Slaying Kaecilius, Using the Infinity Stones

The corners of his mouth curved into a satisfied smile.

But just as those ancient prophecies often said, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Everything came at a price.

As the great door slowly closed, invisible ripples of energy began spreading around them, as though the fabric of time had been violently torn apart.

Space groaned amid its distortion, voicing a soundless protest.

Wong and Mordo, two veterans who had weathered countless battles, could not conceal the fear in their hearts.

They watched the scenery around them speed up and slow down without warning, sometimes leaping into the future and sometimes flashing back into the past, as if they had been swept into a vortex of time and had completely lost control of themselves.

"What... what is going on?!"

Wong's voice trembled noticeably. Even with all his experience, he seemed bewildered and helpless in the face of this sudden upheaval.

Mordo frowned deeply, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists as he tried to resist the chaos through sheer force of will.

But clearly, all of this had already gone far beyond their control.

This was the consequence of abusing the Infinity Stones.

The two of them turned their gazes toward Lin Du at the same time.

Yet this distortion of time seemed, to Lin Du, as if everything were entirely within his grasp.

He simply stood there, immovable as a mountain. Though waves of time churned around him, they could not shake him in the slightest.

Lin Du slowly lifted his head, his gaze piercing the heavens, where the stars were gradually beginning to warp. His voice was calm and resolute. "This is the price that must be paid for recklessly manipulating the power of time."

The moment he spoke, it was like a shot to the heart, slightly calming the panic within Wong and Mordo.

Yet questions still lingered in their minds—if Lin Du had known the consequences of abusing the Time Stone, why had he still chosen to walk this road of no return?

At such a critical moment, Lin Du revealed a faint smile. It held both composure in the face of the unknown and supreme confidence in his own abilities.

He slowly raised an arm and lightly traced his fingertips through the air.

In an instant, the wildly leaping fragments of time seemed to receive an order and returned to their places one by one. Under the soothing touch of an invisible force, the disorder of time and space quietly regained its former calm and order.

Wong and Mordo stared in stunned disbelief. Having witnessed Lin Du's nearly miraculous feat with their own eyes, their hearts were filled with both shock and awe.

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"

Wong muttered under his breath, his voice full of disbelief.

Hadn't Ancient One clearly said before that Lin Du had never studied magic at all?

But how could the present situation be explained?

How could this possibly be something someone who had never encountered magic could display?

He could swear on it.

The Lin Du before them could easily surpass all of them. He was definitely not merely at the level of someone who had studied magic for only two days.

Wong and Mordo exchanged glances, each seeing the reflection of the other's profound shock at Lin Du's strength.

They had always considered themselves elites of the magical world, yet before Lin Du, they suddenly felt like novice apprentices who had only just stepped through the doors of magic. Everything seemed to be only beginning.

Strange stood nearby, his expression calm, though a storm raged within his heart.

Ever since he and Lin Du had embarked on their journey of studying magic together, scenes this shocking had become too numerous to count.

His deep gaze held both a quiet acceptance of Lin Du's growing strength and an eager longing to explore the boundless world of magic.

To him, time seemed like a book whose pages he could flip through at will.

Strange silently murmured to himself, an inadvertent bitter smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

That smile held both faint helplessness at fate's tricks and pride and admiration for his companion's immense power.

In the end, Mordo was the first to break the silence of contemplation.

"We have to get back to the Sanctum immediately. Ancient One is holding off Kaecilius's followers by herself. Lin Du, we need your support."

Hearing this, Lin Du withdrew his gaze from the distant sky and slowly nodded in agreement.

Led by Wong and Mordo, Lin Du broke into a sprint toward the Sanctum.

Inside the Sanctum, Ancient One was fiercely resisting the followers' relentless attacks. Every movement stirred the magical energy in the air, making the entire Sanctum tremble as though every collision could shake heaven and earth.

"Hurry!" Mordo shouted anxiously, urgent fire flickering in his eyes.

Even while racing forward, Wong did not forget to explain the dire situation to Lin Du. "Kaecilius was once one of us, but he betrayed us and seeks to open a gateway to the Dark Dimension."

"If we do not make it in time to stop him..."

Just as the group hurried past Kaecilius, who was lying on the ground unable to rise,

Lin Du stopped at his side, his eyes deep as if they could see through everything.

He understood that the outcome of this battle did not depend solely on defeating the opponent before them.

More importantly, they had to sever Kaecilius's hand before he could touch that forbidden door.

Because once the Dark Gate opened, the entire universe would descend into an unprecedented abyss of terror.

Just when everyone was locked in a bitter struggle and at their wits' end, Lin Du suddenly moved.

His figure flickered, and he teleported behind Kaecilius like a phantom, moving so quickly that it left everyone speechless.

He gently placed his hand on Kaecilius's back.

In an instant, a surging torrent of dark power flooded into Kaecilius's body like a tidal wave.

Kaecilius suddenly let out a heart-rending scream. His entire body shook violently, as if he were being whipped by an invisible lash.

He experienced pain unlike anything he had ever known, feeling his soul being gnawed away bit by bit by that dark power.

It was as though his entire being were about to be dragged into a bottomless abyss.

He struggled desperately, attempting to resist the sudden assault.

But Lin Du's hand was like an unshakable mountain peak, weighing heavily upon him and leaving him unable to move an inch.

"Y-you... what did you do to me?" Kaecilius's voice was filled with panic and terror.

Lin Du said nothing. He merely increased the force in his palm, and under his control, the dark power rampaged through Kaecilius's body, crashing about and destroying everything in its path.

Kaecilius's body began to blur, as though shrouded in an invisible mist.

His life force was rapidly draining away at a visible rate. With every passing second, he drew closer to the brink of extinction.

At last, he erupted in a despairing scream of unbearable agony.

His body became a wisp of dense black smoke, gradually vanishing into the air without leaving the slightest trace behind.

With Kaecilius's sudden disappearance, the followers who had once closely followed him instantly fell into chaos and helplessness.

Though they still struggled desperately, they could no longer muster any meaningful counterattack.