trapped here. The instant he entered the Mirror Dimension, he broke free of the magical rope. Then his entire body vibrated as he moved at high speed, the Dark Blade in his hand becoming a streak of black light as it stabbed toward Mordo.

Mordo's body was shielded by magic, yet cracks appeared on the Dark Blade—though only slightly. Mordo stared at the Dark Blade in shock and shouted, "Doctor Strange!!!"

He could not believe it. The blade actually contained Doctor Strange's power. Doctor Strange had cast an enchantment spell on it. This left Mordo stunned. If Mordo had not guessed wrong, this Dark Blade should have belonged entirely to Black Lantern Quicksilver. How could it contain Doctor Strange's magic? Could it be that Black Lantern Quicksilver and Doctor Strange were the real accomplices?

Mordo turned aside to evade the Dark Blade, while the magic in his hand transformed into an axe and slashed directly at Black Lantern Quicksilver.

Black Lantern Quicksilver was incredibly fast. His figure left a faint afterimage in the air before vanishing from Mordo's sight. Just as Mordo thought it was over, Black Lantern Quicksilver returned with the Dark Blade. The Dark Blade became extraordinarily powerful in his hand. Blue lightning flashed, and the Dark Blade pierced Mordo's lower back. Mordo let out a roar as magic exploded, blasting Black Lantern Quicksilver away. Taking advantage of that moment, he opened a portal and prepared to leave the Mirror Dimension. But at that instant, Black Lantern Quicksilver entered the portal the moment it opened.

Black Lantern Quicksilver's figure flashed repeatedly. Mordo had not expected him to leave first. Mordo quickly closed the portal, then instantly left the Mirror Dimension and teleported elsewhere. Blood flowed from his waist. He needed treatment.

When Mordo shouted Doctor Strange's name, Black Lantern Quicksilver had been somewhat confused. The reason he fled was because he thought Doctor Strange's magic was about to erupt, but it did not. He had thought Doctor Strange's power had turned into an attack spell on the files, yet nothing happened at all. Even when he left, he had not seen any spell erupt while moving at extreme speed.

But when he tried to return, the portal had already closed.

Mordo instantly arrived at a hospital. He grabbed an attending physician and said, "Treat me now, or you'll die horribly!"

Of course, Mordo was only trying to scare him. His magic appeared at once, making it clear to the attending physician that it would be best not to tell anyone about this.

The attending physician was frightened, but he clearly had not been scared unconscious. He still retained his reason. It was simply hard to believe, since he practiced scientific medicine and had never believed in such things in the slightest.

"Y-you're a wizard?" The attending physician stared at Mordo in disbelief.

"I know you're a good person, so let me tell you, I'm a good person too. I'm begging you to treat me, otherwise, really..." Mordo did not finish speaking before he completely passed out. A great deal of blood was flowing from behind him, as though a small stream were running across his waist.

The attending physician immediately arranged surgery and summoned the people he trusted most.

The entire matter was handled in secret. No one else knew.

"Thank you..." Mordo's voice sounded beside the attending physician's ear. The doctor did not know whether he was hallucinating, but he would still give it everything he had.